Most of us comic/movie nerds already know what to expect from the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War. But for those few who don’t know, and official synopsis has finally been released by Marvel Studios. You can read it below.
As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
Nothing terribly surprising, but it’s still cool to see “Thanos”, “despot”, and “intergalactic infamy” in the press release for a real movie if you ask me! Time to dig out those Infinity Gauntlet comics before the film comes out!
Avengers: Infinity War is filming now under directors Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
The (huge!) cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as the villain Thanos. The movie and its as-yet-untitled sequel are filming back-to-back for a May 4, 2018, and May 3, 2019, release, respectively.
Although we’ve seen Mera’s look in the upcoming Justice League film, up until now we had no idea of what she’d look like in the James Wan directed Aquaman. However, that changed when Wan and Amber Heard, actor behind the character, images on Twitter.
Joining Heard in Aquaman is Jason Momoa as the title character, Willem Defoe as Vulko, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Patrick Wilson as Orm, and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna.
The film is slated to hit theaters on December 21, 2018.
WONDER WOMAN is great. My favorite of the recent DC movies. It's fierce, funny, well-written and badass. @GalGadot owns it. Her lasso FTW pic.twitter.com/rQ0ufZxWXP
Best part of ‘Wonder Woman’ is the film has really funny parts and an optimistic and heroic protagonist. Great step forward for DC Films. pic.twitter.com/pAwm8j6y34
So, now i can tell u that i LOVED the Wonder Woman film! everything i wanted in a WW movie & more. Congrats @PattyJenks@GalGadot
— Marc Andreyko – Writer of Stuff (@marcandreyko) May 19, 2017
Needless to say, the buzz is positive right now. As we get closer to release date it will be interesting to see how the Rotten Tomatoes score fairs. As it stands now, Man of Steel is at 55 percent, with Batman v Superman at 28 percent and Suicide Squad at 25 percent.
“Wonder Woman hits theaters around the world this 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.
How Does One Of The ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Frontrunners Stumble So Hard?
The meteoric rise to the top and tragic fall of Valentina is quite perplexing. It wasn’t too long ago when I declared that Valentina was going to be either Miss Congeniality or the Drag Race Season 9 winner but something very different happened…
During the latest episode, Valentina seemingly gave up during the lip-sync battle!
The downfall really started during this week’s challenge. The girls were all tasked with putting together a pilot for a fictional and campy TV series. It was easy for most to get into a group but that left the two outsiders Valentina and Nina Bo’Nina Brown all by themselves. Forced to pair up, this creative but flawed duo could’ve made magic but instead flopped. Forgoing any script, the two queens tried to improvise. It was obvious the airhead nature of Valentina and “Debbie Downer”-persona Nina Bo’Nina Brown weren’t clicking. As a fan of both, you could only hope they could’ve been saved by a good edit. That wasn’t the case.
“One day, she’ll run out of perfection”
Rightfully so, the judges read Valentina and Nina Bo’Nina Brown for their poor performance in the challenge. Most of the judges enjoyed their trainwreck but felt disappointed by these two strong competitors. Viewers got a red herring for the bottom 2 as Alexis Michelle failed in the challenge and on the runway. Ultimately, Alexis Michelle was safe and the bottom 2 was set. It was Nina Bo’Nina Brown vs Valentina!
The lip-sync starts, Valentina is still wearing the mask from the runway. At first, you think it’s building up for a dramatic reveal. The judges audibly let out their confusion while RuPaul silently looks on. Then suddenly enough is enough and RuPaul stops the lip-sync!
Nothing like this has happened on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race‘ before. Kindly, RuPaul asks Valentina to remove the mask. Valentina then proceeds to put up a fight with RuPaul. Eventually, the mask does come off and the lip-sync restarts. It’s made very clear that Valentina doesn’t know the words to the song. The young queen seemed defeated.
Nina Bo’Nina Brown basically got handed this win. Her lip-sync performance was very strong but the forfeit by Valentina made it that much easier. To be honest, I was crafting this article while the episode unfolded but centered it around Nina Bo’Nina Brown and the self-sabotage but this twist shook things up!
This is also the second lip-sync forfeit of the season as many remember the infamous Charlie Hides and Trinity Tayor battle. That’s the moment Charlie Hides just stood there and clapped along to the song with no intention of performing. I wonder what about season 9 is so cursed that had so many scandalous moments like injuries and quitting.
To see the drama contiuned, check out Untucked from World of Wonder:
The next episode of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race‘ airs on Friday, May 26th at 8 pm.
What do you think about this elimination? Did you expect Valentina to go home so soon?
Queen is a unique band for its eclectic sounds and diverse styles. Originally a hard rock band, they are known for branching out into various genres over the years. These include progressive rock, art rock, heavy metal and pop.
