Tikva Wolf, author of the immensely popular comic Kimchi Cuddles, has another graphic novel funded and ready to release. Love, Retold is a “polyamorous love story in graphic novel form”.
The Indiegogo campaign closes in 6 days, but reached its goal in a week with 100 backers. The campaign promises signed (and kissed!) copies of Love, Retold before it’s available to the general public. Higher tiers also include her first book, Ask Me About Polyamory, a Kimchi Cuddles collection.
WHAT IS LOVE, RETOLD?
“Love, Retold is a meditation on love and companionship for people who don’t remember feudalism. Each chapter explores Wolf’s experiences with loved ones—Wolf’s lovers and their lovers.” -Indiegogo
There’s a shortage of explorations of polyamory in popular media today, and thus, Tikva Wolf’s work fills an important niche. Both Kimchi Cuddles and her new book address polyamory – romantic involvement with more than one partner – with a stark honesty and humor that makes the subject a lot more approachable.
Kimchi Cuddles is an autobiographical webcomic about polyamory, queerness and other non-standard relationship models. In it, she discusses her and her partners’ frequent challenges, especially concerning topics such as asexuality, jealousy, and long-distance relationships.
Kimchi Cuddles takes its stories and conversations from Tikva Wolf’s own experiences. However, Love, Retold features a fictional set of people, although she’s honest about where they come from.
“The characters are based on people in my actual life so they are reminiscent of Kimchi Cuddles characters.” -Tikva Wolf
In an interview with Jess Novak at Journal News, Wolf also describes Love, Retold as “following a character who’s similar to Kimchi as she learns what types of relationships she cares about and why.” Importantly, this makes her new graphic novel one of self-discovery just as much as romance.
Read Tikva Wolf’s work at kimchicuddles.com! Have you read her comics before?
When we were younger our summers were always different, usually a one of a kind experience that we would never expect. Whether it be filled with love, heartbreak, or tragedy, each was unforgettable. Sometimes it was these summers that defined who we are now.
Waiting for that Summer:
Kaito has always has his camera on him, taking videos of sights, sceneries, and people. When taking a scene at a local dam in the middle of the night, however, the impact of a large object hitting the ground sends him spiraling towards the ground. When he wakes up, he is unharmed as if what happened was just a dream. With the arrival of new transfer student at school as well, what is in store for Kaito.
At First Glance:
The first time watched Ano Natsu de Matteiru, it had many characteristics of drama/romance anime to date. A beautiful girl, a love-struck boy, a childhood friend, other love interest, etc. Yet it takes a turn that many other anime within the genre don’t take. It gives you a resolution and fairly early on in fact. Even if the anime is 12 episodes, it is my firm belief that there should be a start, middle, and end assuming it is a standard story. That is exactly what you get, so expect a clear cut story from start to finish.
Verdict:
Ano Natsu de Matteiru has flown under almost everyone’s radar. Does it deserve this lack of recognition? Without a doubt, no. I would easily place the title in my top 10 of romance/drama anime to date. It is more natural (despite the setting), more appealing (a complete story), and time efficient (12 episodes). For me, this is a must watch for anyone who wants a short romance anime. Take the time to watch it and you won’t regret it.
In the latest episode of the FilmKind Podcast, Kieran discusses and reviews the action-packed first trailer for The Dark Tower, an adaptation of Stephen King’s best-selling book series. Does the trailer offer up enough for lifelong fans? Are the characters well portrayed? Does the tower look as awesome as we imaGgined? Listen to the episode and find out!
Listen To My Review Of The Dark Tower Trailer #1 Below!
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There are other worlds than these. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, the ambitious and expansive story from one of the world’s most celebrated authors, makes its launch to the big screen. The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.
The Dark Tower stars Idris Elba as Roland the Gunslinger, Matthew McConaughey as the Man in Black, and Tom Taylor as Jake. The film also features Katheryn Winnick, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Alex McGregor, Claudia Kim, Jackie Earle Haley, and José Zúñiga.
Showtime’s latest tease of the upcoming Twin Peaks revival includes new footage! The clip, released earlier today, features glimpse of Big Ed Hurley (Everett McGill), Sarah Palmer (Grace Zabriskie) and Andy Brennan (Harry Goaz).
It also features one line, uttered by Hawk (Micheal Horse): “Really.”
Oh, and Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is there, too.
Until today, Twin Peaks previews have been high on mood and low on content. Some trailers featured little more than signage. One featured returning cast talking obliquely about the revival. Another was little else than David Lynch eating a donut. And last week, Showtime revealed a few new shots of favorite locations.
Now, we can safely say that Andy and Hawk are still sheriff’s deputies — though the identity of the sheriff is in dispute — and Sarah is still drinking. Big Ed’s situation is harder to discern. Is he at the Gas Farm or the Bookhouse? Meanwhile, it seems Coop is still with the Bureau, but has Killer BOB been in his head all this time?
Post your theories on where the returning Twin Peaks characters have been all these years in the comments below.
A first look photo of Marvel’s upcoming Inhumans television series debut today courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.
The photo reveals the royal family with Black Bolt (Anson Mount) and Medusa (Serinda Swan) featured front and center. Other members of the royal house include Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon and Ken Leung as Karnak just behind Black Bolt. Meanwhile, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, and Iwan Rheon as Maximus stand behind Crystal.
Fans of the comic book series will note the absence of teleporting bulldog Lockjaw. He will be in the series thanks to special effects. Triton is also missing, but will also appear in the program’s first 8-episode season.
Based on concepts introduced by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in the pages of The Fantastic Four, ABC’s Inhumans is described as a family drama set in the Inhuman city of Attilan. After an era of seclusion, Attilan’s secret existence is threatened. Meanwhile, Maximus plans a power struggle against Black Bolt.
And as viewers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. know, Inhumans come with surprising and wondrous powers; meaning that power struggle will not be quiet.
The project was on the Marvel Cinematic Universe schedule for a number of years. But after Marvel Studios and Sony announced their partnership and a new Spider-Man movie, its prospects dimmed as it lost multiple release dates.
Iron Fist executive producer Scott Buck serves the same role when it comes to ABC on September 1st and IMAX theaters in the fall.
Are you excited to meet the Inhuman royal family? Or has the concept worn out its welcome thanks to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D? Do you want the two shows to cross over? Post your thoughts below.
Melissa McCarthy is set to star and produce The Happytime Murders, a raunchy, R-rated puppet movie. Brian Henson, who is set to direct, will work under The Jim Henson Company’s Henson Alternative banner.
“When a really good script combines puppet strippers, Los Angeles’ underbelly and comedy, it’s like my fever dream has finally come true,” McCarthy said.
The comedy is set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans co-exist. Two clashing detectives, one human (McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together to figure out who is brutally murdering the former cast of The Happytime Gang, a beloved classic puppet show.
This is definitely not the Muppets, endearingly created by Jim Henson, that we are used to.
Here is artwork for the film, released back in 2012:
The project has been in the works for almost a decade now. A year ago, Jamie Foxx was in negotiations to star in The Happytime Murders. That has since fell through, and have now swapped out Foxx for McCarthy as the lead human character.
The film is set to begin production this August. It is produced by Henson Alternative, On The Day Productions, and STXfilms. The story is by Todd Berger & Dee Robertson; the screenplay is by Todd Berger with revisions by Erich & Jon Hoeber; further revisions by McCarthy.
What do you think of ‘The Happytime Murders‘ – an R-rated, murder mystery featuring Henson Company puppets? Discuss in the comments!
At one point during “The Law of Non-Contradiction,” Gloria (Carrie Coon) finds a small novelty toy box whose only function, when turned on, is to turn itself off. This box is known as a “useless machine,” and its design was intended as a philosophical joke by its inventor, Marvin Minsky. The name Minsky, of course, is also the name of the cartoon robot from Thaddeus Mobley’s The Planet Wyh, who observes the meaninglessness of life over the course of his millennia-long galactic odyssey.
This connection is not in itself pointless, especially considering the way Minsky’s story ends with him switching himself off, but the rest of the episode could perhaps be seen as such. Even Howard Zimmerman, played by the ubiquitous Fred Melamed, monologues at Gloria about quantum physics and how he “used to think it meant something.” When we consider this all in the broader context of what’s actually happening in the episode, that Gloria has traveled across the country to investigate what we know is a complete dead-end, all of the pointlessness instead starts to seem rather purposeful. But not in a way that strongly impacts the actual plot of the third installment of Fargo.
