With the first screenings of ‘Captain America: Civil War’ in the books, more details have emerged about the first appearance of Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
‘Civil War’ has a run time of 2 hours and 27 minutes, the web-slinger will reportedly get 30 minutes of screen time. Ten minutes of Peter Parker and 20 minutes of Spider-Man.
(Mike Sampson is the Editor-in-Chief at Screen Crush.)
@MarvelousRealm That's about right. Maybe 10 mins of Parker, a good 20 mins of Spidey.
Captain America: Civil War is directed by Anthony & Joe Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.
The film stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Chadwick Boseman, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Tom Holland, and Martin Freeman.
Captain America: Civil War is set for release on May 6.
Every once in awhile an episode will come along which has the right amount of action, story, and drama which makes it simply perfect. The second episode of Jojo`s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable is one of those rare incidents where a show gets a perfect episode showcasing all these features.
Josuke fights against Angelo, a Stand user who has a grudge against Josuke and his family. Angelo is revealed to be one of the most brutal and demented villains in the series even compared to titular villain Dio Brando. Angelo is able to settle an old score and Josuke at the same time.
The action finds a way to be even more intense than in the first episode. It’s revealed Josuke’s Stand has two weaknesses: He can’t heal himself and He can’t bring back the dead. Luckily he is able to think on his feet and make sure Jotaro doesn’t steal the show.
Just as the show ends, the season’s ending song is finally revealed. In the established trend of using classic English rock songs for the ending, the studio went with Savage Garden’s I want you. It will hit many viewers in the nostalgia bone. This episode is emotional, thrilling, and fun all at once. Keep up the fine work Josuke!
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable is streaming on Crunchyroll.
You had one job comic and you blew it! This comic was given out after the Hardcore Henry: The Fan Experience as a gift to the attendees. It focuses on the villain of the series Akan and describes his origin. Sadly it’s worth your time even less than the movie is.
It’s easier to find a way to channel anger and frustration for this comic than it is for the movie. The movie’s ambition was to try and find a new way to present an action movie and at some level it succeeded. The comic was specifically provided to be a prologue to the movie and answer the question of “Why does the Akan have psychic powers?” It tells you but in the most convoluted origin story ever.
Spoiler, Akan was born on the day the Chernobyl reactor melted down while his mother was poisoned by cyanide. HIs powers actually manifest years later when he cooks up a drug which kills everyone in a club but him and he wakes up in the hospital he has psychic powers. Then as his adoptive father reveals the reactor accident was his fault, Akan kills him and then goes crazy and murders a bunch of people. Sound confusing? It should be because it is and doesn’t really add any depth or interest to the character. He’s still just the over the top psychopath from the film with no motivation but “guess I’ll conquer the world now.”
Artwork
The art is only redeeming factor of the book. Artist Alex Cormack found a way to capture the same level of gore as the film. This is best displayed when Akan uses his powers to stage a “hostile” takeover of his father’s company. Blood and gore run rampant in this issue. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Conclusion
The issue ends with a “To be continued” and even asks the fans what they would like to see in the next comic. If there is another issue don’t go out and pick it up. The only unanswered question, “Why Akan has psychic powers” is somewhere is this awkwardly written book. Frankly, there is no other need to get more additional material for the film as they certainly didn’t care to explain the characters properly, so why would fans want to know more?
Hardcore Henry is film shot entirely through Gopro cameras in an effort to make it seem like the viewer is living the action. The movie does offer a new experience for the audience. Unfortunately, this doesn’t automatically mean the film is enjoyable.
Henry is a man who has been turned into a cyborg by his wife. Akan, a man with psychic powers wants to use Henry’s wife to take over the world by having her create more cyborgs. Now Henry must fight to get her back using the most brutal methods at his disposal.
This film is incredible boring. Despite the action and violence it displays their is nothing for the audience to feel tension over. There are very few scene which help get a feel for any of the characters or find a way to connect with them. You’ll feel more for sympathy for the actor who is knocked over in the chase scene involving the escalators than you will for the entire cast. If an audience isn’t able to connect with any of the characters, why will they care if they live or die?
Frankly, the direction and production design of this film is too well set up. Henry knows exactly where to go at every moment. There are too view scenes of him looking around wondering what to do next. A prime example is when he is set on fire and jumps out a bus window. He runs forward and grabs a bottle of water to extinguish the flames before we can even get the shot realizing where water would be. This results in few scene of tension or build up from reaching for a weapon or even seeing what resources are available to the hero. He knows exactly where they are and in what order to obtain them to succeed.
All of the actors are playing over the top caricatures. Akan (Danila Kozlovsky) seems threatening at first with his powers but repeated scenes make his over the top super villain performance lose its appeal. Jimmy (Sharlto Copley), a scientist who has a found a way to broadcast himself into multiple robotic bodies is amusing to watch until you realize he’s entertaining because each robot is a different caricature itself such a stoner or a proper British officer.
The Hardcore Henry: The Ultimate Fan Experience opened with a Q & A featuring director Ilya Naishuller and actor Sharlto Copley. They took the time to field questions some of the crowd funded individuals were allowed to asks for giving a certain amount to the project. Surprisingly not one of them was “Who do I see for a refund?”
The film really is like watching someone play a real life video game. Some may try to defend it by insisting streaming game play is popular these days and people like watching others play games. The difference is when you watch someone on a streaming service you usually hear them talking, know them personally, or are able to hear their commentary as they play the game. It causes the viewer to become interested and engaged in the player and how they perform. Sadly, there is nothing to make the viewer engaged in this film other than the over the top violence. If you love gore, this is your movie. If not, watch anything else really.
Richard Linklater’s non-sequel of a sequel to Dazed and Confused is Everybody Wants Some!!, and it is tremendous. From the college parties, the alcohol, the cars (an Oldsmobile 442), the unhinged sexual drive of a 19-year-old, and of course the mustaches/hair,this film perfectly captures the essence of what it was like to go to college in the 80’s. It’s being released to a wider audience this weekend and is the first great film of 2016.
Everybody Wants Some!! is a movie that appears to be about college baseball but features a tiny amount of baseball in it. It takes place over the span of a three-day-weekend, right before the first day of class and the fall baseball scrimmage. The film is about taking those first steps into the world of college. It is a scary and exciting time in our lives that most of would consider to be quite a blur. Linklater captures these moments beautifully by allowing us to see it through the eyes of the incoming freshmen.
The story is mostly told through the eyes of Jake (Blake Jenner). Jake is an incoming freshman pitcher that was good at baseball in high school but is just another player in college. He wants to be one of the guys, but sees the bigger picture. It appears he’s the only person on the team who realizes that there’s more to college than being a “jock.”
The most entertaining character in Everybody Wants Some!! is Finnegan, played by Glenn Powell. Finnegan is a senior on the team who seems average on the ball field but is an all-star in his off-field game. He dazzles the ladies with his wit and charm. In the beginning, it just seems as if he is just a sleazebag but as the film goes on we realize that he might have more of a heart than Jake.
The soundtrack to Everybody Wants Some!! is a menagerie of 80’s hits. From My Sharona to Rapper’s Delight and everything in between. While some might feel 80’s music is all over the genre map, here it’s a wonderful time capsule.
The true star in all of this is Linklater’s writing. Linklater introduces us to a myriad of characters and still manages to make each one special. I found myself invested in each of these characters throughout the film. His writing captures the sheer excitement and feeling bewilderment that we all go through when we go to college. Great writing will do that.
My favorite scenes took place when the team went out together. At various times in Everybody Wants Some!!, the team ventured to either a disco bar or a country bar. On the surface, these scenes look like nothing more than an attempt for the guys to get lucky with the ladies (that would be partially right). In reality, these scenes had some of the most poignant moments, slipping into themes about friendship, loyalty, and standing up for each other. A tremendous film can do that.
Demolition is the type of mediocre film only truly talented people could make. Beautifully filmed, acutely directed, finely acted but completely stilted by a cliché narrative, the latest from filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild) is one of those life-affirming crowd-pleasers that, much like its lead character, can’t quite figure itself out. Unable to balance its quirky voice with its conventional themes of grief, forgiveness and reawakening, it’s a disjointed effort all-around — one that’s never short on heart but always limited in terms of originality and scope. Despite another transformative lead performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, Demolition destroys nearly every chance it gets to rise to its full potential.
From the very first minute it starts, there’s an unmistakable Sundance feel to this movie. Davis (Gyllenhaal) is a wealthy investment banker that befalls victim to a tragedy when he suffers a fatal car crash. His wife (Heather Lind) is immediately killed on impact, while he’s left without a scratch. As he tries to make sense of this accident, Davis finds himself awoken for the first time in nearly a decade. After a vending machine at the hospital fails to give him a snack he purchased, he begins writing into a void to the customer service department, spilling out his insecurities, frustrations and contemplations as he begins to realize how little he’s lived his life.
These intimate therapy sessions provoke a new way of life for Davis — one that lets his hair grow out a little bit, loosen up his attire considerably and start dismantling each and every object that’s around him, as he attempts to discover how everything works by breaking it down to its most simple elements. Now Davis is seeing things he’s never noticed before, finding things he didn’t think he would ever discover and reinventing himself in a radical new way — much to the dismay of Phil (Chris Cooper), his boss and former father-in-law.
Ordered to take some time off from work, Davis finds himself paying bosses to let him work on construction sites, purchasing handyman tools he’s never bought before and using his hands for the first time in his well-groomed life. And in the process of physical and spiritually unwinding, he crosses paths with Karen (Naomi Watts), a costumer service manager who was deeply moved by Davis’ open-hearted letters. Over time, he and Karen form a friendship-of-sorts, while Davis also plays father figure to Chris (Judah Lewis), an inquisitive 15-year-old that’s coming into his own sexuality and masculinity. Though Phil remains worried about his previous son-in-law’s well-being, Davis finds confronting death has made him feel more alive than ever. For he’s on the verge of discovering not only who he is, but what matters to him most.
Build concretely on good intentions and positive energy, Demolition isn’t a hard movie to watch, but it’s almost impossible to divorce it from other films before it. Despite Yves Bélanger’s always gorgeous cinematography adding depth and nuance to Vallee’s careful eye, there’s a Hallmark quality to this film that’s impossible to shake. The director’s signature grounded realism and Gyllenhaal’s poignant performance often make the flimsy familiarity of Bryan Sipe’s screenplay more palpable and sincere than they read, but it’s not enough to make the final product feel truthful. There’s a depth missing to Davis’ transformation, despite Gyllenhaal’s persistent efforts to make it seem otherwise, and throughout the character’s progression into self-discovery, a genuine sense of morality is also absent.
As sweet and gentle as Demolition can be at times, it ultimately feels hollow and morally bankrupt. And that’s a shame for multiple reasons, but namely because Demolition does almost work. Well, at least for a short period of time. Davis’ initial journey is filled with sorrowful, deeply-felt pathos laced with absurd beats of humor in the vein of David O. Russell or Jonathan Demme’s better, grounded works, and there’s a candor to it provided by Vallee’s soft, watchful gaze as well as Gyllenhaal’s versatile performance, which is mournful without ever wallowing into nauseating self-pity. But just when Demolition begins to find itself, it gets boggled down by tired tropes, overbearing visual metaphors and a scattered focus. What once felt tender and affecting now seems disingenuous and trite, and it kills of the momentum Vallee created before.
And though Jay M. Glen’s editing is always sharp — and supporting turns by Cooper, Watts and Lewis are as powerful as Gyllenhaal’s lead performance — Demolition can’t get itself out of its own mess. What once felt appropriately detached from reality becomes fragmented from emotional honesty. And its humdrum, been there-done that final message doesn’t earn its payoff, despite a decent running start. It begins to feel like any other self-important festival darling that fails to make an impact, and that shouldn’t have been the case here. Gyllenhaal, Vallee and everyone involved can do better than this, and that it crashes-and-burns before the finish mark is a sad sight to behold. By now means is this one a disaster, but it’s definitely a disappointment.
Spring is just starting to unveil itself in this part of Ontario. The robins are out pecking confusedly at the icy gravel and the breweries are in full swing brewing seasonal beers. Outlaw Brew Co. is no exception. Another relative newcomer to the Ontario brewing scene, Outlaw Brew Co. has been crafting tasty beer since 2014, and luckily there’s no law against that. Southern Lass is a crisp wheat beer, great for a spring day, whether you’re enjoying an unseasonably late snow or a deluge of rain.
Outlaw Brew Co’s Southern Lass – First Sip
This is a great wheat beer that has a balanced crispness to it. Unlike other wheat beers that sometimes have a vanilla-sweetness to them, this one has a cider-like quality expressed not only through its cloudiness but also through its notes of apple peel with an aroma of bananas. Southern Lass’s medium level of carbonation accentuates its crispness and its surprisingly clean aftertaste. My mouth waters from its well-balanced tartness.
Outlaw Brew Co’s Southern Lass – Last Sip
It’s often the fashion to put an orange slice into a wheat beer. Although Southern Lass isn’t likely to taste bad with added citrus, I would never describe this beer as requiring a garnish. Others more used to drinking wheat beers may disagree, though, since this beer’s relatively bitter aftertaste may not be what they’re used to. I tossed a slice of clementine in my pint glass but I don’t feel like it added anything to this beer’s flavour, it just made it taste like clementines. The flavour of the clementine slice overpowered the subtle hints of apple peel and banana that the beer had already. I suppose it all depends on what you want your beer to taste like, if you’re looking for a masterfully crafted wheat beer with a unique blend of flavours then leave Southern Lass as is. If you’re looking for a vehicle for your orange slice, toss it in. It certainly won’t taste bad.
Southern Lass is a wheat beer that requires no citrus!
Outlaw Brew Co’s Southern Lass – Other Comments
I should mention that when I talk about this beer’s bitter aftertaste, I’m talking about the eventual bitterness brought about by its sugars lingering in my mouth. As with other wheat beers, Southern Lass has almost no hop flavour. And, although I’ve confessed several times in these reviews to being an IPA man, I’d drink one or two of these at a rained-out barbecue, a snowed-out spring fair, or on a poorly planned camping trip.
No Holds Barred, Hardcore Henry Delivers Exactly What It Promises.
When you go into a 1st-person action movie, you know exactly what you’ll be getting…utter insanity. That’s what ‘Hardcore Henry‘ brings to the screen; the film throws all logic to the wind & thrust you into their strange world. The audience is treated to an abrasive movie that’s basically an homage to video games. I’m still surprised a film like this made it into American cinemas. The experimental film has polarized critics & pissed off some movie-goers.
STX Entertainment hopes that the viewers will be curious enough to see the movie. ‘Hardcore Henry‘ is the newest film from the studio that has released recent sleeper hits like ‘The Gift‘ & ‘The Boy‘. Unlike the more tradition horror elements of their other films, ‘Hardcore‘ is unlike out right now; this is a total niche film that somehow caught the eye of Hollywood. Seemingly made for freaks, I can appreciate for how unapologetically nuts it is.
There isn’t all praise. The story & paper-thin character weighs down the film. With a gimmick this extreme, it can wear thin very quickly. That seems to be the problem here. If you backed up all your style with a bit more substance, I believe this could have been the exact “action re-invention” it claimed to be. I’m glad the experience was unique but we needed a solid film to shake up the norm.
‘Hardcore Henry‘ won’t go down as cinema history but it will be remembered in the underground cult film community. The inventive style is notable but I’m interested to see if someone else will take it and make a strong film with it. Will you be seeing the film this weekend or is this too much gimmick?
‘Hardcore Henry‘ comes out April 4th; the film is directed by Ilya Naishuller and stars Sharlto Copley.
The Invitation, Karyn Kusama’s incredible psychological thriller, begins with a jolt and never looks back. Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his new girlfriend, Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi), are on their way to a dinner party hosted by Will’s ex-wife and her new lover. Almost immediately they hit a coyote, and Will has to finish the job on the suffering animal. This, like everything in The Invitation, means something.
Will’s ex is Eden, played by Tammy Blanchard. Her new man is David (Michiel Huisman). They’ve invited all their old friends back for a dinner party, and none of these friends have seen each other in two years while Eden and David have apparently been living in Mexico. There was a tragedy in the past informing this film, shaping the current lives of everyone, and as soon as Will steps back into the home he once shared with Eden – high in Laurel Canyon – that heartbreak comes flooding back.
He’s also the only one who seems to think this dinner party is super weird. Eden and David are aloof, inundated with some New Age way of thinking and speaking. They have a “presentation” for everyone. Choi, one of the friends in the group, is extremely late, and there are two outsiders lurking at the party: Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch), and Sadie (Lindsay Burdge), a twitchy young girl who appears to have hopped a ride with Eden and David from Mexico to Los Angeles. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s no cell service in the Canyon. And the two hosts sure are pushing this wine on everyone.
No, things are not right, and Will cannot relax.
The Invitation settles into the strangest dinner party I can remember. Will spends the majority of his time scanning the house in which he used to live, plagued with idyllic memories of his former life, going outside for air, and growing increasingly paranoid of secret conversations and strange behavior. Tension hangs thick in the air, and Kusama and Musician Theodore Shapiro make no bones about impending dread with Shapiro’s prickly, unnerving score. And the camera, gliding though the warm yellows and browns of this mini modern-art mansion, capture perfect angles and just the right reveals along the way. The film may push towards an end we can all probably see coming, but the journey is brilliant. Will has a one-on-one conversation with just about every person at the party, old friends who disappeared after the tragedy. The conversations build the history of these characters and their relationship to Will through mundanity and familiarity. Until everything begins falling apart.
The unraveling isn’t quick, but it’s there from the very beginning. The final act of The Invitation explodes, and the final shot will knock you flat. Marshall-Green, who has the unfortunate (or fortunate?) disadvantage of looking exactly like Tom Hardy, has delivered solid work in his career. But nothing he has ever done in the past is as powerful as the bottled-up intensity on display here. Will has retreated from his old life, sadness consuming him, and that sadness may or may not be manifesting itself in the form of growing suspicion. Marshall-Green nails it. Everyone plays their part and plays it with a pitch-perfect ear for the rhythm of Kusama’s film.
What’s most surprising about The Invitation is the emotional weight it carries through this house of psychological horrors. In the end, these characters have been sold to us as real, and they feel real. The consequences are that much more intense in the end because, no matter how strange and tragic things have been, we manage to empathize and maybe even understand a little. There are no clear-cut roles when all is said and done. It’s a testament to Kusama’s direction and her ability to balance masterful tension with honest human emotion. The film is better because of it.
The Invitation is at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin today, and available on iTunes. Seek it out.
If you haven’t caught up with last week’s episode, then:
SPOILERY MCSPOILSTERS GALORE AHEAD SPOILER!
Lincoln is still deader than Jon Snow and Octavia is looking for vengeance. Upon being reunited with Bellamy, she exacts a little bit of that against his face. The tenth episode of this season, “Fallen”, deals with everything that has fallen-out over Lincoln’s death: Raven neglecting the shiny City of Evil… sorry, City of Light, Bellamy’s flip-flopping, Ontari’s unfair usurping of the Heda-ship, Jasper’s rebelliousness, Pike’s evil ways, etc. In short, “Fallen” deals with a lot of the same stuff.
First, what I liked:
1. Pike’s capture.
It came very abruptly and in the middle of a series of switcharoos which took away the impact of finally giving over a major character (who we still have no reason to care about other than the fact that he’s been mustache-twirling evil) to presumably die. However, that moment allowed Bellamy and Octavia to come to terms with each other over their actions. Bellamy’s 27th flip of the season was grating but it was the right choice and one which will heal the pain of Lincoln’s death as Bellamy’s fault in Octavia’s eyes. When Kane then asks Bellamy if he did it because of Octavia or because it was the right thing we, as an audience, want to say both. Bellamy simply responds with, “You’re welcome.” That’s the character. He’s thinking about his choices but ultimately he’s probably being a little selfish in merely protecting his sister. Also, this capture gives us that moment of tension which is earned when Kane suggests he join the Grounders back to Polis with Pike in tow. He doesn’t know what the situation is like over there but we understand his choice even though it’s likely to not turn out pretty. These are the kinds of decisions the show makes which make it a cut-above.
2. Murphy waking up in the filthy BDSM dream he has always wanted.*
What I didn’t like:
1. Everything else.
From Jaha continuing A.L.I.E.’s nefarious plot by wanting to take away free will from everyone to Monty and Mommy Monty having a forced moment in Arkadia, “Fallen” was stilted, rushed and illogical. The reason and logic the characters are always spouting made no sense here as their actions dictated otherwise.
We’ve never liked Monty’s Mom. We can’t be expected to be emotionally moved when she tries to warningly warn Monty that he needs to leave because she gave him up. Nope.
It was never a fully realized idea that Jaha is another A.L.I.E. automaton. From everything the series told me, I believed he had some sort of filter between his true self and the AI and was only given such a buffer because he was batshit crazy enough to actually believe in this stuff. But when you take the character so far as to want to take away all of the free will of his people, I’m off the train. Jaha simply has to be an automaton at this point because we’ve seen nothing that suggests the character would submit the souls of everyone he knows for a shiny image of a city. The progression wasn’t there.
Raven’s torture should have had zero effect on Abby and Jasper’s plan to get to the bracelet. If A.L.I.E. is so hellbent on obtaining control of Raven, I get her focus to this area but that should’ve allowed Jasper the time to collect the bracelet. Plus, why wouldn’t A.L.I.E. just get Jasper first, since he could very well be the undoing of her entire plot to control Raven? I believe this is more of a directorial thing as the scenes where Raven was tortured with her past pains and the one where Jasper finally comes across the bracelet aren’t cut together like they should have been, thusly negating all tension they could wring from the situation.
Here’s my theory after a string of questionable episodes this season:
Maybe The 100 is better when they’re just trying to keep the wheels on? I’m not saying all the great character work and surprises were haphazardly thrown together in previous seasons. I’m saying the show was better when it had nothing to lose. Now there’s an expectation. With this, moves and decisions are provoked that haven’t come from the same headspace as it once did. That’s fine. Shows blow up in the popular conscience and evolve as a result all the time. The 100 is simply not handling what it’s become with much aplomb. And stories like Ricky Whittle’s bullying claims by that of showrunner and creator, Jason Rothenberg, also give me pause when trying to defend the show’s choices. Of course, this could all be untrue but Whittle speaking out against a show (although he does say to still support it because of its diversity and the cast he loves) with an ardent fan base and a general lack of a good response from Rothenberg makes me question the writers’ room all the more. Now, I do think The 100 is a show where the fans love the characters themselves more than the story so I can see questionable decisions like these actually coming back to hurt the show rather than strengthening its defenders.
Maybe success was the worst thing to happen to The 100?
I’m still on board but I’m now extremely cautious each time the show leaves me feeling like it’s about to move on, instead choosing to run more circles around itself.
“You’re dead to me.” – Octavia
*In all seriousness, that bit was kind of fun but it couldn’t have really happened. I mean, I know it did. The show isn’t pulling a fantasy sequence on us but nothing about what happened in Polis in “Fallen” rang true and Murphy is the only character we have connection with and he so clearly wants something like this to happen to him that it’s all I have to go on.
Check out my reviews of previous episodes of ‘The 100’ here:
