Why ‘Freeheld’ Is The Most Important Movie To Come Out This Fall

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October 5, 2015

As I was leaving the theater Thursday night, I became immediately affixed on a group of elderly ladies who were leaving alongside me because of the scowls they were wearing. We had just finished seeing a very advanced showing of Freeheld, which stars Julianne Moore and Ellen Page. Moore plays Detective Laurel Hester, who is diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and must fight for equality for her partner, Stacie (played by Ellen Page), in order for her to have her access to her benefits after she dies.

I immediately had this notion that somehow, they were going to bitch about the context in the film; what I did see transpire was nothing short of astonishing. The ladies approached the wonderful studio representative and told her that they loved the movie so much that it had changed their views on Gay Marriage and equality of same-sex couples. Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that this movie is the best movie of 2015, but I will say to you that Freeheld is the most important movie to come out thus far.

It’s a realistic look at the heart of the equality debate in America. – Peter Sollett directed Freeheld, and the final product is a compelling glimpse into the equality debate. Take a minute to think about all the movies that center around Same-Sex Couples, and how many times you have seen that stereotypical gay character just feeding into the misguided stereotype. I’m sure some critics will point towards movies like The Kids are all Right as a film that doesn’t feed the stereotype. The Kids are all Right is more Hollywood, less of what is currently transpiring today.

When you check out Freeheld, what you see is a middle-class look at what truly is going on in America. Couples are often just trying to lead a normal existence, being ridiculed either directly or indirectly by people who, quite frankly, don’t know they’re even offending anyone. Freeheld shines a spotlight on this issue. Some may think this movie is simply about Gay Marriage, but that’s too marginalizing. This movie asks, are we truly equals in 2015? My favorite line in the film comes from Stacie when she addresses the board, who has rejected them time and time again to get what married people would take for granted: “Guys we are just normal people … who live in a house… not a great house.. kind of a fixer-upper… we are not perfect… we fight .. we are just people.”

It starts a discussion that quite frankly is overdue. – In our current world, people are more willing than ever to avoid making tough discussions. When it comes to equality, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone to say men and women aren’t entitled to equal rights. But if you tossed in the caveat that those men and women were gay, you wouldn’t nearly have the same result. In Freeheld, we are left to discuss whether or not we live a in truly equal world. Are we treating everyone in an equal and loving manner no matter what their sexual orientation? Does it even truly matter what your sexual orientation is or does love matter more? In the end as the board is fighting behind closed doors, one of the board members is shouting, “Well, I can’t compromise my religious beliefs” and the other members retorts “what about your belief in the human race?”

So, yes we will have plenty of excellent movies to discuss this year, and I would imagine some of them will surpass Freeheld. Remember, there is an enormous difference between the best movie of the year and the most important movie of the year. The most important movie of the year is no question, Freeheld.

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Fear the Walking Dead: All I am Saying is, Give ‘Fear’ a Chance

By

Khuwailah Beyah

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October 5, 2015

Fear the Walking Dead is a show worth watching and The Walking Dead core audience should really give it a chance.

We, meaning the modern viewing audience, are so accustomed to having things right now. Immediate gratification is the name of the game, but what ever happened to anticipation? The build-up, the waiting to for something good or unexpected to happen in good solid story line the makes us all go, “DAMN!”

Fear the Walking Dead has a slower pace than its cousin, but I think it is a pretty solid show. It’s solid in the sense that we have only seen the aftermath of the what this virus, this epidemic has done to the human population, but we don’t see the root of how Rick, Daryl, Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Carl, or the rest of the group got to that point of running on raw instinct and doing whatever they need to do to survive. We only have part of the story with The Walking Dead series and Fear the Walking is there to fill in the blanks.

Where The Walking Dead is pure energy and a high level of people trying to live to see another day, Fear the Walking Dead shows the humanity that was lost in the wake of the spread of this horrible virus. People still believed in the government and its ability to protect us, but no one is immune from this fate. And it very interesting to see this take place and we see how the hordes of scavenger clans came to be. We see how a place like Terminus could, and did, happen. We see what survival or the need to survive will do to some human beings.

