In this episode of Kieran’s Movie Space, Kieran discusses and reviews the first official trailer for How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Does this look like a worthy conclusion to a great series? What do I think will happen to the dinosaurs? Listen to the review below and find out!
Kieran’s Movie Space is an insightful, fun and reliable new podcast for fans of all things cinema. Host Kieran McLean delivers in-depth reviews of the latest movie releases, from small indie movies to massive blockbusters.
From DreamWorks Animation comes the highly anticipated culmination of one of the most popular animated franchises in film history, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. What began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon has become an epic trilogy spanning their lives. In this next chapter, Hiccup and Toothless will finally discover their true destinies: the village chief as ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, and the dragon as leader of his own kind. As both ascend, the darkest threat they’ve yet faced—as well as the appearance of a female Night Fury—will test the bonds of their relationship like never before.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is directed by Dean DeBlois and is expected to land in theatres in 2019!
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In the latest episode of Kieran’s Movie Space, Kieran discusses and reviews the first official trailer for the first Transformers spin-off, BumbleBee. Could this be the first great Transformers movie? Was Hailee Steinfeld the right choice as the human lead? Find out what I think in the episode below!
Kieran’s Movie Space is an insightful, fun and reliable new podcast for fans of all things cinema. Host Kieran McLean delivers in-depth reviews of the latest movie releases, from small indie movies to massive blockbusters.
On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee the Autobot seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. Charlie, on the brink of turning 18 years old and trying to find her place in the world, soon discovers the battle-scarred and broken Bumblebee. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns that this is no ordinary yellow Volkswagen.
BumbleBee is directed by Travis Knight and is expected to land in theatres on December 21, 2018!
Make sure you hit the like button, subscribe and review the podcast! Alternatively, you can subscribe to the Monkeys Fighting Robots newsletter to be notified when new episodes are available, plus amazing content!
Hotel Artemis is an ensemble crime movie written and directed by Drew Pearce, and it’s a fun – albeit a little overstuffed – time at the theater.
In the near future, on the night of the worst riot in LA history, a Nurse runs a secret hospital for criminals. What starts as just another Wednesday at the Artemis turns into something much worse.
The ensemble cast carries this film. Jodie Foster stars as the Nurse, and her dynamic with Dave Bautista’s Everest the orderly repeatedly makes for the best scenes. Bautista arguably steals the whole show as the giant badass with a good heart – hopefully we see more of him in these roles. Sterling K. Brown, meanwhile, is the “lead” criminal out of the residents, and for good reason. He gives the strongest performance for the most fleshed out character, and is probably the film’s emotional core alongside the Nurse.
Artemis has a pretty simple premise – bad guys collide – and it’s a lot of fun, but it does feel like it could have been more. Pearce introduces concepts and characters that seem like they’re going to add a layer of depth and social commentary to the story, but ultimately go nowhere. One character in particular is introduced, and it seems like she’s going to lead to an explosive confrontation…and then she’s gone. She’s only there to develop another character’s backstory for an emotional payoff later, and it feels like a wasted opportunity.
Which leads to the film’s other issue. It tries to go for the emotional gut punch, and it just doesn’t land. Maybe it’s because there’s a lot going on with all of the different characters, but nothing seems to get developed enough for us to get too emotionally invested. Everything’s spread thin to give time to each character, and in a 90 minute movie, that can hurt.
The only exception is with the Nurse and Everest. We spend the most time with them and get to see the different sides of their relationship, instead of just being told about them like with other characters. Plus, there’s the aforementioned chemistry between Foster and Bautista. So, by the time the movie’s end comes, their story has the strongest emotional payoff.
(Admittedly, Sterling K. Brown’s story also has an emotional payoff, but it comes strictly from his performance and ability to evoke emotion rather than the script.)
But, although the plot’s a little shallow, the tension between the criminals makes for some thrills and keeps the audience wanting to see what’s going to happen next. It’s never boring, that’s for sure.
Don’t think twice – Hotel Artemis is a lot of fun, complete with interesting characters played by very competent actors, and some kick-ass action sequences. You don’t need to rush to your theater to see it opening night, but it’s definitely worth catching if you have the time.
UPDATE: Image Comics has added another variant cover to Ice Cream Man for issue five by Frazer Irving.
“Frazer’s variant (much like Martín’s main cover) is literally vertiginous—it erases the ground from beneath your feet, giving you a sense of plummeting forever. It’s a beautiful piece, but it gives me the willies; I think it might have something to do with the Falling Man’s infinite, ice-cream-covered mouths…” said W. Maxwell Prince.
