Peter King of Sports Illustrated released the first trailer to Peter Landesman’s film Concussion starring Will Smith Monday morning. Smith stars as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE and fought for the truth to be known.
“I have no position on whether or not people should play football or whether they should have their kids play football. To me, this is a story about making adult choices. Once you have the information—and the information has been obscured for a long time, it’s been buried and covered up by people who don’t want to damage the sport—the information is now out there, and I hope this movie brings together the information in a way that the general public can metabolize and now make their own decisions. So now that you know that concussions can kill you and playing the sport can kill you, it’s on every parent and it’s on every college player, it’s on every high school player and professional player on whether you are going to let your child play. It’s the same with smoking, drinking and doing drugs. I like to think in some ways that life is an occupational hazard. Something we do in our life is going to kill us; maybe now, maybe 50 years from now. You have to choose what those things are. We love to drink and be merry and be happy, we know it’s not good for us, but we do it. It’s about making adult choices,” said Landesman when questioned by King if people should still play football.
The film is written and directed by Landesman, stars Smith, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alec Baldwin, and Albert Brooks. Concussion will be in theaters on Christmas Day.
In a turn of events that quite frankly had me shocked, set plans for for highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens were being sold on E-Bay by a buyer based out of the United Kingdom. Within moments the item was taken down but not before we were able to acquire the images of what was actually being sold by this member of the Empire. Check out the images below.
Make sure you keep checking in with monkeysfightingrobots.com as we will keep you up to date with the latest Star Wars: The Force Awakens news as we countdown to December 18.
Y: The Last Man was a fantastically written comic book series by Brain K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra. Published by DC’s indie imprint Vertigo the book lasted for 60 issues, published between 2002 to 2008. The series is set in a world where all mammals with a Y chromosome suddenly die and all that is left is a young escape artist, Yorick Brown and his pet monkey, Ampersand. In this world of women Yorick has to travel the globe, avoid being captured or killed as he, a secret agent and a scientist look for answers to why all men have disappeared and find a way to save humanity.
There have been numerous attempts to adapt the series: I Robot screenwriter Jeff Vintar and Vaughn himself have written screenplay drafts, as well as Jericho writers Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia. Disturbia direct D. J. Caruso had long been attached to the movie adaptation with David S. Goyer set to produce. The likes of Shia LaBeouf, Zachary Levi and Alicia Keys have been attached roles in to the adaptation. The last director attached was Dan Trachtenberg and rights have reverted back to Vaughn and Guerra.
Y: The Last Man is a great series, deserving of its Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series . So we at Monkeys Fighting Robots have decided to look at ways of how an adaptation of the comic book series could work.
What other films and TV shows could influence an adaptation?
Though Y: The Last Man is a fantastically written comic book series it is not the first piece of fiction to look at an event that leads to a massive trauma for humanity, nor will it be the tackles such themes. There have been novels, films, TV shows, comic books and video games that could be used as influences for any production of Y: The Last Man.
One of the most obvious movies that could be used as an influence is Alfonso Cuarón’s adaptation of Children of Men, a classic sci-fi dystopia movie that shows the world has suffers from universal infertility and no children have been born 18 years, resulting in war and chaos around the world. Society is collapsing and Britain has become an authoritarian state to keep law-and-order. Since people are unable to have children many people have fallen into nihilism and despair. In Children of Men humanity has one hope, Kee, the first pregnant woman in 18 years and Yorick would be in a similar position, being the only person able to ensure humanity’s survival. Though the different would be that a Y: The Last Man would focus on Yorick, instead of being a supporting character like Kee was.
Another influence could be the HBO series The Leftovers, a series that tackles a similar theme of the impact on to society if 2% of the world’s population suddenly disappears. Families will lose loved ones, people question why the event happen with spiritual and religious upheaval, leading to changes in society. The impact in Y: The Last Man was even greater, half the world’s population dies in an instant; many women would see their husbands, sons, brothers and fathers die in front of them and because of the sudden death events like nuclear meltdowns and plane clashes happen around the world. In the longer term issues of law enforcement and political leadership become concerns as around the world there are power vacuums due to men dominating positions of power.
But Children of Men and The Leftovers are religiously themed while Y: The Last Man is not as concerned about these issues, so adaptation would be more focused on the sociological and social psychology elements that Y: The Last Man addresses.
