Looking Back At The “WTF Moments” in the First Half of 2017 Movies

June 30, 2017

2017 Movies Are Trying To Out-Do The Insanity of 2016

The half-way point is here, time to regroup our thoughts. 2017 movies are either Hollywood blunders, indie success, or a shift in how the industry is looked at. Before viewers tackle the second half, let’s look at January to June!

The Box Office:

As expected, Disney places at the top of this year’s highest grossest list. It even takes third and fourth, but Beauty and the Beast is a money-making juggernaut. With $1.257 billion, it’s hard to imagine anything coming close. Even second place is $19 million behind as Fate of the Furious brought in $1.238 billion.

In third place on the list is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and fourth is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Round out the top 5 is Wonder Woman and you can expect that film to take fourth from Dead Men Tell No Tales in the coming weeks.

2017 movies are some record breakers as well. On top of being this year’s highest grossing (so far), Beauty and the Beast also shattered the March record. It previously held by Batman v Superman. Now that I mention the DCEU, Wonder Woman is taking records and pummeling them like Ares. The superhero film opened at $103.3 million making it the highest opening for a female. It easily surpassing the previous film, 50 Shades of Grey.

The biggest WTF for 2017 movies at the box office is the power of the Chinese market. China set a new single day record and an all-time high admission record on Saturday, January 28th. The country recorded a total of ¥755 million ($110 million), that registers an admission of over 21 million moviegoers. China is also becoming the financial “taste-maker” as the country is pouring money into movies, especially movies that don’t do as well domestically. XXX: The Return of Xander Cage became the fourth film to earn $100 million in China but not in the United States. Dead Men Tell No Tales almost suffered that same fate. It seems like whatever American audiences reject, China accepts.

The Critics:

Boy, critics are on a power trip. The era of Rotten Tomatoes is shaping the public’s perception and impacting the industry. The review aggregation site is a flawed system with questions on how it tallies scores or the need to use aggregation to review art. Still, it’s one of the first things people mention when discussing a film. Phrases like “That movie has a 23% on Rotten Tomatoes so I won’t see it” or “Wow, it has a 92% so it must be good” are all too common now.

Yes, it is the studio or filmmakers job to make quality entertainment; there’s no excuse for soulless franchises. Can’t deny that movies like Transformers: The Last Knight deserve backlash after years of being stale. On the other hand, not every picture needs critically dissection. Reading critics say things like “There is nothing in it of redeeming value for any adult cinephile” about Captain Underpants just comes off laughable. With so many cynical critics in the industry, this attitude is hurting everyone.

This growing conflict between critics and movies is becoming mainstream as well. After the critically bashing of Baywatch, star & producer Dwayne Johnson took to social media to call out critics. He proclaimed the movie is for the fans and that critics just don’t want to like it. Dwayne Johnson even pointed out our own critic Dewey Singleton as a critic who made a “bold move” for praising the film. By the end of the Twitter rant, it exposed the very reality of how the industry views critics. The trade papers have spent months saying Hollywood is wanting less critic interference in their releases. This proved it. Will Hollywood take aim at critics in the near future?

The Fans:

Critics are seemingly getting harsher, while the nerd rage isn’t as fierce. Last year had the infamous takedown of Ghostbusters from angry fans so any of the 2017 movies can’t compare. Ghost in the Shell is the only film that comes to mind as the white-washing debate surely made it dead on arrival. People aren’t piling into theaters to see Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean movies like they use to but no one is gleefully bashing them. Wonder Woman even survived the sexiest Internet trolls battling it out over a “women’s only” screening. Things seem calmer for now…

The superhero world is seeing a slight shift with fans. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a money-maker but received “more of the same” comments from many. On the other hand, Wonder Woman proved to be a surprise with critics and fans. Then you have a film like Logan that united every fan from every brand. Until the November battle of Justice League and Thor: Ragnarok, it’s impossible to tell if there is a true shift.

My Personal Picks:

The Beguiled
– Breathtaking is the best way to describe The Beguiled. Sofia Copolla put on a masterclass in filmmaking with this piece. Winning Best Director at Cannes put her in a good spot. This June release could make it to next year’s Oscars. The second half of the year needs an epic release to take this spot.
Get Out
– Get Out made horror mainstream again. Not a silly ghost movie or zombies but a classic horror film. Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is thought-provoking, yet relentlessly terrifying. Get Out harkens back to films like Scream with the mixture of social commentary, humor, and intense scares.
Logan
– While superheroes movies become commonplace, the genre rarely sees this level of artistry. Logan could take over the Oscars if it gets half the backing that Deadpool received. Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and the mega-talent of Dafne Keene carry this film to new heights. Also, who knew this would be the year’s goriest film!?
Raw
– French horror has a soft-spot in my heart. With that aside, Raw still would’ve been on this list because the movie is so damn bizarre. In my review, I dubbed it the “strangest coming-of-age film ever”. I still stand by that. Growing into adulthood or your feminity is made to seem as scary as possible.
Wonder Woman
– Wonder Woman doesn’t come close to my love of Batman v Superman but, it’s another strong entry for the DCEU. The brand continues to deliver the exact tone I look for but is trying to compromise for the majority. This movie did create great two megastars with Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot.

