Marvel Comics recently announced Marvel NOW!, a new branding initiative spinning out of this summer’s Civil War II. Today, the company has followed up with Mosaic, a new book starring a new character that will be launching as a part of the NOW! initiative.
Mosaic stars Morris Sackett, a basketball player turned Inhuman superhero, and will be written and drawn by Geoffrey Thorne and Khary Randolph, respectively.
“To say that Morris will have a long, hard road to travel to become a hero is an understatement,” says Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso. “One minute, Mosaic holds the world in the palm of his hand, the next, he has absolutely nothing, except for powers that will transform him into one of the Marvel Universe’s most complex characters — powers that , if not properly harnessed, will feel more like a curse.”
MOSAIC #1
Written by GEOFFREY THORNE
Art by KHARY RANDOLPH
Cover by STUART IMMONEN
Variant Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH
On Sale in October!
Mosaic centers on Morris Sackett – professional basketball player and celebrity. Loved by millions, hated by his teammates. Only Morris is secretly something else – something Inhuman. Coming into contact with the transformative Terrigen Mists has given Morris spectacular new abilities. Imbued with the ability to jump from person-to-person like a ghost, Morris can control the bodies and memories of those he inhabits. But these fantastic new abilities come at a grave cost. Recognized as an all-star athlete, Morris has worked his whole adult life to raise his body to peak physical form, but after his transformation, his living body is no more, and Morris must now rely on other bodies to survive.
“Morris goes from being one of the most famous people in the world to being no one,” says Executive Editor Nick Lowe. “Now he not only has to do time in the bodies of people he never even would have noticed, but also deep into Marvel Universe events!”
Fans eager to meet Mosaic won’t have to wait long – as the character’s highly anticipated first appearance comes to comic shops next week in UNCANNY INHUMANS #11. Plus, ahead of his ongoing series, fans can experience a 10-page Mosaic origin story from Thorne & Randolph which will be available for free on August 6th at all Barnes & Noble stores nationwide, as part of their Get Pop-Cultured event.
MOSAIC #1 comes to comic shops and digital devices everywhere this October! For more on Mosaic and Marvel NOW!, visit Marvel.com.
What Makes Horror Movies Different From Thriller Films?
Horror means to “horrify” audiences where a thriller attempts to “thrill”. Viewers see a difference between the two. I personally think the genres are interchangeable. One keeps you on the edge of your seat while the other makes you jump into the backseat. But no matter where you’re seated, that same rush of adrenaline is found.
Some believe a film’s theme can place it in a genre. It becomes complicated when you look to blur the lines. I can debate that 1978’s ‘Halloween‘ has more “thrills” than it does “horror”. If thrillers are grounded in realism then you’re able to easily label ‘Last House On The Left‘ as a thriller.
“Writing is writing, and stories are stories. Perhaps the only true genres are fiction and nonfiction. And even there, who can be sure?”
—Tanith Lee
As a horror fan, some films I call horror classify as thrillers by the general public. I can’t help but to feel the thriller label is on films like ‘Fatal Attraction‘ or ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin‘ due to dislike for horror films. You can’t tell me that ‘Fatal Attraction‘ didn’t put fear into any cheating man’s heart.
Even ‘The Silence Of The Lambs‘ struggles with where it falls on the genre spectrum. Wikipedia has it labeled a “psychological horror-thriller”. Does the crime element cancel out any inclination to label it purely a horror movie? I suppose the deranged Buffalo Bill or Hannibal Lecter does not “horrify” audiences enough.
Another example is 1995’s ‘Se7en‘. Crime & noir elements in the film have made most viewers look at it as a thriller. But those disgusting 7 deadly sins kills have more gore than an average American horror film. Lacking grotesque violence places a movie as a thriller but ‘Se7en‘ is most comparable to iconic horror film 2004’s ‘Saw‘. Both feature cops investigating a serial killer with a moral compass. Both also feature intense graphic effects, a trademark of a horror film. Once you begin to dissect the genres, it becomes harder to label movies.
So must we separate the two? Why can’t horror just absorb the thriller genre and place so many films back to their home? As a cinephile and horror fan, the division between the genres has to stop. Ending the separation between thriller/horror is how you end stigmas against the horror genre.
Let me know what you think in the comments below! Do you believe that horror and thriller is a useless separation or do you think the line between the two is clear?
Shia LaBeouf is more famous these days for his strange performance art pieces. Whether it’s watching all his movies in reverse chronological order, riding an elevator for a weekend, or traveling across the country through the charity of random people, LaBeouf’s acting career has stalled.
The new trailer for American Honey not only proves Shia LaBeouf is still acting. It proves he is still can be a captivating screen presence. Here’s the trailer:
What begins as a story about those shady magazine subscription vagabonds we’ve all seen, turns into something deeper and much more threatening. The film turned some heads at this year’s Cannes in May. Here is the synopsis:
A teenage girl with nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she criss-crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits.
Aside from Shia LaBeouf, American Honey stars newcomer Sasha Lane and a whole slew of rookie actors and actresses. Red Road and Fish Tank filmmaker Andrea Arnold directed. There isn’t a set stateside release date yet, but expect it this fall.
Production of Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ is under way and the director offered a set visit to the media.
Warner Bros. Released the official logo and synopsis of the film:
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Ben Affleck talked to reporters about the evolution of his Batman in ‘Justice League.’
“He’s a little bit more sardonic, a little more irony. He’s a little more of a man on a mission this time. As opposed to, he was so full of anger because of what happened at the Black Zero Event. That sort of rage that possessed him. And now he’s on a mission to get this group together; to constitute this League. But more of that sort of Bruce Wayne, wry, ironic gallows humor comes out. He’s not like a ‘haha’ jokey, but that sort of stuff comes out a little bit. A bit of his darker humor is present,” said Affleck via CBR.
The studio confirmed that Steppenwolf is the main villain of the film and that William Dafoe will play Atlantean ally of the Justice League, Vulko.
Justice League Part 1 is directed by Zack Snyder, from Chris Terrio script. The film stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Ezra Miller as The Flash, and Amber Heard as Mera.
Justice League Part 1 is slated for a November 17, 2017 release.
Last year, after 150 issues and several spins offs, the multiple Eisner award winning series Fables drew to a close. Just as fans thought they would never see any of their Fabletown friends again, Vertigo has made an announcement: The series will be getting a sequel.
EverAfter: From the pages of Fables will focus on a new story line and have a more a spy thriller aspect to it. In the events following the original comic regular humans (Mundys as they were called) become aware of existence of magic as enchantments started to break down. Now it will be up to a special team of Fables and Mundys to keep the peace in this new world. In a press release Vertigo comics revealed beloved characters such as Bo Peep, Peter Piper, Hansel, and Connor Wolf would be returning.
The creative team behind it features writers Matthew Stuges (Jack of Fables) and Dave Justus (Public Relations) who previously worked on Fables: Wolf Among Us with artist Travis Moore who will also be providing the artwork for the new book. Tula Lotay (Wicked and the Divine) will be doing the covers. The first issue is set to be released in September. Are you excited at the prospect of more Fables?
Alien: Covenant has gone through some wild ups and downs as it marches towards its 2017 release date. The project, a sequel to Prometheus, was in development forever, then it stared down Neil Blombkamp’s own Alien sequel/adaptation before prevailing. Then, it seemed Noomi Rapace would not be returning as Shaw. Despite the fact she and Michael Fassbender’s David (well, his head anyway), were the only survivors from Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s follow up was set to be sans Rapace.
Not so fast! Apparently, the actress has been in Australia with the Alien: Covenant crew and shooting what Deadline calls “weeks worth of scenes.” So this surprise appearance clearly isn’t for a brief cameo in the beginning.
It could mean one of two things: Either we see an extended death of Shaw early in the film, or she’s actually a part of the sequel’s plot. Scott has mentioned he will begin bringing these stories closer to the beginning of Alien, so there’s no telling as to the fate of Shaw. Or David for that matter.
Murtagh used a bit of the ultra-violence to wrap up a loose end in “Vengeance Is Mine”. Wrapping up that loose end, though, involved Murtagh doing away with one of Outlander’s best guest stars. Claire and Jamie seem to be no closer to stopping the Battle of Culloden: the other generals disagree with Jamie’s (and Claire’s) advice to push on to London rather than retreat to Scotland until spring. And, Rupert‘s in a bad way. Already mourning the death of Angus at Prestonpans, Rupert sustains a potentially fatal injury at the hands of the redcoats …
Vengeance Is Mine – My Recap
“Vengeance Is Mine” starts with the bonny prince making his case to take London rather than wait out the winter and remount their offensive once the weather improves. Lord George Murray and Sir John O’Sullivan are in a rare state of agreement on this strategy but Jamie stands with Stuart. Eventually though, not even Stuart’s patriotic entreaties can sway the two older men, and the officers agree to winter in Scotland so that they can replenish their stores and recruit more men to their cause. Jamie delivers this bad news to Claire after leaving the meeting.
“Yes, it hurts when I do everything!!”
As they make their way to the Scottish border, they run into an English patrol. All parties scatter in order to make it more difficult for the redcoats to track them. But, as Claire, Jamie, Rupert, and Dougal make their escape on horseback, a musket ball hits Rupert in the right eye. Dougal performs an impressive bit of horseback riding, jumping from his horse to Rupert’s. He grabs the unconscious Scot just before Rupert falls off his horse. They lose the redcoats and seek an appropriate place to assess and care for Rupert’s life-threatening wound. They take refuge in a church and shortly after Claire has finished patching Rupert’s eye the redcoats arrive and threaten to burn the church down unless the Scots surrender.
There is much frenzied discussion about what to do. Claire decides to again pretend that she is a captive of the Scots. The group hesitantly agrees to Claire’s plan, knowing that the English are unlikely to attack if they have an Englishwoman in their midst. After making plans for Jamie to retrieve her at the nearest English garrison once the patrol has moved on, Claire pretends she has fainted. Dougal carries Claire out of the church and presents her to the English officers. After a brief negotiation between Dougal and the commanding officer, the English agree to withdraw.
Claire’s plans to be rescued, though, hit an apparent snag when she learns that she will not be taken to the nearest English garrison but Belmont, which is closer. Claire’s concerns mount when she realizes that Belmont is the home of one of her and Jamie’s nemeses, the Duke of Sandringham. Luckily, one of Jamie’s longtime allies, ill-fated mute Hugh Munro, happens to be in the town that Claire and her English escort stops at on its way to Belmont. Recognizing Munro, she is able to covertly instruct him to tell Jamie that she is being taken to Belmont. Munro nods in understanding and the two part ways.
Arriving at Belmont, the Duke of Sandringham doesn’t blow Claire’s cover. He calls Claire “Mrs. Beauchamp” and pretends not to know her rather than outing her as “Red Jamie” Fraser’s wife. After some dinner, the duke explains his own predicament. He, much like Claire, is interested in being rescued from Belmont (he’s tired of being scrutinized by English soldiers). So, the duke requests that Claire send a letter to her husband asking Jamie to save them both. Claire writes to Jamie in Gaelic and the duke has his courier deliver it to Hugh Monroe. The courier delivers the letter to Munro and Munro nearly clobbers him for his efforts. No tip?!
Back at Belmont Claire has a reunion with Mary Hawkins who we learn is the duke’s goddaughter. He intends to marry her off to a Mr. Granger, but in private Mary begs Claire to help her avoid the wedding. In an even unhappier reunion, Claire recognizes one of the duke’s servants, by the birthmark on his hand, as the man who raped Mary. She begins to question the duke as to the rapist’s employment history and the duke scolds his servant, Danton, for being recognized. The duke admits to employing Danton to rape her and Mary in France. He assures Claire, though, that rape was a better option than what his accomplice le Comte St. Germain had demanded. The duke explains that he owed St. Germain a great deal of money. Claire looks on, sneering in the duke’s face the entire time.
The Duke of Sandringham goes on to explain to Claire that, now that “Red Jamie” is on his way to Belmont, the redcoats will be able to set a trap for him. The duke explains that his facilitation of Jamie’s capture will solidify his reputation as a true English patriot. After telling Claire of his dastardly plan, the duke orders his servant to escort Claire to her room and lock her in. We also see Munro successfully deliver Claire’s poorly translated message to Jamie and Murtagh. The two Scots, commenting on Claire’s bad Gaelic, determine that she is at Belmont with Sandringham and wants rescuing.
Claire paces by her window and sees Munro running across the lawn. She fears that the redcoats will catch Jamie and hand him over to the English. Startled by someone’s entering her room, she sees Mary. Mary asks Claire to rescue her from Belmont (a common theme around here!). Claire agrees and asks Mary to go outside and tell Munro that Jamie is walking into a trap. But, Mary’s not the bravest person around and she refuses to go outside and talk to a beggar. Claire, probably noticing a theme, realizes she’ll have to do it herself. Claire makes her way downstairs to the exit but is stopped at the door by the wig-less form of the duke.
The duke claims he needed a midnight snack: Claire lies, badly while edging away from the door, that she came down for the same reason. Over what appears to be some cold chicken, the duke presses Claire on how she killed St. Germain. Mary Hawkins’s sudden appearance interrupts their conversation and the duke orders her back to bed. As the duke and Claire resume their conversation, though, Mary makes for the front door. Luckily, Munro is right outside dealing with a redcoat and Mary is able to deliver her message. Danton drags Mary away but doesn’t notice Munro outside dragging away his redcoat victim.
Danton brings Mary back to the kitchen. Mary lies that she was trying to escape Belmont for fear of having to marry Mr. Granger. The duke again orders Mary to bed but just as she’s about to be dragged off once again Jamie and Murtagh burst in. I guess Munro didn’t deliver Mary’s message (he is mute). Danton grabs Claire and puts a dagger to her throat. The duke scrambles to get his wig on. Hoping to spur on some kind of superhuman revenge strength or something, Claire announces to the room that Danton raped Mary and that the duke hired him to do it. The duke tries to explain his dastardly behaviour and, as he does, Mary runs Danton through with Jamie’s dagger. Danton collapses and, with Claire safe from harm, Murtagh raises his axe and cleaves the duke’s head from his shoulders.
“There can be only one!”
Murtagh places the Duke of Sandringham’s dismembered head at the feet of Mary and Claire saying, “I kept my word. I lay my vengeance at your feet.” The four outlaws stand in silence for a bit until Mary quite rightly says, “I think we should go now.”
Vengeance Is Mine – My Critique
Go Mary! That’s one rapist down, uh several more to go! “Vengeance Is Mine” was a good episode that gave Simon Callow a great opportunity to go out with a bang. Callow did a great job highlighting the Duke of Sandringham’s apathy and frivolity. The duke was a villain I loved to hate so I hope that Outlander is able to provide a suitable replacement, especially since Black Jack Randall seems to have traveled back in time to the Dark Ages. Wait, that’s a different show …
It’s Frank! It’s Black Jack! No, it’s Edmure Tully!
“Vengeance Is Mine” also gave viewers another taste of why it would be logistically difficult to go back in time and influence historical events. Even armed with the knowledge that the Scots might’ve won if they’d initially taken London rather than wintering in Scotland, Jamie couldn’t change the generals’ minds. Because the officers don’t know their own futures, they must rely on their instincts that tell them to retreat.
“Vengeance Is Mine” provided viewers with a lot of character development. Both Rupert’s wistful remembrances of Angus’s vulgarity and Mary’s proactive approach to justice made “Vengeance Is Mine” worthwhile. It was a great touch that Murtagh beheaded the duke with so little pomp and circumstance. Obviously, Murtagh had been looking forward to that for a while.
Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Tony Revolori were seen in Atlanta filming Spider-Man: Homecoming in photos posted Just Jared today.
The Hollywood Reporter says Spider-Man: Homecoming has added three newcomers to the cast; Isabella Amara (The Boss), Jorge Lendeborg Jr (The Land). and J.J. Totah (Other People). Character details have not been announced.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts and stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, and Michael Keaton. It will be released on July 7, 2017.
Set photos from Spider-Man: Homecoming:
Tom HollandZendayaZendayaTony RevoloriTony RevoloriTom HollandZendayaTom HollandZendayaTom Holland
In the new world of storytelling that’s the ten-episode cable series, networks need to treat a season like a boxing match. The first episode of Outcast comes out strong with a complete story and leaves the viewer wanting more. Episode two goes into Kyle Barnes’ origin and you get a good sense of how broken he is and his fight for understanding. A slower paced episode, but needed for essential information to move the plot forward, and it has a great closing scene that excites you for the future of the series. Episode three does not add to the series and feels like a filler episode, which is disappointing because the show only has seven left.
‘All Alone Now’ starts off with a brutal opening sequence that sets the episode up for a deeper look inside the demons that crossing over to this earth. This episode falls flat and doesn’t reveal information to progress the story. With that said I was frustrated with the episode, and so were the characters. Which means that was the goal of director Howard Deutch for the episode.
What works for the show and also frustrates viewers is our point of view is from the side of ‘good.’ We can not see what the demons are up to. There are several mysteries building up and the information collected so far is not bringing them together.
Mysteries:
1. Why are the demons invading Rome, West Virgina?
2. Why do the demons want Kyle Barnes?
3. Who is the leader of the demons played by Brent Spiner?
4. What happened to Reverend Anderson’s son?
5. Is Barnes possessed by a demon?
6. What is the mystery that Chief Giles is covering up?
Lee Tergesen does an excellent job as the newest demon (Blake Morrow) introduced in the series. With these type of characters, you can see the actors let loose with their dark-side and enjoy their acting craft. The way the episode ends it will be interesting to see if the Reverend and Kyle revisit Blake in the future.
The cinematography and the score are amazing once again. This show gives me chills and puts a dark twist to my dreams after watching an episode. Even an average episode of Outcast is better than 95% of the shows on today.
In The Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones, Good has been throttled at the neck ever since Ned Stark had a head on his shoulders. To be good-natured and whole-hearted is a veritable death sentence in this universe and that’s just the way things go. Until it isn’t…
The Starks are without a doubt a naive bunch who have come to learn the rules of this world in the hardest of ways. Still, that won’t change their nature and it won’t change our want to see their retribution. Fleeting or not, ‘Battle of The Bastards’ gives us a small glimpse at that redemption and rewards us and the Good people of Westeros for believing in a better future.
Today, I believe it’s impossible to separate the narratives of entertainment from the real world atrocities we see committed. We lay yet in the pool of horror that is Orlando. We have to reconcile a world where freak accidents can take away an innocent life who only wanted to bring some of his own Good into this world. We still feel pain and anger for a fictional wedding ceremony that occurred three years ago. Game of Thrones has embodied what it means to live in a merciless world right up until the dark and gruesome end. The night is indeed dark and full of terrors but that blade cuts both ways.
‘Battle of the Bastards’ is Jon Snow suffocating under a heap of death and corpses but not giving in. He went into a battle undermanned and ignorant of the atrocities another human can commit. Ramsay Snow* is no whitewalker risen from the grave with only one purpose. He doesn’t just destroy, he wants you to feel his pain. Jon doesn’t know what it’s like to fight that enemy. We don’t know what it’s like to fight an enemy who wears an American flag underneath the guise of terrorism. As Jon’s brother**, Rickon, is shot down at his feet, we all recognize the dagger twisting in our stomachs as this sort of hurt strikes deeper than a foreign evil. Ramsay is a man of the North. He is an American.
*You’ll never have a true name in my eyes, Bastard.
**Until further notice.
For a show that has become the face of deception and evil, ‘Battle of the Bastards’ illuminated the decent when we needed it most. All of our heroes, our friends — Davos, Tormund, Wun-Wun, Jon — were down to their last biting breath and chose to fight that battle. Davos charged his meager troops in from volley position. Tormund ate the face off Smalljon Umber. Wun-Wun ripped his hand through an arrow to be the savior of Winterfell. They wouldn’t give in when the battle turned and it finally turned in their favor.
No matter how small the victory may be, Game of Thrones makes it a point to show victories are to be fought for and cherished because they truly do exist. We aren’t meant to suffer in the darkness and let the Ramsay Snows of this world strike from the shadows. There is pain and there is blood and there is a moment of resignation but it doesn’t last. We won’t let it last. The Rohirrim-esque charge of the armies of the Vale aren’t a deus ex machina. They are reward for fighting the correct battle. Not everyone survives the battle but fighting it is worth more than accepting a doomed fate.
‘Battle of the Bastards’ is a visceral and emotional masterpiece. Forgive me my inability to mention the show’s politics and Dany’s reclaiming of Meereen and Tyrion’s conversation with the Greyjoys. We needed a week of proof that we can look directly into the void and create life when there is none. I’m happy for that.
“You’re going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton. Sleep well.” – Sansa Stark
Show Notes:
The torsion catapults besieging Meereen were just plain cool.
Theon and Tyrion’s reunion highlighted a relationship with seriously old scars. This world never forgets.
Was there a little flirting going on between Yarra and Dany? I mean, how could you not flirt with the Mother of Dragons?
Rickon’s death was absolutely necessary. There just isn’t enough room in the show for him. His presence here was the perfect distillation of what that character needed to be.
Can we just allow the pure filmic beauty of this episode wash over us? Jon standing against an army. Horses galloping into battle. Jon being completely consumed by war. This episode is a living painting.
Tormund’s sweetness has become one of the show’s highlights. I want Davos/Tormund back and forth until the end of time.
Finally, Stark banners in Winterfell and it feels good.
Check out my reviews of previous episodes of ‘Game of Thrones’:
