Marvel Studios has released the first official image from Ant-Man and the Wasp. The still comes from Walt Disney Studios’ 2018 preview kit for the press.
The impressive new image shows Scott Lang aka. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), accompanied by his partner in crime Hope van Dyne aka. The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) in their heroic costumes.
Check out the image below:
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes Ant-Man and the Wasp, a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope Van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.
Peyton Reed is returning to direct Ant-Man And The Wasp, which starsPaul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John Kamen, Abby Ryder-Fortson, Randall Park, with Michelle Pfeiffer, with Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas.
When we first learned that Sony was developing a Venommovie, we all wondered if Tom Holland’s Spider-Man would make an appearance or at the very least, swing past in the background. For a while, it seemed like the Venommovie would stay separate from Holland’s Spidey and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a new rumour suggests that we might see the web-slinger in Sony’s first spin-off film.
Jon Schnepp recently appeared on Collider Movie Talk, where he revealed that a few of his “little birds” have told him that Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, will appear alongside Tom Hardy’s villain/anti-hero in the upcoming Venomfilm.
See what Schnepp said below:
“Spider-Man is going to be in Venom. For the last couple of months, we’ve been hearing how Sony is keeping it all separated, and Spider-Man is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but every other character that’s in the Spider-Man universe is separate. All I’m saying is that Spider-Man—and I’m talking about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man—is going to be in Venom.”
This is an exciting rumour for any Marvel/Spider-Man fan, but it’s important to note that this is an unconfirmed report and should be taken with an endless grain of salt. It’s possible (and likely) that Tom Holland won’t appear in the Venomfilm and while it would be incredible to see Hardy and Holland in a movie together, it doesn’t necessarily make sense for the characters and the different universes that Marvel and Sony are creating.
Do you want to see Tom Holland as Spider-Man in the Venom movie? Let us know in the comments section!
Gus Van Sant may not always be on top of his game, but his films are nevertheless fascinating regardless of success and failure. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot, his latest drama starring Joaquin Phoenix as a wheelchair-bound alcoholic and Jonah Hill (unrecognizable) as his friend, has that look of good Gus.
The cast beyond Phoenix and Hill – again I cannot stress how different Jonah Hill looks – is stacked, and the tone is interesting. Check it out:
After Portland slacker John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) nearly loses his life in a car accident, the last thing he intends to do is give up drinking. But when he reluctantly enters treatment – with encouragement from his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) and a charismatic sponsor (Jonah Hill) – Callahan discovers a gift for drawing edgy, irreverent newspaper cartoons that develop a national following and grant him a new lease on life.
With Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot and the pulp thriller You Were Never Really Here on the horizon – two complete sentence titles, oddly enough – Joaquin Phoenix is set up for a great 2018.
This will be Van Sant’s first film since the disastrous Sea of Trees, which was a bad move on just about everyone involved. Aside from Phoenix and Hill, the film stars Rooney Mara, Jack Black, and even Udo Kier plays a role. The screenplay is based on John Callahan’s (Phoenix’s character) biography, with Van Sant doing the bulk of the screenwriting. It will hit theaters May 11, just in time to get all that summer blockbuster money no doubt.
Gideon Falls, the new Image Comics ongoing series by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino, is bringing haunting and disturbing psychological horror to comic shop shelves this March.
Gideon Falls #1 Written by: Jeff Lemire Art by: Andrea Sorrentino Colors by: Dave Stewart Letters by: Steve Wands
The lives of a reclusive young man obsessed with a conspiracy in the city’s trash, and a washed-up Catholic priest arriving in a small town full of dark secrets, become intertwined around the mysterious legend of The Black Barn, an otherworldly building that is alleged to have appeared in both the city and the small town, throughout history, bringing death and madness in its wake. Rural mystery and urban horror collide in this character-driven meditation on obsession, mental illness, and faith.
Writing
Gideon Falls is a very tightly written book. It’s a master class in using dialog and conversations as a tool to flesh out characters and drive the narrative. It’s also a perfect example of using pacing to build dread and mystery. As stated earlier, this is something very difficult to do in a medium that relies only on words and pictures. But Lemire makes it work. With each turn of the page, the story not only unfolds further but raises the tension. At one point, during a brilliant parallel narrative sequence near the end of the book, I actually held my breath.
