90th Oscars Speech: Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, and Lucy Sibbick DARKEST HOUR

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March 4, 2018

WINNER: MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING – DARKEST HOUR, Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

KAZUHIRO TSUJI: Firstly, we would like to give our heartfelt thanks to Gary Oldman. It was a real honor to be on this incredible journey with you, and we would not be standing here today if it wasn’t for you. You’re a wonderful actor, a dedicated artist and a true friend. We thank you for that. We would also like to thank Gisele Schmidt, Debra Sabonsky(?), the entire team at Focus Features, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Tim Bevan, Anthony McCarten, and the director Joe Wright. The cast and crew. Our family and friends, for their amazing support, and Mike Katz(?). Finally, thank you to the Academy. This is a dream come true for all of us. Thank you.

DAVID MALINOWSKI: Thank you very much.

LUCY SIBBICK: Thank you.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

Q. Congratulations on your first Oscars. So my question is going to be, what this project means to you because at the age of 15 when you were living in a small country in Japan your dream was becoming a special makeup artist in Hollywood. Your dream came true in your 20s and you left the film industry six years ago and then came back for this project. So this project brought you back to the film industry and then brought your first Oscar. So what this project means to you and then what your first Oscar means to you at this time in your career. If you prefer, you can answer it in Japanese.
A. (Kazuhiro Tsuji) Yeah. I think it’s really important, the timing‑wise because I left the film industry and Gary asked me to design this. And really, like, everything came together and then great timing, and I met David and Lucy and they’re really special, and I never worked with any such a kind before. And also I learned a lot from ‑‑ through this project because almost ‑‑ it’s really what I learned is that people ‑‑ how much people care about and how much they love about their job, and I kind of realized and kind of ‑‑ it was a really special project because it’s such a great talent came to one show and we did ‑‑ we made an amazing film and I think we made history. So it’s really meaningful to me.

Q. Hi, Kazuhiro. So there are very few Asians nominated at this year’s Academy Awards; I think you’re the only one, and you’re the winner as well. How does that feel?
A. (Kazuhiro Tsuji) I don’t want to think about I’m Asian. I’m just doing what I love to do. So, I hope everyone feels that way because it’s ‑‑ as soon as we start to think what the race we are, it’s not good. It doesn’t work that well.

Q. You know Gary Oldman says, “Look at me. What do you think of? Winston Churchill.” And of course we all laugh. At what point did you all think, “We know we’re good, but we’ve pulled it off. Look at him. We’ve pulled it off”?
A. (David Malinowski) I think it was the final test day that we did back in London. Kazu had already designed the makeup and done the final test in L.A., and he brought the makeup to London to hand over to myself and Lucy. And it was during those two weeks where we tweaked the makeup, we finessed it, and we got it to what you see on the screen today. You know, it was that very final day that Joe, Gary, the producers signed the makeup off and said that’s what we want for DARKEST HOUR.

Q. What was your reaction? You looked at him and you believed it?
A. (David Malinowski) Yeah, I think so. You know, yeah, I do believe it. I’m just being honest. I do believe that it’s an outstanding makeup and the feedback we’ve had from everybody else has been superb. So, you know, I hope everybody likes what they see on screen today.

Q. I don’t know if you were aware, but on the Red Carpet they were showing the video of Gary dancing to James Brown while he was in his full outfit and full makeup, and I just wondered if you could talk a little bit about the relationship that you three had with him because it seemed to be a very warm bond between all of you.
A. (David Malinowski) Yeah. I met Gary on a previous job, and I think one of the main reasons, other than, you know, he likes the work I did with him, was that we just got on so well together, our personality, he’s very similar. We like to joke, mess around, but we also have, you know, an eye for detail. We both want the best of whatever we do. So ‑‑ and then you add to that mix Lucy who’s, again, very similar sense of humor to myself and Gary, so you could imagine that we spent four hours on a makeup bus every day for three or four months, it’s going to get a little bit insane at times. So, you know, Gary likes to dance around, he likes to sing, he likes to chat, tell stories, and, you know, we like to do the same. I think, you know, we’ve just got a brilliant sense of humor between all of us. Do you want to add anything, Lucy? Do you want to add for me?
A. (Lucy Sibbick) He’s got so many characters inside his body, so he’s always doing different impressions.
A. (David Malinowski) Yeah. He’s always doing impressions. He does a good De Niro, for example. I won’t do it now because that would be terrible. He does a good Christopher Walken and he does an extremely good Winston Churchill, more importantly. So fingers crossed for Gary tonight.

