Top 5 Image Comics Of 2017 (So Far)

August 7, 2017

It has been one hell of a year already for Image Comics. Along with flagship titles like Walking Dead and Saga, the publisher has been providing top-notch entertainment in every genre imaginable. With five months left to go, let’s take a look at five of Image’s best in 2017 so far.

Extremity

Series creator/writer/artist, Daniel Warren Johnson, is making quite a name for himself in the comic book industry. He and colorist Mike Spicer have created one of the most gruesome and iconic worlds in comic books today.

Extremity begins as a story of revenge and quickly evolves into so much more. In just six issues, readers have been through a fleet of emotional meat grinders with these characters.

The series is one of the most unique visual experiences in the medium. Every issue is loaded with carnage and violence on such a grand scale, while maintaining its heart and still proudly wearing it on its sleeve. Every character, creature, weapon, ensignia, and vehicle is iconic and memorable.

Black Science

The sci-fi masterpiece by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera is coming to a close. Having just reached its thirtieth issue, there are only ten remaining.

While that is awful for fans of the series, it has also significantly amped up the book. The four issues that came out this year have lived up to Remender’s promise of a strong finish. Stakes are higher than ever for Grant McKay and his fellow dimensionauts.

Black Science is one of the best modern sci-fi comics and it keeps getting better. Remender and Scalera prove with every issue how important creative teams are. The chemistry on display each month is something you don’t see at Marvel or DC anymore, especially not for forty issues.

Grant McKay and his Anarchist League of Scientists unleashed the dangers of interdimensional travel upon the world. It will be a sad day for all of us when it’s over.

The Old Guard

This is a quieter title for Image, by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez. A group of soldiers cursed with immortality are finding it hard to keep their secret in the 21st century.

An interesting take on a familiar theme, The Old Guard has kept readers on their toes. Starring a strong female lead unlike any other, the cast of this book is so fleshed out and real that every bit of betrayal makes your heart skip a beat.

Rucka is delivering an unforgettable and fresh story that never goes where you expect it to. Fernandez, and colorist Daniela Miwa, accent Rucka’s vision perfectly and in a magnificently vibrant style.

Redneck

Writer Donny Cates is on fire at Image this year. God Country was a massively triumphant mini-series, but he didn’t stop there. Cates and artist Lisandro Estherren get spooky down south.

Redneck is a spectacular vampire comic about a family of hillbilly blood suckers that run a barbecue joint and live off of cow blood. Through four issues, this has been a very different take on the classic horror creatures. It’s also as far away from Trueblood as it can possibly be.

A down and dirty book that looks at vampires from a totally different angle, it’s a breath of fresh air for the genre and mythos. This is a world we’re going to want to explore for a long while.

Kill Or Be Killed

This Eisner-nominated series from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips is a non-stop thrill ride. A young man down on his luck is forced by a demon to kill people to keep himself alive.

Every page is pulse pounding, no other comic carries tension from issue to issue like Kill Or Be Killed. Brubaker has a way of convincing the reader to drop his guard along with the character, only to be taken by surprise again and again.

Stories about demons and deals and all that are a dime a dozen these days. If you’re only going to pay attention to one, make sure it’s Kill Or Be Killed, you won’t regret it.

Which Image comics are your top five? Let us know in the comments below!

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review ‘Landline’: Staggeringly Underwhelming And Highly Predictable

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

Poor writing and sub par performances from the entire cast make Landline a mediocre film.

Summary

‘Landline’ has a strong cast of John Turturro, Edie Falco, Abby Quinn, and Jenny Slate. The film deals with the ever changing dynamics of a family. Turturro’s character is a father who seems to hate himself for giving up on his art (he was a playwright) and selling out to write ad-copy. Falco’s character is this big shot at the EPA who appears to love work more than her husband. These two spend a great deal of time talking about the “good old days” and avoid most conversations dealing with the present. These characters show little affection towards one another. Their commitment to the children appears to be what binds them together.

What Worked

Quinn’s character is the wild child of the family. It’s her heroin snorting, rave attending, and all night sex romps that allow her to stumble upon the evidence that her father is having an affair. While she’s the furthest thing from a saint, it’s her honesty about her father that was refreshing to see.

While the sisters bonding over this horrible act their father committed was extremely predictable, it still was nice to see unfold.

What Didn’t Work

It appears that cheating runs in the family as Slate’s character has a tryst with a former college friend. Basically, everyone in the family is awful to some degree. There really isn’t any sort of heart to this film, it’s more of an exercise in coping mechanisms. The family constantly makes jokes at the expense of Dana (Slate) even poking fun at her affair. Her sister can’t cope so she turns to drinking. The father hides behind his pencil and paper. Falco’s character buries herself in work. Instead of highlighting how these characters avoided conflict, this film should have been about how they dealt with it.

Having all these different deviations from the actual narrative diluted the quality of the overall piece. Instead of making this film about everyone’s bad habits, the story should have been about Dana’s parents. The family dynamic undergoes a massive shift due to their parent’s actions (specifically her father’s).

The cinematography was a mixture of two-shots and long drawn out looks at various characters facial expressions giving ‘Landline’ more of a television look rather than that of a feature film.

In absence of a focused narrative, they added in more off color humor. While the idea of pee and fart jokes might elicit a chuckle, it only masked some real issues.

Overall

Landline does nothing to separate itself from any number of indie films produced in a given year. If anything, watching this film reminded me just how special Slate’s performance was in The Obvious Child. Some will go check the film out just based on the actor’s resume but this is by far her worst movie to date. If anyone wants to check this out, wait till it hits Red Box in a few weeks.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘Godzilla’ Actor Haruo Nakajima Passes Away

Anthony Wendel

August 7, 2017

The King is dead! Haruo Nakajima, has died at the age of 88. Though most American audiences may not know the name by heart, they will immediately recognize the iconic character he portrayed. Nakajima was the man behind Godzilla. More specially he was the man inside of Godzilla.

Nakajima was the suit actor from the first Godzilla film Gojira, which came to america as Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The effort and dedication he put behind the performance became the stuff of legend as getting into the costume was a time consuming process. It was documented, Nakajima lost a lot of weight from carrying the heavy suit through only the first appearance. Still his effort paid off as the original version of Gojira is hailed by some to be one of the greatest anti-war films to ever be created.

Afterward Nakajima would continue to work for Toho Studios, donning the role Godzilla for 12 films. Modifications would be made to the suit to allow easier access for the actor so he could take more breaks and not suffer as much through production. He would also play King Kong in King Kong Escapes and Baragon from Frankenstein Conquers The World. His non-suit acting roles included being featured in Akira Kurosawa films such as Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, and Yojimbo. In 90s, he made several guest appearances at pop culture related conventions all over America where he talked about how much of an honor it was to play Godzilla through so many movies.

Seeing the passing of Mr. Nakajima strikes a personal cord with this writer. Had it not been for picking up Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at an early age, the joy of giant monster movies may never have been revealed. Thank you Mr. Nakajima for all your hard work and for creating films which will no doubt serve as a reminder to the world, how nature points out the folly of man. Go, Go, Godzilla.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Home Video Review — Cinematic Titanic: The Complete Collection

Erik Amaya

August 7, 2017

Shout! Factory’s release of Cinematic Titanic brings together all of the team’s previous releases in one DVD case, but does the riffing of strange Philipino horror movies, incomplete sci-fi wrecks and technically challenged low-budget films hold up? Let’s find out.

Back in 2007, Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson reunited with his original collaborators Trace Beaulieu and J. Elvis Weinstein, and MST3K alums Mary Jo Pehl and Frank Coniff, to return to movie riffing as Cinematic Titanic. Initially a live riffing show, Hodgson made an attempt to create a fictional contain for the groups direct-to-TV releases. And as seen in Cinematic Titanic: The Complete Collection, it is easy to understand why he abandoned the container. Instead, Hodgson chose to switch to recording the live shows for the final five episodes.

The Studio Episodes

The first seven episodes in the set are studio-bound productions with Joel and his fellow riffers appearing in shadow at the corners of the 4:3 video frame. The loose premise suggests the participants are meant to be themselves in a world where the “electron scaffolding” is breaking down and their riffing of bad movies is key to the future. Hodgson never develops the idea much beyond that. Which is okay as the concept never feels more than secondary.

By this point Rifftrax proved the fictional container was no longer needed to explain why people riff movies.

The films riffed during the studio episodes run the gamut from Al Adamson’s off-kilter monster-infused conspiracy flick Brain of Blood (called The Oozing Skull on this release for licensing reasons) to a repeat performance of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians; a film everyone but Weinstein previously suffered through for MST3K. Of the studio episodes, Doomsday Machine is probably the best version of Hodgson’s initial concept for the show. It introduces the premise and features host segments built out of events in the movie and the riffers own personalities. The film’s reach-exceeding-its-grasp quality also helps the riffing as wavering Russian accents and a terribly unfunny comic relief become great fuel for jokes.

