A series of tweets from Young Justice’s co-creators Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti has given a legion of fans hope for the show’s return. The wildly popular series, which focused on the lives of a team of teenaged sidekicks in the DC Universe, ended on a cliffhanger after two seasons in 2013, cancelled because its toy line had not produced enough sales.
However, recent comments from those involved in the creation of the cartoon have sparked speculation that Young Justice might return. Earlier this month, Weisman tweeted several comments suggesting that a third season of the showcould be picked up by Netflix:
His former co-producer Brandon Vietti offered similar advice for fans hoping for the show’s renewal:
In addition to Weisman and Vietti’s tweets, several Young Justice voice actors added their own encouragement, including Khary Payton (Aqua Lad), Jason Spisak (Kid Flash), Danica McKellar (Miss Martian), and Eric Lopez (Blue Beetle):
Though still far from certain, Netflix’s positive response to fan support for the show suggests that a season three of Young Justice may soon be in the works.
Kanye West was also in the news last week as he had an “Epic” meltdown during Saturday Night Live and almost left during the live show. Well, it seems Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) has responded to both things. Check out what was on Ryan Reynolds Facebook page.
Check out the video but be warned that it does have some vulgar language (It is the “Merc with a Mouth” after all).
What do you guys think? Was this Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) just simply responding to the hysteria behind the petition to have him host SNL in character or was it our favorite “Merc” having some fun at Kanye’s expense? Either way don’t be shocked if we hear sooner rather than later that our favorite “Merc with a Mouth” is hosting Saturday Night Live.
There Have Been Great Years In Film But None Like This.
1999. Britney Spears just released her first single and Bill Clinton was still our president.
The world was an interesting place but even more impressive was the film industry. Summer blockbusters weren’t as popular as they would be in the Millennium and the next generation of actors were just starting to take over. Somehow amidst all this mayhem, the end of the 1990’s brought out the best in movies. As seen in the cover photo, movies like ‘American Beauty‘ or ‘Fight Club‘ were filled with stunning visuals while a movies like ‘Office Space‘ or ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut‘ spoke to the people.
Below are the films that collectively make 1999 the best year in film history!
Honorable Mentions:
-‘Big Daddy‘, ‘Magnolia‘, ‘Man On The Moon‘, ‘The Iron Giant’, ‘Office Space’
10. The Return Of Star Wars:
1999 brought us back to the universe of Star Wars with ‘Episode 1: The Phantom Menace‘. This time, we got the backstory of how a young Anakin Skywalker became the Sith Lord we know as Darth Vader. From vending machines to the worst piece of merchandise ever; the world was once again in a Star Wars mania! Not surprisingly, it’s also the highest-grossing film of the year.
9. The Final Kubrick Film:
‘Eyes Wide Shut‘ was released a few months after the passing of the famed direct Stanley Kubrick. In his last film, Kubrick took you into an erotic underground world starring real-life couple Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman. Kubrick pushed the limits of what he can show; the centerpiece of the film being a massive masked orgy. Something only Stanley Kubrick could do.
8. The Trendsetter:
Did The Wachowski’s know what they were doing when they created 90’s icon ‘The Matrix‘? Shortly after the release of the film, it was endlessly referenced & parodied. Without a doubt, people were enamored with the bullet-time action scenes & surreal plot. The influence of ‘The Matrix‘ had on the action, AND sci-fi genre is still seen in movies today!
7. The Greatest Sequel Since Terminator 2:
The impossible was done in 1999. Somehow, they made ‘Toy Story‘ even better. ‘Toy Story 2‘ is undoubtedly the highest point in the film franchise. With the addition of Jessie The Cowgirl & a larger scope in storytelling, the sequel to the first ever Disney/Pixar collaboration set the bar high for an animated film in the following years.
6. The Iconic Horror:
The end of the 90’s decade introduced the world to a horror sub-genre that is still used now. ‘The Blair Witch Project‘ is a found footage film stylized as a documentary about hunting an urban legend. The word of mouth for the movie allowed ‘The Blair Witch Project‘ to gross 248.6 million dollars on a $60,000 budget!
