The UnPOP Podcast – Finding Dory Swims in Nemo’s Shadow

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June 22, 2016

The UnPOP Podcast tackles their first Disney/Pixar film in Finding Dory! Can it live up to its predecessor or will it be considered another lesser effort from the industry’s animation titan? Our answer might surprise you…

Cooking in The Rock’s kitchen this week is Dwayne’s new film, Central Intelligence. After a rough week in the world, can The Rock and his brand of entertainment offer some respite from the bullies at our doorstep?

Also, hear Curtis’ rant against pop-country music (which he still loves), The Conjuring spin-off and Shrek news as well as our thoughts on M. Night Shyamalan’s redux of Tales From the Crypt. Enjoy!

1:49 The problem with country music and first concert experiences

11:00 The Nun & The Conjuring spin-offs

13:09 New Shrek news?

13:42 M. Night Shyamalan’s Tales From the Crypt and crowdsourcing material

16:51 Central Intelligence review

21:42 Finding Dory review and discussion

48:14 Finding Dory Kernel Kount

49:55 LISTENER SHOUT-OUTS!

Have a topic you’d like to hear UnPOPPED? Send any comments/love/vitriol to unpopentertainment@gmail.com

At long last, The UnPOP Podcast is on iTunes! Check us out there!

We’re on Stitcher! Add us to your playlist and rate and review our show!

Subscribe to our Soundcloud page!

Give the Facebook page a big ol’ “Like”

Follow the show on Twitter @UnpopPodcast and the guys @curtwaugh and @thebrockyroad!

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Late Night Lady Ghostbusters (Telly Buddies Podcast)

By

Jon Barr - TV Editor

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June 21, 2016

On this episode of the Telly Buddies Podcast, we discuss the lack of women in late night television, and the backlash the all-female cast of the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot received. We also discuss our thought on the Outcast pilot and the fourth season of Orange is the New Black. We talk about the new Maya & Marty variety show, Robert Kirkman beefing with George R. R. Martin, and the return of shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Cheers (well, sort of).

FAIR WORD OF WARNING: The Telly Buddies Podcast often contains spoilers, as this is an up-to-date podcast talking about new developments. This episode contains some spoilers for Orange is the New Black, but that’s all you need to look out for this episode.

Telly Buddies podcast is hosted by Jon Barr, an avid TV fan and writer on Monkeys Fighting Robots (if you didn’t guess). Guests this week are Carly Oscar, Emma Layden, and Nick Shaerf. Artwork created by Scott Ginsberg, and intro/outro music is “Nevermind the Books,” as performed by Mourning Todds.

Telly Buddies Topics Covered (In Order)

-Curb Your Enthusiasm Is Coming Back (4:14)

-Outcast Pilot (8:30)

-Robert Kirkman Disappointed in George R.R. Martin (12:44)

-Theater Reenactments of Cheers S1 (18:59)

-Maya & Marty Variety Show (21:51)

-Any Thoughts on OITNB S4? (31:29) SPOILERS FOR ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

-Ghostbusters: Ecto Force Reboot Happening (43:44)

-Should Late Show with Letterman replacement been a woman? (49:50)

Do you have any topics you’d like to hear about? Send any television-related questions to tellybuddiespodcast@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us onTwitter @TellyBuddies, subscribe to our SoundCloud feed, and subscribe/rate/review on iTunes!

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‘Power Rangers’ Casts Bryan Cranston as Zordon

By

Jon Barr - TV Editor

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June 21, 2016

The upcoming Power Rangers reboot has cast its large, blue-faced floating head mentor. Zordon is being played by Bryan Cranston, the Blue Sky-cooking Walter White from Breaking Bad. Zordon, in the original series, was the alien being who gave the Power Rangers their Power Morphers. Cranston tweeted the casting news today, pointing out that the Blue Ranger actually shares his name, adding yet another layer of blue-related wonder to the story.

Excited to play #Zordon in the #PowerRangersMovie! T or F: #BlueRanger Billy Cranston was named after what actor? https://t.co/d3ltjpcDKb

— Bryan Cranston (@BryanCranston) June 21, 2016

If you’re wondering how the actor shares the same name as a Ranger, it’s not coincidence. As a young actor, Cranston actually provided voice work for the English dubs. In an interview, he explains how the role came about, saying “One of my jobs as a young actor starting out was voiceover. I also did dubbing. A lot of dubbing and a lot of voiceover. So foreign films would come in and I’d go in. One of the places that did a lot of that was Saban Entertainment… I had been there for awhile already and then the Power Rangers came in.” His work included characters like “Twin Man” and “Slizzard.” Cranston said his name was actually made the full name of Billy, the Blue Ranger.

Power Rangers has already announced the cast for the rangers, as well as Elizabeth Banks portraying Rita Repulsa. Does this mean Zordon will wear a hat & sunglasses? Might Aaron Paul make an appearance as Alpha-5? One can only hope.

