‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ is less than two months away, and you might be staying away from the internet to avoid spoilers, but the behind the scenes featurette released yesterday is everything that is amazing with the Star Wars Universe.
Watch the ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Behind The Scenes Featurette below:
The footage above does give a good look at undercover Finn, and the Poe Dameron sliding footage is going to look epic when the special effects are added. Watching Mark Hamill laugh always warms my heart, and a bonus Carrie Fisher joke, ahhhh so good! Rian Johnson is living the dream, and he knows it.
About ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’
The Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past
‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi,’ which is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.
‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ hits theaters on December 15.
Creep 2, the follow up to Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass’s micro-budgeted thriller, is a wild and unpredictable sequel that captures the essence of the original. It also suffers from a few sequel-related missteps, none of which are enough to ruin a film that’s impossible to turn away from.
Fans of the original know the score here: Mark Duplass is Aaron, a genial and almost childlike loner who also happens to be a prolific serial killer. Like in the first film, he finds another videographer to join him on a journey into his bizarro world, full of sophomoric philosophical musings, manic behavior, and occasional madness.
Aaron’s subject this time is Sara (Desiree Akhavan). Sara is a bohemian, purple-haired videographer whose YouTube show, Encounters, about people she meets on craigslist with weird fetishes and hangups, isn’t necessarily setting the internet ablaze. She decides this tenth entry into her series will be her last, and she responds to Aaron’s request for a documentarian who is a fan of Interview With the Vampire.
There are no vampires here, only Aaron in his lodge in the middle of the woods. Without spilling any of the beans, let’s just stop at this setup: Aaron confesses right away that he is a serial killer, claiming 39 victims, and he wants Sara to film his last days before he decides the 40th life he takes will be his own. This interaction would be plenty to send most people out the front door and on their way, but Sara is more than up for the increasingly insane challenge.
The ability to suspend disbelief here is a plot point Creep 2 has to embrace, albeit one that is distracting. How in the world could anyone assume Aaron is lying about these murders and elect to stick around? Especially when he shows Sara the one at the end of the original film. It’s a major leap of faith for the audience to take on, but once we buy into this preposterous turn the story that unfolds is nothing short of compelling. Akhavan sells this as best she can, hinting from time to time that she might very well have more up her own sleeves.
Duplass, one of the more underrated indie stars of our time, is fascinating as this character, simultaneously likable and frightening in every scene. The dynamic between these two actors is weird for sure, but it works for the most part. It allows the film to take on a different tone than the original, where his victim Aaron (yes, Aaron. Duplass’s name was Josef in the original, an interesting twist for fans of the first film), played by director Brice, is frightened from pretty much the opening frame. There are some genuinely funny moments in Creep 2, and as the plot unfolds there are ample moments of unnerving terror.
Who would have ever thought Creep would be a franchise after the first one? It felt like a one-off experiment; but this sequel feels like a natural step in the progression of this fascinating, frightening psychopath. It may have to take some logical liberties in order for the story to even exist, but if you don’t let that sort of narrative freedom distract you too often, Creep 2 will sink its teeth into you.
Another DC film is in development and it’s a doozy. According to The Wrap, The Raid Director Gareth Evans is in talks to helm a Deathstroke film for Warner Bros. This news comes following the apparent removal of the character from Matt Reeve’s The Batman.
Over a year ago, Ben Affleck tweeted a stunning video revealing an actor who was screen testing for the iconic DC Comics assassin. That actor turned out to be Joe Manganiello, who was then confirmed to be the protagonist for the Ben Affleck directed Batman solo film. After Affleck stepped down from the director’s chair, Matt Reeves took over the project. A whole new script was written, one that didn’t include Deathstroke which left Manganiello’s status up in the air. However, it appears we will be getting a big-screen Slade Wilson with help from Gareth Evans.
Evans whose recent films The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2 became instant action staples, was brought up by Warner Brothers when discussing a possible director for Justice League Dark, a project he decided to pass on. Although, Evans decided to pitch a solo Deathstroke film to the DC executives which left them very impressed. Evans is currently in talks to both write and direct the film, with Manganiello set to star.
Deathstroke rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s as the most capable assassin in DC comics. He went on to be the antagonist in the 2000s Teen Titans cartoon and has been featured prominently in the CW series Arrow.
There is no word on the plot for the film or a possible release date.
Are you excited about a Deathstroke solo film? Let us know in the comments below!
The eighth season of ‘The Walking Dead’ premiered this past Sunday on AMC and the rumor mill is heating up on who will get killed off by the mid-season finale.
‘Mercy’ did show the viewers two Ricks from the future. One Rick was very upset looking at the ground with a stained glass window hanging from a tree, the other had a long beard, short hair, walked with a cane, and seemed much more at peace. This would appear to foreshadow parts of the ‘All Out War’ storyline.
Reddit user yesqualle via The Spoiling Dead Fans has compiled a timeline of filming schedules, social media post, and has come up with a theory on the fate of one of the characters. The Spoiling Dead Fans over on Facebook has previously predicted the death of Beth and Bob.
There will be spoilers after the break, turn back now!
Last chance!
This is what yesqualle posted to Reddit on Tuesday:
We have some sad news to report today. First, we want to say up front that this is UNCONFIRMED INFORMATION. Repeat…UNCONFIRMED. This is something we are tracking right now and should not be taken as hard fact. Normally we wouldn’t even post, but the fandom is already talking about it and in light of the premiere we felt we needed to share what we knew.
It seems as though we will be losing our favorite hat wearing, pudding eating, can’t stay in the house beloved Carl during the mid-season finale. Yes, it may be time to say goodbye to the one-eyed wunderkind. Now, before you start writing us nasty messages, let us tell you how we came to this conclusion.
We get lots of information from everywhere, all the time. Most often they are just bits that don’t add up to something. Sometimes it’s even people trying to feed us false info to discredit us. But every now and then (remember Beth? Bob?) we get pieces of info that start to add up and form something true. It’s that thing where a couple pieces of the puzzle mean nothing, but start to piece them together and they form a picture. We believe that’s happening here.
We received various pieces of information from separate sources beginning way back in early September telling us they believe Carl will die in the mid-season finale. We know the MSF will involve a huge battle at Alexandria with multiple fires, explosions, and gunfire. There is plenty of photo evidence and eyewitness accounts of this. Separate sources also tell us that they believe Carl’s death was shot at the studio with corresponding scenes being shot at Alexandria near the gates. It is believed that he dies in the MSF with possibly his body being discovered and/or the aftermath of his death occurring in episode 9. So far there has been no corroboration in exactly how he dies; however, more than once we were told that he struggles with someone and is possibly stabbed. So what do we do with this? We go back and check the filming information and match it against what we’re being told. Here is what we know:
1. A series of several night shoots in Alexandria begins on 7/29 for episode 8. Gunfire, yelling, explosions, fires, etc.
2. 7/31: Carl witnessed on the guard platform. Negan shows up. Carl gets down and goes to the gates. There is gunfire. Photo evidence confirms Carl’s presence.
3. 8/1: More night battle shoots. Carl is the only main cast confirmed filming.
4. 8/2: Most filming took place by Rick’s house. Late at night/early AM a couple of horrific screams were heard. At the time it was speculated that it was Michonne. Not confirmed. There is audio of the screams.
5. 8/3: Mystery day. Assuming studio. Nobody was sighted outside.
6. 8/4: More night shoots at studio. Andy Lincoln spotted near studio.
7. 8/5-8/18: No filming.
8. 8/21: Rick spotted near Alexandria gates briefly. Photo of crew trucks.
9. 8/ 22: Carl & Michonne filming at Alexandria. Morning studio filming.
10. 8/23–8/28: Alexandria filming. Carl, Negan, Michonne, Rick were confirmed via photo.
11. Chandler’s last reported filming was on 8/28 at the Gin property (Alexandria). This would be for episode 9. Eyewitnesses reported that Carl’s shirt was covered with blood and he was struggling with someone on the ground – unclear who.
12. By 8/29 filming shifted away from Alexandria to multiple sites. As of this date, no more Carl.
13. 10/16: Chandler made some suspicious social media posts including posts on October 16th when he was in Los Angeles about how he doesn’t know if he’ll ever be as successful as he is right now “but I’m glad I got this chance to help tell a story that actually impacts people” Now let’s add in what we saw in the premiere. Again, we usually do not theorize, but this is too significant to ignore. In the premiere, we saw two future Ricks: old man Rick and red-eyed Rick. We believe, as others do, that red-eyed Rick will be seen in a future episode and this is where he will be mourning the loss of Carl and make the decision to let “mercy prevail over [his] wrath.” Keep in mind that this is the quote uttered by the middle-eastern man at the gas station when Carl approaches. This is likely Siddiq from the comics (casting call corresponds with this theory). The fact that Rick utters this quote tells us that he will interact with Siddiq in the show and that this is, in fact, a scene from a future episode where Rick has suffered a tragic loss. There was significant foreshadowing in the future as far as Carl is concerned – his mercy toward “Siddiq” in providing him food. We also have a promotional picture where Rick is standing holding his hat.
So there you have it. Take the info and decide for yourself what you want to believe. Our job is to report what we know and this is what we know. If true, we hate to lose Carl but Chandler Riggs has proven himself to be an asset to any cast and he has a bright future whether that means going on to college or going on to new projects.
We’ll keep tracking this and will update you as new information comes to light.
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What do you think of the theory? Does this give Season Eight more weight? Comment below.
Two big pieces of news regarding season three of Daredevil were just released via Deadline.
The first, and likely most important to fans, is that Vincent D’Onofrio is returning as Wilson Fisk. This isn’t a surprise to many, as the character is essential to what season three seems to be leading up to: the Born Again storyline.
Additionally, Erik Oleson is set to be the showrunner on the upcoming season.
Jeph Loeb, Marvel TV Chief, had this to say regarding both new details:
“Vincent is an exceptional actor who returns with the incredible gravitas he brings to Fisk. We’re very excited how Marvel’s Daredevil develops through the creative lens and guidance of our new showrunner, Erik Oleson.”
No release date for season three has been set. Are you looking forward to the continuation of the Marvel/Netflix universe? Sound off in the comments below.
If you enjoy Michael Mann’s LA heist masterpiece Heat, but you didn’t need all that dialogue and pesky nuance and character building mumbo jumbo, well, have I got the movie for you. Welcome to the Den of Thieves.
Not that every crime drama should be like Heat, but this Gerard Butler thriller certainly fancies itself as a loose reigning of sorts. Director Christian Gudegast has shed all the tedium of Mann’s film and inserted a hip-hop soundtrack, 50 Cent, and way more hyperkinetic aerial shots of Los Angeles. Check out the trailer:
A Los Angeles crime saga in the vein of “Heat”, DEN OF THIEVES follows the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles.
I don’t know about you, but I can have Heat and Den of Thieves in my life. Not every movie has to be a meditative take on the nature of law and crime like Mann’s film. Sometimes, we need Gerard Butler in a black tank top threatening O’Shea Jackson Jr.
In a totally unsurprising move, Den of Thieves will open January 19, a nice palette cleanser after all those stuffy Oscar flicks.
Originally due to hit cinemas on the 22nd November this hotly anticipated film will now be released on January 5th, which will tee it up nicely for the awards season. Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the response from critics has been almost entirely positive, garnering a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%.
The film is based on the snappily titled memoir ‘Molly’s Game: From Hollywood’s Elite to Wall Street’s Billionaire Boys’ Club, My High Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker’ and initial Hollywood pitches were for a TV series. It was Hollywood’s hottest writer, Aaron Sorkin, who saw in the narrative a film story that he wanted not only to write but also direct. ’It isn’t often you come across a story that is both cool and has a lot of heart, and this one does,’ said Sorkin when the first trailer was screened.
In the past there has been some criticism of Sorkin’s treatment of female characters, this film certainly sets the record straight on that score. Jessica Chastain, who plays Molly, sees this primarily as a story about female empowerment: ‘I like that the film explores female power and what that means in society…Molly’s journey goes through that and Aaron really shows the hurdles she had, but also how powerful a person she is’.
Voice over has often been criticised as a clumsy way of putting a band-aid on poor filmmaking, so it’s surprising that Sorkin uses so much of it, though of course, this is Sorkin penned narration, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised given the reverence accorded this writer’s prose. Structured around flashbacks like ‘The Social Network,’ Sorkin was at pains to ensure that the identities of the real-life Hollywood celebrities involved in the events were thoroughly obscured in his film. ‘I don’t want the movie to be about gossip,’ he said.
This is not a conventional gambling film, though many believe it will secure a place in the pantheon of best gambling films of all time. Not only does it foreground its central female character, in a genre where women are usually peripheral eye candy, but it is also not particularly interested in set-piece poker games. There is a natural drama about a poker game, a group of characters seated around a table creates a natural environment for dialogue, the raising of stakes builds tension toward the climactic reveal. In films like ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ or ‘Rounders,’ this drama of the game is fully exploited, and the games are key dramatic sequences within the films. ‘Molly’s Game’ is not this sort of gambling film, despite gambling being the milieu in which the narrative is set, the gamblers are not the central characters, and the games are not key dramatic sequences.
‘Molly’s Game’ is about money, power, greed and the survival of a strong woman in a world where men literally hold all the cards. The Wolf of Wall Street, but with heart.
With the world’s deadliest assassin leaving Metropolis, things have returned to normal for the Man of Steel. He goes to work, saves the day, occasionally teaming up with Lex Luthor. To newcomers, back in 2014, Lex Luthor saved the world from an evil Justice League in the Forever Evil event. This has made him a hero in the eyes of the world and he has held good to that commitment. While he is still the cunning bald-billionaire we know, he has helped the Justice League several times until the start of Rebirth. Since then both he and Superman have worked to keep the world safe.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
Story:
The opening to this storyline has us follow Superman and Lex Luthor teaming up to stop crime in Metropolis. They stop the bad guys, take pictures for the press and act friendly to one another. When it’s all said and done, however, the pair can’t stand each other and go their separate ways. While Clark goes home for Family Night, Lex is captured by slaves from Apokolips. They see him as their new god after he wielded the power of Darkseid during 2015’s Darkseid War event. Before he is sent to the hellish planet, Luthor sends out a distress signal and some Lexbots to get Superman for help.
While the team up of Luthor and Superman was fun, the issue falls apart from there. The reason of why Superman is dragged into Lex’s problem is by far one of the most ridiculous premises I’ve seen in comics.
After Clark hears the distress signal from Lex, he shrugs it off because the signal has been used to show off new upgrades for his Supersuit. That’s right. The reason Superman didn’t help is the equivalent of “The Boy Who Cried, Wolf.”
The Problem?
I know the two are supposed to be enemies, but Superman would have known something was up. In fact, most of Metropolis would know what’s up as the captors used a boom tube to get away. As the name implies, boom tubes are meant to be loud and explosive. Even if the sounds of the city were to cover it up, Superman would recognize the noise due to his history against Apokolips. Superman could also look towards Lexcorp just to make sure he’s fine with his X-ray vision.
There are several ways to have Superman learn about what happened to Lex that doesn’t put his family in danger. But since this book deals with the Kent family, they need to be roped in. It’s nonsensical, and that’s coming from the book about a Superman who flies with heat vision.
Art:
The art of this issue will be a hit or miss for readers. For this reader, it hits just below the mark.
The pencil work is phenomenal when it came to the design of the characters. With the combination of the color work, the characters felt like the could pop off the page into our world.
Despite the designs of the characters being fantastic, there is one aspect that drags the entire issue down. The pencil work doesn’t do wonders for the faces of the characters. Unless their mouths are closed, the heroes end up with creepy, unnatural expressions. In one panel, in particular, Clark looked back at his family with a creepy grin when he says he’s going to spend the night with his family. It is faces such as this that pull me out of the story entirely.
Conclusion:
This is not the way you start a story arc. Aside from the fun team up at the beginning, the story makes Clark look like a jerk and an idiot who gets his family caught up in his troubles. While the suits and scenery look nice, there are faces the characters make that will pull a reader out from being immersed in the story. I hope that with the entrance of Apokolips that the story will improve, but stand alone, I cannot recommend it.
We’re down to the final three Dark Knights invading our earth, and to say I’m excited is an understatement. Ever since these one-shot origin stories released, I find myself counting the hours before I get the next. We watched the Red Death race to stay a step ahead. Witnessed the Murder Machine bring his father back to end crime. We were reminded to fear the dark and the deep with The Dawnbreaker and The Drowned. Now we have the Batman that represents Wonder Woman, even if he isn’t a part of her.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
Story:
This Batman comes from Earth -12, where he and Wonder Woman worked to end the terror of Ares, the God of War. During the final battle, after Diana fell, Bruce stole Ares’ helmet which imbues the wearer with Godhood.
This would be the part where I tell you how Batman the Merciless entered an epic battle with Ares. The part where I tell you he went to war and decimated his enemies. The problem is we don’t SEE any of that. We are TOLD what happens by The Merciless.
That is what breaks the book for me. Due to a comic book’s style of visual storytelling, the creative team has the opportunity to show the readers some extraordinary displays. When we have a story where a God is telling you of the amazing feats he’s done without showing said feats, the reader will feel robbed.
Even when we see The Merciless’ attack A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters, he fights through security guards instead of actual Superheroes to show his true strength.
If there is any part of the story that is actually interesting, it would be the Crisis Council. The Crisis Council is a group of leaders from each of the government agencies that help superheroes, such as Supergirl’s D.E.O. and S.H.A.D.E.. But even they lose their appeal after they begin to bicker over what’s right and wrong. They argue instead of sending someone to deal with The Merciless, fighting towards them. Each of the leaders on the council have superheroes to call on, and while they might not stand a chance to a God of War, it would be helpful to have one to scale The Merciless’ strength.
Art:
While I could go on about the faults in this story, the art is the only good aspect of the book. Francis Manapul is famous for his pencil work in The Flash comics and his style truly shines out here. The design of The Merciless and the pictures he carves in stone benefit heavily from the style, giving it an Ancient Greek feel.
The subdued color work helps the art really stand out as well. The more vibrant colors are used for lighting, both for rooms and of superpowers. It helps set the tone we’re supposed to feel, such as red danger lights flashing as The Merciless approaches.
Conclusion:
While very beautiful to look at, this installment to the Dark Nights Metal saga is the weakest by far. It suffers much from telling the reader things what happened off-panel instead of showing. This leaves the reader desiring for more of a story that they will never get. As this is an origin story, you can skip this one, even if you’ve been following the Dark Nights Metal saga.
Cassie Hack is the lone survivor of an attack by a slasher called The Lunch Lady…a slasher that happened to be her mother! She traveled the world with her monstrous and friend Vlad, hunting down and destroying slashers wherever they found them. But then Vlad died and Cassie disappeared…
Hack/Slash: Resurrection #1 Written by: Tini Howard Art by: Celor Colors by: K. Michael Russell Letters by: Crank! Created by: Tim Seeley Published by: Image Comics
Writing
I was always familiar with Tim Seeley’s Hack/Slash as a concept and wanted to check it out, but the initial series came out at a time when I had fallen out of comics for a bit. Still, its concept of a ‘Slasher Slayer’ was intriguing enough for me to keep tabs on it online. So now that I am once again immersed in the comics medium, I decided to get into the Halloween spirit and finally dive into this series and character.
Resurrection is a solid introduction to this series if you are a newcomer, and I can also tell it has plenty for dedicated fans. Tini Howard’s story opens with a secluded and isolated Cassie as she seems to be playing/testing video games for money. Her gaming is interrupted by a pair of zombies, which for Cassie seems more of an inconvenience than an actual threat. This sequence not only nicely sets up how skilled and experienced Cassie is at fighting monsters, it also kick-starts to the mystery of this story. Just what are these zombies and who sent them? We quickly start to get some answers as a creepy mad scientist in the Herbert West Re-Animatortradition is introduced.
Cassie also receives a call to help out at a camp for survivors of violent attacks. You don’t have to be a horror or slasher fan to appreciate that cleverness of the idea of a camp for final girls/boys. The ending here leaves it open for some great possibilities.
I also want to mention that there are some great references and jokes for horror fans. There’s an ‘Englund’ prison, a cat named Dario, and you should also check out the posters in Cassie’s room for a good laugh.
Art
Celor and K. Michael Russell create some decent art here, but they definitely need time to grow as a team. It’s not perfect and can be inconsistent but there are still some good panels and pages here. Their depiction of Cassie in a few panels is great, as her stylized look has always been part of the characters appeal. They do create some nice monsters, as the zombies and Vlad have a nice ‘EC horror comics’ vibe to them.
The art does get better as the issue progresses, so I suspect any unevenness will be gone by the time we get to issue two.
Conclusion
If you have been curious about Hack/Slash then this is a great jumping on point to this world. And if you are a superfan, you will no doubt enjoy this as well. This is such a unique and great concept that really is a must for horror fans. Pick it up and have some fun.
