Sideways #4 is out this Wednesday, May 9th, from DC Comics, and Monkeys Fighting Robots has your exclusive first-look!
The series is by Kenneth Rocafort on art and DC Comics co-publisher Dan Didio on writing. Justin Jordan joins Didio in writing the dialogue, colors are by Daniel Brown, and lettering is by Carlos M Mangual.
Sideways is a superhero story told in classic fashion, about a teenager gaining powers in a freak accident, learning what it means to be a hero, and struggling to balance his super life with his personal one. Rocafort and Brown’s art has a special quality to it, as seen below, feeling bright and fun while maintaining a slight edge.
About the issue: It’s not easy being a hero, especially when you don’t know how. And when Sideways steps into the middle of a life-and-death battle between Hotspot and Replicant, he’s unsure how to help…and guaranteed to make things worse. All this when he’s already late for an internship interview? You better believe things are going to go Sideways!
Check out the preview:
What’s your all-time favorite coming-of-age superhero series? Comment below!
This chapter of the most recent Green Lanterns arc is an action-packed journey into a heart of darkness.
Jessica Cruz has been having more and more nightmares about her tragic origin. During a camping trip, she and her friends stumble upon hitmen dumping bodies in the woods. The assassins see the friends, which leads to the friends being hunted down, with Jessica being the only survivor. In the present, an alien known as Singularity Jain offers to cure our Green Lantern rookie of her fear. This leads to the alien combining her powers with Jessica to create her own reality within a black hole. Knowing that this is dangerous, the Justice League send Simon in to find his partner and close the hole. What horrors could be awaiting in this deep black pit?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
After Simon is transported into the black hole, he finds himself in a world similar to the old Power Ring. Back during the Darkseid War, this world showed off the Power Rings of the past in a dark setting. This time around it is in the forest where Jessica was hunted, but Simon still has to face the monsters of the past. Meanwhile, Jessica is stuck reliving the moment the hitmen came after her.
This issue had me legitimately worried for our Green Lanterns, despite knowing there are more issues after this. There was a sense of fear that kept following the characters throughout their journey. Simon faced several terrifying aliens without any powers while Jessica watches her friends die left and right. The amount of action and suspense go hand-in-hand in this issue masterfully. They are both tied together by the intriguing character development of not one but both Lanterns. While we see Jessica prepared to face her greatest fear, Simon has to fight fears of his own and overcome them to save her. This is all building to what appears to be a powerful emotional conclusion, and this reviewer personally cannot wait to see how our Lanterns escape.
Art:
V Ken Marion returns to illustrate the issue and, just like with the Inhuman Trafficking arc, he knocks it out of the park. Not only do we get fantastic yet creepy alien designs, but also have realistic reactions to Jessica’s predicament. The colors of Dinei Ribeiro enhance that mood by making more sickly greens and darker reds. There are times the colors tone down for the more realistic feel in Jessica’s case, which is perfect as well. You can feel the horror ooze off the page at every turn and it’s thanks to the art that matched the story perfectly.
Conclusion:
This Green Lanterns’ journey into their fears is turning into one of the best arcs of the run. The story takes hold of the reader and locks them in for the horror and the interesting characters. The art is top notch and fits the themes of the story perfectly. This is a great issue, and I highly recommend it!
In the first clip, we see that a few TIE fighters are chasing the Millenium Falcon (and it’s occupants). Han (Alden Ehrenreich), who is in the pilot’s seat, states that they need to divert auxiliary power to the rear deflector shields, but unfortunately, his current co-pilot Qi-ra (Emilia Clarke) doesn’t know how to do that. Enter Chewie, who jumps into action and cements himself as Han’s new (and future) co-pilot. The clip also features the hilarious moment from the trailers, in which Chewbacca reveals to a shocked Han and Qi’ra that he is 190 years old.
The great thing about this clip is that we get to see the chemistry between Alden Ehrenreich’s Han and Chewie, who is played by Joonas Suotamo. Han and Chewie have what is arguably the most iconic cinematic friendship, so fans will be happy to see that the duo have great chemistry in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. There’s a tiny moment towards the end of the clip where Han looks at Chewie with a smile, and I’ll admit to getting a few goosebumps.
Did you enjoy the clip? Let us know in the comments section below!
