The 100th episode of ‘The Walking Dead’ airs this Sunday, October 22, on AMC. ‘Mercy’ as it’s titled looks to kick off the ‘All Out War’ storyline.
Rick and his group, along with the Kingdom and Hilltop, band together to bring the fight to Negan and the Saviors.
What makes Sunday’s premiere a bit more unique is AMC decided to reward a few super-fans with a ‘Walking Dead 100’ gift.
Check out what’s in the box below:
‘The Walking Dead’ has a very passionate fan base, and it’s good to see that AMC understands that by rewarding fans. We have looked through social media and cannot determine how many people received a gift. If you received a ‘Walking Dead 100’ gift from AMC please let us know so we can share your story.
Are you excited for the eighth sesaon of ‘The Walking Dead’? Comment 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 manages to spin an interesting action story out of a fairly plain set-up. Oliver protecting his identity is well-trod territory, but seeing Anatoly as the primary antagonist is intriguing. Oliver has the same problems with his kid that Krypto-Mom has over in Supergirl. The subplot with Diggle & Dinah is pretty annoying – until the final moment with Oliver and Diggle. Arrow hanging up the hood is nothing new, but asking Diggle to take up the mantle is interesting, and plays up to their weaknesses in a really interesting way. The new FBI agent plays a bit like a stereotype, but if she’s sticking around… MAYBE she’ll get good? Felicity trying to get a job through Curtis is REAL. Really good. Arrow comes back from a lackluster premiere with a solid follow-up.
SCORE: 7.5/10 Trips to Vegas
WEEKLY WIN TALLY:
The Flash: 2 Weeks
Supergirl: 0 Weeks
Arrow: 0 Weeks
What show did you think won the week? Does Legends of Tomorrow take your vote? Do you think A.o.S. or Gotham outshines all the CW shows? Let us know in the comments below!
The Snowman’s cinematography isn’t enough to save this terribly written and tedious adaptation.
Summary
The Snowman is a narrative centered on author Jo Nesbø’s revered character, Detective Harry Hole (Micheal Fassbender). Hole’s life is a menagerie of loneliness, guilt, alcohol, and frustration. His ex-girlfriend Rakel (Charlotte Gainsbourg) has moved on and is in a new relationship, and the new guy seems to be a good role model for her teenage son, Oleg. The only aspect of his life that seems to have been lacking any upheaval is his detective work, but even that seems to be drying up (due to a lack of homicides in Oslo). Just when things appear to be their bleakest, a letter arrives from someone known as the “The Snowman.” Simultaneously, women start disappearing.
What Worked
Cinematographer Dion Beebe was able to capture the beauty and majestic sites of each shooting location. Beebe has a history of significant work behind the camera. He won an Oscar in 2006 for his work on Memoirs of a Geisha.
What Didn’t Work
Fassbender’s performance was lifeless and entirely one dimensional. Detective Hole is a conflicted man who struggles with any number of demons. On screen, the character was void of any depth.
The screenplay was contrived and at times drones on. Why did screenwriters Peter Straughan and Hossein Amini feel driven to include so much background to this story? Audiences are already pushed towards this tale due to the popularity of its source material. The trailer teased a film that was reminiscent of the film Se7en. To even breathe The Snowman in the same sentence as Se7en is an insult to cinephiles around the globe.
The Detective Rafto (Val Kilmer) storyline is just one big mess. It appears that Straughan and Amini felt there’s some need to explain why one of the third tier characters (from the film) assisted Detective Hole in his investigation. Kilmer’s voice sounds like it was slightly altered (which is fine but at least give him a Norwegian accent). When he appears on the screen, there’s no confusing that he’s in this just for a paycheck.
Arve Stop’s character has little business being in this narrative. Stop (J.K. Simmons) is this sexually deviant philanthropist who is heading up Oslo’s bid to win a major sporting event. His perversions have little to do with the identity of the killer. In fact, audiences will spend most of their time wondering if he is the killer only to find out that his presence is a waste.
The pacing of the film can only be described as a slog. Endless storylines intertwine with one another leading to confusion and tedium.
Overall
Very rarely does a film fail on nearly all fronts, but The Snowman does just that. Nothing is entertaining about this release, and there is no reason for anyone to waste their time sitting through such an awful film.
Two months. That is how long DC Comics has pushed back the release of its Absolute WildC.A.T.s hardcover book. Celebrating the 25th-anniversary of Jim Lee’s comic series, the hardcover had an original release date of December 13th. Instead, it will be on sale February 14, 2018, as the publisher provided no reason for the delay.
The hardcover contains the entire series run, including the unpublished script for Wildcats #2. WildC.A.T.s centered around the Covert Action Team. A group of immortal aliens left stranded on Earth to fight their nemesis the Daemonites. But they were not always a DC Comics property, as they helped launch Image Comics in the 1990’s.
