James Gunn the director and writer of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 cleared a legal hurdle Wednesday morning when the legal department at Disney cleared the use of the Sneeper alien race in his sequel.
Why is this a big deal you ask? Sneeper is similar to the word meaning ‘clitoris’ in Icelandic. After countless hours of research on Mickey Mouse’s dime, the legal department has deemed that no one will be offended if these aliens are in a film.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be in theaters on May 5, 2017.
Sneeper update. A couple weeks back I told you how the Marvel legal department advised against using Sneeper as an alien…
Every anime season brings with it a number of shows that only clock in at about 4-12 minutes an episode. Sometimes, that even includes opening and closing songs, so the actual content is even shorter. Many of these shows have staff or cast members with very little work under their belts, and some are never picked up by a streaming service. Here’s a quick rundown of the shorts that are out thus far this season, aside from sequels to shows that I haven’t seen yet and those I can’t find legally streaming (which are all noted at the bottom).
Hackadoll the Animation
Director: Ikuo Geso Animation Production: Creators in Pack TOKYO (Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers, Rail Wars), Trigger (Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia) Streams on:Crunchyroll
Hackadolls 1, 2, and 3 are part of a social media news app, and have very bad performance reviews. If they don’t start “advancing” human life, they will be deleted. Their job is to gather a person’s interests and through those help people to “advance”. Hijinks ensue when one girl is embarrassed about her interests and everything the hackadolls try backfires. The show is a bit ecchi and there’s a bunch of breast shots (and grabbing, right in the opener). It’s not great, but it’s alright, and the fact that it’s based off a real news app amuses me.
Hakone
AKA: Onsen Yousei Hakone-chan Director: Takeyuki Yanase (Himegoto. Has also done a lot of animation director work.) Animation Production: Asahi Production (Himegoto, Million Doll, Sugar Bunnies), Production Reed (Supernatural: the Anime series, Nijiiro Days) Streams on:Crunchyroll
Touya’s job is to maintain and make offerings to the well/hot spring in his back yard. One day he accidentally drops his steamed bun into it while making a wish. Hokone, the spirit who guards the spring, eats the offering and makes fun of his wish (which was to be closer to a girl called Haruna-nee). She promises not to tell anyone about the wish for more food. Then she meets Haruna-nee and decides to honor the wish with less than stellar results.
I was disappointed in this show because Hakone looks sweet and cute, and I was hoping for it to be a nice slice of life as they try to build her powers back up. But Hokone seems like a “tsundere” character instead of a sweet one, and it looks like there’s going to be ecchi hijinks, so I’m not really as interested anymore.
Kagewani is a horror anime. The characters look like watercolored paper cutouts which makes the realistic backgrounds seem eerie. Also, the characters themselves look real when the “camera” pulls back.
This particular episode was about a film crew who goes in to a forest to film a fake dinosaur sighting, and they all end up being killed by a giant reptilian monster one by one. At the end, our science protagonist Sousuke Banba shows up, and something is clearly wrong with him. It’s wonderfully creepy. Some of the scenes reminded me of The Blair Witch Project.
Komori-san is unable to refuse to help someone who asks her for help. The trade-off is she supposedly has superpowers because of this flaw, but those haven’t shown up yet. The episode sets up Komori’s inability to refuse and the enjoyment she gets from helping others. Her friends try to think of ways to make Komori more unnoticeable so she isn’t taken advantage of, but nothing works. It’s kind of cute, but Komori has giant breasts for some reason, and the director makes sure you see them jiggle over and over again, which ruins the cuteness for me.
JK-Meshi!
Director: Mitani Yasumichi Animation Production: Kyotoma, Office Nobu. Neither have any other credits as far as I can tell. Streams On: Crunchyroll
The episode starts out with three girls studying for a history test. Then they get bored of that and one of them decides to cook for the others. They discuss all the ingredients and how they’re good for you. Then they eat the food. I would like the 3.5 minutes of my life I wasted back, please…but also, I kind of want to eat that tomato-miso-soup.
Lovely Muuuuuuuco!
Director: Romanov Higa Animation Production: DLE Inc. (Did a number of shows I never heard of, and the ending animation for Seiyu’s Life, which changed each week.) Streams on:Crunchyroll
Muco is a shiba inu who belongs to a glassblower named Komatsu-san. Komatsu-san is trying to set up a new website for his wares, and he is told to make his dog the company mascot to help attract people to his online storefront. The show is mostly watching Muco do dog things and a bit of actual plot, part of which is still seen through Muco’s point of view. It’s the cutest show this season by far. It seems to be the third season of the show, but the first two aren’t streaming anywhere and frankly aren’t needed to enjoy this season.
