As we enter November, we are just over a month away from the release of Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the studio just dropped a new teaser for the film.
Titled “Awake”, the latest teaser delivers some exciting new footage, including Luke Skywalker’s return to the Millennium Falcon and an incredible shot of Rey (Daisy Ridley) wielding a lightsaber.
Watch the teaser below:
Directed by Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, and Domhnall Gleeson. The film will land in theatres on December 15!
The plots thickened tonight in the fourth episode of Shannara Chronicle’ssecond season. The new season on Spike is proving to be a force with a storyline that is more controlled, balanced, and with less reliance on razzle-dazzle and more on building tension between characters and plots. Yet, for the effects-loving viewers out there, the episode doesn’t disappoint on that front either. As we near the midpoint, the grey area widens, leaving heroes to wonder who is to trust. Here’s our review of episode four, “Dweller.”
The Shannara Chronicles
Wednesdays on Spike at 10 P.M. ET Wil, Mareth & Allanon travel to a dangerous territory for an answer. King Ander meets the Princess of Leah, but finds she’s more than he bargained for.”
Brandon appears to the Queen Tamlin to remind her of a deal from the past. and that the Warlock Lord is rising and debts to him will be paid. The tension is just right. Bandon’s evil badassery is growing, and he proves it within the first few seconds of his appearance.
After the ominous moment with Bandon, we catch up with Wil and Eretria. Wil is recovering from the events of the previous episode and Eretria is leaving on a new mission with weapon master Jax to warn King Ander about the Crimson. The friends share a moment that seems to give off some heavy foreshadowing feels. “I’ll see ya when I see ya.” Will leave you wondering if these two will ever see each other again. And Shannara isn’t shy about killing off characters. So, who knows?
The first moments of the show also delve deeper into Allanon the Druid and his potential daughter, Ravenlock. Without DNA tests handy, I’m sure some magic will make it possible for us to know the truth. But for now, these two have to come to terms about their connection, whether it’s familial, magical, or both.
Bandon delivers more ominous messages to Flick, Wil’s uncle before he provides another glimpse into his twisted logic.
We return to Eretria and Jax. We learn more about the weapon master’s past, enriching his character. Jax is a great addition to this RPG party that’s trying to save the world. Then again, who doesn’t love an anti-hero?
Eretria and Lyria are on separate paths, but a talk between the two inspires Lyria to do more. At the same time, Ander is learning about betrayal and continuing an uneasy alliance with the Queen of Leah. However, like Wil, Ander is growing into who he must be. He’s learning “adulting” so-to-speak and with that comes pain-filled decisions. However, it also comes with a lesson about sacrifice for the great good.
Wil wants to get to Bandon to save his uncle, but Allanon has another mission in mind. The mission is one that Wil cannot refuse as it connects to his past. The quest might also be important to save the future of the Four Lands. However, missions only matter if they are successful and there’s much dangerous dungeon-delving in the way of completing the task at hand.
An emotional end leads to a hopeful final shot. Episode five of The Shannara Chronicles can’t come soon enough.
After successfully delivering a “live-action” remake of The Jungle Book, Jon Favreau is currently working on another CGI/live-action remake, The Lion King. While certain members of the cast have already been announced (Donald Glover, Seth Rogan), Disney just revealed the full cast for Favreau’s The Lion King, and I think fans will be more than pleased.
Last week’s installment of the Dark Nights Metal saga fell flat. While looking beautiful, Batman the Merciless’ story was its major downfall. It told the story of this God of War Batman without showing the true devastation of his home earth. This left a poor taste in my mouth and had me worried for the following issues. This week, we get the penultimate Dark Nights: Batman the Devastator. He is a hybrid between the defender of Gotham and the monster that killed the Man of Steel. Now while that sounds insane, the story of how he was created is actually quite straightforward.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
Story:
The origin of this Batman is located on Earth -1. On this Earth, Superman spread his message of hope and trust with everyone believing him, including Batman. One day, Clark snapped and proceeded to tear apart the world. Batman, who felt betrayed by his friend, made the ultimate sacrifice to take him down once and for all. He engineered the Doomsday Virus on his Earth, transformed himself into the monster and killed Superman in a final battle, sacrificing his humanity. Unfortunately, by the time he used that, the world was essentially dead. This left an opening for The Batman who Laughs to recruit the newly dubbed Devastator for his cause.
Unlike last week’s Dark Nights one-shot, this shows the devastation wrought on the original Earth. You see the brutality of the turned Superman and Batman’s regret in having to go as far as he did, but realizes its necessity. By the time he reaches Earth 0, where all the main DC series take place, The Devastator’s view has changed. He now sees Superman as a lie for peace; that Earthlings must look within to find their true strength.
While I have never been a big fan of the Doomsday Virus plot device, you are reminded how destructive it actually is in the issue. Not even an hour in the city and the virus completely ravages everyone. It continues to create the hopeless setting that the Dark Knights were trying to eliminate when first coming to this world.
Art:
If you are a fan of the first volume of Justice League Rebirth, then you are going to love the art of this issue. Tony S. Daniel’s skill is shown off here with the incredible details in every panel. A perfect example of the level of detail Daniel’s skill would be the battle between The Devastator and Earth -1’s Superman. When Bruce transforms, you can see every bump and crater in his skin when he transforms, the details in his kryptonite breath, and the appropriate amount of gore.
The color work of Tomeu Morey complimented Daniel’s art by making the virus look sickening. Add that to making the characters’ skin tones realistic and we have a fantastic book to look at, as well as read.
Conclusion:
This issue was a much-needed improvement from The Merciless. The story is investing in the present and the flashback, showing the tragedy and pain The Devastator endured. The art is fantastic, with exemplary pencil work from Daniel and complimentary color from Morey. With the final tie-in being two weeks away, this story should tide you over.
Last issue we began a new story arc for the Kent family that would take them to Apokolips. Lex Luthor had the brilliant idea of convincing the Apokoliptians that he was the replacement for their recently fallen leader Darkseid. As one would suspect, this plan backfired. Lex then ordered his Lexbots to kidnap the whole family to come save him. The danger to the Kent family could have been avoided if Superman decided to actually listen to Lex’s calls of distress, but he chooses to ignore them, leading us to this issue.
Character inconsistencies and very unnatural expressions dragged down the beginning of this arc. Now that the family has made it to Apokolips, we might finally see some action to save Lex from his captors.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
Story:
With the Kent family separated on Apokolips, each member will seem to get more of the spotlight as the storyline goes on. The first member is Lois Lane who finds herself captured by Granny Goodness and the Female Furies. She ends up proving her worth and stands alongside the Furies over the span of a few hours. Meanwhile, Lex admits to his captors that he truly isn’t the heir to Darkseid’s throne. He convinces the group that the heir is actually Superman, but this doesn’t stop them from turning on their false god.
It might just be me, but I still can’t get into this story due to the actions of the characters. Lex is the most intelligent being from Earth, and yet he thinks that admitting his lie to a crowd of ravenous followers is the best idea. The Furies just accept Lois after a single battle where they drag dozens of slaves who are actually born of Apokolips. The characters break their archetypes to allow the plot to progress.
This issue doesn’t have much in terms of story depth, but it makes up for it in epic action. The battle that Lois gets dragged into shows that she isn’t a damsel in distress anymore. Seeing her surviving alongside the mightiest warriors of Apokolips is actually pretty damn cool. It’s action sequences like this that makes me think that this trip might leave more of an impression than expected. I hope it will leave an impression by the end, but as of right now, it still feels lacking.
Art:
I am glad to see that the art has improved since the last issue. Ed Benes and Jack Herbert join Doug Mahnke in drawing out the horrors of Apokolips. The designs of the characters look as good as the last issue, with the awkward faces being fixed for more natural ones. The closest unnatural faces made are those of certain Apokoliptians, which makes sense considering they come from a monster-filled world.
The color work continues to help characters pop off the page but in a different way. Where the colors of the previous issue are more vibrant, the colors here are more subdued. It makes the characters look more realistic and could step off the page any moment.
Conclusion:
While a step up from last week, the storyline continues to struggle to find footing. The characters don’t act like themselves and it breaks the immersion, despite the epic action. The art does shine, removing the unnatural expressions that plagued the first part. We still have two parts to go, but this story shows very little signs of improvement.
After months of waiting, we are finally in November and Justice League is just days away from release. Mexican magazine Cine Premiere just debuted a new behind-the-scenes image, which gives us an incredible behind-the-scenes look at Ben Affleck as Batman.
The image shows Affleck’s Batman standing in an abandoned building, which looks similar to certain settings that we’ve seen in the trailers. If Batman v Superman taught us anything, it’s that you shouldn’t underestimate Batman in an abandoned warehouse. Hopefully, this sequence will give us another incredible action sequence for Affleck’s Batman, solidifying his role as the most badass dark knight yet!
Check out the image below:
Image via Warner Bros.
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists newfound ally Diana Prince to face an even greater threat. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to recruit a team to stand against this newly awakened enemy. Despite the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes — Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash — it may be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Thomas Jane, one of the stars of Shane Black’s upcoming sequel The Predator, recently spoke to the Shadow Nation podcast about the upcoming flick. And the dude laid out quite a bit of details regarding the story’s direction.
There are some spoilers here, sort of, but nothing massive I think. It’s up to you, just keep it in mind (AvPGalaxy transcribed the interview). Here’s what Jane had to say:
“We play these veterans from like Afghanistan, Iraq war or whatever. But we’re all fucking crazy so we go to the VA hospital to get our meds. We’re all like shellshocked, PTSD…soldiers. We’re at the VA hospital and we’re in group therapy and of course, somebody flips out…this is backstory, I don’t think we really see this…somebody flips out and we all get arrested and get thrown onto the bus to go down to the hospital and they throw this other guy on the bus too.
And he’s a guy they’ve actually marked to kill him because he’s seen a UFO, he’s seen the Predator ships come down so they lock him up and throw him in with us lunatics. They’re going to take that bus, drive it down to a ditch and shoot us all just to get rid of this one guy. But, of course, we take the bus over and we’re all like “fuck that man, let’s go kill these fucking Predators ourselves” and we’re just crazy enough to believe that this guy really did see a UFO and there’s these aliens out there. So that’s kinda cool!”
Yes, Mr. Jane, that is indeed kinda cool.
The Predator also stars Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Edward James Olmos, Yvonne Strahovski, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Jake Busey (…), and it’s set for an August 3, 2018 release date. That’s about nine months too far away for this reporter.
‘Marvel’s Runaways’ on Hulu will hit the streaming service on November 21; this review is of the first four of the ten episode series.
What makes Adrian Alphona and Brian K. Vaughn’s comic book series unique is the random combination of characters they put in the book. Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, Chase Stein, and Gertrude Yorkes are all over the teenage spectrum, and the Hulu’s series intelligently captures this aspect. Teenagers are awkward, can never agree, and screw-up more often than not; yet, if you sprinkle in a few superpowers, this makes for very compelling television.
There will be spoilers after the break, you’ve been warned.
On top of it all, you have dinosaur running around that looks way better than anything FOX or The CW has tried in their respective comic book shows.
The best part of ‘Marvel’s Runaways’ on Hulu is the series doesn’t over explain who people are so that you are stuck in a predetermined mindset. The show lets you learn on the fly, and if you pay close attention, you might catch on quicker. The prime example is Gregg Sulkin’s Chase Stein; the show doesn’t hit you over the head that he’s an inventor. Except for Molly, no one’s powers are quickly explained; this adds a confusion layer to the tension. The teens are off-balance in more ways than one.
Each of the four episodes end in such a way that you want to binge. The mystery and suspense build and you are compelled for more answers. By the end of the fourth episode, the cast is built up with enough backstory that you are ready to run to the finish line.
The series is about ‘What if your parents were supervillains?’ and this is not an easy concept for a teenager to handle. ‘Marvel’s Runaways’ does a great job with this internal emotional struggle, and doesn’t rush any character. These are complex heroes, unlike anything you watched in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and by the end of the fourth episodes, your heroes resemble the comic book version surprisingly well.
The second episode is a retelling of the first episode, but from the parents perspective. Usually, this type of episode bothers me to high hell, but ‘Rewind’ works well to establish the motives of the parents and gives the viewer a keen understanding of each character.
The final verdict on the success of the series will come at the end of the season, and this will depend on how dark the series is willing to go, and how quickly the plot escalates. The way episode four ends it makes me believe that the tension will hit a breaking point in episode five.
If you are a fan of Alphona and Vaughn’s creation, you will love ‘Marvel’s Runaways’ on Hulu.
Are you excited for ‘Marvel’s Runaways’ on Hulu? Sound off in the comment section below.
Batman and Catwoman encounter Talia Al Ghul’s forces as they continue their quest to meet with Bruce’s ‘ex’. Meanwhile, Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson are hot on their trail with questions and a plan to stop the newly engaged couple from possibly starting an international incident and getting themselves killed.
Batman #34
‘Rules of Engagement’ Part 2 Written by: Tom King Art by: Joelle Jones Colors by: Jordie Bellaire Letters: Clayton Cowles
Writing
The last issue was the start of this new storyline, but this issue is where I think it really kicks into gear. Not only do we finally get to see Talia in full League of Assasins butt-kicking glory, we also see Batman and Catwoman throw down hard themselves. There are some excellent fight scenes here and they give the issue a brisk pace that makes it fun.
Another standout aspect was the fantastic back-and-forth between Bruce and Selina. Tom King has often said his run will ultimately be about the relationship these two have, and this issue certainly supports that. The chemistry created between the two leaps off the page. There were several moments that made me chuckle. But it’s much more than just cute and clever, as you also get a sense of how formidable a team Bruce and Selina make. Selina pulling the sword out of Bruce’s shoulder to take it up against Talia is one of the most bad-ass moves I have seen from Catwoman (and I read most of the Brubaker run a few years ago).
I have to say though that if I had to pick a favorite moment it would be the scene with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne. This is a pairing I have always loved seeing, and King also nails this duo. More so than any other of Batman’s sidekicks/surrogate sons, these two feel and act like brothers. There is genuine warmth portrayed between the two here, especially at the end of the scene. And Damian threatening Superman with black magic is probably going to be one of my favorite character moments for Damian ever. It was PERFECT (and pretty hysterical). The whole scene that ends with Superman flying off and Dick’s comment of “He can still see you from Central City” actually made me laugh out loud.
Art
Joelle Jones and Jordie Bellaire are a great art team to pair with this story. Jones’ style lends itself well to the desert setting and costumes everyone is wearing. The thick line work (even on the panel borders) adds grit and weight to the images. There is also some great layout and composition to the pages; one fight sequence with long, angled panels is particularly striking.
Bellaire continues to be one of the best colorists in the business. The palate here adds to the mood, creating an almost sandy and dusty feel. You can feel the sunlight and desert heat bathing the characters.
Conclusion
I really like where this arc is going and how at its core is all a family drama. Yes, it has Batman and Catwoman fighting tongueless desert ninjas but it’s really about a man trying to tie up loose ends before a marriage and the sons who want to understand what this new marriage might mean for them in the future. Tom King continues to probe different aspects of the Caped Crusader and I am staying on board.
I, Tonya is picking up some serious steam heading into awards season, both for Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding and Allison Janney as her awful mother. Now, we have a red band trailer, and it is most certainly NSFW…
Check it out, and again be totally aware of the salty language :
For anyone unfamiliar with this story, it all happened during the 1994 Winter Olympics, when Harding’s idiot husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) sabotaged her closest rival, Nancy Kerrigan, by whacking her in the knee with a pipe.
It is a salacious tabloid story full of white trash wannabe gangsters, but it’s also an interesting examination of class and social division.
I, Tonya looks pretty incredible. Margot Robbie’s transformation has been the biggest point of buzz about the film to this point, but Allison Janney seems almost a shoe in for Best Supporting Actress. Aside from this duo and Stan, the film stars Bobby Cannavale. It is directed by Craig Gillespie, who has a curious collection of films on his ledger, from Lars and The Real Girl to the Fright Night remake.