Credit: Jim Lee
Other creatives who worked on the comic series include Scott Lobdell, Chris Claremont, and Alan Moore, among others. The property also received a television adaptation in 1994. It only lasted 13 episodes. What are your thoughts about the delay? Comment below!
Anticipation is at an all-time high for all things Doomsday Clock and now the writer and DC Comics Cheif Creative Officer Geoff Johns has revealed the cover to issue #5. You can check it out in the below Tweet.
That cover is no joke! (ha!). In all seriousness that is a great rendition of the Joker by Gary Frank and it’s also loaded with a few hints and easter eggs. That’s a ‘Nostalgia’ lipstick and compact mirror the Joker is using; Watchmen fans know that ‘Nostalgia’ is Ozymandias’ company in the original graphic novel. I also love the Bat symbol watch the Clown Prince Of Crime is wearing. The dingy apartment also gives off a very ‘Watchmen’ vibe, plus there is also a framed mushroom cloud image on the wall.
What do you guys think of the image? And what role do you think Joker will end up playing in Doomsday Clock? Comment and discuss below!
With Choose Your Pain, viewers are now 1/3 through Star Trek: Discovery’s debut season. Beyond the very odd-looking Klingons and the proliferation of artificial life-forms and holographic projections, viewers are getting a sense of how else Discovery is different from its franchise predecessors. Whether Trekkies will respond well to these differences remains to be seen.
Choose Your Pain – “To F*cking Boldly F*cking Go … ”
Yes, you heard right. If you watched Choose Your Pain, you heard two Starfleet officers drop the f-bomb. Although the Trek franchise has experimented with casual swearing before, specifically in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, this was the first time in franchise history that the notorious f-word was uttered on air, or in-stream as the case may be.
Though some might feel that Cadet Tilly’s outburst and Lt. Stamets’s response was not in keeping with the spirit of human betterment, that the taboo was uttered enthusiastically rather than angrily made the difference for this Trekkie. But as I said to a fellow Trek expert, I felt that both Tilly’s and Stamets’s command of how to curse properly was unbelievably developed.
The Voyage Home shows an understandably perplexed Spock trying to engage in casual human cursing, but even the rough-and-tumble Iowan Jim Kirk utters such inappropriate epithets as “double dumb-ass on you” to a passerby. If Discovery is set just ten years prior to Star Trek, then the generational devolution of knowing how to curse would be at approximately the same stage. So, if Kirk can’t swear well then Tilly shouldn’t get it either. Of course, Tilly could just be really good at it — we all have our strengths.
Choose Your Pain – A Very Hairy Harry Mudd
The highlight of Choose Your Pain for me was watching Rainn Wilson play the dastardly Harry Mudd. Although I pitied the poor actor doing his best to wade through the exposition-laden speeches the writers gave him, Wilson’s sense of heightened anger provided a great follow-up to the often over-the-top performances originally given in the role by Roger C. Carmel.
Mudd’s introduction comes when Captain Lorca is captured by Klingons and forced to share a cell with him. Sharing the cell with Mudd and Lorca is another late addition to Discovery’s cast of characters. Lt. Tyler, played by Shazad Latif is also introduced in this episode.
But beyond introductions to new characters, the most startling revelation in Choose Your Pain was that Captain Lorca, after escaping himself, blew up his last command at the Battle of the Binary Stars. Needless to say probably, but I think Kirk, Picard, Sisko, and Janeway all have him beat for the best captain in Starfleet.
Choose Your Pain – “You Mean the Bloody Nipple Clamps Are Hurting It?”
On to the philosophical meat of the episode. In perhaps the biggest “duh” moment on the show yet, Burnham and Dr. Culber prove that they’re injuring the tardigrade every time they force it to jump. Based on the fact that the drive system involves a double nipple-clamp on the beast and that the thing screams in agony every time they use the drive system, I would think that the evidence of its discomfort would be pretty clear. Either way, Saru promises to stop using the tardigrade once they have rescued Captain Lorca. Unfortunately, the thing goes into a deep hibernation after a single jump and alternate methods of running the drive are needed.
Choose Your Pain – Lt. Stametsigrade
Injecting himself with the DNA of the tardigrade, Lt. Stamets makes it possible for himself to stand in for the weary beast. They jump away just in the nick of time and there don’t appear to be any negative effects on the pale lieutenant.
But later on back in his quarters, after an intimate tooth-brushing scene shared with his partner Dr. Culber, the viewer sees that something is definitely up with Lt. Stamets. Even though he has left the sink and gone to bed, his reflection, with a seeming will of its own, remains in the mirror for a few moments before turning and walking away.
