Today must be the day for train-related movie trailers. First there was Murder on The Orient Express, now The Commuter, Liam Neeson’s action-hero swan song. And boy oh boy does it look silly.
In the following trailer you will see a bunch of David Fincher-esque camera-trick ripoffs, shoddy CGI, an evil Vera Farming (?) and one helluva ridiculous final shot. See for yourself:
In this action- packed thriller, Liam Neeson plays an insurance salesman, Michael, on his daily commute home, which quickly becomes anything but routine. After being contacted by a mysterious stranger (Vera Farmiga), Michael is forced to uncover the identity of a hidden passenger on his train before the last stop. As he works against the clock to solve the puzzle, he realizes a deadly plan is unfolding and is unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy. One that carries life and death stakes, for himself and his fellow passengers.
So it’s Strangers on A Train mixed with his Non Stop airplane movie and about a dozen other, more well-conceived action thrillers. This one does not look particularly interesting really at all But maybe it’s your bag, and you want to see Neeson’s final action movie before he goes back to “serious” acting.
Anywho, The Commuter opens January 12, 2018… so yeah, that should tell you something.
Several weeks back, we got a teaser for Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming adaptation of Murder on The Orient Express. And it was a bit silly, especially with that giant Imagine Dragons music cue at the end.
This new full-length trailer still has that music for some reason, but it’s less invasive and the trailer isn’t near as corny. Check it out:
What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again. Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad.
I am extremely curious about this one. Seeing Johnny Depp is a little cringeworthy, but Michelle Pfeiffer is here, continuing her late-career renaissance. The cast is an interesting collection of actors and Josh Gad. Sidney Lumet’s version of the Christie novel was solid, this one certainly seems a bit more slick.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle has some pretty big shoes to fill. Its predecessor, The Secret Service, is up there alongside Sin City and Watchmen as one of the most visually accurate comic book movies ever made. Director Matthew Vaughn nailed the aesthetic, delivering over-the-top action sequences that put a dumb grin on even the most curmudgeonly faces. With Vaughn returning for the sequel, will The Golden Circle please comics fans in the same way?
Hell. Yes.
Right from the opening action sequence, Vaughn lets the audience know that he’s not only going to supply more of the same fun, over-the-top action from the first Kingsman, but he’s also going to go bigger. And while none of the succeeding sequences match the level of that first one (or the church scene from The Secret Service), they’re still sure to get your dopamine flowing. So many movies (superhero ones included) try to ground their action and make everything hyperrealistic to compensate for the unrealistic plot. Sometimes audiences need to cut loose and suspend their disbelief.
Cinematographer George Richmond returns alongside Vaughn, and plays a huge role in creating a comic-accurate atmosphere. The action is shot with such unbridled energy, it looks like it jumped right off the page. It’s the type of unbelievable ridiculousness that only comics and certain movies (like Fast and the Furious) can pull off. The best word to describe it is simply “fun“. The Kingsman movies are pure fun to watch, and a lot of the credit for that goes to Matthew Vaughn.
The rest of the credit goes to the cast. Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong all reprise their roles from the first film, while Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, and Pedro Pascal join the crew as agents of Statesman – Kingsman’s American cousin. They all succeed in making you like their characters, but particular praise goes to the returning cast. Again, they’re fun to watch, and you really get emotionally invested in them. There are no less than two character moments in The Golden Circle that will have you welling up thanks to strong performances.
As far as this film’s story goes, it’s OK. It’s a very conventional safe-the-world plot with a villain that’s not very fleshed out or interesting (sorry Julianne Moore). But that doesn’t take too much away from the overall flick. Again I’ll contend that Kingsman isn’t about delivering deep, complex storytelling, but rather simple fun. The Golden Circle delivers on that front.
The Bottom Line
Generic plot aside, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a high-energy thrillride with great characters that will keep you gripped from beginning to end. If you like movies that actually look like a comic book, this continues to be the franchise for you.