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90th Oscars Speech: Mark Bridges PHANTOM THREAD

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 4, 2018

WINNER: COSTUME DESIGN – PHANTOM THREAD, Mark Bridges

MARK BRIDGES: Oh first, I want to thank Paul Thomas Anderson, for writing this amazing script and having me design it. Thank you, Paul. To our wonderful actors, Daniel, Lesley, Vicky, the whole company of actors who were such great collaborators on this film. My brilliant, brilliant crew in London who worked tirelessly to make beautiful dresses and get them on camera, thank you. And of course, the Academy. Thank you very much.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

Q. I know you’re a frequent collaborator with Paul Thomas Anderson.
A. Yeah.

Q. So, I’m curious. When he reached out to you about this movie, how excited were you to work on a picture where you get to do this sort of couture and also the more contemp‑ ‑‑ well, not contemporary, but sort of traditional clothing as well?
A. Right. Well, I always am excited when Paul calls because, as you know, over 22 years we’ve done everything from porn stars, to oil drilling, to hippie detectives. You know, so this is just another one of the bag of tricks that Paul has. But, you know, you feel like there’s ‑‑ there is a little bit of a pressure. You know, will I be able to do justice to the era, and, of course, working with Daniel, you up your game. And Paul always ‑‑ and Daniel ‑‑ always makes me be a better designer. You know, so I proceeded with the research the way we always do and just try to tell a story. And then we ‑‑ of course, we had the luxury of working in London, too, where there are makers and fabrics and access to Europe that we don’t have here.

Q. So, but what is it like to design costumes for a film that is, in a sense, partly about the act of designing costumes? How was that different?
A. It was ‑‑ it was a little different than I usually do, and it was kind of two levels. One of it is: Tell the story of the real people. And then when we had to do a fashion show or the fashions of Reynolds Woodcock, I had to go into another mindset of, you know, what would this man be like? Paul said, Oh, can we have a spring fashion show? Can the fashion show be spring? And I’m thinking, like, hmm, a dark character, like Reynolds in London, who uses rich colors and sort of dark fabrics. What would a spring collection be for him? So I had to get into the mindset of somebody else. It was ‑‑ it was different and challenging, in a cool way, for me.

Q. Something that I hear a lot in common with costume designers and their relationships with actors is that they discover their character from the bottom up once ‑‑
A. Yeah.

Q. ‑‑ they get in the shoes, they know who they are. Can you share with us some kind of ‑‑ some instance ‑‑
A. It’s actually really, really true. I don’t know whether it’s because I started in theater. Theater actors are very much like that. If their shoes work and make them move a certain way, then the rest is ‑‑ rest follows. And certainly working with Daniel Day‑Lewis, both on THERE WILL BE BLOOD and this one, his shoes were very important to him, and a ‑‑ it’s a way ‑‑ it makes you walk in a certain way or carry yourself in a different way that then sort of feeds up into the rest of the physicality of the role, is what I discover, and helps them become who they need to become.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about collaborating with Daniel Day‑Lewis, especially as his character actually had to drape a gown in the movie?
A. Well, you know, Daniel did an amazing amount of homework. He’s the consummate artist preparing. I hooked him up with a cutter in New York, and he studied, and actually made a ‑‑ quite a nice garment at the end of his tenure there.

Collaborating with him, you know, he had a lot of ideas about what this man should be like. You know, his idea was to go to Anderson Sheppard, Savile Row, to have his clothes tailored, and he knows this world very well. He grew up with it. His father had bespoke clothes, his grandfather. So it was ‑‑ it was a learning experience for me, but we worked together. We went shopping together, actually, on German Street in London, which was amazing. And ‑‑ but I was always there and collaborating about, like, I know I need this many suits to be able to make this costume plot. But he did not want to plan ahead what he was going to wear, so we created a closet for him, and Paul wanted him to choose daily what he would pull from his closet and wear it.

