Entertainment Weekly and Empire have provided us with yet another exclusive. Today, we were treated to two new stills (one from each magazine) from the highly anticipated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
““Newt is a magizoologist who’s just completed a global journey to find and document magical creatures for a book he plans on writing,” Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts producer David Heyman tells Empire. “His case is important because it contains some of the creatures he’s been researching. It may be small, but there’s a whole world within.”
Beasts stars Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) as world-famous magizoologist Newt Scamander, who embarks on an adventure in 1926 New York.Coming along for the ride are Katherine Waterston (Steve Jobs), Colin Farrell (True Detective) and Samantha Morton (Minority Report).Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global journey to find and document an array of extraordinary magical creatures. Newt stops in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without a problem if were not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a lost magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them will hit theaters in November of 2016.
Marvel has been slaying it with their Star Wars comics since Star Wars #1 came out almost a year ago. There might have been some weak links here and there, but not a single title has been flat out bad. They’ve managed to capture the essence of Star Wars, putting out books that range from action/adventure stories, to more deeply personal stories, to space heist stories. Now, Marvel has placed rock-star writer Charles Soule (fresh off that space heist story, Lando) on the latest title, Obi-Wan & Anakin.
Any book with a Skottie Young variant cover is a win.
Obi-Wan & Anakin takes place in the dark time between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, a period not many authors have ventured into. Anakin has been training for several years under Obi-Wan and at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. This particular story jumps right into the action, as the two crash land on a strange planet in response to a distress call. After some brief dialogue, it then flashes back to the recent past at the Temple, as the brass observe Anakin train. In terms of major plot points, there’s not much that can be said without spoiling the fun. Just know that this first issue scratches the surface on what is going to be a great story.
This isn’t an action tale; it’s a character study. And when you want a story about developing characters, and building relationships, you hire Charles Soule to write it. In just one issue, Soule has already established exactly who these individuals are internally, and how they view one another. Anakin is a brash kid, on his way to being the brash teen from Episode II, and we get to see the genesis of his distaste for the Jedi status quo. Obi-Wan is not yet a Master, but a Jedi Knight, and Soule quickly establishes him as the perfect foil for his padawan. He also has his issues with the Jedi Order, but where Anakin is willing to argue rules, Obi-Wan takes more of a “we must do what we can within the rules” approach. Since this is ultimately a miniseries about the relationship between a teacher and his student, it will be interesting to see what the two learn from one another by the end.
Now, while the book does a great job of expanding upon already existing characters and relationships, the real fun is when it goes beyond that. There is a moment in this story that is extremely brief, but very much worth mentioning. Anakin is training, and he has a slight confrontation with a pair of padawans in his cohort. After reading it, it struck me that the Star Wars canon has never seen a young Skywalker interacting with other students. It’s fascinating to see how they feel about training with the supposed “Chosen One,” and how he reacts in turn. It’s these little moments that build on this universe and make it such an enjoyable and engaging experience for the fans.
Marco Checchetto does a tremendous job on art, and manages to create two very different vibes for the different points in the timeline. The field mission yields stunning landscapes, and some epic action. On the flip side, the training sessions are very intimate, focusing on close ups to show the emotion in characters’ faces. Without words, Checchetto conveys what Star Wars is supposed to be: a space adventure that balances being grand in scale, yet personal in tone.
This miniseries is going to be a fun ride, and issue one is absolutely worth your $3.99 this week. Yes, it’s a prequel story. But Soule is finally doing what the prequel movies failed to do: develop the characters and their relationships. The prequel trilogy had no chemistry between the characters, and gave fans no reason to get invested in their fates (except for Obi-Wan; Ewan McGregor rules). Plus, The Phantom Menace played such an especially small role in the grand scheme of the saga, that it could honestly be removed without missing a beat. Obi-Wan & Anakin is shaping up to be the Episode I that Star Wars fans deserve.
On a quick side note, fans have also been pushing for an Obi-Wan solo series to tell his story between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. I’ve made no secret of who I think Marvel should put on it, and this first issue of Obi-Wan & Anakin confirms it.
