Watch: New ‘Cars 3’ Trailer Drops Online

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April 26, 2017

A new trailer for Cars 3 has raced online! Check it out below.

Are you a fan of the Cars series? Generally, Cars is regarded as a sub-par Pixar movie, while its sequel is regularly panned among fans and critics.

Can this third installment get the franchise going again, or has it already ran out of gas?

“Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez, with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isn’t through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racing’s biggest stage!”

Cars 3 hits theaters on June 16.

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Dear DCEU: Give Us These 5 Things In Mr. Whedon’s ‘Batgirl’ Movie

By

Karen Walsh

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April 26, 2017

Joss Whedon’s Batgirl movie announcement has hit the internet hard this week with his interview in US Magazine. I am a BIG Whedon fan. Big. Huge. Ginormous might even explain it. Let’s put it this way, I have the Slayer Scythe tattooed on my arm.

Now, the other half of this is that Batgirl is possibly one of my favorite characters ever. When I rejoined the comics world in my 30’s, Gail Simone’s Batgirl was my gateway drug. I consumed the book, breathed the book, lived the book. See the tattoo comment above? Ms. Simone’s Batgirl run is the reason that the Batgirl insignia is tattooed near the Slayer Scythe.

Now that we’ve established my crazy tattoo fangirliness, let’s talk about what Whedon’s Batgirl movie needs to have.

5. Crazy Computer Programming Skillz

Barbara Gordon as Oracle was the only positive outcome of her paraplegia in The Killing Joke. Women have made strides in the sciences, but they still trail men in computer science by a large margin. Ensuring that a movie Batgirl represents the computer genius Babs means that a generation of young women see a nontraditional strong female character. Female superhero characters tend to fall into the “strong female character” trope making them strong only physically. People (yes, men too) need to see that strong female character means depth. It means being able to be smart and funny and physically strong and emotionally invested. Give us a computer science Babs in Whedon’s Batgirl movie! Please!

4. Babs Tarr’s Batgirl Suit Design

I loved the Babs Tarr Batgirl suit design. Mr. Whedon’s Batgirl movie needs something just as functional. Look, I get it, the whole Batgirl of Burnside run had some issues. However, let’s throw it out there that whether you loved the color schema or not, that suit is possibly one of the most functional female heroine suits I’ve ever seen. Honestly, I’ve thought about cosplaying that design since it came out. Any version of my favorite superhero wearing Doc Martens-esque boots is going to be a Major Win in my world. Remove the shoes (although, shoes are important), and the rest of the outfit still gets my feminist self all happy. It feminizes Batgirl without sexualizing her. In the MCU, the female characters often remain sexualized side-notes. I want a feminine Batgirl who kicks ass, takes no prisoners, doesn’t wear irresponsible shoes, and doesn’t have to flash boobs at all the male characters to appeal to the male gaze.

3. A Female Antagonist

I could say that I want a male antagonist so that we can show a woman smashing the patriarchy. Sure, that could be cool. However, I’d really love to see two amazing women go head-to-head in a movie. Honestly, if we want a truly feminist superhero movie with one of the most recognized female characters? I want to shatter the Bechdel-Wallace Test into a million pieces. Since news of Mr. Whedon’s Batgirl movie broke a few weeks ago, women across the internet heaved a collective “sigh” over another female protagonist movie being run entirely by a man. As much as Mr. Whedon stands as a feminist, fans have also derided his title of “feminist male writer.” The internet is basically just full of angry people. One thing is true, if a man is going to both write and direct a movie about a woman in the modern-day, then he had better make sure to get the voice right. Doing this means ensuring that the story doesn’t fall back on the same boring tropes of tiny girl overcoming big strong manly man. Let’s see two strong women duke it out over something that has absolutely nothing to do with a man. Let’s see Harley Quinn (since the current comic run is ah-maz-ing) or Poison Ivy or Catwoman or Raven.

2. Intersectional Feminism

Vixen may be a lesser known DC heroine, but she’s also a person of color. One of the problems women have with Mr. Whedon writing Batgirl is that once again a man is getting the opportunity to write our stories. Hell, a white man is getting to write our stories. Triple hell, a white straight man is getting to write a story about a white female superhero. I’m not blaming Whedon for being a white man or DC for choosing him; after all, I’d probably watch a Whedon character talk about mud puddles for two hours. I am, however, going to say loud and proud that we need some intersectional representation in this movie. Barbara Gordon is a redhead, but that doesn’t mean that she has to be a white girl. Black women can rock the red. Hispanic ladies rock the red. Asian women can rock the red. If you’re going to fanboy me about red hair and Babs, you just got pwned. Hell, why do we even need a white woman in this movie? Whedon’s Batgirl movie could give us a black Babs, a Hispanic Catwoman, and an Asian friend of Babs.

