Facebook Instagram Reddit Twitter Youtube
Facebook Instagram Reddit Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 953

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Power Ranking The Snatch Game Performances

By
EJ Moreno
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

Which Queen Made It Out Of Snatch Game On Top?

Snatch Game from Season 9 is going to one of the most forgettable in ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race‘ history. With such a memorable cast, there were some high hopes but most of the contenders fell flat. While there were some standouts, the majority didn’t click.

Two weeks ago, I made Snatch Game predictions. Find them by clicking here!

Below is a power ranking of all the performances from Snatch Game.

10. Cynthia Lee Fontaine as Sofia Vergara

– There’s a reason Cynthia went home because of this performance. It’s just horrible. For her to have multiple years to work on this, it’s sad she couldn’t do anything with Sofia Vergara. Relying on her thick accent wasn’t enough and this ended up sending her home.

9. Farrah Moan as Gigi Gorgeous

– As soon as Farrah was announced to be playing Gigi Gorgeous, most fans wrote her off instantly. It’s a unique choice for Snatch Game but she couldn’t make it funny. Farrah Moan is lucky she had a great Madonna runway look because this was bottom 2 material.

8. Peppermint as Nene Leakes

– Poor Peppermint. Her performance as Nene Leakes was hard to watch. You can tell she was in her head and it caused her to stumble. Even her look wasn’t so striking, nothing really screamed Nene. Thankfully, Peppermint does a solid lip-sync!

7. Aja as Alyssa Edwards

Other than having some terrifying makeup, there’s nothing memorable about this. To write this article, I even had to look up who Aja was for Snatch Game. If the other’s weren’t as bad as they were, Aja would’ve been in the bottom because of this horrid Alyssa Edwards impersonation.

6. Trinity Taylor as Amanda Lepore

– Based on the looks alone, Trinity Taylor’s Amanda Lepore was a knockout. Instantly recognizable and nailed some mannerisms, Trinity did just find. She didn’t impress too much but didn’t bomb so she’s placed firmly in the middle.

5. Valentina As Miss Colombia

– As soon as you saw Valentina’s look, it earned some laughs. Even her first few jokes were good but comedy is obviously not her strong suit. The Miss Colombia gimmick also feels slightly dated by the time of airing so that hurt the performance as well.

4. Nina Bo’Nina Brown as Jasmine Masters

– One of the predictions I nailed is Nina Bo’Nina Brown as Jasmine Masters. It felt like the obvious choice with Nina’s hilarious Youtube videos but there’s still some doubts. While it wasn’t the show-stealing role that many hoped for, there was plenty of chuckles.

3. Shea Coulee As Naomi Campbell

– Shea Coulee’s Naomi Campbell is one of the best of the night. Almost so good that she should’ve been in the top 3. The look wasn’t as striking as I’d hope but the accent and personality were there. Each week, Shea is showing she’s a top 3 contender.

2. Sasha Velour as Marlene Dietrich

– Why Sasha Velour doubted herself with this performance is beyond me. Usually, these legendary older stars do very well in Snatch Game. The performance wasn’t laugh-out-loud worthy but it was better than most. Also, the Marlene Dietrich look was very on-point.

1. Alexis Michelle as Liza Minelli

– The only other performance I predicted correctly, Alexis Michelle as Liza was the best of the season. It’s going to be one of the best of all time because it’s just that good. From the look to the quirks, Alexis nailed everything.

Check out this week’s episode of Untucked for more Snatch Game shade.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Who are your favorite from Season 9’s Snatch Game?

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: Gundam Thunderbolt Episode 6

By
Jahmssen Ruiz Castaneda
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

Gundam Thunderbolt

Gundam Thunderbolt episode 6 took me by surprise this morning. It was a pleasant change of pace to wake up to a new episode of one of the best war stories ever told. This episode dealt with one of my favorite characters of the One Year War, Io Fleming. This is a great series, so please stop if you haven’t caught up yet, spoilers ahead.

Action!

I had zero expectations going in as I haven’t read past what constitutes the first season of the manga. Gundam Thunderbolt however, always catches me by surprise.

From memory, I don’t remember the last Gundam series that had such an amazing water themed battle like the one shown here. Everything, from the way the more experienced aquatic Zeon forces utilized the terrain to how Gundam Atlas’ appeared, was captivating. Seeing the Feddies lose is always a treat, but this one-sided massacre had me feeling things.

