Are Tom King And Jason Fabok Bringing Back Rorschach?

By

-

September 29, 2017

You gotta love Twitter and its various uses. Some folks use it to spit venom, others use it to feed comic fans with sweet mysterious images that get them thinking. Writer Tom King is one of the latter and has once again dropped a tweet about a ‘secret project’. Check it out below.

Sneak peek at a new (secret) thing. pic.twitter.com/1RNoBhF8la

— Tom King (@TomKingTK) September 26, 2017

Now that image can be by anyone and be about anything. But…if you add the following tweet by frequent King collaborator Jason Fabok, things begin to get very interesting.

Working on a secret project with a secret writer….Here’s a secret sneak peak! Lots of SNOW! pic.twitter.com/OpLMc1CSBk

— Jason Fabok (@JasonFabok) September 26, 2017

So let’s add up a few things. The image in King’s tweet is somewhere very snowy and it certainly looks a lot like Fabok’s line work. Fabok’s tweet shows and mentions snow. Both tweets mention being a ‘secret collaboration’. So the idea the two are related is not a stretch. But that still leaves us with WHAT it could all be about. And for that, we need to look closely at the image Tom King posted. It’s a severed hand, surrounded by some kind of energy, that begins to move. So who could it be? My money is on Rorschach!

Fans of Watchmen certainly must remember that that character met his demise when Dr. Manhattan used his powers to vaporize him at the end of the story. We all know Manhattan is behind everything that has been happening DC: Rebirth, so what if bringing back Rorschach is also part of his plan? Oh, and of course King and Fabok also worked together on the Batman/Flash ‘The Button’ crossover which recently pushed Rebirth even further. And lastly, there was also a pretty recent tweet by Geoff Johns that debuted a lenticular Doomsday Clock cover that also featured the fan favorite Watchmen vigilante.

Okay DC fans, this is all speculation but speculating is one of the many reasons it’s so much fun to be a comic book fan in this day and age. And I’m not the only one that thinks so as ComicBookResourses.com has also made some similar conclusions. They even went deeper.

So what do you guys think? IS Walter Kovacks coming? Comment and discuss below.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘Stranger Things’ Will Have at Least Four Seasons

By

Joseph Rejent

-

September 29, 2017

The Stranger Things team has admitted that their immense, international Netflix hit series may indeed go beyond four seasons.

Why is this news? Earlier in the year, Ross Duffer, who created Stranger Things with his brother, Matt, had a conversation with New York Magazine in which he told them “We’re thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out.” Of course, this caused a minor explosion on the internet, and saddened many of the show’s most passionate fans.

But recently, the Duffers, whose openness was likely tempered by the presence of executive producer Shawn Levy, admitted that plans may have changed in that regard. Specifically, Levi said “Hearts were heard breaking in Netflix headquarters when the Brothers made four seasons sound like an official end, and I was suddenly getting phone calls from our actors’ agents. The truth is we’re definitely going four seasons and there’s very much the possibility of a fifth. Beyond that, it becomes I think very unlikely.”

The intervention of the producer in such a manner of course, could be cause for alarm; after all, when he discusses the negative reaction of those whose livelihoods are directly affected by the show ending, it sounds like such a decision has less to do with the quality of the show and more to do with keeping the Stranger Things cash flow running.

However, the Duffer Brothers themselves have tried to allay this concern before it even had time to arise, stating, “It’s not wrapped up this season. I think [season 2] will be a satisfying end but there’s still danger out there. There’s too much to deal with in one more season. If we’re able to, there will be at least four, there could be more. I think there’s going to come a point where why aren’t these people leaving Hawkins? Like we’re going to stretch credibility. It wasn’t intended to be a seven-season thing.”

Matt then contributed that, “It’s not built to sustain that as a narrative. After it became successful, we had one of those big meetings with Netflix over dinner and they were like ‘We don’t want this going on that long.’ They were very supportive of it. It’s stupid to put an end date on it right now because we don’t know.”

Hopefully the showrunners continue to prioritize the quality of Stranger Things over how much money it rakes in for Netflix. This should go without saying, but considering how many changeups there have been with showrunners at Netflix, such talk isn’t always encouraging.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

ABC Developing ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ Adaptation

By

Joseph Rejent

-

September 29, 2017

A Tale of Two Cities, one of the signature works of Charles Dickens, is receiving a one-hour drama series. The project is under development at ABC.

The adaptation will drop most of the novel’s name and instead be entitled Two Cities, according to Variety. ABC has announced that the series will focus on providing a modern context for the novel, illustrating a society in which revolution foments, and where tensions between the privileged and the less-fortunate are on the rise. (Novel readers will recognize these as the “haves” and the “have-nots.”) Lucy Manette, a young woman sits in the midst of all of this, trying to choose between two differently appealing men while also caring for a sickly father she’s only just met.

In addition to ABC, the production of Two Cities will be handled by Mandeville TV, with Eyal Podell and Jonathon Steward (no, not THAT Jon Stewart) serving each as writers and executive producers.

Podell and Stewart have worked together on quite a few projects in the past, the most noteworthy of which was Pixar’s Cars 3, to which they contributed the original story. They have also pitched a few other series, such as one drama about a minister who struggles with the revelation that he is gay, also at ABC. Each of the men has also previously acted, with credits between them ranging from The Young and the Restless, 24, JAG, The West Wing, and The Sweetest Thing. Perhaps finding success in this project will help them launch some of their other ideas off the ground.

In the era of prestige drama, a Dickens adaptation is a rare beast. Not many works of literature tend to find their way to the small screen in such a manner anymore. Is this something that you can see yourself getting excited for, or has the age of Dickens passed?

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Kristen Stewart in Talks For a ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Reboot

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

-

September 29, 2017

In one of the more surprising turn of events this week, newly-minted indie darling Kristen Stewart is in early talks to join a Charlie’s Angels reboot. Because who can’t wait for that?!

The Variety report says casting is in its infancy, and Stewart is merely an interest: “Casting is under way, and Sony, the studio behind the film, is also interested in several other big names, including Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o.”

Take this with a grain of salt. Stewart is on a short list in some office in Hollywood, there is probably very little to this. Over the last few years, Kristen Stewart has starred in some terrific indie hits, two of them being Oliver Assayas’s back-to-back gems Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper. This feels like the biggest of big departures, one I wouldn’t expect after the Twilight phenomena nearly painted Stewart into a corner where she was clearly uncomfortable.

Perhaps she’s ready to punch and kick in a new action franchise, but a Charlie’s Angels reboot also sounds like a terrible idea. The first reboot was… fine… and the second had Demi Moore I think but who cares? There are better places to go for female-centric action than a tired brand that registers with almost nobody.

Stay tuned to find out when Stewart’s name drops off this project.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

How Batman’s Qualities are Twisted in Batman: The Red Death/The Murder Machine

By

Jose "Jody" Cardona

-

September 29, 2017

In the second issue of Dark Nights Metal, we were introduced to seven evil versions of Batman. These Batmen also appear to be amalgamated with members of the Justice League. As you would expect from any major comic book event, there are one-shots that were released alongside the event. These further flesh out what exactly is going on. The one-shots for this event contain the origin stories of these evil Batmen and how they were recruited into this crusade into the regular multiverse.

These one-shots do more than reveal the origins of the dark invaders. They pull out one trait of Batman each issue and show how easily it can be twisted into becoming something more villainous.

Batman and the Flash

In the first Dark Nights one-shot, Batman: The Red Death, we take a look into a world where Bruce Wayne had lost all of his allies in his crusade on crime. He ends up believing that the only way to stay one step ahead of crime would have the abilities of the Flash. Batman proceeds to battle The Flash and ends up stealing his powers for himself.

The trait that was pulled out here is pretty straightforward: Batman’s preparedness. Comic readers have probably heard of the bat-prepping before through jokes, such as the Bat-Shark Repellant. However, in this case, it is shown that due to Batman being only human, he can only do so much. As such, this version of the Dark Knight goes to the extreme so he can become prepared for anything once again. This, in turn, transforms him into the real monster of this story. The trait of being prepared has turned into a trait more suited for a villain.

Batman as Cyborg

Cyborg Batman — Batman The Murder Machine on the attack

The second one-shot, Batman: The Murder Machine, pulls out a trait that while still integral to the character of Bruce Wayne, is one that gets taken for granted often. In this origin, we learn that Bruce had lost Alfred after villains broke into the Batcave and murdered him. In his grief, Batman turned to the Cyborg to ask him to help recreate Alfred as an Artificial Intelligence. Cyborg agrees to this and creates the Alfred Protocol for Bruce. Batman programs the Alfred AI to go on a killing spree against the villains who murdered him.

The trait that we see twisted here is Bruce’s love for his father. While most readers don’t see it often, the relationship between Alfred and Bruce has been that of a father and son. When Bruce first lost his biological father, it left a gaping hole that Alfred filled. However, Bruce would focus more on becoming a vigilante than showing Alfred the proper gratitude. When Alfred died, we watch as Bruce desperately tries to get him back, even if it’s an artificial ghost. It shows that the love of a father and son can be eternal, but get transformed into something sick and demented.

Conclusion

Sick and demented are what can be used best to describe the Batmen of the Dark Multiverse. What makes them tragic though, is the fact they started out as the Bruce we know. After one terrible incident, the elements that make up his character become twisted into something monstrous. The Joker put it best in The Killing Joke: “All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy.”

All of this is in just the first two Batmen one-shots. We still have five more to go, and I get the feeling the worst is yet to come.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘American Made’ Review: Cruise’s Performance Makes Up For ‘The Mummy’

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

-

American Made’s tightly constructed narrative and spirited performances make this film a must see.

Summary

American Made is the alleged real story of Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) who went from being your average TWA pilot to an international drug and arms smuggler. While Doug Liman’s (who last directed Cruise in The Edge Of Tommorrow) latest project admittedly contains a large amount of fiction, some of the narrative is factual. Most believe Seal was on the CIA’s payroll. His business started to boom when Seal agreed to smuggle in drugs for the Medellin cartel. Eventually, his business dealings lead to an arrest and a forced deal with the CIA and DEA to help take down the largest cartel in the world. However, a photo released to the news media implicates Seal and his world quickly came crashing in.

What Worked

The picaresque style of the narrative allows the film to avoid feeling tedious and played well to Cruise’s talents. Rather than dominate and overact as he did in The Mummy, each moment (whether it was in Central America, Louisana, or Arkansas) had an end goal. The scene in the TWA flight club with his CIA operative (played by Domhall Gleeson) established how Seal started working for the government. Each of the scenes in Central America was meant to prove that Cruise’s character was a wheeler and dealer. With each scene change, we switched to another critical moment in his life. Cruise even slowed down his delivery a tick and added a southern accent to help sell the character. Liman had a clear understanding of Spinelli’s vision for the story and Cruise was able to deliver.

Cinematographer Cesar Charlone made use of bright colors that helped the historical montages pop on screen. While the montages were at a ramped up pace, the scenes were visually appealing. These moments served as connections between the narrative and the period. How are we going to believe that a former TWA pilot was instrumental in the fight against the cartels in the 80’s if there are no scenes involving Ronald and Nancy Reagan?

Charlone seemed to make use of a longer camera lens which enhanced how vast those jungles appeared. He also threw in his fair share of close-up shots (a Liman staple). Most of these shots came when Cruise lands the plane deep in the Central American jungle.

Cruise seemed to have a deep understanding of his character and realized that while the story is about Barry Seal, the film was more of an ensemble piece. Every character is an important chess piece in the game Seal’s playing against the CIA, Drug Cartels, and the DEA. While Cruise might have top billing in the film, Gleeson’s character is equally as important. Without him selling the idea of doing these illegal acts because “If you are doing it for the right guys, it’s legal,” Cruise’s character would have appeared to lose his mind. Deep down, Seal believes that he’s doing this for his country. It’s when he feels the pressure of a new family that his emphasis is about making the most money.

Overall

While the storyline isn’t 100% factual, there’s no denying how entertaining American Made is. This film isn’t an award winner but is a crowd pleaser. Everyone should give American Made a chance and don’t be surprised if this movie dominates the box-office opening week.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

J.J. Abrams Developing ‘Your Name’ Remake

By

Joseph Rejent

-

September 28, 2017

J.J. Abrams wants to adapt the Japanese animated film Your Name for American audiences. On Wednesday, his production company, Bad Robot, in conjunction with Paramount Pictures, won the rights necessary to accomplish this.

It has been announced that the companies will work with Toho Co., Ltd, the Japan-based production company responsible for the the original film. Toho will handle the distribution of the film in their home country.

The twist, however, is that Abrams wants to make the adaptation into a live-action take on the story, rather than simply remake a Japanese film with American adaptation.

Eric Heisserer, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay for the 2016 film Arrival, will write the screenplay. Your Name will be produced by Abrams, as well as Lindsey Weber from Bad Robot, and Genki Kawamura, who produced the original film.

Your Name was originally the work of Makoto Shinkai, who wrote and directed it. The story, which is widely considered Shinkai’s magnum opus, tells the story of a teenage boy and girl from radically different social circumstances who begin to switch bodies with each other every other day. While their relationship is tenuous at first, it evolves until they become desperate to meet each other. Along the way, the threat of an impending disaster makes this journey vastly more complicated.

Yoshishige Shimatani, CEO of Toho Co, declared that “we are excited to collaborate with an extremely talented team in Hollywood. And to create with them a live-action version of the iconic Japanese film Your Name.”

Abrams himself is hot off a few successful projects, including production of 10 Cloverfield Lane, and, of course, directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He has also recently assumed direction of the ninth Star Wars film, given director Collin Trevorrow’s departure from the project.

What do you think of this news? Does Your Name need a live-action adaptation, or is this a waste of time? If not, is J.J. Abrams the right guy to adapt the film?

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis

By

Joseph Rejent

-

September 28, 2017

Julia Louis-Dreyfus announced via social media that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
On her Instagram and Twitter, the actress posted a statement, declaring “1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one.”

However, she immediately went on to say that “the good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let’s fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality.”

Just when you thought… pic.twitter.com/SbtYChwiEj

— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) September 28, 2017

While it is doubtless that the final part of her statement will be maligned by some for making a personal tragedy into a political one, Louis-Dreyfus is remarkable for seeking immediate positivity in the face of what would crush many others.

Louis-Dreyfus has had an incredible year for a performer, however. Her recent Emmy win for a lead actress vaulted her into record-breaking territory among other winners, considering that this was her sixth consecutive Emmy for the HBO series Veep. Counting her Veep trophies beside those she’s won for Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine, she is now tied with Cloris Leachman for the greatest numbers of Emmys won by any individual actor or actress. Leachman and Louis-Dreyfus each have eight Emmys for their individual work.

Jeffrey Wright has joked that the Emmys were made to be “a day when all the beautiful women and all the beautiful men gather to give golden statues to Julia Louis-Dreyfus.”

HBO has said that Louis-Dreyfus learned of her diagnosis the day after her most recent Emmy win, and that this has not factored into their decision to end Veep, the seventh and final season of which is being written currently. The Home Box Office announced in their own statement that “our love and support go out to Julia and her family at this time. We have every confidence she will get through this with her usual tenacity and undaunted spirit, and look forward to her return to health and to HBO for the final season of Veep.”

Louis-Dreyfus has previously teamed up with the Livestrong Foundation, and has been an advocate of other humanitarian and positive causes throughout her career.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘Flight of The Navigator’ is Getting The Reboot Treatment

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

-

September 28, 2017

Attention 80s nerds! one of your favorite Disney time-travel sci-fi adventure movies of the decade, Flight of The Navigator, is getting a remake. It was only a matter of time.

According to the report in Variety, the new version is coming from Lionsgate, and it will be written by Lucifer scribe Joe Henderson. At one point, Colin Tervorrow was on board to direct this, but now that things have changed (and hopefully people can tell Trevorrow is terrible), perhaps they will go in another direction.

This is fine, right? Anyone who remembered the Michael Eisner Sunday night Disney movie has seen this 1986 gem, about a young boy, Joey (Randal Kleiser), who must uncover what happened to him after he disappears in the woods and wakes up eight years later having not aged. His family had moved on, and he is left to the probing scientists who whisk him away to NASA.

It’s a great deal of fun, and the alien spacecraft is a real highlight. The effects hold up quite a bit more than the Pee-Wee Herman voice reference.

There’s no news as to the release date or director or cast for this new Flight of The Navigator. Stay tuned for the latest!

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘Justice League’ Movie Cover Variants Coming In November

By

Manuel Gomez

-

September 28, 2017

As the release of the Justice League movie looms ever so closer, we can expect more promotional material. Now DC has unveiled variant covers coming this November for some of their core titles. The covers, which feature all the various members of the JL, are drawn by some of the industry’s top artists. Check them all out below. Which one is your favorite? Comment and discuss as always!

About “Justice League”

Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Raymond Fisher, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller star in the action adventure “Justice League.” Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions. “Justice League” was directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, story by Terrio & Snyder. Based on characters from DC Entertainment; Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns produced the film, with Jim Rowe, Wesley Coller, Curtis Kanemoto, Chris Terrio and Ben Affleck serving as executive producers.

Opening on November 17 in 3D and 2D in select theatres and IMAX, “Justice League” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

10Justice League #32

BackNext