The possible tonal and thematic approach
With the subject matter of half the world’s population disappearing any adaptation of Y: The Last Man would be a serious affair as the society of women who have to cope with their lost and rebuild the world. Yet Vaughn did inject moments of dark humor, political commentary and satire into his series. Vaughn touches on many issues, from women being underrepresented in political positions, the treatment of prisoners, particularly women being the victims of abusive relationships and harshly sentenced.
Y: The Last Man is not just a story about society having to dealing with its possible demise, it is also a familial drama about Yorick’s relationship with his politician mother and his sister who ends up joining a group of men hating militants called The Amazon.
Yorick own personal struggles play a part in the series from his survivor guilt for being the only man left alive, his quest to reunite with his girlfriend in Australia and his relationship with his protectors Agent 335 and Dr. Alison Mann.
Could a loose adaptation be the answer? This would be a high risk strategy due to any major deviations from the source material could result in upsetting fans of the series. Look at the bad press World War Z received before its release. But a successful loose adaptation can be done. Re-looking at Children of Men the movie adaptation is a very different beast to the novel it is based on with the only similarities being the premise, basic story and character names. Cuarón used the premise as a median to examine the themes he was interested in, looking at the war on terror, British attitudes towards immigration and policies that result, societal collapse and changing the approach towards the religious themes of the novel. A filmmaker could take a similar approach with an adaptation of Y: The Last Man, giving their own interruption to the scenario presented.
Y: The Last Man was a product of it time with its political jabs against the Bush Administration and the Republican Party; this would need to be updated for any film adaptation. V for Vendetta had a similar issue, being a very British-esque dystopia that criticized both Thatcherism and Anarchism in a world after a nuclear war. James McTeigue and the Wachowskis changed the focus to be on the War of Terror and how the spectre of terrorism is used to keep people in a constant fear and making the population obedient, transplanting American issues into a British setting.
A loose adaptation may be the only route to adapt Y: The Last Man. The series lasted for 60 issues and it would be difficult the series justice in a two hour long film. Either subplots would have to be cut or the film may end up having to be a sluggish affair as it tries add everything into the film. Even Vaughn wrote a loose adaptation when he was tasked to write a screenplay for New Line Cinema.
Maybe television is the way to go?
A more loyal adaptation of the series could be achieved in a television adaptation, giving the story more time to breath and explore all the avenues the comic book series. The Incredible Hulk and Now You See Me director Louis Leterrier did express an interest in adapting the series as a TV show back in 2010.
HBO has had great success with their adaptation of George R R Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, better known as Game of Thrones. The show follows the novels closely, particularly in the early seasons and it be applauded by fans and non-fans of the books alike. Y: The Last Man could follow the success of Game of Thrones as a loyal adaptation of its source material.
AMC’s The Walking Dead is another example any Y: The Last Man TV Show could follow. The Walking Dead is a looser adaptation of its comic book series, yet it is a show that lifted the bar for zombie apocalypse fiction. Like The Walking Dead a Y: Last Man series could look at how different people and groups survive and change due to the crisis. On a technical level The Walking Dead would be a model to follow because the first half of the series is set in the countryside of America, so the show could be filmed in location like Louisiana or Georgia. They could even double for Australia and France later in the story. Both Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are merchandising juggernaut and a Y: The Last Man could aim to emulate that success.
As already stated The Leftovers is a show that touches on similar themes about the lost of a large portion of the world’s population suddenly disappear and a TV show could look at the social impact of lost of men and may even expand the story beyond the confines of the comics.
Who Could Adapt Y: The Last Man? Though Y: The Last Man is a great comic book series the attempts at film adaptations have only attached lightweight talent. However the series has big name fans like Joss Whedon and Damon Lindelof. Whedon would be a fantastic fit for any adaptation, whether cinematic or televisual: just look at his body of work. He has a proficiency for writing strong female characters and his style of humor matches what is in the comics. Vaughn himself has been a successful writer, working on Lost and was the creator of Under the Dome. He could always ask someone like J. J. Abrams to produce a TV or film adaptation. There are plenty of networks where Y: The Last Man could work as a part of their link up, like AMC, Netflix or Amazon.
If we ever get to see a film adaptation of the comics it will require someone who would be able to handle all the complexities of the society in Y: The Last Man and be able balance its drama, dark humor and satire. It would be a mighty task to adapt the series but it has an interesting world that writers and directors could play around and make another great dystopia movie.
