Well, it seems that the rumors are true. As Bleeding Cool, who broke the story, is reporting that Wizard magazine is returning to the world of comics. And although the company’s own website is curiously quiet on the subject, details have indeed emerged.
According to Bleeding Cool, it’s going to be published quarterly, along with daily digital video news reports.They are also reporting that Nerdist’sBrian Walton (who also currently heads the content of Wizard World.com) will be its Editor-In-Chief.
What do you guys think? As a comic’s fan that got into the medium heavily in the ’90s, the magazine was a huge part of my (and most of my friends’) fandom. I picked it up as regularly as I did any comic I read. But can a print comics magazine survive in today’s digital heavy market, even as a quarterly? Industry coverage is also all over the place, with comic book news breaking in outlets like USA Today and other mainstream media. I guess we shall have to see if they can add anything unique or perhaps work a nostalgia factor. Comment and discuss below!
Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment, and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011. It included a price guide, as well as comic book, movie, anime, and collector news, interviews, and previews.
Casey Affleck made an appearance on the WEEIVideo Youtube Channel, talking to Dale & Holley with Keefe. With rumors surrounding his brother’s role within the DCEU now, the hosts asked Affleck if he had any inside information on Ben’s upcoming Batman role. While he seemed unsure, he did have some very interesting news that lead many fans to believe that Batman is getting recast within the DCEU.
“I thought he was an OK Batman. No, I thought he was great. He was great. He’s a hero, so he had something to channel and work with there. But he’s not going to do that movie, I don’t think. Sorry to say. Is that breaking news? Because I was just kind of making that up, I don’t know.”
If you’re interested in watching the actor say it, skip to about 6:02 in the video below.
Do you think Ben is staying in the Batman role? Comment below, let us know your thoughts.
Yesterday, MoviePass announced something that could revolutionize the movie industry. Their subscription service, where you can go to one 2D movie a day, every day, was reduced to just $9.95 a month. This was possible thanks in part to a funding deal MoviePass made with Helios and Matheson Analytics, who bought a majority stake in the company. Yes, they will be taking on a massive loss, covering tickets, but their subscriber numbers increased so much and so quickly, it shut down their site and app yesterday. Now, more people are going to go to the movies. At the same price as Netflix and Hulu, it’s a no-brainer. For film lovers, this is like God just smiled upon cinema.
The Godfather, The Good Son, and the Spirited Away.
But there’s one theater chain who’s not happy with the development. AMC theaters is exploring options on how to sue MoviePass so that they can get out of the program. “While AMC is not opposed to subscription programs generally, the one envisioned by MoviePass is not one AMC can embrace,” the company’s statement reads. “We are actively working now to determine whether it may be feasible to opt out and not participate in this shaky and unsustainable program.”
AMC’s attendance goals?
Here’s the odd part—AMC has nothing to lose. Moviepass covers the full cost of the ticket, and are willing to accept losing a lot of money while they gather data on how users use their services. They have long term plans to propose a deal with theaters to get a cut of their profits, but only if they can show that their service has substantially increased ticket and concession sales. In the meantime, MoviePass is footing the entire bill. Is it shaky? Absolutely. Is it going to hurt AMC? No.
AMC should embrace this development. The changes to their Stubs program were terrible. Many of their theaters desperately need new management. And above all, they need people to go to more movies. Butts-in-seats, as they say. And if patrons are spending next to nothing on tickets, they’ll be more likely to try some of their awesome new menu items, like the Buffalo Chicken flatbread pizza and the chicken and waffle sandwich. For a movie theater, these new items are reasonably priced (again, for a movie theater). The also have those magic coca-cola machines that now has diet Barq’s cream soda, a perfect match for that Buffalo Chicken flatbread.
Moviegoers need more pizza.
Many AMC’s also have the awesome MacGuffin’s bar. When you don’t have to pay 13 bucks for a ticket, paying ten bucks for a Sangria or 6 bucks for a beer is a treat.
The only way to enjoy the Emoji Movie.