It doesn’t help that the writer for this series makes the characters feel so human. They all have this special thing they are fond of. For Io, it’s jazz. For Daryl, it’s those old pop songs. A character introduced in this episode named Lieutenant Bull had a love for bobble heads and baseball. The way they are written just reminds you of someone you know. This could be your brother, your cousin, or your best friend. It makes the fight for what they believe in, that more real.

Another enjoyable aspect of the fight was that we got to see the pilots put in their suit’s energy towards different systems. We saw Bianca power up her beam sabers, her legs and later Io attempted something similar.

Gundam Atlas piercing the Grublo
Did the guy in the Grublo die from drowning or the pressure?

Flirting with Danger

Protagonist

Let’s take a minute to talk about how Io was this episode. The man has one of the best weapons of war in his hands in the form of a Gundam. What does he do? Take a bunch of unnecessary risks and damage that could be avoided. He’s an experienced Gundam pilot yet somehow still finds the time to be as reckless as possible. He lost all of his equipment within minutes, and also managed to drop his beam sabers at the end.

Now don’t get me wrong, that all plays into the charm of his character. A friend of mine described him as being like James Bond. I can completely agree with that statement. He is reckless, has infinite charisma, and never truly thinks his plans through, but also gets things done. Fleming is also highly imaginative, which he proves when his leg thrusters are broken and he moves all the power to his sabers to push him upward. It’s realistic that in the moment Io forgot the finer details of the suit such as its pressure limit or that sabers can overheat. His character would lose from being an overly calculating type so this all works out in the end for him.

It also helps that Io Fleming is a few letters from James Bond’s creator Ian Fleming‘s name.

Gundam Atlast and Io Fleming sinking
The moment Io realized he had no chance to survive alone.

Second star

Io Fleming is great? So is Bianca Carlyle. She is equally as interesting as he is, if not more, since she’s a new character. Ranging from her love of Jazz to the stories her tattoos tell of her military career, she’s a great person. I personally enjoy her frantic style of fighting where she does whatever is needed to live. It’s like seeing a cornered animal fight to live another day. When that Zeon Major pitied her for being a woman, she didn’t take that lying down; she crashed both of their suits. Bianca pulling an Io to go shoot the dude’s head on foot was amazing. She’s the quintessential warrior where sex, race, or age doesn’t matter. We were also treated to a great scene when Io finally found someone to treat as an equal in Bianca.

Bianca Carlyle aiming her gun at Major Kaufmann.
Bianca was about to shoot some dude surrounded by penguins in the back! Ice cold.

A Lesson

The last part of the episode is where we were reminded that war is terrible. Seeing both the Zeon and the Federation grieving for their lost ones was heartbreaking. That’s the reality of war we often forget, both sides think they are right and we’re all people at the end of the day.

Oh by the way how tight has the music been this season? If the first season’s jazz felt chaotic and loud, this season’s feeling melancholic and more controlled. That Japanese cover of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good was the cherry on top.

Gundam Thunderbolt is a realistic take on war using giant robots with deeply captivating characters. This episode has me hyped for the other 2 episodes and I cannot wait to see where Io and Daryl’s factions take them. Waiting a month for another episode feels absolutely fair as we are treated with amazing quality in animation, soundtrack, and story. If you’re looking for series to get into the Universal Century, I definitely recommend this one as it’s separated enough that you can watch it as a standalone, while also being connected to the bigger picture.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘Logan’: Black & White Version Coming To Theaters In May

By
Aric Sweeny
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

Director of Logan, James Mangold, has confirmed that a black and white version of the film will be hitting movie theaters next month.

After the tweet generated curiosity among his audience, Mangold clarified in a later posting.

Are you planning to check out Logan in black and white? I know I’ll be heading to the theater on May 16.

“In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.”

Logan stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/ Logan, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Dafnee Keen as Laura Kinney/X-23, Boyd Holbrook as Donald Pierce, Doris Morgado as Maria, Richard E. Grant as Dr. Zander Rice, Stephen Merchant as Caliban, Elizabeth Rodriguez as Gabriela, and others.

