On the surface, Criminal sure looks like another lame attempt at re-branding a former superstar (Kevin Costner, in this case) as an action hero. The Liam Neeson route, if you will. But this trailer, which shows off an incredibly impressive cast, might have a little more to bring to the table than post-Taken Neeson junk.
Here’s the trailer:
The quick synopsis of Criminal reads: “The memories & skills of a deceased CIA agent are implanted into an unpredictable and dangerous convict.”
The cast is tremendous, no matter what the final priciest may be. Gary Oldman, Ryan Reynolds, and Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot! Tommy Lee Jones is along for the ride, as is Michael Pitt and apparently 80s villain stalwart Robert Davi is somewhere in there.
Criminal will be released April 15 this year. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
There are two schools of thought that surround SpikeTV’s cult-favorite yet short lived TV show, Blue Mountain State. One is that the show is a wonderful parade of breasts, beer, and football, much in the vein of the American Pie franchise. The other view sees the show as a parody of such works – taking the misogyny and ridiculousness of college football culture to such extremes that you can’t possibly take it seriously. It was members of both parties that made the show so beloved in its time. And while its possible the former of the viewpoints may find Rise of Thadland enjoyable, the latter will likely walk out before the attraction opens its doors.
To put it simply, Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland is a bad movie. It picks up a year after the show, where senior Alex Moran (Darin Brooks) is trying to save the beloved Goat House, the football team’s home for drugs, alcohol, and women. In order to buy it out from the outside bidders, the team calls upon former member Thad Castle (Alan Ritchson), who has enough money from his pro-football contract to buy out the house. Thad agrees to do so, under one condition: the team must make his childhood dream of a drug-infused amusement park come true – Thadland. If they build it, he will come. What follows is the gang partying in an amusement park, huffing balloons filled with poop vapors, and one character – co-creator Chris “Romanski” Romano – having sex with a goat. Yes, there is a beastiality sex scene in this movie.
In case the promise of goat sex, poop fumes, and several shots of Romanski’s penis aren’t enough to turn you off to this film, let the shoddy plot and juvenile humor do so instead. While the show focused on the humor that stems from the team’s ridiculous situations, this film is light on any actual jokes. We get a couple one-off jokes about how girls are dumb, how Romanski has a gross penis, how the dean has a funny accent because foreigners are funny, but that’s about as far as the humor goes. The film is only a vehicle for the concept of an R-rated theme park where Ritchson can call Walt Disney an “unimaginative piece of shit!” Likewise, the plot of the actual film only fills about 90 minutes worth of time, as it takes only about 20 minutes for the team to introduce their new amusement park. Sure, the Goat House may be auctioned off, Alex wants a lesbian cheerleader to be his girlfriend, and Thad hasn’t been as great as he thought he’d be outside of college, but who cares about all that when you can see Thad slap breasts and snort cocaine out of the sky?
Even for fans of the franchise, there’s little pleasure from seeing the boys back in town, unless you were hoping for them to realize the error of their ways. Alex decides by the end that he’d rather not be a party boy, opting instead to be with a girl he’d once slept with way back in the show’s earlier seasons. Fans were hoping for a return of two former characters, Shilo and Radon, who both only spent a season on the show. And both do show up – for about 10 minutes total. Instead, we see a lot of new character Dickdawg (played by Youtuber Jimmy Tatro), who is successful at being a second Thad Castles and not much else. Even the team’s beloved coach is only on screen enough to have his arm broken in a motorcycle accident. If a film like this doesn’t focus on complete and total fan service, especially after being crowdfunded into existence, then what has it really accomplished?
Now that’s not to say the film has absolutely zero positive qualities. We do see glimpses of real humor from Larry Summers (Omari Newton), the former Thad sidekick turned assistant coach. We also get an interesting twist of Donnie, one of the lead players, revealing that he’s gay, which Thad proclaims to the entire campus with excitement, going so far as to buy him “a guy.” There’s a brief moment where one of the “sloots,” Thad’s catchphrase term for women, notes how ridiculous and misogynistic the whole situation is.
That may be the crux of my issue with this film – it seems to be self-aware of its explicit and juvenile nature, but rather than have any real comedic insight into it, it rushed headlong into it. There’s no real humor or meaning behind Rise of Thadland except that the gang – both fictional and real-life cast members – wanted one last hurrah of horror. Alex’s ending revelation of letting the frat culture go to be with Mary Jo (Frankie Shaw) makes no sense within the context of the film – if it really was all about NOT embracing this horrible culture, then why is it only in the final few scenes that we get any indication of it? Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland seems to want to be more than it possibly can be. It wants you to think it sees the error of its ways, but it’s preaching about sin while still in the thick of it. What use is self-awareness when you don’t do anything to change it?