So much of the cliched wisdom espoused about parenthood tends to focus on the miracle of childbirth, the accompanying joy of seeing your little one grow up and the beautiful but fleeting nature of those early years. While such refrains are certainly not without their merits, such a rose-colored mindset does naturally neglect the fact that sometimes parenthood is incredibly rough. That’s precisely the record that director Jason Reitman’s new film, Tully, is looking to set straight.
Charlize Theron stars as Marlo, a wife and mother who is about to give birth to her third child. Between her son’s difficulty in school and just the everyday monotony of tending to their home while husband Drew (Ron Livingston) works, Marlo is already struggling to keep it together. So her brother (Mark Duplass) suggests she hire a night nurse to offset the added responsibility and ensure her a much-needed good night’s sleep. After some hesitation, Marlo relents, and Tully (Mackenzie Davis) enters her life. Hilarity (but mostly drama) ensues.
With a screenplay by Diablo Cody (Juno) and a producing credit for Theron, it’s clear from the outset that Tully is a labor (pun intended) of love for all those involved. Both women (as well as Reitman) have children of their own and aim to capture a side of motherhood that is rarely captured on film: the sheer exhaustion and overwhelming burden of it all. Yes, having children is one of life’s greatest joys, but Tully isn’t afraid to highlight the perpetual sacrifice one has to make to commit to raising a family. It’s the same no-holds-barred approach that Cody and Theron brought to the tale of a troubled woman-child in Reitman’s 2011 film Young Adult. Yet, while that earlier collaboration was more meandering in its tone, Tully maintains a consistency that, for the most part, works on multiple levels.
Theron carries the film effortlessly, though the Oscar winner rarely disappoints in films that present a true challenge to her considerable acting chops. Tully definitely qualifies, as the entire film is told exclusively from Marlo’s perspective. This approach really puts the audience in her predicament and maximizes our understanding of her mental and emotional state. Juggling multiple kids (including a newborn) with housework, cooking, etc. is such a strain for any parent, and the fact that Marlo is so disconnected from Drew throughout this critical time in their lives only underscores the stress she feels.
In fact, Drew’s rather muted role in the film could almost be considered a condemnation of fathers’ role and support of their partners in a situation like Marlo’s (his nightly ritual includes playing video games while Marlo tends to the baby, for example). But in the end, Tully balances even that out. What could throughout the film — including a somewhat baffling mid-film plot development — be labeled a fundamental flaw in its storytelling winds up playing into the narrative in a surprising and ultimately satisfying way. Parents walking out of Tully with the knowledge of experience will likely feel empowered and/or refreshed by its eventual mission statement.
But, again, the focus of Tully isn’t on Marlo’s marriage but her burgeoning friendship with Tully. The bond between the two women is charming enough to provide some light distraction and even confrontation of the issues currently plaguing Marlo’s life but never overshadows the bleak reality of her situation. After appearances in major films like The Martian and Blade Runner 2049, Davis delivers a solid performance as the film’s manic pixie dream girl/deus ex machina in perhaps her highest-profile role to date. The direction the film takes its title character threatens at times to derail the story, but the real challenge viewers will encounter is in a climactic third-act reveal.
For much of its runtime, Tully presents itself as a simple slice-of-life story about a mother’s adjustment to her family life. Yet, the way Cody’s screenplay is resolved winds up raising more questions than it answers. Audiences may feel cheated by the sudden narrative shift, which retroactively repaints all that has come before. On some level, Tully‘s ending is a stroke of genius, but it would have felt more resonant if the seeds for it had been sprinkled in in a more nuanced way. Regardless, the twist will probably elicit a conversation or two and, in that regard, can be considered a daring move on Reitman’s part.
Tully may not deliver as profound an experience as it seems like it was trying to. Nevertheless, Reitman’s film does have something to say about motherhood and the necessity to second-guess the way families deal with the daily stresses of life. Theron’s performance and the authentic depiction of motherhood are the reasons to see Tully. Although it’s unlikely to make the same splash as films like Thank You for Smoking, Juno or Up in the Air, Tully does mark a return to form of sorts for Reitman, whose last two releases have underwhelmed critics and audiences alike. For fans of his work, Theron or Cody (especially those who are parents), Tully is absolutely a film worth checking out.