Down below, watch Monkeys Fighting Robots film critic EJ Moreno talk about Logan in his series, “About Last Night”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boNvYlU4uY0

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Five Favorite Films From The Year I Was Born – 1981

By
Joshua Versalle
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

In getting ready to write this article, I discovered something about myself: I’m not a big fan of movies from the year I was born, 1981.  Oh, to have been born a year earlier, the year of The Empire Strikes Back, Airplane, The Shining and many more. Since going back in time to convince my parents to conceive me a year earlier wasn’t an option, I dug into my top five flicks from 1981. It turns out there were some pretty noticeable gaps in my viewings from the year I was born. For example, I have never seen An American Werewolf in London or The Road Warrior.  Now, in my defense, these pictures were rated R, so I can hardly be looked down upon for not having seen them when I was 0.  I have, however, had 3 decades since then to catch up, so feel free to come at me in the comments. If you’re having trouble, here’s a template: “You haven’t seen _________? What the hell is wrong with you?!”  Alright, on to the movies:

History of the World: Part I

Mel Brooks Moses

Not one of my favorite Mel Brooks movies, but even a lower-tier Mel Brooks movie is better than most movies.  For my money, Mel Brooks as Moses beats Charlton Heston any day. Gregory Hines, Dom DeLuise, and Madeline Kahn all help round out this funny flick.

On Golden Pond

Oddly enough, I watched this flick for the first time only a few months ago, while working my way through a list of Academy Award winners and nominees. I don’t imagine I’d have cared much for this movie if I had seen it years ago, but I appreciate Henry Fonda’s portrayal of cranky old man Norman Thayer, Jr. now that I’m getting older and crankier. The movie takes a very personal look at relationships, primarily Norman’s relationship to his loving wife, played by Katherine Hepburn; his relationship (such as it is) to his daughter Chelsea (played by real-life daughter Jane Fonda); and his relationship with grandson Billy Ray. The film is quite moving at times and actually pretty funny at others, as in the clip below, in which Chelsea’s new boyfriend, Bill Ray, gets to know Norman.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHACE2LTz_s[/embedyt]

The Great Muppet Caper

greatmuppetcaper

While the musical numbers grow tiresome, the rest of this movie is pretty great. Unsurprisingly, this movie is better to me as an adult than it was when I was a child (back then I was a bigger fan of The Muppets take Manhattan). Five-year-old me was unable to appreciate the self-aware meta jokes, John Cleese’s performance, and the hilarity of Gonzo contemplating jumping out of a hot air balloon to his death.

Stripes

Stripes

Having seen this flick only once, in 1999, and remembering very little about it, other than that it made me laugh, I decided a quick refresher was in order and watched it again. Starting its first act with a depiction of boot camp and then plunging into a live-combat situation, Stripes has a lot of similarities with another war movie of this era, Full Metal Jacket. Unlike FMJ, Stripes features John Candy mud wrestling strippers and a Winnebago equipped with flame throwers and rocket launchers. Advantage: Stripes.  Bill Murray at this time was perfecting slacker comedy and Harold Ramis is every bit a match for him.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

raiders-of-the-lost-ark-shoot-out

There’s nothing I can tell you about this classic that you shouldn’t already know. It’s almost universally acknowledged as one of the greatest movies of all time. Spielberg and Lucas introduced us to Indiana Jones, a hero so cool that we never even noticed he was named after a state that isn’t in the least bit exciting. Raiders has everything: action, humor, suspense, Nazi-punching, a thieving monkey, and a sword fight for the ages. You can feel the love for 1940’s film-making throughout. It’s like The Maltese Falcon with more face-melting.

What is your favorite film from 1981? Comment below.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

‘Satellite Falling’ #4 Makes Up For Lost Time

By
Anthony Wendel
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

In the wake of last issue’s shocking death, Lilly and her team of aliens must infiltrate the enemy ship with one goal in mind: find Eva!

Writing

After a long delay due to a changing of the guard, Satellite Falling is finally back. When a book takes a long break, it’s usually important to make a come back with a phenomenal issue which will help everyone remember how good it was before the gap in time. This issue manages to pull off this feat gloriously by putting the main character through hell and high water.

