Since CBS President and CEO Les Moonves’s vague announcement back in February that Star Trek: Discovery would premiere “sometime late summer, early fall we’re looking at right now,” Trekkies have waited on a firm announcement of the repeatedly delayed premiere date with bated breath. Thankfully, a shiny new ad and article from CBS, released today, has finally set a firm date.
American and Canadian Trekkies looking to see the premiere should set their temporal convergence arrays for September 24th, 2017. The rest of the world will have to wait until September 25th.
Star Trek: Discovery Release Date – Where To Watch
American Trekkies will be able to watch the premiere on the CBS Television Network and CBS All Access, with all subsequent episodes only available via CBS All Access. Canadian Trekkies will be able to watch the series premiere, immediately followed by the second episode, on September 24th on Space and Crave TV. Canadian viewers will then be able to tune into subsequent episodes of Star Trek: Discovery every week on Space or stream the show via Crave TV.
Trekkies living elsewhere on the planet — no information yet on how Alpha Centaurans can tune in — can watch the series on Netflix starting on September 25th, 2017. But, in an apparent bid to discourage binge-watching, Discovery will air on streaming services like Netflix in two halves. The first half of the season will be available from September 25th on, and the second half will be released — in accordance with the network broadcast schedule — in January of 2018.
Star Trek: Discovery Release Date – What To Expect
The first look trailer released in May left many Trekkies, including this one, unsure of what to expect from the new show. The trailer makes obvious that Discovery will involve the beginnings of the Klingon/Federation war and will showcase the exploits of Cmdr. Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green.
But, there’s no indication yet as to why the Klingons featured in the trailer look radically different from any previous incarnation of the alien race, how Spock’s father Sarek will fit into the show, how the dastardly Harry Mudd will work his way into the action, or how the USS Discovery will figure in the show — the trailer shows Cmdr. Burnham aboard the USS Shenzhou.
Glow‘s strong narrative combined with an incredible ensemble performance make this show one the best of the summer television season.
Summary
The show centers around failing actress Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie). Ruth ventured out to Hollywood in search of stardom, and all she has found is poverty and no roles that suit her. Faced with the prospects of either turning to roles in erotica, she takes an audition for what is described as “interesting women.” She is encouraged to keep going for her dream by Debbie (Betty Gilpin) who once gave up her acting dream to start a family. She arrives at the audition, and former B-movie director Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron) lays it out to the ladies that this audition is for a women’s wrestling show (GLOW). Ruth is faced with the decision of going through with an audition for a show she knows little about or to just hope another gig happens for her.
What Worked
The production value of the show was top notch. The spandex, the fluorescent colors, and the hair are all meant to take the audience back to 1985.
The soundtrack to the show was skillfully but together. The music becomes integral to certain moments that take place in the first episode.
The strength in the show isn’t in the leads but the ensemble as a whole. While Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, and Marc Maron are certainly fantastic, Kimmy Gatewood/Rebekka Johnson deserve praise as well. The chemistry this show exhibits is reminiscent of the same chemistry you see in Orange Is The New Black. With some shows, you can envision certain cast members not being part of the narrative, but that certainly isn’t true in GLOW.
Loved Alison Brie’s character a great deal. While her character is seeking to achieve some measure of fame in Hollywood, she’s not settling for any parts that are demeaning.
Betty Gilpin is beautiful as well. She represents the other end of the acting spectrum. Alison gave up acting to become a stay at home mother. She appears to love being at home for most of the first episode.
Marc Maron just oozes the type of sleaze that a wrestling promoter from the 1980’s would have. Perfect pick and allowing him to just be Marc Maron was even a better call.
Liz Flahive (Nurse Jackie) and Carly Mensch (Orange is the New Black) have created a show that both celebrates the empowerment of women along with the glitz/cheesiness of the 1980’s. Remember in an era where the WWE was dominating the wrestling world that just the idea of a female-driven wrestling program was absurd. GLOW succeed because of the hard work of wrestlers like a “Ruth” that created unforgettable personas for the audiences to latch onto.