So that was ‑‑ that was a new one on me, a little nerve‑wracking at first. But we all trust each other so much at this point that ‑‑ and the fact that I had been in on creating that wardrobe, I was fine with it. And I think as long as Paul felt we were feeding Daniel nourishment for his character, it was fine, and that’s why I’m there too, to help aid that performance.

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90th Oscars Speech: Sam Rockwell THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 4, 2018

WINNER: ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – SAM ROCKWELL, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

SAM ROCKWELL: Thanks. Okay, run that clock, Jimmy. I want to get that Ski Jet or whatever that was. I’d like thank the Academy, never thought I’d say those words. Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Plummer, Woody Harrelson: you guys rock. You inspire me. And you always have. When I was eight years old, I was called into the principal’s office and my father was looking very solemn. And he said, “We gotta go, it’s Grandma.” We got in the car and I said, “What’s wrong with Grandma.” And he said, “Nothing, we going to the movies.” My mom and dad’s love of movies became my love of movies, so thank you for that, Mom and Dad. I love you.

Thank you, the formidable Frances McDormand. We’re at the convention, Frances. The fantastic Woody Harrelson. You guys are my heroes. The rest of this incredible cast and crew, incredible! Fox Searchlight, everyone involved in “Three Billboards.” Everyone who’s ever looked at a billboard.

Martin McDonagh, I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for you. I want to do 10 other movies with you, I love you. Rhonda, Elise, Jason, Liz Mahoney, Liz Himmelstein, Terry Knickerbocker, all my good friends and my beloved Leslie Bibb. You light my fire, baby. I love you. Peace out. This is for my old buddy, Phil Hoffman. For my old buddy, Phil Hoffman.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEWS

Q. Question from Bulgaria. Could you tell us more about the process? How you embodied the character? How you started working on that role?
A. Oh, it’s so boring, but if you want to hear it, I can tell you the whole ‑‑ you know, it’s like a big soufflé or a stew. You throw in some potatoes and some carrots in there and you work with an amazing dialect coach like Liz Himelstein who worked with Gary Oldman and Margot and Terry Knickerbocker, my acting coach. And I did some ride‑alongs with some cops, Josh McMullin in Southern Missouri. Liz Himelstein taped two cops, actually. There was a guy named Demer (phonetic) in L.A. I did a ride‑along with him. And I met with this skin graft doctor who introduced me to some burn victims, actually. I mean, but the thing is, that’s if you have luxury ‑‑ the luxury of time, you know, which you don’t always have for a part. And then I worked with Martin and ‑‑ but sometimes you get a part and you only have a week or a couple days to prepare. I heard that Jeremy Renner only had four days to prepare to play Jeffrey Dahmer, which is a lot, if you are playing Jeffrey Dahmer, you know. So I had the advantage that I had, like, two or three months. And so I got to indulge in all this research. And so it was a lot of fun. So that’s the long answer to your short question.

Q. You said a wonderful thing about the arc of your character being Barney Fife going into Travis Bickle.
A. Yes, yes.

Q. I’d love to ask, in any way, was Barney Fife and the great Don Knotts any inspiration to you as an actor throughout your career?
A. Absolutely. I mean that when I say Barney Fife and, you know, the town of Ebbing is very much like Mayberry, and Woody Harrelson’s character is very much like the Andy Griffith character. And, in fact, I could be wrong about this, check your facts, but I think we shot in Sylva, North Carolina and I think Mayberry was shot there, but I could be wrong about that. But, you know, the goofiness of Barney Fife, the kind of hapless thing of Barney Fife, and then his transition into somebody else was just sort of ‑‑ Travis Bickle was kind of a ‑‑ Barney Fife to Travis Bickle was kind of a generalization, but it’s a lot more complicated than that, obviously, but, you know, yeah.