The movie doesn’t do enough of anything to make it redeemable to someone who wants more than a party, but after watching three seasons and a movie based off similar madness, maybe that’s all the film should be. Anyone who’s hoping to watch The Rise of Thadland for a good movie is out of their mind. A viewer hoping for a delightful parody of football culture should only watch this as a means of comparison. Even fans of the raucously funny show shouldn’t expect to much from this movie. The people who are most likely to enjoy it are the ones who made the movie, who now have 90 minutes worth of proof that people liked that thing they made once. To the creators, it’s a victory lap that misses the point of what made it work at all.
The Walking Dead returns on February 14, and AMC released the first four minutes of episode nine of season six, No Way Out Wednesday morning.
Rick is realizing his plan to escape is a disaster. Glenn runs into trouble while attempting to save Maggie. The Wolves leader has special plans for Denise.
AMC revealed that Jeffrey Dean Morgan will not appear as Negan till the final episode on April 3.
From the looks of this episode, it doesn’t look like Sasha or Abraham have much time left. What major charcter do you think will get killed off before the end of the season?
“There’s some large things that happen to us in the back half. We don’t all survive and we don’t all take it very well,” said Norman Reedus earlier this month.
Who do you think will die in the second half of season 6 of The Walking Dead?#TheWalkingDead
As AMC’s The Walking Dead comes back this Sunday, February 14th, here’s a quick recap of where everybody is leading up to this episode.
MONSTER HOUSE
Rick – Still the de facto leader, mostly just because he’s the only one that can think of things to do under pressure. He still doesn’t care much for the people of Alexandria, aside from Jessie, who he’s sleeping with, and Deanna, who’s now gone. Now that Alexandria’s fallen apart, expect him to get grouchier and to grow his beard back.
Deanna – Was going to die from zomb-itis. Instead, she shot up a couple walkers and died like a pro. Made her big, meaningful goodbyes to Michonne and Rick, trying to guilt the latter into caring about the Alexandrian nobodies.
Michonne – She doesn’t do much this episode, aside from backing up Rick, receiving unnecessary advice from Deanna, and doing stuff with her sword that looks cooler than any promo I’ve seen for Into the Badlands.
Carl – Currently the most badass protagonist. Does not care about Ron’s feelings.
Ron – Has an attitude problem. Definitely not helped by watching Rick kill his dad last season. He doesn’t succeed in getting another character killed, like Nicholas, but the season’s still young. He’ll get his chance.
Jessie – Isn’t a fan of rocking the Zombie Gut Poncho. Tells her son to pretend to not be such a doughy pushover. Trying to show Rick that she’s a big girl now, and big girls don’t cry.
Sam – Cabin fever. Not eating food, listening to vinyl records like some dumb hipster. Seems most likely to get killed by zombies and/or Babadook.
Judith – A baby. Probably wet her pants at least a couple times.
Gabriel – God, he’s still alive, isn’t he?
GARAGE-PAIL KIDS
Tara – Girl power. May have watched her new boo get walked off the metaphorical plank into Zombie Ocean.
Rosita – Worried about Abraham. May not be a fan of how he & Sasha have been bonding.
Eugene – Really good Eastbound & Down impression. Hanging off Tara & Rosita like a parasite. How is he still fat? What is he eating?
FIGHT CLUB
Morgan – A better preacher than Gabriel. Waxes more self-righteous than morally upstanding. Told Carol that he wouldn’t let her kill Wolf-Man, so he knocks her out. Then Wolf-Man knocks him out. Because duh.
Carol – Not Morgan’s biggest fan. “I will kill you to kill him because I don’t want anyone else to die” needed a laugh track behind it.
Denise – Meat shield for Wolf-Man. Very likely dead or zombified. Also not a great doctor.
Wolf-Man – You know, the dude sporting that Scarlet W on his forehead? You forgot they called themselves wolves? Yeah, me too.
“MY WIFE”
Glenn – Still alive because of bogus fan service. Trying to get back into the town that is no longer worth staying in. Hopefully will find a way to help Maggie get off the ledge.
Enid – Grating. Annoying and self-centered. She and Ron really are the perfect couple.
ON A LEDGE
Maggie – On a ledge. Likes Glenn and balloons.
POST-CREDIT CREW
Daryl – Just met the psychos he helped the loser crew get away from. Probably getting deja-vu from the Sons of Anarchy squad he ran with last season.
Abraham – Into Sasha. Still wearing that dead dude’s army duds. Looks like a Navy Colonel Mustard.
Sasha – So over everything and everyone. Will likely kill many more people that deserve to be killed.
MISSING
Tobin – We saw him get walked offscreen briefly by Rosita and Tara. Whether that means he’s actually alive or not remains to be seen.
Aaron – Probably the best fighter of the Alexandria bunch, but is nowhere to be seen when his town is in danger. He will likely be back next episode, as will be the people mad that he’s gay despite the fact that it doesn’t affect them in the slightest.
