Basketball superstar Kyrie Irving’s alter ego, Uncle Drew, an old man who schools younger kids on the court, got his own movie in which Blue Whale Studios was in charge of turning NBA players into old men for a charming sports comedy.
You may have heard the holler during commercial breaks, and it goes something like this “Uncle Dreeeew!” Well, the old man on the screen dunking and driving around younger players on the court is Kyrie Irving, the NBA superstar who embodies the title character. Uncle Drew is a creation for commercials and viral marketing to boost Irving’s brand (and Pepsi MAX), but now it’s a feature film with a cast of other NBA stars such as Shaq, Chris Webber, or Reggie Miller and WNBA star Lisa Leslie. Uncle Drew opened to strong box office numbers and some great reviews.
Both Jonah and Matthew are veterans in the industry with decades of experience between them. But the two business partners took some wildly different roads to get to where they are.
Jonah: “I’ve been in this business for about 25 years. I started when I was 17.”
Matt: “I was going to college to teach choir and fell into an apprenticeship. It was totally random. I fell in love with it over the years.”
Jonah: “Matt and I met through a former intern we each worked with. We had an instant connection and realized joining forces to open a business in Atlanta is the right move.”
Dealing With Sweat
In your average movie, the actors in makeup aren’t running around dunking and playing defense. So, some special challenges came with Uncle Drew.
Matt: “The end goal is putting out the most realistic, accurate makeup. In this context, working with athletes … we had to make really conscious decisions about how many pieces and how heavy because these guys are going to be playing real basketball. They’re going to be running up and down the court in the Atlanta summer heat, sweating their faces off.”
Jonah: “Literally. We have a story about that.”
Matt: “Christ Webber, one of the most amazing guys. He ended up having an allergy to the main prosthetic glue that we use. So we had to switch to something that was water-based. The minute he’d sweat it was ‘face off’ … We were chasing him around to keep his face on.”
Bringing Characters To Life
Jonah: “One of the things about creating them [Uncle Drew characters]; it was important to get the realism right but also create these wonderful characters. In a case like Shaquille O’Neil, he’s a big guy, he’s hard to hide, so it was making his character match that larger-than-life persona.”
Jonah: “A project like Uncle Drew was such a collaborative effort. The first meeting we had with Producers Marty Bowen, John Fisher, and Director Charles Stone was a meeting of the minds. And the question was also, can we do it?”
NBA players are training a lot among fulfilling countless other commitments. For Uncle Drew, they had six weeks of prep-time.
Future Acting Star?
Matt: “I think people are going to be blown away when you see Chris Webber’s performance. Kyrie is great too. But there’s something about Chris.”
Jonah: “I agree. We couldn’t have asked for more with the casting.”
What’s Next For Blue Whale?
Jonah and Matt were speaking to me after a day of work on a new film project in New York. For now, they were sworn to secrecy about it, so stayed tuned. However, what’s next from the pair and their company?
Jonah: “You’ll see our work in the upcoming Venom movie.”
Uncle Drew is in theaters now and thanks to Impact24 PR for making this interview possible.
Last night’s episode of Succession was deftly constructed from the writing, blocking, and even the pacing resulting in an entertaining yet pivotal sixth episode.
Writer Susan Soon He Stanton demonstrated a great deal of savvy shifting the focus of the episode continually showing the many contributing towards this vote of no-confidence. Stanton’s writing didn’t highlight the bravery of Kendall (Jeremy Strong), but the failure of others for not standing by their convictions. Andrij Parekh’s direction demonstrated a deep understanding of the events unfolding. The writer and director needed to be in sync or Sunday’s episode would have been a disaster.
Jeremy Strong, photo credit: Peter Kramer/HBO
Sunday’s Succession centered around the forthcoming vote of no confidence against Logan (Brian Cox). Kendall (Strong) is bouncing from board member to board member trying to shore up the “yea” votes.