Lilly just can’t catch a break this issue. After it’s revealed that someone did die last time (was totally banking on the “psyche gotcha” moment to happen), they raid the enemy ship. There, Lilly is able to confront Eva, who proceeds to give her an emotional punch to the gut no one would see coming. Meeting with an ex isn’t the most pleasant experience but writer Steve Horton really sells it as being shear torture. Really makes you want to know what is going to happen next in this series.

Satellite Falling

Artwork

There two sets of art teams who worked on this book. Though Stephen Thompson penciled the whole thing he inked only the first part of the book with Lisa Jackson doing color works. The later half would have Austin Janowsky on inks and Alex Lozano on colors. The art shift between the two teams is noticeable. Not bad but it does stand out. You can’t tell at first but as the issue goes on it starts to stand out more. This is still a very impressive display of art and it will be interesting to see the how the team handles a full issue.

Conclusion

Good to have this series back. It still remains a powerful bit of human drama mixed in with some very interesting science fiction elements. Now let’s cross our fingers and hope it doesn’t take so long for the next issue to come out.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Star Trek: Discovery Casting Announcements – Four New and One Known

By
Michael Bedford
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

Following the “worst-kept secret in the universe,” CBS recently announced four new cast members for Star Trek: Discovery, set to air in the “late summer, early fall” of 2017. The Discovery casting announcement included a fifth new character but not a fifth new actor, Shazad Latif who was going to play Klingon commander Kol will instead play Lt. Tyler. So, Star Trek fans have nine more names to learn rather than ten.

Joining Mary Chieffo, James Frain, Jason Isaacs, Shazad Latif, Doug Jones, Sonequa Martin-Green, Chris Obi, Maulik Pancholy, Anthony Rapp, Terry Serpico, Sam Vartholomeos, Rainn Wilson, Mary Wiseman, and Michelle Yeoh are Clare McConnell, Kenneth Mitchell, Damon Runyan, and Rekha Sharma.

Star Trek: Discovery Casting – New Names

Clare McConnell appears to be relatively new to TV and film with just two credits on IMDb, Jason Long’s This Is What It Sounds Like Falling Out of Love with You and Daniel Warth’s Dim the Fluorescents, set for release in the fall of 2017.

Kenneth Mitchell’s TV career spans 16 years, first playing Spencer Matthew on Leap Years and most recently playing Deacon Joe Hurley on The CW’s Frequency.

Damon Runyan has a varied career in both TV and film, starting out on the small screen in an episode of Soul Food in 2002 and appearing most recently in Sound of Christmas.

Rekha Sharma had a lead role in Ronald D. Moore’s revamped Battlestar Galactica and even has some Star Trek experience, having appeared in a totally non-canon episode of Star Trek Continues, a fan-made show that follows the exploits of Capt. Kirk and his crew after their five-year mission had ended.

Star Trek: Discovery Casting – What We Know

Star Trek: Discovery Casting – The Federation

So far we’ve got eighteen names, unless I counted wrong. We know that three of them will play Klingons, one of them will play a member of never-before-seen alien race, and one of them will play a space-fungus expert. We know that Star Trek: Discovery is set around a decade before Capt. Kirk started his five-year mission. We also know that the show will feature at least two starships, the USS Discovery and the USS Shenzhou.

We know that the USS Discovery will be commanded by Capt. Lorca (Isaacs) and the USS Shenzhou will be commanded by Capt. Georgiou (Yeoh). We know that a cadet whose name is “Tilly” (Wiseman), chief of security Cmdr. Landry (Sharma), and the previously mentioned space-fungus expert Lt. Stamets (Rapp) will be aboard the Discovery under Capt. Lorca’s command. Capt. Georgiou, on the other hand, will command Ens. Connor (Vartholomeos) and the Shenzhou’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Nambue (Pancholy).

Star Trek: Discovery Casting – The Klingon Empire

We know that T’Kuvma (Obi) seeks to unite the Klingon houses, and that Kol (Mitchell), his protégé, is a commanding officer aboard a Klingon ship. We know that L’Rell (Chieffo) will command that ship’s battle deck. These Klingons will probably do great honour or dishonour to their leaders Dennas (McConnell) and Ujilli (Runyan).

Star Trek: Discovery Casting – Familiar Faces

We also know that for better or worse we’ll see a couple of characters that have appeared in previous Star Trek iterations. Always willing to provide a logical ear, Sarek (Frain) will make an appearance as will the con man Harcourt Fenton Mudd (Wilson).