The fourth season of ‘Gotham’ hits the airwaves Thursday, and it’s the perfect jumping on point for any comic book geek and or fan of Batman.
If you are remotely familiar with Batman, you know all the character, and they’ve developed enough over the past three years that it feels like a comic. Cinematically, the season premiere is a cross between Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ and the 60s television show; both are entertaining for entirely different reasons. You can see the Burton influence on the sets and score used in ‘Gotham,’ and the camp of the Penguin and his goons pay homage to Adam West and company. Anthony Carrigan as Victor Zsasz could be one of the most entertaining comic book villains on TV right now. Carrigan deserves more screen time.
After reading Tom King’s ‘The War of Jokes and Riddles,’ Gotham’s ‘A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina’ feels perfect in the Fox TV Universe:
Gordon fears Jonathan Crane is still alive and back in Gotham, when The Scarecrow’s signature MO is used in a series of robberies. Meanwhile, Penguin’s “licensing” of crime in the city backfires during the grand opening of his new Iceberg Lounge. Also, in the aftermath of his encounter with Ra’s Al Ghul, Bruce begins his vigilante watch.
Ben McKenzie can now handle the weight of James Gordon and demands attention. Donal Logue has always been perfectly cast to portray the scumbag cop, Harvey Bullock. Sean Pertwee has grown into a quality Alfred Pennyworth and gives the character new depth that has not been seen on camera before. David Mazouz, Robin Lord Taylor, and Camren Bicondova still need to grow as actors – but you can see significant improvements from season one.
Mazouz in a makeshift Batman costume looks awkward, but the fight scenes were choreographed surprisingly good. Hopefully, FOX understands less is more with Batman. Use the shadows and be more like ‘Jaws’ than ‘Arrow.’
Director Danny Cannon does an admiral job containing the chaos of an over-the-top show and reigns in the possibility of too much camp.
When ‘Gotham’ was first announced, comic book nerds thought they were going to get Greg Rucka’s Gotham Central. Instead, they got Fish Mooney. Three years removed from that hot mess ‘Gotham’ has found its voice. The show is now fun, exciting, and a new chapter in the Batman mythos worthy of your time.
Check out ‘A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina’ on Thursday and let me know what you think. Comment below.
Mother! is the most expertly crafted film of Darren Aronofsky’s career but audiences will leave the theater revolted by its imagery.
Summary
Mother! has a seemingly harmless narrative centered around a nameless couple played by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem who live in this beautiful Victorian home out in the middle of nowhere. Bardem is an artist who is known for his poetry, but he is unable to create. Lawrence plays the deeply devoted love of his life. While Bardem’s character trudges through each day unable to write, Lawrence’s character dedicates herself towards restoring their home to its original grandeur. Their life of peace and tranquility is shattered when a man (played by Ed Harris) shows up (he’s never given a name and is only known as “man”). We come to find out that Harris’s character is a superfan of the resident poet and hangs on his every word. Bardem’s character invites him to stay with them at the house. Shortly his wife shows up (she’s never given a name as well and is beautifully played by Michelle Pheiffer). Pheiffer’s character openly detests Bardem’s wife but positively adores Bardem. Shortly Pheiffer and Harris’ sons join them, and the insanity in the house reaches its boiling point. More and more of the poet’s fans show up and begin to want a piece of the favorite writer (even if it means destroying their home). Lawrence is about to lose it and Bardem doesn’t seem to care. He adores the attention and even begins to crave it. The fans eventually turn violent, even killing random people at their home. Rather than doing something about Bardem soaks it in and appears to be energized by their presence. He finally finds enough energy to write his masterpiece and to conceive their son. Just when we think that the worst is behind them, it gets a million times worse. The third act descends into utter chaos ending with a scene that is one of the most repulsive sequences I’ve ever witnessed in a film. Spoilers will be mentioned in the critique below.