What do you think of the first half of 2017 movies?

Let me know your feelings below!

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Five Different Takes on the Post-Apocalyptic Nightmare

Elliott Dunstan

June 30, 2017

It’s no secret that the apocalypse is ‘in’ right now, and has been for a long time. Between The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and the resurgence of popularity of classics such as 1984 and Brave New World, there’s plenty to choose from.

It seems like everybody ends the world a different way, and some things get more airtime than others – so here are five books, comics, and movies that you might not have heard before, all with different takes on the end of the world.

1. SNOWPIERCER – BONG JOON-HO

snowpiercer, post-apocalyptic — Chris Evans and Go Ah-sung in Snowpiercer (2013)

Primarily known in North America for The Host (2006), Bong Joon-ho is a Korean writer and director with a flair for the unsettling. Snowpiercer, based on the 1982 French comic Le Transperceneige, follows the underprivileged inhabitants of a train that circles the frozen, dead world at the speed of one rotation a year.

Starring Chris Evans, John Hurt, Go Ah-sung and Octavia Spencer, among others, the film uses its all-star cast against a bleak, almost monochrome background to tell a jarring and horrific story. While the setting is from the comic book, the story and the characters are very much in Bong Joon-Ho’s style, and the result is haunting.

2. DEAD WINTER – ALLISON SHABET

Zombie apocalypses aren’t new and interesting anymore, and it’s hard to claim that Allison Shabet’s webcomic does anything gimmicky with it, but her art and storytelling skills bring Dead Winter to life on the page. It doesn’t hurt that webcomics as a medium are surprisingly short on zombie post-apocalyptic wastelands.

Dead Winter follows Lizzie Cooper, an ex-waitress trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, and Black Monday Blues, an incredibly cool gun-for-hire, on parallel stories through the wasteland of the undead-infested world.

3. TANK GIRL – JAMIE HEWLETT & ALAN MARTIN

While Tank Girl as a pop culture icon remains fairly recognizable, it’s hard to express how bizarre the original comics are. Written by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett (yes – that Jamie Hewlett), the comic was published in 1988 and drew from British counterculture, the Mad Max movies, and spoofs of Margaret Thatcher.

There’s a lot I could say about why you should read Tank Girl, but I’ll keep it at this. Where else are you going to meet and fall in love with a mutated kangaroo called Boomer? Yeah, I thought so.

4. AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES – LEAH BOBET

On the novel (haha) end of things, the young adult novel An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet uses a post-apocalyptic world as a setting for a twist on the high fantasy tale. An army of men set off to wage war against an evil god, and win.

The book tells the story of the women who stayed at home and their seemingly endless wait for their loved ones to return home. In particular, it follows the story of two sisters as they struggle to keep their farm together without killing each other.

5. FREAKANGELS – WARREN ELLIS

Warren Ellis, best known as the author of Transmetropolitan, co-created FreakAngels with artist Paul Duffield from 2008 to 2011. Twelve children are born at the same time in a small town in England, and as they grow up, they explore their connection with each other and their own powers – and accidentally destroy the world. FreakAngels picks up after the apocalypse and what happens next.

FreakAngels is Ellis’s take on the seminal classic, Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. Essentially, it pairs “What happens if the Cuckoos grow up?” with a post-apocalyptic setting – and a good dose of raunchy British humor.

There’s no short of post-apocalyptic media out there. As far as trends go, it’s not one that’s going to die out soon, and it’s not a recent one either. People have been writing and drawing and creating about the end of the world for decades. But how will our view of the End change – and who will end up being right? Who knows?

What’s your favorite piece of post-apocalyptic media?

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Review: Gundam Twilight Axis Episode 1

Jahmssen Ruiz Castaneda

June 30, 2017

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM Twilight AXIS

Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you there’s only really one thing I truly love. What is it? Mobile Suit Gundam! So it stands to reason that all of my Gundam reviews are generally going to be positive no matter what.

That was true until I watched episode 1 of Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis. I actually saw the episode a few days after it aired, but it left me so drained I had to collect my soul before being able to write anything. Sunrise really screwed the pooch with this “series”.

You can catch the episode below.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zax3LcPvfsA[/embedyt]

What went wrong?

