Aika basks in her newfound popularity of knowing a lot about commoner culture. She also tries to connect with Reiko by asking for her help composing a text. Just as it seems that the commoner club will be disbanding because of Aika`s new status, Kimito gets trapped in the hot spring just as girls come in and he has to hold his breath until he passes out or risk being discovered. This results in Aika having to give him CPR and her classmate mistaking it for kissing. All her classmate now think she is more experienced than they are and back away from her.
The show continues to showcase outdated harem tropes. The main character gets stuck in the hot springs joke? Seen it. Characters mistaking CPR for kissing? Ancient. Any character development being reset, so they are essential the same character after a story arc? Oldest trick in the book. At this point, the series is only marginally retaining an entertainment factor.
Of course for someone who has never seen these jokes they are probably laughing at all these shenanigans. Perhaps this is why the series just is not that enjoyable. It’s more intended for the beginner Harem fan. Something to cut their teeth on as they learn to appreciate series where a guy has many women fawning over him. But for someone who has seen harem classics like Tenchi Muyo, Ai Yori Aoshi, and Love Hina there isn’t much here for you. This series is more intended for those who don’t know the harem playbook and know exactly what is going to happen next.
Doctor Who has now entered into the realm of found-footage horror, jumping on a bandwagon that IT left years ago and having one of the dumbest ideas for a monster possible – making it one of the worst episodes in the rebooted run of the show.
In the 38th century a small team of soldiers are sent on a rescue mission to a space station orbiting Neptune where they find The Doctor showing Clara. But trouble is never far behind where The Doctor is found with the station being dominated by dust monsters, all linked to a device known as the Morpheus Pod, a pod that makes sure that humans do not need to sleep anymore.
“Sleep No More” starts off by tempting fate by having one of its characters, Professor Rassmussen (Reece Shearsmith) saying to the audience “You must not watch this. I’m warning you, you can never un-see it.” This was obviously said in the context of the episode but it ended up feeling he is describing the quality of the episode – because it is certainly far from being a classic.
The issue of using a found footage was a concern for many audience members, being seen as no more then a gimmick. Fortunately the writer, Mark Gatiss, and director Justin Molotnikov have the good sense to go down a similar route to the movie Chronicle, using all the cameras in the space station and not restricting itself to one cameraman/woman. The use of soldiers with helmet mounted cameras also avoids the questions of why do people not just drop the cameras.
Gatiss does try and give an examination on why “Sleep No More” is in the found footage style, as silly as it is. The episode’s big failing comes with the Sandmen monsters. The design of the Sandmen is quite effective, being like the monstrous forms the comic book character The Sandman took in Spider-man 3, particularly when they break apart. But it is when the Doctor explains what they are and what they are made of – it will lead to the reaction of ‘my God, that was stupid!’ It is on the same level as the Moon being an egg. The basic concept of the episode is fine, that humanity have found a way to no longer need sleep and writers and directors could easily play around with the possible adverse effects. Ideas could have been that the lack of natural sleep leads to people losing their sanity and sense of reality or that their subconscious or dreams/nightmares could end up being physically manifested in some form. This is Doctor Who, the possibilities are endless. Instead everyone involved thought lets go down the most silly route possible.
The dialogue in the episode is some of the worst in the season, from when The Doctor explains what the Sandmen are: Clara and The Doctor’s moral upstanding against the 38th Century values and when the villain is finally revealed and tells their plan to our hero. It’s B-Movie level bad. “Sleep No More” even rips off an idea from “Before the Flood” – an episode earlier in the season. Both episodes feature a character that is not affected by what was blighting their crew because they were not exposed to a certain thing. At least when “The Zygon Inversion” used previous story ideas they were ideas from previous seasons.
I personally came into this episode thinking it was going to be a cross between Paranormal Activity and Alien but it was more like the Danny Boyle movie Sunshine and the aforementioned Chronicle. The rescue team enter an empty space station that has dust in the air and in Sunshine the crew of the Icarus II find an empty spaceship that is covered in dust with both crews trying to figure out what happened to the previous occupants and find some sort of supernatural threat. The recommendation here is check out Sunshine instead.
The saving grace of the episode is the ending, and not just because it ended. “Sleep No More” does have a very effective cliffhanger and this was when it was at its most creepy as a character talks to the camera and sets up a sequel that has already been commissioned. It is just a shame that the rest of the episode could not match that standard.
