How ‘Batman and Harley Quinn” Failed Harley And Poison Ivy

By

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August 16, 2017

This week, Batman and Harley Quinn made its way to theaters in a one night only Fathom Event before its home release. The movie has issues. It’s tonally inconsistent, the music is distracting and all over the place, and it never knows if it wants to be like the 1990’s cartoon or the 1960’s live action. Sure, the voice cast is excellent, and some of the humor is great even if they rely on sexual innuendo too often. But there is one fundamental problem with the movie that makes it even more frustrating: it completely misses the boat on the relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

Some slight spoilers ahead.

In the comics, the romantic relationship between the two reformed villains is firmly placed in cannon. They’re a great couple, and they seem to bring out the more heroic qualities in each other. DC even fully explained their relationship:

Yes, they are Girlfriends without the jealousy of monogamy. @jpalmiotti @AmandaRantsAlot #HarleyQuinnChat https://t.co/n86jApADCi

— DC (@DCComics) June 12, 2015

But in Batman and Harley Quinn, this relationship is nowhere to be seen. In the movie, they’re nothing more than “BFFs,” and for this film, that doesn’t work for a number of reasons.

The first issue is the humor of the movie. There are a lot of sex jokes. Even Batman cracks a few sex jokes. It fits Harley; she’s always been a sexual character. However, more than a few of those jokes involve homosexuality. She teases Nightwing that she always figured he and Batman never liked girls. One joke hints at Sgt. Steele doing something homosexual for “therapy reasons.” Okay, so there gay jokes. What’s the problem? Well, without exploring a legitimate queer relationship in the story, they end up feeling like outdated “I’m not gay” jokes from Seinfeld. The only thing missing is Nightwing following his defense with “not that there’s anything wrong with that.” These jokes could have worked if they led to something.

Which brings us to the next issue. The movie didn’t shy away from queer ideas, even beyond jokes. There are scenes where you see people of the same sex dancing, passersby holding hands, etc. There’s a lot of these “blink and you’ll miss it” moments, but they exist in the film’s universe. Gotham, as presented in Batman and Harley Quinn, has a normalized queer culture—except for the superheroes.

And then the sexuality. There is an entire subplot of Harley Quinn and Nightwing hooking up, and eventually coming to respect each other even if they don’t continue as lovers—a subplot complete with a vibrator joke. Harley tells him she’ll give him a call if she “runs out of batteries.”

Batman walking in on Harley and Nightwing while they tickle each other. Literally. That’s what’s happening here.

But the sexual scenes between them are not coy. Harley strips in front of him, teases him, ties him to a bed, and is very sexually aggressive to the point where it looks like she’s going to rape him, but Nightwing says “don’t get me wrong, I want to” and becomes consenting while she’s naked on top of him. It’s a PG-13 movie, and the filmmakers utilized the rating as far as they could.

“No, Harley. We can’t…can’t not do this.” Summary of Nightwing’s internal feelings.

So, there’s sexuality and queer ideas all throughout the movie. But not for Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. When they finally get to their climactic scene, they’re just friends. There’s no mention of a relationship. It’s one of the most wasted opportunities in the movie. The relationship between these two women has become a part of part of DC’s pop culture. Fans cheer them more than they do Harley and Joker. DC Animation has the perfect opportunity, using the style of the 1990’s animated series, to make Ivy and Harley’s romance a part of the beloved cartoon’s canon. It felt like they were using all of these jokes and images mentioned before to build up to show them as more than friends.

And then they didn’t. It makes all “gay jokes” insulting. The images of same-sex couples seem more pandering instead of being part of a community in Gotham. We didn’t need to see them get physical. We didn’t need an animated lesbian sex scene. We just needed a little more than the two of them hugging. Instead of Nightwing calling Ivy her “BFF,” he could have called her “your girlfriend.” Harley could have mentioned their love for each other. They could have shared a small kiss. They just needed SOMETHING. But when the time came, it felt like the filmmakers balked and decided not to “go there”—but left all the buildup to it.

The only good thing that might come out of this failed opportunity is that, if Margo Robbie brings Harley’s sexuality into Gotham City Sirens, it will have an even bigger impact. Robbie and whoever is cast to play Poison Ivy can give us the antihero couple that deserves a big screen debut.

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‘Wizard: The Guide To Comics’ Is Coming Back, But Will It Work?

By

Manuel Gomez

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August 16, 2017

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’s Brian 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.

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Did Casey Affleck Just Reveal That Ben Affleck Won’t Be In ‘The Batman’?

By

Aric Sweeny

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August 16, 2017

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.

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AMC: Leave MoviePass alone!

By

Roman Colombo

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August 16, 2017

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.”

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.

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.

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.

Wait…is that a cookie! IT COMES WITH A COOKIE?

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Eli Roth’s ‘The House With A Clock In Its Walls’ Adds Cate Blanchett

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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August 16, 2017

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.

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‘Logan Lucky’ Review: Daniel Craig As Joe Bang Is A Must See

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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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.

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Is Daniel Craig Coming Back For Bond 25?

By

Parish Hodges

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August 16, 2017

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.

Bond 25 is scheduled to be out November 8, 2019.

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Review: ‘Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina’ #8 Conjures Up Something Creepy And Disturbing

By

Manuel Gomez

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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.

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.

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.

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Comic Show Episode 9: ‘Metal’ Slays and ‘Babyteeth’ Bites!

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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August 16, 2017

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?”

Buckle up, True Believers! Episode 9 of the COMIC SHOW by Monkeys Fighting Robots is here.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

00:49 – Dark Nights: Metal #1
Anthony – 4.5 Monkeys
Matt – 4 Robots

23:52 – Babyteeth #3 and “Where is the line between creative and absurd?”
Anthony – 4.75 Monkeys
Matt – 4 Robots

59:36 – The best books from Marvel’s “ResurreXion” with beat reporter Brandon Griffin

Thank you for listening!

Do you want to be our FAN of the week? All you have to do is comment on this podcast to be eligible.

Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show? Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.

Reviews are greatly appreciated – How to Rate and Review a Podcast in iTunes

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Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman Unravel in ‘The Killing Of a Sacred Deer’ Trailer

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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August 16, 2017

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?

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