1. Bring Back Alysia Yeoh

Intersectionality means more than just giving us a cast consisting of people of color. During Gail Simone’s run on Batgirl, Barbara’s best friend and roommate was a trans woman named Alysia Yeoh. Erasure of Alysia in the early issues of Batgirl of Burnside brought disappointment to many fans. However, the Fletcher and Stewart team not only brought her back, they married her off. Female identified comics fans want more than just traditional white cisgendered women. We want to see all versions of our femmegeek feminine selves up on those screens and in those books. Give us Alysia Yeoh in Whedon’s Batgirl movie.

Marvel let us down with their Captain Marvel directing choices by just having to add a man to the mix. Now we’re disappointed again, at least in part, with a cis-hetero-white-male director for Batgirl. Please, Mr. Whedon, show the haters they’re wrong. Give us the Batgirl we need, want, and deserve.

Plot Details On ‘Glass’ – M. Night Shyamalan Concludes The ‘Unbreakable’ Trilogy

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 26, 2017

M. Night Shyamalan announced Wednesday afternoon, that ‘Glass’ would be the third film in the ‘Unbreakable’ trilogy with a release date of January 18, 2019, and the film will star Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, and Anya Taylor-Joy.

Universal Pictures will release #Glass on January 18, 2019 all over the world. How’s that for not keeping a secret!

— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) April 26, 2017

Later, Universal Pictures released the plot details:

M. Night Shyamalan brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s UNBREAKABLE and last year’s SPLIT—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: GLASS. From UNBREAKABLE, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from SPLIT are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.

Following the conclusion of SPLIT, GLASS finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.

Universal Pictures and Blumhouse are producing ‘Glass.’ ‘Split’ made $274 million worldwide on a $9 million budget. ‘Unbreakable’ in 2000, grossed $248 million worldwide on $75 million budget.

Are you excited for ‘Glass?’ Comment below.

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Screenwriting SkyNet Benjamin Strikes Again With David Hasselhoff And ‘It’s No Game’

By

Ruben Diaz

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April 26, 2017

Screenwriting AI “Benjamin” scribes a new cinematic masterpiece starring David Hasselhoff called It’s No Game. Monkeys Fighting Robots is a shadowy flight into the crowded and wild world of the Internet. Ruben R. Diaz is a not-so-young loner on a crusade to provide great content in a world where fake news and robots are taking over. Until now, Ruben’s battle against automation was at a safe distance. Ruben was not a factory worker or truck driver. But, last month, Ruben reported on Benjamin, an AI that can write screenplays. As a writer, particularly one who enjoys writing screenplays, Ruben looked into a world that operates above the human.

“I don’t know who the hell I am.”
– David Hasselhoff in ‘It’s No Game”

Benjamin strikes again! Creators of Benjamin Oscar Sharp (director) and Ross Goodwin (AI researcher), who created Sunspring return with It’s No Game. This time around, it’s a human-machine collaboration that challenges viewers to figure out who wrote what.

If you watched Sunspring, you’d immediately notice the primary effect of the human co-writer — cohesion. Sunspring was a fully surreal experience like a Jodorowsky film. It’s No Game has a much clearer arc that centers around the looming writer’s strike in Hollywood. Tom Payne (Walking Dead) and Tim Guinee (Stargate SG-1, Fringe) are writers told that they don’t need to return to work because artificial intelligence will handle the writing from now on. Yikes. That’s when studio head Sarah Hay (Flesh and Bone) unveils the Hoffbot or David Hasselhoff’s body but under control of nanobots. When the Hoffbot speaks, everyone listens, but few understand. It’s a melange of lines from Hasselhoff’s Knight Rider days.