With the upcoming release of Creed on November 25, the Rocky films have given fans an earnest and heartfelt look into the life of a professional boxer, The Great White Hype is not a film that does any of that
Released in 1996, The Great White Hype is not inspirational or uplifting. It is as far from Rocky as one can get. Meant to be a satire about boxing, spin, fight promotion, and racial tension, Hype comes off as a semi-realistic look at the world of professional boxing.
Damon Wayans plays James “The Grim Reaper” Roper, the current heavyweight champion of the world and as complacent as it gets. He even goes so far as to gently complain about his victory over an opponent during a post fight interview. His manager/promoter/sort of father figure Reverend Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) talks his way out of paying Roper his bounty from his most recent fight because the event was a financial failure.
THE GREAT WHITE HYPE, Damon Wayans, Jon Lovitz, 1996, TM and Copyright (c)20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.
Sultans’ grand plan is to create a white heavyweight for Roper to fight, playing on the racial divide and the assumed desire for the audience to see such an event. He and his coterie of associates locate Terry Conklin (Peter Berg, director of The Kingdom, Hancock) front man for a rock band in Cleveland and the last person to defeat Roper when they were both teenagers in a Golden Gloves tournament. Terry has little interest at first, proclaiming he does not need to fight, happy with his band, and wanting to help the homeless. Reverend Sultan sweetens the deal with the offer of a big payday for Terry to help the homeless as much as he sees fit.
Re-branding him as “Irish” Terry Conklin, complete with an English trainer and a kilt, Sultan sets his plan into motion. Going so far as to recruit journalist Mitchell Kane (played by Jeff Goldblum), who at first attempts to expose Sultan for the charlatan he is, the spin machine begins to work its magic on the general public.
The Reverend Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) Photo: 20th Century Fox
The best parts here showcase the hype and spin machine. From the weigh in, where Wayans shows up looking severely out of shape, to a white-haired grandmother at a betting window putting “$2 on the clean-cut white boy”, this has the feel of what boxing really is, as opposed the noble endeavor showcased in the Rocky films.
After all the hype, spin, and backdoor dealing to make Conklin the #8 contender for the title, you could almost believe that Conklin can win this. He’s in much better shape, the media loves him, he even does a photo shoot for Playboy Magazine, which he then says he despised doing and again champions his desire the help the homeless. It also appears that Mitchell Kane believes, seeking to backdoor Sultan by becoming Conklins’ promoter and hopefully the promoter of the next heavyweight champion.
After a stirring rendition of “Danny Boy”, performed by Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats, Conklin is led to the ring by leprechauns (not real ones, but little people in costume) and the crowd at a fever pitch. Roper takes his sweet time heading to the ring, delaying so he can watch his favorite scene from ‘Dolemite‘.
The bell rings and the fight is over before it has even begun. Conklin goes for an overhand right (the punch he knocked a young James Roper out with at 15), which enrages the champ and Conklin is flat on his back barely two minutes in. No comeback, no stirring music, no motivational speech from his corner.
Anchored by solid supporting performances from Corbin Bernsen, Rocky Carroll (NCIS), Jon Lovitz, and Jamie Foxx, this movie will not tug at your heartstrings, but it will give you sharp wit, tons of humor, and a great skewed view of the machine of professional boxing.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is less than a month away and it seems that every other day we come across brand new TV spots promoting the highly anticipated picture. The most amazing part of all of this buildup is that the audience is mostly unaware of what exactly is going to transpire when the film hits theaters on December 18th. It seems that each The Force Awakens TV Spot centers around a particular main character and the latest are no exception. In the first spot it’s easy to see that it centers around Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac)
The second T.V. spot centers around Finn (John Boyega)
Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as “Star Wars” returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
The film is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk, and John Williams returns as the composer.
The pilot of Jessica Jones was pretty great, but ‘AKA Crush Syndrome’ had to prove that Jessica Jones can follow-up on that. Boy, does ‘AKA Crush Syndrome’ achieve that.
Review of Jessica Jones Episode 2 ‘AKA Crush Syndrome’
Let’s get the obvious out-of-the-way, the opening is simply fantastic, the colors are vivid (and mostly purple) the song starts off slow and somber before getting more and more intense (much like the show itself). The entire OST is pretty great as well, it gives the entire show an apt noir tone to it.
We get a couple of characters introduced to us, mostly neighbors. Like Malcolm, the high neighbor. Fun Fact: While bingeing Jessica Jones Malcolm got the nickname “High Guy,” it is he most memorable aspect after all. We also met Robin and Reuben, the twin neighbor, also known as Crazy Sister and Creepy Brother. We also meet Officer Clemons, otherwise known as Jessica Jones’ incarnation of Ben Urich.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones
If there is one thing Jessica Jones is great at so far, it’s the way Kilgrave has been handled so far. We see very little of him so far, a couple PTSD visions in the first episode, a flashback in this one, but his influence is everywhere. Hope’s actions are evidence enough, but we see more, Dr. Kurata and Jack, poor Jack.
