In an interview with Newsarama, Frank Miller revealed that he will return to the ‘Dark Knight’ series after Dark Knight III: The Master Race is released.
“I thoroughly applaud what [Brian Azzarello’s] doing,” Miller said in the interview. “But now that he’s doing his, it’s now a four-part series. I’m doing the fourth.”
It remains unclear if Miller will illustrate the DKIV himself, as he did parts one and two, or if he will collaborate with an illustrator.
Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1, by Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert, and Klaus Janson, is scheduled for release on November 25.
Jay Roach directed Trumbo. Jay Roach? The same Jay Roach who directed the very trite and insignificant Meet The Fockers? The same guy who directed all the Austin Powers films? This is the same Roach who directed HBO’s Game Change, an uneven mostly expose/satirical look at the 2008 McCain/Palin campaign for president. Why would you pick Jay Roach to direct a story about a Hollywood Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, infamous for being black listed by the film industry during the 1950’s? Roach’s idea of being politically neutral is to make it so blatantly obvious which side he’s on that it’s as if a neon sign is pointing towards his end of the political spectrum. Roach’s impertinence is evident throughout the film, as it seems he’s more concerned about his opinion rather than being accurate about transpired during this time period in American History. Trumbo is an unsatisfying mixture of tones ranging from flat comedy to tedious hagiography.
Trumbo was doomed to falter from the moment they picked Roach to direct. Roach’s lack of seriousness in the film makes the product quite frankly uninteresting and ultimately dull at points. Trumbo is such an awkward mess of that I’m not even sure that the studio will realize what went wrong. The most important element of Trumbo that they had to get right was establishing a credible tone for the clashing of ideologies (the clash between Washington and the Hollywood types). Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, and Edward G. Robinson are impersonated by actors who are so unbelievably unconvincing, you wonder if they were cast straight off of America’s Got Talent. Trumbo makes Guilty by Suspicion look like a rousing success as a black list film.
Bryan Cranston takes on the title role of Trumbo and plays him in such an oversimplified manner that his portrayal borders on cartoonish. It was as if Cranston read “An Idiots Guide To Playing Vilified 1950’s Hollywood Screen Writers” and went right to work. Cranston seems to base his characterization of Dalton Trumbo based on a famous picture (I’m guessing he read that in Chapter One of “An Idiots Guide To Playing 1950’s Hollywood Screen Writers”) of Trumbo writing in the bathtub, cigarette-holder in hand. He plays that image to the extreme. He’s at his height of mimicry during the famous House Un-American Activities Committee rebellion:” Many questions can be answered ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ only by a moron or a slave.”
Even though there are oodles and oodles of Trumbo that are less factual and more mythological, Jay Roach and screenwriter John McNamara still idealize Trumbo as an example of a Hollywood “Maverick.” Yes, he did buck the system, write under a pseudonym, and won Two Oscars for Roman Holiday and The Brave One. Yes, he also wouldn’t submit to the request to testify in front of the House Un-American Acts Committee and went to jail for his deeply held beliefs. What I don’t get is, if you hold someone in such high regard as Jay Roach and John McNamara do, why wouldn’t you make a more serious film about his life? They completely gloss over the fact that he went to jail and the effect that it had on his family. It’s not like they didn’t have a great actress playing Dalton Trumbo’s wife; Diane Lane is as good as it gets. What about the other members of Trumbo’s group of Hollywood Ten that went to prison? It was as if they were part of this movement to show how wrong the House Committee was and then we hardly hear or see them for the rest of the film. Louis C.K., who plays Arlen Hird, had a pretty big part in what actually occurred. And yet, through Roach’s revisionist history his part is reduced to a small part of what transpired. Excuse me, have we forgotten that he was not only diagnosed with Cancer, his wife left him during the hearings? Do you think that could have been explored just a tiny bit?
All that aside, I wouldn’t say that I hated Trumbo, but I can’t help but think what might have been. Trumbo, with the right writer and director, is rich with so many different idiosyncrasies that it could have been a truly great film at a dark time in our nation’s history.