5. The 90’s Teen Movie:
You can’t just name one when it comes to discussing the 90’s teen movie. The genre was slowly building through the decade until the explosion of teen movies in ‘99. Bear with me, the list follows as such- ‘10 Things I Hate About You‘, ‘American Pie‘, ‘Cruel Intentions‘, ‘Never Been Kissed‘, and the legendary ‘She’s All That‘. With how vast the genre was, I surely missed one or two of the notable teen movies from 1999.
4. The Oscar Gold:
The term Oscar-baiting is when you create a film so artsy, so self-aware, and so sad that it has to make it’s way to The Academy Awards. ‘American Beauty‘ is one of those movies. The film is still very stunning & put director Sam Mendes on the map. Also, look out for one of the best performance of Kevin Spacey’s career. It’s as beautiful as the floating bag.
3. The Pop Culture Phenomena:
‘Pokemon: The Movie‘ came in the height of ‘Pokemon‘ fever. Kids were battling in school yards with your cards & the Game Boy game was the coolest thing ever. The film wrapped up the first epic saga in the franchise’s history as we got to witness Ash battle the evil Mewtwo! Like ‘Phantom Menace‘, this was another film with tons of merchandise!
2. The Cartoon Turned Movie:
No one expected ‘South Park‘ to become the household name it did. The catchphrases were heard everywhere while Cartman’s face was on teenage boy’s t-shirt nationwide. It was soon after 1997 debut of the TV that ‘South Park‘ decided to up the ante and go ‘Bigger, Longer, and Uncut‘! While they never ventured into films again, the South Park team is still enjoying the success of their long-running TV show & video games.
1. The Cult Classic
Nothing says 1999 more than ‘Fight Club‘. Filled with rebellion and angst, the anti-capitalism film starring Edward Norton & Brad Pitt is a much watch. If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading & watch it immediately! If you have seen it, you know I’m breaking a rule just talking about ‘Fight Club‘ right now! One of David Fincher’s best films, 1999 trumps all years in film history for this adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk book alone.
Do you agree with my list? Was I wrong on the best year in film history? Did I miss an iconic movie from 1999 that I have to add to the list?! Tell me in the comments below! Also, don’t forget to share with your friends!
Welcome to the Turnbuckle Bandwagon, Monkeys Fighting Robots semi-regular column on professional wrestling. Our column this week is going to look at the pay per view event right before WrestleMania (WWE’s biggest show of the year), Fastlane. The PPV before Mania has always been regarded as filler and has been re-packaged and renamed multiple times in the past 20 or so years since the WWE went to a monthly PPV format. The card seems adequate with some intriguing matchups.
Kickoff Show Match: Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio – 2 out of 3 falls for the United States Championship
Every time Kalisto and Del Rio have gotten together, it’s an above average to excellent affair. While most see just another matchup between these two, fans of the Lucha Libre style are getting their money’s worth. Both men make a great United States Champion in their own way, so this is a win-win either way.
Kane, Big Show, and Ryback vs. The Wyatt Family
Bray Wyatt flanked by the Wyatt Family photo: WWE
Bray Wyatt is going to be a huge star, he has the capacity to be the WWE’s big villain for the next decade, and yet he’s got to make a match against two aging superstars and a big lump look good. Maybe that is his test. Take nothing and make it look good. If anyone can get a good story out of this hastily thrown together storyline it is Bray Wyatt.
Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch vs. Naomi and Tamina
The Boss and The Lass Kicker team up at Fastlane
This could be the match of the night depending on how much time it’s given and provided everyone brings their “a game”. Sasha, recently breaking away from Team B.A.D., has teamed up with her former sometime partner from NXT, Becky Lynch, to take on Naomi and Tamina. Both Naomi and Tamina are fantastic athletes in their own right. Any of these performers would make a fantastic Divas Champion or Women’s Champion if the WWE ever decides to get rid of that awful purple butterfly belt.
Chris Jericho vs. A.J. Styles
Styles vs Jericho at Fastlane photo: WWE
The Phenomenal One made a splash with his debut at the Royal Rumble, and solidified himself with a win over Chris Jericho the very next night on RAW. Jericho did get his win back later in the week on SmackDown, but the story is not over. Styles challenged Jericho and this match may be the one that cements A.J. as a big time player in the WWE, which is what Styles needs heading into what may be his first WrestleMania.
