With just under a month till the release of ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’,Entertainment Weekly has introduced yet another fuzzy buddy to the film’s ever-growing lineup of creatures, one that, along with the ‘porg’, will market well and continue to fill Disney’s exorbitant bank account. It’s called a ‘vulptex’ and it closely resembles that of a fox made of crystal. Standing still, it looks like a statue that you’d see on your grandmother’s shelf.
We all know the porg, how could we forget, right? Since the announcement that they’d be in the film back in August, these little avians have stolen all the thunder. As a recap, these are a species of sea bird native to the planet Ahch-To, which houses that of Luke Skywalker (and now also Rey, Chewbacca and R2-D2as well).
These ‘vulptices’ can be found on Crait, a planet that used to serve as a Rebel hideout from the original trilogy, but one that is also extremely rich in minerals. Neal Scanlan, who spearheads the Star Wars Creature Shop, shed a little light on these creatures. They burrow into crevasses and abandoned structures, while navigating the salt flats on the planet. “The idea is that these wonderful sort-of-feral creatures had lived on this planet and had consumed the planet’s surface, and as such, had become crystalline,” said Scanlan. He went on to credit the design inspiration thanks in part to crystal glass chandeliers, which offer, “the sort of luminosity and elements of refraction (they create).”
The creatures themselves were designed by Aaron McBride, who derived the name from a Pablo Hidalgo story for LucasFilm, in which he galacticized ‘vulpes’, which is the Latin word for ‘fox’.
Our estimate is that Disney and LucasFilm will aim to introduce a lot of new species, as well as bring back some old ones, in the new sequel, which was one of the few cons about ‘The Force Awakens’.
‘COCO’ hits theaters this Wednesday, just in time for the holidays. ‘COCO’ is Pixar’s 19th animated feature, and Monkeys Fighting Robots spoke with the star of the film Anthony Gonzalez during the Miami Press Day.
Gonzalez could not contain his excitement and passion for music and acting. Watch the interview below and or read the full transcript.
MFR: Anthony, thank you for taking the time to talk with us.
Anthony Gonzalez:Thank you.
MFR: Working on a Pixar film is a big deal, can you talk about that moment when you found out you got the part of Miguel?
Anthony Gonzalez:Oh my gosh, it was just like one of the best moments ever. Well, I got the part when I was 11-years-old and I went to Pixar in Oakland to do a scratch voice for Miguel and I’ve been doing that since 10. It was like a routine going to Pixar and doing scratches for Miguel. And finally when I was 11, it was near Christmas and the director, Lee Unkrich told me that they had a Christmas present for me and I couldn’t wait to see what it was. I was just so excited. And the producer, Darla Anderson brought the present and I opened this wonderful, big box and it was this big poster with colors and papel picado and it said you got the part. And I just couldn’t believe it. I was just so shocked and all I could do there was just thank God because I couldn’t believe I was going to be part of the Disney Pixar movie.
MFR: What is a scratch voice?
Anthony Gonzalez:Oh, a scratch voice is where they get my voice and they put it in Miguel so like they put in the character it’s like a test.
MFR: Voice acting isn’t as easy as it looks, what was the hardest part to bringing Miguel to life?
Anthony Gonzalez:Well, in my opinion, it wasn’t really hard because me and Miguel are very similar but the challenges that people face with voice acting is that you can’t use your facial expressions and you can’t use your arms and you can’t use your legs. Even though it was just my voice that was being used even in the booth I was still using my arms and my body and my facial expressions. What’s so cool is that they (Pixar) told me that they actually used some of my movements in the character Miguel which was so cool. And I was just so happy.
MFR: What I love about ‘COCO’ is the vibrant colors, it’s so different compared to other animated films. What do you love about ‘COCO?’