The two main characters, Father Fred and Norton, are both fantastically realized characters. Obviously flawed and carrying burdens and baggage, you immediately connect with them and are drawn into their respective stories. When these two cross paths, it’s going to be a great moment.
Art
Andrea Sorrentino has always been one of the best artists in the business, especially when it comes to panel layouts and page design. Gideon Falls has some of the most inventive and evocative work from Sorrentino yet. His use of negative space creates a sense displacement and unease that heightens the narrative. Panels are placed in unique ways; he is a master as juxtapositioning (just check out the below image for a great example). He also draws faces that carry so much weight and emotion you can feel by just looking at expressions. There is also a texture to his art that is very tactile.
Dave Stewart’s colors work like cinematic photography does in a film. Mood and atmosphere are heightened. You can honestly almost feel the lighting.
And something has to be said about Steve Wands minimal yet no less impacting lettering. The hand-drawn look of the font fits perfectly with the story and ‘sound effects’ have the appropriate punch that makes them essential.
Conclusion
Gideon Falls is going to be one of 2018’s best new books. It has all the components of a classic and is further proof that horror may be the next big genre that the comics medium might make its own. Don’t sleep on this and visit Gideon Falls and The Black Barn.
WWE celebrates 25 years of Monday Night RAW with this month’s WWE #13 from Boom! Studios.
Like the “Big Four” pay per view event anthologies that precede it, WWE #13 is a compilation of four short stories, each focusing on a different WWE Superstar, and each is individually written and illustrated.
Samoa Joe is the next WWE Superstar to help pen his feature, “Undrafted,” and he doesn’t disappoint. He tags up with Michael Kingston, who also teamed with AJ Styles for his feature in the Royal Rumble special published earlier this month. “As a lifelong comic book fan, it’s a thrill to partner with Boom! Studios on the official WWE comic book series and tell the true story behind my journey to WWE,” says Samoa Joe in a statement from Boom! Studios. Michael Mulipola and Doug Garbarks’ illustrations and color smoothly blend together the panels from Joe’s fancy dinner meeting to his visualization of running through the RAW roster one by one.
“More” is an appropriate word to describe for the next story, “The Yes! Movement.” Rodrigo Lorenzo and Doug Garbark make this story shine with the bright colors and excitement behind Daniel Bryan’s “Yes” chants. They made me feel like I was in the middle of a crowd with fingers being pointed in the air repeatedly. However, Julian May’s story is short; I really wanted to have more than four pages of Bryan’s rally of WWE fans.
“Unbroken” recalls the WWE Championship ladder match between The Undertaker and Jeff Hardy, who had previously dominated the tag competitions with his brother Matt. Lan Pitts gets us into the head of Hardy, learning what was going through his mind during this crazy match. Hardy is acrobatic and fun to watch wrestle in real life, and Kendall Goode’s visuals make Hardy just as fun to read. The Undertaker’s black background word balloons were a nice touch, emphasizing his gruff and haunting voice.
Kevin Panetta replays the “Festival of Friendship” in “Fest Prep,” by giving us the behind the scenes look at Chris Jericho gathering goodies for the party he planned for one fateful RAW episode earlier this year. Daniel Blayliss’ artwork embodies the flamboyancy of Jericho with the perfect amount of sass and arrogance.
This is another solid set of stories put together to get us excited about another monumental WWE event. I was, however, surprised that they didn’t make this another stand-alone issue; they’ve included this in the numeric order and released this as they have with their ongoing monthly series. It is, nonetheless, a nice intermission between storylines, as they’ve just finished a focus on The Shield members and will soon begin to tell the tale of the Women’s Evolution.
What has been your favorite RAW moment? Mine was just this past spring at the RAW after Wrestlemania where Roman Reigns stood in the ring alone for about 10 minutes, listening to the taunts from the crowd after his win over the retiring Undertaker. Then, he simply states, “This is my yard now,” drops the mic, and walks off.
What other fun trips down memory lane will we take when the WWE celebrates RAW 25 on Monday, January 22 at 8:00 PM EST live on the USA Network? Tune in to find out. Pick up your copy of WWE #13 at your local comic shop this Wednesday. Find one near you at comicshoplocator.com.