I understand that we were never meant to get our hopes up in regards to Twilight Axis. I get it. The problem lies in how much of an incomplete product we received. The first episode feels as if it was meant to accompany the novel instead of being its own thing.

The video was like watching a trailer because of its length and how confusing it was. Most of the plot can only be glimpsed by looking at the description instead of actually watching it. Even then it makes zero sense because of how many cuts there are. I think it was shown out of order to confuse the viewer to the point of creating a need to watch the whole thing. It worked.

We don’t get to really know our main characters because of how short their appearance is.

The animation was reminiscent of a slideshow instead of something a real company would make.

What went right?

You might’ve assumed this article was just going to list out negatives right? While the cons are bad enough as is, there’s still some good stuff underneath.

The music is amazing and really gets the mood going.

The art style is beautiful and only makes me crave more instead of the short 3 minutes we got.

While earlier I mentioned the lack of character development, we did get nice cameos from Char Aznable and Lalah Sune. I’m a simple man, I see Char, and I get hyped.

Gundam Twilight Axis Char and Lalah — This one scene captured my attention.

The suit designs look good even though they’ve already been used in previous projects in slightly modified forms.

An important note to make is how small the team involved was. One guy was essentially in charge of doing the whole thing alone.

I am disappointed, but I think this could’ve been a hit if it had been developed properly. The source material is interesting and is something that would’ve been great to delve deeper into. I understand I could go and find the book to read it, but where’s the fun in that?

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Batman Returns Is A 25 Year Old Underrated Gem

Jonathan Bruce

June 30, 2017

Yes, Batman Returns is 25 years old.

In 1992, Tim Burton’s sequel came on the heels of its 1989 predecessor. Batman Returns is a financial success, but many critics would complain of it being “too dark.” Even McDonalds would call it inappropriate for kids. This would lead to Warner Brothers letting Burton go and bringing in Joel Schumacher. Well, you know the rest.

But is the film really too dark? Is it misunderstood? Or is it somewhere in between?

During Christmas, a sinister inhabitant of the sewers plans to make his return to the world. He is Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot, a former sideshow freak who heads the Red Triangle Circus Gang. Despite being born into wealth, his parents chose to abandon him due to his deformities. After teaming up with businessman Max Schreck, Penguin makes his public debut and becomes the media darling of Gotham City.

Meanwhile, Shreck is planning a power plant that will siphon energy from Gotham. His timid secretary Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) stumbles upon the scheme, only to be thrown out of a window. However, she is revived by a multitude of cats and has a nervous breakdown. She is reborn as Catwoman, who is a more assertive, dominant individual.

When Cobblepot decides to run for mayor, Bruce decides he must stop his plan. However, Penguin frames Batman for murder, and the Dark Knight must clear his name. In the process, though, he finds himself falling in love with Selina, who’s out to kill Schreck in revenge.

Keaton gives a quiet, compelling turn as Batman. His devotion to a war on crime has left him isolated and, apart from Alfred, without any major relationships. As he grows closer to Selina, Bruce realizes she is very similar to him in many ways. His final speech about wearing masks to her is one of his best moments.

Many fans complain Batman is a supporting player in this movie. In a way, this might be true, but it also works for the character. As the Dark Knight, he’s chosen to isolate himself from others. It is unfortunate that Keaton chose to quit the franchise, because a third Burton film would have been great.

Danny DeVito was born to play the Penguin, and he does so with relish. In contrast to Jack Nicholson’s Joker, he is boiling with rage and bitterness. He can be chilling in the character’s plotting to murder the sons of Gotham, but he’s vulnerable in seeking acceptance. He’s also full of dark humour, such as the “Gushing blood from my nose” scene. Another fine example is the speech to his army of penguins.

Yet it is Pfeiffer steals the show as Catwoman. The actress goes through a wide range from the nervous, mousy secretary to a tough vigilante. Her revival and breakdown scenes are chilling to behold. In real life, she and Keaton were in love during the filming, so their chemistry is realistic.

Christopher Walken plays up his sinister side as Max Shreck, and he seems to be just as much a villain as Penguin and Catwoman. In a sense, Batman Returns is the first film to have three antagonists. Pat Hingle’s Commissioner Gordon doesn’t get much to do. As Alfred, Michael Gough has a decent amount of screen time, such as working on the Batmobile.

The film is as dark as the first movie, but it contains a lot of Burton’s signature style. This is especially true with the Penguin’s underground lair. Gotham City has a lot more Expressionist and Art Deco influences this time around.

Yes, the film does have several deaths, especially coming from Batman. Look no further than the scene where he sends a goon to his death with a bomb. While Batman is a dark character, having him kill bad guys is cold blood seems a little too grim. Then again, look at Zack Snyder’s take on the Dark Knight.