Charlotte vs. Brie Bella – WWE Divas Title
Charlotte takes on Brie Bella photo: WWE
It’s been an interesting time in the women’s division the past few months in the WWE. Main roster call ups of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch have shaken up the landscape of the division. Since claiming the Divas title, Charlotte has staked her claim as the “Alpha Female”. She faces Brie Bella, who has had a very tough couple of months. Her husband, Daniel Bryan, recently announced his retirement and her sister Nikki, the former Divas Champion, is out indefinitely with a neck injury. The crowd may back Brie this weekend even though Charlotte is the favorite to retain.
Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Intercontinental Title
WWE’s best villain, troll, and now 2 time Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens has his first title defense against the “Show Off” Dolph Ziggler. In the few months since his main roster debut, Kevin Owens has been on a roll. He’s given every match great effort, his promos are fantastic, and when he joins the commentary table, he’s even better. Ziggler is a former IC and World Champion and has been a favorite of the WWE audience for quite some time. A strong candidate for match of the night, but Owens is the smart pick to retain.
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose – Triple Threat Match – Winner will face HHH for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania
Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns
This contest could be great or a fantastic dumpster fire, and everyone has something to prove here. Brock Lesnar wants the title back. A title he never lost. At WrestleMania last year, Lesnar was the current champion and faced Roman Reigns in the main event. Seth Rollins would cash in his ‘Money In The Bank’ briefcase, pin Roman Reigns, and walk away WWE Champion.
Roman Reigns has been behind the 8 ball for the past year. Pinned at Mania last year. Wins the WWE Title and loses it in the Royal Rumble to HHH, and now has to fight the former champ and his best friend for a chance to regain the richest prize in the WWE.
Dean Ambrose has the most to gain and the least to lose here. He has little issue taking on his best friend Reigns, has recently lost the Intercontinental Title to Kevin Owens, and is crazier than a squirrel on a sugar rush.
Fun Stuff
In promoting their new WWE Network show, Edge and Christian will be interviewing the current WWE Tag Team Champions, The New Day during Fastlane. Now a very strong rumor suggests that current NXT tag team Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady will be making their main roster debut during this segment and be put into a program with The New Day.
Enzo and Big Cass rumored to make debut at Fastlane
Enzo and Big Cass are a great example of great characters that NXT develops and why they are so good. Both men can talk, perform, and have the charisma to give the tag division a shot in the arm.
What are your picks for the show or are you just waiting until WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments.
WWE Fastlane airs Sunday at 8pm EST on WWE Network and most PPV providers
The Witch, a superb horror film directed by Robert Eggers, hits nationwide today. And it’s a reminder to moviegoers that, often, the key to horror is not blood and guts but patience and atmosphere.
This movie doesn’t make viewers jump out of their seats, but hide deep into them. As this story unfolds, it’s hard to ignore the ominous force building on the screen. The force, in this case, isn’t a monster or some psycho killer, but the movie itself. Eggers doesn’t rely on cheap tricks or old horror tropes; he directs his audience to dig deeper into each moment, therein casting suspicion on the entire family. It would be hard for me to pinpoint the last time I left a film feeling this uneasy. The Witch is a ninety minute whirlwind of evil. The Occult is at the forefront of this picture, and your tolerance of those images is tested.
The secret to the success of Eggers debut is the atmosphere in the film. The Witch is set it 1630 New England and insistent upon staying true to the era. Eggers makes up for occasionally stilted dialogue with superb imagery that conveys plenty about the Puritan lifestyle. The imagery is what takes this film to new heights of horror as Eggers manages to capture seemingly simple moments in such a way that add tension. Instead of a shot of the woods, it’s a slow creeping shot of the woods that creates the impression that something must be inside it (and there is).
The Puritan law makes outcasts of William (Ralph Ineson) and his family at the beginning of The Witch. After being charged with blasphemy, William builds a remote farm with his wife, Katherine (Kate Dickie), teenage daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), preteen Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) and twins Mercy and Jonas (Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson). Strange things start happening to that family – failing crops, bloody goat’s milk, and a missing baby. It’s hinted throughout that William and Thomasin had more than a typical relationship. Thomasin’s brother even starts to hint at the inappropriate behavior. The twins (Thomasin’s siblings) are strange, to say the least, and live to torment her. To top it all off, Black Phillip (a black goat the twins befriend) might be more than what he seems.