A lot has happened in 2015 which made an impact on film and television. Cinematic universes are being established apart from Marvel and DC properties, with the success of Jurassic World and later on Star Wars, we start to see franchises from past generations come back, new stars rise up and others come back… Here are some of the best moments and highlights of the year:
VIOLA DAVIS WINS THE EMMY!
She was the first African-American to win an Emmy for best actress in a drama for her lead role in Shonda Rhimes’ How to Get Away with Murder and she made an emotional speech in favor of diversity in Hollywood.
PATRICIA ARQUETTE WINS THE OSCAR!
Boyhood got to the Oscars early this year with a lot of strong nominations but the only one who brought her award home was Patricia Arquette for her supporting role in Richard Linklater’s acclaimed film. She also had a great speech prepared for the big moment advocating for wage equality, which got even Meryl Streep cheering for it.
Fellow actresses like Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain have been fighting against the wage gap between men and women in Hollywood this year as well.
THE AMY SCHUMER PHENOMENON
She came out of nowhere for a lot of people. Who’s Amy Schumer? She’s a fearless comedian, actress and Jennifer Lawrence’s new best friend. Amy wrote and starred in a new Judd Apatow movie, Trainwreck, and landed a Golden Globe nomination for it. She has her own TV show, Inside Amy Schumer, which won two Emmys in 2015 as well.
#ALLMYMOVIES
Shia Labeouf is widely known for being one of the most controversial actors in Hollywood, and for the past few years he’s been involved in several performance art projects, the latest one being #AllMyMovies. You can read more about it here. My favorite part was seeing how much fun he was having during some of his films, especially The Even Stevens Movie.
Shia and the audience enjoying the ending of the EVEN STEVENS movie is actually a pretty special thing to watch. pic.twitter.com/sSz7OuOIsg
After 125 episodes, 7 seasons and 8 years of Parks and Recreation, NBC aired the final episode of the show on February. It will be missed, but the amazing cast are already doing bigger things on the big screen, mainly Chris Pratt. Aziz Ansari created a new show on Netflix (Master of None), which has gained a lot of attraction this year, and Adam Scott starred in the successful Krampus.
https://youtu.be/TAUbuKCOFKo
STAR WARS IS BACK!
The resurgence of past generation franchises went strong this year with both the hype around Star Wars: The Force Awakensand its massive success. While we’ve seen the comeback of Star Trek and Jurassic World before, this was the biggest commercial release of the year.
From the Chewie and Han Solo reunion to Carrie Fisher’s press tour, and everything in between (let’s not forget the epic PTX tribute), 2015 will be remembered for this great franchise.
SUPERHERO POWER
2015 has probably been the most prolific year for superhero films and TV shows. DC has stepped up their game developing their superhero titles for the next few years. They shot Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad, prepared to collect Arrow’s and The Flash’s continued success on The CW by creating a spin-off (Legends of Tomorrow), and debuted Supergirl.
From the other side, Marvel was the object of controversies, starting with Avengers: Age of Ultron and ending with a Fantastic Four fiasco of massive proportions. On the TV front, however, while Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t seem to be keeping much popularity and Agent Carter had a decent reception, the studio’s partnership with Netflix has let them flourish in 2015 with two incredible series: Daredevil and Jessica Jones, both with side-shows attached, ready to be released in 2016. Also this year, Marvel Studios managed to snag a Spidey cameo with new blood, who we’ll see in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War.
Get ready for 2016, because it will be even bigger for superhero franchises.
What other moments deserve to be remembered from 2015?
Anomalisa is an animated film that transcends all other animated features before it. The film is a strange and dreamlike experience, but when the it does make it’s point it does so with profound, dark brilliance. It’s a stop-motion animation, written by Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind scribe Charlie Kauffman and co-directed by Kaufman and Duke Johnson, in which the puppet characters act very human. David Thewlis voices the central character, a marketing guru from Los Angeles spending the night in Cincinnati to deliver a motivational speech. The title of the film seems to reference anomie – his lack of feeling comfortable in any group.
The direct meaning of the word Anomalisa becomes clearer as the film progresses and goes from being a comedy of awkwardness to an exploration into some deeper content. Without describing too much, what is evident is just how original this story concept truly is. In a nutshell, the movie is an elongated story about a love affair. Thewlis’ Micheal Stone is clearly unhappy with his work, his marriage, even his son. Nothing satisfies him, and he seems disconnected from the world and himself. His plane touches down in Cincinnati. He settles into the hotel and orders room service while pacing around. He impulsively invites an old flame out for a drink (hoping to get lucky), but he’s oblivious that he hurt her so terribly that she can’t stand to be in the same room as him.
Then he becomes smitten with a guest at the conference, a woman who wears her hair a special way to hide her scar. Her name is Lisa (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh). Michael thinks that it’s love at first sight. He seems to think that Lisa is his chance at redemption, someone who will pull him out this malaise that he would refer to as his own life. At this point we already know that this could never be the case because Michael is a terrible judge of his own needs. His judgement is so bad that we go from rooting for Michael at one point to wondering if he needs to some sort of mental health professional.
Kaufman, who’s been known take characters in way too many directions at once, has never before managed to structure and contain the products that come from his very fertile imagination. Kaufman is asking the question, What makes people fall for each other and how do they eventually lose interest?
Puppet characters are typically meant to amuse and bring the audience joy. The characters in Anomalisa are struggling. Their struggle makes you think about their loneliness,despair, and alienation, topics no one would want to see in a film if Kauffman didn’t write such compassionate characters with dry senses of humor. Kaufman and Johnson shoot the characters in a very careful way, not cutting much, just letting them sit there. That decision proved to be vital, just letting those characters work at their pace, allowing a sense of realism to develop and break through the animation.
Not many people are willing to flock to a theater near them and sit for ninety minutes to watch a puppet movie and be reminded of all the bad memories that may have occurred in their lives. The crazy thing about Anomalisa is that the audience quickly forgets they are watching puppets and are able to see these characters as the people they portray. We sit there and start wondering if we are anything like Micheal Stone, and start to contemplate our own issues and repetitive behaviors. Perhaps that speaks to the brilliance of Charlie Kaufman.
Batman V. Superman Dawn of Justice is not only one of the most anticipated films of the year, but it’s about to make movie history. For the first time ever, two of the most iconic superheroes ever created will share the silver screen in a live action movie. Just saying the names Batman and Superman elicits a sense of grandeur behind the film. As a fan it is great to finally see these two legends together at last, especially since both characters have had long film careers.
So, to celebrate one of the craziest, most epic movies ever made I’ll be looking at some of the adaptations the World’s Finest have been in. I say some of the adaptations, because there are so many and so varied that it would be hard to do every single one. So, instead I will focus on the contemporary movies made about the two. Every week, expect to see two articles; one about a Batman movie, and one about a Superman movie. This will all end with a review of Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
These won’t be reviews necessarily, but more like retrospectives and analyses of the films. What each movie did for the superhero (and the superhero genre for that matter), and how they impacted the popular consciousness of the characters. While I will be focusing on the films first that doesn’t mean I won’t look at some of the other adaptations. If there’s time I will look at some of the other adaptations like some of the TV shows or the animated movies. They just will come after the movies, but they will be coming.
So we’ll get started later this week with one of the most famous adaptations of the Dark Knight, Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.
So it was only a matter of time ’til we started getting George Lucas to open up about how he truly feels regarding the direction of Star Wars, now that he is no longer in control of the franchise. Lucas appeared on the Charlie Rose show and had this to say about his split from the franchise:
“They looked at the stories, and they said, ‘We want to make something for the fans’….They decided they didn’t want to use those stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing….They weren’t that keen to have me involved anyway — but if I get in there, I’m just going to cause trouble, because they’re not going to do what I want them to do. And I don’t have the control to do that anymore, and all I would do is muck everything up,” he said. “And so I said, ‘Okay, I will go my way, and I’ll let them go their way.’”
Then George went on to discuss his biggest criticism of Star Wars: The Force Awakens:
“They wanted to do a retro movie. I don’t like that. Every movie I work very hard to make them completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships, make it new,”
The conversation went from his biggest concerns with Star Wars: The Force Awakens to what he feels is the biggest problem in Hollywood today… originality.
“Of course, the only way you could really do that [make money] is not take chances. Only do something that’s proven,” Lucas added. “You gotta remember, ‘Star Wars’ came from nowhere. ‘American Graffiti‘ came from nowhere. There was nothing like it. Now, if you do anything that’s not a sequel or not a TV series or doesn’t look like one, they won’t do it!”
For more of the interview with Charlie Rose click on this link
The first person I met from Regret the Hour was Ben McCarthy, in the Fall of 2014, from a poetry class at a City University of New York school called Hunter College. We have both since graduated, as his brother Nate, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist, approaches his senior year there. We connected through what basically comes down to complaining: whether it be the prompts, the peers, or the teacher, we pretty much saw eye to eye in our venting of petty disdain. After the final class of the semester, I found out Ben was in a band, and after being genuinely impressed by the sound, talent, and scope of Regret the Hour’s tunes, I asked them to be apart of my college radio show I had, the ‘Help Me, Bob!’ show. From there I slept on their couch, floor, bathroom, wherever I could, just so I when I saw one of their shows I wouldn’t have to commute back to NJ from NYC, and I met childhood friend and drummer Anders Fleming, and later addition bassist Tim Emmerick along the way. They have played with the Misfits, Dry the River, and Gin Blossoms, to name a few, and have been gaining New York’s Indie Rock scene’s attention more and more, going from recording their own first record to having an EP produced by James Goodin, and now a second full album currently being produced in Brooklyn. Here is a quick interview with the brothers, Ben and Nate McCarthy, about the band’s upbringing and future!
1. How was music introduced to you and how did it impact your childhood?
Nate McCarthy: Our parents played a ton of music when we were growing up, lots of 1960’s & 70s folk like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and that being some of the first music we heard, has also been some of the most important to us, and I think is largely responsible for the fact that we play music today.
2. How would you describe your sound and what are your influences?
N: I think our sound combines sort of traditional folk/americana-inspired songwriting with guitar sounds that are usually about creating texture and atmosphere. Some of our biggest influences include Joshua Tree-Achtung Baby era U2, The National, Radiohead, Dylan, Van Morrison, etc.
3.What inspires you to continue to make music with each other as brothers and as a band?
N: Being surrounded by so many fantastic musicians and songwriting friends in New York City is a constant source of inspiration for us. Also, the simple experience of having people say that they’ve been really affected by our music, that it’s made them feel something, is really amazing.
4. What has been the most rewarding experience musically?
N: If we’re being literal, winning $15K worth of new gear earlier this year through Converse and Guitar Center was a pretty nice reward! Getting to play packed nights on some of New York City’s best stages with some incredible musicians is a nice reminder of why we do this in the first place. Also, I think our first record getting a “10” on Pitchfork and then personal shout-outs from Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz are close seconds.
5. Where do you seen your music going? How do you process evolving/changing/ or growing as a band?
Nate and Ben McCarthy: With the new record we’ve been working on, we’ve been experimenting with different instruments more. I think more than ever we are writing collectively. I’m not sure how I see that changing or evolving in the future but I think we all firmly believe that writing music together is at the core of our band. We’re not the kind of band where one or two people bring in all the songs and tell everyone else what to play. That isn’t what music is about for us and I think that is reflected in the songs.
As far as where I see our music going that is a hard one, I think all of us hope that as many people will hear our music and be touched by it as possible. But at the same time we want to continue to make music that feels honest to who we are as people and musicians.
6. What has been your biggest challenge?
Ben McCarthy: I think our bassist and good friend Jesse Yanko dying of cancer in 2012 was one of the biggest blows that has ever been dealt to us as a band but also as individuals. Besides the fact that our band was broken we had also lost our best friend and that is something that is hard to deal with at any age but especially when you’re 17 and 18. I think after Jesse died none of us really knew what the right way forward was or if there even was one. We had this whole record (Better Days) that we had recorded during the summer of 2012 with Jesse and that was it. Our friends and families and people that would become our friends really helped us through that time and in April of 2013 we released Better Days. We played that show with Jesse’s Bass teacher and our good friend Dylan Kelehan, I think getting up on stage again without Jesse and playing all of these songs that we had written and recorded with him was one of the hardest things any of us had ever done.
