In the first-look image, Hailee Steinfeld (Edge Of Seventeen) is shown standing alongside Bumblebee, although the trusty Autobot has a very different look. Instead of the typical yellow Camaro, the fan-favourite character is disguised as a Volkswagen Beetle.
Set well before the events of the first Transformersfilm, the spin-off will explore the relationship between a young girl and her car. The film is directed by Laika animation studios boss Travis Knight, who recently sat down with Empire to discuss the film.
“I wanted to approach this massive, expansive franchise and really focus in on a tiny corner of the canvas. Everything I’ve tried to do at Laika, searching for an artful blend of darkness and light, intensity and warmth, humour and heart, I wanted to bring to the Transformers franchise.”
Bumblebee is slated to hit theatres on December 21, 2018.
Playing too many video games can lead to a mental health disorder.
The World Health Organization will now recognize ‘gaming disorder’ as a mental condition starting in 2018. Doctors and insurance companies are going to recognize it as an illness as well.
WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse member Vladimir Poznyak says,
“Health professionals need to recognize that gaming disorder may have serious health consequences. Most people who play video games don’t have a disorder, just like most people who drink alcohol don’t have a disorder either. However, in certain circumstances overuse can lead to adverse effects.”
The WHO defines the disorder as a “persistent or recurrent” behavior pattern of “sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.”
Last year University of Oxford Researchers surveyed 19,000 men and women from the U.K. US, Germany, and Canada. The study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows 2 to 3 percent experienced five or more of the symptoms from the American Psychiatric Association checklist of health symptoms.
The Lead Author from the university Dr Andrew Przybylski said,
“To our knowledge, these are the first findings from a large-scale project to produce robust evidence on the potential new problem of ‘internet gaming disorder,”
“Contrary to what was predicted, the study did not find a clear link between potential addiction and negative effects on health; however, more research grounded in open and robust scientific practices is needed to learn if games are truly as addictive as many fear.”
A small percentage of people spend 12-24 hours a day playing video games. Are they just having fun or do they suffer from ‘gaming disorder?’ Leave your comments below.
Empire Magazine has dropped its 2018 preview, giving us a new look at the most anticipated films of 2018. Alongside a new look at the next Fantastic Beasts movie, the magazine debuted an exciting new image of Michael Fassbender as Magneto in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
This will be the fourth time Fassbender has appeared as Erik Lehnscherr, although we’ve never seen him quite like this. Magneto looks a little worse for wear here, having been captured by what looks like military personnel.
Check out the image below:
20th Century Fox
Directed by long-time writer/producer Simon Kinberg, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is set approximately a decade after Apocalypse. The film will find the X-Men as heroes, which will have an important effect on Charles Xavier’s growing ego. He begins to send the team on more dangerous missions, eventually landing them in trouble. During a mission in space, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is brought into contact with a solar flare, awakening the immensely powerful Phoenix force that Jean holds within her.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix stars Sophie Turner, Jessica Chastain, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Tye Sheridan, Jennifer Lawrence, Evan Peters, Nicholas Hoult, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The film lands in theatres on November 2, 2018.
Phoenix Resurrection: The Return Of Jean Grey comes out guns blazing this week. Jean has been dead for thirteen years, since New X-Men #150.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
The horror movie cold open sets the stage for a cinematic epic. It’s also legitimately creepy. Collecting every available X-Man for an “all hands on deck” level briefing furthers the cinematic blockbuster that this is shaping up to be. There’s a mystery afoot, for both the characters and reader.
Matthew Rosenberg’s script moves at a perfect pace, slowly ramping up as we head to the peak of weird happenings. He wastes no line of dialogue or interaction, delivery an easily digestible, and instantly gripping, premise.
Jean Grey isn’t the only classic X-Men alumni seemingly resurrected. The biggest twists of this issue are that Banshee and Cyclops are both back in the same capacity that Jean is.
Phoenix Resurrection seems to have it’s sights set on grabbing the remaining X-Men fans that still held out during ResurreXion and Marvel Legacy. It’s also a nice potential reward for the longtime fans that have stuck it out through the dark years.
Seeing Jubilee in an outfit inspired by her 90’s gear was delightful, even if it was followed immediately by a reminder that she’s still a vampire. Leinil Francis Yu’s pencils and Gerry Alanguilan’s ink give this book a heavy feel. Kitty and her fellow X-Men leaders are frightened, and for good reason. There’s a palpable tension in the face of every character.
Rachelle Rosenberg also makes sure we don’t lose the lively return to a more colorful X-Men world we’ve been getting treated to recently across all X-Books. The three locations our X-Men teams travel to, and the fights they get into there, are each distinct in their own way largely due to Rachelle’s color choices. She does a lot of work to insure readers can’t find ways to be confused by the similarities in these characters and scenes.
If this lives up to the potential we see built here, it can help soften the blow of losing our beloved Jean Grey series that was recently cancelled.
Phoenix Resurrection‘s first chapter is all set-up. Successfully putting our players on the board and throwing a thick air of weird and uncomfortable at both the X-Men and reader. We’re already in for more than we thought. This is shaping up to be a truly epic X-Men story.
The message here is clear, if you’ve been skeptical about buying back into X-Men comics, this will be the be-all end-all. Matthew Rosenberg and the rest of this creative team seem to know they have delicate material in their hands. This first issue certainly buys some major goodwill.
As the new year approaches, it’s time to start looking at the incredible line-up of films 2018 has to offer, starting with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald.
In its upcoming 2018 preview, Empire Magazine has revealed a new look at Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) in the next Fantastic Beasts film. In the image, the two heroes are standing side by side, although their attention seems to be firmly fixed on something off camera. Looking at their worried expressions, I would guess that Newt and Tina just stumbled upon something sinister. A new beast, perhaps?
Check out the image below:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwaldstars Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, and Claudia Kim. The film is scheduled for release on November 16, 2018.
At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.
In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
Like the spandex-clad superheroes often portrayed in comic books, members of the comics industry are swooping in to help those in need with Puerto Rico Strong, a new book aimed at helping the survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. According to a report in the Hollywood Reporter, the book called Puerto Rico Strong will be released in March of 2018, with all profits being donated to disaster relief and recovery programs to support Puerto Rico.
Creators from all over the island, or with connections to Puerto Rico, are pitching in to make Puerto Rico Strong happen. One heavy-hitter putting his work into the book is Fabian Nicieza who co-created Deadpool. Along with Nicieza are:
• Vita Ayala writer for DC comics who’s worked on BatmanBeyond, SuicideSquad and much more.
• Rosa Colon, writer, creator, and founder of Soda Pop Comics.
• Naomi Franquiz, illustrator of MisfitCity and BitchPlanet.
According to one of the book’s co-editors, Desiree Rodriguez,
“What we hope to accomplish here is showcasing the vast diversity of Puerto Rico of our community and our history. There are those of us whose parents immigrated from the island, or who have family on the island still or have never even seen Puerto Rico. We want to explore those stories of struggle and triumph through that lens.”
PUERTO RICO STRONG IS COMING IN MARCH 2018!
On behalf of Monkeys Fighting Robots, I’d like to say to my fellow Latinos working on this project and those in Puerto Rico, “Gracias a todos los que trabajan en este proyecto. Necesitamos estar unidos para conquistar el sufrimiento.”
In a near future, a sprawling megalopolis sees the rise of “Boneheads” parkour-gangs that use neuro-linked helmets to augment their abilities and live for the thrill of physical risk. As a gang war threatens to tear the city apart, a mysterious Bonehead rises, a man with no past that might be the key to saving the city’s future.
Bonehead #1 Written by: Bryan Edward Hill Art by: Rhoald Marcellius Colors by: Sakti Yuwono Letters by: Imam Eko & Jaka Ady Graphics by: Comolo
Writing
The first thing I noticed about Bonehead is the velocity of its pacing. Writer Bryan Edward Hill hits the ground running with his story and it’s pretty much non-stop until the cliffhanger ending. That breakneck storytelling, when sprinkled with a little world-building, creates a book that pulls you into its world. There’s a lot to take in too, as this is a pretty detailed world being created, and I feel we have barely scratched the surface. Granted there is a certain amount of exposition, but it’s done in clever ways by using info-graphics and similar narrative techniques. It’s a very modern approach that is a perfect fit for this future story.
As for our protagonist, ’56’, we don’t know much about him/her other than they seem to be one grade A bad-ass with a bit of a hero streak, as evident by the decision to save another ‘bonehead’ from being attacked by a gang. It’s a nice moment that probably will be more significant as the story unfolds.
Art
What a beautiful, sleek book this is. It’s vibrant, colorful and full of energy. The panels and layouts also give it tons of momentum. Visually it’s the perfect style for the story. Rhoald Marcellius, along with colorist Sakti Yuwono and letterers Imam Eko & Jaka Ady have created something very modern here. Everything is crisp and neat, with think line work that adds weight to the images. Each visual component fits in perfectly with each other; it’s all very complimentary. There are also some great character designs.
Conclusion
Bonehead #1 will interest you enough to join it on it’s run, and it seems like the race will take us somewhere fast. With so many comics taking the slow burn approach to telling a story, it’s nice to see one where running isn’t just the theme and important to the plot, but part of the feel you get from the book as well.
The moment I put down the first issue of this series, I just had to learn issue two’s release date. Doomsday Clock #1 reintroduced the world to Watchmen in spectacular fashion. It had great characters, plot, and art, all packaged into the cover page. The plot involves a new Rorschach recruiting two villains to help him and Ozymandias for a mission. This mission will save a world on the brink of nuclear war. Ozymandias’ plan? Find Dr. Manhattan, who was last seen leaving Earth for another universe. Problem is Manhattan has left the Watchmen Universe for another one… The DC Universe.
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
We follow the group of Ozymandias, Rorschach, and the villainous couple Mime and Marionette as they escape their world to the DC Universe. The group needs to find Dr. Manhattan, but first, have to locate some allies on this world. This leads to the two heroes looking up and searching for the two smartest men in the world: Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor. The heroes agree to split up, which leads to the first encounters between these two legendary universes.
If you didn’t like the lack of the DC Universe in the first issue, this second one makes up for that many times over. We get a look into this universe through the eyes of the visitors from the Watchmen world and it gives off the sense we’re learning alongside them. Their first encounters with members of the DC Universe are exactly how I’d imagine it, especially the verbal sparring between Ozymandias and Lex Luthor. The back and forth between the two smartest men from both Earths is actually quite interesting to see.
I think the real fault I have with the story is the political climate of the DC Universe. Not that it isn’t interesting, far from it, but it comes off as confusing. The DC Universe is in the midst of unrest due to The Supermen Theory. The theory states that the U.S. Government is creating the superheroes and villains in America as weapons of mass destruction. This leads to the public denouncing heroes, such as Batman. The problem with this theory is the fact that these living WMDs in question help the entire world almost daily. Most of them work outside the government, including the all-powerful Man of Steel. I understand it’s trying to be parallel to the Watchmen Earth, but unless this is an alternate DCU, one would think that the League has enough presence to dissuade that.
Art:
What can be said about Gary Frank’s art that hasn’t been said before? It’s dark, realistic, and fits the tone of the story. Brad Anderson’s colors compliment the pencil work, allowing the characters to pop off the page and make the world feel more alive. With these two working together, this series will be one of the most beautiful years to come.
Conclusion:
This is a fantastic second issue. The plot progresses as the two universes finally meet, the art is fantastic, and has an ending that will leave you longing for the next issue. All we have now is to countdown the days till the next installment.
The first image from Solo: A Star Wars Story hit Reddit this morning as it appears to have leaked from Russian marketing material for the toy merchandise.
Check out the leaked PDF below.
The look of the Millennium Falcon and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian are the standouts of this image. It will be interesting to see how much the Falcon gets modified by the end of the film.
What do you think of the image? Comment below.
About the film according to Empire Magazine: It’s part of Solo lore that, as a young gifted pilot, he studied at the Imperial Academy at Carida. Solo is kicked out of the Academy for rescuing Chewbacca from an Imperial Officer, and thus one of cinema’s great friendships was formed. Some variation on this is likely in Solo.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is directed by Ron Howard and stars Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke and Thandie Newton.
Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters May 25, 2018
Netflix’s original film BRIGHT is getting a lot of (justifiably) bad press since its release. The film is scoring horrible reviews, and stirring up conversations on how the film handles racism. Now it turns out the film did more than leave out good taste. BRIGHT left out all the names of the studioADI team, which did Special Make-Up for the film.
StudioADI released a statement on their omission, listing the names of the folks who worked on the film. “On rare occasion unintentional credit omissions are made. When you see those never-ending lists of crew in the credits of a movie like Bright you can be guaranteed that mistakes are going to be made,” said the studio. “That’s what happened to us. Our entire crew was left out of the credits.”
What makes this error especially egregious is that the film may win an Oscar for its make-up. The Oscars revealed the films in contention for Best Makeup and Hairstyling last week. BRIGHT tops the list of the seven films that could win – it’s an alphabetical list, mind you, but that’s still quite a feat. Not to mention the fact that StudioADI has won Oscars for its previous work. Failing to acknowledge so many individuals, especially those behind your film’s best attribute, is embarrassing.
Copyright Scott Garfield/Netflix
“We’re having the necessary conversations about getting it rectified (it’s streaming, right? seems like a do-able fix) but until we get a resolution, we thought we’d post the complete list of the incredible folks who worked on ADI’s crew,” says the studio.
Netflix has yet to respond to the omissions, potentially because it’s still the holiday season. In the mean time, you can see the list of team members omitted below.
Shop Supervisor
Yuri Everson
Asst. Shop Supervisor
Garth Winkless
Mechanical Supervisor
Dave Penikas
Seaming/ Fabrication Supervisor
Tim Leach
Mold Supervisor
Dave Perteet
Paint Supervisor
Mike Larrabee
Foam Supervisor
Matt Mastrella
Coordinator
Michael Heintzelman
Seaming/ Finishing Dept.
Brian Clawson
Sara Villarreal
Jon K. Miller
Hope DeCanio
Amanda Taggart
Alison Kellerman
Anthony Matijevich
Jon Fedele
Fabrication Dept.
Consuelo Duran
Elizabeth Santos
Lucy Torres
Office
Colin Gillis
Paul Manchento
Design Dept.
Ken Barthelmey
Justin Goby-Fields
Mauricio Ruiz
Justice Joseph
Miles Teves
Bryan Wynia
Andrew Bergholtz
Jordan K. Morris
Sculpture Dept.
Wayne Anderson
Steve Koch
Mikey Rotella
Ayumi Miyashiro
Matt Rose
Michael O’Brien
Timothy Martin
Mold Dept.
Brent Baker
Anthony Stewart
Steve Winsett
Kyle Marzigliano
David Woodruff
Tanner White
Jared Guenther
Brian Rae
Anthony Diaz
Grace Balsamo
Foam Dept.
Keaton Blue
Dustin Washburne
Jacob Roanhaus