Q. You dedicated your win to Phil Hoffman and I would just like ‑‑
A. Oh, you caught that, good.

Q. We could hear that.
A. You heard that?

Q. Yes.
A. Because I thought the music was going. Oh, good. I’m glad you heard that.

Q. So I’m curious, as a friend and as a colleague, tell me, you know, what he meant to you, how he inspired you.
A. Well, I guess you want to start making me cry, but he’s, yeah, he was an old friend of mine, and he directed me in a play at the Public Theater and, yeah, he was very close to me and he was an inspiration to all of my peers. You know, people like Jeffrey Wright, Billy Crudup, Liev Schreiber, you know, you know, everybody. Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin. I mean, whoever was in my age range, Phil Hoffman was the guy. And he was a great director and he believed in doing theater. In fact, he was ‑‑ he vowed to do a play a year, which I don’t know if he got to do because he was very busy doing movies, but he was a great inspiration and a great theater director. And I don’t know if anybody knows, he was a bit of a jock. He was a wrestler, and he played basketball, and he inspired me. And I could go on for an hour about Phil Hoffman. Philip Seymour Hoffman was a good friend and he was a huge, huge inspiration on me. Yeah.

Q. You know, I’m still counting, at 21, the awards that you won before the Academy Awards. So did you count them at all?
A. I’m sorry. Could you say it one more time?

Q. I stopped counting at 21 the awards that you won. So do you count them at all and do you feel that those were like billboards saying, Sam, you’re going to win the Oscars now?
A. No, but that sounds like a really cool dream, but no, no.

Q. Obviously very ‑‑
A. I like your hair, dude.

Q. Thank you very much. Obviously very proud of Martin because we hail from Ireland.
A. Saoirse?

Q. And Saoirse as well. [Indiscernible.]
A. Colin in IN BRUGES.

Q. Loads, exactly. As a frequent collaborator of Martin, what is it about him that makes him such a great artist?
A. Well, you know, he says ‑‑ Martin says that, you know, you couldn’t set this in Ireland or England, but I actually think you could set this movie in almost any working class town all over the world, but he disagrees with that, but I think you could ‑‑ it could be anywhere almost. But there’s obviously something very timely about it now, what’s going on in this country, you know. Yeah.

Q. There’s been some complaint, criticism about the film.
A. Yes.

Q. Specifically as it relates to path of a betrayal and the relationships with African Americans.
A. Yes.

Q. Can you talk about, specifically, your character and whether you take that criticism on or was that how you dealt with it and your sense of that?
A. Well, yeah. I mean, it’s a complicated issue, but, I mean, Kareem Abdul‑Jabbar wrote an article that was really amazing sort of defending the movie as far as that goes and it was really eloquent. I didn’t realize he’s like a cultural professor, which I didn’t know, in addition to being like a basketball icon, and that was a great article that articulated everything. And I think for me, you know, the whole thing is that, you know, they have a lot of work to do, Mildred and Dixon. It’s not like they are like all of a sudden redeemed at the end of the movie. They have, you know, a lot of work to do and maybe some therapy, you know. It’s an ongoing thing, you know. So, and it’s also ‑‑ it’s a movie and it’s a dark fairytale of some sorts. And so it’s like, it’s not necessarily ‑‑ in real life we probably would have gone to prison, both of our characters, so, you know. That’s ‑‑ that’s sort of how I see it.

Q. Thank you so much and congratulations.
A. Thanks. Thanks a lot. Thank you.

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Score, Music, and Sounds Oscar Predictions for the 90th Academy Awards

By

Eric Morales

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March 4, 2018

This is Part Four of the Monkey Fighting Robots’ Oscar Predictions for the 90th Academy Awards: Best Documentary, Foreign film, and Shorts. You can find Part One, Two, Three and Four here. Make sure to check back after the Oscars to see if you beat Jenkins, our expert prediction system!

Best Score: The Shape of Water

Taking home the BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Golden Globe was just cherries on top of a brilliantly scored cake. This is Shape‘s award to win.

Best Song: “Remember Me”, Coco

Remember when you cried? So did the Academy.

