Sam Mendes isn’t directing the live action update of James and The Giant Peach for Disney anymore. But he may be directing Pinocchio.
Variety reports that Mendes, who certainly isn’t the first person I’d think of for any of these movies, is circling the live-action update of the puppet who became a real boy. Nothing is official yet, but it seems like a formality. Mendes is currently tied up with his stage play The Ferryman, so he hasn’t been able to meet with Disney execs to ink a deal.
Pinocchio, with Dumbo, is next in line for a live-action remake. That Dumbo movie has Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, so keep your fingers crossed that one won’t be just a total mess. And while Mendes doesn’t feel like the obvious choice from the get go, Pinocchio does have a bit of darkness to it. Especially in those scenes where he and Lampwick turn into donkeys and smoke cigars and all that. It could be intriguing to see just how dark Mendes takes the story, or how far he’s allowed to go with it.
Storied actor Richard Gere stars in Norman: The Moderate Rise And Fall Of A New York Fixer, a film about a mediocre man’s attempt, through sheer will, to put his life into a better place. Let’s face it, we all secretly desire to be part of the cool crowd. The difference is, who do you consider cool? For Gere’s Norman, cool are people with power and influence, and that’s who he wants to hang out with. However, does Norman have the power or influence to get people to watch the film?
Richard Gere carries this film like
Atlas with the world on his back.
The story goes like this: Norman Oppenheimer is a “fixer” or what’s sometimes referred to as a “Court Jew.” Others might use terms like huckster or even con-artist. Norman spends his life trying to get as close as he can to people in power. Norman does this in a few ways, but often by saying some very important person (VIP) is “his friend.” Norman befriends a young Israeli politician who later becomes a VIP and changes Norman’s life for better and worse.
Richard Gere carries this film like Atlas with the world on his back. Gere is oddly compelling, like a character out of a Woody Allen movie. It suits much of the film which feels inspired by Allen’s works. Gere’s performance, cadence, and accent are so flawless that it could be mistaken as the actor’s actual speaking voice. Gere chameleons here and it’s fun to watch.
The characters around Gere each play their part well. Steven Buscemi is a rabbi who is every bit as fantastic as it sounds. Lior Ashkenazi is the Israeli politician who balances out the somewhat ridiculous nature of the film. But perhaps it’s Hank Azaria who steals the show in a cameo as an alternative Norman.
As the title suggests, Norman is of moderate entertainment value.
Norman is a comedy of sorts, but one that never produces huge laughs, just smart chuckles. The first act of the film is mind-numbingly slow, but it’s serving a purpose. The movie is a slow-burn kind of film that builds and builds, becoming more and more absurd while never leaving reality completely behind.
The writing is sharp but sometimes offset by directing choices that are inconsistent. The best parts of the visuals allow the dialogue and performance to become the focus. At other times, it seems to try a bit too hard to be artsy. But perhaps the weakest aspect of the movie is the overabundance of music that’s repetitive. It reminded me of old school video games with limited music that just kept repeating time and again. While the music in a film should have a theme running through it, here it’s somewhat monotonous and distracting.
As the title suggests, Norman is of moderate entertainment value. It’s never hitting hilarious highs, but it also doesn’t bog itself down. Although, the film does cater to a specific audience, specifically one who enjoys dialogue and theatre.
The family of Sir Roger Moore has announced the sad news of the actor’s passing via Twitter. In a statement posted to the social network, it was said that he died, aged 89, after “a short but brave fight with cancer”.
With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated. pic.twitter.com/6dhiA6dnVg
He was perhaps most famous for taking over from Sean Connery as James Bond in 1973. He appeared as the iconic English secret agent in seven films. The English actor was also a key figure on the stage and small screen, but he was most proud of his humanitarian work, most notably with UNICEF.
The emotional statement written by his children finished with the beautiful tribute:
“Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people.”
Our thoughts go out to the family of Sir Roger Moore at this difficult time.
Nintendo has announced “Summer of Play 2017”, where gamers nationwide will get their hands on select Nintendo Switch and 3DS games.
“Try out the latest games for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS family of systems at Summer of Play 2017, touring cities across the nation all summer long.”
The playable Switch games include ARMS, Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, 1,2 Switch, Snipperclips, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Ultra Street Fighter 2, Super Bomberman R, and Minecraft.
Included games on the 3DS side of things are Hey Pikmin, Miitopia, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Super Mario Maker, and Super Smash Bros. 4.
The tour will spread all around the United States, with several cities in California, and others in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Illinois, New York, and Maryland. Click here for specific dates and times.
Will you be taking part in Nintendo’s 2017 summer tour? Sound off in the comments below.
Yesterday, Universal Studios officially released some information regarding their new shared Monster Universe, which will kick off with The Mummy in a couple of weeks. It has an official name, The Dark Universe, and a few snippets of cast and crew for upcoming movies were announced. One new addition to the universe was an inspired bit of casting, the one announced director even better. The other one was Johnny Depp.