Overall
Beneath the glitz and the flying elbows, GLOW is a pretty smart show. It’s not a documentary of the organization based out of Las Vegas from 1986-1990. It a narrative about a group of women finding their way in a profession (acting/wrestling) that was dominated by men. Audiences will be leaping at the chance to binge watch this series, and I imagine Netflix’s announcement of the second season of GLOW will follow shortly after.
The MOVIE SHOW is finally here! EJ and Matt look ahead to Edgar Wright’s ‘Baby Driver,’ and we analyze the evolution of the action hero. Plus, on the first half of the show, we have an interview filmmaker Colin Trevorrow (Star Wars: Episode IX).
Strap yourself in buckaroos! Episode 126 of the MOVIE SHOW by Monkeys Fighting Robots is here.
Do you want to be our SUPER-FAN of the week? All you have to do is comment on this podcast to be eligible.
Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show? Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.
About the Monkeys Fighting Robots Podcast:
A Gen Xer and a Millennial debate the latest topics in pop culture. One guy is a filmmaker and the other is a journalist, but both are nerds. We make your slowest days at work better. Hosts, Matthew Sardo and EJ Moreno.
Never heard of Matt Sardo? For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.
Who’s EJ Moreno? Is he a trained physician? No. Is he a former Miss Universe contestant? Possibly. But what we know for sure is he’s a writer, filmmaker, and pop culture enthusiast. Since film school, EJ has written & directed several short films. He’s used his passion of filmmaking to become a movie critic for MonkeysFightingRobots.com.
In its third weekend of release, Wonder Woman has crossed the $500 Million mark.
Although it came in second to Cars 3 at the domestic box office, the Gal Gadot-led superhero flick brought in another $41 Million, giving it a total of $571.8 worldwide.
The raw numbers are impressive, but what gets me is the film’s legs. The third weekend only saw a 30 percent drop from its second weekend, which is unprecedented for a movie to do, especially in the crowded summer.
What were your thoughts on Wonder Woman? Share your comments down below.
Oliver Stone is one of the most seminal filmmakers of our time. He is an incredible writer and director, who has turned out some of the most critically acclaimed and influential films of the last thirty years, including Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Wall Street, JFK, and Nixon amongst many others. As an enormous political junkie, when I heard that Stone was granted unprecedented access to the enigmatic Russian president Vladimir Putin in order to conduct over a dozen interviews over the course of two years for a documentary, I was extremely excited and intrigued. I awaited the premiere of Showtime’s four-part documentary series, The Putin Interviews, with high anticipation and expectations – especially in light of the controversial (and still debated in some circles) role that Russia played in the 2016 presidential election. As it turns out, Oliver Stone produced a compelling, insightful, rare, and not entirely unsympathetic look at the enigmatic Russian leader.
Angry faces and dirt floors liter this week’s episode of Twin Peaks. We finally get to know Diane while both Coops face down important challenges. But with an uptick in momentum, will Hawk’s investigation lead to all parties meeting in Twin Peaks?
The Case
The body in Buckhorn is likely Major Garland Briggs. Well, except for the body being the wrong age. According to the Buckhorn corner, the body expired a few days before Air Force Lieutenant Knox arrived in town and was in its mid-40s at the time of death. Major Briggs would be in in 70s…
After harsh words and some damn fine coffee, Cole convinced Diane Evans to visit with Bad Cooper in South Dakota. Once there, Diane quickly determined that the Cooper behind bars lacks a heart.
Curiously, Tammy’s investigation revealed Bad Coop’s are the mirror image of the Bureau’s files. Let’s say it all together: “Doppelganger …. Doppelganger.” Cole seemed to figured out the meaning of the prints, even if he wouldn’t let on to Tammy or Albert, but Diane definitely confirmed his suspicions. He even asked the warden to hold onto Bad Coop for a little longer.
Unfortunately for Cole, Bad Cooper had plans of his own. By invoking Mr. Strawberry and implying a few details about the warden’s business, he secured release for himself and Ray Monroe (George Griffith). If you’ll recall, he was the reason Bad Coop was headed to that part of South Dakota in the first place.
As the two left the prison, Ray seemed pretty sure of himself. One wonder how long it’ll be before he winds up dead.
