Twenty One Pilots Release Heathens From ‘Suicide Squad’

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June 22, 2016

Twenty One Pilots released ‘Heathens’ Tuesday afternoon. This is the first music video to go along with the ‘Suicide Squad’ Motion Picture Soundtrack.

The song is rather bland and doesn’t inspire the chaos that is the Suicide Squad.

‘Suicide Squad’ is directed by Ayer and stars Will Smith as Deadshot, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Oscar winner Jared Leto as the Joker, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.

The band of anti-heroes will be in theaters on August 5, 2016.

‘Suicide Squad’ Motion Picture Soundtrack

Bohemian Rhapsody
Written by Freddie Mercury
Performed by Panic! at the Disco

I Started a Joke
Written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb
Performed by Confidential MX featuring Becky Hanson

You Don’t Own Me
Written by John Madara and Dave White
Performed by Grace Sewell (as Grace) feat. Gerald Earl Gillum (as G-Eazy)

Ballroom Blitz
by Sweet

Back in Black
by AC/DC

Mother Brick in The Wall
by Pink Floyd

Bad Girl
by Avril Lavigne feat. Marilyn Manson

Sympathy For The Devil
by The Rolling Stones

The Polyphonic Spree
by Nirvana

Class Animal
by Kanye West

Where Is My Mind
by Yoav & Emily

Goodbye Horses
by Q Lazzarus

Creep
by Radiohead

Purple Lamborghini
Performed by Rick Ross and Skrillex

Heathens
Performed by Twenty One Pilots

Sucker for Pain
Performed by Lil’ Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Imagine Dragons featuring Logic, Ty Dolla Sign (as Ty Dolla $ign) and X Ambassadors

Standing in the Rain
Performed by Action Bronson and Dan Auerbach featuring Mark Ronson

Gangsta
Performed by Kehlani

Know Better
Performed by Kevin Gates

Without Me
Performed by Eminem

Wreck Havoc
Performed by Skylar Grey

Medieval Warfare
Performed by Grimes

Slippin Into Darkness
Performed by War

Fortunate Son
Performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival

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Review: ‘The Neon Demon’ Visual Decadence

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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June 22, 2016

Nicolas Winding Refn is back with his 10^th feature, The Neon Demon. The film is a visually startling, emotionally void tale about the dark, tumultuous holes one can fall into while traversing the fashion industry. Refn isn’t known for his films having substance in the traditional sense, but they do favor excessive glitz and style. He tends to craft his stories around images he wants to show rather than the story dictating cinematography. Refn certainly demonstrated this in Drive and does it once more in The Neon Demon.

Normally a movie this devoid of substance would be annoying, but this movie is different … it’s special. Here is an aesthetically appealing spectacle that’s both unsettling and breathtaking at the same time. You don’t want to watch, but at the same time, it’s impossible to look away.

Jesse (Elle Fanning) is a naïve, eager, and pure 16-year old who moves to Hollywood and instantly lands a modeling gig. After a photo shoot that’s more foreboding than we initially realize, Jesse befriends Ruby (Jena Malone), a makeup artist who has offered to take Jesse under her wing and show her the ropes. One of her initial moves is to drag Jesse to a party that night where she meets two ultra-competitive and vapid models named Gigi (Bella Heathcote) and Sarah (Abbey Lee), who are immediately jealous of the younger Jesse. Jesse lands a meeting with a high profile agency and is told by Jan (Christina Hendricks) she needs to lie about her age and say she’s 19. And this is where the decent begins.

A fashion designer describes Jesse as “a diamond in a sea of glass.” The same can be said about the cinematography in The Neon Demon. The creativity is rich, the symmetry in the framing of each shot so precise that Kubrick himself would approve of Refn’s obsessive eye. And to the devastating use of lighting, Refn’s film is visually decadent.

There is a scene in the movie where Jesse is trapped in a motel room. The owner (played by a sleazy Keanu Reeves) is forcing his way into the room next to hers, and the audience can hear him assaulting a woman. Refn shot this scene by having Jesse go up to the shared wall and place her ear up against the wall. Most directors would have just stopped at that point, but Refn isn’t most directors. Refn illuminates the wall blood red, and thins the wall out to the depth of paper or canvas, conveying a sense of not only the brutality of the act but how helpless Jesse felt at that moment without her even having to say a single word.