Anthony Gonzalez:Oh my gosh. I love, first of all, the music, it is amazing. I’ve been singing and acting since I was four years old and I knew since then that I wanted to sing and act for the rest of my life and to be in a movie where I can do both of these things is just incredible and I’m just blessed to be in this wonderful movie. And I also love that it celebrates this wonderful celebration, the Day of the Dead. It’s specifically Mexican culture but this celebration can be universal because who doesn’t have ancestors that have passed away, and in the Day of the Dead you can be with them and connect with them once again.
MFR: Anthony, you are a singer and an actor. Where does this creative passion come from?
Anthony Gonzalez:Well, actually it comes from my siblings. So my siblings, my brother, and my two older sisters would start singing in La Placita Olvera. They would do street performance. And I just looked up to them and I was like, ‘Oh wow, they’re having so much fun.’ And I just thought like if they’re having fun I will have fun too if I try singing. And I started singing and from the moment I stepped on the stage I knew that I wanted to sing for the rest of my life. So the singing passion comes from my siblings. My acting passion, a director discovered me when I went to a show on Univision. And well, ever since I went to my first audition, I knew that I wanted to act because it was just so much fun.
MFR: If ‘COCO’ could crossover with another Pixar film, which one would it be and why?
Anthony Gonzalez:I grew up with ‘Toy Story.’ I grew up watching all three movies and it would really be cool to see Miguel react with toys. I think it would be so cool and fun.
MFR: Anthony, thank you for your time and best of luck with ‘COCO.’
Anthony Gonzalez:Thank you so much.
What did you think of Gonzalez comments? What Pixar film do you want to see crossover? Sound of in the comment section below.
Image Comics is always looking to raise the bar on what it means to be comic. W. Maxwell Prince has accepted this challenge and will release ICE CREAM MAN in January 2018.
According to Image Comics, ICE CREAM MAN is a genre-defying comic book series featuring disparate “one-shot” tales of sorrow, wonder, and redemption. Each installment features its own cast of strange characters, dealing with their own special sundae of suffering. And on the periphery of all of them, like the twinkly music of his colorful truck, is the Ice Cream Man—a weaver of stories, a purveyor of sweet treats. Friend. Foe. God. Demon. The man who, with a snap of his fingers—lickety split!—can change the course of your life forever.
Monkeys Fighting Robots and Image Comics have teamed up to give you a behind-the-scenes look at Nimit Malavia’s ICE CREAM MAN #2 variant cover. Watch the video below and click full-screen.
Malavia gives great insight into his motivations and concept for the variant cover.
“I wanted to really emphasize the lush sinking feeling of our main character’s high, the slow melting of being one with your surroundings—and the difficulty of trying to pull oneself away from that feeling. And at once, amidst the confusion of sensual shapes, show a type of clarity in our main character’s eyes, that despite the overwhelming grasp her addiction has over her, seeing her partner trapped, she is determined to break free and save him,” said Malavia.
“Having read a few excerpts from the first issue, in particular, the darker tones that were being explored (not to mention Chris’ fantastically subdued pastel palette), this felt like a great opportunity to contrast the iconography with the brighter trappings of the title. In a way, much like the titular Ice Cream Man, the bright cotton-candy landscape serves as an entryway into the more essential themes of the narrative,” said Malavia.
Check out Malavia’s six-minute version of the video that documents other versions of the cover.
ICE CREAM MAN #2 is written by W. Maxwell Prince, with art by Martín Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran handles colors, with the variant by Malavia. The issue is titled ‘RAINBOW SPRINKLES’ – The second installment of this syrupy series of singular stories! Here, the lives of two very different kinds of opioid abusers intersect. But at whose behest? (I think you know the answer….)
Bug your local comic book store to order ICE CREAM MAN #2 by January 29, as the book hits the streets on February 21.
Are you excited for W. Maxwell Prince ICE CREAM MAN? Sound off in the comment section below.
This series will be a brief, semi-comedic review of the CW superhero shows. You can check out last week’s review post here. The only shows discussed will be ‘Arrow’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Supergirl’. There WILL be some spoilers discussed, so only look at the reviews you’re up to date on!
Arrow continues to act like Deathstroke is a cooler character than he is. Slade was a great villain, but as Aussie Oliver, his story isn’t strong enough. I don’t care about either of his sons enough to get on board with more flashbacks. How are we giving him a new son? Is Arrow seriously recycling material from THIS season? At the very least, “Promises Kept” wraps up the Shake Sauce drug storyline, which is a consistently lame story trope. However, as much as Deathstroke wants to be Logan, or as often as Diggle wears the hood, Arrow probably won’t work until Oliver is back in the limelight.
SCORE: 7/10 Bamboo Stick Fights
WEEKLY WIN TALLY:
The Flash: 2.8 Weeks
Supergirl: 2.3 Weeks
Arrow: 0.8 Week
What show did you think won the week? Does Legends of Tomorrow take your vote? Did you go see Justice League in theaters instead of watching TV? Let us know in the comments below!
Now that Quentin Tarantino’s new film, a movie not necessarily about Charles Manson but 1969 itself, has landed at Sony after an absurd bidding war between studios, we have a few plot details to salivate over.
Vanity Fair had all the information about Tarantino’s decision to go with Sony, and in the article they divulge some information about the story. Here’s what they had to say:
Set in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969, Tarantino’s upcoming movie, according to a source who read the script, focuses on a male TV actor who’s had one hit series and his looking for a way to get into the film business. His sidekick—who’s also his stunt double—is looking for the same thing. The horrific murder of Sharon Tate and four of her friends by Charles Manson’s cult of followers serves as a backdrop to the main story.
Well, on one hand, it seems like the story could be set up for comedy. But then there’s this whole issue of Charles Manson and the horrific murder spree that reshaped America serving as the backdrop. If anyone could interweave these elements, it’s QT.
Stay tuned for updates on cast – everyone from Leo DiCaprio to Brad Pitt to Tom Cruise have been attached to star – production, potential release date, etc…
There are more comic books to choose from now than ever were before. The industry is filled with so many wonderful options for every type of reader. Allow me to point you in the direction of a few that I think are crucial comic pulls for 11/22/17.
Doomsday Clock #1
The moment is finally upon us, what we’ve all been waiting for since Geoff Johns dropped DC Universe Rebirth #1 on us over a year ago. Doomsday Clock teams the god of DC Comics, Johns, with superstar artist Gary Frank to bring the Watchmen officially into the DCU.
What has been brewing in the background of almost all DC Rebirth titles finally comes to the forefront. This will most likely be the biggest comic book of the year. DC promises that readers are “not prepared” for what lies ahead.
Thanos #13
Donny Cates is one of the hottest writers in comics over the past year. Last week, he unleashed his first Marvel comic with Doctor Strange, this week he takes us to the cosmos with Thanos. He’s continuing the story that Jeff Lemire told for the preceding twelve issues, which was stellar.
Cates has a lot to prove out of the gate, but if his Strange was any indication, he’s more than up to the task. “Thanos Wins” Part One sees the “Mad Titan” return to power across the galaxy. Lemire took us on a journey to break Thanos down to the lowest of low.
He’s clawed his way back to prominence, leaving blood spray and craters in his wake. Donny Cates is going to show us how scary Thanos can be now that he’s returned to form. Donny also brings along his God Country partner, Geoff Shaw.
Detective Comics #969
Tim Drake has returned to the Bat-Family, but in doing so the family has been broken. With art by Alvaro Martinez and Eddy Barrows, “Fall Of The Batmen” puts the team to the test, pushing them while they’re most vulnerable. We’ll also get to see what happens with Spoiler now that Red Robin has returned from an alleged death.
James Tynion IV’s Detective run may not make as much noise as Tom King’s Batman, but it’s been just as consistently great. The title focuses more on the Bat-Family, giving readers plenty of face time with Batman’s most trusted allies. Batman has a full plate of conflicts to address as he finally has the whole team back together.
X-Men: Gold #16
X-Men crossover “Mojo Worldwide” has ended, now our favorite mutants head to the Negative Zone. “The Dartayus Odyssey” Part One is a healthy change of pace for X-Men: Gold, taking the team somewhere outside of the city (and Earth). Marc Guggenheim and company have done a great job so far with this team.
Some of the greatest X-Men stories of all-time have taken place in space, they’re no stranger to cosmic battles. Having them take a trip to the Negative Zone should be no different. The mission statement for both ResurreXion and Marvel Legacy was about returning these characters to their classic glory. Throwing a team of X-Men into a strange and dangerous dimension is another step in the right direction.
Redneck #7
Donny Cates strikes again! His Image Comics series about a southern family of vampires begins it’s second arc. This has been one of the most enjoyable horror comics of 2017. Cates, along with Lisandro Estherren and Nick Pitarra, deliver a unique twist on the concept of bloodsuckers.
“The Eyes Upon You” starts with the Bowman family on the run and taking us someplace new. Cates plays with the rules of being a vampire and wraps it in a twisted family experience. If you haven’t been reading the series, catch up with the recently released collection of Redneck #1-6.
Disney has released the second official trailer for Ava DuVernay’s adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time. The trailer, which debuted during the American Music Awards, gives us an incredible new look at the film and its talented cast.
Directed by Ava DuVernay, A Wrinkle In Time is an adaptation of the book by Madeleine L’Engle’s. The film follows Meg Murry (Storm Reid), who journeys across the stars with her younger brother Charles (Deric McCabe), and her best friend Calvin (Levi Miller) to find her missing father, played by Chris Pine.
Watch the trailer below:
From visionary director Ava DuVernay comes Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light.
Directed by Emmy(R) winner and Oscar(R) and Golden Globe(R) nominee Ava DuVernay from a screenplay by Oscar-winner Jennifer Lee based upon the beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle, “A Wrinkle in Time” stars: two-time Academy Award(R) nominee Oprah Winfrey, Oscar and Emmy winner Reese Witherspoon, Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peňa and introducing Storm Reid, with two-time Emmy winner Zach Galifianakis and Emmy nominee Chris Pine.
That is the first line of the famous Watchmen limited series of 1986. It follows a group of heroes in an alternate 1980’s as they uncover a conspiracy after one of their own is murdered. The story, written by Alan Moore with art by Dave Gibbons, has been universally acclaimed since it was released. Accolades such asbeing put on Time‘s List of the 100 Best Novels and having BBC calling it, “The moment comic books grew up.”
Since its conclusion in 1987, it has been hinted that it had no ties to the DC Universe, despite DC publishing the book–that is until a year ago. On May 25, 2016, DC Universe Rebirth was first released, hinting that the Watchmen would crossover after 30 years. After the Batman/Flash story, The Button, it was revealed the next part of the story would be Doomsday Clock. This is the comic that DC Rebirth was building towards. The world of Watchmen and the world of the Justice League are about to collide.
Story:
This issue is the perfect way to start the series. You get interesting characters, questions that you want answered, and a plausible reason for these two worlds to collide. The moment you open the book, you get yanked into the story by the setting alone. Writer Geoff Johns masterfully adopted the style of Moore’s work and put its own twists to it.
Johns’ expert use of visual storytelling perhaps is the single most prominent aspect of the story. There is exposition of this world littered in the first pages, but within lays clever storytelling. We learn almost immediately of what happened in the five years after Watchmen ended. Not through word, but through pictures. Things such as newspaper headlines, riots, and reports on Ozymandias. It’s visual elements like this that that quickly help the reader re-engage with the world ofWatchmen. Don’t expect to read through this issue once, however. I have read through the issue three times and I’m sure I missed a few references along the way.
Unfortunately, this visual storytelling has made me realize a problem. What about the people who haven’t read Watchmen? There are plenty of nods and references to the old series, which could leave some confused. Not everyone knows who Ozymandias is or what he has done. One could argue on why would anyone read a Watchmen sequel without reading the original. When the story is promoted as the next chapter in DC Rebirth’s overarching story, more readers will come expecting it.
Art:
There are a lot of talented artists in DC’s arsenal, but I can’t imagine anyone else but Gary Frank to cover this series. Frank, who has worked with Johns on several projects in the past, shows us why he’s one of the best. His dark yet realistic style, seen in Batman: Earth One, brings the gritty earth of Watchmen to life. The level of detail to every character makes them appear as if you’d see them walk off the page.
The color work also helps in complementing Frank’s art. The darker colors set the tone of the world, as well as making the characters stand out. The more vibrant colors of the book are only used as sources of light to help shadows stick out more.
Conclusion:
I enthusiastically recommend this story, especially if you are a fan of the original Watchmen. Fans of only the DC Universe might be a bit disappointed, but the story has enough to get readers invested. The art helps the story by setting the tone and making the world haunting. If you have to pick up any book this week, pick up this one. The clock is ticking.
To anyone who suffered through the trailer for Netflix’s new animated show Big Mouth you would be forgiven to think it was going to be a more crass version of Family Guy. Fortunately, the actual show is much better than the trailer suggested.
Big Mouth follows a group of 7th Graders from Westchester, New York as they start their joyous journey into puberty. Within this group is everyman Nick Birch (Nick Kroll), his best friend Andrew Glouberman (John Mulaney) who is tormented by Maurice the Hormone Monster (also Kroll), Jessi (Jessi Klein), the girl has her own Hormone Monstress, Connie (Maya Rudolph), the innocent Missy (Jenny Slate) and wannabe sex-hound/magician Jay (Jason Mantzoukas). Big Mouth was co-created by Andrew Goldberg, best known for his work on Family Guy and that acted as a red flag for many people. Episodes he has written include “Herpe, the Love Sore” where Brian knowingly gives Stewie an STD and “The Giggity Wife”, the episode which sees Quagmire accidentally marries an old prostitute. Big Mouth has even more graphic humor than Family Guy, having a menagerie of bodily fluids on screen as well as human and hormone monster genitalia. Yet Big Mouth has one big advantage over modern Family Guy: the characters are likable.
Goldberg and Kroll co-created the show and based it on their own experience growing up. Considering this background information and the nature of the show being about teens exploring love and their bodies it makes Big Mouth an American version of The Inbetweeners: it certainly better than the actual American remake of The Inbetweeners. The character of Jay is like his namesake in The Inbetweeners, an overly confident who talks about subjects, i.e. sex, like they are expert but don’t know a thing. Yet this is a front because they are the product of dysfunctional families, The Inbetweeners‘ Jay is constantly humiliated by his father, whilst Big Mouth‘s Jay is bullied by his brothers. One moment when Jay snaps towards his brothers felt all too real. Big Mouth does provide a healthy amount of the laughs. Despite the awfulness that the trailer suggested. There are of course plenty of sex humor but some of the funniest moments are the verbal gags that are unrelated to sex. There are short moments that are hardly going to challenge the likes of The Simpsons and Family Guy during their heyday but I would be lying if I said I didn’t chuckle.
The Hormone Monster was clearly designed to be the breakout character of the show. He is overly vulgar and unfiltered as he acts as a devil on Andrew to jack-off at any given opportunity. A little of his shtick goes a long way. The Hormone Monster funniest moment was when Andrew had the chance to play seven minutes in heaven with his girlfriend and he has a non-verbal reaction.
Because the show is made for Netflix it had few restrictions on what it could show. In the first episode Andrew’s penis was flashed at the audience and Nick visualized playing against a bunch of dicks. One of the most infamous moments was when Jessie talks to her vagina. Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should. The same can be said about the show’s swearing which has a liberal use of the f-word. When it comes to swearing, especially in comedies, I am of the view that less is more, making the words more impactful where it is for a comedic or dramatic purpose.