The Brian Michael Bendis goodbye-tour is reaching its end at Marvel. This week, he bids farewell to one of his most crucial creations, Miles Morales. Spider-Man #240 concludes a long journey that Bendis has taken readers on from the start of Ultimate Spider-Man to now.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
After a nearly-fatal battle against his Uncle Aaron and his knockoff Sinister Six, Miles wakes up in a hospital. He’s in and out of consciousness, fighting off a strange virus. As he sleeps, a parade of his supporting characters marches through. Bendis’ final moment with Miles is a movie date with his best friend, Ganke.
As far as Bendis-says-goodbye issues, this was probably the weakest. The heart was in the right place, setting things straight with Miles and Ganke, but this issue feels a bit hollow.
Ever since officially joining the 616 Universe, Miles has been in need of a shake-up. This issue is a prime example of how little Spider-Man has mattered post-Secret Wars. Everything emotional beat and triumph Miles made in Ultimate Spider-Man was undone, with nothing of note happening afterwards.
The scene with Uncle Aaron carried no weight whatsoever; we get no closure on what started out as a promising bit of drama. The man responsible for Miles’ life as a superhero, the source of his tragic start to being Spider-Man, came back for no reason.
Brian Michael Bendis is one of the most influential comic book writers of the modern era, but he may have lingered too long this time. The well has been dry for some time; Miles Morales desperately needs a new voice.
While it’s nice to see all the familiar faces coming to see Spider-Man in the hospital, only the scene with Ganke carried any weight. The rest of these interactions were lifeless. Even his mentor, Peter Parker couldn’t be bothered to leave his web-hammock when Miles comes to.
Hopefully Miles doesn’t get shelved, he’s a character Marvel can’t afford to ignore. We appreciate Bendis’ contributions over the years, but it’s time to move on. Let’s get some new blood on a Spider-Man title now that Master Bendis has departed for DC.
The character deserves better, the time has come to pass the torch.
We can add another celebrity to the growing list of individuals who have portrayed The Dark Knight. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is set to voice Batman in the upcoming Teen Titans GO! To The Movies.
Kimmel took to Twitter to announce his casting, even taking a jab at fellow Batman voice actor Will Arnett:
Arnett voiced Bruce Wayne in both The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie. He will also appear in this film as the main antagonist Deathstroke. Along with Kimmel and Arnett, the star-studded cast includes Nicolas Cage as Superman, Halsey as Wonder Woman and Lil Yachty as John Stewart.
DC is attempting to capitalize off the success Teen Titans Go! has had on television by finally making a film that can do the team justice. If the trailer for the movie was any indication audiences are in for a fun time that includes a lot of meta jokes and references, something the Lego movie franchise made famous.
Are you going to see Teen Titans GO! To The Movies? Let us know in the comments below!
Teen Titans GO! To The Movies hits theaters July 27th
It seems to the Teens that all the major superheroes out there are starring in their own movies-everyone but the Teen Titans, that is. But de facto leader Robin is determined to remedy the situation and be seen as a star instead of a sidekick. If only they could get the hottest Hollywood film director to notice them. With a few madcap ideas and a song in their heart, the Teen Titans head to Tinsel Town, certain to pull off their dream. But when the group is radically misdirected by a seriously super villain and his maniacal plan to take over the Earth, things really go awry. The team finds their friendship and their fighting spirit failing, putting the very fate of the Teen Titans themselves on the line.
Nostalgia is all the rage these days, and Cobra Kai is a healthy dose of 80s Karate Kid characters who are all grown up but it’s not without a new generation of kids trying to find their place in the world.
Last year, YouTube’s acquisition of this new series was a big deal. To get the show, YouTube made a bold move to outbid both Amazon and Netflix. Quietly, the granddaddy of streaming entertainment filled their YouTube Red platform with content. However, Cobra Kai is a big step into the ring with the other streaming services out there.
Cobra Kai features a great balance of
something old and something new.
Cobra Kai is a continuation of the story started in the original Karate Kid film. Ralph Macchio, who played zero-to-hero Daniel LaRusso reprises his role. However, the story primarily centers on the original film’s antagonist Johnny Lawrence played again by William Zabka. Since Johnny lost the match against LaRusso back in 1984 his life hasn’t gone in the best of directions. Making life even more intolerable for Johnny is that LaRusso’s life as a local celebrity and wealthy car dealer is pretty great. After Johnny defends a neighbor, Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) from a bunch of bullies, the former Karate champ decides to turn his life around.
Cobra Kai features a great balance of something old and something new. Familiar scenes from the original films are put into new context for the characters. Johnny is tormented by the past. LaRusso, though, is like many adults who triumphed over a bully but still remembers the feeling of being bullied. The old enemies rekindle their rivalry when Lawrence begins training new students in the “No Mercy” style of Cobra Kai.