Spencer – Probably on another wire being stupid somewhere. If he gets killed, it probably won’t be Rick’s fault, so hopefully Deanna’s ghost won’t haunt him too hard.
What characters do you still care about? What characters do you think The Walking Dead will kill off next? And who’s the most likely to kill Gabriel? Come on, someone’s got to do it.
AMC Thursday, released a teaser for Fear The Walking Dead season two, featuring zombies on a boat!
When we last saw the cast of the show, they had reached the Pacific Ocean and were headed for a yacht.
Fear The Walking Dead stars Kim Dickens as Madison, Cliff Curtis as Travis, Frank Dillane as Nick, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia, Ruben Blades as Daniel, Mercedes Mason as Ofelia, Lorenzo James Henrie as Chris and Colman Domingo as Strand.
The second season of Fear the Walking Dead starts on Sunday, April 10, one week before the premiere of HBO’s Game of Thrones. The ratings battle will be intense.
The Walking Dead universe is based on the characters created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard.
This weekend Paramount Pictures unleashes, on a worldwide audience, Zoolander 2. The film is directed by/stars Ben Stiller and proves that no amount of nostalgia can save an awful movie. Zoolander 2 languishes from start to finish mired in poor performances, dated jokes, and tepid writing.
Throughout the film Derek Zoolander asks “Who am I … What am I?” If ever a quote captured the essence of a movie it’s this one. We all are well aware of Zoolander from his original 2001 film. When the film came out, mere weeks after 9/11 when the world was in a weird place with comedy, it had a mediocre box office and lukewarm reception. But some audiences loved it, and it developed a cult following over the last decade and a half. But, probably not enough to merit a long gap sequel.
Like the first Zoolander, the long-awaited sequel is a menagerie of random jokes, fashion satire, and endless celebrity cameos that begin with the sight of The Biebs dying in a glorious array of bullets. Bieber is the latest in a string of pop stars murdered, all while sporting Zoolander’s famous Blue Steel pout. Bieber’s death is the catalyst that pulls Derek out of retirement and into yet another global fashion conspiracy. Sound familiar?
Owen Wilson returns to play Hansel, now a member of a new age cult that believes in “Free Love.” Hansel practice what he preaches, and it’s that practice that’s resulted in him being the soon to be a father to 11 kids. The pressure of that leads him to leave his cult and cross paths with Zoolander in Rome. It makes even less sense when you watch it unfold.
Derek and Hansel find themselves in Rome ready to hit the runway for Don Atari’s fashion show. Thinking they are the highlight of the trash-hipster show, Derek and Hansel take center-stage only to realize that they are nothing more than a punchline. Now it may seem to most that the plot line to Zoolander 2 is terribly familiar. Familiarity would be an understatement. It’s easy to assume that when you have four writers developing the script, some originality would spring up. Nah. The script by Stiller, Justin Theroux, Nicholas Stoller, and John Hamburg is full of nothing but rehashed punchlines from 2001, which had a decidedly different take on comedy than 2016. It’s not hard to imagine:
” Hey .. guys remember that bit we did in 2001? It killed, we should do it again!”
If you are going to go to all the trouble of developing a sequel, how about having an original idea. Maybe they thought they could wing it?
Speaking of jokes, the construction of the punchlines/funny moments were so clunky that it detracted from the res of the movie. Zoolander 2 is chock full of moments that end in awkward silence, not laughter. When the funniest moment of the movie involves none of the principle characters, but a cameo involving Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson, your film is a tragedy, not a comedy.
The performances in Zoolander 2, are lifeless. Stiller and Wilson show all the comedic prowess of two actors ready to get this thing over with, and Penelope Cruz (Valentina) just seems to be in the movie for eye candy. Will Ferrell returns in his role as Zoolander’s chief nemesis, Mugatu. Ferrell is a scant highlight in this film because at least he delivers some energy during this regurgitated nonsense. If the performances had more energy behind them, Zoolander 2 would have been easier to take. In the end, this film is just too riddled with issues. The real lesson to take from Zoolander 2 is not every sequel is necessary.
Deadpool will be the first to tell you that he’s a comic book character, created in 1991 by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld.
Liefeld has now returned to the character, drawing a poster for his highly anticipated movie being released this weekend. The 24″ x 36″ prints will be available for purchase from Mondo on Friday, coinciding with the film’s release.
Fandango has the exclusive, with a quote from Liefeld himself:
“I am a huge fan of all things Mondo and when the opportunity to illustrate a Mondo print celebrating the Deadpool film presented itself, I leapt at the chance! I love drawing Ryan Reynolds in his Deadpool costume, he looks amazing and is the true embodiment of the Merc with a Mouth! I’m so thrilled with the print and excited to get it out to the fans of the comics and the film! Thank you Mighty Mondo! “
The above poster will be an edition of 325. The variant poster, below, will be a more limited edition of 175.
Phantom City Creative will be releasing two posters for the flick as well, also being released by Mondo on Friday:
Team Penske driver Juan Pablo Montoya was in St. Petersburg on Tuesday to mark the official start of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg track build.
The 40-year-old driver took the red-eye from Los Angles to attend the morning event. Montoya, who was testing a black Verizon car on Monday, is amped to build on last season’s success.
Montoya won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the Indianapolis 500, and finished the 2015 season with 556 points, tied for first place.
Horror, a touch of the supernatural, beautiful art and a gorgeous cover by Tyler Crook. Is it surprising that the newest release from Vertigo Comics, The Dark and Bloody #1, is quickly becoming one of the most popular picks of the week?
“The Dark and Bloody is classic horror, soaked in mystery, moonshine, and death. Shawn Aldridge and Scott Godlewski have a real gem on their hands here, a book that gives us a clear and honest picture of setting that is usually not much more than the butt of lame jokes.” – Nerdist
Shawn Aldridge and Scott Godlewski tell the story of Iris, an ex-soldier trying to make a life in the hollers of Black Lick Hollow, Kentucky. He has a growing family, a loving wife and a curious young son who satiates his curiosities in the woods behind the family home. But there is more to the hollers than front porch moonshine and shadows drifting through the woods. A strange darkness has arrived in Black Lick Hollow and Iris and his family seem to be its target.
If you have never read Copperhead(Image Comics) from Jay Faerber and Scott Godlewski, you are greatly missing out on a fantastic, and New York Times Bestselling, space-western. Godlewski has a knack for the southern/western imagery and he portrays that yet again with Dark and Bloody #1. Angular faces, simple yet well defined body features, soft emotions that help give each individual character their own personality living within beautiful yet simple backdrops that drag your eyes from one amazing panel to the next. Along with colors by Patricia Mulvihill (100 Bullets), the story drifts at a steady pace but has just enough of a dark undertone to keep you hanging on the edge of your seat. The oranges, reds and browns perfectly define the mood of the Deep South while the long shadows manifest from an evil that seems to seep form the edges of the page.
Shawn Aldridge (Welcome Back) has built a story worth jumping into. Love, family and a hint of the unbelievable swirled into a narrative of brutal reality: a perfect cocktail that defines what will be a deeply addictive horror story. He touches lightly on the truths behind PTSD, but not only from the point of a soldier, but also from that of a child. Though only a few pages are devoted to the early part of Iris’s life, you grow attached to him instantly and, when he falls into the deep depressions of his mind, you are connected just enough to understand all of his difficulties and frustrations.
If there was any true ‘fault’ in the story it would the use of a cliché or two. A family trying to make it through life in the southern backwoods, then something dark and creepy appears. A few random, unexplained deaths occur and the main character was the last one to see them alive. A rather obvious chain of events. But the story is well written and obvious turning points are adjusted for the modern day with statements on current ongoing issues and character development. Plus it stays out of the more typical Southern werewolf or vampire (at least so far) mythos too often seen along the comics racks.
In 2015 it was announced that Vertigo Comics, the mature imprint of DC Comics, announced 12 new titles for release beginning in the fall. A few have made waves, such as Gail Simone and Jon Davis-Hunt’s psychological thriller, Clean Room #1, but most have fallen short of finding a sturdy audience. But TheDark and Bloody has clearly set itself apart and is absolutely worth the pick-up.
Make sure to stop into your local comics retailer and grab a copy of Dark and Bloody #1.
Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice is rapidly approaching, the final trailer has dropped, and Batman is putting everyone ON NOTICE.
The biggest team up in comic fandom is about 6 weeks away and this final trailer will have people beating cinema doors down for a ringside seat. The first 40 seconds should allay any concerns people have about Affleck as Batman. The Caped Crusader dispatches a number of foes in short order with his signature ‘bust through a window with cape spread out’ move, and then laments about getting ‘slow’ in his old age. The rest of the trailer is very Bat focused with a voice over from Bruce Wayne about his concerns about Superman’s powers and how that much power is dangerous. Alfred (Jeremy Irons) voices his concern about his employer’s well-being, and also a bit more context on Wonder Woman (played by the stunning Gal Gadot).
Taking a cue from the animated ‘Justice League Unlimited’ series and some implications in DC Comics throughout the years, there appears to be an attraction between Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince that appears to be more than just ‘let’s team up and beat the bad guy’ oriented.
We also see some footage from the previous trailer, with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) displaying his intelligence, or arrogance depending on where you are standing and Superman giving the Batmobile a sunroof. The trailer does close with an armored Batman face to face with Superman, and a look on Superman’s face that will give many Batman fans heart palpitations.
Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice releases nationwide on March 25.