Choose Your Pain – Final Thoughts
Dialogue problems are my main concern with Discovery so far. Although I don’t particularly like any of the characters on the show right now, I’m still hoping that they represent the developmentally stunted characters we’ll see develop over time as the show progresses. Or, as I’m hoping for with Lorca, we’ll see these develop into an established Star Trek franchise baddies, like the insane captain who tells everyone to act like Nazis.
“I wish I was sunning myself on a rock right now.”
I know I’ve said it already but I can’t get behind the Klingons’ new look. I suppose I’m probably fanning the flame when I say this, but an answer as to what the heck’s going on had better be forthcoming. Unlike the hologram commniqués, which I’m willing to begrudgingly forgive, I just can’t accept a third look for the Klingons, especially since this incarnation looks so much like the Reptilian branch of the Xindi race from Star Trek: Enterprise.
Finally, it’s good to see two openly gay characters on a Star Trek show. That said, the execution of reaching this milestone of inclusion was a bit clunky and out of place. Rather than following Star Trek: The Next Generation’s tried and true will they/won’t they approach to romantic subplots — think Riker and Troi or Picard and Crusher — Discovery thrusts viewers into an intimate tooth-brushing scene between Stamets and Culber in which both characters lovingly rib each other before bed. Rather than showing a loving relationship that viewers can watch develop, Stamets and Culber’s relationship seems forced, largely because viewers barely know the characters involved.
Back at the beginning of October, Hamilton-area pop-culture fans converged on the Canadian Warplane and Heritage Museum in Mount Hope to flip through back issues, buy toys and props, dress up as their favourite characters, and buy autographed photos of some of their favourite pop-culture personalities at the Hamilton Comic Con.
Holy Collectors’ Item, Batman!!
The 2017 Hamilton Comic Con was a B-lister’s paradise. Headliner Burt Ward of the Batman TV series was there with his version of the Batmobile: he signed autographs and attended a Q&A panel, as did other guests, including Ernie Hudson of Ghostbusters and Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite.
As is generally the case, the attendance of celebrity guests helped inspire cosplayers as to which of their favourite characters to dress up as. So, in addition to the celebrities, this convention was attended by a number of their dopplegangers.
Hamilton Comic Con – The Back Issue Report
As a lifelong fan of comics and a constant hunter-gatherer of back issues, I was most excited to leaf through the exhibitors’ bins. But even though I have a long list of missing issues, I found only one of them in my search. Instead, the majority of back issues tended toward the rare side and were consequently more expensive than I had hoped.
Plus, because several exhibitors were focusing on their rare and valuable back issues, several stands had the same issues on offer. So, although it was a good opportunity to meet with like-minded pop-culture fans, the Hamilton Comic Con proved a less than ideal place to purchase hard-to-find comics, unless you were willing to pay big bucks.
Hamilton Comic Con – Final Thoughts
Although I couldn’t find several of the issues on my list at the convention, each exhibitor promised a wider selection at their stores. Good news, indeed, since the convention was well attended by a number of dedicated collectors. And upon some reflection I came to realize, that’s the real point of attending a convention anyway. Collectors can sometimes get lucky and find an under-priced gem, but the real thrill is walking into a room and seeing Darth Vader chatting with Dr. Evil or seeing Betty Cooper holding hands with Deadpool.
I’ll always want more comics and look forward to the day when I find all the back issues I want in the same store, but, more than being giant comics shops, conventions are a chance to let your geek flag fly and enjoy the company of like-minded folk. In that, the Hamilton Comic Con was a massive success.
As well renowned of a director he is, it’s surprising that nothing ever came out about David Fincher possibly directing a Star Wars film. Now, speaking to Empire, Fincher reveals that he indeed spoke to Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, but didn’t go through with it for a couple reasons.
“I talked to [producer Kathleen Kennedy] about that and look, it’s a plum assignment. I don’t know what’s worse: being George Lucas on the set of the first one where everyone’s going, ‘Alderaan? What the hell is this?’ Where everyone’s making fun, but I can’t imagine the kind of intestinal fortitude one has to have following up the success of these last two. That’s a whole other level. One is that you have to endure the withering abuse of Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, and the other is you have to live up to a billion or a billion-five, and that becomes its own kind of pressure.”
“You’d have to really clear your head, I think. You’d have to really be sure this is what you wanted to do because either way it’s two years of your life, 14 hours a day, seven days a week.”
How do you think a Fincher-led Star Wars movie could play out? Sound off in the comments below.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15. The cast includes Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Kelly Marie Tran, Benicio Del Toro, and Gwendoline Christie.
After two seasons Chelsea Handler will be ending her Netflix talk show. She announced the news Wednesday (Oct. 18) on social media. Her reasoning? She wants to focus more on activism.
“From the national level down to the grassroots, it’s clear our decisions at the ballot box next year will mark a defining moment for our nation,” she wrote. “For those reasons, I’ve decided not to return for another season of ‘Chelsea’ and instead devote as much time as I can to becoming a more knowledgeable and engaged citizen and to focus on projects that have significance to me.”