Back in Vegas, the police questioned Cooper about Dougie’s car. Luckily, Janey-E was there to be awesome, pushy and answer questions. But even as she works to get her house in order, Dougie’s dealings still put her in danger. Ike the Spike appeared in the office park courtyard to take out Coop, but he sprang to temporary life to stop the hit. The Arm also appeared to make a suggestion or two about the situation.
The Updates
This week, we’re moving Hawk’s investigation to the Updates section as the pages he found last episode came from Laura Palmer’s secret diary. They literally continue a thread from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me in which Annie Blackburn (Heather Graham) asked Laura to write down that Cooper is still in the Lodge. At the time it was an exciting call-forward in the prequel film. Now, it may finally lead Hawk to what is really missing.
The pages also piqued the interest of Frank Truman. After a heartbreaking phone call with Harry, Frank called on the one other person to see Cooper after the Black Lodge: Doc Hayward (Warren Frost). Via Skype, Hayward said he saw Cooper fully dressed and walking around the hospital’s intensive care unit.
The Skype call also revealed that Audrey Horne slipped into a coma after the bank bombing in 1991. It is unclear if she is still in that coma. The Secret History of Twin Peak‘s one mention of her suggested something more miraculous and mobile.
Speaking of Hornes, Andy tracked down the truck Richard was driving last episode to its rightful owner. The owner was too terrified to speak, but agreed to meet him later. Sadly, Andy won’t learn the truth as the owner is now missing or dead. Also on the Horne front, Ben was surprised to see Cooper’s room key return to the hotel. It momentarily distracted him from the constant humming sound in the walls of his office and the continuing frisson with Beverly Paige (Ashley Judd).
For her part, we now know she was not in town when Laura was murdered and is supporting a cancer-stricken husband. Cancer gets around like the dark forces of the Black Lodge.
And in one of the most deep-cut revelations yet, Jean-Michel Renault(Walter Olkewicz) announced to an unheard caller that the family owns the Roadhouse and has for years. They’re also dealing in the town’s prostitution ring and it seems Michel’s respect for the age of consent is as rock solid as Jacques’ was.
The Questions
Where’s Annie? She had roots in town, but no one is asking her whereabouts.
Who or what is the spectral prospector? In both of his appearances, he’s been at the Buckhorn police station. Is he just a local ghost or is he connected to the Black Lodge?
Is Audrey still in a coma?
What happened between Diane and Cooper the last time they saw each other? And when did it happen?
How much does Cole know about the Black Lodge? Backwards talking was no surprise to him.
What is in the final missing page from Laura’s secret diary?
Is the humming at the Great Northern the work of Josie Packard? She is still presumably trapped in the carpentry.
Did anyone ever go looking for Jerry?
No, seriously, why does everyone tolerate Coop’s inability to answer questions? It’s way beyond a Lynchian quirk now.
Why was part of Ike’s hand fused to the gun he pulled on Coop?
Not about Judy
This week, we can safely say that we’re not gonna talk about Judy. We’re not gonna talk about Judy at all. In fact, we’re going to leave her out out of this.
The Memory of Cigarettes
Warren Frost’s cameo was a welcome reminder of the warmth embedded in the original Twin Peaks. Even as they tried to dirty up his character at the end of season two, all has been mercifully forgotten and we can enjoy seeing Doc Hayward one last time. Like the other return engagements on the show from dearly departed cast members, Frost’s is bittersweet before it gets to be nostalgic. And like Catherine E. Coulson and Miguel Ferrer, it is great they managed to film a few scenes before all of their untimely deaths.
Hopefully, the amount of time Part 7 spent in Twin Peaks is a harbinger of The Return promised in the publicity materials. Though the strange threads in South Dakota and Las Vegas have their charms — and occasionally hilarious scenes — it is time for the show to stop teasing the audience.
You could even say the show is quite aware of this considering the amount of dead air during the Roadhouse scene this week. That painfully long take of the man sweeping up the floor has to be an indication that Lynch knows how long we’ve been waiting to see Coop walk into the sheriff’s station with big smiles, jelly donuts and damn fine coffee.
Sitting at the wayside for most mystery anime, Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru is rarely heard of. With Detective Conan stealing all the mystery spotlight for many years, anything that lasts less than a season tends to fall short. While this may be the case for Sakurako-san, the anime does have its highlights and is well worth watching. If you can get past the repetitive scene where Sakurakouses her “intelligence”, you will have a good time.
Sakurako-san Summary
Upon meeting Sakurako-san, Shoutarou knew that his life would change for better or worse. Sakurako Kujou has a fascinating, yet strange hobby/profession. With an obsession with bones, she is an Osteologist, studier of bones. Although she has a dislike of interpersonal relationships she takes Shoutarou as something like an apprentice. Thanks to this Shoutarou and Sakurako are bound by fate and begin their adventures together. During their adventures, they have a habit of finding human remains as well.
Kadokawa Delivers
Sakurako-san, produced by Kadokawa, delivers in almost every regard. Starting from a compelling episodic plot to artwork that does an anime series proud. With interesting mysteries that aren’t overly complex. Instead, it lends to reality more than other shows. At the same time, the imperfections in its characters are what makes the anime. Sakurako-san despite being considered a beauty shows her flaws through emotions and character interactions. While not everything is completely believable, it brings it that much closer to reality.
Verdict
Sakurako-san is unfortunately 12 episodes long and because of this, it may leave you longing for more. However, in these twelve episodes, you can associate with the characters a fair amount, leaving the viewer satisfied. With this in mind, I highly recommend this to anyone with a bit of free time. Enjoy a bit of a mystery and decent story to boot.
Johannes Roberts’ thriller 47 Meters Down uses a simple premise mixed with a frightening yet realistic scenario to create one of the biggest surprises of the summer movie season.
Summary
The film centers around two sisters, Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt). They are on a vacation getaway in Mexico for two very different reasons. Kate is the last minute replacement for Lisa’s boyfriend, and Lisa is trying to forget that her boyfriend just dumped her. Kate doesn’t realize this at first, but Lisa confesses to Kate about 10 minutes into the story that her ex-boyfriend accused her of being too boring. Kate immediately sets out to help Lisa make her ex very jealous. They go out for a night of drinking and inevitably meet up with two hunky Latino men. The party goes on all night long. Over the course of the drinking and dancing, they find out that these men want to take them shark-cage diving (what could go wrong?). Immediately Lisa is against the idea, but Kate wins her over with the promise of great photos that they could post on Facebook (sigh).
If Lisa wasn’t scared before, she should have been shaking when she saw the condition of Captain Taylor’s (Matthew Modine) boat. The ship appears to be held together with duct tape and a ton of prayers. Nevertheless, they still end up going through with the dive which at first seems to be going quite well. It quickly turns into a nightmare as the cable attached to the cage snaps in two and the screaming girls descend 47 meters down to the floor of the ocean. Now the girls are faced with the prospects of having been served up to the Great White Sharks below on top of their oxygen running out. Their only hope is that the Coast Guard shows up to rescue them before it is too late.
What Worked
Screenwriters Ernest Riera and Johannes Roberts didn’t seek to complicate the film’s storyline. They did, however, focus their attention on creating situations where the intensity of the scares was heightened. Instead of simply just having the shark cage snap and the girls plummet below, they made sure the captain had put an obscene amount of chum in the water to attract any number of sharks. Rather than having the girls have plenty of air to last them as they await their rescue, Lisa and Kate were on the brink of their tanks being empty just after the cable snapped. Riera and Roberts are consistently playing on the audience’s deepest fears.
Even though Roberts uses CGI Sharks for the film, the lack of space in the cage creates a sense of claustrophobia for the audience. He shows us sometimes less is more.
Mandy Moore and Claire Holt certainly played their roles well. They aren’t going to win any Oscars for this film, but each had me convinced just how frightened they were.
What Didn’t Work
Matthew Modine is cast as a ship captain and attempts to look the part by growing just the weakest looking beard ever. Not every person who works on a boat has facial hair.
Overall
47 Meters Down isn’t going to compete with the likes of Cars 3 this weekend at the box-office. However, if you were to compare the overall quality of both releases, I’d have to say that 47 Meters Down is a better film. Mandy Moore and Claire Holt’s latest release offers something original to an audience which is not the case with a movie like Cars 3. Not only will 47 Meters Down scare the hell out audiences, but they will also have a good time as well.