Star Trek: Discovery Casting – What We Don’t Know

Whether or not it was intentional, previous casting announcements have been vague about which ship First Officer Burnham (Martin-Green), Lt. Tyler (Latif), and Lt. Saru (Jones) will serve aboard. There’s also an Adm. Anderson (Serpico) in the mix, so we’ll have to wait to see exactly how he ends up jeopardizing the lives of the people under his command.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Advance Review: ‘Shirtless Bear-Fighter’ Issues 1-3: Bear Punch!

By
Wesley Messer
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

Shirtless Bear-Fighter is one of my favorite titles for a comic, possibly ever. You can’t help but smile and that’s exactly what I did. It’s the story of the comic in one title, he’s a man named Shirtless who fights bears. This has to be the easiest comic book to explain to someone ever. You know what you’re getting into, you know what you’re about to read, and it will still surprise you. That’s how I felt by the end of reading the first three issues. Prepare yourselves for an unusual but wonderful article here. Sit back and relax as I dive into the wonderful world of Shirtless Bear-Fighter. You know what you’re getting into but you ultimately only know the half of it. Strap yourselves in for a bear fighting good time and on with the show!

Yes the title says it all but there is way more to it than you’d realize. Shirtless Bear-Fighter even surprised me by the time I was done with the three issues.

Shirtless Bear-Fighter #1 Cover

For one thing, this is one of the funniest comics I have read in a long time. Comedy in comics isn’t easy, and Shirtless Bear-Fighter does it with absolute ease. Considering this book is filled with endless Bear puns and more, it works well. Jody LeHeup and Sebastian Girner are two people that make this entire world work. In these three out of the five issues you get an amazing look at how crazy this comic series is. Bears invade Major City and now two government agents have to convince Shirtless to help them out. That’s the basic premise of the book. Yet once Shirtless makes his presence known, it only gets crazier. A hint of what’s to come: Shirtless rides in a Bear Plane. You read that right. There’s even more madness to come and you’ll love every second of it.

The two agents, Burke and Silva even have their own twists and turns throughout the three issues. Burke has an especially crazy history that you have to see to believe. Even how Burke tries to get Shirtless to help is a thing of beauty. How the Agents connect to Shirtless is hilarious and out of left field at points but it’s a lot fun to see. Shirtless even reveals quirks himself along the way: shirts are his kryptonite, pancakes are to always be called flapjacks, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Now as for the shirt thing, you have to see it to believe it but it all makes sense, trust me. It gets deeper from there too, as the invasion of the city dovetails into more madness. It’s clever and completely and beautifully bonkers.

Shirtless Bear-Fighter #1 Flapjacks

I’m keeping this spoiler free too, as Shirtless Bear-Fighter does have spoilers. Trust me when I say you have to see it to believe it.

Shirtless Bear-Fighter #1 Bear Attack

It is tougher than you’d think to talk about this without spoilers, yet you will all appreciate it more knowing as little as possible. As you may be wondering why the bears are attacking the city, why does Shirtless fight bears, and – trust me – your questions will be answered. There’s even a Hillbilly Warlock which has to be seen to be believed. Your mind takes quite a bit of a beating here but when it comes together it is totally worth it. There is a reason for everything, and by the end of the third issue I was sold on all of the lives of these characters. LeHeup and Girner crafted a non-stop action festival of beautiful madness and comedy and all the characters are a lot of fun. Put it this way, reading these three issues are some of the most joyous fun you will have reading a comic. Embrace it.

Now with all the mind boggling yet beautiful madness of Shirtless Bear-Fighter, the art team of this book gels it together.

The art team for Shirtless Bear-Fighter deserves a lot of props, from the artist to the letterer. I’m going to break format here and talk about the letterer first, Dave Lanphear. Lanphear’s lettering is such a strong part of this comic. As this comic is a big, bold, and wild adventure, the lettering had to match and Lanphear nails it. From the peaceful “Chirp Chirp” of the birds having a rounded friendly look, to the growls of the bears with a rough edgy feel, it all works. Even the normal lettering has this beautiful exaggeration to it that fits it perfectly. That and the lettering for “Bear Punch!” and the rest of the Bear-Attacks were a thing of beauty. Pay attention to all of this and see just why lettering is so important to a comic.

