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.
HBO has unveiled their 2018 sizzle reel, and it is most impressive. But then again, who would expect less?
In this reel, you see bits and pieces from all of HBO’s content, and it reminds you just how great the vast majority of it is. There’s the return of Westworld, Insecure, Divorce, and the T.J. Miller-less Silicon Valley, but there’s some tastes of new documentaries (which all look incredible), Al Pacino as Joe Paterno, and a look at Fahrenheit 451. It’s awesome:
HBO continues to rule the roost, no matter who comes in to try and take the crown. Paterno looks interesting, and Fahrenheit 451 will absolutely own. On top of those newbies, we have our first look at Amy Adams in Sharp Objects, Jean-Marc Vallée’s follow up to Big Little Lies.
And we haven’t even gotten to the return of Sharon Stone in Steven Soderbergh’s experimental choose-your-own-adventure drama, Mosaic. Oh yeah, and over here we have Tim Robbins and Holly Hunter in the bizarro family drama Here and Now. And don’t get me started on this documentary collection; HBO has a deep lineup this year.
Here’s a handy list of release dates and what’s coming when. You’re probably going to need it.
In an interesting collaborative move, Clive Owen and Will Smith have agreed to star in And Lee’s upcoming sci-fi hitman movie, Gemini Man.
While that title probably makes one think of an old Steven Seagal mid-90s rap-infused action flick, or the 70s TV show of the same name about an invisible dude, this Gemini Man sounds like something original. According to the Variety report, “[T]he film follows an over-the-hill hitman who faces off against a younger clone of himself.”
This project has been around for twenty or so years, with Tony Scott once attached to direct. Jerry Bruckheimer is producing, and now Clive Owen and Will Smith are set to star, with the former playing “an antagonist role.” Hopefully this turns into something interesting.
Ang Lee has been hit or miss his entire career, as has Will Smith the past decade. But this news is especially exciting for Clive Owen fans (present!), who has mysteriously disappeared into thankless supporting parts when he should be making serious movies and chewing on meaty roles. Gemini Man at least has a shot.
It was announced last week that Jac Schaeffer, best known for writing the script for the 2009 film TiMER, would pen the script for a solo Black Widow movie for Marvel.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige met with several candidates before deciding on Schaeffer. He also met with Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson to discuss what the direction of her character would be in her solo outing. The two talented ladies have yet to meet but that will change in the near future. According to Variety’s Justin Kroll, Schaeffer and Johansson are set to meet next month to discuss the film.
Black Widow made her MCU debut in Iron Man 2 and has been a mainstay of the universe ever since. Many fans have been calling for a solo film for the character for some time and it appears to be moving forward rather quickly.
No release date has been set but many are speculating the film will release sometime during Phase 4 of the MCU. If you can’t stand to wait to see Natasha Romanoff again on the big screen, she will appear in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War with a great new haircut.
“AS THE AVENGERS AND THEIR ALLIES HAVE CONTINUED TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM THREATS TOO LARGE FOR ANY ONE HERO TO HANDLE, A NEW DANGER HAS EMERGED FROM THE COSMIC SHADOWS: THANOS. A DESPOT OF INTERGALACTIC INFAMY, HIS GOAL IS TO COLLECT ALL SIX INFINITY STONES, ARTIFACTS OF UNIMAGINABLE POWER, AND USE THEM TO INFLICT HIS TWISTED WILL ON ALL OF REALITY. EVERYTHING THE AVENGERS HAVE FOUGHT FOR HAS LED UP TO THIS MOMENT – THE FATE OF EARTH AND EXISTENCE ITSELF HAS NEVER BEEN MORE UNCERTAIN.”
The film stars Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as Thanos.
Hard Sun is the latest prime-time series to be shown on the BBC on Saturday nights – a crime thriller with a sci-fi twist.
The first episode of the series is set in near future London where two police detectives – DCI Charlie Hicks (Jim Sturgess) and DI Elaine Renko (Agyness Deyn) are partnered up and assigned to investigate an apparent suicide. Of course, the case leads the pair down a giant rabbit hole with a secret that MI5 are desperate to protect. Hard Sun is a series with a lot of talent on screen and behind the camera. It was written by Neil Cross, the creator of Luther and directed by Brian Kirk, best known for directing three episodes of Game of Thrones and was considered to direct Thor: The Dark World. The cast is a mix of well known and emerging talent: Jim Sturgess is the big star, and the first episode featured Lorraine Burroughs, Aisling Bea and Luther alumni Nikki Amuka-Bird. This should give audiences a lot of hope.
Despite the caliber of the cast, there were issues. The main one was some of the actors seem too young for their roles. Sturgess is 38, and even with a beard, he looks young. It was hard to believe him as a hard-boiled senior detective especially when he is shouting at a street and smashing up car windows or when he is worried about his family. He can’t pull off badass, hard-ass or desperate. Deyn and Bea also looked too young for their roles. Deyn was playing senior detective which is technically possible but unlikely, and it was stated that she was a young teenager to justify why she has an adult son. At least Amuka-Bird was convincing as a shady MI5 officer.