Which isn’t to say there’s a stinker in the studio episodes. Some make for better riffing than others. And even when the riffs are not as fast or funny as they could be, the movies themselves are so mind-boggling strange that they entertain in their own right. Legacy of Blood‘s mishandled tone and fourth-wall breaking punchline are perfect examples. To say nothing of the craziness that is 1970s Filipino horror. In Blood of the Vampires, there’s a presumption that you understand the localized mythology. Which makes its notion of life after death stranger for the lack of context.

The Live Episodes

With the eighth episode, Hodgson abandons the “electron scaffolding” concept for the thing which really excited the group anyway: the live shows. Now produced in 16:9, the riffers appear face front on the edges of the frame. The energy, naturally, is different. Laughing fits break out as riffers miss cues. “Five: what a crappy number!” becomes a running joke as the films begin and the MST3K Season 11 running gag of “Bang!” makes early appearances thanks to Coniff. The films themselves are much slower than the studio-bound episodes, so the natural spontaneous laughter of the audience — and occasionally the riffers — is a welcome addition.

Adamson makes another appearance with East Meets Watts (originally called The Dynamite Brothers). Like The Oozing Skull and the MST3K Season 11 episode Carnival Magic, Adamson proves a worthy source of riffable movies. He’s right up there with Coleman Francis or Roger Corman in this regard. East Meets Watts, a martial arts/blacksploitation hybrid, might be the platonic ideal of movie riffing if it wasn’t so gosh-darn slow.

One of the live episodes also features another Philipino horror flick, Danger on Tiki Island, and is the better-riffed of the two. It’s also probably the better film for being much more ambitious and out there. It’s sort of like The Island of Dr. Moreau with some sort of atomic horror bolted on and a side-order of murderous trees. Add a terrible monster costume and you get great riffing material.

If there’s any great flaw in all of the Cinematic Titanic episodes, it is a sameness to the picture quality. Most of the films were made in the late 1960s and early ’70s, which means they are uniformly washed out and dreamlike. With the exception of Corman’s B&W The Wasp Woman, the desaturated colors from poorly preserved prints have a sedative effect. I know I started Legacy of Blood and The Alien Factor over a couple of times because I kept falling asleep.

Special Features

The special features are simple, but revealing. The first disc contains a recent interview with Weinstein. He looks back on his time with Cinematic Titanic fondly and even alludes to it healing wounds from his MST3K departure.

The other is an archival behind-the-scenes look at the group on tour. Typically in pairs, the group riff on each other and the typical sort of questions asked in electronic press kit materials. The exuberance of Coniff and Pehl is particularly infectious.

Bottom Line

If you like movie riffing and never picked up Cinematic Titanic in its earlier single-disc release days, this set is a must. The riffing is funny and Hodgson’s familiar voice is a welcome addition to the proceedings. The movies may have more visual and thematic similarities than a single season of MST3K generally allows, but they provide great sources of cheesy movie comedy.

Cinematic Titanic: The Complete Collection is available from Shout! Factory.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Cate Blanchett Will Star in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Lucy and Desi’ Biopic for Amazon

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

August 7, 2017

It seems like a few years ago, news came out that the GOAT Cate Blanchett would be playing Lucille Ball for an upcoming biopic, Lucy and Desi. That was all the news we had, until now.

According to Deadline, Blanchett will in fact star in Lucy and Desi, and the Aaron Sorkin-penned story will head to Amazon Studios:

The project has been percolating a couple years. Escape Artists Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch will produce. I’m told that there is already movement toward finding a big star to play Ball’s former husband Desi Arnaz, with names like Javier Bardem in the mix, as well as for Fred and Ethel, the quartet behind one of TV’s classic early sitcoms. The subjects’ children, Lucie Luckinbill and Desi Arnaz Jr are all involved in the authorized telling of the tempestuous love/business relationship between Arnaz and Ball, whose production company launched such series as Star Trek. The rights package empowers the use of memoirs written by both Ball and Arnaz, rights their children have controlled since their parents died.

There you have it. I’m not entirely sold on Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz. He doesn’t really look like Desi. Of course there are makeup tricks to employ, and Bardem could alter his appearance. It still doesn’t see like it would be enough.

Blanchett, on the other hand, will be absolutely perfect as one of the pioneering Queens of Comedy. Sorkin on board ensures Lucy and Desi will not eschew the controversial, tempestuous relationship of these two icons.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

New Look At Thor, Loki & The Grandmaster In ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

Kieran McLean

August 7, 2017

Empire Magazine has revealed two new images from Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, giving us a fantastic new look at Thor, Loki, and the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Grandmaster.

More – It’s Hela vs. Thor On The Newest Empire Magazine Cover

The first image features Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, wearing regular, Earth people clothes. It’s also worth noting that Thor doesn’t have his trendy new haircut, so we can safely assume this scene takes place pretty early in the film.

The second image features The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), standing alongside Topaz (Rachel House). The Grandmaster will be a major player in the third Thor movie and will help reunite Thor with his “friend from work,” The Hulk.

Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his former ally and fellow Avenger. Thor’s quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

First Look: Josh Brolin As Cable In ‘Deadpool 2’

Aric Sweeny

August 7, 2017

Update: A new photo has been released. See it below.

Ryan Reynolds has released the first look at Josh Brolin’s upcoming character, Cable, in Deadpool 2 – see it below.

“We all have that one, grumpy, heavily armed Uncle from the future. #PremiumCABLE#JoshBrolin”

With Domino being revealed last week and Cable this week, could the Deadpool 2 teaser trailer be dropping soon? Only time will tell in regards to that question.

What do you think of Brolin’s Cable design? Sound off in the comments below!

Deadpool 2 hits theaters on June 1, 2018.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘Kick-Ass’ TV Series? Netflix Acquires Millarworld

Matthew Sardo

August 7, 2017

Could a ‘Kick-Ass’ series be coming to Netflix? That could become a reality after Monday’s news.

Netflix announced Monday morning the streaming service acquired Millarworld, the comic book publishing company founded by Mark Millar. The writer has become a household name and a big wig in the comic book industry because of Civil War, Old Man Logan, Kick-Ass, Wanted, and Kingsman.

“This is only the third time in history a major comic book company has been purchased at this level. I’m so in love with what Netflix is doing and excited by their plans. Netflix is the future and Millarworld couldn’t have a better home,” said Millar.

In the press release, Netflix stated it will bring Millarworld’s portfolio of character franchises to life through films, series, and kids’ shows. Millarworld will also continue to create and publish new stories and character franchises under the Netflix label.

This is the first time Netflix has bought a creative company and this marks its first venture outside of streaming.

The acquisition, the first ever by Netflix, is a natural progression in the company’s effort to work directly with prolific and skilled creators and to acquire intellectual property and ownership of stories featuring compelling characters and timeless, interwoven fictional worlds.

“As creator and re-inventor of some of the most memorable stories and characters in recent history, ranging from Marvel’s The Avengers to Millarworld’s Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Wanted and Reborn franchises, Mark is as close as you can get to a modern day Stan Lee. We can’t wait to harness the creative power of Millarworld to Netflix and start a new era in global storytelling,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

Since Millarworld was started, the company and its co-creators have given birth to eighteen published character worlds, of which three, Wanted, Kick-Ass and Kingsman, have yielded theatrical films that together have grossed nearly $1 billion in global box office.

“Mark has created a next-generation comics universe, full of indelible characters living in situations people around the world can identify easily with. We look forward to creating new Netflix Originals from several existing franchises as well as new super-hero, anti-hero, fantasy, sci-fi and horror stories Mark and his team will continue to create and publish,” added Sarandos.

Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Requiem for The Western: Clint Eastwood’s ‘Unforgiven’ at 25

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

August 7, 2017

Unforgiven is the greatest Western of Clint Eastwood’s decades-long journey through the genre. It is great because it’s Eastwood’s ode to the Western; it is great because it functions with a deft economy of thematics; it is great because it is not a Western, not in the traditional sense, but a mournful examination of what once was.

There are no heroes in Unforgiven, not even William Munny, Eastwood’s timeworn former bandit, killer of women and children. Munny has long since abandoned the iconic world of good and evil, a world upon which this genre has been built. His late wife cured him of his “wicked ways,” so he spends the twilight of his life – a miracle life, given his age, former occupation, and the fact this is the late 19th century – keeping his head down. He’s a pig farmer with a young son and daughter, and he is hiding away from the world he once actively tried to burn down in his youth.

Munny would prefer to live his life in anonymity on The Northwestern plains, but a young man who calls himself The Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) comes calling. There’s been a brutal assault on a prostitute in nearby Big Whisky, and a bounty has been put out for the two cowboys who roughed up the girl. On his own time, Munny convinces himself this is the thing to do, and he enlists the services of his oldest friend, Morgan Freeman’s Ned Logan.

