You see, this new movie has all sorts of goofy stunts and gags and fashions itself as some sort of witty over-plotted action comedy. It has the potential to be good given the premise, but this trailer indicates it’ll probably be the opposite of good.
Judge for yourself:
Steve Ford (Bruce Willis) is a down but not out L.A based Private Investigator whose professional and personal worlds collide after his loving pet Buddy is stolen by a notorious gang. A series of crazy circumstances find him doing the gang’s bidding, while being chased by two vengeful Samoan brothers, a loan shark’s goons, and a few other shady characters. They say a dog is a man’s best friend, and Steve shows how far a man will go to be reunited with him.
Hey, maybe this low-rent California caper is right up your alley. That’s cool. And aside from Bruce Willis, Once Upon a Time in Venice does have the great John Goodman, Jason Momoa, and Thomas Middleditch, so it’s got that going for it. Which is nice. Still though, who are we kidding?
Once Upon a Time in Venice will open June 16. Better get there opening weekend because, ya know… could be gone pretty soon.
Queens Of The Stone Age is one of the best rock n’ roll bands of the last 25 years. They’re a constantly evolving collection of brilliant musicians that want to punish and please you.
The band’s discography is diverse and thought provoking. Each album gets better with every listen as, grandmaster and ginger god, Josh Homme packs each track to capacity with layers of sound.
With the news that the band has finished mixing their latest work, fans anxiously await the seventh installment in what is very much the modern rock n’ roll gospel.
This guide is how to best experience each album in their discography thus far.
Lullabies To Paralyze
An album full of witches, wolves, and spooky tales! QOTSA’s fourth studio album is an underappreciated masterwork. Lullabies made a statement, after breaking through to mainstream appeal, the band wasn’t going to stop evolving.
This album is best experienced in the woods, preferably in the fall. Gather around a fire with your beer drinking brethren and enjoy this haunting experience.
Run an extension cord out as far into the woods as you can and let the music ooze out through some speakers. Be sure to keep the volume at a level that allows you to hear your wilderness surroundings in between songs.
Get lost in the layers of sexy ghost howls and intoxicating melodies. There are a couple of crucial sing along moments for QOTSA veterans that will help this environment meet its full potential.
Era Vulgaris
The ambitious and aggressive assault that is Era Vulgaris is best experienced In discomfort. Strap on a pair of headphones and put yourself in a crowd. Go to an event you’re uninterested in, stroll around a city, put yourself somewhere primed for “people watching.”
Vulgaris, their fifth work,is a chaotic album. It’s a well-deserved middle finger to a world up its own ass. Plant yourself among the masses, then isolate yourself by way of musical ecstasy.
You’ll think the album is speaking directly to your inner punk self as it narrates your surroundings. Josh Homme will be your tour guide through a sea of unimportant bullshit, surrounded by bullshit people, with bullshit agendas. It’s you and QOTSA versus the world.
Perfectly paced and balanced, this audio experience will pave the way for a young mind to see the humor in how truly pointless and misguided people’s priorities can be. If that doesn’t grab you, being in the heart of commercialism in some fashion while listening to Lord Homme wipe his ass with it is satisfying on its own.
Songs For The Deaf
Queens Of The Stone Age’s biggest hit is the easiest and most obvious. Just like all the artwork, videos, and production stories tell you, this album is a lonely road experience. Songs For The Deaf is the band’s third release.
Not everybody can get themselves out to a desert, but that’s fine. Any open and unpopulated road will do in the dark. The adrenaline fueled desert rock combined with engine and pedal. This album was made for the highway.
Blaring this to your vehicle’s audio capacity is preferred. Side effects may include a heavy foot and tired arms from slamming your hands onto your steering wheel to replicate Dave Grohl’s thunderous machine gun drumming.
…Like Clockwork
This is an oddly specific scenario, but trust in your guide’s experience. QOTSA’s sixth and most recent work is best experienced through headphones while strolling through a snow storm.
Next time you’re preparing for a snow-in, get yourself bundled up and plan a scenic snowy route. You’ll get some cardio in as Josh Homme opens his heart and soul up to you in the form of beautiful rock n’ roll music.
You’ll develop a more intimate relationship with this album as it blends perfectly to the rhythm of snowflakes falling before your eyes. Even it’s darker moments pair nicely with this visual experience.
The fluidity and audible narrative that drive this album will provide you with a solid walking pace. The intimacy of headphones and an above moderate volume will expose more of the album’s subtle character.
Rated R
QOTSA’s sophomore effort is a transitional experience. Josh really hit his stride, the band had almost completely uncovered its identity.
Rated R is best experienced towards the end of the hottest summer day. As your miserable and sweaty self winds down along with the sun, the album gets your blood pumping in preparation for your second wind when all the night creatures come out.
