Showtime has released a new Twin Peaks teaser for fans to pour over. It offers a look some of the key locations in the titular city. And it seems some have hardly changed in the last twenty-five years.
While the Waiting Room and the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Office could be footage from 1989, The Double R Diner is definitely recent with its “RR to Go” signage on the side and fairly modern cars in the lot.
Beyond quick cuts of the Palmer house and the Ghost Wood, Showtime continues to be fairly vague in just what the new season will offer. In fact, we don’t even known if we’ll get an answer to the season two cliffhanger. Where is Annie?
At the very least, we know the Roadhouse didn’t burn down in the previous two decades. Which means there will always be a place to learn deep truths about the citizens of Twin Peaks.
By Dumbing of Age Book Four, the main cast has been established, the tone has been set, and the status quo is settling into place. It should be vaguely foreboding, then, that the book (available here) is called Amazi-Girl is Always Prepared for Anything.
You can read my reviews of the previous books here, here and here!
Spoilers for Book Four below… obviously.
DUMBING OF AGE BOOK FOUR – RECAP
The events of Freshman Family Weekend have their consequences, including a heated argument between Amber and Ethan concerning their respective issues. Amber and Danny are – sort of – avoiding each other. Walky and Sal still haven’t talked about the Racism Thing.
Ruth and Billie continue their shared detox, although Ruth is unaware that Billie isn’t holding up her end of the deal. To show her appreciation, Ruth fixes her cheerleader outfit, and Billie is overcome with guilt.
Billie convinces Danny that Sal is Amazi-Girl, and gets him to go talk to her. In the meantime, she has lunch with Walky, and talks to him about his issues with Sal. She eventually convinces him to talk to Sal about it, and see her side of things.
Amber realizes that Ethan is still dating Joyce, and has a catastrophic, jealous meltdown at him in the school cafeteria. She leaves the cafeteria, and immediately runs into Danny and Sal. Apparently when Sal held up that convenience store, Amber and Ethan were there.
Danny goes looking for Amber, and runs into her dad. Blaine takes him out to dinner and explains that he’s just worried about Amber, and wants to talk to her.
Dorothy and Walky go chasing after Amazi-Girl, with limited success. Amazi-Girl receives a call from her father, telling her to come meet with him – and Danny. In the ensuing showdown, Blaine uses Danny as a hostage, triggering the rest of Amber’s memory of Sal, in which Sal used Ethan as a hostage. Amber snaps completely, and beats Blaine unconscious, revealing her secret identity in the process.
Ruth gets Billie another cheerleading outfit, and Billie kisses her – but Ruth realizes she tastes of alcohol, and refuses to talk to her again.
…EVERYTHING GETS WORSE
Dorothy finds out that Amber is her next-door neighbour, and pops over to ask her about Blaine O’Malley’s trip to the hospital. With a few context clues, Dorothy realizes that she’s Amazi-Girl. The next morning, Amber is ready to be exposed as a vigilante, but instead Dorothy pretends not to know anything to protect Amber. In exchange for this kindness, Amber gives Dorothy an exclusive interview with Amazi-Girl.
Ethan and Danny share their worries about Amber, and make plans to go get comic books together. They get along well – a little too well for Danny’s taste, as he realizes he’s not as straight as he thought.
Joyce puts up whiteboards on the doors of her rez floor, but overnight they wake up to find them vandalized with penises drawn in permanent marker. This looks like a job – for Amazi-Girl, apparently! After some expert deduction, she accuses Joyce of being the Whiteboard Ding-Dong Bandit. Unfortunately the encounter reminds Joyce of the night of her assault, and Amber realizes how much of an effect that night is still having on Joyce’s life.
While the sharp changes between humour and seriousness are a trademark of Dumbing of Age at this point, this book has some of the most severe ups and downs. What’s so interesting, however, is how well Willis makes them work.
In my review of the first book, I criticized the balance of seriousness and slapstick humour. It’s here, however, that the sudden shifts in tone work perfectly in the comic’s favour. Amber going after Sal because of her PTSD isn’t funny; chucking Malaya into the air is hilarious. Amazi-Girl chasing down the Whiteboard Ding-Dong Bandit is hysterical from beginning to end… until Joyce starts crying.
I also enjoy how Dumbing of Age grows in its own telling. The themes of sexuality that start off as somewhat clumsy have expanded and grown. Ethan began the comic mostly as an orbit to Amber’s character, and the sole queer cast member. Now he’s dancing around the beginnings of a romantic storyline with Danny, previously the straightest man in existence.
How does Dumbing of Age Book Four hold up to the rest of the series?