Eggers brilliance is on display as the film unfolds one unsettling image at a time. He strips down the movie to it’s barest form which on the surface seems like a terrible idea, but it works here. Nothing unsettling happens or shocking; just a slow, meticulous building of terror. Eggers has a tremendously committed cast. Taylor-Joy is a revelation, exuding a beauty that plays Thomasin’s naive suspicions and eventual transformation perfectly. Ineson’s role is the perfect foil to Taylor-Joy’s, his gruffness just adds to the slow tension building throughout the film. These performances only enhance The Witch and make Eggers stripped down approach convincing.
The Witch
Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson, Bathsheba Garnett
This episode of Agent Carter, “Monsters,” which aired immediately after the previous episode, “Life of the Party,” starts off with a bang. Frustrated with the lack of follow-through in getting his containment device completed, the otherwise polite and sunny Dr. Wilkes has an emotional outburst in which he questions the necessity of hunting down Dottie Underwood. Wilkes demands that more work be done to solve his problem and I don’t blame him. If he may actually disappear forever at any moment, who cares about the well-being of a Soviet killing machine when the life of an apparently good-natured genius hangs in the balance?
Only Whitney Frost can break Dottie Underwood
Kicking off this episode for the baddies, we see Vernon Masters hard at work attempting to get information out of Dottie Underwood. As an interesting twist, though, Dottie resists Masters’s attempts to break her. Instead, the woman with the sparkly facial tattoo, Whitney Frost, is the only one who can break Underwood. And break her she does. Dottie spills every bean she has. She tells Frost about the mission she was involved in to steal Frost’s blood (last episode) and that Agent Carter needs the Zero Matter in Frost’s blood to help save Wilkes who is “a ghost.”
This was a good sequence. The belligerence that Dottie (Bridget Regan) treats Masters (Kurtwood Smith) with as he tries, and fails, to torture her is noticeably different from the childlike fear Dottie shows when she breaks after just a few seconds at the hands of the super-powered Frost (Wynn Everett). Information extracted, Frost reactivates the homing device that Peggy had previously supplied Dottie with and leaves Dottie tied up.
One of the kisses you’ve been waiting for … kinda’: Agent Carter and Dr. Wilkes make it personal in “Monsters”
Meanwhile, Peggy and company are finally getting Dr. Wilkes’s containment device going thanks to the pilfered Zero Matter and the construction efforts of the tangible members of Peggy’s team. Zero Matter and sparks fly as Dr. Wilkes’s containment device makes him tangible again. After a polite handshake or two, kissing Peggy is one of the first things he does with his reacquired body. Some more good news: Dottie Underwood’s tracker has reactivated. So, Jarvis and Peggy decide to locate her by “walking into a trap.” Sousa won’t be able to assist in Dottie’s recapture since he is unavoidably detained by a meeting with Masters. In the meeting Masters, on orders from Whitney Frost, instructs Sousa to track down the plutonium that Sousa–and Jarvis–helped Peggy steal in “The Atomic Job.”
Then after a couple of touching scenes, one between Jarvis and his wife (Lotte Verbeek) and one between Jarvis and Peggy about the budding love triangle Peggy’s involved in, the two get trapped by Whitney Frost’s goons. They escape relatively easily with Dottie Underwood in tow. Unfortunately, it had been Frost’s plan all along to lure Peggy away from Howard Stark’s mansion so that she would be able to get near Dr. Wilkes. After a short discussion and exchange of powers between Frost and Dr. Wilkes, she and Joseph Manfredi kidnap Dr. Wilkes after shooting Mrs. Jarvis in the gut. At the same time this is going on, Sousa is getting the crap kicked out of him in his own home by a couple of men in masks. On their way out, one of them makes reference to being a hero, a direct reference to the meeting Sousa had earlier with Masters.
“Monsters” ends on a decidedly maudlin note. Masters takes over the LA branch of the SSR until further notice citing Sousa’s battered physical state as the official reason. Jarvis and Agent Carter sit in the waiting room during Mrs. Jarvis’s life or death surgery, and Dr. Wilkes has been kidnapped by Whitney Frost.