Ice Cream Man by W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, and Chris O’Halloran is a special kind of creepy, and Image Comics has provided Monkeys Fighting Robots with an exclusive reveal of the variant covers for issues five six, seven, and eight (because we don’t want you to sleep at night).
The gorgeous and deeply unsettling variants are by Frazer Irving, Christian Ward, Fábio Moon, and Vanesa Del Rey. Prince talked about his emotional response to each cover.
“Christian Ward’s is 3 flavors of despair, Fabio Moon’s has nostalgia, and Vanesa Del Rey’s brings deep, true terror”
Prince also has great advice for working with artists and commissioning work.
“My motto for commissioning cover art is: get out of the way. Which is to say that I like to let an artist do their job with as little interjection from me as possible. Generally, I give an artist a rundown of what a given issue is about—this includes main characters, important scenes, or the sort of “music” I’m trying to make with the story. But after that, I run as far in the other direction as possible, waiting like a child until a beautiful piece of art pops up in my inbox. This hands-off approach has worked swimmingly for me so far, and I recommend it to anyone working with specialists they trust,” said Prince.
Ice Cream Man, Vol. 1: Rainbow Sprinkles TP hits your local comic book store on June 20, and issue five comes out on July 18.
What do you think of the covers? Comment below.
About ICE CREAM MAN Chocolate, vanilla, existential horror, drug addiction, musical fantasy…there’s a flavor for everyone’s misery. ICE CREAM MAN is a genre-defying comic book series featuring disparate ‘one-shot’ tales of sorrow, wonder, and redemption. Each installment features its own cast of strange characters, dealing with their own special sundae of suffering. And on the periphery of all of them, like the twinkly music of his colorful truck, is the Ice Cream Man-a weaver of stories, a purveyor of sweet treats. Friend. Foe. God. Demon. The man who, with a snap of his fingers-lickety split!-can change the course of your life forever.
Warner Bros. held a Press Day in Miami Monday for Tag with Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm, and Jeremy Renner.
Watch the complete interview below.
During our conversation with Renner and Hamm, we discovered Hamm is a huge fan of comic books, especially the Frank Miller era during the 80s.
“I liked Daredevil, Thor, X-Men, a big X-Men (fan) and then all spin-offs that they had toward the late eighties. But I liked all the Frank Miller stuff, Elektra Assasin, The Dark Knight. Bill Sienkiewicz, I think is an amazing artist,” said Hamm.
Sienkiewicz found out about the conversation and had this to say.
“Ok, This just made my week, let alone my day. The fact that I’m a huge Jon Hamm fan makes this extra bloody special. (With love and props to Jeremy Renner) Plus, Jon absolutely nailed pronunciation of Sienkiewicz. What that means to any person with an indecipherable alphabet goulash that is the Polish surname, cannot be understated,” said Sienkiewicz via Facebook.
Renner also mentioned Hawkeye was too busy playing tag to help the Avengers out in Infinity War.
About the film:
One month every year, five highly competitive friends hit the ground running in a no-holds-barred game of tag they’ve been playing since the first grade—risking their necks, their jobs, and their relationships to take each other down with the battle cry “You’re It!” This year, the game coincides with the wedding of their only undefeated player, which should finally make him an easy target. But he knows they’re coming… and he’s ready. Based on a true story, “Tag” shows how far some guys will go to be the last man standing.
Tag is directed by Jeff Tomsic, from a screenplay by Rob McKittrick and Mark Steile, and stars Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Annabelle Wallis, Hannibal Buress, Isla Fisher, Rashida Jones, Leslie Bibb, with Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner.
This should be the Golden Age for Star Wars fans, of any caliber.
There are lines of award-winning novels and comic books. Sourcebooks, with the same absurd attention to detail, are attached to each film release. Television shows, both animated and live-action, are streaming and in production. And of course, there are films coming every year. All of this is tied together into the most complex web of canon ever created.
And yet.
Talks of “boycotts” against Solo: A Star Wars Story were plentiful ahead of its release. President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy is the continued target of #firekathleenkennedy, due to the belief that she has “ruined” Star Wars. Disney has “handed Star Wars to the SJWs” with their casting of Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Felicity Jones, and Laura Dern.
On Tuesday, Kelly Marie Tran, who plays Resistance engineer Rose Tico in The Last Jedi, left Instagram. At present, she has not commented on why she left.
