20 years ago today, Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s masterpiece, South Park, premiered on MTV.
The show’s first episode was titled Cartman gets an Anal probe, and introduced audiences to the gang: Cartman, Kenny, Kyle, and Stan. Unsurprisingly, it opened to sub-1 Million viewers. A rough looking, crude show about 4th graders isn’t the most appealing thing to skeptical individuals. However, the show took off after the first episode, with the final episode of season one reaching over 6 Million views.
Something about South Park is incredibly special. Its type of humor and take on modern day politics is unique, giving fans a different experience each episode. While on the surface it appears to be about fart jokes and cheap humor, in reality it revolves around taking the absurdity of current events and delivering them in a way that audiences can understand.
Since its premiere back in 1997, South Park has had quite the ride. With a total of 277 episodes, as well as a spectacular movie back in 1999, fans have had a massive amount of content to consume.
Currently, the show has been renewed for season 21. The first episode will be released on September 13, with a dark week coming on both October 4 and November 22.
What episode of South Park is your favorite? Comment below, let us know.
Justice League will get a major change based on the reshoots, /Film Daily is reporting.
According to the outlet, the original ending featured Darkseid coming to earth; the new footage, apparently, downplays the impact of the supervillain.
Reshoots are a part of nearly every movie, but the Justice League reshoots seem like a bigger issue. Joss Whedon is bringing his vision to the table, opposite Zack Snyder. It will be interesting to see if it flip flops between two tones, like many are speculating. The ending could play into either director’s take, one revolving around setting up a sequel, and the other around fleshing out the individual storyline.
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 Leagueis directed by Zack Snyder and stars; Ben Affleck (Batman), Henry Cavill (Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Ciarán Hinds (Steppenwolf), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Jeremy Irons (Alfred Pennyworth), J.K. Simmons (Commissioner Gordon), Amber Heard (Mera), Kiersey Clemons (Iris West) and Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor).
Marvel Studios Visual Development Supervisor and Concept Artist Andy Park, posted a low-resolution version of one of his paintings of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel via Twitter Saturday afternoon.
I don't mean to ignore all of u requesting the higher res of #CaptainMarvel I painted. Sorry but I can't ☹️When I get green light I def will pic.twitter.com/eAS3ccSEGm
‘Captain Marvel’ takes place in the 1990s, before the events of the first Iron Man film that established the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Carol Danvers will square off against the Skrulls and the film will feature Nick Fury as well. Danvers is an Air Force pilot that gains cosmic, superhuman powers from the Kree.
Since there has been no mention of Captain Marvel so far in the MCU, expect and unexpected ending from the film.
‘Captain Marvel’ hits theaters on March 8, 2019. Up next for the MCU is ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ on November 3, then ‘Black Panther’ on February 16, 2018, and then Marvel blows the doors of the building on May 4, 2018, with ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’
Jon Bernthal was out promoting his next film ‘Pilgrimage’ and talked to Movie Phone about what makes Frank Castle, the brutality of the series, and what separates the Punisher from rest of Marvel’s heroes.
‘The Punisher’on Netflix will be the first time Marvel attempts to interpret an anti-hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it appears that Bernthal understands that.
“I think that my big struggle with him is that one of my biggest kind of things that I’m always fighting for on set is, I always want to preserve the essence of Frank, and have the right and be bold enough to really turn my back on the audience, and not do things to win the audience’s favor, but rather stay true to the character and the essence of who he is,” said Bernthal to Movie Phone.
The MCU on Netflix has had its share of blood, especially when the Punisher is involved. Now that the character has his own series expect a more intimate look at violence.
“I think Frank is brutal. Frank is damaged. Frank is tortured. I think Frank, when he engages in violence, there’s something utterly satisfying and addictive for him to be doing that, and that may not be something that the audience can agree with or get behind. But I’ve always fought to preserve that, and I think that that’s a part of him. I think the pain and what’s behind the violence and the reason why he’s committing the violence, that’s a different story. I want to explore that, too,” said Bernthal to Movie Phone.
Bernthal continues to say all the right things when it comes to the comic book version of the character. It will be interesting to see if Netflix can pull it off cinematically.
“So I think that’s the real challenge: being bold enough to not make him too heroic, at least “heroic,” is important to me. That being said, I think there’s Frank Castle inside of everybody. I think being a father and being a husband, he’s a character that I deeply empathize with,” said Bernthal to Movie Phone.