Batman Returns is a decent follow-up to the first Batman movie. Although it suffers from sequelitis, the film does contain great performances. This is one of Tim Burton’s most artistic works. If only he had done Batman 3, he would have made the first ever Bat trilogy.

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Interview: Mina Elwell And The Horror Of InferNoct

Marco Lopez

June 30, 2017

We’re in a golden age of comics right now and in an age of geek none of us could have ever imagined, but with the good comes the bad. As our geek news sites become more corporate they tend to focus less on comics and in some cases less on independent creators. My goal is to never shy away from giving a soapbox to those starting out, the independent, the unsung and the creators trying to carve a niche for themselves.

Today I am interviewing writer Mina Elwell about her upcoming Scout Comics release InferNoct. A horror comic she has created with artist Eli Powell.

For those wondering what InferNoct is about here’s a summary, I yanked from the website.

As Sam attempts to discover the real reason the people of her town are being destroyed, she becomes aware of mind-rending creatures that feed off the sanity of their victims. It’s up to her to do something about it… if she can only keep her grip on reality.

This sounds and looks like it’s right up my alley. I’m a horror fanatic and couldn’t be more excited for this comic to come out. We can always use more horror in comics.

The book is also colored by Tristan Elwell and lettered by Marshall Dillon whom I am also interviewing (for a later date).

Now let’s get to that interview.

Marco: Let’s start off with a couple of easy and fun questions. What made you fall in love with comics and how did you get your start in this business?

Because I noticed on your Facebook page it said you are the Media Director at Scout. But I also remember when talking to you about setting up this interview you mentioned stepping back a bit at Scout. Mostly because the comic was taking up a lot of your time.

Mina: My dad got me into comics pretty young. There was a lot of Asterix the Gaul, Amazing Spider-Man, Batman… Then I got a little older and read Sandman, and that was a big deal for me.

AC Medina and I went to SVA together while he was still working on Elasticator. I got to know Scout through AC. Right now, I’m pretty focused on InferNoct, but I am working with Editorial Director Michael Sanchez on expanding Scout’s online presence in the future, so keep an eye out for that.

Marco: Something I like to ask creators every now and then are their opinions on the industry. So, what’s something you feel this industry could use more of or needs to change?

Mina: There are fantastic stories being told in comics right now. Availability isn’t an issue, it’s a question of visibility. I think about me and my friends in high school arguing about our favorite superheroes in study hall, and how much we would have appreciated any of the LGBTQ comics I saw at Flame Con last year, but we didn’t know to look for them. I’m not sure what the answer to that is. Teach teens to Google?

Marco: So, tell us about InferNoct and how that book came to be (especially at Scout) and the team that is on the comic with you. It seems like it’s possibly a bit of a family affair as well. That or Tristan and you just happen to have the same last name. (laughing)

Mina: Where did the concept come from… When I decide to work on a project like this, I’m basically deciding to let it be 20% of all thoughts in my head every day, and that’s when I’m not typing anything. If you’re going to spend the next year thinking about something it should be something you like.

For me, that’s the creeping madness and the corruption of the New York countryside. I don’t pretend to know your happy place.

I went to Scout because AC Medina and Michael Sanchez live there. If they told me the only way to get published now was to read your comic aloud from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro I’d try it.

You shouldn’t have asked me about the team! I could talk about these guys forever.

Eli Powell is my co-creator and the artist. Every time I send him something particularly twisted and I’m a little concerned about his reaction, he sends me back images that take it to a whole new level. I’m positive that when I read InferNoct I will be surprised by something Eli slipped in there and it will delight me.

Marshall Dillon is our letterer. I think he knows more about comics than any of us.

James Pruett, the creator of Mindbender and publisher at Scout is our editor. I bother him at 2 am with questions and he always answers.

And yeah, you caught us! Tristan Elwell is the colorist, but he is also my father. He’s an incredible illustrator. He’s giving the whole comic this really old school Vertigo look.

His love of all things goth and macabre probably has something to do with my horror obsession. I’m proud to say that I think I creeped him out with issue 2…

Marco: Well, it’s time for this ride to end. I want to thank you for letting me interview you. I hope the comic is a huge success and that you get to keep telling kick ass stories for years to come. But before we go this is the section I like to call PIMP YOUR STUFF! This is where you get to make a passionate plea to the reader as to why they should check out your comic when it comes out. Also tell us when we can expect to see InferNoct in stores and pre-order it.

And if there is anything else you’re working on whether in or outside of comics then mention that as well.

Mina: When I wrote this, I was thinking about being a kid, and reading illustrated horror stories and horror comics, and the way it felt when you saw something a few pages ahead that was really really creepy… And then you turned the pages getting closer and closer to it… I’m a huge horror buff. It’s rare that I find anything scary anymore, but I miss it. Each issue of InferNoct gets stranger and will take you deeper into our world because — as I routinely sign off on the InferNoct Facebook — we love you, and we want to scare you.

Issue 1 is available for preorder in August and will be in stores in October.

And that’s the end of that. I want to thank Mina for letting me interview her and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Don’t forget to check out InferNoct when it’s released. Also, don’t forget to stay up to date on the comic via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Exclusive Interview! 80s Favorite Sectaurs Returning to Comics

Marco Lopez

June 30, 2017

For anyone who grew up in the 80s as a child or a young teen, you remember two things being synonymous with that era. Saturday morning cartoons and the multitude of sugary sweet breakfast cereals that we devoured as children as we sat glued to our televisions until our parents kicked us out of the house.

There were so many cartoons back then. Some that if you were to go back and look at the list of all the shows that came out in that decade you might realize you missed some sweet programming. Whether they aged well or not (and were any good, to begin with) is a discussion for another time.

But of the many shows on television back then one of them was the short-lived property Sectaurs. Created by Maureen Trotto, Timothy Clarke, and Larry Mass and Licensed by Seven Towns. Original Story by Maureen Trotto.

According to Wikipedia, there was an animated mini-series that spanned five episodes, and Marvel Comics published an eight-issue limited series. A read-along record storybook was also made.

The animated series aired from September 14 to October 12, 1985, and I’m sure many times over in repeats.

The Marvel comic series is coveted and loved by fans of 80s toys and comics (makes sense given Bill Mantlo was the writer and Mark Texeira was the artist) and the property also had a series of toys. Because remember this was the 80s and toys went with cartoons like peanut butter and jelly.

Despite its small amount of success not much has been done with Sectaurs since then but that’s all about to change. With a Kickstarter for a new line of toys set to launch in 2018, there will also be a new comic written by J. Robert Bryans (N-Guard) along with Maureen Trotto with pencils by JC Fabul and inks, letters, and colors by Mickey Clausen.

Maureen Trotto was also kind enough to grace us with some words concerning the properties return and the writer J. Robert Bryans.

“First of all let me say how happy I am to be working with J Robert Bryans. We have been dreaming about this for quite some time. We are anxious to bring more of the Sectaurs’ story to life. This time around the story is a little darker and we are able to explore some of the fascinating female characters that inhabit the planet Symbion.”

The comic (a 6-issue miniseries) will take place roughly 7 years after the events in the Marvel comic book, and will see the heroes of the Shining Realm and the villains of the Dark Domain-locked in a continuing conflict for the planet of Symbion. We will see all the characters we remember well from the original run while introducing new characters.

As J. Robert Bryans stated concerning the new comic series. “We look forward to expanding the rich landscape and story elements of Sectaurs and bring many new and exciting adventures.”

And thanks to the power of the internet I bring you an exclusive interview with J. Robert on this amazing announcement. Check it out below.

Marco: First off, I want to thank you for this opportunity. I’m a fan of the short animated series myself. Especially the amazing Marvel comic by Bill Mantlo and Mark Texeira. So, to start us off why don’t you tell us how this all came together and about the team working with you on the book.

J. Robert: Firstly, I have to say, the original Mantlo and Texeira comics for Marvel were a thing of beauty. I still to this day remember where I bought issue one, and I still have all the issues.

As for how we have come to this point, it all started about 10 to 12 years ago. I was starting to get a level of notoriety from my nGuard comic series, published by Markosia out of the UK.

I had always been a fan of Sectaurs and always felt it needed to make a comeback. I began the task of hunting down the creators. Wasn’t an easy task back then, but I was very lucky to be able to reach out to Maureen (Trotto) and even luckier, she was willing to talk with me.

Didn’t take long, Maureen and I became quick friends, mainly due to my awesome charm… not… because of a shared love for all things Sectaurs. After a number of conversations, I was humbled and honored to be allowed to play in the realm of Sectaurs and I, with an artist, created a pitch bible for the next generation of Sectaurs. I then wrote a pilot episode/movie for this new iteration.

Lucky for my ego, Maureen loved it and shared it with Tim Clarke, but unfortunately, we could not move ahead at the time. We would have to wait, and wait we did. Now 10+ years later, that waiting has paid off and I have the extreme privilege to be working with Maureen and Tim to help bring Sectaurs back for a new generation, but keeping in mind many of the old fans who have been screaming for this series to return.

Marco: In your announcement, you stated this would be a six-issue miniseries and taking place roughly seven years after the events in the Marvel comic book. Does that mean the rights to that comic are now in the hands of Maureen? Might we see a collection of those stories? And tell us a bit about what the new series will be about.

J. Robert: The rights have been an issue of many conversations between Maureen and myself over the years. Never bad, just conversations. I will say this, the rights are exactly where they should be, and we are all looking toward the future. Sectaurs is coming back and that is all that matters.

As for a collection of the original books, I cannot speak on that topic. That being said, it would be an amazing collection, wouldn’t it?

The new mini-series, Legacy of the Sectaurs, will, as you said, start off roughly seven years after the events in the Marvel series. I will not exactly be speaking about the previous books in the new series, but if you read the original 8 issue Marvel run, then read the new one, you will note that they will fit together seamlessly.

Seven years have passed, the Shining Realm and the Dark Domain have been at constant battle with each other. No winners. As a silence in the conflict has spread across the lands of Symbion, the Symbion Security Council, led by Dargon are worried that this is a calm before the storm. As they should be, Empress Devora and General Spidrax have a nefarious plot that could shake Symbion to the core.

This story will see the rise of a new kind of threat, one that will swarm across the planet, destroying everything in its path. It will also see the coming of a new king, with a Legacy that will bring about an end to this terrible conflict and save Symbion.

Marco: Let’s talk publisher. Who is going to be releasing this beauty? Or is that still being discussed and negotiated as we speak?

J. Robert: We have just begun speaking about publishing and at this point, we have many options. As soon as a publisher is chosen, we will make sure everyone knows.

Marco: Before we wrap this up why don’t you tell our readers a bit about you and what you do and your company Gaelstone Media Group.

J. Robert: I will be happy to, thanks for asking.

Gaelstone Media Group is a company I founded a number of years back to develop and pitch new animated and movie properties. We have had the honor of working with many clients, building a solid skill set that can be used to help a client from the easiest of development work to a finished product.

I have an amazing team working with me, and together, we are determined to bring that 80’s Saturday Morning Cartoon feel back to the animation world, entertaining children of all ages.

We currently have three properties signed and in active development with Global Genesis Group and we have four other properties that we are speaking with them about. We will see how that goes.

Our current slate of projects are as follows;

nGuard
Ricky Rocket and the Rocket Rangers
Santa’s Spies
ResQG.I.R.L.S
TiTAN TiM
GoGo Ronin and
Armorsaurs

Then we have the amazing project we are here speaking about.

We are also a for hire development company and are open to helping anyone with their projects, as long as we have an opening in our schedule.

Visit our website to keep up with all our current properties.

And that’s a wrap! I want to thank J. Robert Bryans again for letting me interview him and for giving Monkeys Fighting Robots this exclusive. We hope you all enjoyed reading it and you can follow J. Robert and stay up to date on the comic and his own properties via the Gaelstone Media Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to keep an out for that Kickstarter (for the toys) when it launches next year and make sure to pick up the comic when it’s released.

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‘The Mist’ Episode 2: “Withdrawal” – Now With Added Red Shirt Characters

Jamesey Lefebure

June 30, 2017

The show starts with the standard “previously on ‘The Mist'” which can be found by clicking here . In summary of the pilot – everyone was unhappy, a mysterious mist came to town and stranded them in random places around town. A dog got killed and a man named Brian told everyone who would listen there’s something in the mist…..

“I told them there was something in the mist”

The action starts where it left off last week. Kevin, Mia, Adrian, and Brian are all stood over the body of the police officer that Mia killed last week. Brian uses this moment to say his favorite line – “there’s something in the mist”. To be honest, if it was me, everything that happens from now on I’d remind them that I TOLD them there was something bad in the mist. They theorize over what the cause of the mist is as we cut to Copper Connor.

Instead of staying outside the station like he was supposed to, Connor decides to do the sane thing and flee! Driving through the mist he ends up crashing into a moose which totals his car. Unable to drive away, he decides to run into the church. He meets the priest and a grieving Nathalie Raven.

“Something dragged her back”

Still reeling from the demise of Mrs. Carmody tension builds in the mall. Everyone worries about Carmody Jr for a few minutes before trying to work out what exactly is in the mist. (They should ask Brian – he’s dying to tell people.) We meet Gus for the first time – I’m saying it now, he’s a bad ‘un! He tries to get everyone to lock the doors around the mall for their safety. Alex and Eve offer to help to get away from Jay who’s looking shifty.

Back in the church, Copper Conner and the priest discuss what’s going on. Connor admit’s he doesn’t have a clue what’s in the mist. He just forgets to mention that he left a load of people in the police station.

“The pills stay behind.”

At the police station, Mia is acting shifty. (Shocking I know.) She hunts for drugs but gets pill blocked by Brian. He ask’s her if she’s a junkie, naturally, she lies to him. They share a nice moment with each other after she lets her guard down a little. Brian tells her that he’ll have her back but she can’t take drugs along with her. Which seems like a fair deal.

“Poison wouldn’t rip his arm off!”

