Focus Features Tuesday morning released the first trailer Jeff Nichols’ ‘Loving’ starring Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga.
‘Loving’ celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving (portrayed by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown. Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry – and their love story has become an inspiration to couples ever since.
The film is written and directed by Jeff Nichols and also stars Marton Csokas, Michael Shannon, and Nick Kroll.
‘Loving’ will open in select theaters on November 4, and will expand across the country later in November.
Carrie Coon, currently part of ‘The Leftovers’ has joined the cast of ‘Fargo’ for Season 3, according to TVLine.
Coon will portray Gloria Burgle, a practical woman who grabs the fire extinguisher when the bacon catches fire and everyone else panics. Gloria is the chief of the Eden Valley police, and a newly divorced mother, who is struggling to understand this new world around her where people connect more intimately with their phones than the people right in front of them.
TVLine goes on to say the series focuses on a pair of lookalike brothers, both played by Ewan McGregor. The older of the two, Emmit Stussy is a good-looking, self-assured real estate magnate — aka the Parking Lot King of Minnesota. His younger bro, Ray, is a flabby parole officer who believes that Emmit is somehow responsible for his sorry state of affairs.
The third season of ‘Fargo’ will film at the end of the year with a presumably premiere in 2017.
With Jason Bourne coming out July 29, it’s time to take a look back at the action franchise, see where it started, see how it evolved, and see where it wound up before Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass decided to return. Welcome to leg two of The Road to Jason Bourne.
At the end of The Bourne Identity, things appeared on the uptick for Jason Bourne – having vanquished his foes and fled to Greece to meet up with Marie (Franka Potente) to live a quiet life off the grid – and that’s probably because Universal was uncertain whether or not this debut would be successful enough to garner sequels. But when the original pulled in twice it’s budget at the box office ($121 million domestically against a $60 million budget), a franchise was – if you can excuse my lame humor – “Bourne.”
Doug Liman was not going to return for The Bourne Supremacy, and the whole thing was a bit of a scandal (it seems Liman was not up for the task of a big-budget action movie in 202, and producer Frank Marshall was unimpressed. Instead, Frank Marshall sought the jittery camera of Paul Greengrass to fill Liman’s shoes, having been impressed with Greengrass’s work on Bloody Sunday. Tony Gilroy’s screenplay would also lean into darkness much more than Identity, with Damon’s Jason Bourne transforming into a more tortured soul.
We pick up two years later, and Jason and Marie are living a quiet life in a ramshackle beach house in India. Jason is suffering from severe headaches, brought on by spotty nightmares of a past job with Treadstone. He can’t put them together, and the closure he thought he had back in Greece at the end of the original film is replaced by anguish. Little does he know he’s been set up in Berlin, where our Russian villains (Karl Urban and Karel Roden) have framed him for the assassination of two CIA agents. And they plan on getting to India and take him down. The Berlin ambush draws the attention of one Pamela Landy, played with an incredibly strong presence by Joan Allen. Landy is all business and power suit, and she wants Jason Bourne brought down.
The early sequence in India delivers one of the more shocking twists in a genre film of this type: Marie is killed by Karl Urban’s Kirill – who’s traveled to India to wipe out Bourne after framing him in Berlin – as her and Jason try and make their escape. The moment is still incredible, unexpected as the rifle bullet slams her head forward and their car plummets from a bridge into the water. This adds a crucial layer to Bourne’s motivations, and it pushes our hero into a dark place.
The plot then whirs along as Bourne heads to Berlin and tries to piece together both his fragmented memories and this current malaise. In the first film, Matt Damon played Jason Bourne appropriately confused and open faced, desperate to figure out anything he can. This time around, he takes that energy and draws it inward. He never smiles, not once, and is dressed in black the entire time. He is sure of his skills as a perfect weapon, and is much more comfortable using them. This is a much darker, more streamlined character with clear motivations, and Damon perfectly taps into that specific sort of energy.
Gilroy’s screenplay does tend to meander too long in the CIA’s various command centers, where Landy and Brian Cox’s Ward Abbott bicker back and forth and try and figure out which way is up. The dialogue is quick and sharp, but repetitive, and only when we’re dealing with Bourne and his escapades does the story sing. He visits the home of a fellow assassin and ends up making short work of him, mostly with a rolled-up newspaper. He eludes numerous CIA attempts to corner him, and of course he flies across Eastern European streets in a car chase. Or two.