For the rest of this comic, the rest of the art team works well in conveying the tone of this book. Nil Vendell Pallach has a style just exaggerated enough to fit the madness of this story. The Bears in a rage look suitably intense, and Shirtless looks like a wild man. It’s spot on. It’s fast, frantic, and intense action at points too, in between beautifully baffled expressions. The expressions really help this book as it’s all about reactions to the craziness. Another factor here is Michael Spicer’s colors, they’re all bright and fitting to the tale. Yes it has dark moments but really the tone is so brilliantly bonkers that the colors need to be bright. This is ultimately a fun tale and the colors suit the universe.

Shirtless Bear-Fighter is one of the more crazier comics I have read or as I said in the last paragraph, brilliantly bonkers.

Shirtless Bear-Fighter is something you shouldn’t miss. The first issue is released on June 21st, and everyone needs this comic in their lives. If the first three issues are any indication, the entire five issue run should be one amazing story. I hope you all give this a shot so we can have more. Shirtless Bear-Fighter: it’s about a man fighting bears and I am happy to live in a world where this exists. Read it and embrace this beautiful world for yourself starting in June.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review ‘Raw’: A Brilliant And Brutal Film That’s Not For The Faint Of Heart

By
Dewey Singleton - Film Critic
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

Julia Ducournau’s Raw is an intense tale of how suppression and being socially naïve can have powerful ramifications.

Summary

The movie focuses on the life of Justine (Garance Marillier), a teenager who lives in a very stringent household. Justine’s life is completely micromanaged by her parents down to the vegetarian meals that she’s allowed to consume. She’s sent off to veterinarian school, which the audience assumes is her first chance at being on her own.That notion is quickly dispelled when we learn her sister, Alexia (Ella Rumpf), is already studying at the same school. Alexia ends up being an asset to Justine as she needs guidance navigating the hazing which comes with being a new freshman in school. Justine is forced to during one of these hazings incidents to eat a raw rabbit kidney which causes her to become very ill and to crave raw meat. She tries to suppress these desires by eating raw chicken breast and shawarma sandwiches but nothing helps. A chain of events begins to unfold that leads to a terrible accident but gives Justine her first chance to devour human flesh. It’s at this point that we realize that things will never be the same going forward.

raw

Acting

Marillier delivers a fantastic performance as Justine. If she had just gone for the human flesh nonchalantly, it would have completely transformed Raw into some cheap horror film. Instead, she portrays Justine as conflicted. She knows that her cravings are wrong, but with every chomp of flesh, it seems to make her heart full. Maybe it was the excitement of exploring new desires? Perhaps it was indulging in what is widely considered to be aberrant behavior?

Writing/Direction

Ducournau certainly went all in on her first feature film. The shots, musical selections, and even the color palate of the film were all meant to be extreme and to shake the audience’s senses. The cheesy harpsichord music and pulse-pounding score created the right mood for this picture. She even made sure that the colors of the raw chicken, rabbit kidney, and the human blood was bright, bold, and even slightly alluring. Her use of handheld shots enhanced the visual imagery and, of course, made the audience that much more uncomfortable.

Ducournau constructed this narrative to show the psychology behind a woman trying to rationalize her unnatural desires. At various moments we witness Justine grappling with these urges and see a range of emotion wash over her face. A part of her understands that what she craves is vile, but she can’t deny the happiness each bite of human flesh brings her. It’s these moments of conflict, turmoil, and striving for societal acceptance that take this film out of the category of just a horror film do more of an extraordinary film.

Overall

A lot of the hype behind this film has been completely misleading. It has been widely reported that audience members were either fainting or throwing up in the middle of the screenings. Some theaters have even issued barf bags to the audience as they walk in creating the perception that this film is nothing but a blood and guts fest. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While Raw certainly has its moments of gore, the film is a gripping tale of a woman whose every move has been micromanaged growing up, and that has made her socially inept. The film is French and has subtitles, so that may be a turnoff to some people. If this weekend you are willing to give a film a chance, Raw should be your #1 choice.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

’Dear White People’ Is Fearless, Razor-Sharp And Destined To Offend On Epic Levels

By
Ruben Diaz
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

Netflix lets loose slick satire Dear White People on the streaming world. Based on the 2014 film of the same name Dear White People returns as ten, 30-minute episodes. Naturally, controversy sprouted just from the trailer, and I can’t imagine what snowflakes will fall upon the Interwebs now that the show is out. If you’re like me and just want good stories, does Dear White People have something to say that’s worthy of attention?