My Critique
This episode addressed a few unanswered questions that Agent Carter viewers may have had up to this point. For instance, Whitney Frost in a single line addresses why Zero Matter affects her so differently than it affects Dr. Wilkes. And, although it’s a throwaway line, at least this question was dealt with in some fashion: Zero Matter is an amazing substance that affects different people differently. It was also great to see some engaging scenes between some good actors: Atwell/Regan, Atwell/D’Arcy, D’Arcy/Verbeek, Regan/Smith, and Regan/Everett.
Anthony Mackie is out promoting the John Hillcoat film Triple 9, and while talking with Ali Blumb of the BBC, Mackie may have given away a major spoiler for Captain America: Civil War during the interview.
Spoiler after the jump.
At the beginning of production for Captain America: Civil War there were rumors about the Hulk’s involvement in the film and even the possibility of the appearance of Red Hulk. Since then it’s been established the next time we see Bruce Banner would be in Thor: Ragnarok, but the Falcon thinks otherwise.
It is possible that Mackie misspoke during the interview, and Blumb doesn’t ask a follow-up question to confirm the answer, but Mackie states that Mark Ruffalo is in Captain America: Civil War.
“Having seen the movie, it’s Marvel’s best movie so far. And I’m being honest – if a Marvel movie sucks, a movie in the Marvel universe, I’ll tell you it sucked. Winter Soldier and (the first) Iron Man are probably Marvel’s two best movies, and I feel like (Civil War) beats both of those movies. It’s really, really good. It’s because it’s more of an acting movie than an action movie. I feel like the story is very concise and interesting, and you get to see Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans and Scarlett Johannson and Mark Ruffalo and everybody just do really, really good ACTING. And then there’s action in it. I think it might be the first superhero movie that might be up for Best Picture,” said Mackie.
Go to the 17:11 mark of the show to hear Anthony Mackie talk about Captain America: Civil War.
The plot development would majorly change the dynamic if the Hulk were in Civil War. This could be how the Marvel Cinematic Universe establishes how Bruce Banner gets to Planet Hulk.
Do you think Mackie misspoke or is the Hulk in Captain America: Civil War?
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, and Martin Freeman.
Captain America: Civil War is set for release on May 6, 2016.
Depending on who you talk to, when you talk to them, or maybe even where you are when you’re talking and the weather outside and the moon’s current stage… the frontrunner for this year’s Best Picture is one of three and maybe even four films. A new favorite has emerged, The Revenant. Make no mistake, The Revenant has been in the front of the pack for many many weeks now, despite the eye-rolling backlash directed at Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu and Co. for their relentless publicity campaign telling us how difficult the shoot was.
But then there was Spotlight, a film almost immediately anointed when it started slowly hitting cinemas last fall. And it still belongs there, it’s my personal favorite. And as the award nominations and ceremonies began rolling out, one of the darkest of horses in awards season history crept into the forefront, taking home noteworthy awards: Adam McKay’s The Big Short.
The Big Short, McKay’s visceral and constantly moving take on the housing crisis in the mid 2000s, is a powerful and energetic picture. And deeply unsettling when you think about it. The film grabbed five Oscar noms, including Best Picture and Director among others, and everyone began to take notice. Fast forward to the AFI Awards, where The Big Short took home Movie of The Year, and has continued to swipe a number of critics association awards this season. The Dark Horse grew into the favorite, albeit for a little while.
But it all comes back to The Revenant.
Despite what you may think about the film, all sizzle and little steak, a beautiful film lacking any true emotion, The Revenant led the field with 12 nominations. That’s a salty haul. And the publicity campaign, as relentless as it’s been, is working on those in charge of these awards. It’s the sort of prestige picture academy voters eat up. Meanwhile, here are two recent headline-fueled films in Spotlight and The Big Short, duking it out with one another. The similarities in those two will undoubtedly split votes, leaving The Revenant alone to rake in all the votes it would have gotten in the first place. Unless, of course, one man’s world of fire and blood can cut into those votes.
Yes, Mad Max: Fury Road has an outside chance at winning the big prize. George Miller has a great shot at director simple because Iñárritu won last year and only John Ford and Joseph Mankiewicz have pulled that off in the history of The Oscars. And that is what gives Fury Road an outside shot.
All that being said, expect The Revenant to collect four or five technical awards, a Best Actor statue, and walk away with Best Picture February 28.