In 2004, Paul Greengras’s shaky-cam style was, if not entirely new (Tony Scott was on top of this a few years earlier), rare enough for audiences to take notice. Seeing it again with 2016 eyes, while still noticeable, the vibrating camera isn’t nearly as distracting. The film surrounding those kinetic and dizzying action sequences is rather straightforward and easy to follow. Greengrass’s decision to disorient us in the middle of hand-to-hand combat or car chases feels right. It works to write a specific cinematic language for the story. Fights and car chases are disorienting, at least I think they have to be, right?
The problem became, after The Bourne Supremacy, Greengrass M.O. seeped into a number of less talented filmmakers who took the shaky-cam aesthetic to annoyingly overzealous heights. Remember Battle: LA? It’s okay if you don’t, not many do. Anyway, it was one example of shaky cam use with little consequence or reason. It isn’t Greengrass’s fault so many hack filmmakers began using this technique to hide flaws in their own films. In The Bourne Supremacy (and Ultimatum and, presumably, the upcoming fifth film), the camera informs the story rather than the other way around.
There’s something to be said about the film’s influence on the imitators. This is, after all, the franchise that brought us the incredibly overused “side-impact-out-of-nowhere” car crash. That bit is still being used ad nauseum today, even in dramas like Jake Gyllenhaal’s Demolition.
For all its maneuvering from one city street to the next, very little actually happens in The Bourne Supremacy. There’s a plot, and action, and it moves the story forward and sets up our hero for the third entry, but other than changing tone and reinventing action storytelling for a whole slew of directors, the story itself only happens in two major acts, with an epilogue allowing Jason Bourne to find at least a little closure and discover his real name. That isn’t to say it’s bad, it’s still one of the better action movies in the 21st century’s first decade. But when compared to the bookend pieces of the overarching trilogy, this one feels slight.
The box office more than doubled this time around ($176 million against a $75 million budget), and three years later Damon and Greengrass would complete a near perfect trilogy with The Bourne Ultimatum.
During an interview with Digital Spy while promoting Hail, Caesar!, Thanos actor Josh Brolin had some words to say about the story for Avengers: Infinity War:
“I literally can’t say one word about it, but it’s an incredible story. There’s no script yet, but I do know the story inside and out and it’s an amazing story. I sat at a table and listened to the story and was completely and utterly blown away. I was told it by all the people involved – it was a large table, I’ll put it that way!”
Pretty much nothing is known about the story of the next Avengers film, but details will likely be provided in the next year through trailers, cons, and random announcements from Marvel.
How do you think the Infinity War storyline will play out? Let us know in the comment section.
Avengers: Infinity WarPart 1 releases in 2018, with Part 2 being released in 2019.
In the Warner Bros. San Diego Comic-Con International press release, the synopsis for the Wonder Woman film set to hit theaters next year can be found. Check it out below.
“Wonder Woman” hits movie theaters around the world next summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
Along with the plot summary, WB. also had a paragraph laying out the cast, producers, and writers of the film:
Joining Gadot in the international cast are Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner and Saïd Taghmaoui. Jenkins directs the film from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg, based on characters from DC Entertainment. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston. The film is produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Richard Suckle, with Rebecca Roven, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.
Are you looking forward to seeing Warner Bros.’ panel at this year’s Comic-Con? Comment down below and let us know!
We’re less than a month from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad hitting theaters, and Warner Bros. has released a brand new TV Spot. The spot lets everyone know that tickets for the film go on sale this Friday, July 15, so get your wallet ready!
“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 hits theaters on August 5, with tickets going on sale Friday, July 15.
Mike Ayley the bass guitarist of the Canadain pop rock band Marianas Trench called the Monkeys Fighting Robots hotline to talk with Matt Sardo about the band’s SPF 80s tour that kicked off this week and how to survive in a band for 13 years.
Any band that likes ‘The Goonies’ has to be pretty entertaining. Marianas Trench’s latest album Astoria comes from Astoria, Oregon, the hometown of ‘The Goonies.’ The band also has a talent for over-the-top, pop culture referencing music videos.