Where is your excitement level for this series? Do you want to see ‘The Punisher’ far removed from ‘The Defender’ so the show is more grounded? Comment below.
The Popcorn Frights Film Festival got underway in the MIA (that’s Miami, Florida for those not in the know) and it was a frightfully good time. Three movies got the party started: Tragedy Girls, Jackals, and Terrifier. However, me old bones only watched Tragedy Girls because if I’m up too late, I turn into a bigger donut roll than I normally am. Enough about me! This article is about Tragedy Girls, which in a word is fantastic!
The opening minutes of Tragedy Girls perfectly establishes the entire tone of the film.
As the story goes, BFFs McKayla Hooper (Alexandra Shipp aka Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse) and Sadie Cunningham (Brianna Hildebrand aka Negasonic in Deadpool) are on a mission to become social media celebrities. Unfortunately, their virtual product involves murdering people to make it look like a serial killer. After each killing, McKayla and Sadie post on their website called Tragedy Girls where they remind the public that the cops are covering up the truth about a mass murderer in town. The cover up keeps the “likes” low for the Tragedy Girls so they slowly escalate their agenda. And that plan gets gruesome and hilarious with each new victim.
The opening minutes of Tragedy Girls perfectly establishes the entire tone of the film. In just a few minutes, viewers are set up with an old-school slasher scenario. And by old school, it’s a subtle homage to 50s “killer on the loose” old school. Sadie and a boy are making out in a car on a lonely road when a noise outside draws the kid out. A serial murder strikes, but this isn’t the start of chase scene involving Sadie and the killer. Instead, Sadie and McKayla have set a trap. Tragedy Girls flips all expectations for the genre immediately. The girls are not heroes. They’re looking for a mentor to begin their serial killing spree.
Tragedy Girls is predictably unpredictable. Or maybe it’s unpredictably predictable.
From the opening on, Tragedy Girls is filled with rapid fire dialogue that weaves jokes in and out. The writing is sharp, and Hildebrand and Shipp own every bit of it. Theirs is a mix of sadistic and sarcastic that’s reminiscent of Heathers. Shipp and Hildebrand are every bit McKayla and Sadie, filling their characters with engaging silent moments. Shipp gets the best dramatic moment near the end that solidifies the madness of both leads. Appearances from Josh Hutcherson, Keith Hudson, Rosalind Chao, and Craig Robinson fill out a stellar cast.
Director Taylor MacIntyre balances out the humor and horror with precision from scene to scene. While McKayla and Sadie are doing gruesome things to people, the focus is on the dialogue and humor. And when you least expect it, there’s a real punch of gore. Tragedy Girls is such a brilliant mix of old and new. A brief sequence early on shows one serial killer pulling another into darkness. The viewers are drawn into the unknown with them and into the crazy fun of the film.
Tragedy Girls is predictably unpredictable. Or maybe it’s unpredictably predictable. The film is a fun ride that at times feels like it’s subtly paying homage to horror generation by generation. And through each generation, it sets up the trope then has fun with it. Along the way, it’s funny, gory, and a great addition to a year that’s been great for the genre.
‘Bad Boys for Life’ was scheduled to hit theaters on November 9, 2018, but Friday afternoon Sony Pictures pulled the film from the release schedule, according to Exhibitor Relations.
Martin Lawrence and Will Smith blew up Miami and Cuba in the sequel, who knows how much carnage could have been. Joe Carnahan left the project in March over scheduling conflicts, he had worked on a first draft of ‘Bad Boys for Life’ and was set to direct the film as well. After five months of Sony looking for a director with no luck, you understand why the film has been pulled.
‘Bad Boys’ from 1995 made $141 million from a $19 million budget. Eight years later Smith was an icon, and in 2003, Michael Bay blew the doors off everything with $130 million budgeted sequel and earned a solid return with $274 million at the box office for ‘Bad Boy II.’ Here we are 23 years removed from the original, and 14 years after the sequel, does anyone care for a third film?
For a good comparison, the Lethal Weapon franchise came out in 1987, 1989, 1992, and 1998. The trilogy came together in five years, then the fourth film felt like a dead horse by the time 1998 came around. In ‘Lethal Weapon 4,’ 11 years after the original film redefined action movies, the fourth installment became a sitcom of itself.
The Bad Boys films are great, but how could a third film come together this far removed from the original?
Directed by Sunao Katabuchi, In This Corner Of The World tells the story of a woman dealing with the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. The movie was featured at the 2017 Los Angeles film festival, along with winning “Animation of the Year” at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize. If you are interested in seeing In This Corner Of The World theatrically, it’s just been released in select cinemas nationwide.