The film will come knocking on March 24th, 2017.

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FX’s Acher Is Renewed For Three More Seasons

By

Kaitlyn Booth

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June 21, 2016

Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, Presidents of Original Programming, FX Networks and FX Productions, announced on the official facebook page that the hit animated show Acher has been renewed for three more seasons.

“We can’t say enough about what Adam, Matt and the entire Archer team at Floyd County have done to keep this series so insanely funny and vital through seven seasons,” said Grad. “The move to Los Angeles this past season as private detectives was just the latest twist in Archer’s legendary exploits and the next three seasons will to be just as amazing and unpredictable. We are thrilled to continue making great TV with our friends and colleagues at Floyd County.”

Archer is second only to Bob’s Burgers when it comes to adult animated series that are consistently great. While it feels like Archer has been trying to find a new voice since season five the show is still one of the best things on television. While the seventh season wasn’t perfect it’s still great that we’re going to see more of these characters. Sploosh.

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Review: ‘Action Man’ #1: More Bauer Than Bond

By

Anthony Wendel

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June 21, 2016

ACTION MAN IS DEAD — LONG LIVE ACTION MAN! He’s the world’s greatest special agent… until he dies saving the planet, with all the world’s eyes on him. Now his young protégé has to step into the role — whether he’s ready or not!

Writing

Action Man, the British answer to G.I. Joe. Most will remember him more from his cartoon in 2000 where he was a member of an extreme sports team and possessed a probability factor which allowed him to do perfect actions without getting hurt. This is the first attempt at a revitalization of the Action Man franchise in over ten years.

The concept is pretty familiar. Action Man is a title and in the pages of the first issue, a person bearing it dies. His replacement, Ian is trying his best to live up to the title but everyone on his team seems to blame him for his superior’s death. It’s a good story of a new guy trying to carrying the torch and is off to a good start. This is mostly due to the large amount of action scenes which takes place in just the first issue. The Action Man comic has action scenes, shocking isn’t it?

Artwork

There are two different artists working on this comic. The first, Chris Evenhuis handles the prologue story line where Action Man dies. The second, Paolo Villani tells the story after Ian takes the reigns as Action Man. Each has their own unique style, Evenhuis’ seems more hard lines like he’s trying to show stability and Villani utilizes more speed lines as if to showcase just how extreme this new hero is. Both artist’s work is helpful to make the story feel unique but the change in style mid-issue may throw some people off.

Conclusion

This book is perfect for fans of 24 or spy movies in general. Only question is will this be the series which truly puts Action Man on the map in America? Hard to say. There has been many attempts to make him as relevant as other toy lines but they never seem to take root. Maybe if this comic is able to keep up at this pace fans will finally have a place to turn to for the titular stories of Action Man.

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Young Justice is Unfinished Business for Show Writer

By

Justin Chechourka

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June 21, 2016

Unfinished business.

That’s the feeling you get from television writer Greg Weisman when he starts talking about Young Justice, the Cartoon Network show he wrote and produced. Despite critical acclaim, the show about DC Comics’ most famous sidekicks was abruptly canceled after two seasons. Still, he has reason for hope.

“Warner and Netflix are talking about bringing it back for a third season,” Weisman said during an interview at Sacramento’s Wizard World Comic Book Convention.

The cancellation of Young Justice had little to do with the show’s popularity on TV and everything to do with its popularity in toy stores. Mattel helped fund the show, but when Robin, Aqualad, Super Boy and the rest of the YJ team weren’t selling, Mattel canceled the toys and pulled the funding.

“People have said, ‘why don’t you start a petition?’ Petitions are nice, but those are for the fans.” Weisman says the answer to bring Young Justice back is simple: watch it… a lot. “Binge watching is the best way to bring it back.” He even encourages binge watching on twitter with the hashtag #KeepBingingYJ.

Season two of YJ was added to Netflix last year. Weisman says the video streaming giant doesn’t share exact figures but says the show is still popular with fans and Warner Bros. as well.

“Everyone at Warner would love to bring Young Justice back, but they have to find a way to make it profitable.” Weisman points out that working out a deal with Netflix would help the show avoid its past reliance on toy sales.

So what would season 3 of Young Justice look like? Weisman isn’t giving up any secrets, but did say he would bring in some new characters and the timeline would skip forward much like season two did.

Weisman is credited with co-creating of the Disney cartoon Gargoyles and has written, produced and overseen several other successful cartons like Star Wars Rebels and The Spectacular Spider-Man. He is currently a writer for the Nickelodeon show Shimmer and Shine, continues to write comic books and has published two novels as part of his Rain of Ghosts series.

“I’d quit for Young Justice. I wouldn’t just quit for anything, but I’d quit for Young Justice.”

Unfinished business indeed.

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‘The Birth of a Nation’ Trailer: Meet Your Best Picture Frontrunner

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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June 21, 2016

The Birth of a Nation has been a frontrunner for this year’s Best Picture since Sundance. At the winter festival, Nate Parker’s slave-uprising drama sold for record bucks, and took the entire festival by storm.

Here is the first official trailer:

And the synopsis:

Set against the antebellum South, THE BIRTH OF A NATION follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As he witnesses countless atrocities – against himself and his fellow slaves – Nat orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.

The only thing that could hurt The Birth of a Nation‘s chances come Oscar time is its similarity to Steve McQueen’s Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave. This, however, appears to have a much more proactive narrative thread than McQueen’s emotionally charged drama.

The Birth of a Nation hits theaters October 7.

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‘Ghostbusters’ Is Getting A New Animated Series

By

Anthony Wendel

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June 21, 2016

Fans have been heavily critical about the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot. Still there has been some rather enjoyable aspects of the movie coming out they cant argue with such as the return of Ecto Cooler to stores. Now a new announcement will give fans even more to look forward to as new animated series has been announced by Sony.

The new series, Ghostbusters: Ecto Force will be set in the year 2050 and will feature a new team. They will have brand new equipment, travel all over the world to bust ghosts, and get help from other Ghostbusters locations in their travels.

The series will be the third animated Ghostbusters animated series joining The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters. The show set to be released in 2018. Will fan take to the new series or give it the same reception they gave the new movie? Only time will tell.

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Review: ‘Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye’ #54: Casualties

By

Anthony Wendel

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June 21, 2016

MASSACRE! The battle between the DECEPTICON Justice Division and MEGATRON’s AUTOBOTS reaches its nerve-shredding climax. Pray for your favorites — because not everyone makes it out of this issue alive.

Writing

The moment has finally arrived. After they were abandoned in issue #50, the last few issues have only been building tension to the event we all knew was coming. A knockdown, drag out, intense battle erupts between the stranded crew of the Lost Light and the Decepticon Justice Division. Is it worth the wait? You better believe it is. With every page turn, the battle seems to get more nail biting. The fighting which ensues is both satisfying and shocking as actions are taken but at a great cost to many. The blurb wasn’t lying, not everyone gets out of the issue alive.

Just as it seems you can’t take anymore the issue comes to a close on a cliffhanger which will make you wish the issue #55 wasn’t another month away. Writer James Roberts didn’t write a battle scene, he wrote an experience and it is a marvel to engage in.

Artwork

The artwork by Alex Milne is a great contributing factor to this issue. Through his work, the violent explosions and savage combat can be felt as you turn the pages. Some of the best moments in the issue comes from the action pages he drew. There is a particular splash page in this issue which many will probably want to get a print of because of how fantastic the detail work is. It’s the only splash page in the issue so it isn’t hard to find.

Conclusion

The team of Milne and Roberts once again delivers an intense, emotional, and well crafted comic. Now all they need to do is wrap up the battle and see where the warriors will go from here. Frankly, after a battle this draining it won’t be easy to simply get back in their ship and go about their merry way. Especially since the ship is still in someone else’s possession.

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Review – ‘Lucas Stand’ #1 [Spoiler Free]

By

Seth Frederiksen

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June 21, 2016

Creator of Sons of Anarchy Kurt Sutter is producing a new comic book series with BOOM! Studios. Lucas Stand follows an ex-military vet unable to return to society. Coupled with a crippling drug and alcohol addiction, Stand winds up into the service of Hell itself.

His mission is to restore the balance between Heaven and Hell, and to erase the sins of his own soul. Of course this is a mission with many obstacles, including an agent from Heaven looking to thwart Stand’s very efforts.

As a fan of SOA, I love seeing Kurt Sutter utilizing his talents in a new medium. One downside to working on television are limitations of budget and subject matter and BOOM! Studios is letting Sutter go full throttle on the story.

Stand is probably as far from a hero as you can be. And you still feel sorry for the guy for what he’s going through. He doesn’t want to be a bad guy, and he wishes he could be a better guy. But life seems to have it for Lucas.

Sutter’s portrayal of Lucas Stand shows many profound problems within our society, yet the message doesn’t feel gimmicky. Sutter also doesn’t use this element of the story to take away from the overall plot.

Of course there are a few bumps that came up in the issue. The second act of the story arrives out of left field and can throw the reader off if they are not paying attention. And if they do not stay to the end of the issue then they’re really in for a loop.

Furthermore we don’t get to see Stand’s relation to anyone close to him. Which I get, as Sutter wants to reinforce how Stand now keeps his friends and family away. But this might have helped in illuminating the tragic nature of Stand’s character.

Even with these issues, the story is fantastic and I am looking forward to the next installment next month.

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