It doesn’t take a PR expert to speculate why. Since The Last Jedi‘s December release, Tran has suffered through an endless barrage of harassment over her character, because she is the first Asian-American woman to have a leading role in the series, and/or simply being a woman.
This is far from the first time that supposed “Real Star Wars fans” have instigated this reaction, or caused similar harm.
“You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized, and people try to make decisions about what you’re going to do before you do it. You know, it’s not much fun. You can’t experiment.” – George Lucas
Ridley received a slew of harassment on Instagram and Facebook after she posted support for ending gun violence. It is still difficult, three years after her debut in The Force Awakens, to avoid conversations about Rey being a “Mary Sue.”
Boyega, has spoken out about the kind of bullying targeted toward him, his co-star Ridley, and friend Leslie Jones, after she left Twitter because of constant harassment.
In a 2017 interview, Ahmed Best, who portrayed Jar-Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels, told Wired, “I had death threats through the internet. I had people come to me and say, ‘You destroyed my childhood.’ That’s difficult for a 25-year-old to hear.”
Mark Hamill spoke out angrily last year about the treatment Jake Lloyd, who played Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, received from “fans.” Lloyd, who was 10 years old during filming, has said in previous interviews that his life was a “living hell” post-Phantom.
“I had death threats through the internet. I had people come to me and say, ‘You destroyed my childhood.’ That’s difficult for a 25-year-old to hear.” – Ahmed Best
“You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized, and people try to make decisions about what you’re going to do before you do it. You know, it’s not much fun. You can’t experiment.”
Given the sheer size and scope of the Star Wars franchise, along with its multi-generational fandom, these toxic “fans” represent a small minority. Unfortunately, they are very loud, and their negativity has the propensity to spoil the whole barrel of apples, as it were.
Yet, to lay it all at the feet of a small contingent is to ignore the roots of this toxicity. Racism and sexism, in the cases of Ridley and Tran, are undoubtedly present. This side of the harassment ties directly into a topic talked about more and more of late: gatekeeping, and how it excludes “the wrong” fans.
But the source of Star Wars’ gatekeeping seems unique, especially when compared to other pop culture juggernauts like the superhero franchises or Harry Potter. While they certainly have their share of awful folks, it never appears quite as public, nor personal.
For Star Wars, the issue lies with the idea of ownership. It’s worth exploring, however briefly, how this idea took root with this specific franchise if for no other reason than to make it very clear that these “fans” aren’t misunderstood.
The actual harm they have placed on others does not come from a place that is so personal, unique, or otherwise special that any semblance of justification could be put forth.
To translate it into words that these “hardcore” Star Wars might understand, we’ll use a simple and easy to follow path, first posited by everyone’s favorite green swamp puppet.
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda
These supposed fans point to one supposed source of their anger: that this Star Wars isn’t their Star Wars. To paraphrase Mr. West, they miss the old Star Wars, straight from Lucas Star Wars.
Well, sort of.
By 1997, it had been fourteen years since Star Wars released in theaters. For those obsessed enough to care, there was a new line of comics, and an increasing series of books, both of which continued off of the original trilogy. It would have to tide them over until the new trilogy, announced four years prior.
But fans were experiencing their first steps toward the dark side: fear. First was the fear that there would never be more Star Wars. Then, post-announcement was the fear that it wouldn’t be the right Star Wars. The Ewoks had caused a moment of hesitation in the older fans. The 1997 theatrical re-releases instilled trepidation, with new CGI technology slapped on, and most damning, Han no longer shoots first.
Along comes The Phantom Menace, with incredibly advanced CGI and motion capture work, and two characters aimed heavily at kids.
That fear that existed from a lack of content now became anger, with death threats leveled at Lloyd and Best, and of course, Lucas himself. That anger grew over the years, with Hayden Christiansen swept into the wake after Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
The most prominent message? The prequels had “killed my childhood.” Translated: They spent so long wishing for another entry in this story, that they had to either make them up themselves or go to the books and comics. The prequels were not matching either.
In 2008, three years after Revenge of the Sith, The Clone Wars animated film is released and kicks off a celebrated six-season television show. So far as anyone knew, this would be the future of Star Wars for quite some time.
Until 2012, that is, when Disney purchased Lucasfilm, and the news broke of a new television show (Star Wars: Rebels) and a new trilogy of films.
On the surface, Rebels and what would be The Force Awakens should’ve thrilled those fans who were angry post-Prequels. Rebels would focus on the Rebellion and the Empire yet again, while The Force Awakens would bring back Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher.