Yet there is one Queen record that divides fans and critics- 1982’s Hot Space. It is their second album of the 1980s, and this is one of their most perplexing.
Hot Space is now 35 years old, but it’s far from a classic. Several fans did not like the record’s disco-heavy themes. Rolling Stone lists it as “routinely competent” and “downright offensive.” At the time, the “Disco Sucks” meme had become a popular concept in America. For this reason, the album is seen as a disappointing effort.
Freddie Mercury sought to create the sounds that one would hear in a gay disco. Yet it is also the one where bassist John Deacon steps to the forefront. Although he doesn’t sing, he gets to showcase his playing ability and songwriting. Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor end up taking a backseat.
Known as the “disco album”, Hot Space actually has several funk and rock songs, but the disco-fused songs helped shape the public opinion. To many people, this is where the album struggles, because it can’t decide what it wants to be. Half the tracks are pretty decent, but the other half vary in quality.
“Staying Power” is a solid opening song by Mercury. May offers nice guitar work, but the song’s use of horns feels bombastic. The next track, “Dancer” is a cool mixture of funk and rock with a synth bass. Sadly, it did not become a hit single or a live favourite of Queen shows.
Written in a funk style, “Back Chat” is a cool tune with a catchy beat. Taylor’s drum solo is pulsing and catchy. You can tell soul music is an influence on Deacon, who plays lead, rhythm and bass guitars on the song. In concert, Mercury would jokingly say “Back Chat” is in the “Funk black category.””Life is Real” is a moving ballad in tribute to the late Beatle. Mercury’s vocals are poignant and sincere, and May provides a quiet acoustic guitar. This is one of Queen’s most somber tracks.
Of all the songs, “Body Language” is the most off-putting in terms of quality and production. This is mostly a product of Mercury, who plays guitar, bass, synthesizer and drum machine. Over a throbbing beat, he gasps and moans lyrics like “Give me your body” and “Long legs, great thighs.” Not very subtle, is it?
“Calling All Girls” is a Taylor track with an electric beat. Yet “Action This Day” stumbles as a song, because it is full of synths and electronic sound effects. “Cool Cat” sounds like Mercury trying to emulate Mick Jagger.
“Under Pressure” caps off the record. David Bowie provides haunting vocals and handclaps to accompany Mercury’s powerful voice. While this was made separately, it is a nice way to close the album. One cannot help but wish Queen and Bowie could have done more together.
Hot Space is an ambitious record with flaws, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad album. The band tries to expand their sound, and there are quite a few cool tracks. Deacon’s songs are definitely worth a listen. You may not like the disco elements, but the funk sounds are upbeat and danceable. This is a record for long-time Queen fans who can hear the band work outside their comfort zone.
While the album isn’t a masterpiece, it is important to music for another reason. Michael Jackson (a huge Queen fan) cited Hot Space as a major influence for Thriller. So maybe the record is not so bad after all.
While I did recommend the anime Gintama for my last recommendation, the live-action came as a complete surprise. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe a Live-Action version was on the horizon.
A Character Driven Story
Gintama will always be known as a character driven story. When adapting to Live-Action the VA’s (Voice Actors/Actresses) will always be subject to change. In case you were wondering, here is the trailer for the upcoming movie.
My biggest problem is the fact that the cast is based on looks, standard for Japanese movies. Based on the trailer and cast it looked like Hiroyuki Miyasako, a popular Japanese comedian was in it. However, for the most part, every actor was chosen for looks which is why Japanese films tend to fall short.
Gintama Without Gintoki
Gintama lives and dies by the voices and without a single original voice how does the story live on? Simply put, it doesn’t. Choosing to re-tell the Benizakura Arc cuts out a majority of comedy in favor of action. This is what kills it in my opinion. Gintama will never be about a single arc, but rather the story behind it. Fans don’t re-watch the Benizakura arc. Instead, the focus is on the small stories in between. It’s almost the same as if Gintoki was never included in the movie.
Steer Clear of this Live-Action
Okay, I can guarantee that it will not be as bad as the Dragonball Z Live Action. This being said, the movie is only intended for true fans or people who love the VA’s. They won’t find too much joy in it but instead poke holes in the story that is put forth. You won’t find me watching it though, I’d rather watch another arc where I can enjoy Yorozuya to its fullest.
Webcomics are a young and rowdy medium, and in recent years, Tapastic (recently rebranded as Tapas.io and owned by Tapas Media) has become a hub for webcomics of all kinds, offering subscription services and an excellent layout.