Roman (Kiernan Culkin) attempts to sway any neutral voters. Logan heads to Washington so he can meet with the president about an upcoming acquisition but is snubbed. Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) attempts to take Greg (Nicholas Braun) under his wing, so he knows how to act “rich.” Shiv (Sarah Snook) is exploring her options in D.C. and potentially the body of a former flame, who happens to be a consultant for the candidate her father loathes.
Sarah Snook, photo credit: Peter Kramer/HBO
This episode will long be remembered as the one where the fiery Logan Roy emerged. Cox unleashes his rage on those who sided with Kendall (who he now views as traitors). Logan is someone who thrives on order, and he’s answered to no one for so long.
When he is challenged by these “usurpers,” Logan tries to squash the vote immediately. When Frank told him that he wasn’t following procedure, the rage only got worse. Cox’s delivery in this scene is what made this moment much more believable. He quickly can pivot from pleasantries to sarcasm and of course blinding rage which certainly speaks to his instability.
Rob Yang and Kieran Culkin, photo credit: Peter Kramer/HBO
Sunday’s episode of Succession was undoubtedly a visual one (which is probably one of many reasons Andrij Parekh was picked to direct). Every one of the players during this high stakes moment kept their intentions hidden until the last possible moment. Even when Roman was telling Kendall that he was on all for the vote, anyone could see the doubt in his eyes. It wasn’t some moment where he valued his father; Roman saw this as an opportunity to eliminate some of the family members who were in his way to reaching the top.
Seeing each of them tells Kendall precisely what he wanted to hear was an excellent example of our survival instinct kicking into overdrive. Patrick Capone’s cinematography enhanced this experience by making use of close-ups so the audience can see the anguish on their faces.
Brian Cox, photo credit: Peter Kramer/HBO
Overall, Succession delivered one the best moments in television in 2018 (so far) and set the stage for what lies ahead for the Roy’s. Will Roman ascend to CEO? Where does Shiv fit in all of this? Only time will tell.
Tim Wardle’s Three Identical Strangers lulls audiences with a pleasant and uplifting first half only to blindside viewers with a twisted backend to a true story which is riveting while attempting to challenge the notion of nature vs. nurture.
Three Identical Strangers is yet another excellent documentary in what has been quite a renaissance for the often maligned genre. For those who have read up on the case, Wardle’s brand of storytelling doesn’t pass judgment but avoids sugar-coating the facts surrounding the adoption of triplets to three different families, all in the name of science.
Our story begins with Robert Shafran who went away to school and was “greeted” in an odd manner by the other students. The kisses and high fives are generally reserved for someone who had been around last year, but he was just a freshman. He thought they were just “friendly” until an unknown student (who later find out is named Michael) stormed into the room. After the shock of what he immediately wore off, he told David that he had a twin who went to the same university. Eventually, these two (David and his twin Eddie) are connected, and life becomes a whirlwind for them both. A media frenzy begins to build, and the two boys find their image plastered everywhere leading to the discovery of David (their other brother) and the reuniting of these boys who were unfairly separated at a very young age by Louise Wise adoption services. What starts off as a cruel set of circumstances becomes the slow realization that their separation was done with intent and far from an accident.
Wardle’s straightforward approach to storytelling is incredibly helpful when attempting to get through the many layers of this shocking tale. He doesn’t seek to politicize anything and keeps the focus squarely on the children who had their youth manipulated by various doctors. What audiences will appreciate is how he’s not afraid to ask probing questions in the interest of seeking the truth and isn’t malicious towards others (which he easily could be). With every layer of the mystery becoming unraveled came a surprising amount of tension. As more children spoke up about their similar experience, the feeling of astonishment swelled. How could this happen? Why did this occur?
Three Identical Strangers is edited quite well as it highlights the media circus which grew out of control while splicing in clips of the boys discussing their feelings during those moments. It was as if we were watching a video of their life with the triplets providing commentary. The meticulous pacing of the film was certainly appropriate making sure none of the details were diminished.
Avoiding seeing this documentary would be robbing yourself of a fantastic experience seldom found in many releases. Three Identical Strangers delivers a poignant message and shows the world that there are lines one can’t cross even in science and especially if it involves children.
It’s been more than a week since BATMAN #50, written by Tom King was spoiled days before its release. A New York Times article released on July 1, 2018, entitled It Just Wasn’t Meant to Be, Batman rocked the comic world with many disgruntled fans up in arms for a variety of reasons. Now, I’m not here to debate the purpose of the New York Times article or to choose sides. The point of this article is to take a step back after the hype, anger, attraction towards the issue, and spoilers have died down to piece together what we learned from the events of BATMAN #50.
So, who’s to blame?
Do we blame New York Times? Well, let’s face it: you don’t have to read the article to get spoiled. They did a fantastic job ruining the issue with the title alone. However, we find out later that John Cunningham, DC’s Senior Vice President of Sales, responded to a private comic retailer on Facebook in an article from CBR. In summary, DC Comics was aware of what they were doing and intended to spoil BATMAN #50.
Now, before everyone starts hating on DC, this isn’t the first comic company (cough Marvel) that had ever spoiled an issue or event before it was released. Technically, not even the first one that week. However, DC was trying to get their name out in a more traditional market to get more people to buy the comic, as well as related titles and issues.
Ok, so we find out that DC set this entire thing up. But, did King know?
King appeared upset and had no idea, but I have a hard time believing that the creator of this story, who went on Late Night with Seth Meyers promoting the issue, had no clue this was going to happen. The blame needs to be shared across the board. New York Times should have never put the outcome of the issue as the title of the article. That’s just bad taste.
DC Comics could have found other ways to promote the issue with traditional media without spoiling the story; such as interviews with King, interviews with artists on the book throughout the years, as well as discussions with DC executives.
Where should I direct my anger?
Honestly, I don’t know. But, I know where you shouldn’t direct it; at your Comic Shop. After talking to my local shop, they said that they were lucky to break even. BUT, one of the owners followed up by saying that they EXPECTED to make a massive profit off of BATMAN #50 and now they didn’t. Heck, some stores threw parties and ordered wedding cake for Midnight releases. Take a look at this article of a release party at Infinity Flux.
If you ordered variants and or usually ordered BATMAN, I hope you still picked up what you were supposed too. Don’t punish the Comic Shop for something they had no control over. However, if BATMAN magically comes off your pull list after this week, I don’t know if anyone would blame you.
Times are Changing
In defense of DC Comics, it’s not their responsibility to worry about comic book shops. Back when comics first came out, shops dedicated solely to comics didn’t exist. Fans simply went to newsstands to get their comics. Eventually, stores were created FOR the medium, not the other way around.
The same can be said for home video game systems and games. Initially, you could only buy them at a Toy Store or Department Store. Then, we had Video Game Stores like GameStop. Comics and Video Games existed first not the stores that personalize in them.
My Point is…
DC Comics can run their business however they want nor do they need to look out for the stores. As much as I LOVE tangible comics, digital issues are the future. At one time we had video stores, like Blockbuster, to rent movies. Now, we stream almost everything. Why buy music or video when you can just stream it?
DC was trying to find a way to expand their company in a way that benefits them. Comic sales are not doing as well as fans may think. If DC doesn’t adapt, they may be in trouble. Comic shops need to adjust, or they’ll be gone too. If the stores didn’t exist, more comics would be sold at Walmart and other large department and bookstores. Why do you think DC is putting the 100-page comics at Walmart? They’re testing the waters for the future.
Statistically speaking…
BATMAN #50 was a hypothesis that was tested on the sample size of all individuals buying BATMAN #50. Will fans still purchase comics if we spoil issues and events ahead of time? Will fans buy comics from Walmart? Ultimately, do fans care or will they just forget in a day anyway so we might as well get the publicity? I bet the answer is yes to all of the above.