Phantom Thread is writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, and could also be Daniel Day-Lewis’ final performance on the big screen. The story is set in 1950’s London, and Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis) is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alman (Vicky Krieps), who becomes his muse and lover. This plot seems somewhat arbitrary, sure, but that is Anderson’s intent. What makes the makes Phantom Thread a must-see are the ways in which PTA breathes life into this story through visual acuity and narrative brilliance.
The texture of the film carries all the qualities of the great cinema of the fifties and sixties. The graininess, the lighting, and the dirt all have a place even in this world of high fashion. Anderson serves as cinematographer as well and this is his intent according to longtime gaffer Michael Bauman. They underexposed the film and then pushed it up in the development process so the stock became more sensitive and increased the grain and texture of the image.
Woodcock loves to drive his car throughout the film, and the clunkiness of the camera combined with the speed of the filming put to shame how over-the-top car movement is filmed today. The clouds while driving add an eerie calm. And continuing the theme of eerie calm, Jonny Greenwood’s score truly makes Anderson’s visual idiosyncrasies sing. The tension, the passion, and the twists of emotion throughout the film are because of Greenwood. He adds the punch to the punchline.
Phantom Thread is a three-person play with Day-Lewis, Krieps, and Lesley Manville as Woodcock’s assistant, Cyril. The actors take Anderson’s script and inject their own strong choices. Day-Lewis is captivating, perfectly over-the-top, and brilliant as the lead. His body language can build tension better than most actors with all their tools. Krieps and Manville in separate ways stand toe-to-toe with Day-Lewis in the most passionate scenes. Manville brings a sharp tongue and Krieps has a bold resistance to the status quo. Each actor has a solid performance which complements the cinematography and score to a bizarre climax.
At two hours and ten minutes, even the most exceptional performance starts to drag if the story struggles for closure. Phantom Thread could have been tremendous had Anderson adhered more to his brisk Punch Drunk Love runtime; not that this picture goes for days, it simply would have been perfect had it shed 20-30 minutes. The climax loses steam.
In Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson puts together a weird tale in a way only he can. He puts together a beautiful “finale” for Day-Lewis, which makes it understandable why Anderson wanted to stay in this world and keep on shooting.
After it was announced that Joss Whedon will be directing Batgirl, the conversation regarding who should play the character started to begin. Although there isn’t a clear frontrunner yet, one individual who has shown interest in the role is Lindsay Lohan.
Back on January 6, Lohan attempted to use the power of Twitter to inform Whedon that she was a favorite for the role.
Would Lohan be a good fit to portray Batgirl in the DCEU? Although she’s not a terrible actress, I’d much prefer someone more unknown than her, to cement themselves as Batgirl. Similar to that of Gal Gadot, when we look at her we associate her with Wonder Woman. I want the same to happen with Batgirl, given how important the character is to many storylines.
As news regarding Batgirl drops, Monkeys Fighting Robots will have it covered.
Given that The Punisher has been confirmed for a second season, news outlets have begun talking to the cast and crew about the forthcoming season.
During a Q & A at ACE Comic-Con, actor Jon Bernthal revealed that he’s interested in having Charlie Cox make an appearance in The Punisher season two.
“You know, I love Charlie [Cox]. I’ve worked with him before and I’d work with him again on anything in a heartbeat. He’s the reason I’m doing this. He brought me into this and his performance is what made me want to do it.”
Later on in the session, Bernthal mentioned that, along with Cox, he’d also love to work with Krysten Ritter on The Punisher.
“That being said, they’re all great. I’m a huge fan of Krysten’s [Ritter] too. She’s killer and I’d love to work with her as well.”
Would you be interested in seeing the two Defenders pop up in The Punisher? Comment below, let us know.
Since Ross and Rachel just won’t die, there is a push for a Friends movie. Smasher, a fan-made movie trailer channel on Youtube is the latest to produce a Friends Movie trailer from TV and movie clips from the past ten years.
Here is Smasher’s concept for the film as well: This picks up a few years where the final season left off with Ben and Emma grown up. Mike and Phoebe have trouble with marriage, Monica and Chandler are getting a divorce, Joey couldn’t find someone, and Ross and Rachel have trouble after many years of not being together! Filled with some surprise appearances by today’s actors, along with some old friends (no pun intended), this movie will be an all-star extravaganza, while showing a lesson in being there for each other.