B: We’re all pretty proud of the music we’re currently writing and recording for this new record. In addition to that I think we are all proud of how far we have come in the last few years. It has been a great experience for all of us and we’ve had a lot of support from our friends, family and everyone else.
8.What do you guys have going on?
Nate and Ben: We were also just selected as one of the Deli Magazine’s Artist of the Month so if you all could click the link and vote for Regret the Hour that would be amazing. There is no registration or signup or anything like that required, we appreciate the support!
Check out their website here: Regret the Hour, and find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Director James Gunn held a Facebook Q&A live broadcast Wednesday night, and the filmmaker revealed that he has seen a cut of Captain America: Civil War and was blown away.
“What I’ll say I really like. I saw ‘Civil War.’ I think it’s incredible, it’s one of the best Marvel movies ever. I can’t believe what a wonderful job the Russo Bros. did and the cast. Oh my God, so good,” said Gunn.
“It was fucking amazing! It was truly amazing! The Russo Bros. are awesome,” said Gunn the second time he was asked about ‘Civil War.’
Gunn didn’t go into too much detail during the Facebook chat, but he did talk about Tom Holland’s performance as Spider-Man.
“Tom Holland is off the charts awesome! Off the charts awesome! Off the charts, truly, hands on my heart amazing,” Gunn repeated while waving his phone above his head.
“I love the (Spider-Man) suit, but I was more impressed with Tom Holland,” said Gunn.
Gunn’s live feed on Facebook is must watch by the way, always entertaining.
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.
Part 1
Almost New Years Q&A and Thanos ft. Jennifer Holland
Posted by James Gunn on Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Part 2
Whoops!! We're back!
Posted by James Gunn on Wednesday, December 30, 2015
While many have tried to get Matt Damon to discuss details about the new Bourne Identity film, all have failed. Until now. Entertainment Weekly nabbed an exclusive interview with the film’s star and he had this to say:
“There’s been the financial collapse, the great recession, all these issues of cyber warfare and civil liberties,” star and producer Damon tells EW for this week’s First Look issue.”
The tumultuous present serves as a backdrop for this story, in which Bourne resumes his quest to find answers about his past.
“We find him in a dark and tortured place,” Damon explains
Damon is returning to his Jason Bourne roots once again to work with director Paul Greengrass (neither was involved in the 2012 spinoff, The Bourne Legacy, involving Jeremy Renner). Damon has revealed previously that this film will take place twelve years after Bourne’s disappearance in The Bourne Ultimatum.
DC Fans are going to have a lot to talk about on January 19th, because the CW is dropping two new specials about upcoming DC properties including the highly anticipated Suicide Squad. After a half hour special detailing CW’s latest superhero show, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Kevin Smith will be hosting another special discussing the newest DC Movies. The special will contain a featured look at Batman V. Superman Dawn of Justice, a Wonder Woman sneak peak, and the new Suicide Squad trailer.
“CW has just announced that it will be debuting the new trailer for Suicide Squad on January 19th during two new specials.
First up is DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow: Their Time Is Now, beginning at 9PM ET, which will feature an in depth look at the origin stories of the heroes and villains behind the highly anticipated show Legends of Tomorrow. The special will include interviews, clips and more from executive producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Phil Klemmer & Wendy Mericle. For fans looking to get a better understanding of who the villainous Vandal Savage is, is surely going to want to tune in.
Then, at 9:30 PM ET, keep your televisions locked on CW as they’ll premiere DC Films Presents: Dawn Of The Justice League which will give fans the inside look into WB’s upcoming films that everyone has been waiting for. Hosted by Kevin Smith, the special will feature a look at Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the all-new trailer for Suicide Squad, and a sneak peek at the Wonder Woman film. WB & CW promise never-before-seen footage, interviews with stars like Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and so much more.”
Pretty exciting info, so be sure to tune in and set the DVRs. Check with Monkeys Fighting Robots for all the updates possible.
Gunn’s live feed on Facebook is must watch by the way, always entertaining. 