The something new of Cobra Kai features Miguel Diaz, Johnny’s neighbor, and first Cobra Kai disciple who plays a nerd turned “karate kid.” LaRusso’s daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouser), is another teen member of the cast who is at that age parent’s dread but also might be a badass karate kid herself. To round out the younger cast, there’s Johnny’s estranged son Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan). The journey for all these young characters is varied, interlaces with that of the adults, and mirrors the original films in fresh and clever ways.
It’s clear why YouTube acquired this series.
In each of the thirty-minute episodes, the different generations work in concert to blend humor and drama. Johnny and LaRusso are dealing with some very adult things. LaRusso’s daughter is a rebellious teen, and his son is a spoiled slacker. Meanwhile, Lawrence deals with internal demons but also external ones in the form of his heartless stepfather, a resentful ex-wife and his son turning to a life of crime.
The soundtrack along the ten-episode ride is another precise balancing act between the old and new. The 70s and 80s rock that Johnny listened to as a teen is still what drives him today. Music from Quiet Riot and REO Speedwagon provide the sonic backdrops for various scenes and often it’s a brilliant match of music and moment. For LaRusso, the soundtrack is more traditional but slowly returns to the flute-laced melodies of Bill Conti’s score from 1984.
It’s clear why YouTube acquired this series. Cobra Kai is a fun show that’s a lot better than it should be. Anyone who grew up with Karate Kid will enjoy the return of these characters. Younger viewers, even if not familiar with the original films, will enjoy the coming-of-age story of Miguel, Sam, and Robby plus the gaggle of goofy friends. The balance between old and new and the reversal of the familiar makes Cobra Kai a must-watch if you already have YouTube Red.
Our old friend Wolverine is back and everybody’s looking for him! Hunt For Wolverine: Weapon Lost is one of the mini-series following the search for our favorite claw-popping mutant. Writer Charles Soule teams up with artist Matteo Buffagni and colorist Jim Charalampidis to follow Daredevil’s beginning of the hunt.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Daredevil is a character Charles Soule knows intimately. His current run with the character in his own book has been consistently one of Marvel’s best comics. He’s also very familiar with Inhuman characters, such as Frank McGee, from his Uncanny Inhumans run. It certainly helps this story, given that it’s centered around Daredevil, Misty Knight, and Frank.
If you were coming into this looking for a standard Infinity Stone or Dragon Ball collecting mystery tour, you’re going to get much more. Soule’s script reads more like a Crime-Noir starring a handful of unlikely superhero collaborators. It’s more “a dame walked into my office” than “we’re going on a quest” and it’s for the better.
Even Daredevil’s inner-monologue sounds like he could be saying it with a cigarette in his mouth in front of a steamy alleyway. It’s a surprisingly good fit for the material and may catch readers off-guard that assumed this was going to be more like last week’s Hunt For Wolverine tie-in. This mini-series is going to have more to say.
There’s still plenty of comic book reveals, shocks, and twists as well. Soule’s take on Cypher as an internet-addicted junkie is interesting and relevant. They give him a good old fashioned informant shakedown that’s met with an assault rifle before they get to work.
Matteo Buffagni’s dark and gritty NYC-at-night is a wonderfully illustrated landscape. He does each of the characters justice, Misty Knight especially. However, he makes the odd choice of playing with Daredevil’s eyes a little too much. They fluctuate in size like Spider-Man’s; it’s distracting.
Buffagni and Charalampidis do their part in adding more layers to the Crime-Noir appeal. Each landscape and atmosphere is crafted and colored with a familiar after-midnight polish. Altogether this creative team puts in the work to make this experience more than just another tie-in you’ll forget about immediately after turning the final page.
We don’t see Wolverine in the flesh, but this issue takes a more interesting approach than expected. You’ll be entertained enough not to care whether or not Logan ever appears.
The HBO Documentary Being Serena gives audiences an intriguing look at the insecurities and vulnerability of the greatest tennis player on tour, Serena Williams.