MoviePass’s $10 subscriptions and AMC’s concession could be the best match for movie junkies. So come on AMC, embrace the change, and get that Chicken and Waffle sandwich ready—Logan Lucky opens this weekend and we’ll need lunch.
In a surprising bit of news, Cate Blanchett has decided to join Eli Roth’s upcoming adaptation of The House With A Clock In Its Walls.
Blanchett will join Jack Black, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is based on a John Bellairs book of the same name, and here’s a synopsis of the book:
Orphaned Lewis Barnavelt comes to live with his Uncle Jonathan and quickly learns that both his uncle and his next-door neighbor are witches on a quest to discover the terrifying clock ticking within the walls of Jonathan’s house. Can the three of them save the world from certain destruction?
Jack Black will play the uncle, and Cate Blanchett will play a character named Mrs. Zimmerman, who turns out to be a witch. It’s somewhat of an unexpected choice for Blanchett, although she does appear to be kickstarting a genre phase in her career given her villainous turn in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok.
As for this film, well, there is the concern that Eli Roth is directing it. I’m still waiting on the dude to make a good movie, and don’t even try and come at me with Hostel. Have you watched that one again lately? Yeah, me neither.
There’s no release date attached to The House With A Clock In Its Walls yet, so stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
A mixture of Rebecca Blunt’s stellar narrative plus fantastic performances from Adam Driver and Daniel Craig make Logan Lucky one hell of a good a time.
Summary
The story centers around the Logan brothers. Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) is a former high school superstar quarterback whose career was cut short by a traumatic knee injury. Not knowing what to do with his life, Logan drifts through job after job failing at every turn until he gets work as a construction worker at the local speedway. On top of everything, his marriage is in shambles, as Logan barely has custody of his daughter. Just when things couldn’t get much worse, he finds out his ex-wife (played by Katie Holmes), her new husband and their daughter are moving outside of Boone County, West Virgina. The move infuriates Logan, and he vows to get a lawyer. The only problem with such a declaration is that they cost money and he’s broke (plus he was fired earlier in the day for a workman’s comp issue). So Logan hatches a plan to rob Charlotte Motor Speedway with the help of his brother played by Adam Driver.
What Worked
Daniel Craig! His portrayal of incarcerated explosives expert Joe Bang was without question the biggest highlight of the film for me. The character is completely oblivious to any sense of right and wrong and most societal norms but makes up for it with an unusual amount of chemistry knowledge that allows him to turn anything into an explosive. His deadpan comedic delivery and charm liven up any scene he’s in. Logan Lucky wouldn’t nearly have been the movie it turned out to be if Craig hadn’t portrayed Mr. Bang.
While Driver looks nothing like his onscreen brother, the chemistry that those two have are another reason why this film takes off. Tatum’s character is the muscle and the brains behind this heist. Driver’s character is the logic and reason. The Logans’ complement each other well. Driver’s dry wit and backwoods mentality hit all the comedic beats in the film.
Blunt’s narrative captures the disenfranchised portions of rural America. The Logans’ want a better life and feel deep down they deserve one. After all, one brother was the star QB while the other one had half of his arm blown off fighting for his country. She’s able to find the humor in these circumstances and in the people they surround themselves with.
Soderbergh’s direction gave the film a down home quality. Instead of shots of the motor speedway and high-speed getaways, we were treated to shots of local establishments and the back of a hair salon. This gave the caper a country twist and a southern tinge. Just as he brought out the idiosyncrasies of each character in Oceans 11, the quirkiness of this southern fried crew is on full display.
Overall
For being released so late in the summer movie season, Logan Lucky is a surprisingly good film. The humor and the wit in the script are well balanced. For those walking into see the film expecting some combination of Joe Dirt meets Oceans 11 certainly will be pleasantly surprised by the final product. Maybe this release benefits in large part due to diminished expectations? Perhaps, but that doesn’t diminish my desire to recommend this movie to everyone.
Will Daniel Craig reprise his role of James Bond for the upcoming film? Yes, yes he will! The star went on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to promote his new film Lucky Logan. Things turned to the upcoming Bond film and Craig confirmed the news of his returning.
“Yes. I couldn’t be happier. … I have to apologize to all the people I’ve done interviews with today, because I wanted to tell you.”
Cinema Blend reports, Craig apologized to fans of The Late Show for his game of hide and seek with the film press, and further explained just how long he’d known he was coming back. His answer, is, as follows:
“It’s been a couple of months. We’ve been discussing, and we’ve just been tryng to sort of figure things out. I always wanted to, i needed a break.”
This is the 25th film is the James Bond franchise and Craig’s fifth playing the titular character.
When asked about doing a 26th film he added, “This is it. I just want to go out on a high note, and I can’t wait.”
While the film hasn’t been named, it’s being referred to as Bond 25. It will be written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
It has big shoes to fill, Skyfall, the 23rd film in the series grossed over $1 billion worldwide, while the 24th film Spectre released in 2015 made 880.7 million.
Tricked into thinking she is meeting her resurrected lover Harvey Kinkle, Sabrina is, in fact, being manipulated by her undead father, the warlock Edward Spellman. As she sits down with ‘Harvey’ to explain to him how he came back to life, she is confronted by her aunts, Hilda and Zelda, who bring with them some supernatural back-up. But all of this is just part of Edward’s elaborate plan for revenge. A plan that includes not just his family, but every living thing as well.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #8 Written by: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Art by: Robert Hack Lettering by: Jack Morelli
Published by: Archie Comics
Like all Archie Horror titles, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes well-known characters and concepts and pushes them into the realm of horror. But unlike the other books (After Life With Archie, Jughead: The Hunger) Sabrina has always been about the supernatural, so it’s less of a stretch and more a..ahem..natural fit. But it’s more than just that which separates this from the rest of the Archie horror line. Sabrina has been crafting a story set in the ’60s, with a deep mythology steeped in classic American horror fiction and even history.
Sabrina vs her family!
Writing
This issue has more action that we have seen before, and it’s nice to finally see Sabrina use her various powers in different ways. Writer Roberto Aguierre-Sacasa paced the issue well, beginning and ending it with tension, and making the center piece a big fight between Sabrina and her aunts. It shows us how powerful Sabrina just may be if she can take on two seasoned witches. He also crafts some pretty disturbing themes, playing and teasing elements of incest.
The way the narrative is told is also clever. It has an omniscient narration that reads like old school E.C. horror comics, something this book has always been a welcome call back to.
Another great aspect is, despite all that, he still is able to give Sabrina a bit of innocence and naivety. She’s in over head, may be doing bad things, but is far from an ‘evil witch’. She’s still likable and it’s her father Edward that is the true villain here.
And if you are an Archie fan, there are some nice easter eggs and nods. We get to see the Jughead of this world, as well as a GREAT allusion to the zombie Jughead that kicked off the Afterlife With Archie title a few years ago. It’s a neat way of connecting the books without having a “continuity”. Oh and the spell battle happens at Pop’s Diner which is fucking perfect.
Sabrina unleashing some power!
Art
Robert Hack once again illustrates the hell out of this book. There is a wood grain like texture to his work that is perfect for the atmosphere this title needs. It emphasizes the feel of the woods and town.
The color palette is all oranges, browns and Earth tones. It feels like fall, Halloween, etc. You can almost feel the chill in the wind, the crispness of the fall.
Oh, and the monsters and gruesome moments are again straight out of the Tales From The Crypt school of horror comics. The art does not hold back on the gore when it needs to, and it creates quite a striking contrast with the elegance of the whole thing.
Conclusion
Both horror and Archie fans will find much to enjoy in this comic. It’s a book for fans of the genre done with a lot of love for the medium. The worst you can say about it is it has a bit of an irregular release schedule, but then it makes it almost an event when a new issue is out. Get in on this now.