Demetrius Shipp Jr. delivers a ferocious performance in the lead role but is hampered by All Eyez On Me‘s disjointed and bloated narrative.
Summary
All Eyez On Me is an attempt at telling the life story of rapper Tupac Shakur. Director Benny Boon uses Shakur’s incarceration stemming from his posse being charged with raping a young groupie as a narrative device to frame this film’s story. While in prison, Tupac agrees to a series of interviews with a journalist (played by Hill Harper). The reporter covers everything from his mother’s involvement in the Black Panther movement, his dad’s arrest for armed robbery, and his big break with the band Digital Underground. The film goes off in a different direction when Mr. Shakur is released from prison and signs with Death Row Records. We see the influence of Suge Knight on his career as Tupac quickly ascends to the top once again only to see his life tragically ended at the age of 25.
What Worked
Casting Demetrius Shipp as Tupac was absolutely a great decision. He was able to capture the intensity of the young performer and embody the intelligent man that he was. Anytime he was on stage performing or in the midst of creating Tupac’s sound in the studio; I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. His performance was one of the best of the summer. It’s a shame it was wasted on a film this rife with issues.
Jarret Ellis nailed his role of playing Snoop.
Danai Gurira was tremendous as Afeni Shakur. Gurira was able to project strength towards others as she fought for equality and love for her children even when she was deep in the throes of addiction.
What Didn’t Work
This type of project should not have ended up in Director Benny Boom’s hands. While I understand that other directors had quit this project, a biography of such a controversial pop culture icon shouldn’t have fallen in the lap of a director whose best work involved music videos. Boom’s simply not a story teller. He can capture the best in a music performance which is why Shipp’s performance stood out. If you give this film to a Spike Lee, Ryan Cooger, F. Gary Gray, or John Singleton, then the result could have been entirely different.
The film seemed very concerned with covering every single part of Shakur’s life rather than attempting to develop a story for the audience. Writers Eddie Gonzalez, Jeremy Haft, and Steven Bagatourian appeared to craft this narrative by Googling Tupac. Yes, we understand that his mother was a member of the Black Panther party but how did that shape his thinking? We know that going to prison changed Tupac but how did that impact his personal life? The film is extremely thin and plays out more like an episode of Behind the Music than any feature film.
Apparently, Jada Pinkett and Tupac went to the same high school in New York and rather than exploring this relationship they turned into a will they/won’t they narrative. Very melodramatic and nothing more.
Overall
All Eyez On Me is a perfect example of how having the perfect lead doesn’t guarantee a great final product. Having the correct team of director and writers is often what makes or breaks a film. F. Gary Gray didn’t just have scene upon scene of how the members of N.W.A. grew up; he told the story of how racial injustice impacted the crew. Audiences already know who Tupac and N.W.A. are so, please tell us something new. Where’s the untold story? In Straight Outta Compton, we somewhat saw the untold story. In All Eyez On Me, what we got was shameful. The great performances in the film are wasted on a disjointed narrative that wants to tell us everything but fails to do so. Everyone is well aware of what Tupac did during his career but why should I be motivated to spend money on your version of events? The answer is that no one should as All Eyez On Me is a complete waste of time and an insult to Tupac’s legacy.
Think this whole Spider-Man/MCU/Venom situation couldn’t get any more complicated? Well, think again.
An interview with Amy Pascal, a Sony Executive, and Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios President, shows Pascal claiming that all of these recently announced Spider-Man spinoff films take place within the Marvel cinematic universe.
[BREAKING NEWS] Amy Pascal confirm Black Cat and Vanom movie will pass in the same universe of "Spider-Man: Homecoming pic.twitter.com/qfAKOulqwE
Although we’ve been told the universes will be kept seperate, it looks like that is not the case any longer.
“Those movie will all take place in the world that we’re creating for Peter Parker. I mean, they’ll be adjunct to it; they may be different locations, but it will still all be in the same world and they will be connected to each other as well.”
After being asked about the chance of Tom Holland appearing in a Sony-developed Spidey spinoff, she said:
“[Laughing] There’s always a chance.”
Is this a backdoor way of getting R-rated films in the MCU? Given that a true Venom movie likely needs the mature rating to be done well, this might be the solution.