Best Sound Mixing and Editing: Dunkirk

Dunkirk took every insider award for sound mixing and editing. If you had the chance to see in IMAX, you’ll understand why.

What are your thoughts on the 90th Academy Awards? Comment below.

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Visual Effects, Production, Costume, and Makeup Oscar Predictions for the 90th Academy Awards

By

Eric Morales

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March 4, 2018

This is Part Four of the Monkey Fighting Robots’ Oscar Predictions for the 90th Academy Awards: Best Documentary, Foreign film, and Shorts. You can find Part One, Two and Three here. Make sure to check back after the Oscars to see if you beat Jenkins, our expert prediction system!

Best Visual Effects: War for the Planet of the Apes

Somehow, not a single one of these films has won this category. It baffles everyone. But with a VES and Critics’ Choice award under its belt, War may finally win it, and bring a much-deserved trophy to the modern sci-fi retelling.

Best Production Design: The Shape of Water

It took the Art Directors Guild award, the BAFTA, and Critics’ Choice. You can be sure the beautiful art direction of Shape will take the win.

Best Costume Design: Phantom Thread

Yes, shocking. The movie about designing costumes will win Best Costume Design. What else is there to even say?

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Darkest Hour

They recreated Winston Churchill to an incredible degree of specificity. More than this, the other candidates are Victoria & Abdul and Wonder, two movies that are so outside the public awareness you probably forgot they existed until just now.

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The 90th Academy Awards: Complete List Of Winners

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 4, 2018

This page will be updated as the winners are announced; enjoy Oscar night, Jimmy Kimmel, the speeches, and the song, and dance.

OSCAR Wins by film

The Shape of Water: 4
Dunkirk: 3
Blade Runner 2049: 2
Coco: 2
Darkest Hour: 2
Three Billboards: 2
Call Me by Your Name: 1
Dear Basketball: 1
A Fantastic Woman: 1
Get Out: 1
Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405: 1
Icarus: 1
I, Tonya: 1
Phantom Thread: 1
The Silent Child: 1

BEST PICTURE
THE SHAPE OF WATER
Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale, Producers

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
FRANCES MCDORMAND
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
GARY OLDMAN
Darkest Hour

DIRECTING
THE SHAPE OF WATER
Guillermo del Toro

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
REMEMBER ME
from Coco; Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
THE SHAPE OF WATER
Alexandre Desplat

CINEMATOGRAPHY
BLADE RUNNER 2049
Roger A. Deakins

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
GET OUT
Written by Jordan Peele

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Screenplay by James Ivory

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
THE SILENT CHILD
Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
HEAVEN IS A TRAFFIC JAM ON THE 405
Frank Stiefel

FILM EDITING
DUNKIRK
Lee Smith

VISUAL EFFECTS
BLADE RUNNER 2049
John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
COCO
Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
DEAR BASKETBALL
Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
ALLISON JANNEY
I, Tonya

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A FANTASTIC WOMAN
Chile

PRODUCTION DESIGN
THE SHAPE OF WATER
Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin

SOUND MIXING
DUNKIRK
Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo

SOUND EDITING
DUNKIRK
Richard King and Alex Gibson

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
ICARUS
Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan

COSTUME DESIGN
PHANTOM THREAD
Mark Bridges

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
DARKEST HOUR
Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
SAM ROCKWELL
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Picture
Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Actor in a Leading Role
Timothee Chalamet
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Kaluuya
Gary Oldman
Denzel Washington

Actor in a Supporting Role
Willem Dafoe
Woody Harrelson
Richard Jenkins
Christopher Plummer

Sam Rockwell – winner

Actress in a Leading Role
Sally Hawkins
Frances McDormand
Margot Robbie
Saoirse Ronan
Meryl Streep

Actress in a Supporting Role
Mary J Blige
Allison Janney
Lesley Manville
Laurie Metcalf
Octavia Spencer

Animated Feature Film
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent

Directing
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water

Documentary Feature
Abacus
Faces, Places
Icarus
Last Man In Aleppo
Strong Island

Documentary Short Subject
Edith and Eddie
Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405
Heron
Knife Skills
Traffic Stop