A recent change to the websites’ terms of service, however, threatens to alienate hundreds of webcomic creators. The Terms of Service updated in the last month, and include this dangerous clause;
Right of First Refusal
If user desires to sell, license, exercise or otherwise dispose of, indirectly or directly, any rights or any interest in any content posted on the Platform (the “Offered Right”), then the user shall give written notice to Tapas Media of such desire. Commencing upon Tapas Media’s receipt of such notice there shall be a 30 day period in which user will negotiate in good faith with Tapas Media for Tapas Media’s acquisition of such offered rights. If by the end of 30 days no agreement has been reached or if at anytime Tapas Media declines interests in the offered rights, then the user shall be free to negotiate elsewhere with respect to such offered Right.
Essentially, what this means is that if a webcomic creator wants to sell their work – their intellectual property – they have to ask Tapas Media first. After reading the clause – posted on several websites, including Bleeding Cool – several comic creators took to Twitter, Tumblr and other social media sites making their opinions clear.
In response to the outcry from their community, Tapas first made this announcement;
In it, they clarify what they are attempting to offer – however, the tweetstorm refused to abate, and a few hours later, they followed up with this:
In this most recent announcement, Tapas pulled the ‘Right of First Refusal’ clause immediately, putting an end to the discussion.
TAPASTIC DRAMA CONSEQUENCES
In many ways, this is excellent. It shows the power of the consumer for content aggregators like Tapas Media. Change happens quickly, even in business terms, when all of Twitter is a-flutter about it.
However, it’s bringing up larger questions about the nature of webcomics, online content and rights. Tapastic changed its terms of service without warning. If it hadn’t been for the keen eyes that noticed the new clause, it would affect rights of creators without anybody realizing. Furthermore, now that it’s deleted, there’s nowhere on Tapastic to see previous versions of the TOS. Only screenshots of the offending clause remain.
In a world where Patreon, Ko-Fi, Etsy and other businesses based around helping creators succeed have become so important, it’s worth remembering how important contracts are. It’s one thing for an artist to put up their own comic and fund it through Patreon; it’s quite another to keep track of all the various clauses, many of which may threaten their livelihood.
Netflix has announced a prequel series for Jim Henson’s 1982 cult fantasy classic The Dark Crystal. Subtitled Age of Resistance, the series takes place many years before the events of the original film.
Check out the teaser, which showcases the return of the old school puppetry and visuals that Henson brought to his original film:
In the original film, an elf-like alien called Gelfling embarked on a quest to find the last remaining piece of a mystical crystal in order to return order to his planet Thra. Age of Resistance will use similar themes and storylines, but follows three new Gelflings trying to save Thra from the evil Skeksis. The Skeksis were a malevolent race who used the dark crystal to replenish their source of power.
The series will consist of 10 episodes, featuring new and familiar fantastical creatures created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Now You See Me director Louis Leterrier will executive produce the series and direct. Brian Froud, the concept designer both The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, will oversee the character design.
Will you watch The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance? Let us know in the comments!
With casting announcements behind them, CBS and its partners have released the first glimpse of what Star Trek’s newest iteration will look like. And, as one would expect, the fandom’s opinions diverge. One opinion among many observes that the new Star Trek: Discovery trailer is derivative. Surprisingly, though, some find it derivative of the Star Wars rather than the Star Trek franchise.
Aside from the easily defensible choice of starting the trailer on a desert planet (Vulcan, like Star Wars‘ Tatooine, was established as a harsh desert planet early on in Star Trek franchise history), critics of the Discovery trailer also cite the bizarre rendition of Klingons the trailer promises. With a kind of hard-shelled beetle look, again akin to something from the Star Wars franchise, the Klingons do have forehead ridges. But, similarities with other versions of the alien race pretty much stop there. Of course, as any hardened Trekkie knows, Klingons have always had a slightly amorphous look. And, each successive version generally involves more makeup than the last. Time will tell if viewers will learn the reason for this new look, or if we’ll just have to be happy with “we do not discuss it with outsiders.”
Star Trek: Discovery Trailer – Is That A Flare on Your Lens, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?
Still other critics, including MFR’s very own Ruben Diaz, decry the trailer’s use of lens flares, complaining that this camera technique, overused in the most recent trilogy of Star Trek films, shows that Discovery‘s producers are hearkening back to a version of the franchise that alienated many longtime fans.
I found the lens flare effect overused in all three new Star Trek movies. Also, I hated them. But, I found that the bridge of the USS Shenzhou, shown repeatedly in the trailer, had a pretty shadowy look. In fact, it’s much darker than the bridge of any starship this Trekkie has seen yet.
Like any early trailer, this one represents a glimpse into what the show has to offer. But, it is suspiciously vague and stylistically unfamiliar. And that’s strange considering this show is based on a very solid 51-year-old franchise.
That said, it would be shortsighted of me to judge the quality of anything with so brief a look. And, though I’m just as upset as any fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation that this show won’t pick up after the events chronicled in Star Trek: Nemesis, I take solace in the fact that this likely won’t be another boring and unfaithful rehash of the same old characters … like the last three movies.