What Worked
Aronofsky’s has many themes at work in this film. For starters, he’s certainly making a profound statement on the current state of celebrity culture. Bardem’s character is adored by a throng of fans who travel miles just to be touched by the very hand that crafts his beautiful poetry. Every time he shows his kindness for their admiration the fans want more and more (ranging from things personal to things that he owns). Aronofsky’s vision of humanity in this piece is one that’s bleak.
While initially not evident, there are religious undertones in the film. Bardem’s character could be interpreted as the “creator” or some version of “god.” However, the director interpretation of god is more of a self-centered deity who is hungry for adulation. Lawrence breathes life into the house and is a metaphor for Mother Earth. The analogies would lend to Ed Harris and Michelle Pheiffer as Adam and Eve with their sons being Cain and Able. While Bardem’s character is soaking up the worship from his followers (even blessing them as they left his presence) his wife is being battered and abused by every stranger she comes in contact with (whether it is on her person or in the house that she’s brought to life). Aronofsky could also be making a statement about how we treat our environment? Where this analogy takes an unsettling turn is when Lawrence gives birth to a baby boy in the third act of the film.
Matthew Libatique does a brilliant job of capturing the beauty of their surroundings but also manages to highlight the bleakness, horror, and sheer brutality of the narrative. Libatique mixes his color palette using earthy tones around the house and during the most intense moments, dark colors mixed with a bright blood red.
What Didn’t Work
When breaking down the religious undertones, I left one major part in regards to the sequence involving Lawrence’s character and her new son. It’s safe to surmise that Aronofsky wanted audiences to equate the birth of Jesus with her son’s birth. However, rather than leaving that comparison as is, the director and writer of this piece took it one step further. There is an argument between Bardem and Lawrence about whether he can show their new son to his fans (who happen to be camped out in her house). She refuses and is disgusted by the request. This argument leads to a pseudo standoff where Lawrence attempts to stay up all night and keep her son safe. After lasting a few days, she doses off, and Bardem snatches the child. She wakes up and realizes and bears witness to the crowd going hysterical as they pass the newborn around which isn’t more than a day old. The baby then begins to shower them with urine and causes the crowd to reach a fever pitch, and one of the fans ends up breaking the baby’s neck. Just the thought of that alone made me want to vomit, but it gets worse. The crowd places the child on a makeshift altar and begin to cannibalize him. While it’s certainly obvious that he’s making a layered statement, both on our celebrity culture which often crosses the line and religious extremism, the last thirty minutes of the film was in bad taste and completely unnecessary. Aronofsky made his point well before the sequence even unfolded, but he decided to push the envelope. The third act of this film undid a lot of great things the first two-thirds accomplished.
Overall
No one denies the many positive elements of Aronofsky’s latest film. His cast gave a magnificent performance which certainly will attract the attention of voters as we head into awards season. The cinematography and writing were stellar. However, I don’t feel the general public should subject themselves to a horrific cinematic experience. If anyone would like to experience what it’s like to sit through Mother!, my suggestion is to bash your head into the nearest wall. While the effects might be a mild concussion, the trauma won’t be close to this experience this film had on me.
September is almost over, and it’s time to look at what’s coming to Netflix. Next month is filled with a lot of different movies and shows which are necessary viewing for geeks of all ages. Time to look through what’s coming in the month of Halloween.
10Strange Things: Season 2 (October 27th)
The series which took every was one by surprise is back for a second season. Set a year after the first season, the gang has to adjust to life after all the crazy events they dealt with in season one. Of course, given what happened in the first season, normal can last only so long.
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What titles are you looking forward watching on Netflix in October? Leave a comment below and let us know.
BoJack Horseman is known for many things: satirizing Hollywoo(d), featuring some of the best voice talents in the industry, and depicting mental illness in a very real way despite being set in a very unreal world. Today, though, I’m going to focus on one of the areas that may get lost: background gags. BoJack has had great background jokes since its inception, and season four continues the tradition.
Everyone remembers this handy diagram of Girl Parts from Sex Ed class, right? The Mighty Uterus, The Supreme Ovum, and, of course, the Inimitable Side Butt.
Gal Gadot is in the earliest of early talks to join Bradley Cooper in Deeper, a new thriller about an astronaut hired to explore the depths of the ocean where all manner of hell presumably breaks loose.
Sounds like a solid premise, could be a good film, no? Don’t get your hopes up… Deeperis written by internet troll, generally terrible screenwriter, and the very definition of nepotism gone horrible wrong, Max Landis.
Oh, and David Goyer is producing with Landis, so there’s the slightest possibility he can steer this out of the ditch. Slightest.
Max Landis spends most of his days waxing idiotic online, inciting people from all over the map, spouting off terrible opinions on pop culture, and somehow managing to keep churning out painfully mediocre screenplays to movies nobody cares about anymore. News of his involvement with this story upends any excitement one might have with the prospect of a Bradley Cooper/Gal Gadot collaboration.
Archie fans, it’s time to get excited! Hot off the success of Riverdale, Archie Comics and The CW are bringing another one of their beloved properties to the small screen; Sabrina The Teenage Witch!
Comic fans have been enjoying a new version of Sabrina in the current Archie Horror title The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (check out my review of the most recent issue here. You can also listen to me ramble on about the title in general on an episode of the MFR Comics Show Podcast.) It really is a fantastic comic/property and unlike anything on the stands.
The new show will be written by Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer and RIVERDALE Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, directed by Lee Toland Krieger and produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Brothers Studios. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter, Jon Goldwater, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lee Toland Krieger serve as executive producers.
According to Archie Comics:
Sabrina will draw from the critically acclaimed ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ comic book series from Archie Comics written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Robert Hack, detailing the compelling and shocking re-imagining of Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s occult origins. This dark coming-of-age story deals with horror, the occult, and witchcraft and will see Sabrina struggle to reconcile her dual nature of being half-witch and half-mortal while protecting her family and the world from the forces of evil.
Casting and additional news on the new series will be revealed in the months to come, and you can stay tuned to Monkeys Fighting Robots for all that!
What do you guys think? Personally, this is awesome news and gives me hope of something along the lines of another Buffy The Vampire Slayer because that potential IS there. Comment and discuss below!
It was the greatest superhero event of all time, a multiversal crisis. Black Hammer, Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Barbalien, Colonel Weird, and even Madame Dragonfly they united to take down Anti-God, the ultimate evil, on the streets of Spiral City.
For ten years, the former heroes have been living in exile. But a new arrival from the main timeline brought new hope. And maybe, finally, its time for them to relaunch . . .
Writing/Story
This issue seems to start with a lot of random events. A character being teleported away, Abraham being brought in about the what happened to the Sheriff, and Lucy’s continued quest for answers. Everything feels a bit all over the place with when this is happening until it clicks on when these events are suppose to happen. Also, the drama between Abraham and Tammy doesn’t feel as hard hitting as it should given what plays out. Overall this seems much less intense than previous issues and unfortunately it requires a second read to really understand what all went down. Though this leaves the issue feeling less than perfect, writer Jeff Lemire finds a way to bring it all home with a final page which will leave the reader on bated breath for the next issue to come around.
Pencils/Inks
Dean Ormstron’s artwork is fantastic. He employs detailed line work to show the concern and aging of different characters. The look he gives characters when they heard depressing and shocking news helps to connect with their reaction.
Colors
The colors by Dave Stewart are on point. Vibrant when they need to be and down to earth during the less intense moments. All of it helps to set the tone the series is known for.
Lettering
The different changes in style help to show who when Lucy as the narrator takes over and when the dialogue is meant to represent a regular conversation. This impressive display is all thanks to Letterer Todd Klein.
Conclusion
This issue feels like the calm before the storm for Black Hammer. Big things are about to explode and if you haven’t taken the time to check out this series you will soon regret it.