Justice League Dark begins filming in 2016 and appears that producer Scott Rudin has a few people in mind for John Constantine.
Latino-Review is reporting that Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor are up for the role. No official announcement has been made.
The report also states that there interest in Ron Perlman to play Swamp Thing, and Monica Belluci for Madame Xanadu, with a comedic presence for Deadman.
The team for Justice League Dark has been rumored to consist of Constantine, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Zatanna, and Etrigan The Demon.
The film still doesn’t have a director or release date.
The first official t-shirts for the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice have hit the web. With alternating “Batman is a demon” and “Superman is a False God” tees, and a couple of logo shirts, there’s something for fans on both sides of this epic battle.
The merchandise was teased in full back at the New York Comic Con in October, but this is the first chance for fans to wear the gear for the upcoming Zack Snyder film.
Recently Justin Timberlake performed at the 2015 Country Music Awards (CMAs) with up-and-coming country musician Chris Stapleton and it was doozy! Methinks that the entire performance caused many o’ EARGASMS. I definitely had one. Did I mention that Americana/Roots Rock GOD John Mellencamp also appeared on the show? YAAAAASSSSSS!!!
In recent years, with the success of the “new country” sound and its crossover appeal onto the Pop Charts, the CMAs, and shows alike, have made a discernible effort to include music entertainers/artists from other genres as part of collaborative performance events. Many of them have been successful, and others not so much.
Last year on the CMAs country super group Little Big Town performed collaboration with Ariana Grande. The foursome began there set with a rousing version of their hit song “Day Drinking” backed by an amazing drum line. At the close of the song things shift gear and Ms. Grande explodes onto the scene and they all perform a great version of her hit song, “Bang Bang” – which she originally recorded with pop stars Jessie J and Nicki Minaj – and it had the entire audience on their feet. With that little performance Little Big Town was telling the world that country music and pop can coexist and even complement each other.
This year’s CMAs also had some great collaboration between Keith Urban and John Mellencamp. The duo performed the Mellencamp classic “Pink Houses” and then Urban moved into his latest hit, a partial homage to the Americana great entitled, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” (written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman and John Osborne). This song is a prime example of “new country” and keeps with the kind of sound that we are accustomed to hearing from Mr. Urban. But what it also does is bring in all the influences that have impacted a vast majority of country music fans and makes it relevant to their lives and values. The song highlights John “Cougar” Mellencamp – an Americana/Roots Rock legend; John Deere – the farming icon; and John 3:16 – a biblical verse about God giving the world his only son [Jesus]. That’s country! Check out their performance here.
During this night of music we also saw country newcomer Thomas Rhett, son of country music star Rhett Akins, performed on the CMAs with the rock band Fall Out Boy. They played their songs “Crash and Burn,” and “Uma Thurman,” to create an interesting mix of danceable country and rock. Both Crash and Burn and Uma Thurman have a 1950s surf music swing to them that is undeniable. In Uma you can definitely hear the Dick Dale influence loud and clear.
The performance event of the night was definitelyJustin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton. Who’d a thunk it that JT would do country so well? Anyone who has been paying attention to the incredibly talented man who is Mr. Timberlake. Oh yeah, and JT is from Memphis, Tennessee which a lot of folks have either conveniently forgotten or never knew. On the CMAs you could hear his roots coming out in the performance. And Justin did something that any fan of his music would appreciate; he let his co-performer of the night share the spotlight equally.
Mr. Stapleton made a wonderful call when he asked Justin to perform with him on the awards. Their voices blended together swimmingly, as did the soul and heart that each of these individuals brings to their music. From the heavily blues influenced “Tennessee Whiskey,” we hear Muddy Waters meets Stevie Ray Vaughan. That guttural roar in Stapleton’s voice that gets under your skin and touches your FEELS just the right way. That, uuuummm, scrunch of up your face kinda soul-touch and the knowing that someone else has been in that love-drunk that you may be experiencing – he connects with his audience because he’s no different than them. He TOO has demons that he must slay and love got him through them. “You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey, You’re a sweet as strawberry wine, You’re as warm as a glass of brandy, And I stay stoned on your love all the time.”