The world of Big Whisky is even more fascinating than the journey of Munny, Ned, and the kid. It’s run by a short-tempered sheriff, Little Bill, played by Gene Hackman in one of the greatest performances of his career. Little Bill is painted as our villain from the outset; but just as William Munny is not our hero, Little Bill is not the man in the black hat. He is a vindictive borderline sociopath, but he is driven by a set of morals so engrained in him over the years that it has corrupted his ability to evolve with the world. Little Bill is a harsh man who has found himself in an all new world, one he can’t fit into, one he can only try and control with violence and intimidation.

Meanwhile, we learn about William Munny as the trio of would-be assassins make their way to Big Whisky. At one point, Munny tries to convince Ned (and himself) that he changed his ways. He no longer drinks and kills indiscriminately. But he doesn’t believe what he’s saying. The images of the women and children, and poor souls who dared cross his path, haunt him incessantly; this journey to kill has stoked the fire again, and it frightens him.

Unforgiven has a unique structure, almost functioning as two separate movies that converge in the end. Will and Ned’s journey with the kid juxtaposes the story of Little Bill and English Bob, a phony British “legend” played marvelously by Richard Harris. By the time Munny and Little Bill meet, inside the saloon in the dead of night, we have spent a fair amount of time with both men. We understand where they are coming from; and the villainy Bill exudes, while enough to paint him as the antagonist, comes from an understandable place.

Eastwood’s film is a story of what happened to the characters he played in his youth. Those killers and outlaws in the Man With No Name trilogy, Josey Wales, and Pale Rider, what if they grew old? Would they be haunted by the faces of the people they killed? It may be a mournful picture, but it’s a beautiful one, built on a foundation of emotions and nostalgia from the mind of one of the genre’s masters. Eastwood and cinematographer Jack Green paint a stunning portrait of the American West, albeit one occupied by corrupted men whose mere existence is ill fitting.

Unforgiven won four Academy Awards in 1992, and it remains Eastwood’s last Western. There would be nothing more for Eastwood to say on the genre after this, his requiem for the Old West, an examination of the sins we cannot escape and the peace we may never find.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘Rick and Morty’ Season 3, Episode 3 Review: Rise & Fall of “Pickle Rick”

EJ Moreno

August 7, 2017

There’s Never Been An Asskicker Quite Like Pickle Rick

In a year of lukewarm Hollywood action movies, one animated sci-fi show is picking up the slack. The latest episode of Rick and Morty finally saw the debut of Pickle Rick, an ass-kicking experiment by Rick. Trying to escape from real life and family therapy, Rick’s plan backfires in a big way. It’s refreshing to see this character get some comeuppance for his usual selfish ways. Though, he still finds a way to use his talents to get out of any trouble. Pickle Rick is the only man who could build a jetpack out of sewer trash and rats!

One of the highlights of the episode is an extended fight sequence featuring Pickle Rick. It’s a brutal action scene with inspiration from action movies like John Wick and The Raid. Using borrowed body parts, the pickled version of Rick takes on a sewer full of rats. The way he disposes of them one-by-one is not only hilarious but wonderfully graphic. There’s mainstream action shows & movies that can never reach this level of violence.

For the other characters of the show, it was a more grounded episode. That didn’t stop it from being any less bizarre. Following Beth’s divorce from Jerry, she is seeking therapy for her and the kids. Something this normal would drag down any show, but not Rick and Morty. It didn’t take much for the therapist (guest star Susan Sarandon) to get under Beth’s skin. Surrounded by all of this science fiction is an unusual family dealing with normal family things. Well, as usual as a scientist grandfather who turns into a pickle.

Somehow, the brilliant sewer fight was topped by a third-act battle in a secret government location. There’s too much to unpack between new character Jaguar to some shady operations, but it’s such a fun watch. Things get even better with a monologue from the therapist that completely deconstructs Rick. It’s passed over in true Rick and Morty fashion, and that’s what makes it even more important. People will only look for help when they need it; you can’t force it upon anyone.

Final Thoughts:

Even with the odd roll out of season 3, Rick and Morty remains one of the best shows on TV. Pushing the bounds of animation isn’t easy in 2017, but Dan Harmon’s sci-fi journey is doing just that. “Pickle Rick” is a unique episode for the show that progresses the narrative, but provides a unique singular experience.

You can catch new episodes of Rick and Morty on Adult Swim, Sundays at 11:30 pm.

What did you think of “Pickle Rick”? Let me know in the comments below!

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

1...839840841...1,689 Page 840 of 1,689