On its own, the episode is a perfectly Coen-esque short story, with a woman learning more about the sad life of a man she sort of cared about. Thaddeus Mobley did not turn out to be a saint, but rather a naive author who succeeded at a young age and thus fell prey to those more knowledgeable about the industry. When he needs to escape, he takes his new name from the one printed on the toilet bowl. There are echoes of Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy, and the Hollywood Premiere Hotel Gloria stays in looks exactly like the one from No Country for Old Men. But when considered in the light of this installment of Fargo in its entirety, little was accomplished to further the plot besides the revelation of Ennis Stussy’s origin.
The discussion surrounding the episode in its immediate aftermath appears to be that this was a divisive entry in the series. On one hand, it shows that many of the staples of Fargo, from the quirky dialogue to the random intrusions in the narrative, like the Santa Claus who steals Gloria’s luggage, remain intact even when the show isn’t set in its titular location. It also gave Carrie Coon something to do for once, which was an enormous relief, considering that Gloria’s story has previously been overshadowed by the Stussy siblings. Her quirky awkwardness makes her distinct from the Solversons of previous seasons, and fleshes her out beyond being the kind-of chief who seems largely ignored by technology.
But on the other hand, that lack of contribution to the plot is a bit troubling in a season with only ten hours to tell its tale. The recurring themes in the episode overtly acknowledge its own random and “meaningless” nature, after all. Was a geographic digression to gain a better perspective of Ennis Stussy and glean a little character development for Gloria worth it?
Personally, my answer would be yes, although if you had asked me right when the episode concluded, I might have told you this was the first “bad” episode of Fargo. Contemplation changed that answer, especially considering how important the Mike Yanagita scene (from the original movie) is to Noah Hawley. That scene itself does little more than provide a colorful, meandering interlude in Marge Gunderson’s story, even if it does cause her to realize Jerry Lundegaard is not what he seems. This was an entire episode with that premise, and if that scene didn’t work for you in the movie, then this probably didn’t work for you as an episode. It says less about the story than it does about the universe of Fargo as a whole.
Other random notes:
-Being that it doesn’t feature Ray Stussy or Nikki Swango, it’s appropriate that this is the only episode of the season without a title referencing bridge.
-Everybody at the diner is on their smartphone except for Gloria; you could say the only android in her life seems to be Minsky. Nonetheless, the theme of Gloria vs. technology, and the distraction of technology in general, definitely continued in this episode. (Remember Ray and Nikki in the bathtub together, both consumed with whatever they were looking at on their phones?) Considering that the previous seasons managed to avoid technology almost entirely, it is starting to seem like Hawley has an aversion to it. After all, portraying phones and social media as worthless distractions isn’t very nuanced, and that’s pretty shortsighted for a show as profound as this one. I hope it strives to show the role of technology from different angles and does something more interesting with this theme than beat us over the head with “SMARTPHONE BAD.”
-The lack of Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who’s the high point of the season thus far), Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg, and David Thewlis was made up for with a colorful list of guest stars. We got Fred Melamed, Thomas Mann, Ray Wise, and Rob McElhenney. Hopefully more It’s Always Sunny cast members end up on this show, because the two who’ve appeared so far (McElhenney here, and Glenn Howerton in the first season) fit this universe beautifully. Frances Fisher and her daughter, Francesca Eastwood, who I wasn’t familiar with before this episode, also appeared, playing the same character in different decades.
-The actual winner of the Hugo Award in 1975 was The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. Mobley would have to be a hell of an author to have beaten Le Guin for an award given to one of the most influential sci-fi novels ever written.
Blade Runner 2049 is still several months away, but the marketing campaign is starting the slow rollout of materials. Up next, a pair of contrasting posters, one with Ryan Gosling and one with Harrison Ford.
Here is the new Blade Runner, Gosling:
It’s cool, blues and whites, and either it’s cold or the 2049 style will be tough to talk through. The palette of this poster is almost like the photo negative of Harrison Ford’s one sheet, maybe a little clue to the story:
So, yeah, there’s probably something to the dichotomy of these posters – and blue and orange are generally considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing combination – but there’s no reason to break down any theories yet because we don’t have a synopsis or any details beyond the cryptic teaser trailer.
Along with Ford and Gosling, Blade Runner 2049 will star Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, Robin Wright, and Edward James Olmos back as Gaff. Most importantly, though, this new journey into the Blade Runner universe is directed by the great Denis Villeneuve. So no matter how ridiculous this long gap sequel feels on the surface, Villeneuve behind the camera instills nothing but confidence for me.
The Dinner, Oren Moverman’s adaptation of Herman Koch’s novel, suffers from a crippling identity crisis. The trouble comes from adapting a book so reliant on internal monologue and narration, then triying to transform the inward prose into something visual. It’s a collection of ill-fitting parts, tonal shifts, and a lack of focus that distracts from the compelling portions of the story and, ultimately, collapses.
The film follows Koch’s book faithfully, save for a few strange flourishes, but what works internally on the page feels disjointed and increasingly unnerving in all the wrong ways. There is a thriller at the core of The Dinner, but Moverman and Co. seem to lose interest in it from time to time. Steve Coogan stars as Paul, a former high school English teacher who suffered a nervous breakdown and is still lost in his broken brain when we meet him. He and his wife, Claire (Laura Linney) are getting ready to go to dinner with Paul’s brother, Stan, a Gubernatorial candidate played by Richard Gere, and his second wife, Katelyn (Rebecca Hall).
Only this isn’t a casual family get together, but a dinner with a purpose. It takes place in the most pretentious of all restaurants, a French “Food Art” palace full of the sort of elites Paul cannot stand. To be honest, Paul can’t take much. There’s also the little issue of the sons on each side, who teamed up to committ a horrific act of violence on a homeless woman, and the issue must be addressed.
At least that’s the motivation behind The Dinner, but the satirical restaurant is almost nonexistent through long stretches of flashback and baffling flourishes. The dinner goes through fits and starts all the way to dessert, each extravagant dish more “Mad-Libby” than the previous. Paul is a nervous wreck, Claire blissfully ignorant, Stan is perpetually pulled away from the table by his assistant, and Katelyn is on the verge of her own breakdown. It’s a great set up, but the film gets too preoccupied with Paul’s meltdown backstory to give the issues at hand the proper attention.
Paul’s troubles came when he went into a profanity-laced tirade in the classroom. It should have ended there in the film; it’s all we needed to know. Instead, we get an extended scene of Paul and Stan taking a therapeutic visit to Gettysburg that transforms into some sort of weird experimental montage of statues bathed in reds and blues with a suffocating voiceover from Paul, narrating battle notes or something. It belongs in a sophomoric Oliver Stone cover movie. This goes on for entirely too long, doesn’t make sense to be in the movie, and doesn’t add to the part we all care about: the story of the two boys and their awful crime.
The flashbacks to the teens’ outburst are disturbing and tense. These scenes take place in a thriller. But then Paul’s breakdown is all soft-focus melodrama, the restaurant satirical and frantic. And so we bounce from genre to genre, shifting tones, transitioning from soft lighting to harsh reds and yellows until we lose sight of any connective tissues. Individual scenes work along the way, some are shot in interesting ways, but they’re stuck in what feels like an unedited final product.
The Dinner is 2 hours of aimlessness when it should be a lean 90-minute story, focused and true to the thriller elements of Koch’s novel. The trio of Gere, Linney and Hall do fine work in one-note roles, and Steve Coogan is terrific as the aggressively twitchy unstable Paul. But even he feels like he’s coming from an entirely different story most of the time, and his history lesson voiceovers grow tiresome.
Perhaps not all solid thriller novels should find their way to the big screen.
Marvel’s sequels have been pretty hit-or-miss up to this point. Some have been the studio’s best movies (looking at you Captain America series), and others have been Thor: The Dark World. However, despite the mixed track record, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 quickly became one of the most anticipated movies of 2017. That kind of hype can make or break a film, so how did this tale of lovable a-holes fare?