The episode starts with some brutal violence with Renko getting beat up by a young man (Jojo Macari) which sets up her character dynamic for the series. It is an instant start to the series especially for prime time Saturday night viewing.
Hard Sun has been heavily promoted in the UK, and its twist was already announced – Earth is about to suffer an extinction level event. This affects the first episode because there could have been a great bait-and-switch from a police/spy conspiracy thriller to an apocalyptic level drama. It is basically like the first act of Deep Impact.
Even without prior knowledge of the show’s premise, there are clues throughout the first episode of something bigger than a government conspiracy. There are computer monitors showing solar flares from the sun and the cinematography shows a large red sun looming over London. These touches would have been more impactful if it weren’t for the marketing.
Hard Sun comes across as the BBC attempting to make an American style show. The biggest example was a large chase sequence when Hicks and Renko are following a young man who has a flash drive with information on it, and they end up being chased by the Security Service with a big car chase in London. It was a well-executed set piece with a decent amount of bloodshed. There are also small touches like the character Renko using the term ‘flash drive’ – in the UK people use the term USB stick.
The episode did have a terrific ending with David Bowie’s “5 Years” playing as the main characters are forced to make a decision that would impact their families and the whole world. It offers enough intrigue to make the show worthy of continued viewing.
The first episode of Hard Sun acts as the BBC’s attempt to make a blockbuster action show in the guise of a police procedural. The first episode can easily feed someone’s bloodlust and offers a decent idea of a sci-fi thriller hybrid.
Matthew Rosenberg, off the strength of Kingpin, Rocket Raccoon, and 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank came in during a rough time for both Marvel Comics and Inhumans characters. Marvel’s 2017 public relations can only be described as a dumpster fire. Not only did Secret Warriors make its debut as a tie-in to the highly controversial Secret Empire, but it also featured a cast composed almost entirely of Inhumans. Rosenberg was joined by artist Javi Garrón and colorist Israel Silva for ten of the twelve issues.
Marvel had spent the last couple of years trying to shove Inhumans down the throats of fans in an effort to replace the X-Men; the fans weren’t having any of it. Secret Warriors was a comic that was doomed from the start, having these two major hurdles to jump over right out of the gate.
Instead of crashing and burning, like many five-issue Marvel runs from the last five years, it pushed through into Marvel Legacy before getting cancelled at issue twelve. Despite acclaim from critics and fans alike, the book simply didn’t have the sales numbers and fell in with a number of other Marvel titles recently getting cut.
Secret Warriors was a comic about a team of heroes who initially came together to resist Hydra and ended up becoming a quirky and dysfunctional family. It’s partially a coming-of-age tale, with a heavy dose of spy action, and a ton of heart. It was a colorful, action-packed, and often hilarious book that helped mend the relationship between Inhuman characters (especially after IvX) and Marvel fans.
This series deserves a lot of credit for consistently being an enjoyable read through twelve issues. A lot of what comic book readers wanted from Marvel comics, that they weren’t getting elsewhere, could be found here. Secret Warriors was one of the bright spots during a dark period for many Marvel readers. Timing, marketing, Marvel’s garbage PR, and fan distrust ultimately cut this book’s potential down significantly.
Fans of Matthew Rosenberg can continue reading him in 2018 on The Punisher, Phoenix Resurrection, Tales Of Suspense, and The Archies.
To continue following these characters there’s always Ms. Marvel, Champions, and Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur to keep up with Kamala and Lunella. Karnak, Quake, and Inferno don’t have a locked roster spot on any title at the moment. The same goes for Magik but she regularly appears in the various current X-Men titles, most recently in X-Men: Gold and the upcoming New Mutants.
There’s also that animated movie, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, that’s coming out this year. It’s not exactly like the comic book, but it does feature Quake, Ms. Marvel, and Inferno.
Some of our favorite moments from this series include:
Superhero forums
Lunella and Karnak BFFs
Pissing off the X-Men in New Tian during Secret Empire
The Secret War board game used to settle team member differences
Quake versus her asshole Hydra dad
Karnak working for Ahura
Another solid series, gone too soon. Another victim of poor sales numbers. I predict this book will continue to build upon its cult status in trade form. There’s always a chance that we could see this cast together again for an ongoing series, but we’re not going to hold our breath.
To say that the last arc for Suicide Squad was disappointing would be putting it lightly. While it had a strong opening, it devolved into a boring tale that would sooner cut plot lines than answer them. It had its moments, but the arc is best left in the past. Before we get to Rob Williams’ next big arc, we have a smaller arc written by Simon Spurrier. Will it be good or are we in line for more disappointment?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
The opening of the two-part story follows Juan Soria. Never heard of him? That’s because he is one of the unknown members of the Suicide Squad. One of the members who have a higher chance of dying on the mission. We follow his origin of how he came to America, got his power, and was ultimately sent to Belle Reve. His first mission with the squad involves quelling an alien attack that popped up at an amusement park. Kind of hard to fight aliens when your power is to unlock any door!
The story itself is both sad and a bit humorous. You watch Juan’s life go by and you really end up feeling bad for him. He wanted to grow up and be a superhero, but the day he got powers, it was one of the lamest powers ever. This leads to why it’s funny as well: Juan’s ineptitude. He has no form of combat training and basically stumbles throughout his misadventure. I found myself chuckling out loud at some of his sillier moments.
It’s also humorous to see Spurrier take a jab at the ‘dangerous side’ of the Suicide Squad. Despite the name, it’s obvious none of the main characters will die. The two that have died (Boomerang and Flag) return an arc or two later. This is how it’s always been since the first issue of John Ostrander’s original run in 1987. Only the c-list characters with lame powers are on the chopping block when it’s time to die. Due to this, it’s interesting to see the point of view of one of these c-listers on their mission.
Art:
When it comes to the art of this issue, there are many great facets of it. The pencil work of Fernando Pasarin provides interesting character designs that range from silly to terrifying. One moment you’re laughing at Juan’s reaction to being thrown in with aliens then scared stiff by Croc eating one in gory detail. Despite this, the color work of Blond comes off average at best. There isn’t anything wrong with it, but compared to the pencils, this could have gone above and beyond.
Conclusion:
I like this issue. I enjoy the character of Juan and the humor he provides. The art is fantastic to look at and imaginative as well. Overall this was a great issue to read after the last arc. It is a fun opening to lighten up the series once again.
AMC made the obvious announcement today; The Walking Dead would return for a ninth season. The surprise is the series will get its first female showrunner as Scott M. Gimple moves to a new position and Angela Kang takes over, according to reports by Deadline.
“I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with The Walking Dead. Working on this series and having the opportunity to adapt Robert Kirkman’s amazing comic has been a fangirl dream come true for me. I’m excited to continue working with Scott and the wonderfully supportive folks at AMC, and can’t wait to share the next chapter of the story with our fans next fall,” said Kang.
Kang has worked on the show for the past seven years on the writing team and Co-Executive Producer. Will Kang cover the Whisper War?
Let’s get ready to Rumble! The 31st Royal Rumble is right around the corner, and the excitement is building! In celebration, Boom! Studios released WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Special #1, which is the next edition in the “Big Four” pay per views anthology.
This treasury includes four stories of Rumbles of the past with twists and adventure to add to what you already know from WWE lore. Each is individually written and illustrated, which adds a nice variety to the compilation.
“To Be Number One” centers around the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who is currently hot off of his recent “30 For 30” episode on ESPN and the release of his autobiography, co-written with daughter Charlotte. While Flair is known for his extreme vanity and swagger, Lan Pitts’ storytelling and Rodrigo Lorenzo’s artwork didn’t capture this. The story centers on Flair’s 1992 Rumble match win, but I just didn’t feel the excitement in the story. It could have used a little more expression in Flair’s eyes and a head shake as he yelled his signature “Woo!” The backstage happenings seemed a little immaterial. After the win of a lifetime, his minions Bobby Heenan and Mr. Perfect keep telling him to be ready for next-level competition, but I would have liked to see a little more classic Ric Flair over-the-top celebration.
There’s nothing sour in the next story, “Mr. Royal Rumble,” which features the silliness of the most colorful faction in WWE now. The New Day act like a bit juvenile, and the bright colors and cartoon-like art of Dominike “Domo” Stanton and Jeremy Lawson communicate this perfectly. Kevin Panetta’s recount of the past several Rumble events is fun, as he has the New Day boys reminisce about Kofi Kingston’s theatrical and fortuitous ways that’s he’s avoided elimination in the battle royal matches. Panetta makes me excited to see just what shenanigans Kofi will get into to stay a little longer in this year’s match.
Next, we take a step back in time to Royal Rumble 1991 to go on the run with Macho Man in “Randy Savage: Not Show King.” The story from Ryan Ferrier was a complete whirlwind, but that’s not surprising when capturing the intensity of Macho Man and the Ultimate Warrior. I actually caught myself reading this quickly, almost like I was being chased by the Ultimate Warrior, too. The illustrations, muted color pallet, and simple panel layout by Kendall Goode have a retro feel which is fitting for the story being told.
I was stoked to hear that AJ Styles would lend a hand in writing his feature, as he has often stated that he’s a huge comic book fan. Writing about himself came easy, and Styles was excited to work with Michael Kingston to bring the story to life. “For those who haven’t had a chance to look at his work, the Headlocked comic series he does is great. It’s just tremendous stuff, the way he puts everything together. The pictures and stories are just amazing. If you’re going to get advice and work alongside someone on something like this, there’s no one better,” Styles tells IGN. Daniel Bayliss illustrations capture the enthusiasm of Styles’ surprise arrival but also convey his persistence with not being looked upon as a rookie in a business he’s been in for almost 20 years.
Overall, I thought this book was solid and fun, and it definitely adds to the excitement of the upcoming event. It also makes me look forward to future issues of this series that will feature WWE Superstars writing talents, as Samoa Joe has a hand in his story in WWE #13. The issue will feature stories in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Monday Night RAW, the longest running weekly episodic show in television history.
Get your hands on a copy of this issue today by visiting your local comic shop! Find one near you at comicshoplocator.com. And don’t forget to tune into the Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 28 at 7 PM EST, live on the WWE Network.