Alas, that was not the case. You’ve seen the reasons, regardless of if you wanted to: Disney dumbed it down for kids, Rey is a Mary Sue, it’s too much like the originals, it’s not enough like them, and more contradictions that go on and on. The most confusing complaint: “They should’ve brought back Lucas.”
After Rogue One and the animated-shorts series Forces of Destiny, both of which focused heavily on their women protagonists, the anger turned to hate. These still weren’t the stories the “fans” had made up in their heads, nor read in their books, the oldest of which were 20-some-years-old. The stories lacked the characters these “fans,” who are most certainly men, connected to. That is, these stories lacked men. Or, perhaps, the reverse: they had too many women.
This hate finally unleashed after The Last Jedi, which had the audacity to go where no film had gone before: it made the argument that we should probably let go of the Original films.
And so, the final step was achieved. Their hatred had led to suffering, not for the “fans,” but for those who were easy to target with vitriol, racism, and sexism.
Because they hate that these stories are no longer about them. Because they are angry that these stories still aren’t like the ones inside their heads. Because they are afraid of “losing” this story to someone else.
So, to these “fans,” if you have sat through this without closing your tab in a rage, then I implore you to consider the following:
This story spans four decades. You were, most likely, under the age of twenty years old when you first watched these movies. Star Wars is, and always has been, for kids.
Kids don’t all look like you did. They don’t all think like you did. And if any kids are made happy by seeing an Asian-American actress flying a starship for the Resistance? Then the film has done its job.
These stories have never been perfect. The dialogue has always been clunky, the rules have always been silly. You got to love them because no one ruined it for you. Pass that on.
These “fans” probably aren’t going to change. Luckily, there are legions of good-hearted folks, who truly deserve to be called fans, willing to act as a counterbalance.
Legions of fans have taken to Twitter to post fan art in support of Tran, labeled with #fanartforrose. Mark Hamill and Rian Johnson have also made their support clear.
On social media a few unhealthy people can cast a big shadow on the wall, but over the past 4 years I’ve met lots of real fellow SW fans. We like & dislike stuff but we do it with humor, love & respect. We’re the VAST majority, we’re having fun & doing just fine. https://t.co/yhcShg5vdJ
Hopefully, Disney and Lucasfilm will make a statement as well.
The best that can be hoped for is that the toxic “fans” are drowned out. At the very least, they can follow the lead of the hero that they so desperately connected with, so many years ago.
DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures have released the first official trailer for How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which gives us a first look at the highly-anticipated animated adventure.
The trailer gives us a decent (and emotional) look at the film, which will be the third and final adventure in the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy. As a massive fan of this franchise, it’s exciting to see that director Dean DeBlois will continue to evolve both Hiccup and Toothless in the conclusion of this epic tale. The trailer also teases the introduction of a hidden dragon world, and since we know dragons and people will no longer share the same world at the end of this movie, it’s safe to assume that Toothless and the other dragons will migrate to a world of their own.
Here’s the official synopsis for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World:
What began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon has become an epic trilogy spanning their lives. In this next chapter, Hiccup and Toothless will finally discover their true destinies: the village chief as ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, and the dragon as leader of his own kind. As both ascend, the darkest threat they’ve yet faced—as well as the appearance of a female Night Fury—will test the bonds of their relationship like never before.
The most popular television shows right now are centered around bad things happening to good people. The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones are the two most prominent series in this genre. Westworld took this concept to a new level as humans slaughtered host (androids) by the hundreds on any given day at the park.
At the end of season one, the hosts rose up to take their freedom. This set up several characters for viewers to cheer for on his or her hero’s journey. Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) took up the call to arms and is the face of the uprising. Maeve Millay (Thandie Newton) is trying to find her daughter, and she will stop at nothing to accomplish her task. Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) is a pawn in a more massive plot thread because his life was ripped from his mind, he is discovering Westworld’s secrets with the viewer.
After six episodes of the second season, only Maeve remains as a true hero of Westworld and all that came crashing down in ‘Les Écorchés’ Sunday night. Maeve found her daughter and was ready for her showdown with the Man in Black (Ed Harris) only to interrupt and left for dead. For Maeve to travel so far, and to get so close to her ultimate goal was a significant gut punch, that left me depressed the following day. Maeve wasn’t looking to take over; there was no power struggle, she just got caught in the crossfire of life. All of these circumstances combined for great tragedy and angst towards the series.
Westworld has yet to reveal its hand, and with only three episodes left there are significant storylines that need to be wrapped up. The different timelines in the first season were a unique twist, but in season two since we know the game, the episodes are just confusing as you try to decipher the message.