AMC may be worried a bit about how the ratings are going, but they shouldn’t be. I would hope that the powers that be at AMC will let this show play out for while. I believe that if they cancel it now it would be a detriment to their network. So many great shows have been cancelled before they have really had an opportunity to catch on, before they had chance to come into their own. And I think Fear is one of those shows.

A prime example of a show that was not given the opportunity to grow into its own is Firefly. Fox Network canceled the show before it had a chance to be seen by a wider audience – sometimes it takes some a little more time to appreciate greatness – and when they are discovered people wonder why their were not more episodes. At comic/fantasy convention Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, and the rest of the Firefly casts are huge draws. People stand in line for hours just to meet the actors from the show and to cosplay as their favorite character.

Damian Lewis, possibly the next James Bond, and Sarah Shahi starred in the 2007 NBC drama, Life, about a cop that was falsely accused, convicted, and sentence to murder. Twelve years later he was exonerated through DNA testing and rewarded a VERY large undisclosed sum and is given his job back as a LA police officer. It was smart quirky show and it wasn’t give the time to flourish. The same can also be said about ABCs cop drama Life on Mars (2009). We must be very careful not to let Fear go the same way of those series.

Last night on Talking Dead Chris Hardwick made a good point. He said, “The civilization has to crumble. You have to get to know the characters first and then it can all, then it can all happen.” I actually agree with him. We are creating a culture that puts more importance on the “now” than quality entertainment and really understanding and getting to know a show and the characters. We are a “show me, show me, show me” kind of viewing audience. QUALITY matters!

For me The Walking Dead became a better show when we had the opportunity to learn a little more about the individuals in our core group BEFORE the “walker” apocalypse happened. In Fear we see the characters’ – Travis, Maddie, Liza, Daniel – and their humanity first, and then we will see it slowly fall away to the baser instinct to live.

So folks, just because Fear the Walking Dead is taking a little time to get to gore doesn’t mean it’s not coming. Humanity is not lost overnight, it takes time and experiences had by the living to get it to that place.

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Seth Grahame-Smith To Direct ‘The Flash’ In DC Cinematic Universe

By

Matthew Sardo

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October 5, 2015

Filmmaker and author Seth Grahame-Smith, who is best known for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Dark Shadows is in talks with for Warner Bros. to direct The Flash, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Flash will be introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and then be part of the ensemble cast in Justice League Part 1.

Ezra Miller has been cast as Barry Allen and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller worked on the story but have since departed the project.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be in theaters on March 25, 2016, Justice League Part 1 is set for a November 17, 2017 release, and The Flash will be in theaters the following year on March 3, 2018.

This is an interesting choice for Warner Bros., what do you think?

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NYCC: Dress Like Marty McFly And Get Free Pepsi Perfect

By

Matthew Sardo

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October 5, 2015

October 21, 2015 is quickly approaching and Pepsi has jumped on the Back to The Future II celebration bandwagon with a pricey bottle of Pepsi.

PepsiCo announced the promotion through USAToday:

“Fans have always been a little crazy about it,” said Lou Arbetter, PepsiCo’s senior director of marketing, about the scene in the film where a Pepsi Perfect is delivered to Michael J. Fox’s character through a futuristic pneumatic tube, “and so we wanted to take advantage of the fact that Marty travelled to the future, to this month, and wanted to actually come out with the product.”

The Pepsi Perfect bottle is a limited edition collectible — Pepsi is planning on only making 6,500 bottles. You can purchase the bottle online for $20.15, Pepsi recommends fans check out the company’s social media pages closer to the October 21 launch date to know exactly where they can purchase.

Pepsi will also be distributing 1,500 Pepsi Perfect bottles ahead of its general release during New York Comic Con this week to fans dressed as Marty McFly.

10.21.15 #TheFutureisNow #PepsiPerfect https://t.co/DCcND4SlDU

— Pepsi™ (@pepsi) October 5, 2015

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Keanu Reeves Gives Some ‘John Wick 2’ Story Details

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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October 5, 2015

Keanu Reeves recently spoke to Collider about the upcoming John Wick 2. The original film hit theaters October of last year, and was an immediate success both financially and with the critical masses. A sequel and potential franchise became inevitable, and the creatives involved are moving quickly to get this next chapter to fans.