When they move into Timberlake’s “Drink You Away,” the audience is further drawn in the “black magic” that they wove so well. JT’s roots really show in this performance. The choice of pairing these two songs in succession worked because they both deal with coping with the effects of love. One speaks of love as a drink-drug-like elixir; the other deals with the aftermath of love and heartbreak by drinking to numb the pain and realizing that this just doesn’t work. “I’ve tried Jack, I’ve tried Jim, I’ve tried all of their friends, But I can’t drink you away.”
The two songs are the antithesis of each other. Tennessee Whiskey is the before – love when it is sweet and your saving grace. That time in your life when you want to be with that special someone all the time. That space where you want to drown in their love. Drink You Away is the aftermath of that love. When things have gone wrong and you’re still in love with someone and you want to forget them. That hell when the good and bad times creep into your thoughts without warning and hurt you all the same. We’ve all been there, and a lot of us have tried to “drink to forget.”
What is most appreciated about Mr. Stapleton is his music/sound and NOT his looks. Chris Stapleton does not look like a lot of these” new country artists” that Nashville seems to want to churn out – not unlike many of the “hair bands during the latter part of the 1980s and early 1990s. He is not polished and coiffed to excess. He is just himself. An old boy from Kentucky who’s making DAMNED good country-blues music and should be appreciated as such. Pay close attention the expression on the faces of audience and their reaction to him.
For true lovers of music, and audiophiles like me, this collaboration was literally, music to my ears. Chris Stapleton has gained a new lifelong fan. Justin Timberlake continues to solidify his place in my music catalogue. It’s good to see that country music is embracing their “cross-over” musicians and fans. If you’re not listening to Stapleton then you should be; and if you don’t think that Timberlake can contribute anything worthwhile to country, or don’t think he has the background for it, you’re not paying attention. One of the biggest country music stars of current times is hails from Australia by way of New Zealand – Keith Urban.
Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake are two artists you should be keeping an eye on in country right now. And let us not fail to mention Mr. Sam Hunt who is also an artist to watch. He was nominated at this year’s awards and should NOT be overlooked.
Richard Linklater’s “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused and Boyhood, Everybody Wants Some, has been slated to kick off the 2016 South by Southwest Festival in Austin.
The 23rd SXSW Festival gets going on March 11 in Central Texas, and Linklater’s film is, so far, the only one securing a spot. Here is a quick overview of the film from the report in Variety:
“Everybody Wants Some” follows a group of college baseball players in ’80s Texas as they navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood. The film stars Blake Jenner, Ryan Guzman (who was a college baseball pitcher), Tyler Hoechlin, Wyatt Russell, Glen Powell, Will Brittain and Zoey Deutch.
Everybody Wants Some has gone though a few changes over the past few months. Once it became clear it would be Linklater’s follow up to his Oscar-nominated Boyhood, the film changed from its original title, That’s What I’m Talking About, to the current title. The theatrical release date following its premiere at SXSW is April 15.
It isn’t much, but the official Daredevil tweeted out the first teaser for Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix. The next instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘Jessica Jones’ premieres November 20.
Lionsgate released the first official trailer for Alex Proyas’ Gods of Egypt.
Magic, monsters, gods and madness reign throughout the palaces and pyramids of the Nile River Valley in this action-adventure inspired by the classic mythology of Egypt. With the survival of mankind hanging in the balance, an unexpected hero takes a thrilling journey to save the world and rescue his true love. Set (Gerard Butler), the merciless god of darkness, has usurped Egypt’s throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict. With only a handful of heroic rebels opposing Set’s savage rule, Bek (Brenton Thwaites), a bold and defiant mortal, enlists the aid of powerful god Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in an unlikely alliance against the evil overlord. As their breathtaking battle against Set and his henchmen take them into the afterlife and across the heavens, both god and mortal must pass tests of courage and sacrifice if they hope to prevail in the spectacular final confrontation.
The film stars Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Courtney Eaton, Abbey Lee, Geoffrey Rush, Rufus Sewell, Elodie Yung, and Chadwick Boseman.
Gods of Egypt will land in theaters February 26, 2016.
Wired spoke to Christian Alzmann, senior art director at Industrial Light and Magic about the return of the Millennium Falcon to the big screen.
“The big change on the Falcon is that radar dish, because it was knocked off in Return of the Jedi through some of Lando’s close-quarters flying,” Alzmann says (as if you didn’t know). “As far as the rest of the Falcon goes, we had a whole crew that went up to the archives and saw the original five-foot model from Empire. So the textures are from the original, pretty much. I’m sure our artists put a lot of love into it and fixed anything they found troublesome,” said Alzmann to Wired.
Wired used a single frame from the film for their big Star Wars issue.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be in theaters on December 17.
In anticipation of the November 25th release of CREED, we’ll be taking a look back at the ROCKY franchise and discussing why these characters and this world are still relevant and necessary forty years later.
Rocky IV is a movie in the loosest of terms. It is a series of images projected in mostly sequential order that has a beginning, a middle and an end. Looked upon in high esteem by kids who don’t know any better, frat bros and mentally disturbed older men, Rocky IV is the movie people are thinking of when they try to say they don’t like these movies.
If Rocky IV existed as the sole movie in the Rocky franchise, it would rightfully be considered a propaganda film. We pick up in the midst of the cold war, with Russia growing as a world power, exemplified by their now inhuman dominance in the ring. Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) is ripping out the collective throat of the boxing world and wants a shot at America’s champ, Rocky Balboa. Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), however, will have none of that and makes it his personal crusade to America all over Ivan’s Russian face. In a fight which the bloodbath is matched only by the pre-show theatrics (Apollo Creed getting jiggy with James Brown), Ivan Drago literally kills Apollo. Rocky holds himself responsible as he, upon Apollo’s orders, refused to throw in the towel as Apollo was being beaten to death. This sets Rocky off on his mission to avenge his friend, topple communism and do one-handed push-ups in the Russian wilderness.
Also, Paulie gets a robot that he programs to have a sexy voice and do god knows what with. America!
Sylvester Stallone directs for the third time in this series and makes it clear that his sensibilities have run wildly amok and further into the silly direction initially set forth by Rocky III. We are so far removed from the character of Rocky Balboa we met in the first two and a half movies that, aside from the major plot points, it’s hard to call this part of the overall canon. Audiences love Rocky because he’s a good man who got a shot at being great. That’s the backbone of American society. We the people feed on the belief that we are all going to be great one day. Ninety-nine percent of Americans will never see their dreams achieved (that’s based on actual science and charts and stuff) but that doesn’t keep people from trying every single day. Rocky Balboa is the embodiment of what it means to want something greater and, to a certain extent, achieve those goals. Rocky IV is the American wished fulfilled to a masturbatory degree. Not only did the good guy get a shot, but now he’s saving the world and toppling a destructive regime all with the power of his punch. That isn’t Rocky Balboa and even with the red, white and blue facade, it isn’t America. As we’ll find out in the excellent sixth entry in this series, it’s about how hard we get punched and keep moving forward, not the other way around.
Technically, Rocky IV is a breeze to get through. At a brisk 91 minutes, Rocky IV is at least not a chore in the physical sense. It’s an easy movie, filled with an absurd amount of montages and little actual drama. In what might be the ultimate ridiculous montage, Rocky’s all natural approach to training is spliced along side of Drago’s uber scientific, steroid-addled regime. Lacking the depth and character of all previous training montages, this one serves as perfect representation of everything the movie is.
In the end, Rocky has turned the hometown Russian crowd against their champion, Drago, and has even succeeded in getting members of the government to see the error of their ways. In his post-fight speech, Rocky says, “… we all can change.” Well, guy pretending to be Mr. Balboa, you’re not wrong. You’ve changed into something that walks, talks and smells like Rocky Balboa, but you most definitely are not Rocky Balboa.
Thankfully, we are coming to the wrongfully maligned Rocky V in which we finally get our Rocky back. He’s certainly been missed.