Foreign Language Film
A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
The Insult (Lebanon)
Loveless (Russia)
On Body And Soul
The Square

Original Song
Mighty River, Mudbound
Mystery of Love, Call Me By Your Name
Remember Me, Coco
Stand Up For Something, Marshall
This Is Me, The Greatest Showman

Adapted Screenplay
Call Me By Your Name
The Disaster Artist
Logan
Molly’s Game
Mudbound

Original Screenplay
The Big Sick
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Mudbound
The Shape of Water

Costume Design
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Victoria & Abdul

Film Editing
Baby Driver
Dunkirk
I, Tonya
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Makeup and Hairstyling
Darkest Hour
Victoria & Abdul
Wonder

Original Score
Dunkrik
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Production Design
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water

Animated Short Film
Dear Basketball
Garden Party
Lou
Negative Space
Revolting Rhymes

Live Action Short Film
Dekalb Elementary
The Eleven O’Clock
My Nephew Emmett
Silent Child
Watu Wote (All Of Us)

Sound Editing
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Sound Mixing
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Visual Effects
Blade Runner 2049
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes

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Review: Hack begins her Revenge on the Squad in SUICIDE SQUAD #36

By

Jose "Jody" Cardona

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During the first few arcs of Rebirth era Suicide Squad, we met the metahuman Hack. Her power allowed her to communicate and control technology, as well as travel through it. During the Squad’s war against the villainous group, The People, she was murdered. A year has passed and Hack has come back as the equivalent of a ghost to attack Belle Reve at its most vulnerable. With the Squad fighting the new hero, Damage, and Amanda Waller out observing a potential Task Force X replacement, this cyber ghost of the past has possessed the Squad’s home base. How will this sin of the past haunt the Squad in the present?

**Some Spoilers Below**

Story:

When the Squad returns home from their fight with Damage, they find the place controlled by Hack. They do their best to fight back, but it’s hard to fight a prison with high-security robots. After they’re captured, Hack explains to them why she has returned. She wants to kill the one who murdered her and will hold them hostage till the culprit is revealed. Hack calls Amanda Waller to try and get her to return to the prison to give her answers. Waller has her own problems at the moment, in the form of The Wall. The government issued hero is sent out on exercises so Amanda Waller can get a good grasp of his abilities.

Hack’s killer is Captain Boomerang. I would apologize that I ruined the killer’s identity, but even the series makes it clear. If you haven’t read the series before this issue, you would still be able to piece it together. Not because Digger Harkness is a bad guy, because you have the killer that Hack flashes back to is wielding a boomerang! You mean to tell me that she can’t access autopsy files on her own body? That the weapon that stabbed her has an odd almost boomerang shape? It’s questions like this that ruins the plot of this story. We have this battle against a digital ghost but it could have all been avoided if someone decides to check the files. Sure, the action is fun, but logic can only be kept away for so long.

Art:

As I said, the action is fun, but that’s only because the art is amazing. Eduardo Pansica’s pencil work is fantastic, especially when it comes to the designs of Hack. The different forms of the cyber ghost are incredibly unique and makes each encounter a ton of fun. Adriano Lucas takes it a step further with his epic colors. He is able to keep it vibrant enough to show the amount of energy powers are using yet keep it grounded enough for some of the more serious moments. If there’s anything steady about this story arc so far, it’s how phenomenal this art team is.

Conclusion:

This was another disappointing chapter in this arc, but not for the same reasons as last time. While the action is fun, thanks in large part to the art team, readers will be able to point out the flaws in the story a mile away. If you’re looking for a senseless, action-filled romp, this might be what you’re looking for. If you are looking for more substance, however, look somewhere else.

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Documentary, Foreign Film, And Shorts Oscar Predictions For The 90th Academy Awards

By

Eric Morales

-

March 3, 2018

This is Part Three of the Monkey Fighting Robots’ Oscar Predictions for the 90th Academy Awards: Best Documentary, Foreign film, and Shorts. You can find Part One and Two here. Make sure to check back after the Oscars to see if you beat Jenkins, our expert prediction system!