The deliberate pacing gives the impression that this all could be a dream, a very violent, dark, and twisted dream. Refn sedates the audience just enough, enhancing the shock of some of the most violent scenes of the year. The narrative, at most, is incredibly simplistic. Fanning, Malone, Bella Heathcote, and Aubrey Lee all portray their characters with such little emotion that the audience is not attached to any of them. It’s as if they morphed from portraying people to portraying images, beautiful, twisted, dark, and sadistic.

Now for those who are fans of Refn, especially when he pushes the envelope, no need to worry because he takes what’s acceptable and pushes it to the limit. This film has everything from multiple stabbings, to thrown up eyeballs, deepthroating a knife, and morgue necrophilia.

Some may accuse this film of misogyny. I agree. But that’s the point Refn is trying to make to the audience. Hollywood can be incredibly misogynistic, and there is a dark side to the town most don’t want to think about.

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‘The Secret Life of Pets’ Review – The Not So Incredible Journey

By

Kieran Freemantle

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June 22, 2016

Illumination Entertainment is the house the Minions made, and they are now expanding beyond their stable franchise with their first non-Despicable Me animated movie – The Secret Life of Pets.

Max (Louis C.K.) is a Jack Russell Terrier, who lives a perfect life with his loving human Katie (Ellie Kemper). When she disappears during the day, Max hangs out with friends. His idyllic life is shattered when Katie brings home a new dog – a big brown bruiser called Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Their rivalry leads to the dogs getting lost in New York, and they have to make their way home – being chased by animal control and an underground group of animals led by a psychopathic white rabbit (Kevin Hart) – while their friends led by Gidget the Pomeranian (Jenny Slate) attempt to find them in the Big Apple.

2016 has offered some great animated movies like Zootopia, Kung Fu Panda 3 and Finding Dory – family films that appeal to a wide audience: The Secret Life of Pets does not match them, aiming more towards a younger audience. Gags are mostly visual, playing on typical pet behavior – my personal favorite being Chloe the obese cat sitting in items that are too small for her and playing with cat toys. These were fun little touches in the animation. However, many of the best jokes have already been shown in the trailers. Some jokes were ripped off from other movies and TV shows such as a fantasy sequence being very similar to Homer Simpson’s daydream of the Land of Chocolate and the dogs obsession of squirrels like the dogs in Up. Others reminded me too much of The Angry Birds Movie – using fantasy sequences – and one joke where one character gets the names of other characters wrong.

Unlike many animated movies who hire a big name cast, The Secret Life of Pets hires a cast of TV actors, SNL cast members and comedians. This works in the movie’s favor for the most part – Louis C. K. made for a fine lead saying what we would expect a dog to say and sounding a lot younger than he really is. Modern Family‘s Eric Stonestreet’s was unrecognizable from his famous sitcom role – his voice being deep and imposing rather than being campy. Jenny Slate has a maniac energy fitting for her role as the energetic little dog, and Lake Bell had the best lines as Chloe – having a sardonic delivery. Albert Brooks was also a delight as the Tiberius the hawk – even if I was thinking at the time ‘where do I know that voice?’

The biggest cast members were Kevin Hart and Steven Coogan. Coogan is turning into a regular for Illumination Entertainment having appeared in Despicable Me 2 and Minions and this time he plays a gangland Sphynx cat who inexplicitly has a Cockney accent. But for someone who finds Hart to be no more than short Chris Tucker his Snowball the rabbit was a character trying to be funny by thinking shouting and screaming is enough.

The Secret Life of Pets is essentially like Toy Story and The Incredible Journey – a movie where we see what our pets get up to when their owners are away and with other pets trying to get back home. There is nothing wrong for movies to use similar storylines – it is bound to happen, especially for big budget and family films who have to play it safe. But The Secret Life of Pets has story beats that can be seen from miles away – particularly involving Duke’s back story. Only the youngest audience members would be surprised by the movie. Also with the invention of YouTube, we can watch animals getting up to crazy antics anytime we want.

The animation is fantastic as would be expected from a movie like this. Chris Renaud, the director of the Despicable Me movies, and Yarrow Cheney, Despicable Me‘s production designer go to great lengths to replicate New York City, and the animals are cute creations – particularly Gidget who is a white puffball. There will be a lot of stuffed toys made of these characters.

The Secret Life of Pets is a kid friendly film where only children below the age of four may find the movie too intense: that is a scene involving a snake. There is little on offer for an adult audience: there was only sporadic laugher at the screening I attended. Illumination Entertainment are masters at marketing and merchandising, and they should make a lot of money from this movie’s related products.