DC knew from preorders who was buying and will crunch the numbers on whether or not this publicity stunt hurt or not. We shall see when the sales numbers come out. But overall, this was just an experiment for the future. And I bet as a whole; sales were at least the same. But, many individual shops took some hits.
Why are you upset at Tom King?
Now, the answer to that question is in the pages of BATMAN #50. To summarize, Catwoman felt like she’d been holding Bruce back from being the Batman the world needed. And let’s face it, Batman hasn’t been himself since Rebirth. He’s had his mind on other things. But that’s not what I mean by the question above.
King gave us a proposal in issue 24 and spent 26 issues (off and on), as well as an annual and special wedding issues, for the Bat and Cat to NOT get married. King spent a year’s worth of storytelling to lead up to an event that was never going to happen. And he knew it and wasted our time. We had wedding one-shots of bachelor parties, deciding who the best man would be, suit fittings, and issues dedicated to dresses for no wedding. I hate to say cash grab but what else were the extra issues for?
We were given dating issues and arcs about wedding gifts. We were given long-winded proposals and fights with ex-girlfriends, all for nothing. A year’s worth of stories for NOTHING. Now many would say, “You can’t honestly think they were going to get married?” And to all of you, I say; yes! I’ve read every issue of King’s run, and it led me to that very conclusion as I’m sure it did for many others.
Logistics
Sure, legally it wouldn’t make sense. Bruce can’t marry a criminal and alter egos can’t get marriage licenses. But the wedding, the feeling, and the emotions could all happen without it being “legal.” I feel tricked for the sake of being tricked. More importantly, this issue shakes faith in DC, REBIRTH, and its direction for the future.
I feel like DC, in general, has lied about the purpose of REBIRTH. In an interview from The Hollywood Reporter back in May 2016, Geoff Johns said he was going to bring back hope and optimism to the DC universe. What’s more hopeful than love? Marriage?
Tom King also said this:
I’m sorry, but I can’t wait for 50 more issues. You just gave us about 26 issues that amounted to nothing. Literally nothing. Are you going to give us a wedding at 100 or just another bait and switch? I’m sorry but 50 more issues from a writer I can’t trust and a company where my faith is shaken, maybe a bit too much.
How do I know you’ll get to finish 100 issues and tell your entire story? How do I know DC’s direction won’t change? You had 50 issues to tell your story which is more than most writers ever get. But, somehow that wasn’t enough. YOU NEED MORE?
Who do I blame?
I don’t blame the article. And, I don’t blame DC. I don’t even entirely blame King. However, I blame myself for falling for this storyline for over a year. But my hope is King can leave this storyline behind and give us something great. I think this wedding has held him hostage long enough. My recommendation Tom: move on, and move away from the Bat and the Cat.
Williams’ return is hot off the heels of Lando’s role in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In that film, Donald Glover took over as a younger version of the character.
Borys Kit notes Williams’ “voicing Calrissian in various cartoon series and video games” shows his interest in returning to the franchise.
J.J. Abrams will direct the film. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver are reprising their roles as Rey, Finn, Poe and Kylo.
Episode IX will open on December 20, 2019.
I have to admit, Glover does look like a young Williams. Maybe it’s the goatee….
Get ready Dragon Ball Fans because your favorite Legendary Super Saiyan is about to come back in the new Dragon Ball Super Movie. According to the official images released by Toei Animation’s twitter, new promotional images has revealed a new subitle for film. It will be known as Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
This is the next film since the release of Dragon Ball: Resurrection of F, which featured the return of one of the series most infamous villains, Frieza and came to America thanks to Funimation Entertainment. The announcement from Toei gives fans a lot to look forward to in the coming months. The statement by Akira Toriyama also mentions the Frieza force will play a role in the new film as well. Those who have seen Dragon Ball Super know Frieza played a big part in the series and there was hints the villain hadn’t completely changed his ways and still intended to embark on a path of destruction and conquest.