Let’s talk about that for a bit, Jack is forced to help Kilgrave escape, donate both his kidneys, and get’s a stroke because of it. Jessica Jones is really a show built around moments, that scene that just makes you go crazy, and Jack has one of them.
“KIL-”
“Kilgrave, I know.”
“-L ME”
This was really the first moment that cemented Jessica Jones ability to deliver these, of course, this is far from the last.
Jessica Jones also loves giving us a sense of paranoia, the feeling that anything can happen, that everything will happen. This is most notable when Jessica beats on a poor door guy. Kilgrave could show up at any moment, and Jessica Jones wants us to know it.
All of this builds up to our first real glimpse of Kilgrave, and boy does this scene also deliver. While its impact was significantly lessened due to the fact that it was released online days before, it still sent shivers. David Tenant delivers a perfect, chilling, performance as the psychopathic uncaring killer. Making even harmless actions like walking into someones house near nightmare inducing.
Hope is not all lost however (ha ha, name puns), Luke is freaking awesome (A saw to his stomach did nothing!?) and Jessica in on the move. Two episodes in and we’ve already found Kilgrave’s weakness, though Sufentanil seems a little overkill, all that’s left is to find the drug and apply it.
A few other developments include: Trish learning how to fight (that’ll keep the comic fans happy), Jeri learning about Jessica’s personal involvement, and Jessica kinda ruining things with Luke and Andre’s wife (come on lady, your marriage was over thanks to your affairs).
Jessica Jones has a surprising tone of humor, the dialogue is witty, and that fight scene was pretty hilarious. Jessica Jones has a found a great balance between humor and paranoia.
However, ‘AKA Crush Syndrome’ isn’t without its flaws. Despite the hype it’s gotten before release, the chemistry between Jessica and Luke was pretty nonexistent. That was an obvious choice in the first episode (there was no love in that sex scene), but it has yet to develop yet.
Regardless, ‘AKA Crush Syndrome’ was a fantastic follow-up to ‘Ladies Night’, we can only hope it will continue.
This morning Warner Bros. Pictures announced principal photography has started on Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot in the role of Diane Prince/Wonder Woman. An official announcement was also made about the cast joining Gadot in her first feature role. The film also stars Chris Pine (the Star Trek films) as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, Elena Anaya, and Lucy Davis. To celebrate the start of principal photography, Gal Gadot posted the first photo directly from the set of the highly anticipated picture.
The film is being produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder, with Richard Suckle, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and Rebecca Roven serving as executive producers.
Joining Jenkins behind the camera are director of photography Matthew Jensen (“Chronicle,” “Fantastic Four,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie,” “A Very Long Engagement,” “Pan”), and Oscar-winning editor Martin Walsh (“Chicago,” “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “V for Vendetta”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Topsy-Turvy”).
Principal photography will take place on location in the UK, France and Italy.
Set to open in 2017, the Wonder Woman feature film is based on characters created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Jonathan Levine’s The Night Before is yet another example of Seth Rogen playing the manchild dealing with pending adulthood and learning that friendship can survive the journey to maturity. Throughout the rowdy, raucous, drug-fueled comedy, Rogen’s character talks to his friends about this being the absolute last time they are going to go through their Christmas ritual. It made me wonder if Rogen and his team of writers were in a room with director Levine taking bong rips and thinking out loud, “dude …. You know what we did in Neighbors … we should totally do that again.” The Night Before is a well-intentioned comedy, but ultimately it’s a bad film.
It opens with a literal Christmas storybook animation, narrated by Tracy Morgan in a way that only he would. We learn of three good Friends – Ethan (Joseph Gordon Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) who have been spending Christmas together for over a decade – since Ethan lost his parents – doing their best to have the time of their lives. Essentially, they like to act like idiots. From blowing up snowmen to getting high and looking at the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, they are willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep Ethan positive around the holidays. However, the annual event is starting to strain as each of them inches closer towards adulthood. Isaac is about to become a dad for the first time, Chris is dealing with the realization that he now needs to use steroids to help him perform on the football field, and Ethan is dealing with a breakup from his longtime girlfriend, Diana (Lizzy Caplan). As the boys get ready for the big night, Issac’s wife gives him an early Christmas gift, a box of drugs to help him party that night. Isaac gets extremely messed up, allowing Rogen to display some truly horrific behavior after he mixes molly, coke, and weed from his box of goodies.
The one highlight of this film would have to be Micheal Shannon, who plays Mr. Green (The drug dealer/life coach). Every time Mr. Green pops up he gnashes the scenery and generates the film’s biggest laughs. Micheal Shannon never really struck me as much of a comedic actor, but this certainly has altered my perception of him going forward. Other than Shannon, The Night Before was one failed bit after another.
Mindy Kaling (who I’m guessing is in this film as favor to either Rogen or his writing partner Evan Goldberg) plays Diana’s best friend, and is in a scene where Isaac’s nose drips “cocaine blood” into her drink that isn’t quite as funny as it should be. Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) also picks a fight with a couple of drunk guys dressed as Santa Claus that simply falls flat. Johnathan Levine has shown his talent before, directing films like 50/50, but one can’t help but wonder if he was the right for this type of “wacky buddy comedy.” Comedy is about balance and timing, and you can’t go from stealing a horse-drawn carriage (really) to yet another short-lived introspective moment in a manner of moments. The Night Before suffers from an identity crisis. Itattempts to be both poignant and funny and fails miserably at both. Maybe if Johnathan Levine and Evan Goldberg had taken the time to smooth out the imbalances in the script, The Night Before would have been a far more enjoyable film.
Jessica Jones has finally hit Netflix and its first episode set the show’s haunting mood that sets itself apart from all other Marvel adaptations. “A.K.A Ladies Night” kicks off the series with our heroine Jessica Jones working on a case to find a missing girl. Her investigation leads her to a man from her past who has the ability to take control of people’s minds, The Purple Man. Jones is absolutely terrified to confront him due to their past relationship, but she knows that she’s going to have to in order to finally put an end to her PTSD.
And that is all of the story that can be said in order to keep this review spoiler free. From the get go, Jessica Jones is a phenomenal show, dripping with tense atmosphere, emotional conflict, and disturbing imagery. To talk anymore about its story would be doing you a disservice as it would be a distilled version of this show’s brilliance.
Much like Marvel’s other Netflix series, Daredevil, Jessica Jones has heavy shadows, creative angles, and a noir aesthetic that fits the dark content well. Unlike Daredevil the conflict is less external, the pacing is slow, and the action is minimal. Matt Murdock’s story focused on violence and its consequences when dealing with crime. Jessica Jones is focusing more on the internal struggles of trauma and deciphering the ramifications that come with it. This allows Jessica Jones to be a slow burn; meaning we can focus on the emotional complexity of our main lead.
The acting is superb with Kristen Ritter perfectly nailing down the sardonic, tough as nails Jessica Jones. Carrie Anne-Moss plays a mysterious, and slick Jeryn Hogarth, Rachael Taylor is a caring Patricia Walker, and Mike Colter shines as future Defender Luke Cage. But, David Tennant steals the show as the terrifying, Purple Man. He’s barely in the episode, and pretty much only through flashback, but he leaves a haunting impression of what’s to come. His soft accent is somehow both soothing, and strong at the same time.
The show is very mature, full of realistic sex scenes, excessive drinking, and even some nudity. So this is definitely not for younger audiences. And while the narrative is very strong, at times it does feel a little scattered, but that could just be setting up the mystery element of the show. Keeping the audience in the dark about certain aspects of it keeps us coming back for more.
Overall while it is a much slower show than Daredevil, Jessica Jones shows a darker side to the world of the MCU, and we’re excited to call of work in order to binge watch the series. Check Monkeys Fighting Robots later this week for a full season recap. And let us know in the comics what you guys think of the series?
Early on in Spotlight, Tom McCarthy’s incredible newspaper film about the exposure of child abuse running through the veins of the Catholic church in Boston and beyond, a local priest, addressing his open-faced congregation, explains, “knowledge is one thing, faith is another.” It is the crux of this film. Spotlight is a journalism film, first and foremost, the most complete of its kind in forty years, yet it deals with community. There is the community of The Boston Globe, and the Spotlight team who uncovers the sprawling scandal. There is the community of Boston, steeped in religion, the very community the Globe serves. And there is the seedy community of the archdiocese, one of the most powerful and disturbing organized crime rackets in all of human history. This film flows through these communities, all interacting with one another in a push and pull of morality, despair, sadness, and truth.