The movie also comes with a short film Mower Minions. It is a quick slapstick affair where everyone’s favorite yellow being starts a gardening business, and their accident prone ways make it a fun little diversion. The Minions work best in short burst.

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‘Power Rangers’ Teaser Poster – First Look

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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June 22, 2016

It’s turning out to be a great week for fans of Mighty Morphin teenagers. First, Bryan Cranston announced that he will be playing Zordon in 2017’s Power Rangers reboot. Today, the studio has released the film’s first teaser poster.

Check out the poster and description below, and talk about it on social media using the hashtags #PowerRangersMovie & #TogetherWeAreMore!

SABAN’S POWER RANGERS follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.

Are you excited for the flick? Let us know in the comments below!

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Geekflix – Top ‘Netflix’ Picks For July 2016

By

Anthony Wendel

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June 22, 2016

With another month almost over, it’s time to look at the new releases from Netflix. After the barbecue and fireworks are done you’re going to need some geek entertainment to help you wind down. Here are the best picks to keep up your geek credentials.

1. Back to the Future Trilogy (July 1st)

One of the greatest movies about time travel ever comes to Netflix. If you haven’t taken the time to watch this film seize the moment. If you don’t like it, “Then make a like a tree, and get out of here.”

2. Bad Boys II (July 1st)

With talk of Bad Boys 3 on the horizon, you’ll want to take the time to check out the movie which preceded it. This sequel to the 1995 film really found a way to turn up the action and comedy between actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. How you might ask? Just watch the chase scene and you’ll find out.

3. Batman: The Movie (July 1st)

The movie based on the legendary TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward swings into Netflix. When all of their villains come together, it’s up to the dynamic duo to take them down. In this case though, taking them down will involve Bat Shark Repellent.

4. Big Trouble in Little China (July 1st)

The story of a truck driver who happens to get roped into a battle involving an ancient Chinese sorcerer. This classic action comedy starring Kurt Russell is a cult classic and is the perfect to thing to watch when you have a craving for 80s action.

5. Beverly Hills Cop Trilogy (July 1st)

Another film which is getting a sequel in the near future (or at least teased at one coming for years), this series features Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a Detroit cop who’s investigation takes him to Beverly Hills. There, he’ll get help from two cops (after driving them crazy) who will help him solve a murder which is close to him and this is just in the first film.

6. Blade 2 (July 1st)

How do you improve a movie which was already pretty good in the first place? Simple. Bring in a visionary director like Guillermo Del Toro to add his own unique style to the project. As Blade works to save his mentor Whistler, he is introduced to a new mutation, which feasts on other vampires and are immune to garlic and silver. To combat them, Blade will have to work with the vampires he once hunted.

7. Gladiator (July 1st)

“Are you not entertained?” You will be when you watch the movie which put Russell Crowe on the map. Watch as he stars as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a general who is ordered to be executed by the army he fought for, has everything stripped from him, and must become a Gladiator in order to exact his revenge.

8. Hey Arnold!: The Movie(July 1st)

Everyone’s favorite football headed kid must do everything he can to save his neighborhood from being destroyed. Not the best of the Nicktoons films but it might be a good idea to check it out to prepare for the Hey Arnold finale which Nickelodeon has been hinting at recently.

9. Lethal Weapon series(July 1st)

There was a time when we looked forward to Mel Gibson films. This was the series which really helped him to become a household name. Together with Danny Glover, the two play unlikely partners who keep getting involved with crimes which are much bigger than they appear. Should they quit? Should they retire? “We aren’t too old for this…”

10. Bojack Horseman, Season 3 (July 22nd)

The third season of the popular Netflix animated series arrives on the 22nd. Watch as Bojack continues to deal with his past and work towards a better future. He may just a need a drink or two to help him on his way though.

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‘Indiana Jones 5’ Won’t Be The Last Indy Adventure

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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June 22, 2016

Indiana Jones 5 is headed our way, whether we want it or not (and why not, honestly?). But according to Disney’s Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, it won’t be the final time we follow the globetrotting archeologist.

Not only is Indiana Jones 5 not the final chapter, Disney is planning on a – wait for it – Indiana Jones shared universe. Iger discussed the idea with The Hollywood Reporter:

“Not like Star Wars, but we hope… right now, we’re focused on a reboot, or a continuum and then a reboot of some sort… Well, we’ll bring him back, then we have to figure out what comes next. That’s what I mean. It’s not really a reboot, it’s a boot — a reboot. I don’t know. We [got] Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in the film. But then what’s the direction? I’ve had discussions about what the direction is, [but] I don’t want to get into it. I don’t think it reaches the scale of the universe of Star Wars, but I see making more. It won’t be just a one-off.”