Reeves dropped some very cryptic, Keanu-like hints regarding John Wick 2:

“I think we have a really good premise, and it’s an organic premise. It’s basically — to me there’s John Wick and then there’s John. You know, John is the married guy whose wife just died, and that five years of his life. Then there’s John Wick, who’s the mythical assassin. In this, John Wick’s past comes and infiltrates John’s life and John Wick, in a way, has to fight for John.”

That is a decidedly open-ended interpretation for John Wick 2. Directors Kolstad and Stahelski are privy to the fans and their admiration for the Hotel Continental, this magical assassin-friendly hotel where seemingly anything goes:

“Chad and the writer, Derek Kolstad, they’ve really listened to what people have enjoyed about the work and how they speak about it. So there’s definitely that influence of the other world, the Continental world, the look, the feel, what it is about the movie, what made people like it; is definitely being paid attention to and the world opens up in this chapter.”

Reeves also said filming should begin sometime at the end of this month, and he wasn’t entirely sure what the future of the franchise will bring. While the interview delivered no concrete details, it definitely gave an interesting glimpse as to direction. It should be just as badass as the original, but John Wick 2 also needs to feel new and fresh. That’s a tough high-wire act, one that derails a lot of sequels and franchises.

You can read the extended interview over at Collider.

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Showtime Dropped a ‘Twin Peaks’ Teaser. Blink and You’ll Miss It.

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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October 5, 2015

Showtime dropped an ever-so-brief teaser last night for the return of Twin Peaks, before their season debut of Homeland. The sixteen-secodn teaser didn’t show any of the new season, but it did hint at that David Lynch weirdness and musical taste we have all come to love (or hate).

Here is the teaser:

The thing to note here is this footage is from the old shows, so we still haven’t seen any new images from the show’s return. Fans of the original will certainly enjoy seeing the “Man From Another Planet” (Michael J. Anderson) back in the fold.

Twin Peaks will hit Showtime in 2016, 25 years after it abruptly left TV. David Lynch is directing the entire series, and original writer Mark Frost is also back to pen the screenplays.

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George Miller Confirms: Two ‘Mad Max’ Sequels Are On The Way

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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October 5, 2015

Following the success and, more importantly, the geek-fandom mushroom cloud that is the wake of Mad Max: Fury Road, fans have been eagerly awaiting the news of possible sequels from George Miller. It’s been assumed for a while that Miller is going to direct more Mad Max films, though nothing was set in stone.

Now, George Miller seems to be moving forward on the Mad Max sequels, though it may take some time for any of them to his theaters. Hell, Fury Road took a decade, so don’t hold your breath.

Miller spoke with Top Gear about Mad Max sequels, citing the long production of Fury Road as a chance for he and his creative team to flesh out more of the universe and, in the process, develop ideas for at least two sequels:

“We were then rained out of Australia. The desert rained for the first time in 15 years, and we ended up in South West Africa, Namibia. But in this process, we had dug down deep into the backstory, not only of the characters, but of every vehicle. How the steering wheels became religious artefacts and things like that… “So we ended up with two scripts, without really trying. We’re talking to the studio [Warner Bros] about it as we speak, but which one of the two stories will happen next, I’m not so sure.”

However, Miller also said before he heads back into the Mad Max world, he needs to do something a little less frenetic and on a smaller scale. Which makes perfect sense:

“I want to do a small film without special effects before I do any of that, just to do it quickly. We shot Fury Road for eight months… that’s a lot. Every day in the heat and the dust, doing these stunts, it’s very wearing. We’ve got two more planned, but at some point in the future.”