Guardians Vol. 2 focuses on answering the question that it’s predecessor set up: who is Star Lord’s dad? The audience doesn’t have to wait long to find out, as Kurt Russell’s Ego reveals himself very early on. The rest of the film is dedicated to Star Lord getting to know his pappy – who is he, why did he leave, and why does he suddenly want a relationship with his son? Meanwhile, a group of stuck-up gold aliens named the Sovereign are chasing down the Guardians to retrieve some items that Rocket Raccoon stole (for no reason) and exact justice.
This film is enjoyable on so many levels, but perhaps the greatest element is how far it strays from the typical Marvel formula. The first Guardians of the Galaxy was praised for how original it felt, but Vol. 2 takes it to a whole new level. First off, there’s no MacGuffin. So many Marvel films are driven by “we need to get the [Tesseract/Aether/Orb] before the bad guy can use it for evil,” but Guardians Vol. 2 avoids that trope completely. Second, the main villain doesn’t reveal him or herself with a big splash in the first act. It’s not until late in the film that the major threat is revealed. The story up to that point is driven entirely by the characters.
James Gunn’s script delves deep into what makes the Guardians tick in Vol. 2. Characters like Rocket were fun to watch in the first film, but they didn’t get fleshed out too well. This sequel gives them the chance to shine. Rocket, Gamora, and even secondary characters like Nebula and Yondu are all explored in greater depth. (Yondu in particular stands out above the rest.) By the end, audiences have a much richer understanding of who these characters are, and they become more than just fun to watch. They become an emotional investment. Making this a character driven story was definitely the way to go, and it’s what makes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 perhaps Marvel’s most heartfelt movie to date.
Aside from writing an entertaining and stellar script, Gunn also returns to direct in a beautifully original fashion. It’s clear that the success of Guardians of the Galaxy earned him more creative freedom with the sequel. He goes big, has a lot of fun with it, and it pays off yet again. As gorgeous as the visual effects were in the first film, in Vol. 2 tops them. The set pieces are bigger and almost hypnotizing. And, in true Gunn fashion, this is a surprisingly violent film. There is a lot of death. Not in Marvel’s typical “collateral damage” way either, but in a flat out “this is a murder spree set to ‘Come A Little Bit Closer’ by Jay & The Americans” way.
The main actors all return and recapture the essence of their roles for a second time. Going with the “bigger” theme, they really roll into what made their characters popular the first time around. Bradley Cooper’s Rocket is more sarcastic; Dave Bautista’s Drax delivers more blunt, dry humor. However, the real credit in this film goes to the supporting Guardians. Karen Gillan gives a powerful performance as Nebula, someone who seemed somewhat one-note the first time around. Michael Rooker is the true star here though; his second turn at space pirate Yondu is something to be remembered. He not only supplies some great laughs, but he’s sympathetic and sometimes downright heartbreaking.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a very joke heavy script, so prepare for that. They often break even the most serious moments with a joke. Then of course there’s Baby Groot, who steals whatever scene he’s in. There are a lot of viewers out there who take issue with Marvel’s use of humor, so this might be the film’s biggest detriment, but honestly it works perfectly fine. The jokes flow naturally and never feel forced. These are characters that can always get away with laughing when faced with certain death.
Let’s talk music. When “Awesome Mix Vol. 2” dropped online, it was notably different than the first soundtrack. There are a lot more deep cuts this time around, songs that you may not recognize from name alone. However, Gunn uses them brilliantly in the context of the story. It ends up being just as addictive to listen to as its predecessor, so fans won’t be disappointed in the least.
Nerd Candy
Die hard comic fans will not be disappointed when it comes to Easter Eggs, cameos, and obscure references. Just like soundtrack, there are some serious deep cuts here, right through the credits. There’s a very notable actor that appears in a couple of scenes who hasn’t been promoted in the marketing, and his character is sure to make old school Guardians of the Galaxy fans squeal with glee. Then of course there’s Stan The Man Lee’s patented cameo. This may be his greatest one yet, and again it’ll make true fans’ heads explode. There’s plenty of nerd candy here to be enjoyed is the point.
taking videos of sights, sceneries, and people. When taking a scene at a local dam in the middle of the night, however, the impact of a large object hitting the ground sends him spiraling towards the ground. When he wakes up, he is unharmed as if what happened was just a dream. With the arrival of new transfer student at school as well, what is in store for Kaito.
A first look photo of Marvel’s upcoming Inhumans television series debut today courtesy of 