In ‘Hakeldama’, The 100 draws a line in the sand when it comes to reacting toward injustice. Each of our major characters are given opportunities in this matter and each of them have something different to say. These moments serve as the most direct insight into where The 100 wants to take us. Characters are either going to learn from past mistakes, or allow the past to continue its vicious cycle. At the end of ‘Hakeldama’ (which translates to “Field of Blood”), claims are staked and positions are taken. For now.
Clarke and Lexa have finally come to rule on the same wavelength. Initially, Lexa keeps Clarke “prisoner” once they discover the field of massacred Grounders caused by Pike, Bellamy and Skaikru. It isn’t long until Lexa lets Clarke have a shot at trying to understand the situation at Arkadia as she goes on a covert mission to meet with Bellamy. In the end, despite Bellamy betraying Clarke in a heartbreaking scene, Clarke escapes and is able to convince Lexa that old “eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” lesson is true. If there’s to be Grounder retaliation, it won’t come from the hand of Lexa.
Bellamy has every opportunity in the world in ‘Hakeldama’ to reverse his decision to join Pike’s army. He defends himself saying he’s always been this person and, in some ways, he’s right. Bellamy grew up as a selfish protector, willing to sacrifice anything and everything for his sister and only his sister. Octavia is the only person who can truly convince Bellamy of something and even though she currently identifies herself as a Grounder, Bellamy believes that this newfound strength keeps her safe. His relationship with Lincoln seems destined for doom, however, as Bellamy cements himself as the enemy in Lincoln’s eyes. Bellamy doesn’t want to hurt Lincoln, but he believes Trikru as a whole are responsible for this entire mess started back when The 100 first landed on earth. I’d love to see more feisty bro-downs between these two as friends and Bob Morely and Ricky Whittle have a really easy chemistry that is fun to watch. I have a feeling that train has come and gone.
Getting back to Bellamy’s scene with Clarke, all of the Bellarke ‘shippers out there surely had their heart torn out as we were led down what felt like a road of healing and accord, only for Bellamy to slap handcuffs on Clarke’s wrist. I don’t believe Bellamy and Clarke make a good romantic couple, but they do make a good King and Queen. If they could be co-Chancellors, I’d vote for them. They understand each other’s faults, failings and strengths more than any other duo on the show and have truly been through hell together. When Bellamy looked as if he might backtrack his newfound path with Pike, I should’ve been more wary of my joy. The 100 doesn’t have to kill off characters to provide a good gut punch. It has deftly made us invested in these people’s futures and this moment is a sure step back. Delicious.
And then we have Thelonious Jaha. For a man that has given himself over to death in sacrifice of his own people, it makes the most sense he would be The 100‘s take on faith or religion. His faith-based trek across the Wasteland was entirely biblical and he found exactly what he was looking for! Of course he now feels assured in his beliefs, even if they are most definitely a horrifyingly rotten cyber-evil.
The 100 has been very, very light on religion, almost suggesting that this new world is post-religion. There isn’t mention of any of the major religions or figures and characters seem to believe in themselves and the basic will of good when it comes to deity. I’ve found this to be an incredibly refreshing and hopeful take on the apocalypse. Our biggest enemies are ourselves and the only thing that will change that is ourselves. In today’s society, we see religion and technology as entirely mutually exclusive. We created technology, not God. That society is gone in The 100, and it makes sense that in a world devoid of technology and religion, that they become the same thing. We don’t yet know the motives of A.L.I.E. or the City of Light but they are using Jaha as their Son and guiding his hand when spreading the good word.
In the path of this evangelism, we find Raven. Poor, poor Raven. She’s arguably the strongest character on the show and her despondency regarding her physicality is heartbreaking. She’s smart but she doesn’t know yet how to employ her brain without her physical self as well. She’d do anything for a cure to her injury. Enter Jaha. Raven initially refutes Jaha’s claims but we know that won’t last long. She takes the “red pill” and discovers that the pain is gone. A.L.I.E. has another crusader and a very powerful one at that.
For a plot that originally scared me as I didn’t feel the need to employ technology as a story element in this world, I couldn’t feel more different today. The City of Light represents religion, technology and drugs and temptation all in one. For a world where tribal fighting is the biggest cause of discord, everyone on earth pretty much has it figured out. Everything terrible in the world has been jettisoned but it’s all about to come back as one mean, pissed-off ex-boyfriend. This might be The 100‘s most brilliant move yet.