The next Mad Max film will probably be The Wasteland, which Miller had discussed this summer. The sixth film could be based on a novella, but that is down the road. At least we already know Tom Hardy is signed on for two or three more films (thought Charlize Theron has not been confirmed for any), so that should be enough to keep fans foaming at the mouth.

photo credit: [cnet]

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Review: ‘Concrete Revolutio’ Episode 1

By

Jennifer Valure

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October 5, 2015

Series Info

Director: Full Metal Alchemist, The Slayers Next, Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Animation Production: Full Metal Alchemist, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Noragami, Captain Earth, and many others!
Streaming on: Funimation and Daisuki. Chances are good that it will turn up on Hulu next week.

Overview

Concrete Revolutio episode 1 seems to have two different interchanging threads to give us a bit of character background and set up the plot.

First, we have the story of how Kikko, a magical girl, was recruited by a government agency via a man named Jiro. The Superhuman Bureau protects “good” superhumans and disposes of the dangerous ones.

A sting operation was set up in Kikko’s diner to help capture an alien spy. Once the alien was exposed, it lured out a “good” alien named Grosse Augen who has been fighting to protect humans. Unfortunately, Grosse Augen had possessed a human being and essentially killed him to live. After a crazy superhuman battle in the streets, Jiro sets Grosse Augen free and tells Kikko that the man who was possessed died a long time ago. Kikko ends up joining the Bureau to help protect super humans.

Interspersed with the backstory, we find out Jiro has defected from the Bureau, and agents are trying to take him down. Kikko is pretty conflicted, still calling him Senpai and saying she is 20 now (I assume this should mean something to Jiro). She eventually catches up to him and we discover the man who was Grosse Augen is not, in fact, dead. Jiro had disobeyed the agency way back when and let the man fuse with the captured alien spy. Jiro declares he will not go back to the Bureau.

Thoughts

The episode was a bit hard to follow because it jumped back and forth between the past and present with very little context to help you with what’s going on. I would think this trend would continue because we don’t have enough information to know why Jiro defected, and there are characters in the future timeline we still need to meet.

The art style of Concrete Revolutio is gorgeous. It has beautiful colors that reminds me of comic books and cartoons, and it is often shaded or accented with dots and lines like you would find in a manga or newspaper comic strip.

I love that this show has everything in it. We get magical girls, kaiju alien battles, a shape shifter, and a transforming giant unicorn mecha all in one episode. I can’t think of anything that’s not to like! Kikko’s outfit is over-the-top poofy and her magic is nuts. I think she’s fantastic.

Don’t get me wrong. Concrete Revolutio is kind of insane. But so are many other beloved series out there. I think this one is right up my ally.

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Red Band Trailer For John Hillcoat’s Heist Drama ‘Triple 9’ NSFW

By

Matthew Sardo

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October 5, 2015

Director John Hillcoat who is most famous for The Road, Lawless, and The Proposition looks to break into the crime drama genre with his next film Triple 9.

A crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist and the only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for “officer down.” Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck action-packed finale tangled with double-crosses, greed and revenge.

The film stars Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Gal Gadot, Teresa Palmer and Clifton Collins, Jr.

“He’s the kind of guy that likes realism. If you see a car chase that is supposed to be 110, 120 (mph) there is damn good chance that they’re really going 120 (mph). That is how Hillcoat likes to run, I really respect him and love him for it,” said Clifton Collins Jr. to Monkeys Fighting Robots.

Triple 9 opens in theaters on February 19, 2016.

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Watch ‘Fear the Walking Dead Flight 462’ Part 1

By

Matthew Sardo

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October 4, 2015

A group of passengers experience the outbreak aboard a commercial plane. A new installment of the 16-part series is available every week in the AMC Mobile App and on-air during premiere episodes of The Walking Dead.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, AMC has confirmed the web series will be called Flight 462 and debut on AMC.com on Sunday, Oct. 4. The series will be a 16-part series and then will air as promos during two commercial breaks within The Walking Dead season six premiere on Oct. 11. Follow-up episodes will run less than a minute and then air during the flagship series. Fear the Walking Dead showrunner Dave Erickson will produce while David Wiener will co-exec produce. L. Signorino and Mike Zunic will pen the script, with Fear DP Michael McDonough set to direct. As was originally planned, one surviving character will become a regular on Fear season two.

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