The Spotlight team at the Globe, a small team of investigative journalists, is led by Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton, stellar as usual). The Globe is, like most newspapers in 2001, in a state of flux. The Internet is creeping into the physical media of the times, and a new editor is coming in from out of town. He is Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber, subdued brilliance here), a Jewish outsider from South Florida who, when Robby meets him for the first time, is reading The Curse of The Bambino to try and get a feel for the city. Though he doesn’t care for baseball. It would be easy to expect this new editor, charged with trimming some fat from the Globe in these modern times, would be that character who gums up the works and impedes progress in the investigation into the Catholic church. Quite the opposite. Baron’s outsider status is what pushes the investigation forward, unwrapping the bigger story here. These Boston-bred reporters, ingrained in the city (still a very small town in a lot of ways, one character is careful to note) as much as in their jobs as journalists, are reluctant to dig deep into a scandal that has always existed as nothing more than a whisper. Better to turn the other way than upset their overly-Catholic readership. Baron thinks those readers will take note.
Reluctantly, Robby and his team being to investigate accusations against a priest here and a priest there, accused of molesting young boys and girls in their congregation. Only their investigation begins to expose a much larger threat, and as the threat grows larger, the accounts grow more intimate. A few priests grows into a dozen, then almost 90, touching the lives of these reporters. This is where Spotlight absolutely sings, as we pound the pavement in a world of reporting that is practically dead in 2015. Robby’s team includes Mike Rezendes, played by Mark Ruffalo as an energetic, quick-twitch nuisance in the best ways imaginable. Ruffalo has the market cornered on characters loaded with idiosyncrasies, and he is stellar here, worthy of awards. Rachel McAdams is Sacha Pfeiffer, who has a more personal local connection to the church. And there is Brian d’Arcy James as Matt Carroll, who has the greatest moment of personal reveal in the middle of the picture. Beyond the Spotlight team, the film is filled to the edges with the likes of John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, and all manner of character players who weave a wonderful tapestry of convincing, lived-in performances.
McCarthy and Josh Singer’s screenplay is smart, quick, and doesn’t slow down to explain what would never be explained in real conversations. These are newspaper men and women who live these lives, so exposition is what needs to be said for these people, not the audience. Compared to Truth, another journalism film earlier this year that was rote and embarrassing to the profession, Spotlight is its photo negative. This world is real, un-glamorous and utilitarian. It is convincing and captivating.
As a narrative, Spotlight is all about reveals, and they are handled perfectly. Regarding the aforementioned personal reveal from Matt Carroll, it happens just as the scope of this abuse scandal is being uncovered by the team. Carroll is scanning a list of priests who have been “reassigned,” spots a name, and panics. He runs out his front door, down the street, and around the corner, where he stops and stares at a home mere feet from his front door. It is a home where two of these pedophiles still live, and it brings the immediacy of the situation home for Carroll, who ha children to consider. “Stay away from this house” his note says on the fridge. The scene is a wonderful moment in the film, shot with immediacy but not flash. None of this film is flashy, a perfect decision from Masanobu Takayanagi, who allows the actors and their settings room to breathe.
Despite its procedural structure and importance on the inner workings of journalism, Spotlight is not short on emotion. As the investigation begins to expand, the weight of the situation presses down hard on these reporters. There are tough moments with victims – “survivors,” as they are more aptly described since many of the children who are abused were felled by drugs, alcohol, and suicide later in life – as they describe their encounters. Each of the Spotlight reporters get their moment to consider the gravity of the story they are uncovering, and each of these moments pull us into the story even further. Churches and religious decorum loom large in the background more often than not, emphasizing even more the power the church has over the community.
An interesting thing happens two-thirds of the way in. 9/11 happens, and it subtly shifts the tone of the entire film. While the attacks are mentioned, shown on television, and subsequently noted, McCarthy never strays from his story too much. He simply changes the language of his characters. Now, nobody wants to hear about priests molesting children, because these people need their religion now more than ever. “This isn’t the time for such a story” is uttered, in so many words, more than once. It is a quiet shift in the film, but a bold transition at the same time. Just another reason why this is a masterpiece.
Perfect films are rare birds. Even the best films of any given year can show their warts. I believe Spotlight is as close to perfect as 2015 has gotten, and it is unquestionably the best film this year. It is a smart and fluid story, loaded top to bottom with wonderful and convincing performances. The true power of a film is its ability to be tactile, to stick in your gut and linger in your mind. 12 Years A Slave did that to me two years ago, and a film has not done that since. Until now.
Star Wars fans have only seen a glimpse of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 in the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and it appears that BB-8 is our droid for a new genration.
Yet a UK prmotional event from O2 Priority brings the two droids together for the first time.
Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