That’s clear as mud. But it’s obvious the shared universe type franchise is the new status quo. Straight sequels aren’t enough for studios anymore, so we could possibly see Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones hand off his fedora to a new character. Satellite stories and prequels seem tricker, but I’m sure Disney could figure this out.

Indiana Jones 5 is still a long way away, July 10, 2019 to be exact.

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Geoff Johns Wants To Bring Simon Baz To The DC Cinematic Universe

By

Matthew Sardo

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June 22, 2016

Back in May it was announced that DC’s chief content officer, Geoff Johns would co-run DC Films with Jon Berg. Also in May, Johns relaunched DC Comics with ‘Rebirth.’ In addition, Johns co-wrote ‘Green Lanterns: Rebirth’ with Sam Humphries, which focused on rookie Green Lanterns Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz.

Monkeys Fighting Robots spoke with Humphries and asked him if he talked with Johns about Simon or Jessica appearing in the DC Cinematic Universe. Humphries replied with a “no comment.” That’s an interesting answer. If Humphries just said no the conversation would be over. But since the writer of ‘Green Lanterns’ said: “no comment” you know that Johns and Humphries talked about something and Johns has a personal attachment to the Green Lantern he created.

‘Green Lantern Corps’ is in development and doesn’t hit theaters until July 24, 2020. So every possibility is still on the table. There are seven Green Lanterns from Earth, and it looks like this film will be more than just a Hal Jordan show.

Green Lanterns from Earth:
Alan Scott
Hal Jordan
Guy Gardner
John Stewart
Kyle Rayner
Simon Baz
Jessica Cruz

In today’s pop culture landscape, Simon Baz has the most compelling story to tell. Baz is a Lebanese-American Muslim from Dearborn, Michigan who was bullied and persecuted because of his ethnicity. This is a story, if told well could separate the DC Cinematic Universe from the cookie-cutter Disney-Marvel Universe (They’re really good cookies, but still cookie-cutter). Johns, who is half-Lebanese, and a native of Detroit, Michigan created Baz from personal influences.

A team of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Simon Baz is a diverse formidable lineup rich with storytelling potential.

What Green Lanterns do you want to see in ‘Green Lantern Corps’ film?

Listen to the complete Sam Humphries interview below:

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How To Reboot Blade In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

By

Chris Hartmann

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June 22, 2016

Blade was first introduced in Marvel Comics’ The Tomb of Dracula #10 in 1973, Blade aka Eric Brooks was Marvel’s premier vampire hunting hero. However, Blade is probably best known for the 1998 film of the same name. The film portrayed Wesley Snipes as the titular role, which remains his most iconic performance to date. Blade spawned a relatively successful trilogy with the original film retaining a cult-like following. A continuation of the films, Blade: The Series aired on Spike TV in 2006 but was cancelled after 13 episodes. General audiences may be surprised to know that Blade is a Marvel hero and throughout his run in the comic books has teamed up with the likes of, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange to name but a few.

The movie/television rights for Blade reverted to Marvel Studios in 2011, and in 2015, Snipes, claimed he had been in talks with Marvel about bringing Blade back to the big screen. The question is, how could/should Marvel Studios reboot Blade in their interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Do something new

Back in 2015, Marvel Comics released information regarding a brand new Blade-centric comic book series, Blade: The Hunter. This new series would feature a younger, female Blade called Fallon Grey. Fallon would in fact be the daughter of the original Blade with her father taking on a mentor like role. This news was met with much excitement as this felt like a fresh take on the Blade mythos. There was also rumours it would be the premise for a new Marvel/Netflix TV show. Netflix is the perfect home to explore the darker underground world that Blade inhabits as he/she battles vampiric forces.

No more Snipes

Sorry Wesley Snipes fans, but a Blade reboot would be wise to distance itself from the film series and could look to their own source material to refresh the character. Blade is English in the comic books and spent decades traveling Britain, Europe and Asia fighting the forces of evil before ever heading to America and teaming up with our favourite heroes. Blade’s origins could be told excellently throughout the series with flashbacks set all over the world. This could contrast well with a modern day American city setting and explore the greater MCU on screen.