What did you think of ‘Les Écorchés’? Comment below.
In the latest episode of Kieran’s Movie Space, Kieran discusses and reviews the latest dinosaur-filled extravaganza, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Does the latest Jurassic Park movie capture the magic of the original? Will you crap your pants and cheer while doing it? Find out by listening to my review below!
Kieran’s Movie Space is an insightful, fun and reliable new podcast for fans of all things cinema. Host Kieran McLean delivers in-depth reviews of the latest movie releases, from small indie movies to massive blockbusters.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is directed by J.A. Bayona and stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Ted Levine, Toby Jones, James Cromwell, BD Wong, Daniella Pineda and Isabella Sermon.
Check out the synopsis of the movie below:
Three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing return to the island of Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that’s about to erupt. They soon encounter terrifying new breeds of gigantic dinos while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire planet.
Make sure you hit the like button, subscribe and review the podcast! Alternatively, you can subscribe to the Monkeys Fighting Robots newsletter to be notified when new episodes are available, plus amazing content!
Brett Haley’s Hearts Beat Loud offers a heartfelt narrative and fully developed characters who are unassuming which makes for a joyous experience for the audience.
In this era of mega-sequels and long drawn out franchises, releases like these often get lost in the shuffle. However, it’s usually these films which resonate with a broader audience that happen to be cast aside, rather than ones where Chris Pratt is attempting to outrun a Velociraptor. All of these movies serve a purpose and deserve the same level of attention (especially when they are done well). In today’s world, which is dominated by hate and divisiveness, Hearts Beat Loud‘s message of love and being accepted is just the ray of sunshine we need.
Our narrative centers on Frank (Nick Offerman) who runs a record store that’s on its last legs in the trendy section of Brooklyn’s Red Hook Neighborhood. His landlord (played by Toni Collette) breaks the news of an impending rent hike which results in his store having to close. Even with the prospects of economic hardships on the horizon, his mind seems to be on the impending departure of his daughter, Sam (Kiersey Clemons) who is moving to California to study medicine at UCLA. Her father has been raising Sam for almost eleven years following the untimely passing of her mother. Mix in Frank’s mother (Blythe Danner) becoming increasingly out of touch with reality and it seems as if life beginning to spiral away from him.
Haley and Marc Basch’s narrative is a slice of Americana. They present an intriguing look at many of the problems affecting our world ranging from sexuality, elder care, and of course paying the bills. Nothing feels contrived, and there are no easy answers either. Frank’s grappling with the harsh reality of being alone and still after all these years not truly connecting with his daughter. The one thread which appears to connect these two is music. Sam’s father is ready to form a band with his daughter, but she’s slowly preparing to leave Brooklyn behind for sunny California. The struggle these two endure results in some very touching moments which will bring audiences to tears.
The supporting cast gave a strong performance which was crucial because Hearts Beat Loud could have quickly come across as a sappy, melodramatic film with some cool music. Leslie (Collette) is representative of the realities which Frank is facing but chooses to ignore. Dave (Ted Danson) is Frank’s (Offerman’s) closest confidant and is instrumental in helping him keep things in perspective. However, it was the performances of Offerman and Clemons which stood out. Clemons is terrific as the grounded and immensely talented daughter of Frank Fisher. Sam (Clemons) is a practical person, and the idea of forming a band with her dad seems so farfetched. She has such pain pent up from the loss of her mother that it affects her gaze. It’s evident that there is more to going so far away for college than studying medicine. Offerman’s portrayal of Frank shows a depth to his understanding of grief. Some people choose to tackle the loss of a loved one in the least healthy possible, avoidance. Frank likes keeping things consistent because it doesn’t require him to adjust. The departure of his daughter threatens this. Seeing Offerman’s character scramble to persuade his daughter to form a band is equal parts touching and soul-crushing. He honestly feels they can connect over Music and it’s that very thing Frank has wanted for the longest time. Offerman’s portrayal is rich with emotion and represents dads everywhere who struggle with relating to their children.
Keegan Dewitt’s music is filled with such exuberance and mirrors the themes touched on during the film. Overall, Hearts Beat Loud is the type of experience which sits with you and never lets go. Haley gained a ton of buzz after his work on The Hero, but Hearts Beat Loud strikes such a nerve that word of mouth will only help the film grow. My hope is this ultimately leads to a broader audience for a movie which needs to be seen if for no other reason than the message it sends.