What else can fans expect to come from this new film? Well if Broly is coming back there is a chance fans will see him transform into the powerful form Super Saiyin Blue. Considering how powerful Broly is already if he did become Super Blue there would be a chance he might be able to defeat Goku. Of course, only time will tell and fans can only wait with excitement for what will be a true battle royale.
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What do you think of the new about the new Dragon Ball movie? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Archie Comics is taking its flagship title Archie toward a much more Riverdale inspired direction on the upcoming 700th issue by Nick Spener (Secret Empire/The Fix) and Marguerite Sauvage(Faith/DC’s Bombshells).
Archie #700
Archie #700 picks up several months after the climax of writer Mark Waid’s historic run on the current reimagined series, which reaches its conclusion this Wednesday, July 11th, in issue #32.
Archie #700 sees Archie and his friends returning to school with new storylines, new mysteries unfolding, and a bombshell secret romance soon to be revealed.
Writer Nick Spencer said:
Getting to write ARCHIE is more than a dream come true for me, I’ve loved reading the exploits of the whole Riverdale gang my entire life, and getting to now tell their stories myself is a real honor. And launching with a milestone 700th issue! It doesn’t get better than that!
The writer is also excited about working with his new collaborator, Marguerite Sauvage:
I’m working with Marguerite Sauvage, one of the best artists in comics! Everyone involved in this project has such a passion for these characters, and it’s our sincere hope to honor the legacy of what’s come before while moving boldly into the future with twists and surprises like you’ve never seen before!
Additionally, October will see the release of Archie #699,aspecial recap issue that covers the key events from the current Archie series including the ‘#LipStickIncident’, ‘Over the Edge’, ‘Heart of Riverdale’ and more. This issue will be available in comic book shops and digitally for a special promotional price of $1 and is geared towards new and returning readers.
Archie #699
To close, Archie Comics Publisher/CEO said:
ARCHIE #700 is a legendary milestone in comics, and it was one we could not ignore at Archie. Having Nick Spencer and Marguerite Sauvage onboard to herald this new direction for Archie and his friends will help kick off a new, legendary era for the characters, and follows in the footsteps of other iconic Archie moments, including Archie’s Wedding, the Death of Archie, Archie #1 and Afterlife with Archie, to name a few. If you’re a fan of Riverdale, now is the time to jump to the comics and see what started it all
What do you guys think? Are you excited to see the comic become more like the TV show? Comment and discuss below!
Guess what horror fans? That article was only the beginning of all frightful flicks coming this year to Savor Cinema in Ft. Lauderdale. Festival organizers Igor Shetyrenberg and Marc Ferman revealed the second half of screenings coming this year. That’s right, there’s so much more coming. If the first wave of announcements didn’t get you greedy for a time machine so you could get to the festival faster, wait until you see what else is coming. More than 50 films playing across a week-long span of horror fan heaven.
Cold Skin
In this Lovecraftian creature feature that tells the tale of isolation and madness set on a desolate island, a young man on his way to assume the lonely post of weather observer finds a deranged castaway who has witnessed a horror he refuses to name.
The Ranger
Pursued by the police, punk rocker Chelsea and her lawbreaking friends decide to lay low at her uncle’s backwoods cabin but soon find themselves facing an even bigger problem: an ax-wielding forest ranger with homicidal intentions.
Piercing
Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbott star in this lusciously filmed adaptation of Ryū Murakami’s novel that delves into the darkest domains of human nature with a color-saturated tale of deviant desire and unspeakable urges.
The Farm
The classic horror tale of a young couple who take a wrong turn and
stumble into a small town full of people with nefarious intentions is turned on its head in this disturbing ode to blood, guts, and human flesh.
Summer of ’84
The directing trio behind cult favorite Turbo Kid deliver a startling throwback to 80’s classics in this eerily resonant coming-of-age horror flick.
Cursed Seat – World Premiere!
In this gruesome shocker, a group of teens are haunted by evil forces that’s set to claim their lives. .
