By most conventional measures in North America, the “Summer Box Office Season” runs from the first weekend in May to Labor Day Weekend. Now that Labor Day Weekend 2015 has come and gone, we can at last bring you our inaugural Summer Box Office Power Rankings, showing which summer movies scored best on Monkeys Fighting Robots as well as with other critics nationwide and which fared best when it came to raking in the bucks!
By default, the chart is sorted by Rotten Tomatoes percentage, but you can use the arrows at the top of each column to sort by title, studio, grosses, or by Rating Score, the score either of our resident critics, King Felix or Dewey Singleton, gave in their reviews. Each of the scores is a link to that particular critic’s review, as well, so if you see a film with a score that you just can’t believe, click on it to get the score details.
So what does it all mean, aside from the fair guesses that the folks at Universal and Disney must be pretty happy with how the summer has gone, while Sony and Warner Bros. must be scratching their heads and wondering where things went wrong? Tell us in a comment what you take away from this – we want to know!
The Fantastic Four re-boot has crashed and burned in epic fashion, but what burns the most is what could have been. Fausto De Martini is a concept artist that worked on the project and put together some concept versions of the Fantasticar and cartoon side-kick that replaced the Human Torch, H.E.R.B.I.E.
“Just sharing some early development work I did on Fantastic Four. It was very early stuff but it was tons of fun to work on. I don’t think any of it made in the final cut,” wrote De Martini on his Facebook wall.
Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment today confirmed that Sam Smith has recorded “Writing’s On The Wall,” the theme song to SPECTRE, the 24th James Bond adventure. SPECTRE will be released in the UK on October 26 and in the US on November 6. The song, released by Capitol Records, will debut and be available to purchase and stream on September 25.
Multi-platinum selling artist Sam Smith has co-written the title song, “Writing’s On The Wall,” with fellow GRAMMY® Award winner Jimmy Napes. It is the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965. Smith’s debut album In The Lonely Hour launched at No. 1 in the UK and bowed in at No. 2 in the US, and has since earned five No.1 UK singles, four GRAMMY® Awards, three Brit Awards, six MOBO Awards, Q and AMA Awards.
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of SPECTRE, said, “Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for SPECTRE and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”
Smith said: “This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”
The 23 previous James Bond theme songs make up some of the most memorable movie music of all time. The previous Bond theme song, “Skyfall,” was performed by Adele, and was honored with the Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
ABOUT “SPECTRE”
A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond (Daniel Craig) on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.
Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.
As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.
Sam Mendes returns to direct SPECTRE, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 for the fourth time. SPECTRE is produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The screenplay is by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth, with a story by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.
SPECTRE is set for release in the UK on October 26, 2015, and in the US on November 6, 2015.
According to 11 Alive in Atlanta, police are searching for a man (“Gary” from Marietta) who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman attending the DragonCon.
The suspect introduced himself as “Gary” from Marietta to the victim at DragonCon on Sunday. The man was wearing an FBI baseball cap.
The woman wasn’t feeling well, and was allegedly led away from the event by the man, where she was sexually assaulted. The assault did not happen at the convention itself, police said. It occurred between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. near the Mall at Peachtree Center.
The victim’s friends was able to get a picture of “Gary” from Marietta, according to Atlanta Police Lt. Celeste Murphy.
Anyone with information on “Gary” from Marietta is asked to call Atlanta Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $2,000 is being offered in this case.
I must acknowledge the passing of the great horror director/writer/producer and sometimes actor Wes Craven—let’s give a shout-out to his appearances in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Castle to name a few. Wes Craven will be remembered as the man who created the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise with Mr. Freddy Krueger that made is difficult for EVERYONE to sleep after getting a gander. Craven directed three installments in the franchise, the original version, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors, and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Another very successful franchise in his arsenal is the Scream series and the Ghostface killer that he co-created. His passing has truly saddened my heart and the fans of wonderfully campy slasher horror films.
Below is out list of MUST see Wes Craven films in order of inception. Some of them are not strictly horror, but they do give us a glimpse into the oddities floating around in the Slasher Master’s head. We will miss you always Wes.
The story of two teenage girls out for a night and fun, in the form of a rock concert, and a little bit of mischief in the form or scoring and smoking some grass. Things turn sinister when they are kidnapped and brutally attacked by a group of crazed convicts. One of the girls makes it out alive and finds her way home. A storm hits, and the gang finds shelter at the summer home of the escaped girl. Her parents, realizing who they are, devise a plan full of blood and revenge. I guess parents really will do anything for their children…that includes torture, maim, and murder! Criminals BEWARE.
This is no National Lampoons Vacation and no Walley World at the end of their journey. Talk about a family vacation gone wrong. The Carter family are taking a cross-country trip in their camper when they experience some car trouble. They stumble upon a dilapidated gas station in the middle of nowhere where they find an old man trying to hang himself. They stop him and he tells them the story of his deranged cannibal kin living in the hills, warning them that they should get out of there post-haste. The family never stood a chance against this mob of opportunistic robbers looking for their next meal of human flesh.
Craven delves into the world of DC comics with this campy gem. The story centers around Dr. Alec Holland, a researcher studying plant species with sister and research partner Linda in the Louisiana bayou, in hopes of developing a hybrid that can survive under harsh conditions. Enter government agent Alice Cable, played by the vivacious Adrienne Barbeau. Romance blooms. The team makes a breakthrough, but unbeknownst to them, the evil Dr. Anton Arcane, a man obsessed with immortality, breaks into the research facility and steals the formula. During the attack Dr. Holland also becomes covered in the chemicals compound he created, he catches on fire, runs screaming into the swamp, and there he becomes the Swamp Thing. With this effort Craven is one of the few directors at the time willing to take on the “comicverse” and make it into something cool and watchable. His horror contemporaries were happy to remain in the genre where Crave was willing to take chance. It’s still campy, but he definitely caught my adolescent eye with this one.
We all know the story. A child molester and killer, Freddy Krueger, is a acquitted on a technicality. An angry mob of parents hunt him down, trap him a building, and then burn him alive inside. To get his revenge on those he believes have wronged him, he returns as a ghost in the dreams of the children of his murderers. With his dirty green and red sweater and claw made of blades, he sets out on a path to slash his way to his retribution. One, two Freddy’s looking for you; Three, four better lock your door; Five, six grab your crucifix; Seven, eight better stay up late; Nine, ten never sleep again.
This film is loosely based on the non-fiction book of the same title. Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman), an ethnobotanist from Harvard, barely escapes the Amazon jungle after acquiring some rare herbs. Upon his return he is approached by a large pharmaceutical company that contracts him to go to Haiti to find the origins behind an elixir, used in Voodoo rituals, that can turn people into zombies. They plan on mass producing the substance and using it as “super anesthetic.” When he arrives in Haiti he is thrown into a dark unknown world of folklore, rituals, and human sacrifice. Will he survive with his or his sanity? Check it out.
Another campy fun “horror” film from Wes Craven. Poindexter “Fool” Williams, our 13-year old burglar/hero, breaks into the mansion of his slumlords, the Robesons, along with two thugs from the neighborhood after being notified that his family are being evicted. He gets trapped in the house with the deranged, incestuous sister and brother duo who has been kidnapping children for years to raise as their own; that is until they disobey or disappoint them and then they go under the stairs to be replaced by another. Alice (AJ Langer), their “daughter” works to help Fool escape and to stay alive in the house of horror. In casa de la Robesons you speak no evil, hear no evil and see no evil, or you go under the stairs.
Aaaahh, Sydney (Neve Campbell). Who doesn’t know about the tragic story of Sydney Prescott and her murdered mother? In the first installment we meet her and horror filmed obsessed friends a year after the death of her mother. Two students have turned up dead and gutted and Sydney begins to suspect that the murders are somehow connected with of her mother’s death. Enter the Ghostface killer, who begin to pick off her friends one-by-one. But why is the killer so determined to make the young Ms. Prescott suffer? Because she had lived a charmed life and idea of her having to suffer for the sins of our “fathers” like the rest of mere mortals is only fair. In the following films of the Sydney saga she begins to understand the full extent of her mother’s treachery and the trappings and destruction that fame can cause.This is a true example of the sins of our parents coming home to roost.
For most of Arrow’s fanbase, Olicity is the bane of their existence and one of their biggest complaints of season three. However, change may be coming in the upcoming season fourth season, according to TheArrowVerse.com stating:
“According to sources at Dragon-Con a scene that is the “opposite” of the one featured in Season 2 – seen below – will be featured in Season 4 and will feature Oliver and Laurel. The scene in question was one that many fans (non-Olicity blind) call one of the most powerful that the show has delivered as it featured true chemistry between characters and very powerful dialogue.”
There was a hallway scene between Oliver and Laurel in season 2 and they'll have the opposite of that scene in this season.
Now, this could be pure speculation and what they mean by opposite, is up for interpretation. Season four could very well be the end Olicity, because it isn’t a matter of if, but rather when. Anyone with any sort of understanding about the Green Arrow character, knows within his mythos Black Canary or Dinah “Laurel” Lance, is the Lois to his Superman or Mary Jane to his Spiderman. So unfortunately Felicity fans, there is a time table on their romance within Arrow and if this information is true, it could very well be coming to a close this season.
Katie Cassidy has gone through some drastic changes in her role as Laurel through the last three seasons, physically and emotionally. The same can be said for the fans, which have gone from hating the character to wishing she takes on an even bigger role on Arrow, one of which is her relationship with Oliver. Whether it happens this season, the next or even two from now, it will happen. However, fans need to remember Arrow is a drama and sometimes story lines like Oliver’s relationship with Felicity, are needed in order to incite the drama that drives the plot, as well as story.
Just have patience Arrow fans, because Olicity is coming to a close and it could very well be this season if this information is correct.
There are very little things that we do not know about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, thanks to the internet, but one the characters that we’ve haven’t heard too much about is Jason Momoa’s Aquaman.
Momoa was at Fan Expo in Toronto over the weekend and he was asked about how he would portray Aquaman on screen.
“I can’t see me busting out a bunch of jokes. I mean, I don’t think it’ll be like that. I don’t think Aquaman’s going to be raping and pillaging any villages,” said Mamoa.
“You know, it’s cute and funny, I mean people make fun of him and there’s a bunch of jokes about him, but I’m like ‘Well, just wait. Let’s just wait a little bit, and then we can make jokes,’” said Mamoa.
Watch the complete interview below.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice is directed by Scott Snyder, and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jason Momoa, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gadot, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Diane Lane, Ezra Miller, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Michael Shannon, and Laurence Fishburne.
The film is set to open worldwide on March 25, 2016
For those of you who may not know, actor Mads Mikkelsen has been cast in a yet to be revealed role in Star Wars: Rouge One. I want you to take a look at how Mr. Mikkelsen signed his autograph on this Star Wars poster (Image courtesy of our friends at RebelForce Radio). He put the name Galen underneath his name. Do any of you super fans remember who Galen is? Could it be Galen Marek who just happens to be Darth Vader’s human apprentice?
Danny Boyle confirms his next project: a Trainspotting sequel that would include the original cast from 1996.
The director’s last movie, Steve Jobs, premiered this past weekend at Telluride Film Festival, during which Boyle told Deadline about the Trainspotting sequel that John Hodge has written. Hodge also penned the 1996 feature, which he was nominated to an Academy Award and won a BAFTA for in 1997. It was based on Irvine Welsh’s homonym novel and Trainspotting 2, the title Boyle referred to, is inspired by the author’s Porno, a follow-up to his original story.