I married a cosplayer. Though I was already a huge geek on my own and even cosplayed once or twice in my life, I found that it was nothing compared to what my wife does. Though she is an adorable cosplayer and enjoys the photo shoots, the con prep work can often be overwhelming. Being a supportive husband, I find myself wanting to help my wife with her hobbies but I don’t know how to sew. Luckily I have found other ways to help get her costumes ready in time for the convention weekend. What follows are ten things a person can, will, and should do while being married a cosplayer to help them succeed.
1. You will go on perilous quests for specific items
When there is a particular color sharpie, paint, or type of makeup that is needed for the cosplay in question you will find yourself running to multiple stores to find that one item to complete the costume. You’ll often find that some stores will not carry or have any idea about what you’re asking about. It may become frustrating but having a good playlist in your vehicle helps.
2. You will go to stores you have never been before for said items
Ever heard of a bald wig cap? No? Well, you will, and you will find yourself in a store you have never heard of before to get it. Probably some hair place or boutique you didn’t know was in the shopping plaza you’ve been to a million times but didn’t go into until now. Don’t feel awkward going in for the first time. You’re a person on a mission. Get the item you need and head home. Treat yourself to some candy if there is some by the register. Little gifts will help keep you going.
3. You will have to run the house
There is only a week left before the con, and it’s crunch time! Your spouse needs to spend every moment they are not at their day job, working on their costume. That leaves it up to you to make sure the place doesn’t become trashed on a daily basis by cleaning it all by yourself. Also, learn to love leftovers and freezer meals as they will be very useful during this period.
4. You will learn patience
There are no doubt a million other things you could be doing to get ready for the con or just other stuff that life demands of you. But you agree to help your spouse. Calm down and be patient. Remember, it will soon be con weekend and after it’s over life can return to normal.
5. You will become a Macgyver over props
Does your spouse need a prop for their cosplay the day you are about to leave for the convention? Not a problem. Just grab a Happy Meal toy, get the spray can, some tape and before you know it you’ve made a microphone. Results will vary from person to person, and you will have a few failures before you get it right.
6. You will learn to master the art of packing the car
Let’s see. Your clothes and toiletries. Check. Spouse’s regular clothes. Check. The bag with the first costume. Check. Makeup for it. Check. Props for the it. Check. The bag with the second costume…
You get the idea. You will become very creative with packing your vehicle or sometimes cars for the con with everything in tow. You will learn to take out seats and even empty the glove compartment if you find it helps you get just an inch more of storage space.
7. You will have to be moral support when you are exhausted
Remember if your spouse doesn’t finish the costume then they can’t make the photo shoot. In the late hours before the con starts, they will be exhausted and wanting to throw in the towel, and you may be wanting to tap out with them. You will have to suck it up and give them the confidence booster they need to be able to keep going and get the costume done. Hang in there!
8. You will learn to appreciate a cosplayer’s sewing weekend
The cosplayer’s sewing weekend. Just your spouse and their cosplay allies working on their costume and having a good time. It will be a very enjoyable event especially as the time starts to tick down. They will be around other people who know how to help them with the costume and make sure it’s done in time. It will also give you an opportunity to take a breather and relax, especially if it’s at someone else’s place and you can be alone to collect yourself.
9. You will get the brush off and not have to care
If your spouse is giving you the brush off as they are crouched over a sewing machine feverishly working on their costume, don’t take it personally. They have entered into a creative zone and will get the most work done now. Just do all that you can to help make sure they don’t leave the zone. Unless its help going to the bathroom. They should be able to do that on their own.
10. You will love every minute of it
In the end you’ll realize that you did it all for the person you love and want them to be happy. A little discomfort and exhaustion are worth their smiling faces while taking pictures at their photo shoots and hanging with their friends. It might be tough but in the end it was worth it.
Congratulations! You are a good spouse and deserve a long rest…because there will probably be another con in the future, and you’ll have to help prepare for that one as well. Good luck.
Recently IMDB 250 top TV series of all time was released. And wouldn’t you know it, 28 of these selections just so happen to be Anime. That a whopping 11%. Now I know that it doesn’t seem like much but considering this is a of all time list from a site that generally doesn’t look at anime that way, I’d say its pretty impressive. So what do you think of this list and did any of your favorites happen to make the cut? Or is there any shows that you think should have made this list? For one thing I’m really surprised that Madoka Magica didn’t make it but I guess most of these series are kind of generic shone stuff or mecha, so it’s not that surprising. Mushi-shi is probably the only show that doesn’t fit into that category here.
24. Cowboy Bebop
28. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
32. Death Note
44. Dragon Ball Z (North American version)
48. Dragon Ball Z (Japanese version)
57. Attack on Titan
63. One Piece
66. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
71. Dragon Ball (Japanese version)
76. Dragon Ball (North American version)
78. Hunter x Hunter (2011)
85. Steins;Gate
87. Dragon Ball Z Kai
91. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
92. Berserk
106. Fullmetal Alchemist
120. Samurai Champloo
128. YuYu Hakusho
134. Neon Genesis Evangelion
141. Rurouni Kenshin
143. Monster
158. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
159. Mushi-Shi
177. Hellsing Ultimate
205. Trigun
213. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
225. Detective Conan
246. FLCL
Of course like any poll this is strictly user based voting so don’t let these results get under your skin too much. I mean Dragon Ball made the list five times. I’m not even sure how I feel about that.
After all the waiting for things to make sense, and anticipation for something greater, Charlotte’s “Time” has come. And not only has it appeared but its been kicked right into turbo and things are going to start happening very fast and they are going to be very important. So put on your thinking cap and keep the tissue box close and try not to get lost from here on out.
Episode Summary
Yu acts like a girl when picking out clothes to go meet Nao for the concert. When he sees her he recognizes her beauty and sort of stumbles on his words as a result. Nao still seems to be very enthusiastic about the concert while still being dismissive towards Yu and their closeness. They wait in line hours before the concert to get merchandise. Nao is ecstatic about the experience and being happy all the while. At the end of the concert ZHIEND plays a new song that Yu somehow has heard before. He freaks out and passes out and wakes up listening to the same song somewhere else, now with Ayumi sitting next to him.
Now him and Ayumi are in the scientist’s research facility and we’re clearly in another timeline or something. Yu is aware of things that have been going on and is in the midst of planning an escape. His escape is helped by one of the more progressive thinking scientists who help him out of his cell when Ayumi’s ability shuts down a part of the facility. Yu breaks into running to go free his brother who has the power to time travel so he can change their fate. Yu uses his full ability, which is to take other abilities, and makes it to his brother who uses his ability causing Yu to wake up in the timeline were familiar with.
The drenched guy (Kumagami) walks into the hospital room where Nao is with Yu. Yu remembers seeing him in his dream and being an important part of the escape. Yu clearly has questions and when Kumagami reveals that he knows Yu’s brother he demands he sees him. Of course the reason Kumagami is here is for exactly that, also with the prospect of saving Ayumi. It’s also revealed that Yu’s older brother Shunsuke has also been a big influence in Nao’s life post scientists, and is the person she was cryptically talking about in episode two.
They go to a secret underground base and Yu is reunited with Shunsuke. Shunsuke appears to be blind. The episode ends with him about to reveal his history with time travel.
Episode thoughts
Now while the meat of this episode clearly lies in all the exposition that is delivered. I’d like to first start off with the status of Nao and Yu’s relationship. In this episode we see Yu looking at Nao in a more feminine way. And while it may be because she’s wearing cute clothes, I think combined with the fact that he himself didn’t know what to wear means he is wanting Nao to look at him in a certain way. But There clearly is some hesitation to take the plunge, so he discretely tries to probe Nao and see her reaction to the idea and implications of them being a couple. Nao acts dismissive towards these thoughts and almost makes it seem like the idea is disgusting to her. So while Yu may be coming around it seems Nao still is keeping her distance. But I’m pretty sure that her emotions will be more developed and justified with the upcoming events.
ZHIENDS concert for the most part was pretty entertaining. Considering that this is a Jun Maeda show I thought that the concert animation would somewhat resemble the “Girls Dead Monster” concerts of Angel Beats!.[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi7qYAmPF3E[/embedyt]
But it was definitely serviceable to getting the tone of the songs and how the characters watching the concert were feeling. I guess I just was hoping for too much on this one. As for the songs, they were mostly fine. Sure the lyrical timing of using English words seems off still as a native English speaker, but the message of the songs is impactful enough for me to compromise. But I did truly love the song “Trigger”. It was obvious that this song was the best written and it shows in the way the lyrics are structured and how it seems to be pertaining to the overarching story. I hope I can download it eventually because I would love to have this song on my phone.
I also think its ironic that the song is named “Trigger” seeing that the song itself is a trigger for Yu to remember things about an alternate life that he has forgotten. It’s subtle enough that it could go over your head easily, but if you happen to catch it, it’s a nice treat. And because of this “trigger” we’re treated to this glimpse to another time, allowing things to finally start to makes sense. We are finally finding out how certain prior events relate to the greater story. And we are narrowing down to a through line for the show and possibly an idea of what the conclusion will be.