A few screenings are available in California and New York. If you’re unavailable to see one of those, a plethora of theaters will be showing the movie starting August 18. For more information on finding a screening of In This Corner Of The World, click here.
“The award-winning story of In This Corner Of The World follows a young lady named Suzo Urano, who in 1944 moves to the small town of Kure in Hiroshima to live with her husband’s family. Suzu’s life is thrown into chaos when her town is bombed during World War II. Her perseverance and courage underpin this heart-warming and inspirational tale of the everyday challenges faced by the Japanese in the midst of a violent, war-torn country. This beautiful yet poignant tale shows that even in the face of adversity and loss, people can come together and rebuild their lives.”
The film is beautiful – check out some screenshots below, via the official website.
Will you be seeing the movie in theaters? Sound off in the comments below!
Jack Kirby co-created some of the most enduring characters that Marvel Comics, or its predecessors Timely or Atlas, has published. Not satisfied with co-creating Captain America, one of the most popular and enduring wartime comics characters of 1941 with Joe Simon, Kirby went on to co-create The Fantastic Four with Stan Lee twenty years later. Following that, the Kirby/Lee partnership spawned the creation of several other popular Marvel properties, like Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, and the Black Panther to name a few. But what about the years in between? With kudos to wikipedia and the hardcovers I borrowed from my friend, let’s check it out.
Leaving Captain America Comics to Al Avison and Syd Shores after just ten issues, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon left Timely and joined the ranks at National Comics (which eventually became DC). There they notably did some work on Sandman and Manhunter.
Jack Kirby: The War and Romance … Comics, That Is!
While working with National, Kirby was drafted into military service during the second World War. Called upon by one of his commanding officers to draw reconnaissance maps of enemy-held towns, Kirby was lucky to make it through the war alive. Honourably discharged in 1944 after suffering extreme frostbite, Kirby went back to work with Joe Simon at Harvey Comics, also turning in work for Crestwood and Hillman.
Although Simon and Kirby published some adventure stories during this time, their big seller was romance comics. Although not really my thing, these stories of betrayal and teenage lust sold pretty dang well in the early ’50s. But, luckily for superhero fans everywhere, you can take the superhero away from the artist but you can’t take the artist away from the superhero.
After a brief stint at Atlas Comics, Kirby did some of his most memorable work of the time as a freelancer for National. This included the co-creation of the Challengers of the Unknown and a great deal of work on House of Mystery, House of Secrets, My Greatest Adventure, Tales of the Unexpected, and a revamp of the Green Lantern in World’s Finest and Adventure Comics.
Jack Kirby: Challengers of the Unknown
Although not strictly superheroes since they’re without special powers, the Challengers of the Unknown, which Kirby co-created with Dave Wood, represent a kind of prototypical version of two of the most popular teams Kirby co-created, the X-Men and the Howling Commandos. Each of the five Challengers has his own defined personality and expertise: Ace Morgan the air force pilot, Professor Haley the brainy undersea explorer, Red Ryan the daredevil, and Rocky Davis the Olympic wrestling champion.
After surviving a plane crash that should have killed them, these four men make a pact to live life to its fullest. Convinced that they’re living on borrowed time, each man engages in a string of death-defying pursuits until the news is filled with headlines about their exploits. Having seemingly conquered death, the four men decide to create a team dedicated to taking on whatever risky venture they’re offered. The Challengers of the Unknown are born.
Although the Challengers don’t represent a novel idea, they’re basically just a team of adventurous guys much like Doc Savage’s team of stalwart companions, they provide a vehicle for Kirby to engage with far-out ideas that give way to some excellent art.
One such far-out idea involves the Challengers dealing with a giant, sentient robot named “Ultivac.” Fans of Isaac Asimov will notice a marked similarity between this giant robot’s name and that of the giant, sentient computer Multivac, a recurring character in several of Asimov’s stories.
Jack Kirby: House of Mystery, House of Secrets, & Tales of the Unexpected
Aside from his unique penciling style and excellent choice of creative partners, Jack Kirby was also a workhorse. In April of 1957, Kirby had stories published in House of Secrets, House of Mystery, Tales of the Unexpected, and a 20-page Challengers of the Unknown story in Showcase. This means that for the month of April 1957 alone, Kirby, working as a freelancer, had at least forty-one pages of art published by National Comics. Kirby kept this pace or improved upon it for the majority of his professional life, but after a year of freelancing with National Kirby eventually returned to Atlas where he would revolutionize the American comics scene three years later with his string of Marvel Age co-creations with Stan Lee.