Williams allows the cameras free reign as they depict the significant life changes unfolding in the coming months. Fresh off a win at the Australian Open, Williams is shocked to learn that she’s pregnant with her first child. Alexis Ohanian (her fiance and founder of Reddit) is thrilled by the news, but anxiety begins to creep in for the both of them. Williams and Ohanian are highly skilled in their respective professions, but have no clue about what’s in store for them. None of the documentary comes off as forced or trivial. The new parents let their guard down in front of the cameras allowing audiences to pseudo travel with them throughout this life-changing event.
The topic of fear is prevalent during Being Serena. Williams is a top-class athlete, who isn’t intimated by anyone so feeling scared about what’s to come is a foreign feeling. She even touches on it in the first episode of the series. Her worries range from whether she will be an excellent mother to even the actual delivery. The series makes excellent use of the one-shot allowing our subject to speak directly to the camera in a conversational manner. It enables viewers to develop attachments to these people and for the emotion of each moment to resonate
Much like the Andre The Giant documentary, Being Serena doesn’t seek to glorify Williams. Both documentaries attempt to normalize these larger-than-life figures and make them relatable. These shows are less about her championship pedigree and more about who they are as individuals. Showing the world such vulnerability speaks to the kind of person Williams is.
My favorite moment from the documentary was the discussion about the complications surrounding her pregnancy. We find in the first episode just how close she was to dying. After the delivery, she developed a pulmonary embolism which restricted Williams ability to breathe. As the emergency begins to unfold, Ohanian quickly begins show signs of helplessness. Nurses acted quickly and put her on oxygen. They wheeled her back to the X-Ray tech, but the images showed nothing was wrong. Williams was relentless as she advocated for further tests which resulted in finding the clot in her lungs. She had to go through three separate surgeries to rectify the issue. By sharing that moment, Being Serena gives a great example of why women must remember to always advocate for themselves, especially in matters of health.
While HBO hasn’t provided us with more the two episodes of the series, it’s easy to see how impactful Being Serena could be. By Williams allowing the camera to chronicle these delicate moments, it shows women they aren’t alone. Everyone goes through these similar moments as we have kids and especially when we get married. Fear and angst are just some of the rainbow of feelings we feel during these times regardless of gender. However, it’s the joy we all sense in the end which makes it worth it. Being Serena begins May 2nd at 10 pm on HBO.
According to the official Arrested Development Twitter, creator Mitch Hurwitz has recut season four of the cult classic and will be available on Netflix starting May 4th. Hurwitz announced the release in a letter to the “viewer” (his parentheses, not ours) yesterday.
Arrested Development Under Development
The letter announced that season five is coming “Like real soon. Like, if you knew when, you would not be wrong to be thinking ‘why are we all just hearing this now?’”. After the show was abruptly cancelled in 2006, there was on-again, off-again talk of a movie. But the movie never materialized, and fans, for the most part, gave up on a continuation for the Bluth family.
Finally, in 2013, Season Four premiered on Netflix. All 15 episodes dropped at once via the streaming service. The unfamiliar format, which told a season’s worth of story in pieces, divided fans. Each episode was dedicated to one character’s perspective of the same events, and the puzzle didn’t come into focus until the end. While some fans loved the experiment, it turned others away.
Hurwitz has recut this controversial season to jive more with the original storytelling style. The remix, titled Fateful Consequences, will put season four back in chronological order. Hurwitz says the result is “…funny in a whole new way and I believe it creates a really entertaining and hilarious new experience for the ‘viewer.’” In other words, it encourages rewatching the series without actually giving us any new content. Instead of 15 full-length episodes, Fateful Consequences has 22 twenty-minute installments.
Come On!
While several of the series’ original actors have come up against scrutiny, there is no word on how it will effect their characters, if at all. Season four Fateful Consequences premieres on “Cinco de Cuatro”, a Bluth family traditional holiday. No official date has been announced for season five.[easy-tweet tweet=”Season four Fateful Consequences premieres on “Cinco de Cuatro”, a Bluth family traditional holiday. No official date has been announced for season five.” user=”Jenisaur” hashtags=”#cincodecuatro, #arresteddevelopment, #fatefulconsequence”]
Created by Mitch Hurwitz, Arrested Development stars Michael Cera (George Michael Bluth), Jason Bateman (Michael Bluth), Will Arnett (Gob Bluth), Portia de Rossi (Lindsay Bluth), David Cross (Tobias Fünke), Tony Hale (Buster Bluth), and Alia Shawkat (Maeby Fünke). Jessica Walter and Jeffrey Tambor play Lucille and Oscar/George Bluth. Ron Howard provides the voice of the narrator.