“People die when you’re in charge!” – Bellamy
Check out Monkey Fighting Robots’ reviews of previous episodes of ‘The 100’ here:
11.22.63 is Hulu’s House of Cards. I can already tell this is going to truly kick off Hulu’s original programming in a proper manner. Sure, Hulu has had original shows on its service already, but it was nothing too special. This is what happened with Netflix and House of Cards. It showed you don’t need a network like CBS or AMC to produce a good TV show, it just took a while for Netflix to get it just right. Now Hulu has done the same with 11.22.63.
11.22.63 is a Hulu original based off of the Stephen King novel of the same name. An ordinary English teacher by the name of Jake Epping finds a closet in his friends dinner that is actually a portal to the 1960’s. Once Jake comes back to the present, his friend tasks him with stopping the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Quite a lot to take in, right? After much convincing, Jake accepts and throws himself into the charming era of the 1960’s. With only enough money to buy himself some new clothes and a car, Jake has three years to find out if it was really Lee Harvey Oswald that killed JFK and stop whoever it was that committed the fateful act on the tragic day in 1963. Jake also attempts to take advantage of the past to change things in his personal life in the present day, but this may do more harm than good.
When this show was brought to my attention, the things that really intrigued me were the three big names attached to the project. Director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams, Acclaimed novelist, Stephen King, and the incredibly talented, James Franco. It’s rare when you get three massive names like this working on one very ambitious project like this, so right off the bat, I was sold. Then I was told the actual concept of the show which sold me even more. Time travel is unique, JFK assassination conspiracy theories are interesting to me, mesh those two together with the three massive names I mentioned previously, you’ve got the most interesting premise for a story in years.
The show does some unique things with time travel that I have personally never seen explored in any time travel story. For example, Jake’s friend, Al Templeton, who owns the diner with the portal to the 1960’s, goes through the portal and comes back to the present all while Jake is sifting through divorce papers with his soon to be ex-wife. This takes about two minutes, and it is later revealed that Al was in the 1960’s for a total of two years but in present day he was only gone for two minutes. In the two minutes, he was gone, he developed cancer. So, he was aging and slowly dying while in the 1960’s and these things will carry over with him when he returns to the present day. This is just one of the many unique things the show does and I am excited to see what other creative and ingenious things they come up with.
Anyone who worked on the set design for 11.22.63 should be applauded for nailing the accuracy of the period. We’ve seen Mad Men replicate the 60’s and 70’s in a bustling New York City, but no modern TV shows that I can think of have shown a small town like this depicted in this time period. Everything looks so beautiful. There are so many eye-popping colors, the attire and cars people have are so exotic compared to today’s standards, it’s a beautiful setting filled with things to look at. It feels like they nailed the setting perfectly.
Everything about 11.22.63 is brilliant. The only bad thing is, we will be saying goodbye to it very soon. As the show is just an eight episode mini-series, and with one down that means there are only seven left to go. Regardless, I am excited to see how it plays out and how the character of Jake Epping develops and adapts to his new surroundings. Come back next week to see my review of episode two “The Kill Floor” when it debuts on Hulu.
The impossible was done in 1999. Somehow, they made ‘Toy Story‘ even better. ‘Toy Story 2‘ is undoubtedly the highest point in the film franchise. With the addition of Jessie The Cowgirl & a larger scope in storytelling, the sequel to the first ever Disney/Pixar collaboration set the bar high for an animated film in the following years.
The end of the 90’s decade introduced the world to a horror sub-genre that is still used now. ‘The Blair Witch Project‘ is a found footage film stylized as a documentary about hunting an urban legend. The word of mouth for the movie allowed ‘The Blair Witch Project‘ to gross 248.6 million dollars on a $60,000 budget!
Nothing says 1999 more than ‘Fight Club‘. Filled with rebellion and angst, the anti-capitalism film starring Edward Norton & Brad Pitt is a much watch. If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading & watch it immediately! If you have seen it, you know I’m breaking a rule just talking about ‘Fight Club‘ right now! One of David Fincher’s best films, 1999 trumps all years in film history for this adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk book alone.