Welcome to the ninth episode of the Comic Show by Monkeys Fighting Robots! DARK NIGHTS: METAL #1 is finally here, and we debate whether or not it’s actually as “metal” as advertised. Plus, beat reporter Brandon Griffin joins in to discuss Marvel’s “ResurreXion”, BABYTEETH #3, and help us answer the question, “where is the line between creativity and absurdity?”
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is the latest from Yorgos Lanthimos, the eccentric filmmaker behind The Lobster and Dogtooth. And it’s clear from this trailer that Lanthimos has abandoned the kindhearted nature of The Lobster.
Check it out:
A teenager’s attempts to bring a brilliant surgeon into his dysfunctional family take an unexpected turn.
Lanthimos is never concerned with telling a straightforward tale, and The Killing Of a Sacred Deer looks to have the same quiet intensity of Dogtooth, his best film. You might know what’s going on after seeing this trailer, you might not. One thing is certain, however, whatever you think is happening probably isn’t. Is that a cryptic enough statement for you?
Along with Farrell and Nicole Kidman, The Killing of a Sacred Deer also stars Barry Keoghan as the teen who apparently upsets the group dynamic, and Alicia Silverstone (!).
Few things have excited me more in Hollywood these last few years like the career evolution of Colin Farrell. I have always been in his corner, and now it seems he is finding the right outlets for his unique acting abilities these past few years.
The Killing Of a Sacred Deer opens November 3. Are you looking forward to this one?
Dark Nights Metal really has no proper descriptor for it other than “Metal.” It’s as if Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo made a comic from Iron Maiden album covers, but with DC superheroes. No, even better: it’s like they blasted an Iron Maiden album while slamming their favorite action figures together.
You might think I’m being facetious and dismissive with that statement. But, honestly it’s a fantastic read. Dark Nights Metal is fun, exciting, engaging, and absolutely awesome. It’s without a doubt the best event comic of 2017, and definitely worth checking out for all comic fans. For DC Fans, this is a must buy.
Written by the Doom Commander
Scott Snyder crafts an epic tale that kicks off with the Justice League in gladiatorial combat against giant robots. Then it goes from there into a large mythical conspiracy going on in Batman’s world. No spoilers in this review, but Snyder is pulling from all of DC’s continuity to make this story. Particularly with Hawkman’s origin and history.
Snyder may love Batman, but all the Justice League members shine here too. There’s great witty dialogue between them all. Each one feels unique, specific, and utilized well too. It’s the New 52 Justice League team, and it’s great to see them all together again. This story also feels huge in its scope. We start with the League fighting in space, go back to Gotham (which has a new mountain), and then end up on Dinosaur Island where they discover something called the Dark Multiverse.
While this first issue gives readers all the information they need, it’s advisable to pick up the prologue issues Dark Days: The Forgeand Dark Days: The Casting for some more context. However, Dark Nights Metal remains focused on its narrative, its characters, and its heavy metal aesthetic.
Art of the Pain Bringer
Speaking of heavy metal aesthetics, Greg Capullo’s reunion with Scott Snyder will be the big draw for most fans. Capullo’s pencils have incredible detail and convey a lot of action. The character designs are great and distinct from each other. The fight scenes are energetic and frequent and live up to the scale that Snyder imagines, which is how an event comic should be. It’s great to see these two back together again, and hopefully we’ll see more from them in the future.
Joining Capullo on the Dark Nights Metal art side are Jonathan Glapion on inks and FCO Plascenia on colors. Both compliment Capullo’s art brilliantly. Plascenia in particular shines with his colors. While there is a dark aesthetic in some of the pages, the colors are usually very striking and detailed. Very much reminiscent of a Jack Kirby comic (like New Gods, or Kamandi), but with a stronger contrast. The art is damn near flawless, and worth the price of the series.
Time to Rock Out
This book is absolutely the event series to read. It’s just awesome, plain and simple; and has one hell of a hook for fans. It’s Kirby meets Iron Maiden. The heavy metal fantasy we never new we wanted. The kick off for a DC event series that could easily be the biggest event the company has ever had. If you love DC Comics you need to read this book. It is required reading.
And if you need further convincing… Batman rides a fucking dinosaur in it!