Returning to the mall and the Copeland duo are checking the doors are locked. To show the audience that Eve isn’t afraid of anything she’s the door locker. However, they stumble upon a door covered in blood and a dead body on the other side. Eve isn’t happy. Gus isn’t happy and neither is anyone else. The body is in the admin wing of the mall. Which just so happens to be where the security radio is! Some customers decide that this is the ideal moment to throw a little racial hatred to one of the workers. Alex saves the day and breaks the tension by remembering that there’s a drone in the electrical shop!

After escaping the police station Kevin and Co. make it to an abandoned car just in time. The mist is growing thicker around them. Now that there are characters on the move the tension starts to build.

Arr….

Back in the Mist Mall, our plucky group of survivors have got the drone working. As it travels down the mist filled hallway it finds a body missing an eye. There’s writing on the floor in blood – Arr – I’m thinking mist pirate. (That could be another movie altogether.) Nobody can decide what he was trying to write. They do however decide that someone needs to go down the hallway and get the radio. A brave woman suggests Gus as he’s the leader. He all but says no – and suggests a lottery. Told you he was no good!

Kevin and Co are slowly driving through the mist. It’s quite obvious from Mia’s shuddering and twitching that she’s going through some major withdrawal. (Name of the episode!) The group stops as someone comes running into the road asking for help. Before they even get the chance to decide if they’re going to be good people or not, the survivor pulls a gun on them and demands their car. Mia isn’t having any of it and drives off without a seconds hesitation. Shocking nobody, she crashes. After another tense scene with cracking car windows, the group gets out safely and runs through the mist into the church.

Three feet from the door Mia remembers the guns they packed so decides to run back for them. She barely gets a few steps before the ghost of her mother is calling to her. She naturally freaks out and tells Mist-Mom that she’s not real. Brian comes to her rescue and the two run into the church and Crooked Connor (it’s his new name).

“You left us!”

Kevin tries to show he’s a tough guy by shouting at Connor. He’s unhappy that they were just left – and with a 16-year-old as well! Connor lies and says that he had to run – he was attacked! Everyone tries to stand around and show that they are the alpha male. It’s all a little uncomfortable. Connor gets the upper hand when he remembers he’s a cop and re-arrests Mia.

The lottery of doom is underway at the mall. In a shocking twist, that nobody ever saw coming Eve is picked. A stranger called Clint offers to go with her. (He might as well be wearing a red shirt.)Alex and Eve share a touching mother/daughter moment before Eve leads to Clint to his ultimate demise.

“If the bee’s die, humanity will only have four years left”

In the church, Kevin tries to comfort Nathalie over the loss of her husband. He attempts a soft approach and tells her that her husband’s spirit is with them. She counters that he’s not. He’s dead. There is no spirit – you’re either alive or dead. She then does a Bill Nye and tells us that without bee’s we’re all doomed. (I’m calling it now – Giant Mist Bee’s!)

In the Mist Mall, Eve and Red Shirt run through the hall to the security room. It’s very tense, but they manage to make it without incident to the room. They also find the radio and it’s got enough batteries to work. Absolutely nothing can go wrong now!

“It screws with your mind.”

Mia gives Brian a very detailed description of what it feels like being in withdrawal. He takes a break from reminding her that he told everyone about the mist. They actually have a nice moment together and bond a little. She confides in him that she saw stuff in the mist – just leaving off that it was her mom.

“Arrowhead”

Eve and Clint are checking all the stations on the radio. They are greeted by static – nobody is answering any of the channels. Clint goes from Red Shirt to villain as he tries to get in touch with Arrowhead. He’s Shadow 41 – which is a total bad guy name. Eve understandably isn’t happy and asks what he’s doing. He barely replies to her, when she suggests they take the radio back to everyone he tells her the radio is going nowhere. She tries to make a run for it, Shadow 41 chases her. They have a fight in the hallway before Eve takes his gun and shoots him dead. Looks like I was right – he’s a redshirt bad guy!

“We should think less…”

It’s tea time at the church. Nathalie is absent but everyone assumes’s it’s her grieving. We get a shot of her opening a cupboard before cutting back to Eve in the mall. She lies to everyone about everything that happened. The way she tells the story, the radio didn’t have any batteries and she got separated from Clint in the hallway. Nobody seems’s overly concerned about him missing. Except for his group of friends who are shuffling in the corner. Eve’s onto them!

Nathalie reappears with two bottles of wine. I like this woman! She asks them all to raise a toast in honor of her husband. When the priest tries to point out that its holy wine she pours on the guilt. She tells a story about cheap wine and how much she misses her husband. This might have carried more weight if we’d actually seen him properly, but it’s sad that she’s sad. (She has wine – I’m going to agree with everything she says.) Crooked Connor ruins it all as he takes the wine away from Adrian.