The show also had a fondness for musical numbers which were hit and miss. The best were “I’m Gay” which was an excellent parody of the rock legends Queen and “Life is a Fucked Up Mess” simply because the lyrics were all too relatable, even if the singing is god awful. Other songs failed to land like the song “Everybody Bleeds” which parodied R.E.M’s “Everybody Hurts” and its famous music video – it was just changing the lyrics of the original song. Like my point involving swearing musical numbers should be used sparingly.
Big Mouth
The show had a great voice cast, having the likes of Maya Rudolph, Jordan Peele, Kat Dennings and Richard Kind in the main cast or supporting roles and other stars in guest roles like Kristen Bell, Kristen Wiig, Mae Whitman and Jon Hamm. Most of the cast are fine in their roles, Rudolph was great as the Hormone Monstress. However, Kroll’s voice was ill-fitting for Nick, sounding too old to play a pre-pubescent boy and his voice one of the worst sounding characters: a popular girl called Lola.
If you can get pass the awful first episode Big Mouth does have some heart and emotional moments. The show does continue plotlines like the relationship between Andrew and Missy and a storyline involving Jessi’s mum. All of this comes to a head in the penultimate episode “I Survived Jessi’s Bat Mitzvah” which is one of the best episodes in the series. Big Mouth also addresses some serious issues like young teenagers having relationships too early, boys and girls having embarrassing incidents because of puberty and sexual behavior between older teens and the themes of girls’ reputation. Big Mouth has much more heart and sincerity than modern day Family Guy.
One of the biggest black marks against Big Mouth is its animation. The most obvious are the character designs: all the characters have big fish lips, horrific eyes and the main characters are so small they look like they are five-years-old instead of 12/13. It’s made even worst because Nick has a 16-year-old sister and she is nearly as tall as the adults.
The show also has some loose rules having a supernatural element with ghosts making a regular appearance and Jay impregnating a pillow. Goldberg worked on Family Guy which has a baby genius and a talking dog but Big Mouth is meant to be a little more grounded: the only wacky element should have been the hormone monsters and they should have only been seen by the person they are attached to. The show also had some cartoony visual jokes which were also a mixed bag: it was funny when the boys’ heads explode when they find out girls are horny too is funny, but a joke involving when Nick’s eyes pop out of his head just didn’t fit.
Goldberg has improved a lot since his days on Family Guy making a show that has some substance beneath the sex jokes. Big Mouth is the closest an American show could get to be like the original The Inbetweeners and overcomes the awful character design and marketing.
AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ returned to form in respects to storytelling Sunday night with ‘The Big Scary U.’ If the direction and cinematography were even a little better than average tonight’s could have been epic with suspense and claustrophobia.
Instead of focusing on one storyline, ‘The Big Scary U’ told three unique stories that all helped progress the plot forward for the endgame of the midseason finale.
The much-awaited return of Negan did not disappoint as the banter between Father Gabriel and Negan worked brilliantly. The confessional aspect of the trailer gave their interaction a next level feel. The climax of the episode was Negan’s confession to Father Gabriel, as the episode served to bring Negan to the gray area of a black and white situation. Seth Gilliam held his own in the acting department against Jefferey Dean Morgan. Gilliam final scene in ‘The Big Scary U’ had me on the edge of my seat, and load me up with more questions than answers.
The showdown between Rick and Daryl surprisingly took place in ‘The Big Scary U’ tonight. What could have been a shining moment about morality turned into a comical sibling rivalry. Hopefully, this issue was not resolved and will be revisited later on in the season. Daryl has always been a compassionate bad-ass, his departure in the ethics seems off, and this is stunting the potential of the ‘Rick / Daryl’ storyline.
The Saviors are lost without Negan. The game of ‘cat and mouse’ to find the mole, while entertaining with the spectrum of characters involved could have used a heavy dose of adrenaline-fueled tenseness.
The reveal at the end of the episode was enough to keep motivations firmly locked on next week’s episode.
Overall, a well-paced episode that moved the story along and left viewers with intrigue.
What did you think of tonight’s episode of ‘The Walking Dead?’ Sound off in the comment section below.