One thing that is brought up is when Yu is talking with one of the researchers is quite interesting when you relate it the direction the story seems to be going in. Seeing that this researcher sees things differently from others has made it so he’s been ostracized. This shows the difficulty of having an idea that may be better for everyone but people are too stubborn to accept it. Changing the minds of people is hard but its something that needs to happen in order for us to progress. This can be equated to Shunsuke’s time travel ability and directly effecting the way things are, and how Yu needs to trudge through a possible unfavorable situation to get to the favorable outcome.
As for all the characters we see here in the facility, I can’t make a real determination until we see them more. Sure we saw the pink haired girl again who was there when Ayumi died, but we still don’t know how she pertains to the situation yet. But with the prospect of more important characters I hope they don’t forget about Yusa and Jojiro. Sadly I think they’re trying to do too many thing at once and I don’t see these characters being fleshed out enough by the end of the show.
Yu on the other hand is shown as a very important person in this time-line. While he is obviously the protagonist of the show, here he’s shown as a protagonist of the world itself. This gives his roles more importance to the world and not to just us as an onlooker of him. And with the reveal of his true ability and his importance in this scenario, it makes his quote from the beginning episode make more sense in context. Its getting more and more clear that Yu is connected to everyone, but just how much and why is still to be revealed.
One thing I did find odd was that Kumagami knew when to show up at right time when Yu gets his memory back. It seems a little convenient too, considering that the fact that he went to the concert and received “trigger” was all a coincidence. That is unless the fact that Sarah bumped into Yu in the last episode wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe she’s connected to this in a way too and she was prepared to give him a ticket and get him to the concert if Nao didn’t invite him. So the show may be taking measures to manipulate the events, which makes sense when your dealing with a show that has introduced the idea of time travel. And I’m not sure how yet but I’m pretty sure that the reasons Sarah and Shunsuke are blind have to be one in the same. Which could strengthen the argument that she planned to bump into Yu to get him to her concert to receive the “trigger” for his lost memories.
Clearly Charlotte’s “Time” has come and its somewhat clear where the story is going from here. Something to do with saving Ayumi and using time travel as the means to do so. But Shunsuke must have a grander plan beyond saving his sister and plan on saving everyone with abilities. Its clear his plan is already in motion and things have turned out the way they are for a reason. And the fact that he’s the one who helped Nao and set her on the path she’s taken must mean that she has an important part to play as well. But like I said it doesn’t seem like Yusa and Jojiro will get even close to the same level of importance.
At this point the plot and story really have me guessing more that it ever has so far. I just hope they don’t get too out of control and convoluted with the time travel mechanic. And there is also the addition of so many characters that it doesn’t seem that they all can have satisfying conclusions. Charlotte has four episodes left to deal with the heap of plot and character that it has introduced this late in the game. And hopefully they can manage to wrap up everything in “time”.
If today has proven anything it’s that the internet is a treasure trove of information if you know where to look. Earlier today, leaked footage of Star Wars: The Force Awakens made it’s way to the internet and now we have something new to share. What we have here is what looks to be stills of scenes shot in Ireland of what appear to be Mark Hamill. Check out the images below!
Make sure you keep checking in with monkeysfightingrobots.com as we will keep you up to date with the latest Star Wars: The Force Awakens news as we countdown to December 18.
Star Wars fans everywhere have been clamoring for any sort of hints, clues, and or footage to give them insight into The Force Awakens. Well, the wait is over as this afternoon behind the scenes footage was leaked onto Reddit. You may recognize the scene from the latest trailer that has been released.
In the process of setting up this post we also stumbled upon this video that was apparently leaked not to long ago.It appears to be some sort of battle scene that they were filming.
Make sure you keep checking in with monkeysfightingrobots.com as we will keep you up to date with the latest Star Wars: The Force Awakens news as we countdown to December 18.
Sometimes the internet can give you such wonderful things, especially if you are a huge Marvel fan.
Early Saturday morning screen shots leaked from the highly anticipated Captain America: Civil War trailer that played at Disney’s D23 fan expo a few weeks ago. As you can see below we get our first glimpse of Black Panther, Captain America vs Crossbones, and so much more.
Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.
Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Chadwick Boseman, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, and Martin Freeman.
Captain America: Civil War is set for release on May 6, 2016.
Update, Someone pieced together the GIFs to make a trailer.