If you are the type to go on YouTube and watch other people’s dogs do cute stuff, you should consider this show. It also seems to be family-friendly. It’s always nice to have something you can show to kids or to people a bit wary of anime.
Miss Monochrome the Animation: Season 3
Director: Yoshiaki Iwasaki (Hayate the Combat Butler, Love Hina) Animation Studio: LIDEN FILMS and SANZIGEN Animation Studio (Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, The Heroic Legend of Arslan) Streams on:Crunchyroll
This show is simply continuing straight from the summer season. Miss Monochrome is an android who is striving to stand out and become an idol so she can get closer to KIKUKO, her role model and rival. She is still busy gathering up crew and resources for her first concert tour. In this episode she finds a DJ in the most unlikely of places, which is basically how she finds everyone.
Miss Monochrome definitely needs the background of the previous seasons to understand what’s going on. Fortunately, they are both on Crunchyroll. If you enjoyed previous seasons, this is more of the same kind of deadpan comedy, relying more on quirkiness of the characters and comedy of errors than any fabulous storytelling.
Aya Tachibana is a 6th grader who doesn’t really talk to anyone and thus has no friends currently. After having an embarrassing run-in with some popular boys from the KZ Soccer Team at her cram school, she ends up in a special class with them. This class is supposed to help people with grades that are outstanding in one area and poor in another, but if the show’s description is anything to go by, they are going to form a team and solve some mysteries together. First up will be finding team member Wakatake’s bike, which apparently has been stolen.
This is a typical shoujo show with a reverse-harem. We have the insecure female lead Aya, who at least seems able to stand up for herself, and we have our motley crew of boys so that fans can decide who to they want Aya to fall in love with depending on their tastes. Choose from surly Wakatake, flirty Kuroki, stoic glasses-wearer Uesugi, and fun-loving Kozuka! Despite its formulaic characters and plot, the show is cute and I found myself a bit disappointed that it is a not a full-length anime. It would have been nice if mystery was solved within the episode instead of just freshly revealed at the end.
Other Fall 2015 Anime Shorts
If watching a bunch of short shows is up your alley, here are some others which are airing this season. Not all of them are streaming, and there could be more since some shows don’t air until next week.
Teekyuu Season 6 – In theory, about girls in a tennis club. I hear this is debatable. Streaming on Crunchyroll.
Kyoufu! Zombie Neko – A cat rises from its grave but manages to make the townsfolk love it anyway. I would watch this one if it was streaming anywhere.
Neko Nanka Yondemo Konai. – This is a series of animated shorts about a boxer who becomes a manga artist after being injured. It is meant to commemorate the live-action movie which is coming out next year. Streaming sites haven’t picked it up, which is a shame because I would watch it.
Kowaban – A horror anime using the rotoscoping technique. If this is streaming anywhere yet, I haven’t found it. I promise you I looked, just because horror anime is so hard to come by.
Ameiro Cocoa: Rainy Color e Youkoso! – Season 2 of Rainy Cocoa.Funimation has it listed but so far hasn’t released episode 1 yet.
Bottom Biting Bug Season 4 – I don’t even want to know. This is on Crunchyroll.
Neko no Dayan: Nihon e Iku – Season 2 of Dayan the Cat. It hasn’t aired yet but season 1 isn’t streaming anywhere.
Fushigi na Somera-chan – follows the life of a girl who has mysterious powers. This show hasn’t been picked up for streaming.
Diabolik Lovers More, Blood – I haven’t seen season 1. It involves a girl who ends up living with sadistic vampire guys, and you can watch it on Crunchyroll. That extra comma is driving me nuts.
Attack on Titan: Junior High – This is a parody of Attack on Titan in which the characters are all in junior high. It’s actually amusing, so if you are a fan of AoT you should give it a watch over on Funimation. It’s a bit too long to be considered a “short”, clocking in at 17 minutes, but it’s still worth a mention.
After three months of waiting, iZombie has returned to us, it promises more witty dialogue, character drama, and brains. But does the first episode bring promise? The short answer yes, yes it does. The long answer? Well…
Spoilers
The episode starts pretty much right where it left off, sure three months have passed, but everybody still hates Liv (Rose McIver). We have Evan (Nick Purcha), who doesn’t even want to see her, Eva (Molly Hagan) who also doesn’t even want to see her, Major (Robert Buckley) is having a hard time talking to Liv, and Peyton (Aly Michalka) is nowhere to be seen.
The opening minutes set out to prove a couple of things, that it will pick up and continue the overarching story, but that it’s still a police procedural. The quality of both just as high as before. Particularly the dialogue is still witty as ever, especially with Old Man Liv around.
Speaking of which, the temporary personality gimmick in iZombie has always been pretty great, but in particular this episode was very strong in this aspect. With Liv yelling at teenagers, making witty insults, and making racist comments left and right. Liv was a nasty, mean, crude old man, and it was fantastic to watch.
Later in the episode we get to see what Blaine’s (David Anders) up to nowadays. This time working in a funeral home, and working to become the local drug lord. However, a couple of questions have been raised, why even bother working in a funeral home? Blaine made a comment about ‘the brains coming to you,’ but he’s a human, is he still supplying his old clients?
Of course Blaine also has another thing to worry about, finding some Boat Utopium in order to make some more cure. Which leads us to Don E. once more. You remember Don E. right? Major’s friend from the mental institute? Apparently he was involved with the Boat Utopium, yay for recurring minor characters!
Major also gets a fair share of screen time, we see his reluctance to talk to Liv, bored demeanor during his job, and tension with Ravi (Rahul Kohli). Major’s also just met another character, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) is still hung-up on the whole Meat Cute incident. Questioning Liv again and again about Major’s alibi, and beginning to hunt for Blaine. Clive also seemed a little more sensitive to how different Liv was, but that is probably due to just how insensitive Liv’s persona was this week.
We learned some interesting things this episode, the first being the fact that cured zombies can detect other zombies. We see this through New Hope’s reactions, and the two hair-raising zoom up scenes for both Major and Blaine. And of course it wouldn’t be important unless it was used for bad.
The bad this time being Max Rager hiring Major to hunt zombies for them. Max Rager is indeed still a threat, in fact they are set out to be the biggest threat this season. Major ended up accepting, thanks to a couple of audio clips. Which reminds me, how did they get those calls? Are they tapping Liv’s phone? The first phone call was from Liv to Major, while the second was from Ravi to Liv. This seemed like an oversight by the writers, but after seeing the final scene we might have found our explanation.
Speaking of the last scene, it turns out the Max Rager secretary is rooming with Liv. That’s… great, just fantastic.
iZombie season two has begun and it is ready to jump in, no breaks for us, thank goodness.
A Beetlejuice sequel looks more and more like it will happen. Most recently Winona Ryder confirmed her involvement on the Seth Meyers Late Night. Now Geena Davis would like an invite to the party. Davis told ET that Beetlejuice was a favorite and she acknowledged that 30 years have past and ghosts probably don’t age.
“I did hear that it’s really happening. No one’s talked to me about it. I would love to! That was one of my favorite movies, too.But ghosts probably don’t age, and it’s going to be 30 years now. Of course, I haven’t aged, but I think Alec Baldwin maybe has aged, perhaps,” said Davis.
No release date has been confirmed but Tim Burton and Michael Keaton are onboard for the project as well.
Those of you who have read my Archie reviews will have noticed that I am a big fan of the character known as Jughead. Indeed, the smooth, cynical but sensible sloth has been the breakout star of the reboot thus far, stealing every scene that he is in. I have noted previously that the updated version of is appealing because despite appearing to be a fool, he is quite a contemplative and mature character. A solo series gives us the chance to get to know Forsythe Pendleton Jones III a bit better, but does it live up to the high standards placed on it by its parent series? It’s worth saying that am a big fan of Chip Zdarsky. Zdarsky’s work on Sex Criminals (along with the fantastic Matt Fraction) has been revolutionary, engaging audiences in a way that few other independent comics have. Marvel’s Howard the Duck on the other hand, has proven that Zdarsky is one of those rare talents in modern comics who is as great an artist as he is a writer. He has made no secret of his affinity for the character. All he wanted was to draw a variant cover and instead, he was offered writing duties on the first spin-off which was originally planned to launch as part of the now infamous Kickstarter campaign.
This is definitely aims being more overtly comedic then the main Archie title. Whereas the humour is played pretty straight in that series, one could almost expect Jughead to come with its own laugh track. Less slice of life comedy, more 3 camera sitcom. Our man is quick and witty throughout, making his old pal Archie seem dull in comparison. The plot focuses around Jughead’s campaign against school authorities. He is initially quite skeptical towards campaigns because as a self-stylised “realist” he accepts that the world will never be perfect. Part of that is undoubtedly motivated by his own laziness. However, as comedy naturally dictates, Jughead is forced to care when the new principal replaces the normal cafeteria food with gruel. Wackiness ensures as our hamburger loving hero proves as resourceful as ever in his attempts to return junk-food to the student masses.
At times the characters seems to be more over the top than what has been found in the main book, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Were this to be exactly like the main Archie title then there would be little point to it.It’s an entirely different animal from Archie entirely and the line will be all the better for it. Zdarksy brings his own comedic sensibilities to the series and most of the jokes hit their target whether through clever,funny dialogue or the sheer absurdity of a particular situation. The issue features an amusing Game of Thrones parody in the form of Jughead’s daydream, but its inclusion will probably go over the head of younger readers. It also raises a different question as to who is the target audience for the relaunched Archie Comics brand. It’s arguably a bit of an odd choice for a first issue,unless pop culture non-sequiturs are to become a staple of the series. There are some jokes that rely heavily on an existing knowledge of character dynamics within Riverdale, but some of them have yet to be introduced in the reboot and thus, can be confusing.
Unfortunately, I struggle with the art which is something I haven’t experienced with the Riverdale reboot so far. To be clear, it’s not so much a problem with the new house style (I have no nostalgia for classic Archie), indeed Fiona Staples has done an amazing job on the core Archie book. There is an awkwardness to the facial features which is quite jarring. While Jughead and Archie manage to get off lightly, a lot of the female characters are drawn with unnatural expressions. There seems to be a desirability between the designs of Betty and Veronica in this book and those found in core Archie book. There is an overall lack of detail which makes the illustrations feel quite plain. There is some imaginative work to be found in the Game of Thrones section, but I will fully admit that this may be a failure on my part to connect with Henderson’s style, as her work on the UnbeatableSquirrel Girl is quite similar, but it doesn’t change the fact that the interiors are often hit or miss. I’m sure there might be many people out there who are fans of this approach but, much like the work of Chris Bachalo, it just doesn’t speak to me.
Jughead Issue 1 is a good first issue, it sets up the premise well and is packed full of clever jokes. It introduces those uninitiated to some of the nuances of the character and shows us the crazier side of Riverdale high. If you are looking for a lovable character and a series that doesn’t take itself too seriously then Jughead is for you.
In the beginning of Pan, the narrator pronounces “this is a story about a boy who will never grow up and a man with a hook, but it’s not like the story you have heard before.” Well, at the very least we can agree with the narrator; Joe Wright’s version of Pan is unlike any version of the classic J.M. Barrie story I’ve ever seen. Pan is a horrid retelling that amounts to $150 million train-wreck, visually resembling psychedelic puke. You would think, after all the delays this movie underwent, they could have got this movie right. But man oh man does movie have issues. Remember, this movie was initially slated for a June release and was moved back to this week in an attempt to add more special effects. MORE SPECIAL EFFECTS! You think that was the problem! I don’t know even where to start.
The film starts off with a very young Peter being left at a home for lost boys (get it … lost boys … trust me, it gets worse) during World War II in London. His mother Wendy (yes, that Wendy ) leaves him with a note: “I will see you in this world or next ( yes, I’m aware how bad that sounds).” We immediately are thrust forward to supper time, and Peter is 9-years old in line to get his porridge from a nun, and he’s discussing with another boy in line about how the other boys are moving in to better homes. Later on that evening, lo and behold, we have Pirates jumping into this orphanage and taking these boys. So eventually Peter is taken on to the pirate ship that happens to be on top of the orphanage in London and he’s on the ship of the notorious Captain hoo …. Wait… not hook .. Black Beard played by Hugh Jackman. He looks more like Freddie Mercury with a bit of Christopher Walken Hair. Is this starting to make sense? It gets better.
These boys are kidnapped to work in Black Beard’s mines so they can dig for Pixum ( that would the rock that fairy dust comes from … duhhh) and while in the mines Peter meets a fellow a miner who he befriends named James Hook ( yes, that James Hook ). They hatch a plan to escape. In the midst of the escape they run into natives, one of which is named Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara), who is as believable in this role as Elizabeth Berkley was when she played a druggie on Saved by the Bell. Do you get the picture? This film is one big imbroglio.
You might be holding out hope that at least Pan is pleasant to the eyes, but in reality it’s harmful to your soul. I don’t quite comprehend what they were shooting for when it came to the production elements in this film, but it seems every time the special effects team had a nice digital shot they decided … hey let’s add more psychedelic colors to this. The costumes are wretched, from Tiger Lilly’s headdress that looks like an accident a child would have when using the scissors too much on an art project, to Black Beard’s pirate like hipster outfit. Did the costume department for Pan just decide to throw spare pats all over Hugh? The movie is a frontal assault on the senses from start to finish.
To top it all off, we had a master class in overacting put on by essentially the entire cast. I don’t know who’s decision it was to have Hugh singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in the canyon but man did it immediately take me out the film. Garret Hedlund was the worse culprit of all, playing hook in this film. His character study amounted to just a really craptastic imitation of Jack Nicholson. I’m talking from his mannerism on down.
In the end, the narrator was telling the truth about this version of Pan. This is unlike any version of Peter Pan I’ve ever seen in my lifetime, a horrific/awful waste of time to watch this catastrophe unfold.
Marvel Studios may have found their writer for Black Panther. Joe Robert Cole, who is part of Marvel’s in-house writer’s program and submitted a script for Inhumans, is working out a deal to write Black Panther, according to The Wrap.
Marvel has yet to make an official announcement but they have used their in-house people before, Nicole Perlman wrote Guardians of the Galaxy.
Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman and Andy Serkis. The film is scheduled for released on July 6, 2018.
Marvel’s current comic book crossover event, Secret Wars, has been delayed yet again; the final issue won’t be released for purchase until December. The comic has also been subjected to bloated tie-in comics, confusing story lines, and a build up to the “All New, All Different” universe, which hasn’t been gaining a lot of interest say for a few titles like Black Panther and X-Men 92. And it’s a shame, because this inflated, convoluted, crazy crossover event shares its name with another inflated, convoluted, crazy crossover event. The only difference is the old Secret Wars is a really good comic.
Yes, back in 1984 Marvel created an epic crossover event as a way to sell a brand of licensed action figures for Mattel. Mattel was ready to create some awesome new action figures based off some fantastic Marvel superheroes. Marvel had the bright idea of creating an event comic to promote the action figures, and this is where the original Secret Wars came from. So, yeah, comics have been used to promote stuff for a while.
Snarky remarks aside, Secret Wars was a massive hit, and began the trend of the annual crossover event. Sure superheroes were teaming up, and there were superhero teams, but this was the first time dozens of heroes and villains came together to battle each other. It sold like hot cakes, and part of that was based off sheer epic scale the book created.
Spider-Man, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The X-Men, and Magneto, are brought to a planet called Battleworld (made of bits and chunks of other planets) by a extra-dimensional being called The Beyonder. The Beyonder also brought a bunch of super villains that include Ultron, The Enchantress, Molecule Man, and the always popular Doctor Doom. The Beyonder demands that these teams of good and evil battle to the death, and whoever is left standing will be granted ultimate power.
He is not happy.
The stakes are huge, and it’s a blast to read as allegiances change, friendships are tested, and heroism is put through the gauntlet. Secret Wars is also where a lot of classic and enduring story lines came from. The Hulk has to save the lives of all the Avengers under, “one hundred and fifty billion tons.” Spider-Man gets his iconic black symbiote suit. And She-Hulk joins the Fantastic Four. It’s really fun to read, and definitely a great book to pick up that shows how to do a proper crossover event.
Now, if we’re being fair, the book is not perfect. Despite the epic scale of the comic, there are a lot of questions that aren’t answered. The first and foremost, there’s never really a reason as to why The Beyonder is doing what he’s doing, or who (or what) he is. Sure they explain it later on, but it feels very odd that we as a reader don’t really know why the heroes and villains are there. Also, there are some bizarre inconsistencies of the comic. For example, The Thing keeps reverting back to Ben Grimm, but it’s never explained why or how. It probably would have been beneficial for more explanation about the rules of Battleworld or the Beyonder’s abilities (again it’s confusing when we don’t know who it is or why it’s doing this). There are other details of the comic too that are confusing, but I’ll spare the lecture, as they are just merely distractions from the story.
And after 30 plus years, the story really holds up as a fun adventure epic involving superheroes and villains. The art aged well with a classic comic book feel, the story is a little weird, but definitely entertainingly fun to read, and the huge cast of characters makes the book much more enjoyable.
Lionsgate released the final trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II, “Welcome To The 76th Hunger Games.”
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II is directed by Francis Lawrence and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, and Stanley Tucci.
The show takes places after a tragic end to her short-lived Super hero career. The series follows Jessica as she rebuilds her personal life and career as a detective who seems to get cases involving people with super abilities in New York City. Marvel’s Jessica Jones premieres on November 20th on Netflix.
The series stars Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, David Tennant as Kilgrave, Mike Colter as Luke Cage, Rachael Taylor as Patricia “Trish” Walker, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Marvel’s Jessica Jones is Executive Produced by series Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg and Liz Friedman, along with Jeph Loeb, who also serves as Marvel’s Head of Television.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix.
