Indeed this is an episode where the cast comes across something crazy. Josuke and Joseph find a baby with Stand powers who is unseen and keeps turning everything around it invisible. From there the entire episode focuses on the two of them just trying to take care of an infant they can’t see, can only hear, and wacky hijinks ensue.
If you thought the brief moment between Josuke and Joseph in the previous episode was touching then you are in for a real treat. In a more comedic episode, the pair try babysitting and it really does help to bond them as father and son. It’s amusing to watch these two characters try their best to find a way to take care of something they can’t see. Also, Joseph finds a way to show just how courageous he is to his estranged son. It’s a feel good episode filled with an invisible baby and finding ways to deal with what can’t be seen. The only thing which could have been more entertaining would have been if Josuke had used Shining Diamond to change a diaper.
This episode serves as brief break before another multiple part episode, where no doubt a new enemy will emerge. Let’s hope it’s one who really poses a threat and simply another “Monster of the Week” Stand user. A new boss has to emerge with Chili Pepper out of the way. Though it’s shown the team has the bow and arrow in their custody so this means the Stands which appear will still be the ones Okuyasu’s brother created previously right? How many people did he end up shooting before he was taken down? Only time will tell but it’s a good guess it was a lot.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable is streaming at Crunchyroll.
This is not surprising at all. When Deadpool was finally released in February it took over the world in a way no one really expected. Not only was it successful with the fans but the critics also loved it and it dominated the box office. It wasn’t surprising when a sequel was confirmed in April but after X-Men: Apocalypse wasn’t as well received critically or financially it’s not surprising that they are pushing Deadpool 2 ahead. Producer Simon Kinberg recently spoke to Collider about the sequel, the third Wolverine movie, and more.
“The guys, (Paul) Wernick and (Rhett) Rheese are working on the script and we hope to have a script very soon…we hope to shoot the movie sometime in the beginning of next year,” Kinberg said.
As far as X-Men: Apocalypse numbers are concerned Kinberg says that he believes Fox is happy with the numbers.
“I think [Fox] are happy. The truth is Days of Future Past was sort of an outlier for an X-Men movie; we never made more than $500 million before. And ‘Days’ was sort of our ‘Avengers,’ where we brought this mega cast together,” Kinberg said. “So we hoped [X-Men: Apocalypse] would do the same as Days of Future Past, we had a feeling, maybe it would, maybe it wouldn’t. It’s a different kind of film than Days of Future Past.”
This might be Kinberg trying to placate a situation that 20th Century Fox isn’t happy about but perhaps they believe that Deadpool evens everything out. Kinberg was also asked about what is next for the studio as far as movies go but he couldn’t confirm anything but he did shed some light on the troubled Gambit movie.
“I’m thinking about all those things, that’s all I can tell you. We certainly know we’re making Deadpool 2, we know we’re making the Wolverine movie now, we wanna make a New Mutants movie, we’re really, really serious about making the Gambit movie,” he said.
Gambit has been delayed again but it appears to be a passion project for star Channing Tatum much in the way Deadpool was for Ryan Reynolds. Kinberg also had a few things to say about the final Wolverine movie and how this may be the final appearence for star Hugh Jackman.
“I can tell you that it’s going extremely well, and that’s all I will tell you about it,” he said. “We really want it [whether this is Jackman’s final movie] to be discovered, the way we used to watch movies when you didn’t know anything about them when you went to see them.”
There has been no release date for Deadpool 2 and the only thing we know about it is that Cable will make an appearance. The untitled Wolverine movie is currently filming and is slated for a March 2, 2017 release date. X-Men: Apocalypse is out in theaters now and Deadpool is available on home release.
Thor: Ragnarok starts filming on July 4th but images from the sets that are being built have already leaked. They seem to be building more practical sets perhaps to make Asgard look more real than just a green screen. The director Taika Waititi talked to the Gold Cost Bulletin about the movie and what we should expect.
“I am an outside choice for Thor for sure — even I see that — but that’s what’s good about Marvel, what’s great about it,” Waititi said. “They’re able to do that and it’s paid off for them — getting people who aren’t the natural choice. “You see it again and again, so I’m very comfortable in the role. I’m weirdly relaxed.”
The article itself goes into a few more details about the production and how long they are going to be filming in Australia but with it’s A-list cast Thor: Ragnarok suddenly shot to the top of a lot of “most anticipated” lists.