Nail the cast

As mentioned above, Marvel would be wise to distance themselves from the film series and that includes not casting Wesley Snipes in any role. Lennie James best known from AMC’s The Walking Dead could be a perfect, older and more experienced Blade. If Marvel chose to follow the comic books James is in fact British and has shown on The Walking Dead, he is no stranger to action and combat. Another option is Harold Perrineau, whose list of excellent TV credits (including voicing Blade in a Marvel Anime series) speaks volumes for his talent.

If a reboot does see the father daughter dynamic adapted then casting Fallon may be the key. Although the character is yet to be seen in comic book form, we’d expect Fallon to be the eyes of the audience. Zoe Kravitz and Logan Browning have both appeared in comic book adaptions, (X-Men: First Class and Powers respectively) and either one would look great as the younger, student Blade alongside an older, wiser father figure.

How would you like to see Blade rebooted and join the MCU?

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‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ First Official Trailer

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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June 22, 2016

Last week, Entertainment Weekly had the first look at the Jack Reacher: Never Go Back trailer. It was, essentially, the first trailer, but it was sullied with all this nonsense EW production value.

Well, here’s the official first Jack Reacher: Never Go Back trailer, and it’s clean and a little more detailed:

And the quick synopsis says “Jack Reacher returns to the headquarters of his old unit, only to find out he’s now accused of a 16-year-old homicide.” This is the same premise of the Lee Child novel.

It’ll be interesting to see how Edward Zwick handles straight action. He’s taking over for a busy Chris McQuarrie, and he’s a more than competent filmmaker. But his filmography tends to skew more historical drama, things like The Last Samurai, Legends of The Fall, and Blood Diamond. But those films did have their fair share of action, so this shouldn’t be too tall of a task.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back hits theaters October 21.

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Review: Wonder Woman #1 “Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey”

By

Gary Moloney

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June 22, 2016

“The Story keeps on changing, nothing makes sense.” – Diana of Themersycira
All it took was a single sentence, a single premise to make me lose virtually all interest in DC Rebirth‘s Wonder Woman offerings. It’s a shame too because this title has the mythical creative team of Greg Rucka and Liam Sharp behind it. Yet Wonder Woman serves as a monument to what can go wrong when a series clutches at cleverness, but falls short. Legacy is a word that has been banded about in the post- DC Rebirth world. Continuity and the problems that lie there-in are a bedfellow of legacy. If not dealt with in a succinct manner, continuity can overwhelm a title and act as a barrier to newcomers. What is often forgotten is that the attempt to tame continuity carries with it just as many risks.

No doubt many people will thinking this attempt at a meta-narrative about the state of the industry will deem it clever, but it’s very much the case of old wine in a new bottle. Previous attempts at doing so have been subtle and read as love letters to what came before. Wonder Woman don’t get to reek the benefits of addressed a messed up continuity it itself created. Like the attempts to explain Donna Troy’s many origins, each attempt only complicates the process further. Even when we are given a satisfactory answer, there is nagging feeling the story-line itself, is nothing but a contrived effort to seem like they are engaging in academic self-reflection. In reality, these stories are often cynical marketing grabs with little artistic merit. There is something interesting about the spirit of truth attempting to untangle a web of retcons, but the substance isn’t there. Rucka’s dialogue is as impactful as it always is, lending Diana a gravitas and presence that few can match. His skill is squandered on a story that lack heart or emotional resonance. This is a man whose past run on the character proves that he can do better.

The uninspired storytelling is in stark contrast to the interior artwork which is stunning, even if predictably loyal to DC house-style. There is something truly gladiatorial to how Sharp draws Wonder Woman allowing her to firmly stand out when compared to her foes. This is the caliber of artist that a book of this pedigree deserves. It’s just a shame that they aren’t being given enough to work with.

This attempted Rebirth is spoiled by the fact we received the definitive version of classic Wonder Woman earlier this year through the fantastical Legend of Wonder Woman from Renae De Liz. This title is set to alternate from two ongoing story-lines, one in the present day and one set during the past as a “Year One” tale. Hopefully, the trips back in time will give us an opportunity to truly see this creative team shine. As it stands, Wonder Woman is not as wondrous as it needs to be to truly make for an impressive run. Diana Prince needs to demonstrate that which has lead to her enduring for so long. The story of who has been messing with Wonder Woman’s origin will no doubt be revealed to have been the work of a god of mischief, a legendary trickster or a vengeful deity, but none of them are truly to blame. However, it is the god of complacency and incompetence that leads to oppressive continuity. Such a villain is a much harder one to defeat.

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