Do you want to see a Friends Movie? Comment below.
Friends aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. The series starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
The third season of Outlander ended on December 10th with an action-packed finale entitled Eye of the Storm. This finale didn’t follow the same kind of formula as previous Outlander season finales, though, which straddle both time periods that the show is set in, i.e. the 18th and 20th centuries. Instead, Eye of the Storm ended with an indication of where next season will be set rather than when.
A change for the show, viewers will get a chance to see pre-revolutionary Georgia and probably other colonial settlements next season. Where the third season followed Gabaldon’s Voyager novel, the fourth season will reportedly follow Drums of Autumn.
Outlander: Eye of the Storm – Friends in High Places
It pays to have a Governor as a friend, as Jamie is reminded when Lord Grey frees his Scottish friend from Captain Leonard’s arrest. Forbidding Leonard from taking Jamie until Leonard has produced some evidence that Jamie is a seditious murderer, and getting a few good jabs in about the British Navy, Lord John once again proves his worth as a friend and comrade-in-arms.
Outlander: Eye of the Storm – The 200-year-old Baby (not Donald Trump)
Searching Geillis Duncan’s house for young Ian Fraser, Claire is apprehended by Geillis’s powerfully built footman. Geillis accuses Claire of working against her over the past decade to prevent the return of a Scottish king to the throne, and in her haste to convince Geillis of her innocence Claire reveals that she traveled back to 1948 in order to raise her then-unborn child Briana in a safe place. Geillis realizes that Briana is the 200-year-old baby that the prophecy spoke of.
Outlander: Eye of the Storm – Willoughby Triumphant
Shortly after this transpires, Willoughby kills Archibald Campbell, the brother of the prophetic Margaret Campbell, while defending Margaret her abusive brother. Willoughby and Margaret’s relationship has blossomed since last we saw them, and they intend to run away together. With Archibald dead on the ground, nothing will stop them. Luckily, just before his death Archibald reveals to Claire and Jamie the nature of the prophecy concerning the 200-year-old baby that Geillis has been so absorbed with.
Realizing that Geillis intends to kill Briana, Claire gets a brief chance to talk to her daughter using Margaret as a medium. Unfortunately, the content of their discussion is less than pleasan: Briana is being chased by a “monster” and needs help. After coming out of her trance, Margaret repeats the name of a nearby cave, and Jamie and Claire make their way there, believing both that Geillis intends to kill Briana and that she will do so by sacrificing young Ian.
Outlander: Eye of the Storm – Don’t Lose Your Head
The time-crossed lovers stop Geillis from killing Ian in the nick of time, but unfortunately Claire’s method of stopping Geillis leaves Geillis headless. They hurry young Ian out of the cave and away from the stones that very nearly draw Claire back to the 20th century.
Their young compatriot now recovered, the Frasers set sail for home, but, after a bit of trademark canoodling, they meet yet another obstacle. A raging storm assaults their ship, and Claire gets washed overboard. Jamie, who must be getting sick of always saving Claire’s life, dives down and rescues her from a watery grave, but upon surfacing they find little help.
Adrift on some flotsam for a time, they finally wash up on an unknown beach. After resuscitating his water-logged wife, Jamie spies some locals. Asking what island they’ve wrecked on, the pair are met with surprise. No island, says one of them. They’re told they’ve reached the mainland, Georgia to be exact. Jamie is confused, but Claire understands. They’ve reached the colonies, what will one day become the United States of America.
Outlander: Eye of the Storm – Drums of Autumn
As always, as a watcher of the show but not a reader of the novels, I have no concept of what to expect from Oultander’s fourth season. I wonder if we viewers will get a chance to reconnect with Briana and Roger. Based on her brief conversation with Claire, it sounds like Briana could be in some form of danger not yet resolved by Geillis’s beheading.
I also wonder if we might see a set of American stones that could allow for easier travel between 18th and 20th centuries. With Black Jack and now Geillis out of the way, one longs for a villain and a cause for the heroic couple to fight for, although I recommend against trying to install a Scottish king on the throne. Didn’t work out too well for Geillis.