Join Host Michael Urie And Guests As They Dive Into ‘Soapdish’
Logo is going back to 90’s soap operas on this week’s ‘Cocktails And Classics’. Host Michael Urie with guests that include Shangela, Jessica Shaw, and Drew Droege all dish on the cult classic ‘Soapdish‘. They are even joined by cast member Cathy Moriarty!
Michael Urie asks a hard-hitting question in the clip below: “Why Is This Movie So Gay?”
Shangela’s answer to the question is a laugh-riot!
“Michael Urie and guests, including cast member Cathy Moriarty, look back at this over the top, star-studded comedy about a TV soap actress who plans to destroy her castmate’s career but runs into trouble when she discovers life on set is eerily similar to an actual soap opera.”
Join the crew of ‘Cocktails and Classics‘ for some drinks while they breakdown ‘Soapdish‘ this Sunday at 8pm on Logo!
Wait for it! No, we have waited long enough! USA’s hit ‘Psych’ is in the works for a feature film, and it seems to be for real this time. The series, ran from 2004-2014 was the networks most popular series, which is why it was a surprise when it ended. Teasers about a movie have been coming out of the woodworks for years, but according to my source, it seems like this time it may be legit.
“Psych has made an indelible imprint on the television landscape, with a unique brand of comedy. The final season celebrates the iconic characters that have made this show so beloved, and will be an exclamation point on the series’ incredible run. And while the series will wrap in March somehow I don’t believe we’ve heard the last of Shawn and Gus.” USA Network President Chris McCumber
The series was centered around a fake psychic detective, Shawn Spencer. His best friend Burton Guster (Dule Hill) and some real detectives, Jules (Maggie Lawson) and Lassie (Timothy Omundson). When the show came to an end, it was a happy one. Shawn, Gus, and Jules rode off in the sunset to San Fransisco, and all seemed happy. But that couldn’t have been the end, right?
Wait, there’s more!
This weekend Dule Hills new film ‘Sleigh’ comes out, and with this comes media coverage. We hope the final details will come to light! All the Psych-os can finally get the movie we’ve been wanting!
‘Psych’ recently had been taken off of Netflix, which caused an uproar to fans all across the world. Hopefully it returns, but until then we must watch our DVD collections to spot the pineapple!
Diversity Is Changing On-Screen For Star Wars, What About Behind-The-Scenes?
Kathleen Kennedy has spent a fair share of the campaign for ‘The Last Jedi‘ touting how much Rian Johnson understands female characters. Even at Star Wars Celebration, Kennedy and Johnson made a point to introduce a new female lead. The way they presented Kelly Marie Tran to the audience felt a bit too “try hard”.
“I’m going to embarrass him. …He writes as beautifully as he directs, and he writes amazingly, fierce and independent women.” Kathleen Kennedy about Rian Johnson
After constantly hearing a woman talk about how cool this guy is for handling a female character correctly, it sparked a serious thought. Instead of just bragging about finding men who can write females, how about a female telling the Star Wars stories as well?
Before you attack in the comments, I’m not saying we turn the Star Wars franchise into a feminist movement. But simply employing a female director is more progressive than bragging about a male director who gets women.
One of the usual arguments would be: well, what female directors could handle this task?
Even Kathleen Kennedy recently spoke about “the search for a female director”. Her statement was met with controversy but she made some points. Finding anyone, not just a female, who can tackle this franchise is daunting. But let’s not ignore some names within in the industry that could handle something of this magnitude.
Don’t worry, I made a shortlist of some of Hollywood’s best.
Honorable Mentions:
– Elizabeth Banks
– Sofia Coppola
Anna Forester
– Anna Forester directed 2016’s ‘Underworld: Blood Wars‘. While it was met with negative reviews, the action sequences were complimented. Forester was even applauded for handling the convoluted timeline of the Underworld movies. Constantly working with Roland Emmerich also gives Forester big budget experience. She’s an unconventional choice but given the right material, there’s no doubt she could shine. Maybe not working in main story but a spin-off is great proving ground. Look at Gareth Edwards!
Ava DuVernay
– It’s a shame Marvel never got to use Ava DuVernay for ‘Black Panther‘ because it would’ve put DuVernay at the top of any list. Move past just women, women of color are often underrepresented in Sci-Fi. DuVernay is breaking barriers as being the first black women to direct a movie with more than 100 million dollars AND it’s a fantasy film so what’s stopping her from taking on Star Wars? Nothing! She needs to bring her Oscar nominated talent to this franchise.
Kathryn Bigelow
– No other female has the resume and the accolades to tackle this massive franchise. Kathryn Bigelow is an Oscar winner for her direction of ‘The Hurt Locker‘, with multiple nominations for Best Picture. The Star Wars franchise has deep roots in the war genre so Bigelow can easily bring elements of ‘The Hurt Locker‘ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty‘ to the action scenes. But both those films go beyond simple war movies; they have heart. If she’s gonna tackle the main franchise or a spin-off, the film will need that emotional punch.
Do you agree with the choices? How do you feel about a female director for ‘Star Wars‘?
As a special surprise, Patty Jenkins and Warner Bros. just released an awesome new look at the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. The short TV spot features a lot of new footage, including some really awesome action sequences, and we also get some great dialogue from Gal Gadot as the title character.
This TV spot seemingly shows a push in marketing for Wonder Woman, and we will likely see more TV spots and teasers within the next few weeks. Now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 is opening across the world, Wonder Woman is the next big superhero movie, and Warner Bros. will want to make sure everyone is talking about the movie and buying tickets.
’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.
Robert Zemeckis Could Time-Travel Again With ‘The Flash’
According to movie news outlet Screen Junkies, Robert Zemeckis is in talks to direct 2019’s ‘The Flash‘. This isn’t the first time Zemeckis has dealt with speed and time-travel. He’s famously known for directing ‘Back To The Future‘ and the sequels.
But is Zemeckis the right choice for the superhero genre?
Thankfully, movie insider Umberto Gonzalez took to Twitter to let fans know that Robert Zemeckis isn’t the only director being courted.
Not true. NOT in talks. He took a meeting and that is it. They’re still meeting with other directors. https://t.co/I6jcXsmcVa
While it’s just a rumor, the DC Extended Universe could use a director of this caliber. Zemeckis is a proven director with a Best Director win at the Oscars for ‘Forrest Gump‘ but he’s also made iconic films like ‘Polar Express‘ and ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit‘. He brings a mature level of directing that this franchise needs.
What do you think of Robert Zemeckis as direct of ‘The Flash‘? Could he bring the humor out of Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen? The same humor that critics say the DCEU needs.
The milestone comes after a lot of hard work. Isabella Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton (Isa and Meg, by their proper names), have been working on the comic since 2010, and launched their Patreon in 2014. Patreons, especially launched by independents, are notoriously slow to get started. This makes 500 patrons a wonderful milestone to hit, especially after three years – it’ll only speed up from here.
What does that mean in numbers? Every patron on the site – designed around subscribing to different tiers of somebody’s work – pays a different amount. The Namesake comic Patreonoffers three subscription tiers; $1, $5 and $10, and pulls in $1,600 dollars a month.
The fantastic part is that most of the donations are through one and five dollar subscriptions, underlining the essential premise of Patreon, Kickstarter, and other crowdfunding sites. If everybody throws in a few bucks, the results add up to something amazing.
IN GOOD COMPANY
Isa and Meg aren’t the only webcomic artists to turn to Patreon. From Zach Weinersmith of SMBC to Knight JJ of Les Normaux, artists of all ages and experience are making Patreons of their own.
In fact, webcomics are responsible for a large part of the “micropatronage boom”. David Malki, a Topatoco staff member and creator of Wondermark, claims that the Internet plays a huge role in this.
““I think you probably are seeing as a general trend of people doing more varied things. Part of that is the Internet and part is them just them getting better at their craft and getting more opportunities.” –David Malki, the Observer, 2015
Still, only a few artists breach the 500 patron mark, or the thousand-dollar goal that the Namesake comic Patreon has long surpassed. Isa and Meg’s accomplishment makes even more clear what was already established; Namesake is here to stay.
Hounds of Love is a true-crime horror/thriller which seems cultivated for only the bravest of audiences, those of us masochists who find a reason to absorb uncomfortable cinema. The film has been lauded by critics on the festival circuit, but it exists for only the most courageous filmgoers.
Check out this trailer. If you make it through without your heart racing or your stomach churning, then either this is the movie for you or you should be under close observation by the authorities:
Vicki Maloney is randomly abducted from a suburban street by a disturbed couple. As she observes the dynamic between her captors she quickly realises she must drive a wedge between them if she is to survive.
So that’s pretty tough stuff, but it’s something I am interested in seeing. Because I’m probably a little sick but, hey, if it’s your jam it’s your jam.
Hounds of Love stars Emma Booth and Stephen Curry (not the Golden State Warriors MVP). It’s directed by Ben Young, whose only other credit is a film called Something Fishy that I feel like I should check out.
The bravest of us will check out Hounds of Love in theaters or VOD on May 12.