Another year, another great convention — Superon — will open its doors in Florida. Not only is Supercon another great convention, but it is also THE great convention in the area. What San Diego is to California, Supercon is to South Florida. The convention celebrates all things pop culture with a plethora of all the things people love about cons.
“It is one of my greatest joys that I am able to provide
experiences that help people make a lifetime of memories.”
– Mike Broder, Supercon Founder
All four days of Supercon will feature panels about all things geek, from film to TV. One panel this year will discuss the most polarizing geek film in recent memory — Star Wars: The Last Jedi. What sort of nerd sparks will fly when hosts Freddy and Alyssa, aka the Metanerdz talk about the film that introduced Space-flying Leia and made subversion in and of itself something to behold. Additional panels include the likes of William Shatner talking Star Trek and a Q&A with Judith Hoag who played April O’Neil in the original Ninja Turtles movie. There’s practically a panel for everything making Supercon a perfect blend of fun and informative.
We’ll have to wait until Disney owns everything.
Voices from the animated, podcast, and video game world take seats alongside wrestling legends, TV and film stars as well. There was a time when cons were about one specific topic, say Star Trek, but that’s a thing of the distant past. Supercon, like all great cons around the world, will bring together John Barrowman the Dark Archer of Arrow with Luke Cage himself, Mike Colter. The combination of guests will undoubtedly spark many fan-fiction battles.
DC and Marvel TV universes not interesting enough for you? Perhaps wrestling superstars will be the flame that draws the proverbial moth. Legends Jerry “the King” Lawler, Gangrel, Shawn Michaels and Trish Stratus, will be electrifying the crowds. But they are just a few of the wrestling stars appearing at Supercon. The sheer amounts of wrestling talent at Supercon begs for an epic, live, crossover event. We’ll have to wait until Disney owns everything.
Comic books and More!
Of course, you don’t get to Supercon’s super-status as a convention without guests from the comic book world. Recent blockbuster film Infinity War started off as Infinity Gauntlet created by Jim Starlin who will be at Supercon. Additionally, guests from the comic book world include the likes of Howard Chaykin Jeff Dekal. Greg Horn, and local indie darling publishers Creature Entertainment.
Cosplay plays a vital role at geek conventions like Supercon. Events featuring the best pro and amateur cosplayers will occur throughout the four-day festivities. The convention schedule includes a kids competition, a runway costume contest, a performance costume and even a “late night” costume contest.
Want merch? That’ll be there.
Looking for one-of-a-kind commissioned art? It’s there too.
Video games, gaming, collectibles, photo ops … you get the picture.
It’ll be at Supercon.
That’s right, the iconic science fiction phenomenon is going BOOM! As part of the partnership, the publisher will release new monthly comic book series, limited series runs and original graphic novels, which will all expand on the story created in the television series and feature film, Serenity.
Whedon’s creation is set 500 years in the future, one riddled by universal civil war, and follows the crew of the Serenity, a wandering transport spaceship. The crew, led by Captain Malcolm ‘Mal’ Reynolds, take on various jobs, some illegal, to stay afloat. The team is ‘thrust together by necessity, but stay together out of loyalty’, and face constant challenges while avoiding capture by the galactic Alliance.
Come November, Firefly #1 will hit shelves via the creative team of Greg Pak and Dan McDaid. The story will pick up at the battleground where the saga began and reveal a secret that just might end it all. The story of the intergalactic civil war, Unification War, will finally be told.
“It’s high time we got to see the full story of Mal and Zoe’s meeting and mission in the War of Unification—the good and bad that the pressure of war brings out in them, and the unforeseeable consequences,” said Whedon. “Greg Pak and Dan McDaid are bringing a unique voice to the world of Firefly. It’s an important story for any dedicated browncoat to read, but more importantly, it’s a big gorram adventure.”
Arriving the same day will be a collection of previously-released Serenity comic books, for the first time, that serve as sequels to the film, Firefly: Legacy Edition Book One.
Click HERE for the complete release via BOOM! Studios.