“I’m excited to share that I will continue my partnership with Netflix, working together on a documentary where I’ll engage with people I don’t talk with enough – people of different ethnicities, religions and political philosophies,” she continued. “Netflix could not be more understanding, and I’m grateful for their continued support. New episodes of Chelsea will continue to stream weekly until the end of this year,” she continued.
Her full statement can be read below.
Chelsea Handler Twitter
Handler brought her talk show to Netflix after hosting Chelsea Lately on E! for seven years.
Hello, friend. This article is a review and recap of the Mr. Robot episode “eps3.1_undo.gz” and it contains spoilers, so if you have not yet watched the episode, do so before reading this. If you’re looking to get caught up on last week’s episode, look here.
Can You crtl+Z the World?
At the end of the last episode, Elliot was left wondering if the 5/9 hack (his/Mr. Robot’s plan to ruin E-Corp by destroying all their debt-related data) has done more harm than good and this episode starts with him deciding to undo as much damage as he can. He does this by getting a job at E-Corp, living a pedestrian life (complete with collared shirts, Zoloft and a 401(k)).
Since he knows that Mr. Robot intends to destroy all E-Corp’s physical records when they are shipped to a single location, he gives a presentation to his boss on why the records should be digitized at their current and diverse locations. When his boss, more concerned with Goo Goo Dolls tickets than Elliot’s ideas, won’t help, Elliot does what he was doing in the first episode: he hacks his boss, finds evidence of crimes and sends them to the FBI. Meanwhile, he’s messing with the shipping orders to keep the records from ending up in New York. Another level of management won’t listen, so he pulls the same tactic and gets that boss arrested. Luckily, the third level of management respects the plan and tells Elliot she wants to get this presentation in front of the VP of technology. All this happens in the opening sequence set to INXS’s “New Sensation” and is one of the most impressive sequences in a show known for impressive sequences.
Unfortunately, not everything is going as Elliot hoped. Even with the Zoloft, he’s sad, alone, and feels like he’s losing control. He goes to see Krista, his psychiatrist (now working out of her home office, since the manager of her regular office stopped paying the utilities). He tells her he’s been avoiding his sister Darlene since she triggers the emergence of his Mr. Robot personality (Elliot is still unaware that Mr. Robot has started appearing without Elliot knowing). He tells her about his and Darlene’s childhood snowman, Kevin McAllister, which would have been a beautiful story if it didn’t end with his father pushing him out a window. Somehow this hasn’t come up before in therapy, and Elliot offers little in the way of details to Krista.
A Rat by Any Other Name?
We find out that Darlene has been working with the FBI (though to what extent is still unknown). A new fsociety video has been released about which she knows nothing, but she suspects the Dark Army is responsible.
She meets with Elliot to inform him she is heading upstate to hide out and wishes him a happy birthday. Then she tells him that she got into fsociety not really for the cause, but to spend more time with him. He asks her to stay at his place for the night because he’s afraid to be alone. Waking up early, she plants a bug on his computer and is caught, not by Elliot, but by Mr. Robot, who violently confronts her about messing with his computer. She tells him she was just looking for a pencil to leave a note and leaves. At the end of the episode, we see Elliot (or Mr. Robot) used the bug to find the FBI and shows up at their safehouse.
Let’s Be Frank
Joanna Wellick goes on national TV to discuss her life since the 5/9 hack and talks about how she filed for divorce from her husband Tyrell who (as the prime suspect in the hacking case) is the most wanted man in America. Only now she says she still loves him and recanted the divorce. One problem, though: her boytoy Derek thought she really was going to divorce Tyrell to marry him. Overwhelmed with jealous, he stalks Joanna and is confronted by her bodyguard Mr. Sutherland, who tells Derek to forget about Joanna. Instead, he shoots Sutherland and kills Joanna. Sutherland recovers enough to kill Derek.
Currency War
E-Corp CEO Phillip Price gives a speech discussing how 19 out of 20 countries involved in a summit on currency have agreed to use E-coin as a new standard. The one holdout is China, whom he accuses of declaring a currency war, based on their decision to use bitcoin instead. A showdown ensues between Price and China’s Minister Zhang (aka Whiterose) over the endorsement of E-coin and the UN vote to allow China to annex the Congo. Whiterose, angry at Price and for seemingly the first time choosing emotion over logic, says she now wants Stage Two to happen whether or not the UN vote goes in China’s favor.
In another therapy session, Krista speaks for the first time with Mr. Robot, who hits on her, threatens her, and says that nothing will come of her sessions with Elliot. After the confrontation, Elliot doesn’t remember that it happened. Upon returning home, Elliot is confronted by Michael Hansen (Krista’s sleazy ex, whom Elliot hacked and blackmailed) who gives him back the dog that Elliot once took from him.