The close-minded, unsympathetic, or those lacking general empathy
will simply not enjoy Dear White People.

Logan Browning fills the shoes of Samantha White, the character from the movie. The show is a reinvention of the film that returns Sam to Winchester University. Sam is a fierce proponent of equality and hosts a radio show called Dear White People. The show causes a stir on campus when Sam reports on a blackface-themed party thrown by white students known as the “Dear Black People Party.”

Readers might recognize Browning from Sony’s Powers show where she plays Zora. Browning’s handle on Sam is spot on from start to finish. She delivers razor sharp swipes of dialogue with cool confidence and opens up during emotional scenes with touching vulnerability. Kudos as well to the entire cast who create a diverse tapestry characters.

Writer and Director Justin Simien returns to write and direct many of the episodes. The entire project elevates an already solid film. As a show, the chance to explore this subject matter is further heightened.

Moment by moment, Dear White People adds a new layer of grey area on a host of debates that divide many people. Race relations, sexual orientation, equality, and the difficulty it is for all people, whether white, black, gay, or straight, to navigate it all. The gamut of topics is a wide and fearless net cast out on all of us.

The show barrels through the most hot-button topics of today like the Juggernaut busting through a wall.

Every episode of Dear White People is a chapter in a storm of tension at Winchester University both past and present. The chapters take us deeper into each character’s story as it relates to the Dear Black People Party. In Chapter Two, Lionel, a black journalism student struggles with the labels of sexuality. While investigating the party, Lionel is seduced into what looks like an eventual threesome, but it turns into a smart shift in the point of view of labels. In Chapter Four, CoCo, Sam’s one-time friend, helps create the idea of the Dear White People show while struggling to fit in with cool (i.e. “white”) kids.

In what might be the most moving episode, Chapter Five deals with the consequences of gun violence. But it’s not in the usual sense. No one is shot, but one character must deal with having a weapon pointed at them and existing within a fraction of a second of death. Best Picture Director for Moonlight, Barry Jenkins, takes the helm for this episode.

Dear White People explores and exposes all the grey area for it is — massive, ultimately irrelevant and self-defeating. The show’s real message is about holding a mirror up to yourself to look at the ugly truths that exist. There is no purity, only humanity, and all of us share similar flaws, fears, desires, and dream of things we want for ourselves.

The close-minded, unsympathetic, or those lacking general empathy will simply not enjoy Dear White People. The show barrels through the most hot-button topics of today like the Juggernaut busting through a wall. And if watched with an open mind, Dear White People is an intelligent and incorruptible critique of us all.

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

5 Potential Actors Who Could Play Dick Grayson

By
Mikey Curalli
-
Monkeys Fighting Robots

Titans Is Coming So Who Should Play The Leader, Dick Grayson?

As reported by our very own news desk, a Teen Titans television show is in the works over at Warner for a 2018 debut. This news, along with the official announcement of the return of Young Justice, has DC Comics fans drooling.

The biggest question on everyone’s minds, however, is who is going to play the title character of Richard “Dick” Grayson on Titans. (For the record, I feel Zac Efron needs to be casted as Grayson on the silver screen, but that’s a discussion to have later.)

Grayson is a fan favorite character. Dick grew up an acrobat in the circus before becoming the ward of Bruce Wayne after his parents were tragically killed performing in Gotham City. As we all know, as Batman mentored young Dick, and as a result Grayson dawned a red costume under the alias of Robin. The rest they say is history… However, through circumstances that vary depending on who tells the story, Grayson eventually teams up with various other “side kicks” to become the Teen Titans.

Whomever tackles Grayson needs to have a likeable charisma about him, an athletic built, the ability to nail sarcastic quips at the drop of a hat, and given his dating history he need easy on the eyes.

With all of this noted, yours truly has compiled a list of potential Dicks. ( I probably could have worded that better…)

 

Dylan O’Brien

Confession: I have not seen more than 20 combined minutes of Teen Wolf. Honestly, that’s only because I have such an infatuation with the original that any other version is totally unacceptable!