It’s impossible to say which publisher Kirby preferred working for or which one he had the greater effect on. Kirby’s creations for Timely/Atlas/Marvel certainly stood the test of time. Captain America is in the movies nearly 80 years after his creation in 1941. And although the same can’t be said for the Challengers of the Unknown, they continue to enjoy popularity enough to warrant repeated revamps, including a New 52 reboot in DC Universe Presents back in 2012.
So, whether you’re a Marvel-ous comics fan or a Decidedly Comparable comics fan, you can’t deny King Kirby’s legacy. And though some of his creations were superior to others—Fighting American and X-51 being examples of his lesser-known work—they all have an undefinable quality that makes them memorable and unique. So, hail to the King and his entourage of collaborators, and let’s hope an X-51 movie is close at hand.
No terms were disclosed, but Amazon must have dropped a ton of cash in Robert Kirkman’s lap for the creator to leave AMC for a two-year deal.
It was announced Friday morning that Kirkman was taking Skybound Entertainment over to Amazon to develop genre projects, according to the press release.
“Robert is a gifted storyteller who shares our passion for elevated genre storytelling that pushes boundaries. Robert and the team at Skybound are some of the most innovative and fearless creatives in the business. Together, we plan to explore immersive worlds and bold ideas for Prime Video,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Event Series, Amazon Studios.
The partnership is a first-look deal with Kirkman and David Alpert’s Skybound Entertainment. Amazon Studios is trying to get a foot-hold in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror programming. Kirkman is also very excited to work with the unlimited resources of Amazon.
“At Skybound Entertainment we strive to tell the best stories in the most unique and creative ways in an effort to always break new ground. A forward thinking company like Amazon is the perfect home for us. Their new foray into genre fiction has us at peak optimism for what can be accomplished during this unprecedented partnership. Sharon Tal Yguado has been an instrumental force in the success of Walking Dead and Outcast from day one. Being able to not only continue that relationship, but also expand it into new territory with the vast resources of Amazon, means great things are ahead for myself, David Alpert, Skybound and fans of awesome entertainment. Look out world, here we come!” said Kirkman.
Up next, Kirkman will produce ‘Invincible.’ The project will be written, directed and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for Universal Pictures. Additional properties that could be developed by Amazon include Super Dinosaur, Battle Pope, Astounding Wolf-Man, and Thief of Thieves.
What do you think of this blockbuster deal? Comment below.
Warner Bros. can’t seem to catch a break with the DC Extended Universe, after the good will of ‘Wonder Woman,’ misinformation and overreaction have ruled the perception of the DCEU. Ben Affleck stepping down as Batman and Joss Whedon taking over directorial duties for ‘Justice League’ has kept the chaos fire of social media burning bright.
Affleck has finally spoken up about the change in the directors:
“It’s a little bit unorthodox. Zack had a family tragedy, and stepped off, which was horrible. For the movie, the best person we could’ve possibly found was Joss. We got really lucky that he stepped in. (Justice League is) an interesting product of two directors, both with kind of unique visions, both with really strong takes. I’ve never had that experience before making a movie. I have to say, I really love working with Zack, and I really love the stuff we’ve done with Joss,” said Affleck to EW.
The actor, also had this to say about ‘Justice and his future with the franchise:
“This is a really nice time to work in DC. They’re hitting their stride. They’re getting it right. It’s starting to feel like it’s really working,” said Affleck to EW.
What do you think about Affleck’s comments? Comment below.
DC Extended Universe Release Schedule:
‘Justice League’ – 11/17/17
Untitled DC Film – 7/27/18
‘Aquaman’ – 12/21/18
‘Shazam’ – 4/5/19
Untitled DC Film – 6/14/19
Untitled DC Film – 11/1/19
‘Wonder Woman 2’ – 12/13/19
Untitled DC Film – 2/14/20
‘Cyborg’ – 4/3/20
Untitled DC Film – 6/5/20
‘Green Lantern Corps’ – 7/24/20
About ‘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’ is directed by Zack Snyder and stars; Ben Affleck (Batman), Henry Cavill (Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Ciarán Hinds (Steppenwolf), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Jeremy Irons (Alfred Pennyworth), J.K. Simmons (Commissioner Gordon), Amber Heard (Mera), Kiersey Clemons (Iris West) and Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor).