One part 1980s fantasy adventure film and one part classic Marianas Trench, Astoria “is about completely falling to pieces, and picking yourself back up again,” reflecting on frontman Josh Ramsay’s own personal journey.
It was a little hot in Austin the other night, luckily the band had their poolside attire.
The self-referential nature of ‘Pop 101’ to the band and the music industry is rather brillant.
Marianas Trench has two Certified Platinum albums in Canada, as well as many chart-topping hits, including “Fallout,” “Haven’t Had Enough” and “Stutter.” Ramsay also received a Grammy nomination in 2013 for co-writing and producing Carly Rae Jepsen’s breakthrough smash, “Call Me Maybe.”
The Real Ghostbusters, the continuing adventures of the team of paranormal investigators, became a staple for many growing up in the 80s. It’s not hard to see why it was so popular. It stayed true to the movie which spawned it and allowed the characters to grow in ways the films didn’t.
In celebration of the new Ghostbusters film, it’s time to take a look back and pick the best episodes to come out of the animated series. These are the 10 best episodes of the The Real Ghostbusters.
10. Attack of the B-Movie Monsters
A late entry into the series as it was in the last season of the show but it still a lot of fun to watch. The team travels to Japan and finds the most popular one among them is Slimer. They also discover chemicals which are causing monsters from movies to come alive. Not only did this episode feature the team fighting against giant monsters (one of which was an obvious reference to Godzilla), but they were also supplied with the Ecto Ichi, a car which could become a hovercraft.
9. Night Game
After Winston sees something weird at a baseball game, he investigates and finds the stadium is an ancient battleground for the forces of good and evil. Teaming up with the forces of good, Winston conveniences the ghosts to hold a baseball game instead of fighting. As the game comes down to the wire with Winston at bat, the remaining trio are about to capture the ghost pitcher and stop the game, but are stopped by Egon who realizes that the side of good loses if they interfere. It’s an episode which showed that the team had to use more than just their proton packs if they wanted to save the day, and that sometimes you just have to work with the hand you’re dealt.
8. Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
The Sandman, a ghost with the power to put people to sleep wants to bring peace to the world. Unfortunately this peace comes at the cost of everyone sleeping for 500 years. Just as it seems he will win, the Sandman is defeated when Janine is put under his spell and her dream of being a Ghostbuster materializes. It allows her to strap on a proton pack and stop the Sandman’s scheme. This would be the first episode features Janine helping to trap ghosts but it would not be the last. When times got tough, the receptionist wouldn’t hesitate to jump into battle alongside the guys. Janine Melnitz, proving without a doubt that women can be Ghostbusters too.
7. The Collect Call of Cathulhu
No, it isn’t a typo; you are reading it right. There was an episode which featured the team fighting against Cthulu. When the Necronomicon, a powerful spellbook, is stolen by a Cult they use it to summon the sleeping god. It was then up to the team to find a way to put him back to bed or risk the world falling into madness. This episode was enjoyable enough as a kid watching the team fight a giant beast but now, knowing the history behind Cthulu and what he represents, it makes the episode even more enjoyable.
6. Knock, Knock
The doomsday door, a door holding back a large amount of ghost energy is discovered, opened, and causes the entire subway area to become something out of a nightmare. Though the team is able to stop it and return things to normal, the door is still there at the end of the episode and still saying “Do Not Open Until Doomsday” over and over again. Despite the fact the day was won, the brutal reminder of the fragility human race and the inevitable future of ghosts ruling the land was a lot to take in. It was kind of morbid in a way which made it more memorable.
5. Xmas Marks the Spot
After driving through time (just go with it), the team went back to 19th Century England and accidentally captures the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future as they were visiting Ebenezer Scrooge. When they return home they find no one has the joy of Christmas anymore because of it. They realize they have no choice but to head into the containment unit to get the ghosts back while at the same time fulfilling their duty and teaching Scrooge the meaning of Christmas. Holiday episodes can often be a so full of sweetness and cheer that they often rely on it actually being Christmas to be enjoyed. But this is rare one which can be entertaining at any time of the year.