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi and comes out November 3, 2017
Wikipedia describes kölsch as a clear, all-barley pale ale brewed in Cologne, Germany. But, Kilannan Brewing Co., a four-year old craft brewery near Owen Sound, Ontario is proving that Ontarians can brew great-tasting kölsch too. Kilannan’s owner Spencer Wareham is one of the youngest brewery owners in Canada at just 25 years old. Luckily, unlike drinking it, Wareham and his staff at Kilannan prove that brewing great beer doesn’t come with an age restriction. I picked up a couple of 473 mL cans of Kilannan Kolsch at my local LCBO. Before enjoying them, though, I made sure to capitulate to wikipedia’s instructions and pour each into a stange or rod. An infrequent kölsch drinker, I enjoyed mine in a Han Solo-themed rod (may Jedi ghosts watch over him).
SAF: Smooth As …
Kilannan Kolsch – First Sip
This is a pale ale if I’ve ever seen one. Kilannan Kolsch is lighter in colour than some ginger ales. I’m almost immediately glad I poured mine into a rod when I see how quickly the head diffuses. The tight cylindrical shape of the rod keeps the carbonation localized rather than allowing it to dissipate as a standard pint glass would. I get a big whiff of barley as I take my first sip. Kilannan Kolsch’s smell complements its taste well: it has a sweet and grainy flavour that highlights its smooth mouthfeel. Likely typical of other kölsches, this beer has a very clean and understated finish.
Kilannan Kolsch – Last Sip
This is the beer to enjoy at a barbecue, a ballgame, a Brexit vote, basically anywhere. Kilannan Kolsch is so smooth and its flavour is so delicate that it’s difficult to think of reasons to take issue with it. But, as an habitual drinker of strong-flavoured beers like IPAs and stouts, I miss the hops. But, no strike against it there since kölsch doesn’t trade on the same flavours as IPA’s or stouts. So, if you’re looking for foot-stomping bitterness then leave this one to the people who want a delicately flavoured beer with a 5% ABV rating.
Check Out Power Ranger’s Villain Rita Repulsa In Action!
‘Pitch Perfect 2’ director Elizabeth Banks was announced earlier this year as an addition to the ‘Power Rangers’ reboot cast. When fans heard she would be playing iconic villain Rita Repulsa, there was a polarizing reaction. Some accused of white-washing while others were excited to see her bring great acting chops to the film.
Banks told People Magazine that she’s never played a villain before and that she’s looking forward to being unpredictable as a character. Also in that interview, she hints that she has backstory connecting her to the Rangers.
That little hint leads me to my next point. There’s also been an online rumor of Rita Repulsa being a former Green Power Ranger. Her outfit does bear resemblance to the Rangers uniforms but a bit more vampy. We have no official confirmation but this would be an interesting twist for the film.
Could we see her command the Green Dragon-zord as well?
Leaked photos from the set finally show us what Rita will look like in action. Not shown in her originally released image is the staff but we now see that Rita’s weapon of choice will be here as well.
I love how badass Banks looks in these set photos.
Are you excited to see Elizabeth Banks & company in this reboot of ‘Power Rangers’?
‘Power Rangers’ comes out March 24, 2017, directed by Dean Israelite. The film stars Dacre Montgomery (Jason. Red Ranger), RJ Cyler (Billy, Blue Ranger), Naomi Scott (Kimberly, Pink Ranger), Becky G (Trini, Yellow Ranger), Ludi Lin (Zack, Black Ranger), and ‘The Hunger Games’ star Elizabeth Banks (Rita Repulsa). Also, Bryan Cranston recently signed on for Power Rangers leader Zordon.
‘Orange Is The New Black’Delivers Its Most Controversial Season Yet
The girls of Litchfield stand up for big issues when ‘Orange Is The New Black’ returned in June 2016. Each season escalates the drama to an unimaginable level; season 4 took the show to a place they’d never be able to return from. Intense stories of racism, mental illness, and corporate corruption made ‘OITNB’ more topical than ever before.
White privilege has been discussed earlier with Piper’s character but ‘Orange Is The New Black‘ dives into it head first with Judy King. She’s a rich, white celebrity so once she arrives to Litchfield, she’s given anything she wants. Parallels to Martha Stewart are intentional. Judy is a fun character who brings something new to the prison but her story is all too real.
Season 4 also dived into corrupt corporations like MCC, the fictional company that owns Litchfield prison. Arguably being compared to their real-life counterpart (Corrections Corporation of America), this company only hurts the inmates for their own personal gain. Warden Joe Caputo found out how inhumane the business room can be. Will they be around for season 5?
Mental illness played a big part of this season as well. Not only did Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren get more screen-time but Lori Petty shined as Lolly. Watching her mind deteriorate as the season went on was tragic. Mr. Healy wasn’t even safe from the mental illness storylines. What a tragic character arc he goes through.