We all know by now what’s happening with The Mummy: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella as the mummy, Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll, batshit crazy trailers, and a whole mess of Tom Cruise running and shouting. I have my reservations, but I’ve at least come around to the fact that it should be fun.
Then, this announcement yesterday let us know that Javier Bardem has been cast as Frankenstein’s Monster and the next film in The Dark Universe, Bride of Frankenstein, will be directed by Bill Condon – which is absolute perfection since Condon directed the James Whale biopic Gods and Monsters. But Universal also had some bad news to give us, that the personification of Steven Tyler’s microphone stand, the “wacky pirate” himself, Johnny Depp, would play The Invisible Man in what will likely be the third entry into The Dark Universe.
Having Johnny Depp anywhere near this franchise is a garbage move from Universal. It makes almost no sense these days, and it’s flat, uninspired, lazy casting. Because we no longer have 1990s Depp, or even early 2000s Depp, when his idiosyncrasies were endearing, his craft intriguing, and even his work in between Tim Burton films was worth seeing. Gone is the quirky charmer with the tattoos and the clove cigarettes and wisps of jet black hair we all loved. Instead we have a puffy, necklace-obsessed, fedora-sporting egomaniac who’s allegedly inching ever closer to bankruptcy thanks to his penchant for maintaining islands and buying expensive wine. Plus, he appears to be an insufferable diva these days.
Reports this month surfaced regarding Depp’s issues on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean 11 or whatever we’re on now. Depp would alienate his cast and crew, mail in his performance, show up late and drunk, and be just an overall pain in the ass during filming. Maybe these are rumors, but nobody from Depp’s camp has bothered to rebut the claims.
Depp certainly appears to be battling the bottle and a dozen or so inner demons, and who really knows the truth behind that whole domestic issue between he and Amber Heard. If that wasn’t bad enough, these reports come on the heels of an incredible run of mediocrity over the last decade, a stunning mixture of poor critical reception and box office failure: Dark Shadows, The Lone Ranger,Transcendence, Mortdecai, Black Mass (don’t even try to tell me this was good), Alice Through the Looking Glass… these are merely highlights of a wasteland of terrible films from an actor who doesn’t seem to care about the work he’s doing anymore.
Yet here he is, without any box office clout, or admirable work ethic, or any discernible ability to do anything aside from playing the super wacky eccentric with the accessories, cast as The Invisible Man. The Universal Monsters were for me, like so many of us out there, singular moments in my evolution as a movie lover. I remember my grandmother showing me Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man and, yes, The Invisible Man, when I was 9, 10, 11… the mythology of these characters is woven into the tapestry of my cinephile DNA. Having this new universe clearly go in the direction of action/adventure is one thing, but The Mummy at least has the action/adventure GOAT in Tom Cruise; and it has Russell Crowe. And Frankenstein has Javier Bardem. The Invisible Man, an incredible story about a mad scientist who turns himself invisible and cannot handle the psychological windfall of this breakthrough, has a lazy diva who’s spent more money on necklaces than I’ve made in my lifetime.
What a perfect place for Universal to add some diversity to their Dark Universe. What a squandered opportunity. Having an African-American actor, someone like Get Out‘s Daniel Kaluuya, would be fresh and exciting – and inclusionary. Or, leaning older, what about Don Cheadle? Hell, imagine what Samuel L. Jackson could do with such an inventive role? If they didn’t want to go that route, why not call Oscar Isaac? He would be great. You know who else would be great in The Invisible Man? Literally anyone but Johnny Depp. Universal has shown zero creativity with this casting.
But here we are, with a rotting apple at the bottom of Hollywood’s fruit bowl, an actor whose bit just about everyone has grown weary of, anchoring what should be a major tentpole franchise picture. Again. And studios can’t figure out why people are getting tired of multiplexes and actual good movies are relocating to place like Netflix or HBO at alarming rates. This was just another missed opportunity from a shared universe who clearly spends a fraction of their time and brain power on casting as they do marketing and CGI.
At least this time we shouldn’t have to see much of Johnny Depp. Just his stupid hat, disembodied, floating above a dozen necklaces and scarves.
In our current state of comic book movies, post-credits scene are often assumed to exist. The trend was started in the early stages of the Marvel cinematic universe, when Nick Fury offered the Avengers initiative to Tony Stark.
Although these scenes are often essential in world building, it looks like the next DC extended universe film won’t include one.
Cinemablend talked to Wonder Woman producer Charles Roven, and here’s what he said on the matter.
“No. I’m not going to say we’d never do one – there was one in Suicide Squad. But I don’t think that we want to feel that we’re forced to do something just because we didn’t in the past.”