4. When Halloween Was Forever
One of the most memorable aspects of this show was the different creatures they introduced. Some of which became major players in the Ghostbusters mythology. In this episode, the team encounters Samhaim, the spirit of Halloween. He casts the entire city into unending night in an effort to make Halloween last forever. On top of his devastating powers, he also has an entire army of followers waiting to do his bidding. Though he would be defeated, he would return again and be one of the few ghosts to do so. This helped to cement him in the community as being a force to reckoned with and one which should be feared if he decided to show his face again.
3. The Revenge of Murray the Mantis
One of the best things about this cartoon was the return of a certain villain who had totally reformed and was ready to fight on the side of justice. His name was The Staypuft Marshmallow Man. In his initial return, Staypuft had to come back out and fight against a group of spirits which took the form of a giant cartoon mantis balloon they had been inhabiting. It was the first appearance of the big guy in the series, but not his last as he was often called upon to help out the team later in the series.
2. The Boogieman Cometh
One of the most fearful characters ever introduced to the series was the Boogieman. His disturbing appearance with an enlarged head, disfigured teeth, and goat legs was bad enough, but he also spoke with the most raspy and unnerving voice ever recorded. He was revealed in this episode to be the reason why Egon had gone into paranormal investigation in the first place, making it his life’s work to study creatures like the Boogieman in an effort to protect others. He is also such a threat that the team often has to rely on experimental and prototype equipment just to take him down. He really is the creature of nightmares, and his first appearance was one of the best episodes of the series.
1. Drool, The Dog Faced Goblin
What are the best episodes of nostalgic cartoons? It can be argued they are the ones which told a deeper story and had emotional resonance in them. Episodes like “The Golden Lagoon” from Transformers which tried to look at the effects of war is remembered fondly by fans because of the emotional impact it had. This is why “Drool, The Dog Faced Goblin” is number one.
When investigating a carnival, the team meets Drool, a goblin who is using his shapeshifting to entertain the crowd. They leave when the owner insists Drool is friendly, but are plagued on their way home by the work of what could only be a shapeshifter. Just as they return and are about to capture Drool (thinking he caused everything), a phantom they had hunted previously appears, starts wreaking havoc, and they realize it was all his doing. In an effort to save his friends, Drool sacrifices himself, gets caught in a trap with the phantom, and is unable to be separated and return to the carnival. The episode ends with the carnival owner insisting Drool just wanted friends, the team feeling guilty for accusing him, and the image of the dangling ghost trap containing a good ghost who didn’t deserve his fate. It punches you in the gut, really teaches a great lesson about not jumping to conclusions, and makes you feel bad for poor Drool. This is why this episode easily took the number one slot on the list.
What are some of your favorite episodes of The Real Ghostbusters? Were there some which didn’t make the list? Post your comments below and let us know which episodes you enjoyed most.
Paramount TV and Anonymous Content have acquired rights to the Battlefield video-games series with plans to adapt it into a TV series, Variety reports.
Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar and Ashley Zalta will executive produce.
The game, which is developed by Electronic Arts’ EA DICE, debuted in 2002 and has more than 60 million players worldwide. There are 11 games in the video game franchise. Battlefield 1, the latest installment, is set during World War I. Players can pilot zeppelins and man machine guns.
“Battlefield has a tremendous built-in, engaged fan base, making it a highly coveted piece of IP primed for long-form adaptation,” said Sugar, partner, Anonymous Content. “Together with EA and Paramount TV, we’ll develop the Battlefield TV series with the same commitment to robust storytelling that has made the game such a runaway success for nearly fifteen years.”
EA Dice also posted the news to its official Twitter page:
Battlefield becomes the first video game-based project for Paramount TV and Anonymous Content.
The two companies have a first-look deal for scripted TV content. Other projects in the works include Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why and TNT’s The Alienist, based on the book.
In 2012, Fox was developing a series based on the Battlefield video game, but it never made it to series.
Have you noticed that your Facebook feed has been taken over by Pokémon GO? That is because the game has become a viral sensation. The app has more installs than Tinder, and it looks to surpass Twitter in the next few days.
There are even viral videos about the game.
According to Similar Web, more than 60% of those who have downloaded the app in the US are using it daily, meaning around 3% of the entire US Android population are users of the app. This metric, which we refer to as Daily Active Users has put Pokémon GO neck and neck with Twitter, and in a few more days, Pokémon GO will likely have more users Daily Active Users than the well-established social network.