“You are a straight, white man. You don’t get to play the victim, sweetie”
–Judy King
After all is said and done, the one issue this season tackles hardest is the “Black Lives Matter” movement. With the murder of the most innocent black character on the show, the lines between fiction & reality began to blur. Comparisons to real-life black tragedies like Ferguson, Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner did not go unnoticed. The character was suffocated while restrained like Eric Garner, her body was left on the ground for 24 hours like Michael Brown in Ferguson, and her name was never mentioned in the aftermath like Sandra Bland in Texas. Only reason her name is not mentioned now is to avoid spoilers for some fans.
Gif via oitnb.tumblr.com
So where do we go from here?
I’m baffled on how the show will follow up this socially conscious season. ‘Orange Is The New Black‘ continues to provoke audiences one way or another. Dealing with the aftermath of all these situations will make for an interesting fifth season but there needs to be continual progression as well. Will current political and social issues find their way into the next season? We have to wait until 2017 to find out.
Let me know your feelings about the 4th season of ‘OITNB‘ in the comments below!
‘Game of Thrones’ continues to thrill audiences since it has departed from the books, ‘Battle of Bastards’ delivered every moment fans deserved. Now, how does David Benioff follow up an almost flawless episode and close out the season with ‘The Winds of Winter.’ EJ and will breakdown ‘Battle of Bastards’ and look to the future.
DC Comics writer Sam Humphries called the Monkeys Fighting Robots Hotline to discuss his latest project ‘Green Lantern,’ possible Justice League crossover, and will we see Simon Baz punch Donald Trump.
20th Century Fox did not schedule a press screening for ‘Independence Day: Resurgence.’ Is this a new trend for film studios to combat negative reviews. Matt and EJ analyze the relationships between movie critics and film studios.
Strap yourself in buckaroo! Episode 80 of the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast is here.
1:38 – ‘Game of Thrones’
18:40 – Sam Humphries Interview
30:39 – ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’
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.
One of the stories surrounding Independence Day: Resurgence was how 20th Century Fox decided not to do any press screenings before releasing to the general public. Five minutes into the movie, it was evident why.
Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence is a bloated, poorly shot, incoherent, mind-numbing chore of a sequel that’s more likely to induce boredom rather than excitement. Emmerich’s attempt to recapture the magic of the original film was to throw as many actors on the screen as possible at any given time. He should have gone back and rewatched Independence Day to see what worked the first time.
What made Independence Day a great summer blockbuster, was how streamlined the story was. The audience knew who the “good guys” were and who the “bad guys” were. We rooted for Captain Steve Hiller (Will Smith), and fist pumped after President Thomas Whitmore (Bill Pullman) inspired the resistance to fight for humanity. The shot selection was simple yet effective. That shot of the alien ship blowing up the White House left audiences stunned, but it didn’t require a heavy amount of CGI. The simplicity in the shot selection during Independence Day created a lean adventure film.
The supporting cast, lead by Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, and Randy Quaid all turned in compelling performances as well. Independence Day is the epitome of a summer blockbuster; the sequel is the antithesis of that.
Will Smith, the star of the original film, passed on this one. So Emmerich’s answer to not having Smith’s star power behind this movie is to fill it with a truckload of b-level talent and a couple of beefcakes. Jeff Goldblum, the one true star here, is back as alien defense expert David Levinson. Bill Pullman returns as former President Thomas Whoitmore, haunted by the events of the war 1996. Judd Hirsch returns as Papa Levinson, Brett Spiner is back as the eccentric Dr. Brakish Okun, and rounding out the returning cast members is Vivica A. Fox who returns as former stripper turned medical executive (Yes, I’m well aware that makes little sense) Jasmine Hiller. Joining the cast this time you have Sela Ward, who’s playing President Lansford, William Fichtner playing General Adams, Liam Hemsworth playing hot shot pilot Jake Morrison, and Jessie T. Usher, who plays Captain Dylan Hiller (the son of the late Captain Steve Hiller).
It’s twenty years since the invasion of 1996, and President Lansford’s focus is on having the appropriate celebration to commemorate the victory over the alien invaders. Civilization has used the alien technology left from the war to help improve our way of life. Now we can travel farther, we can reach the ends of space, and science is evolving daily. David Levinson is still focused on the alien phenomenon and is trying to learn more and more about those former unwanted guests. While this is unfolding, we are experiencing unexplained events worldwide: power surges and loss of communications. When the United States receives reports about losing a small defense base on Saturn, the decision is made to go to red alert.