“She called you babydoll”

There are some spooky shots of Bridgeville and the mist. It’s intercut with shot’s of Jay waking up and going exploring. Eve and Alex trying to sleep as Eve hides the gun. Brian and Mia are trying to sleep in the church, they’re close as Brian confides that he heard the hallucination she saw before. She isn’t going mad. As the episode closes Jay finds the shifty students from earlier have hung themselves. However, there were 3 students and only two bodies.

With that, we’ve finished episode two of ten! Overall a bit of a clunky episode. The arrowhead stuff was exciting because it was hinted at in the movie and the book. With more time I wonder if the show is going to try to expand on this. The characters are all still somewhat one note – the only exception being Nathalie. Kevin and Connor at this point are becoming very boring characters with no real depth to them. I really want to like Kevin but he’s just a little bland. Brian desperately needs to learn some new lines, but his relationship with Mia is very interesting to watch. They’re quite obviously going to fall for each other before he gets his memory back and remember’s he’s actually a bad guy! I just hope that the two episodes of setting things up will have a pay off next week.

What did you think? Is the show a keeper or should it get stranded in the mist?

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Tokyo Ghoul Goes Live Too?

David Harada

June 30, 2017

Well, 2017 has been a year where ideas have been recycled. While anime usually manages to avoid this ruckus, it too has found itself tumbled up in this mess. With Gintama, Fullmetal Alchemist, and now Tokyo Ghoul too, everything this year has been going live action. Tokyo Ghoul becoming a live-action was another title that seemed furthest from the list of adaptions. However, with the movie just releasing in Japan we will soon see whether or not it flops like most live action adaptations.

What to Expect from Tokyo Ghoul

From what we know about live action films is that they are consistent in what they bring to the table. Usually, a good-looking lead actor and actress followed by the most action-packed scenes depending on the genre. The leads tend to be fairly popular since live-action has two or three main attractions. Including the former, a high fan base for the adapted series as well as an occult following for the group that does the music. With Masataka Kubota leading the line-up we can expect the same with this film. In addition, Radwimps make their appearance once again in the film.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vEJ1USWbQo[/embedyt]

Much like a Ghoul

Live action films these days almost perfectly embody what Tokyo Ghoul. Live action films have been feeding off of well-developed games and anime for quite awhile now. Why is this a problem? When we look at the movement from anime to live action, something always gets lost in translation. As I probably mentioned before, voice actors and actresses will always be a key part to anime. When adapted everything is lost in regards to this. So in reality who are we making these live action movies for? Since it is certainly not for the fans of the original series, is it to merely introduce those with a negative affinity to anime? It seems as if catering to the masses plays a greater role than creating new content to some extent.

Positive or Negative

With all this in mind, will Tokyo Ghoul’s live action be a success? I’m a bit divided on it since the gore can be a bit too much for casual viewers. Since it is known as a popular series, it does have the capacity to make it big. Do you agree with me, comment below with your opinions.

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Anna Chlumsky, Shemar Moore to Present Emmys Nominations

Joseph Rejent

June 29, 2017

On Thursday, July 13, Anna Chlumsky and Shemar Moore will present the Television Academy’s nominations for the 69th Emmy Awards. The ceremony will take place at the Wolf Theater at the Saban Media Center, a property of the Television Academy, at 8:30 AM. It will be streamed live from Emmys.com

Chlumsky and Moore will be joined by Hayma Washington, the Television Academy’s Chairman and CEO. Washington said of the ceremony: “It has been an extraordinary year for television. The industry has never been more dynamic or inventive, and storytellers and content creators have never been more prolific. We are thrilled to have these two talented and respected performers join us in launching another exciting Emmy season.”

Shemar Moore earned acclaim for his role as Derek Morgan on Criminal Minds, which lasted 11 seasons. He will also star in the upcoming S.W.A.T., a CBS series which will begin in November. Moore is no stranger to the Emmys, however. Currently the Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series presumably occupy places on his mantle. (He won the latter category twice.)

Chlumsky herself is a frequent Emmy’s guest, having earned four consecutive nominations for her outstanding work on HBO’s excellent Veep. She will also appear in season four of (the even more excellent) Halt and Catch Fire, which has been consistently snubbed by the Emmys throughout its incredible run.

The 69th Emmy Awards will be produced by White Cherry Entertainment, with Stephen Colbert hosting. Considering the political atmosphere of the last few major awards ceremonies, Colbert is not a surprising choice. Despite the occasional media controversy, he is also likely to be a reliable choice to bring genuine humor to the evening.

Are you excited for the Emmys? Who do you think the frontrunners are for this year’s nominations? Is there anyone you think gets consistently snubbed?

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