Other “bot” surprises abound in the seven-minute short that I won’t spoil. It’s No Game loses the bizarro quality of Sunspring but creates something new and equally compelling. While much of Hoffbot’s dialogue is nonsensical, in a strange way, the film is a powerful and touching addition to the actor’s career. And Hasselhoff puts 110% into the role, spewing robotic lines without sounding like a cheesy machine and then suddenly becoming very human at the end. In an interview with Ars Technica’s Annalee Newitz, The Hoff said: “This AI had a handle on what’s going on in my life, and it was strangely emotional.”

Love it or fear it, man and machine become one more and more every day.

The loss of surreality gives rise to a hybrid film that both flows beautifully, but also hits on many poignant levels. Sue me for getting too heady here, but It’s No Game is a fitting title. Automation is taking real-world work, and no one is answering that one big question: What do humans do when there are no jobs left? It truly is no game but a looming reality.

In a moving sequence, Hasselhoff, now “human” again says “I just want to go to the movies.” If robots are doing all the work, and people aren’t getting paid, who will be able to go to the movies?

I for one welcome our future robot masters. As a fan of science, technology, and progress, there’s no reason to fear them. After all, the Google God already knows everything about us. If the machines wanted us dead, we’d be dead already. #Brightside?

For a seven-minute film, Benjamin and his human helpers pack a lot in. The short story treats viewers to Shakespeare, Aaron Sorkin, vintage Hollywood and an uncanny dance from ballerina Hay. Love it or fear it, man and machine become one more and more every day. One thing is certain, It’s No Game and its writer Benjamin demand your attention and provide plenty of entertainment.

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‘Alien: Covenant’ Celebrates Alien Day With “The Crossing” Prologue

By

Erik Amaya

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April 26, 2017

In the run-up to the release of Alien: Covenant, Twentieth Century Fox has released a number of prologue scenes to set the mood for the film. Few, though, offer anything as startling as the newly released “The Crossing.” Released as part of Alien Day, it offers a glimpse into the time between Prometheus and Covenant. It also features a special appearance by Noomi Rapace as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw — the lone human survivor of the Prometheus expedition.

Shaw’s relationship with David (Micheal Fassbender) seems improved since the events of the first Alien prequel. In fact, there might be some genuine affection. But it remains to be seen if Shaw is still alive when the Covenant crew encounter the formerly homicidal android. It is also unclear if David will refrain from killing when he encounters a new band of humans. Beyond the possibility of David’s ongoing motives is the real question: what did the Engineers do when he arrived on their world?

Of course, questions are never easily answered in the Alien universe. And with director Ridley Scott promising two more sequels, we may only get the beginning of answers. Either way, Alien: Covenant comes to theaters on May 19th. In the meantime, what are your theories about David and the Engineers? Do you think Scott has a clear idea in mind for me them? Post your thoughts below.

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‘Dear White People, You Can Laugh At The Black Jokes’ – Logan Browning

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 26, 2017

Netflix released a featurette Welcome to Dear White People: 101 where the cast and crew of ‘Dear White People’ explain the new series based on Justin Simien’s film about the lives of four black students at an Ivy League college. The series drops this Friday (April 28).

The featurette is quite funny and entertaining, watch below.

When the first trailer dropped back February, Tim Treadstone who is famous for being an ass-hat started the reverse racism outrage on Twitter and people were canceling their Netflix accounts and posting the photos on Twitter.

Immediately after the Twitter rage started, Simien posted a note on Facebook.

“When the first trailer for the film dropped, I’ll admit the deluge of claims that I was a reverse racist and a ‘piece of shit monkey that should shut up and go back to Africa’ really hurt. But now, I feel strangely encouraged. To see the sheer threat that people feel over a date announcement video featuring a woman of color (politely) asking not to be mocked makes it so clear why I made this show,” Simien wrote.

Three months later ‘Dear White People’ hits Netflix on April 28, you should watch it, and support creators asking thought provoking questions.

About ‘Dear White People’
Set against the backdrop of a predominantly white Ivy League university where racial tensions bubble just below the surface, Dear White People is a send-up of the now post “post-racial” America that weaves together a universal story of finding one’s own identity and forging a wholly unique path. The satirical series — which picks up where the acclaimed 2014 film by the same name left off – follows a group of Winchester University’s students of color as they navigate a diverse landscape of social injustice, cultural bias, political correctness (or lack thereof) and activism in the millennial age. Through an absurdist lens, Dear White People utilizes biting irony, self-deprecation and sometimes brutal honesty to hold up a mirror to the issues plaguing society today, all the while leading with laughter.

‘Dear White People’ stars Logan Browning, Brandon P. Bell, Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton, John Patrick Amedori, Ashley Blaine Featherson and Marque Richardson.

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Fate Of The World Rests With Four Losers In Silly Sci-Fi Comedy Lazer Team On YouTube Red

By

Ruben Diaz

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Lazer Team on YouTube Red is a science-fiction-comedy with a rollercoaster ride of quality. Back in the 1980s, there was a show called Nightflight which eventually evolved into USA Up All Night. Long story short, Nightlfight was a collection of weird videos, experimental short films, and animations. It was YouTube before there was such a thing as the Interwebs. What sort of weird experimental film is Lazer Team from Red vs. Blue creators Rooster Teeth? Wow. It’s one strange mix for the senses.

Lazer Team begins with an exposition bomb that instantly takes out the brain. After text explains how SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) discovered an alien signal, we learn that the aliens who broadcast the message are sending a suit of power to help Earth defend itself from a coming threat. A “champion” is born and raised to wear the suit, but when the outfit comes, the pieces are worn by four average Joes. With the pieces locked to them, the four losers must train with the would-be champion to save the world.

**The closest comparison to Lazer Team is Galaxy Quest.**

Star and writer Burnie Burns plays Anthony Hagan, a father, and a cop who inherits the left arm of the power suit which can generate a shield. His daughter’s boyfriend and football star, Zach Spencer (Michael Jones), gets the left arm which is a Mega Man style cannon. Colton Dunn (Superstore) is Herman Mendoza, a former football star with a bum leg who gets the boots granting him super speed. Gavin Free plays Woody Johnson, a dimwit who wears the helmet and gains super-intelligence, telepathy, and more.

Conceptually, the idea of a benevolent alien species sending an Iron Man suit to earth to help fight a great evil is fantastic. It’s a solid foundation for any sci-fi story to build upon to create a wide variety of entertaining tales. In Lazer Team, they shoot for unabashed silly action-comedy.

At times the comedy in Lazer Team is brilliant, particularly because of the performances of the four leads. Colton Dunn, Burnie Burns, Gavin Free, and Michael Jones all play off of each other well and inhabit their somewhat simple characters with gusto, often elevating the writing. More often the jokes receive a lip-press, shrug, and nod. The jokes aren’t bad; they just don’t land as intended.

The special effects are quaint, reminiscent of an 80s style with just simple touches of CG and some camera tricks. If effects are important to you, then Lazer Team is laughable. If not, then it’s fun and not a major distraction.

“My calculations show that, scientifically, we’re screwed.”
– Neil DeGrasse Tyson in Lazer Team

Lazer Team is by no means a great film. The humor and tone of the flick are a bit uneven. While most of the movie doesn’t take itself seriously, there are moments when it does, particularly towards the end. In these moments, the quality takes a severe dip. However, those moments, as groan-inducing as they are, are fairly few and far between.

The closest comparison to Lazer Team is Galaxy Quest. Both movies possess a joyful silliness and a group of barely friends who come together at the end. By every possible measure, Galaxy Quest is a superior movie, but Lazer Team carries that spirit. Lazer Team also has the same culty feel. One thing is for sure, Lazer Team is the perfect silly science fiction comedy for a lazy Sunday watch.

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R.I.P. Jonathan Demme, A Great Director Without Borders

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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April 26, 2017

This morning we learned that Jonathan Demme, Oscar winning director behind Silence of The Lambs, has passed away at the age of 73.

The report in IndieWire, via a family source, claims esophageal cancer and complications from heart disease were what ultimately took Demme’s life. Here was one of the greatest directors of the modern era, but you probably wouldn’t realize it because Jonathan Demme was never trapped in any genre or consistent “auteur” themes with which he felt obligated to use. He simply made great movies, no matter the genre.

After getting his start in the 70s exploitation shlock classics like Caged Heat, Demme found success with the incredible 1984 David Byrne/Talking Heads documentary Stop Making Sense. He turned this success into a steady and eclectic directing career, helming offbeat comedy/dramas like Something Wild – one of the more underrated movies of the 80s – and Married to The Mob. So his attachment to the upcoming Silence of The Lambs adaptation was somewhat of a surprise.

Lambs is considered, at least to me, to be the Psycho of the 90s, a harrowing psychological thriller with incredible performances and an almost perfect sense of space, pacing, and build up. The movie’s black heart sings, and was rewarded as such at the Academy Awards, becoming only the third film in history to win the Big Five: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay.

And then, Demme took a left turn into the world of socially-conscious melodrama with Philadelphia. The shift in tone between these two films was typical of Jonathan Demme’s career, and Philadelphia would be Tom Hanks’ first of back-to-back Best Actor wins.

Beyond Philadelphia, Demme bounced from remakes to original films and back again never quite capturing the magic of his late 80s and early 90s work. He had a brief resurgence with yet another underrated indie drama, Rachel Getting Married, which is at least partly responsible for legitimizing Anne Hathaway.

Jonathan Demme was never going to direct the same movie twice, even though he flirted with the notion from time to time. He switched styles, he changed genres, and he put the focus on story over flair. Which is why he was rarely mentioned in the same breath as his more showy contemporaries. Perhaps now, in death, he will get the recognition he deserved all along.

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Ten Movies You Need To Check Out In May (From Baywatch to Guardians Of The Galaxy)

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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April 26, 2017

The slate of May releases offers up a variety of options that is certain to appeal to even the pickiest of filmgoers. Here are ten movies that you need to check out.

10Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26th)

pirates-of-the-caribbean-dead-man-tell-no-tales.jpg (446×299)

Johnny Depp is back as Jack Sparrow in what appears to be more of a slight retooling of the franchise than the fifth installment of this series. Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly both return to the series after exiting following Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

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Review: 11 Reasons ‘The Flash #21’ Should Race To The Top Of Your Pull List [SPOILERS]

By

Manuel Gomez

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After arriving too late to stop The Reverse-Flash’s attack on Batman, Barry Allen uses his forensic science skills to analyze the crime scene and the now seemingly dead body of Eobard Thawne. Thawne was able to beat Batman almost to death but was stopped when his speed force powers reacted strangely to the mysterious smiley face button first found in the Batcave almost one year ago. And wherever it sent him, and whatever he saw, it was an encounter terrifying and powerful enough to end the evil speedster’s life. So now Batman and Flash must combine their deductive abilities to finally shed a light on what has been plaguing their world.

The Flash #21
Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Howard Porter
Colors by: Hi-Fi
Published by: DC Comics

Last week’s Batman #21 was the much-anticipated start of ‘The Button’ storyline, finally promising to deliver on all the Watchmen related mystery that has been playing out in the DC Universe. So how does ‘The Button Part 2’ hold up to the great ‘Part 1’? Pretty damn good it turns out! And no easy feat as Batman #21 was easily one of the year’s best single issues. But this one is great on its own merit and here are 11 reasons why!

That opening with Johnny Thunder! Please give us more!
The relatable, grounded voice over narration. Joshua Williamson captures Barry Allen’s persona.
Howard Porters gorgeous, energetic art. He hasn’t been this good since JLA.
I love The Flash. But I also love Barry Allen, the brilliant forensic scientist.
Bruce and Barry being detectives and not just superheroes.
All the great and fun easter eggs in The Watchtower’s “Hall of Lost and Found”.
The freakin’ Cosmic Treadmill!
How this still feels like a classic Flash story.
“I’ve traveled through time before, Flash”
Glimpses of more than one ‘Crisis’.
Bruce meeting his father, the Flashpoint Batman, face to face.

Alright Flash fans, there you go. This issue pushes ‘The Button’ narrative further, and still, manages to be a great character building Flash story too. Crossing over Batman and Flash has sparked energy into both titles, and is making for a gripping mystery.

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5. Crazy Computer Programming Skillz

4. Babs Tarr’s Batgirl Suit Design

3. A Female Antagonist

2. Intersectional Feminism

1. Bring Back Alysia Yeoh

“I don’t know who the hell I am.” – David Hasselhoff in ‘It’s No Game”

Love it or fear it, man and machine become one more and more every day.

The closest comparison to Lazer Team is Galaxy Quest.

“My calculations show that, scientifically, we’re screwed.” – Neil DeGrasse Tyson in Lazer Team

10Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26th)

“I don’t know who the hell I am.”
– David Hasselhoff in ‘It’s No Game”

**The closest comparison to Lazer Team is Galaxy Quest.**

“My calculations show that, scientifically, we’re screwed.”
– Neil DeGrasse Tyson in Lazer Team