The cat in this scenario, of course, is Nikki Swango. I think it’s safe to say the majority of Fargo’s audience breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was revealed that she was still alive. The entire episode seemed to be foreshadowing her death, but it seemed far too obvious for Hawley & Co. to go there; it was so obvious, in fact, that I was totally stunned when it appeared that Yuri and Meemo really were killing her. In turn, this led to me cheering when she crawled out from the obscurity of her car and climbed inside, but then the tension returned with half an expectation that Ray would find her dead in the tub, having succumbed to internal injuries.
In other words, the last ten minutes of this episode were a complete emotional rollercoaster.
But the fact that Nikki was able to crawl away from that situation at all raises a few questions about the nature of the beating she received in the first place. If the intention was to kill her, that would have been an exceedingly stupid move on the part of Varga’s henchmen. There are already cops snooping around, and killing Ray’s girlfriend, whom he was just fired over, in a Stussy parking lot would certainly raise a few questions. This would be a complication Varga can’t afford (even with his allegedly enormous wealth). It also seems unlikely that two contract killers wouldn’t realize they left someone alive.
So if the purpose was not Nikki’s death, then it was yet another instance of Varga establishing his dominance over those around him. In that way, it echoes the earlier scene with Sy, where the same two goons forced him to drink from ‘cookware’ the wolf had ‘fornicated’ with. Michael Stuhlbarg is so fantastic as Sy that he is able to make the scene equal parts hilarity, horror, and emasculation, even as he explains why Winnie had been questioning him. But the reality is, Varga doesn’t like Sy, and he doesn’t really care all that much about why Winnie was there at all. This move is about dominating a man Varga considers to be competition, and it works, because Sy immediately goes running to Emmit.
Whether it’s putting his schvantz vicariously into Sy’s mouth, or beating Nikki to a pulp, Varga is all about domination. The very last shot of the episode is presumably him wearing a wolf mask, but even after what happened in “The House of Special Purpose,” there’s still a bit farther to go before Hawley can sell this guy as being the true threat they want him to be. Aside from one old lawyer’s concrete swandive and some questionable business practices, Varga is mostly eccentric bark and little bite at this point. He’s ominous, sure, but as a villain we need to see more for him to rise to the level of Hanzee or Malvo from previous seasons.
On the other hand, something which does not appear to be just for show is Nikki’s relationship with Ray. Prior to this episode, I would have told you she was faking her end of it, using Ray for whatever bizarre schemes she came up with, bridge-related or otherwise. But that no longer seems to be the case. In one instance, in the bridal shop, the two embrace and their noses touch, with the camera angle clearly being chosen to depict their bodies as forming a heart.
Even before that, Ray’s botched proposal is adorable, perhaps the most romantic Fargo has ever been. Any other show would use the fact that both of them are dressed up as other people (Nikki in her underwear and a wig, Ray dressed as Emmit) to undercut the sincerity of the moment, or play it as inauthentic. But Fargo is so damn great that it is able to use this instead to heighten the absurdity of their relationship into something more meaningful. That’s great writing. It also makes Ray’s discovery of her in his bathtub powerful in a different way; we want Ray to avenge her injuries, even if it’ll probably be Sy that pays the price here.
Other random notes:
-The title of the episode refers to the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and the Romanov family, and I cannot make heads or tails of why this was chosen. A case could be made about all the collateral damage that happens, from Nikki’s beating to Emmit’s marriage getting torched, but that seems a little thin. It is likely tied to the greater thematic patchwork of Russian references that has been developing over the course of the season, and hopefully later on its meaning will become apparent.
-Emmit calls Nikki “Delilah” at one point, although “Lady Macbeth” would perhaps be more accurate, even if zero percent of their schemes are successful. It’s interesting to note that without her or Sy, Ray and Emmit would probably get along much better. The people supposedly looking out for their interests are the wedges driving them further apart.
-Moe is a frustrating, two dimensional character that this show does over and over again. Future seasons would be wise to ditch the “police chief who exists to be an obstacle” archetype.
-I wish they continued the Prokofiev leitmotifs throughout this installment. Emmit’s “Hall of the Mountain King”-style theme is fun, but the bird motif was more apt. This episode was also the first time I could recall hearing sleigh bells all season. I hope they return to using them more in the future.
a single original voice how does the story live on? Simply put, it doesn’t. Choosing to re-tell the Benizakura Arc cuts out a majority of comedy in favor of action. This is what kills it in my opinion. Gintama will never be about a single arc, but rather the story behind it. Fans don’t re-watch the Benizakura arc. Instead, the focus is on the small stories in between. It’s almost the same as if Gintoki was never included in the movie.