Best Documentary: Last Men in Aleppo

Honestly who the hell knows with this category. Every predictive award gave it to Jane, which wasn’t nominated. There is no way to safely say what’s going to take the stage.

But, given that the directors for this one were denied a visa under the current administration, that might swing enough protest votes to give Last Men the lead.

Best Foreign Language Film: A Fantastic Woman

Once again, there was not any data with which to predict. Every predictive award went elsewhere in an already difficult category. That being said, A Fantastic Woman has had a ton of buzz over the past year, and that could be enough to sustain a lead.

Best Documentary Short: Heroin(e)

The Shorts categories are nearly impossible to predict – there simply aren’t enough awards given to build any kind of model. So there are based on more subjective qualities.

Netflix has found their groove in this category. They continue to push well-made and timely docs, and it’s paying off. Heroin(e) has both in spades, so expect to see it on the big stage.

Best Live Action Short: DeKalb Elementary

Another unfortunately timely short. At a time when discussions about guns in schools are the headline, this based-on-a-true-story of a foiled school shooting is a guaranteed win.

Best Animated Short: Dear Basketball

An autobiographical story from Kobe Bryant and the animator behind The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas. You don’t need an algorithmic prediction model to know that this will win.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Can you predict Best Doc, Foreign Film, and the Shorts better than Jenkins?” user=”ericsmorals” hashtags=”Oscars”]

Want to see more predictions? Check out our Best Picture, Director, and Acting, and Screenplay, Cinematography Editing, and Animation predictions here!

What are your thoughts on the 90th Academy Awards? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or the comments below!

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Space Explorer Supreme: DOCTOR STRANGE #1 Announced

By

Michael Stagno

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March 2, 2018

The Sorcerer Supreme has liftoff in an all-new series via the creative team of Mark Waid and Jesus Saiz.

Doctor Strange will take a galaxy quest clear across the universe in his new series this summer. The trip, prompted by the Eye of Agamotto being closed, causes Stephen Strange to lose his connection to the Earth’s arcane power, as literal nightmares press against the seams of our reality. Thanks to the suggestion of one Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, Strange takes on astronautical travel to fix the problem. The series will see new spells, allies and enemies – some old, some new – as secrets of the Marvel Universe are unlocked.

“I’ve been a Strange fan forever,” Said Waid. “But I’ve never been lucky enough to write an extended run featuring the good doctor. Along with editor Nick Lowe, we’ve come up with some new and very unexpected places to take Stephen Strange in the Marvel Universe—starting with the stars. When Strange’s magic suddenly exhausts itself, he’ll have to travel off-earth to recharge his batteries. Let’s hope he survives the trip!”

This new series continues Marvel‘s ‘new beginnings’ or ‘fresh start’ movement in revamping, reloading and, in some cases, overhauling its characters, including with new creative teams.

Keep an eye out for Doctor Strange #1 to land on shelves on June 6. A full list of all incoming ‘Fresh Start’ series for 2018 can be found HERE, while you can check out the official release from Marvel HERE.

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Danvers ‘Returns Home’ in July in the LIFE OF CAPTAIN MARVEL

By

Michael Stagno

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March 2, 2018

It will be a homecoming this summer for Carol Danvers as both Margaret Stohl and Carlos Pacheco will spearhead a new series for the character.

Just a girl from Boston, Danvers, loved science and the Red Sox, until a chance encounter with a Kree hero gave her incredible super powers. Now, she’s a leader in the Avengers and the commander of Alpha Flight. Though, during fights, crippling anxiety attacks stir up memories of a life she thought she left behind. You can’t outrun where you’re from and sometimes, you have to return home. This is the true story of Captain Marvel and what she discovers will change her entire world.

This new series continues Marvel‘s ‘new beginnings’ or ‘fresh start’ movement in revamping, reloading and, in some cases, overhauling its characters, including with new creative teams.

Look for Life of Captain Marvel #1 to land on shelves on July 4. A full list of all incoming ‘Fresh Start’ series for 2018 can be found HERE, while you can check out the official release from Marvel HERE.

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