This Creature Might Be The Villain For 2017’s ‘Justice League’.
Admittedly, this article may be a love letter to DC and the Extended Universe they’re creating but dammit, it excites me. The latest bit of news to come from the movie rumor mill is that 2017’s ‘Justice League‘ film will feature Steppenwolf as the villain and not Darkseid as everyone suspected.
The Internet was filled with their usual disgust. It was mostly complaints about the rumored villain being too minor for such a big film. While I would have loved to see someone like Brainiac or even the big bad Darkseid in the film, this seems like the creators are thinking about a long-term story. The Steppenwolf character could be the perfect way to ween the public into the chaos that is all things Apokolips.
Let me catch you up with the story before the film version gets a chance. Apokolips is the home of major DC villains like Steppenwolf and Darkseid. It’s a hellish planet where you’re basically raised a violent psycho monster. Darkseid rules the planet with an iron-fist and has no problem with military-style invasions of weaker planets. His uncle and high-ranking officer Steppenwolf is another savage Apokoliptian.
Now the online rumors suggest that 30,000 years ago, there was a battle on Earth where Steppenwolf was defeated by Earth’s heroes but left three “mother boxes“.
Basically, mother boxes are like small doors to Apokolips.
DC Extended Universe has already shown one mother box in ‘Batman v. Superman’ when Wonder Woman sees footage of one taking over the body of a young man named Victor Stone. I believe that Aquaman has a mother box in his possession as rumors have stated that Atlanteans fought against Steppenwolf 30,000 years ago.
We may have also already seen Steppenwolf. A deleted scene from ‘Batman v. Superman’ on Youtube released by WarnerBros. shows Lex Luthor talking with a creature who is showing him three boxes. Let’s not forget that cryptic dream sequence in the film where we saw Darkseid’s infamous Omega symbol.
All of this is deeply rooted in comic source material but attempts to create a fresh cinematic take on the story. I remember seeing a plot similar to this in a DC Animation movie called ‘Justice League‘: War’ but this stretches that story over what could be a few films. While many think the team at DC is rushing to catch up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I believe they are taking a natural course. They are only trying to catch up with themselves as the DC Universe has never been explored to this degree before. Once we establish how big things at DC can get then the filmmakers can deliver baddies like Vandel Savage, Brainiac, and Darkseid.
What do you think about this rumor that Steppenwolf will be the first person to challenge the Justice League? Let me know in the comments below if this raises or lowers your excitement for the 2017 film!
MacLean’s Ales is one of those breweries with a history that’s hard to believe. According to the MacLean’s Ales website, the founder Charles MacLean learned how to brew when he ran out of money and had to work at a pub while on a motorcycle trip in the British countryside (cool!). Learning more than just how to sling suds, MacLean developed an interest in brewing at the pub, and when he returned home he started brewing his own beer, an homage to his time in Britain. I’m glad that Mr. MacLean decided to come back and open his brewery so close to me. Grey County proud, MacLean’s Ales are a welcome part of Ontario’s craft brewing scene.
MacLean’s Pale Ale – First Sip
MacLean’s Pale Ale has a rusty amber colour. Its frothy head forms on top quickly as I pour the beer into my glass. I smell apple sauce when I take my first sip, then notice a taste of strawberries that gives way to a caramel maltiness. The smooth malt transforms into a strong aftertaste that reminds me of black tea. Because of its high carbonation level, MacLean’s Pale Ale has a lasting mouthfeel that coats my palate.
MacLean’s Pale Ale – Last Sip
MacLean’s Pale Ale packs a 5.2% ABV punch so, beyond the obvious warning of only drinking a couple of these in one sitting, I suggest accompanying this beer with some snacks. This brew’s almost tart aftertaste pairs well with other strong flavours especially Mexican or Thai food, but dark chocolate, strong cheeses, or your favourite flavour of chips can be great too. You’ll find that MacLean’s Pale Ale’s flavour changes perceptibly as it warms, allowing its full-bodied British pub heritage to come out.
MacLean’s Pale Ale – Other Comments
Although this exceptional brew features a strong aftertaste brought on largely by the flavour of the hops, I wouldn’t describe this beer as hop-forward: it’s well balanced and subtle, not pushing too much of any one of its well-defined flavours.
Michael B. Jordan is playing another Marvel hero, and it’s not the Human Torch this time.
Rising star Michael B. Jordan is doing another comic book film, but it’s not ‘FantasticFour2‘!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor has signed on to star in ‘Black Panther’. This film will be Jordan’s third collaboration with director Ryan Coogler, whom he previously worked with on 2013’s FruitvaleStation and last year’s surprise hit Creed. It also marks the second time he has played a Marvel Comics character; the first being Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) in 2015’s ‘FantasticFour’ reboot. While it was not connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie received critical reviews and poor box office.
Although Jordan’s role hasn’t been officially named, it is reported that he will be playing a villain in the film. He will join ‘Captain America: Civil War’ co-star Chadwick Boseman, who’s playing Black Panther/T’Challa of Wakanda. Academy Award-winning actress Lupita N’yongo has also been in talks to appear in the movie. Andy Serkis is expected to reprise his role of Ulysses Klaue, whom he already played in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
‘Black Panther’ is set to begin filming in early 2017. The film has been scheduled for a February 2nd, 2018 release.
Derek Cianfrance has quickly made a career out of moroseness and tragedy. Both Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines were deeply emotional melodramas, and The Light Between Oceans looks to hit many of those familiar beats.
Here is the trailer:
The synopsis is fairly straightforward: A lighthouse keeper (Michael Fassbender) and his wife (Alicia Vikander) find a baby in a rowboat and raise the child as their own after suffering their own loss. Rachel Weisz looks to be playing the child’s biological mother, and familial strife definitely ensues.
The Light Between Oceans is certainly aiming for Oscar gold with the September release date. Cianfrance is a true talent in my opinion. Blue Valentine was a slog of heavy emotions, but a fascinating examination into a crumbling marriage. The Place Beyond the Pines is great, despite its bloated narrative; I’ll die on that hill.
Vikander has to be the busiest actress in Hollywood these days. The Oscar winner is also in this summer’s Jason Bourne, she’s just been tapped to reboot Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, and she has three more films in some form of production.
Yesterday it was announced that ABC would not renew Marvel’s Agent Carter for a third season and they decided to pass on the Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff called Marvel’s Most Wanted. For those of us that have been paying attention, the writing for both of these series has been on the wall for months now. Agent Carter did not have very good numbers in its second season and Most Wanted has been losing steam from day one. ABC and Marvel seem to be keeping Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. around just so it can reach syndication and I assume it won’t last much longer than this. All of this is from a company that has made genre defining movies and Netflix series, so why is it struggling on television so much?
Two days ago The Hollywood Reporter posted an interview with Captain America: Civil War directors Anthony and Joe Russo. They talked about how bosses Kevin Feige and Ike Perlmutter clashed heads until Feige decided to report to Disney boss Alan Horn directly. “As THR reported, Feige’s frustrations with the notoriously frugal Perlmutter came to a head during the filming of Captain America: Civil War in 2015,” quoted the article. There have been rumors about Perlmutter for years. He seems to be under the impression that Marvel is the same company it was when it went bankrupt in 1996. It seems that Marvel has knee jerk reactions to many things because of their previous bankruptcy.
Ever since Feige and Perlmutter parted ways the rumor mill has not been positive. The Inhumans movie suddenly stalled and then was taken off of the schedule all together. Marvel television and Marvel movies have largely been unable to directly interact with each other. While this might work for Daredevil or Jessica Jones they make up for it by having self contained stories. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is trying to do that this season but it still feels weighty. Agent Carter had a strong first season but it was barely renewed the first time and the second suffered from a ‘sophomore slump’ that it wasn’t able to recover from.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is probably the most inconsistent thing Marvel has made thus far. There hasn’t been a season that has been consistently good and the series has a bad habit of meandering. There weren’t a lot of people calling for a spinoff, but Marvel hastily wrote off two of the better characters in the series, Bobbi Morse (Adrianne Palicki) and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood), without waiting for a confirmation from ABC. To be fair Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got the rug pulled out from under it three fourths of the way through its first season with the dismantling of S.H.I.E.L.D. The show has been trying to rebrand itself since by taking on the Inhumans as the show continues struggling to define itself.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be doing well since the split, and without Perlmutter penny pinching they could offer actors raises, bring on new and interesting talent and generally become “much healthier, happier” says Joe, paving the way for “really compelling choices.” Marvel television has had what is arguably the first failure that Marvel has had since it started this grand experiment back in 2008. Agent Carter spent most of May 12th treading on twitter as people mourn the loss of yet another amazing woman on the small screen. The divide between Marvel TV at ABC and the company seems to be getting worse. The Marvel Cinematic Universe won’t even acknowledge that Agent Phil Coulson is alive or that a version of S.H.I.E.L.D. exists. The Marvel universe is trying, to almost comical levels, to keep the TV and movie universes separate. Daredevil and Jessica Jones make up for it in quality but unfortunately Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.is only ‘pretty good’ at best.
Agent Carter and Most Wanted are two of the first casualties of the ongoing tensions within Marvel when it comes to the movie and television universes. While we don’t know what is in the future for Marvel television on the small screen (aside from the Cloak and Dagger series they are making at Freeform), unless the people in charge realize they don’t have to act like the Marvel that filed for bankruptcy in 1996 I don’t see it changing.
While the Civil War between Iron Man and Captain America might be over, it seems the one within Marvel itself rages on and I sadly expect there will be more casualties along the way.
Here is the new red-band trailer for Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, what seems to be a Bret Easton Ellis-type exploration into the depraved seediness of high fashion. Only it has that definite Refn dreamlike intensity. And it looks absolutely insane:
When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.
This isn’t going to tell you anything about the film, which is sure to be a Lynchian dive into psychosexual madness. Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, and Keanu Reeves star, though Reeves’ presence in the film is staying purposefully quiet. Blink and you’ll miss him here.
The Neon Demon looks like more of what Refn was experimenting with in Only God Forgives, a film I didn’t particularly care for but might need to revisit. This one hits theaters June 24.
Simon Kinberg is one of the guiding figures of the ‘X-Men’ movie franchise at 20th Century Fox. He also wrote the screenplay for ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ and produced ‘The Martian’, the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. He also serves as a producer on the ‘Star Wars Rebels’ television series.
While promoting the upcoming ‘X-Men Apocalypse’, Kinberg sat down with Flickering Myth’s Oli Davis to discuss his current projects. He also talks about the 2015 ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot, which proved to be a box office flop.
‘I actually think part of the problem on the last ‘Fantastic Four” is that we tried to make it maybe a little bit more like an ‘X-Men’ movie, make it a little bit darker, when, in fact, I think the ‘Fantastic Four’ comic traditionally is a lighter, brighter, more hopeful book that’s interested in very different things to other comics,” Kinberg says. “So the challenge this time is to get it right tonally and to find what is special about the ‘Fantastic Four’ as a story.”
Despite the last film’s disappointing reception, Kinberg is keen on reviving the ‘Fantastic Four’ franchise. “We’re working really hard on figuring that out,” he says. “Nothing would make me happier than the world embracing a ‘Fantastic Four‘ movie.”
On the subject of crossovers, Kinberg admits Fox never had the idea of having the X-Men characters interact with Marvel’s First Family. “There wasn’t a conversation back then about it,” he recalls. “I think Marvel as a studio was just starting out, and this notion of crossing over and telling larger stories that are like a larger tapestry taking place over different movies hadn’t really come into its fruition yet. So none of us were thinking in those terms, and Marvel blazed a way for us. We should’ve been thinking in those terms because that’s obviously the way the comics have always done it, but we weren’t.”
The Thing mourns what could have been with crossovers
He is quick to praise Marvel Studios and Disney for their interconnected universe. “I just think it’s a radical way to make movies. And I think that usually movie studios are – let’s just say – they’re a little short-sighted. They’re not long-term thinkers. They just want to bang out one movie at a time. And then Marvel showed up and changed the way we all look at movies.”
Kinberg is interested in well as bringing back cast members Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Miles Teller. “The ‘Fantastic Four’ comic is as enduring and as powerful as the X-Men comic,” he says. “It’s an older generation comic, but it’s been really important – and it’s one that I loved growing up – and I continue to love. The characters are great characters. And I think the actors we have in that franchise are amazing actors. If you look at Michael B. Jordan, he is, like, the most in-demand actor right now. And Miles Teller, and Jamie, and Katie are great actors. So I think there’s an opportunity to tell it, and tell it correctly.”
If you want a quick study of the evolution of horror, watching every kill by Jason Voorhees is the way to go. CGI! We don’t need no stinking CGI! Practical effects all the way!
Since 1981 filmmakers have created 199 death scenes at the hands of Jason. Thanks to Friday the 13th The Franchise for stepping up to be the death accountant.
The Friday the 13th franchise has earned $380 million over 12 films. ‘Freddy vs. Jason’ is the highest grossing film involving Voorhees, banking $82 million in 2003.
Kevin Bacon is the most famous actor to be killed by Jason.
The clip below is 20 minutes long, but I could only make it through five. How many death scenes can you watch?
If you don’t want to watch the video we have an infographic.
Well, we’re getting there. Part one of The 100‘s season three finale, ‘Perverse Instantiation’, purports that this episode will contain strange or abstract intimations of reality and maybe even coming to the realization that what we’ve been shown isn’t all that it seems. In what has become the unfortunate truth of the season, this is all a shiny intellectual facade over a reality that has lost its way.
Part one begins by trying to place its characters in their final positions for ‘Perverse Instantiation: Part Two’ and the ending of this episode brought us to that point with very few detours or surprises that would grip an audience. Now, I say this understanding that…
SPOILERS
… we found out that Jasper has been chipped and Ontari winds up braindead on the top floor of Polis, leaving our heroes with no cognizant Nightblood to accept The Flame. But are those really surprises? Sure, maybe Jasper’s turn will stun many (including me) but there absolutely had to be a road block in Raven and Monty’s path toward helping Clarke and co. at Polis. That’s how this season has worked: one step forward, three steps sideways, fall down. All I’m saying is that the surprises came at expected moments. It’s an algebraic equation at this point and we’re starting to figure out the value of ‘x’.
Roan even makes an unsurprising return, saving a helpless Clarke and immediately relieving her of The Flame and her firearm (seriously, Clarke? Just give it to him, why don’t you?). Bellamy then saves the day and they take Roan hostage and hatch the brilliant plan to infiltrate Polis and excise the chip from Ontari and implant The Flame in her spine.
Except A.L.I.E. has a spy in their midst. We’re led to believe it’s Roan only to be stabbed in the stomach just like Monty as we see it’s truly Jasper who has taken the chip. It was a sincerely touching moment to see Jasper and Monty bro it out again and to feel like Jasper had finally come full circle from his grief. This would have been a nice conclusion to his season arc but it’s stripped from us as he’ll now have to deal with City of Light postpartum disorder assuming he survives. It’s actually a nice story touch and was the most earnestly surprising moment of the episode, even if it was structurally telegraphed a mile away.
Jasper ruins the plan for Raven to receive the kill code from Ontari once she’s been implanted with The Flame by destroying their communications.
Except this was a stupid f*&#ing plan in the first place. Clarke, Bellamy, Roan, Octavia, Miller and Bryan enter Polis already figured out by the enemy but would it have been any different if they weren’t? The episode sets up the disconnected communication like so many episodes in the past but completely fumbles the necessity of the communication in the first place. Why would Clarke and Roan believe they’ll be led right to Ontari in the first place, able to get the drop on her and do their business? How would Bellamy and co. have been able to help from the shadows?
In another strange choice, once Clarke is kidnapped and Roan is shot by Kane (The City of Light’s version of The Winter Soldier, apparently), A.L.I.E. thinks the wisest decision is to physically torture Clarke to get the entry code for The Flame. All of the chipped characters know by now that torture isn’t the way to get to the root of the problem. All they would need to do is threaten a loved one and voila! Immediate acquiescence. Instead of threatening Abbey like before*, they go after Bellamy, who isn’t even in the room with Clarke, Abbey, Jaha and A.L.I.E. In the end, this thread actually goes nowhere as they end up threatening Abbey when the abduction of Bellamy ultimately fails when Murphy, Indra and Pike show up to save the day. In what was a cool rescue, it all felt like plot events that needed to happen instead of events that would’ve happened.
Either way, this brings me to one of my larger points regarding the episode and the larger season as a whole: the problem with displaying grand gestures whenever a problem arises is that it opens Pandora’s Box for audience expectation. Not only are we numb to the idea of sacrifice here, we’re now searching for the seems because our expectations have already been set in previous episodes when this exact situation has occurred. Then, because Abbey tells A.L.I.E. they arbitrarily need Bellamy, it is actually the plot forcibly stalling movement. Everyone isn’t in motion. A.L.I.E. is waiting for the guards to return with Bellamy. Tension comes from each piece moving independently of each other. I hate always referring to season two but the writers perfected the art there, using the lack of and miscommunication as the device to create tension but keep everything moving forward.
In ‘Perverse Instantiation: Part One”, all other plot threads seemingly stop to allow the others to move forward. It’s not the worst sin, but it makes for a really boring episode of TV. Especially considering we know this is only the first half of the season’s conclusion.
All this said, I can’t hate on every bit of the episode. The 100 truly shows its increase in budget in its production design. All of these sets are gorgeous and are allowed to be photographed without a million lens flares and a sheen of smoke hiding the creases in the frame. There are some truly gorgeous shots and I was taken aback by the level of detail present in every setting.
It was also a lot of fun getting Bellamy and Murphy back together again. Bellamy is also allowed to go all the way in protecting Murphy by killing a chipped soldier when he didn’t need to. Yeah, Murphy was being choked out, but Bellamy has found more creative solutions around killing folks before.
At the end of it all, we’re left with a braindead Ontari and no Nightblood in which to place the chip. Will we see Pike’s death at the hands of a vengeful Indra or Octavia? Will Clarke become Wanheda and Heda through some strange twist? Will Monty have the balls to step out in the hallway and face Jasper mano e mano before he kills Harper?
I’m hoping ‘Perverse Instantiation: Part Two’ provides us with at least an entertaining send off for season three. Let’s just have some fun guys. Please?
“It’s a Unix system, I know this!” – Raven
*And maybe this had something to do with it. Was there a fear of going back to the well with that one?
Check out my reviews of previous episodes of ‘The 100’ here:
Lionsgate released the first trailer for ‘Hell or High Water’ starring Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges from a screenplay by ‘Sicario’ scribe Taylor Sheridan.
A story about the collision of the Old and New West, two brothers — Toby (Chris Pine), a straight-living, divorced father trying to make a better life for his son; and Tanner (Ben Foster), a short-tempered ex-con with a loose trigger finger — come together to rob branch after branch of the bank that is foreclosing on their family land. The hold-ups are part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that powerful forces beyond their control have stolen from under their feet. Vengeance seems to be theirs until they find themselves in the crosshairs of a relentless, foul-mouthed Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last triumph on the eve of his retirement. As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their plan, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the last honest lawman and a pair of brothers with nothing to live for except family collide.
‘Hell or High Water’ gets a limited release on August 12 with a nationwide release on August 19.