What seems like mere seconds after the decision to move to red alert is made, an unidentified alien craft appears out of nowhere, and President Lansford decides to shoot it down. They blow it out of the sky and celebration ensues. In the midst of the celebration, not one of them thought to use some of that advanced alien technology to check if any other ships were headed our way. This idiotic decision proves to be costly.
What initially struck me about this film was how bloated and incoherent the narrative was. In Independence Day, there was at most four major story lines going on during the movie. In Independence Day: Resurgence, there’s about 20 or more going all at once. In one moment we were following David Levinson and his quest to learn more about the aliens, then we switched to Jake Morrison’s storyline, quickly we go back to Dr. Brackish waking up from a coma, then it’s back to Africa with African Warlords who have somehow fought a ground war against the Aliens for many years (?), and then we jump straight into a storyline involving former President Whitemore’s ability to be connected to the alien psyche (no I’m not joking about this). When a narrative has too many characters doing boring stuff, you don’t connect with any of them. How could you? The characters are not on the screen long enough to develop any attachment to them.
The shot selection in Independence Day: Resurgence is downright confusing. During the pivotal alien battle scenes, rather than pushing our attention towards the actual alien spaceships themselves, Emmerich focuses more on reaction shots of the pilots/ people on the ground. So instead of seeing cool shots of the aliens in a dogfight with the Americans, we are forced to see reaction shot after reaction shot of the cast as the battle unfolds. What would you rather see, Liam Hemsworth’s ship shooting down Alien bad guys or Jeff Goldblum’s weathered face agape with awe?
Emmerich also chose to bathe his alien invasion shots in CGI, and not even good CGI but the type of CGI that you would see satirized in Starship Troopers. There’s a scene in the film where the queen of the alien colony is chasing down a school bus of kids (being driven by Goldblum) that’s drowning in CGI. Instead of eliciting suspense, the scene is giggle worthy.
Above all of this is the bigger issue: Independence Day: Resurgence is paralyzingly boring. Who doesn’t remember Will Smith punching out an alien in Independence Day? What about Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith taunting the aliens? Independence Day was a fun and memorable cinematic ride. Independence Day: Resurgence is so excruciatingly boring that nothing stands out. None of the scenes are memorable, none of the speeches stick with you, nothing will last beyond the credits.
Some movies just don’t need a sequel. Independence Day was a game changer and should have been left as a stand-alone film. Independence Day: Resurgence tarnishes its legacy.
Title: Independence Day: Resurgence Director: Roland Emmerich Summary: Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind’s new space defenses be enough?
In 1996, Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day changed the way we look at blockbuster film making. This was the movie that brought on the city destruction that have come to populate the entire blockbuster landscape. The iconic images of the White House blowing up or the absolutely fantastic final speech are timeless. The movie still holds up and with the resurgence (see what I did there) of 90’s properties it was only a matter of time before someone made a sequel or re-made the entire movie. The trailers for Independence Day: Resurgence have been fairly good, but I’ve wondered if anything could top what the original was. Then they announced no press screenings which is always worrying, and as I sat in my Thursday night screening with the public I wondered what I was in for.
Independence Day: Resurgence is certainly bigger with more spectacle than it’s predecessor, but lacks the emotional core that made the original so much more than it was.
One of the things that made Independence Day so ahead of its time was the idea that the world could be united in a way that looked beyond race, religion and sovereign borders. That is a very modern way of thinking and a look to “what could be” beyond the horizon for the human race. I was very pleased that Independence Day: Resurgence took the time to point out that this is something that didn’t go away just because the original alien threat was destroyed. The world is still very much united and the new threat of alien invasion doesn’t make people turn against each other. There aren’t any moments where world leaders argue over anything because they all work together now – no questions asked.
That being said the thing that made the original movie so good were good characters that you were invested in. The various family relationships felt real and were compelling enough that you cared. There were people that lived and died within the city destruction scenes that made them meaningful. The destruction in this movie felt very artificial in a way the original didn’t. Perhaps this has to do with us being so used to seeing cities destroyed that it doesn’t have the same meaning that it did in 1996, but as I watched the world get ripped apart again I felt nothing. It didn’t feel real in the way the original did or even other disaster movies. The cities were getting torn apart but they felt empty. There were moments to try and humanize the destruction to give it weight but it’s a nameless family of kids that connect with Julius (Judd Hirsh), David’s (Jeff Goldblum) Dad, and eventually an entire school bus worth of kids for no real reason.
The movie looks fantastic. The combination of alien and futuristic technology is interesting and the idea that we take the alien technology to improve our own is interesting. The plot is way too contrived though, and they seem to spend far too much time trying to explain why the aliens are here and giving them motivations. It was like the movie decided to spend more time on the aliens than trying to make us care about the various human characters which is a mistake. The core of a disaster movie is that we need to care whether this version of the world is going to live or die. If we aren’t invested in those people, if we don’t care if they live or die, then the entire movie falls apart. This movie misses this point because all of the nameless or forgettable characters aren’t interesting enough to care about. The returning cast members get brief moments to shine, but after so many years I just didn’t care about these people anymore which meant I wasn’t invested in whether or not the world was going to be saved.
Independence Day: Resurgence is not a terrible movie and if it wasn’t connected to such a classic I would probably be kinder to it. As a sequel to one of the greats of the blockbuster genre it is bigger and it’s prettier, but the stakes don’t feel as high and I didn’t care about the various people. After twenty years this feels like the lazy sequel I was worried it was going to be. Independence Day defined a genre and Independence Day: Resurgence is a lower quality rehash of that genre.
Title:The Shallows Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Summary: A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.
I will not apologize for the pun in that headline (thank you to another local critic who let me use it). Ever since Steven Spielberg terrified the world with Jaws in 1975, people have been trying to replicate the ‘killer sea animal’ movie. There have been crazy B movies that range from good, such as Piranha 3D, to very bad, such as Shark Night 3D. There have been multiple sequels to the original, movies such as Orca that is “Jaws with a killer whale,” and other crazy ocean movies. The one I think that captures the terror of sharks and the ocean is Open Water from 2003. There have been so many killer animal movies that I couldn’t fathom what The Shallows could do to set it apart. The premise was similar to Open Water, only instead of being stranded in the middle of the ocean this time the woman is stranded on a small rock being taken by the tide. I didn’t have high hopes.
The Shallows has some great moments of tension but falls into the common trap of succumbing to ridiculousness to conjure an ending.
There were several things that made The Shallows frustrating to watch, and the main one is that the entire premise falls apart the moment you think about it too much. The premise is that Nancy (Blake Lively) locates the secret beach her mom visited when she was younger. Her mother has recently passed away and Nancy is not reacting well as she has dropped out of med school. The friend she was supposed to surf with is hungover and wouldn’t go with her. The fact that someone smart enough to be in medical school thought it was a good idea to go surfing by herself on a beach so remote that no one will tell her the name of it blows my mind. As someone who spent a good portion of her young childhood on the beach and in the Atlantic Ocean it nearly made me angry to think about how dumb that was. Then there are the two nameless surfers she meets in the water that don’t spend an extra five minutes doing the right thing to see if the lone American woman in Mexico needs a lift home or even makes it to shore. It’s not their responsibility but that seems like it would have been the right thing to do.
Then there is the fact that the shark spends an entire day stalking her which doesn’t make sense either. A shark, even an aggressive one, would not spend that long stalking someone like that. Nancy is attacked and the attack is brutal as it shows her being thrown around by the wave. The shark bites her on the thigh, a very common place for a shark bite, but in the real world the shark would have swam away after that. This shark is like the shark from the latter Jaws movies or the whale from Orca in that it seems to have a personal vendetta against this young woman.
There are some great moments throughout the movie, though. Blake Lively has never really endeared herself to me but she was fairly believable in this movie. The things she does to keep herself alive are clever and there are some truly tense moments that made me jump. However, the movie goes on and decides, after a fairly decent first and second act, to go completely insane with the finale. I almost want to spoil how stupid this ending is because it’s completely bonkers. To say that this movie “jumps the shark” is putting it lightly. There is a moment where I would have accepted the movie for what it was had it ended differently. The final scenes with the shark are laugh out loud stupid and it nearly ruined the movie for me.
The Shallows is no Jaws or Open Water, but as far as shark movies go it’s higher on the list than I thought it would be. The ending is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen put to film,and the entire premise requires you to suspend all disbelief, but for an 87 minute time killer you could certainly do worse.
What made Independence Day a great summer blockbuster, was how streamlined the story was. The audience knew who the “good guys” were and who the “bad guys” were. We rooted for Captain Steve Hiller (Will Smith), and fist pumped after President Thomas Whitmore (Bill Pullman) inspired the resistance to fight for humanity. The shot selection was simple yet effective. That shot of the alien ship blowing up the White House left audiences stunned, but it didn’t require a heavy amount of CGI. The simplicity in the shot selection during Independence Day created a lean adventure film.