How do you feel about Wonder Woman lacking a credits scene of any kind? Given that this film is a period piece set in World War 1, it actually makes sense. However, I assumed Warner Bros. would decide to switch time periods at the end for the sake of throwing in a character tease or easter egg.
“Wonder Woman hits movie theaters around the world next summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.”
Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot as the title character, Chris Pine, Robin Wright as Antiope, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Connie Nielsen, Ewen Bremner, and Lucy Davis.
Despite other online streaming services growing in popularity, as well as creating a lot of great original content, Netflix is still the most popular. A Netflix subscription gives you access to their incredibly successful original series and movies. It also gives you access to a large range of series and movies from other networks.
Or so it should.
Unfortunately, if you live outside the U.S., you may not have access to the majority of content available on American Netflix. Due to copyright conflicts with regional cable suppliers, Netflix is forced to block certain series and movies depending on the country. You might be lucky to have access to almost everything. Or you may have access to a mere percentage.
For this reason, people around the world have been using a VPN for Netflix access. A VPN (virtual private network) routes your connection through a remote server, making it seem like you are connecting from the U.S. (or anywhere else).
But it’s no longer a simple choice. This is what you need to know before paying for a VPN to unblock Netflix.
Netflix are getting good at blocking VPNs
Although it’s probably beneficial to Netflix to let things be (and rack up more and more subscriptions from around the world), authorities have come down hard on the streaming service. This has subsequently caused Netflix to increase its security measures, and can now detect and block VPNs that were once quite handy.
One of the popular alternatives is to use a Smart DNS service. These are proxies that are usually cheaper than VPNs, and have had success beating Netflix’s block. However, since they do not encrypt your data, it is recommended that you stay away from them. Data security is more important than the couple of dollars you might save.
And, importantly, there are VPNs that still work.
Which VPNs still unblock Netflix?
Although Netflix’s block managed to counter many fan-favorites, there are still some great VPNs that unblock Netflix. These include ExpressVPN, VyprVPN, Buffered, PrivateVPN, and more.
It is crucial, however, that before you dive into a subscription with one of these sites, you do the requisite research. What worked yesterday may no longer work today. This is also a reason to purchase short-term subscriptions, rather than paying a discounted price for a full year upfront.
You should also research exactly what each service provides. Some have stronger encryption services. The ideal is that they have a “no logs” policy. However, if they do keep logs, it is far better that they keep only connection logs and not usage logs. Usage logs will reveal your actual activity.
Use a VPN even in the U.S.
One more important point to consider is that a VPN is recommended even to those who have full access to Netflix (or whatever other streaming services they like). VPNs encrypt your data, keeping you protected from hackers and government surveillance.
It is really frustrating that Netflix blocks these services even to those who are not trying to access blocked contents. So, even if you live in the U.S., make sure the VPN you choose is going to work with the streaming service you love.
There are days when reporting the news is an awful job, and yesterday was a day like that.
Zack Snyder is stepping down from ‘Justice League’ in order to deal with the sudden death of his daughter, the filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter. The film is and post-production and Joss Whedon take over post and the shooting of some additional scenes.
This is a time for nerds to come together and put positive vibes out into the world in Snyder’s time of need.
Thank you, Zack Snyder for all that you have done, and we wish you and your family only the best.
Git Gone brings us to the halfway point into American Gods’ first season. For the first time, the traditional American Gods format has been ditched. And, for the first time, American Gods took a step back on quality storytelling.
Here’s the thing – the first season of American Gods is only 8 episodes. Eight precious hours to move the story forward. There shouldn’t be time to revisit events that were already mentioned in previous episodes.
Git Gone does not open with a vignette involving a God. It doesn’t spend time following Shadow and Wednesday on their trek to gather the Old Gods in preparation of war. Nor does make you think or question your beliefs. It is just a rehashing of story bits that end exactly where the previous episode had.
We spend the entirety of the episode from the perspective of Laura Moon, a character who is not likable, and certainly not as compelling as any other shown thus far. We didn’t need a reminder of her unfaithfulness to Shadow, or her demise in the car crash, or her resurrection.
While this episode was mostly unnecessary, it still holds some value. It is still written well, and the visuals are on point – particularly a bloody Laura hobbling down the street, carrying her arm. This occurs after her demolishing of Technical Boy’s faceless henchmen and saving Shadow from a lynching (from back in the first episode). Laura’s back and forth with Anubis is also a scene worth noting. It is a gripping scene about living a life without faith and a heavy heart.
Some fans may say this is a much needed breath of fresh air. It’s just that most of the episode could have been explained through brief flashbacks and conversational exposition.