“All the four main actors want to come back and do it. Now it is only a matter of getting all their schedules together which is complicated by two of them doing American TV series”.
Those two actors cited as working on American tv shows are Jonny Lee Miller (Sherlock Holmes in Elementary) and Robert Carlyle (Once Upon a Time).
In 2007 Boyle stated that he wanted to wait at least until the actors were in their 40s to make the sequel. “I could make it now, but the problem is they all look the same. I want them to look ravaged by the passing of time,” he said. By then, Ewan McGregor wasn’t so keen on the idea of a sequel after reading the book and not finding it interesting enough. But years later he was asked about it once more, to what he responded: “I’m totally up for it. I’d be so chuffed to be back on set with everybody and I think it would be an extraordinary experience”.
The fourth lead that would be back for the Trainspotting sequel is Ewen Bremner, who we saw in Snatch (2000).
After 20 years since Trainspotting was released and became a hit, can the sequel rise up to the level? The jury is still out for us in Monkeys Fighting Robots, but is this good news to you?
Whether you’re an anime fan who considers themselves the most hardcore Otaku or your only anime experience, comes from growing up on Toonami and Dragon Ball Z, it doesn’t matter. If you aren’t watching Gangsta. already, then you need to start now.
Generally, some of the biggest turn offs for those who can’t get into anime or even fans of the genre, come from what they view as too linear story lines, focusing on one dimensional characters and filled with overtly long exposes on powers and plot, as well as blatant fan service and pandering. These issues for some, deter them away from getting into anime or annoy longtime fans, in the same way comic clichés annoy longtime comic readers. Luckily, none of the above complaints that give anime the stigma it does as an entertainment genre, are even remotely applicable in Gangsta. and it’s what makes it one of the reasons, it’s the best new series of 2015.
Only 9 episodes released so far and 37 manga chapters deep, Gangsta. focuses on two “Handymen,” Nic and Worick, who engage in essentially a variety of mercenary like jobs, that are either too dirty or too politically involved, for the other inhabitants of the city of Ergastulum, to engage in. These Handymen are the only neutral force in Ergastulum, controlled by three ruling mafia families and one mercenary guild. This city is rife with tension between normal people and the “Twilights”, who are physically enhanced superhumans, originally created as military weapons but, are no longer needed in the current world. It is from this conflict between humans and Twilights, that runs as the main overarching plot point of the series.
Simply put, this is a series you need to be watching.
Most of what makes Gangsta. so original or even enjoyable for that matter, is that it doesn’t feel like an anime, outside of the animation element and some slightly over the top comedic scenes. The two main protagonists are not teens, but men in their 30s who are extremely flawed in their character. Nic is bordering mentally unstable and consistently overdosing on medications, to help him defeat stronger opponents. While Worick, is a gigolo who suffered severe child abuse at the hands of his father, leaving him physically scarred. This “physical scarring”, leads to one of the biggest plot pieces of Gangsta., between himself and Nic, who aren’t exactly as friendly with one another as the early episodes would led you to believe. Then there is Alex, the main female character who is a former prostitute, recovering from mind altering drugs used by her former pimp to essentially control her, with her own dark past which is slowly being revealed in the series.
The biggest things that people hate about anime, just aren’t an issue or even evident. The characters have depth and some real baggage to them. They don’t win because of friendship or some magical new transformation, but rather from pure luck or just grinding their way to a passable victory. The plot lines themselves have multiple layers and conflicts, as well as a history behind them that reflect more grounded storytelling, in how characters are motivated. Then there is the violence, which is gritty to the core but, nothing completely over the top, even if some of the abilities are exaggerated. Gangsta. is an interesting story, with phenomenal characters that hold more than one dimension, in what makes them tick and act. Everything about Gangsta. pushes it outside of the typical anime and really, just boils down to being a great story. Simply put, this is a series you need to be watching.