Word on the street is Teen Wolf is in it’s final season over on MTV, and Dylan is about to become one of the hottest free agents. O’Brien has an accomplished franchise cred to his name with Maze Runner, and what could be a star making role in the upcoming American Assassin on the horizon. Dylan has also been the go-to name in the tabloids for all the “hip tween roles” as well, so there is plenty of steam behind the 25 year old.

DC/Warner better snatch DB up now before his star becomes to bright. No doubt Dylan is the “sexy pick” of the bunch.

13 Reasons Why

Dylan Minnette

You’d hate to call Dylan the flavor of the month. However, given how red-hot 13 Reasons Why has been, Dylan’s stock will probably never be higher. 13 Reasons asked Minnette to play Klay through several stages of behavior which no doubt showed incredible versatility. Without question this showed leading man potential, however, one would argue he isn’t the prototypical type of handsome that is usually associated with Grayson.

There is also the gigantic elephant in the room. 13 Reasons Why is getting a major push towards a sophomore season. Would it be remotely intelligent to jump off a winning team, even if chance is to play an iconic role like Robin or Nightwing?

Peyton Meyer

Everyone will agree that Girl Meets World was a flawed show. The acting, however, was never a point of dispute. Rarely does a television show go on to cast so many great young actors, and Disney found a star in Peyton Meyer’s Lucas Friar.

The hardest sell on Meyer is his look. In a situation that could prove problematic Meyer has the face of a 7th grader but the body of a WWE Cruiserweight. Looks are not everything, but if you were looking for a younger Grayson, there could be some fear Meyer will look more like Peyton Manning by film time.

Wouldn’t casting the former Lucas Friar be enough incentive for Warner though? What a way to stick it to “the mouse” than by stealing one of their own right from under Disney’s nose?

What do you think Sabrina?

Logan Lerman

Arguably the most accomplished actor on this list, Lerman would no doubt bring excellent gravity to Dick Grayson. Logan also has shown the wit and comedic timing to pull off Grayson’s iconic sense of humor. Like O’Brien, however, Logan has most prominently been featured in movie roles over the past five years. However, Lerman has television roots dating back to the ill-fated but critically acclaimed WB masterpiece Jack and Bobby.

A Quick Rant: HOW IN THE HELL DID JACK AND BOBBY GET CANCELED AFTER ONE SEASON!?! BEAUTY AND THE FREAKING BEAST WENT FOR LIKE 19 SEASONS, BUT A SHOW THAT WAS NOMINATED FOR A GAZILLION AWARDS GETS CHOPPED!!?!?! SOMEBODY, PLEASE, GIVE ME A LOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR THIS.. IM WAITING!!!

Where was I? Oh, Lerman has had big screen success but this doesn’t necessarily stop actors from doing both TV and movie ventures. There is also something to be said for an opportunity to star for a DC property. This could be wishful thinking, but any chance to get more Logan Lerman needs exploration.

Steven R McQueen

Look at that picture. Think he wants the part?

Steven R McQueen (yes grandson of THAT McQueen) has made no bones about his desire to play Dick Grayson as Nightwing. While there is no guarantee Grayson will be that far along in his journey, McQueen certainly looks the part. Also, after spending a slew of seasons as Jeremy Gilbert on Vampire Diaries, McQueen is not wet behind the ears when it comes to fight scenes.

Timing for this casting might never be more perfect as well, as Steven exited Chicago Fire last season as part of a casting shake up. So, needless to say, his schedule seems pretty wide open.

For a television show to succeed, the lead needs to buy in 100% to the material and the character itself. In my opinion, Steven R McQueen has the look, ability, and most importantly the desire to portray Dick Grayson. All of these choices would be amazing, but McQueen would certainly be the sentimental favorite for me.

Who would you like to see play Dick Grayson on the small screen? Leave your choices, or any general chatter in the comments section. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @themikeycuralli!

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube
1...952953954...1,690Page 953 of 1,690

ABOUT US
Join Monkeys Fighting Robots for an inside look at the world of comic books and the evolution of the industry.

CONTACT US
Send your comments, questions, & concerns to - info @ monkeysfightingrobots.com

©2015-2022 MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS