Spider-Man: Homecoming is officially the biggest comic book movie of 2017, passing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at the box office.
James Gunn’s second Marvel cinematic universe entry totaled $863 Million worldwide, whereas Homecoming just recently crossed $874 Million. The third highest grossing, Wonder Woman, garnered an impressive $820 Million.
While this is great news for the Spider-Man franchise, it comes with a caveat; there are two superhero movies left to release in 2017, and they’re certainly blockbusters. Thor: Ragnarok hits cinemas on November 3, with Justice League slated to release on November 17. In my view, either of these could be the highest grossing comic book film by the end of the year and into 2018.
Spider-Man: Homecoming bringing in this much cash is a huge deal. There have been six Spidey flicks in the course of fifteen years, and that includes three franchises. Audiences don’t get tired of the web slinger, and until they do, we’ll be getting movies starring Peter Parker for years to come.
Did you enjoy Spider-Man: Homecoming? Does it deserve to be the highest grossing superhero movie of 2017? Sound off in the comments below.
Claudia Gray has done it again. In her latest Star Wars book, ‘Leia, Princess of Alderaan,’ Gray depicts a 16-year-old Leia Organa on the eve of her “Day of Demand”, a day which will kickstart her journey to the throne. Leia must complete three challenges: those of the Mind, Body, and Heart, which will simultaneously prove her worthy of the crown to both herself and her future subjects. What starts off as a series of rebellious acts against her newly-distant parents turns into a true transformation for Leia; a transformation that sets her on the path towards leading an entirely different kind of rebellion.
Spoilers ahead from here on out, so if you’d like to stop reading now, just know that this book kicks ASS and you should read it immediately.
Claudia Gray: The Queen of Character
Gray already had a reputation for outstanding Star Wars books prior to ‘Leia.’ She penned ‘Lost Stars,’ often celebrated as one of the best Star Wars books ever written, and ‘Bloodlines,’ which was an instant favorite for Leia fans. Gray continues to excel in her latest, where readers meet a much younger Leia and find out what she was doing just prior to ‘Rogue One’ and ‘A New Hope.’
Teenage Leia has already stuck her claws firmly in attack mode towards anyone who underestimates her, which gets her into trouble when she doesn’t fully understand the fight she’s picking in the first place. She knows some of what the Empire is about, and resents her parents for what she thinks is their inaction towards the obvious evil of Palpatine, Tarkin and the rest.
Some of the joy of ‘Leia’ is the dramatic irony: we, as readers, know that Bail and Breha are anything but passive Imperial subjects. If they’re off doing something other than tending to their daughter, it’s for a reason. Some of the joy also is in watching Leia peel back the curtain and find out just how involved her parents already are—and how good they’be been at hiding it from everyone, including their own daughter.
And yet some more of the joy lies in seeing Leia and Mon Motha interact. Leia picks up some habits and life lessons from the young general. Some habits are learned through admiration, others through discipline. But the seeds of their future alliance are planted and begin to grow within the book.
Leia also makes new friends in her “pathfinding class”, a requirement as she prepares for The Challenge of the Body. She learns that first impressions may be misleading, especially in a group of people both literally and philosophically just finding their footing.
Will It Spoil ‘The Last Jedi?’
The short answer is “no”.
On what she thinks is a simple exploratory trip to Crait along with her pilot Leia discovers a rebellion has already taken root—and her father is at the helm. Of course, being Leia, she wants to jump in feet first, but Bail refuses, insisting she remain ignorant of the rebellion in order to protect her from torture or worse at the hands of the Empire.
For those drawn to the book for clues to ‘The Last Jedi,’ that’s just about it. The description of Crait matches the strange planet from our teaser trailer—and the importance of the planet to the rebellion is finally revealed. Laura Dern’s character from ‘The Last Jedi’ also makes many appearances. Amily Holdo is another member of Leia’s pathfinding class, but at such a young and malleable stage in her life, she changes from the first to last page. We know she’ll be a friend and ally to Leia, as she is in the book, but how she will serve and use her particular skill sets? Those answers are yet to be seen.
The “clues”, as far as I can discern, sort of end there, leaving plenty of questions unanswered. Yes, we see many familiar faces around Leia and her new group of pathfinding friends. And of course, Bail and Breha feature rather heavily in this book. However, very little is revealed about the Jedi order. References are made frequently to the Clone Wars, but Bail won’t reveal any details about them. And while Leia most definitely taps into the force a few times, she isn’t sure exactly how she does it and has other, more pressing mysteries to investigate.
The YA Factor
Gray is a YA writer when she isn’t penning Star Wars canon, which puts her at a great advantage when writing younger characters. Leia is at once curious, petulant, exploratory, stubborn, forgiving…the list goes on. She works with her father to distribute justice on a planet that prides itself on peaceful methods. She falls in love—reluctantly at first and then with her whole heart. But the romance is not just a tacked on plot from a genre checklist. Leia falls for a boy also from Alderaan, Kier Domadi. While they agree on many topics, and their devotion to one another is tested in multiple life or death situations, ultimately their fundamental differences force Leia to make a choice about her involvement in the rebellion.
The “Empire/Anti-Empire” dichotomy is familiar for those of us that have read ‘Lost Stars,’ however, here the stakes seem somewhat higher. This may be because of ‘Rogue One,’ where we know that not everyone building the Death Star was under Palpatine’s thumb. Or maybe it’s because we know Princess Leia is destined to become General Leia, and we’re witnessing the moment that she is set on that track. Regardless of the reason, the scene is handled seamlessly with the rest of Leia’s “coming of age” tale.
There are certainly moments in the book when I could imagine Gray chuckling to herself at her desk (a politician does a double-take when Leia visits the current Queen on Naboo; her mother laments that her first crush is so “suitable”—every girl needs a scoundrel in her life…), but they are loving winks in the reader’s direction, and are spaced out enough that they don’t become distracting.
And Then… The Finale
By the end of ‘Leia,’ her relationship with her parents has entirely transformed. In fact, Leia’s relationship with the entire world around her has changed. She has formed a new alliance with a prickly race of water-dwellers, made friends with people she never thought she could trust, and begun to look at the Empire through the eyes of a Rebel, instead of a helpless teen.
The very last sentence of ‘Leia,’ if you haven’t already started crying during the read, will destroy you. I won’t repeat that sentence here, because even now I’m a little choked up, and I’m not sure it carries the same weight without everything that comes before.
But trust me on this—if for absolutely no other reason, read Leia for that final, heartbreaking string of words. Not only does it tie a bow on Leia’s childhood for good, but informs so much of her decision-making through episodes IV, V and VI. If you aren’t at least a little upset by it, you might want to get your feelings checked by a doctor.
It’s been 30 years since the cult phenomenon ‘The Princess Bride’ leaped off the page and onto the screen. We love ‘The Princess Bride’ here at MFR, as we love any successful adaptation from beloved book to instant cinematic classic. William Goldman’s 1973 fantasy novel plays a trick on readers, successfully convincing a whole generation that what he published was just the “good parts” version of a Medieval fairy tale. In fact, Goldman regularly received fan mail for a time requesting that he release the complete text and let the readers decide for themselves just what the “good parts” of the story were.
Truthfully, Goldman created this façade just as he created Buttercup, Westly, Fezzik, Inigo and the rest. But it didn’t stop readers from begging for more, and so the book was adapted for film in 1987. Since then, watching ‘The Princess Bride’ has turned into something of an event, with “quote alongs” and shadow casts mimicking the tradition of Rocky Horror screenings. And yet, a pure viewing on your ‘home theatre’ is just as (if not more, in this writer’s opinion) enjoyable. What made the adaptation so successful?
‘The Princess Bride’ is a love story, plain and simple. Well, maybe not so plain and simple upon repeat readings and viewings. There are multiple love stories at play, and Buttercup and Westly are just the most obvious of the bunch. But in the book, there is an implied love story between author and text, that Goldman would prepare something so archaic for current audiences and enhance its enjoyability for generations to come. In the film, that love translates to Grandfather and Grandson. Initially, Grandpa (Peter Falk) is willing to skip over the kissing bits to keep his Grandson’s attention and help him feel better when he’s sick. Of course, by the end, the Grandson (Fred Savage) doesn’t mind a little kissing and wants to hear the whole story again, immediately. Same, buddy.
Then there is the father-son love story between Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and the father he dedicates his life to avenging. Another tale of love and devotion develops between Fezzik (Andre the Giant) and Inigo—a love based on platonic devotion no matter the odds.
And finally, what makes ‘The Princess Bride’ just as good on screen as it is on the page? Buttercup is kind of way more bad-ass in the movie than she is in the book! Robin Wright was awesome long before she trained a tiny Diana in ‘Wonder Woman,’ and this time she did it in floor-length gowns. Buttercup is in stereotypical damsel-in-distress danger throughout the film but hardly blinks at any one of her captors. She knows that the love between her and Westly transcends all logic, and she stands behind that even when a weirdly good-looking pirate threatens her life. She joins the fight against R.O.U.S.es and comes up with a plan to leave clues behind to better her chances of rescue. Not to mention, she JUMPS OUT OF A WINDOW before riding off into the sunset with her band of misfit heroes.
For all its fantasy elements, ‘The Princess Bride’ is more realistic than it seems at first blush. And more than that, it transcends time and setting to become a tale thick with “good parts” from beginning to end.
20th Century Fox released the first trailer for ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ Sunday night.
The final film has been an incredibly grueling process to finish. Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured in a stunt accident. The actor was pulled from one vehicle and was struck by another, leaving him with a concussion, facial fracture, and brain trauma among his injuries. Production shut down for several weeks, then indefinitely. It was even rumored O’Brien might not return to finish the film. He came back and here’s the first trailer.
About the film: In the epic finale to the Maze Runner saga, Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze.
‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ is directed by Wes Ball from T.S. Nowlin’s screenplay based on James Dashner’s novel. The film stars Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Walton Goggins, Nathalie Emmanuel, Katherine McNamara, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito, Patricia Clarkson, and Barry Pepper.
‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ hits theaters on January 26, 2018.
Vince Vaughn is beginning to get out of his own way.
For years the tall drink of water, a motor-mouthed frat boy whose characters were never quite as charming as they thought they were, has been on cruise control. From one sour, ill-conceived “comedy” to the next, Vaughn has devolved from the indie-film sensation, to the curiously eccentric comedy actor, to the brilliant goofball, to a complete afterthought by the time the 2010s came calling.
But now, it appears Vince Vaughn might be trying to kickstart his very own Renaissance. If the early buzz emanating from Fantastic Fest regarding his performance in S. Craig Zahler’s hyper-violent Brawl in Cell Block 99 are any indication, Vaughn may have finally found the role to reconfigure his public persona. He’s going dark, and we should all be here for it.
He’s tried to shed the cornball schtick before, all throughout his career. It’s never quite taken. After Swingers, when he was the new indie comedy sensation, Vaughn did pop up in The Lost World, but the other films in the wake of his success were quirky dramas like A Cool, Dry Place, offbeat, forgettable late 90s thrillers like Clay Pigeons, and experimental art projects like the ill-advised Gus Van Sant Psycho remake. Which, if we’re sitting here in the trust tree… isn’t entirely without merit.
The 2000s were an up-and-down time for Vaughn, who went from the bizarro psychological thriller The Cell to the Jon Favreu-directed comedy Made, both of which I admire on different levels and for different reasons. And then, Vaughn embraced the overgrown frat/jock persona and his career found a second resurgence.
Both Old School and Wedding Crashers were huge hits. The Break-Up was half of a funny movie; and then, the bottom fell out of Vaughn’s career. Fred Claus. Four Christmases. The Dilemma. The Watch. The Internship. Unfinished Business. And in the span of a decade, Vince Vaughn turned from box-office gold, America’s favorite funny man, to a laughable parody of his former self. The problem was (one of them anyway), Vaughn had physically outgrown his manchild buffoonery bit. His eyes were tired, sadder now, his build thicker and more… well… middle aged. In those last few “comedies,” he looked tired, ready to give out on his character mid scene time and time again. Vince Vaughn wanted to reinvent himself, and you could see it in his heavy eyes.
That’s why he took on True Detective. He saw a chance to flip his own script. Like a few of those movies during his downturns, this writer will defend True Detective for its brash weirdness and dedication to just pure gonzo storytelling. Still, it wasn’t good enough. But it was enough of a taste for Vaughn to realize he had honest dramatic acting somewhere deep down inside. He was tapping into a well he had yet to mine, and Brawl in Cell Block 99 might just be the beginning of his latest, greatest chapter.
Vaughn is still going to do comedy – he has an upcoming movie on his IMDb page called Fighting With My Family, about a family of wrestlers – but he also has another S. Craig Zahler film on the horizon: Dragged Across Concrete. It may tap into Vaughn’s Hollywood outsider political views, especially since it’s the story of two white copes (he and Mel Gibson, of all people) who are suspended for their abusive tactics, but Vaughn isn’t here for your praises. He’s here to show you his dark side, his adult side. He’s not here to be your clown anymore… at least not all the time.
Last week, fans were treated to the fun, yet simplistic Rick and Morty episode Morty’s Mind Blowers. While not a game-changer that previous Season 3 episodes have been, it took the clip show format and turned it on its head the only way Rick and Morty could. This week, it’s a Rick and Beth on a whirlwind adventure in The ABCs of Beth.
In The ABCs of Beth, Rick created a very real, imaginary world named Froopyland for Beth to play around in as a child while Rick went on his interdimensional adventures. As it turns out Beth’s childhood friend Tommy has been trapped in Froopyland for decades, and procreated with the creatures of the land, claiming himself king.
There was also the side story with Morty and Summer, spending the day with Jerry before a custody hearing. He’s living with, and love with a blue-skinned, triple-breasted alien huntress. Things don’t turn out so well for the three of them when Jerry decides to call it off with her.
Froopyland turns out to be way more than a playground for Beth. Without giving anything away, Beth is way more like her father than anyone could have ever fathomed.
In the previous episode, Morty’s Mind Blowers, Morty uncovers a truth about Rick manipulating his life by erasing traumatizing memories. In The ABC’s of Beth, it’s Beth who finds out that her father has been manipulating her since she was little. The consequences of which leave her world turned completely upside-down. What she actually chooses to do with this bit of information remains to be seen.
In the end, The ABCs of Beth leaves viewers with a debate topic that may never get answered. That’s just how much Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland love to mess with the fans of the show.
The existential question this episode of Rick and Morty asks its viewers – do we embrace who we really are? Or do we run from it?
Some Random Highlights
“Whatever you say, Stone Cold Steve Austin.”
“Am I evil?”
“Worse, you’re smart.”
“A whip that forces people to like you. Invisibility cuffs. A parent trap. A lightning gun. A teddy bear with anatomically correct innards. Night vision googly-eye glasses. Sound erasing sneakers. False fingerprints. Fall asleep darts. A lie-detecting doll. An indestructible baseball bat. A taser shaped like a ladybug. A fake police badge. Location tracking stickers. Rainbow colored duct tape. Mind-controlling hair clip. Poison gum. A pink, sentient switchblade.”
Final thoughts
Did Beth do it???
Here’s a preview for the (sniff sniff) season finale of Rick and Morty, The Rickchurian Mortydate, which we completely missed the mark on in regards to the plot. Enjoy!
What did you think of The ABCs of Beth? Let us know in the comments!
It’s finally here. After 12 years off the air, the final frontier will be explored once more in Star Trek: Discovery. With the premiere a few short hours away, we have the first look at the main title sequence. And why put it off any longer? Take a look:
Unlike previous main title sequences, we do not see glamour shots of a Starship traveling past planets, through asteroid fields, and blasting off with warp drive.
Instead, the Discovery title sequence features rough sketches and blueprints, blending into planets, ships, tech, and eyes. It has a very similar feel to the opening sequence for Enterprise, only it comes with a nostalgic and moving theme song composed by Jeff Russo.
Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham, Jason Isaacs as Captain Gabriel Lorca, Anthony Rapp as Lieutenant Stamets, Doug Jones as Lieutenant Saru, and Michelle Yeoh as Captain Georgiou.
Star Trek: Discovery debuts on CBS and CBS All Access simultaneously today, and weekly thereafter, though only on All Access.
Are you paying the money to watch Discovery on CBS All Access? Let us know in the comments.
Shock art has been relatively calm for the past eight years, but with Donald Trump in office, that’s like whacking a beehive with a baseball bat. The shock art community has only just begun to show its wares.
Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Mother!’ could be one of the biggest anti-Trump shock art pieces released to date. Due to the lull in shock art and the over-the-top nature of ‘Mother!,’ the mainstream public was not prepared at all for a film like this.
Aronofsky even admits he wanted to punch you in the teeth with his film and make you think.
“We always knew it was a strong cocktail. (…) It’s a punch. It’s a total punch. And I realize that we were excited by that. (…) It came very much from a place of a lot of frustration, and I guess a certain amount of impotent rage on what was going on in the world,” said Aronofsky to John Horn of The Frame.
“We wanted to make a punk movie and come at you. And the reason I wanted to come is because I was very sad and I had a lot of anguish, and I wanted to express it. (…) It’s scary when you talk to the people who are studying this and thinking about this and then you have other people who basically believe in the power of an iPhone that they can communicate to 35 million people in a blink of an eye, yet they don’t believe in science in other ways. You know, which is as proven as gravity at this point, really. It has as many people believe in it as believe in gravity. And it scares me, and it’s time to start screaming. So I wanted to howl. And this was my howl. And some people are not going to want to listen to it. That’s cool,” said Aronofsky to John Horn of The Frame.
‘Mother!’ is trending on Rottentomates at a 67% from 236 film critics, but it appears moviegoers are not ready to get punched as the movie has only grossed $18 million worldwide from a $30 million budget. Time will tell if ‘Mother!’ is profitable, but that wasn’t Aronofsky’s point.
What do you think of Aronofsky’s comments? Use the section below to start a conversation with me.
Ian McDiarmid may not know what the future holds for the Star Wars film franchise, but one thing he does know is he doesn’t want anyone else but him to play Emperor Palpatine.
“I suppose there must be a chance but I think you’d find out about it more quickly than I would,” McDiarmid explained to the BBC about the possibility of him returning to the saga. “But there is what they call the anthology series and, actually, the most recent one, Rogue One, was about the time when I was in charge. I was referred to a few times, Darth Vader popped up, but you did not see me. Maybe they are keeping me as a surprise for later but I have no idea. Of course, I don’t want anyone else to play him.”
He’s best known for his role as Palpatine. It made him one of the most notable characters in the franchise.
He played the villain in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, The Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi.
20th Century Fox/LucasFilm
Screenrant tells us, even though Palpatine was theoretically killed in Return of the Jedi when Darth Vader chose to save his son Luke Skywalker from Palpatine by throwing the Emperor into the Death Star’s reactor shaft, there’s still a chance we could see Palpatine show up in one of the anthology films Lucasfilm is producing. Palpatine won’t be making an appearance in the young Han Solo film slated to hit theaters in May, but there’s a chance he could show up in the future Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone currently in development or the many other anthology films Lucasfilm and Disney are considering surrounding Yoda, Boba Fett and even Jabba the Hutt.
“As far as the new films are concerned, I’m dead. There is no question about that,” McDiarmid says.
When The Force Awakens came out theories began to swirl that new villain Supreme Leader Snoke was actually Palpatine.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is weighed down by a bloated narrative and minimal action sequences.
Summary
The film picks up with Eggsy (Taron Egerton) stepping into the role as the lead agent of the Kingsman. In the first ten minutes of the movie, Eggsy is tracked down by a rejected candidate for the program which results in a fantastic high-speed car chase. While in the end, we are left to believe Eggsy eliminated his adversary, it appears that the car chase was part of a more elaborate scheme to track the secret hideout of Britan’s most advanced spy service. An organization lead by a drug kingpin fixated on the 1950’s (played by Julianne Moore) is deadset on killing everyone in the organization so they can go forward with their plan of blackmailing the government into legalizing the drug trade. The Kingsmen’s American counterpart (The Statesmen) are called on to help after missile strikes level all of their hideouts destroying their resources and available agents. Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, and Pablo Pascal all play key roles in the Statesmen organization. However, even the introduction of the key new characters takes a back seat when Eggsy realizes that his mentor (Harry, played by Colin Firth) may not have died when he was shot in the head at the end of the first film.
What Worked
Egerton was born to play the role of a secret agent. He has the looks, charm, and can pull off the elaborate action sequences with ease. One of the primary reason why the original Kingsmen worked so well is his performance, and history repeats itself in Kingsmen: The Golden Circle.
When Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn were tasked with crafting the sequel to Kingsmen, their first job was developing a semi-plausible way to bring back Harry Hart. His character is critical to the success of the sequel. Egerton brings looks and youthful exuberance to the role while Firth adds just a dash of charm and kick-ass gadgets which makes the film appear to be at least somewhat real.
George Richmond’s cinematography was outstanding. The camera shots were fluid, lengthy, and jostled as the intensity grew in their action sequences. While the opening car chase was fantastic, it doesn’t come close to the first film’s sequence in the church.
Vaughn is able to get the most out of this star-laden cast. While the movie certainly has issues, the performance of it’s cast certainly isn’t one of them.
What Didn’t Work
Way too much time is dedicated to resurrecting Firth’s character. What was baffling to me was there’s this fantastic universe that is introduced by the addition of Bridges, Berry, Pascal, and Tatum which normally would be plenty for any film to build a story around. However, they spend so much time setting up the Kingsmen’s American counterpart “The Statesmen” that the focus is away from what made the original film great. Less backstory and more blood, action, and gadgets. No one goes to a spy movie hoping for a thought-provoking narrative.
Juliane Moore is cast as this sweet drug lord who is a bit off her rocker but a delight to people who are loyal. She doesn’t pull off the villain the way it could have been. Perhaps the film needed someone who has experience as the villain (Jessica Chastain?). I’m sure she enjoyed being part of what looked like a fun shoot but is woefully miscast in this film.
Overall
While I understand it’s all the rage these days to expand a cinematic universe, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a film that should never have been greenlit. If Vaughn and Goldman were ever going to attempt a sequel that matches the standard set by the original, they should have gone back and looked at what made the first film special. The first film has a tight narrative that is centered on an origin story. The action sequences in the movie were insane. The villain was strong and at any moment could steal the scenes he was in with Firth and Eggerton. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is bland by comparison and has too much of a storyline with few action sequences. If anyone loved the first film, then check it out and make your own judgment. Just remember to temper those expectations.