If you haven’t yet, read the Monkeys Fighting Robots reviews of the previous episodes:
As WWE Backlash dropped the curtain with a celebrating Jinder Mahal as champ like many other fans I wondered, what did I just see? The entertainment spectacle known as WWE brand professional wrestling has seen many changes over the eras. Yet in many ways it looks like this era is desperately trying to figure out who it is. Not quite an identity crisis as much as the WWE has recently committed to so many things fans figured would never happen. So what happens when all the things this company never does becomes things that they do. When all is said what will this era of wrestling be known as? Because last night made one thing perfectly clear. We are not in Kansas anymore.
Those who follow wrestling closely have posed the idea that we find ourselves in the ‘Reality’ era, the ‘NXT/WWE’ era, or the ‘New’ era. Yet none of those seem to not quite capture what we are in the middle of. This era expands in a multitude of ways that was unknown to previous eras. From the Network to video games to a film production company, the WWE is clearly maturing beyond the point of professional wrestling. Instead it is developing as a fully faceted multimedia hydra. Perhaps this is instead the ‘Expansion’ era.
WWE Network
With the introduction of the WWE Network the company has managed to take control of an aspect of TV programming that has been missing in all of the previous eras. In previous eras programming has primarily been controlled by media providers and cable companies. Which has resulted in such enterprises calling the shots for airtime and even content. Interestingly enough the WWE Network has taken the control and given it to the average fan. A hard line to be sure but a gamble that seems to be paying off.
Talk About Variety
Recently while watching a PPV shown on said network, I marveled at seeing men like Kevin Owens and AJ Styles on the same card with John Cena and Randy Orton. The worlds of independent wrestling and the WWE mainstream crossing in ways no one had ever called or perceived. While it may not seem like it, we are not long past the days where AJ Styles in a WWE ring was considered a hopeless fantasy.
Available Content
In that vein, shows like 205 Live highlights the antithesis of the ‘McMahon’ formula by featuring cruiserweights and technical showcases. NXT has gone from an almost crude reality show to a nearly cult-like phenomenon. Women have prominent roles and main event pay per views (PPVs). The network features ‘reality’ variety shows either in live action or animated. The Network catalog is cream for long time fans that remember previous wrestling entities like AWA, WCCW and Mid-South. Never in any era has there been more variety in style, form and figure. What we all knew as wrestling now accepts most stars regardless of variables that would normally deny some performers a WWE stage. In this sense of inclusion no wrestling fan is actually left behind. Instead they are invited to pick their poison.
Perception
For most fans wrestling lives and dies in the ring. As it should. It is the current stories and characters that should be used to sell the rest. Wrestling has the unerring task of having to stay relevant at all times. What we see in the ring is a direct reflection of the world we tolerate or do not tolerate around us. Wrestling struggles with ideas of power and authority. Fans know that decisions are sometimes made just for the purpose of aggravating the fan base. In this way of telling stories and selling its fiction it is no different from any other movie, sitcom, or staged play.
Leads and Co-Stars
The irony of it all is that wrestling’s greatest asset and biggest weakness are its fans. Fans of wrestling easily take ownership of their product. Mostly due to the idea that unlike any other entertainment media the fans are also performers in the show. Like most co-stars wrestling fans and performers don’t always agree on how the plot should go and who should get first billing. Even more so complacency and change have dramatic impact on fan reactions. There should be an interesting ‘backlash’ from the Mahal victory. Just as there has been from recent choices in character direction and show designations.
Suspension of Story
As confusing as it may seem it makes an eerie kind of sense. Wrestling is currently wall-less. When the walls are torn down and realities leak into others through social media, public relations, charity and fan events, the fervor that used to drive fans must change. In this idea the foundation must be reset. Conventions that have always been set in stone are melting like ice caps. Gone are the traditional standards of kayfabe, heel and face ideologies. Instead they are mutable points. Still the lynchpins, but no longer the story. Fans don’t wonder as much if it’s real. They wonder why certain decisions are made. In forums all over the web the main subject is ‘Why did they?’ The fan base has matured beyond the suspension of disbelief as much as it now can’t suspend the ‘WTF’ from certain plot points.
Reality of Eras
With all of that being said what should be clear here is that as fans we are in uncharted waters. As a company so is the WWE. Now I won’t advocate for going easy on them. Mostly because I know wrestling fans and they won’t listen. Which is a blessing and a curse. However try not to be so quick to trash what was once something we thought we’d never ever see on a WWE stage. As far as being willing to go outside of the box there is not a more interesting time to be a wrestling fan. This new ‘Expansion’ era is the result of the Larger than Life super hero caricatures of the 80’s. It lives because of the base titillation of the ‘Attitude’ Era. Even the PG era contributed.
With the rising of Jinder, in the evil twin role of Daniel Bryan, we are firmly rooted in the ‘Expansion’ Era. Also try to ignore the snickering from the WWE as they whisper, “Gotcha!” May we enjoy these boundless, anything can happen times. It will be walled up again before you know it.