A cooler full of warm beers, melted ice, and a lawn chair are all you need to sit in front of an old boombox. It’s like a Capri-Sun commercial but instead of surfing T-1000s there’s hip shaking and a little bit of vomit.
While Rated R can be enjoyed during all seasons, it’s true essence hits the hardest under a summer sun. It’ll strike you right in your core and shake out the last bits of energy you have stored. An awakening transition, together you’ll cruise into the cool night air hungry for excitement.
Self-Titled
The raw and slightly unpolished beginning to the glorious discography that Queens Of The Stone Age have put together. QOTSA’s debut album is a bare bones rock n’ roll sex show. Each album sees the band evolve and explore, making a revisit to the beginning that much more impressive.
Drinking cheap beer, sitting on folding chairs, in an unfinished basement or garage is the best envionrment for listening pleasure. You and a handful of friends traveling back to more youthful years as Josh and company teach you the ways of weird.
The dirtier and the more concrete, the better for your return to teenage escapism. You don’t need to be in a complex scene, keep it simple and submit yourself. There aren’t a lot of layers to these tunes, cut and dry desert punk. Instead of dissecting a thick wall of sound, you’ll absorb the simplicity and get lost in conversation.
Whatever the meaning behind this cryptic teaser image, a new album is on the horizon. Until then, revisit and enjoy the previous six in all their sexy, chaotic glory.
Which QOTSA album is your favorite? What do you think “25” is referring to? Let us know in the comments below!
Academy Award winner Brie Larson has opened up about why she finally accepted the role of Captain Marvel, according to CBR. She makes her first outing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Infinity War next year and will then embark upon a solo outing in Captain Marvel in 2019.
With filming ongoing for Avengers: Infinity War, Larson has opened up to Vanity Fair about why she accepted the role in what will be Marvel’s first female-led movie.
“It took me a really long time. I had to sit with myself, think about my life and what I want out of it. Ultimately, I couldn’t deny the fact that this movie is everything I care about, everything that’s progressive and important and meaningful, and a symbol I wished I would’ve had growing up. I really, really feel like it’s worth it if it can bring understanding and confidence to young women — I’ll do it.
“They’ve been very open to hearing my thoughts and my take on it, which has been great. I think that’s why they cast me: I have a lot of similarities to this character and they want me to bring that into the movie.”
Her similarities with the character were confirmed by Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, who said:
“Captain Marvel has powers that far surpass many of her heroic counterparts, and in order to bring this superhero to life and make her relatable and disarming we needed an actress with both range and humanity. So, like the best of our leading characters who have brought the Marvel Universe to life, Brie possesses the depth and energy that can fuse firepower, guts, and a great story.”
Marvel have had a fair few strong female characters featured in their films, but we have yet to see a woman take center stage. There’s no reason why Captain Marvel, with Brie Larson leading the charge, shouldn’t be the first of many. If anyone can lend a boldness and depth to a role necessary to get an audience engaged, then surely the Room star is the one.
Captain Marvel is scheduled to hit theaters on March 8th 2019. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are set to direct the movie from a screenplay by Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve. So far, no other cast have been confirmed, though Samuel L. Jackson is rumored to appear as Nick Fury. In the meantime, Avengers: Infinity War is slated for release on 4th May 2018.
What are you expecting from Captain Marvel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment announced that an all-new live-action drama series ‘Titans,’ coming out in 2018. ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’ will come out next year as well.
Both series are in early stages of production and will air on a DC-branded direct-to-consumer digital service in 2018.
‘Titans follows a group of young soon-to-be Super Heroes recruited from every corner of the DC Universe. In this action-packed series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes, including Starfire, Raven and many others. “Titans” is a dramatic, live-action adventure series that will explore and celebrate one of the most popular comic book teams ever.
‘Titans’ will be written by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Greg Berlanti.
In ‘Young Justice: Outsiders,’ the teenage Super Heroes of the DC Universe come of age in an animated world of super-powers, Super-Villains and super secrets. In the new season, the team faces its greatest challenge yet as it takes on meta-human trafficking and the terrifying threat it creates for a society caught in the crossfire of a genetic arms race spanning the globe and the galaxy.
According to DC Entertainment, the passionate fan support brought ‘Young Justice’ back for a third season.
Sam Register is executive producer of ‘Young Justice.’ Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman are producers of the series, produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Emmy Award winner Phil Bourassa serves as the series’ art director.
As the world prepares to dive into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the film’s star, Chris Pratt, has explained his opinion as to why TheAvengers worked and Suicide Squad didn’t in an interview with io9 (via LRM).
Pratt is gearing up for the international release of the second installment in his own rip-roaring superhero franchise, which hits theaters next week. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 finds itself being released in a cinema era defined by shared universes. Comic book heroes who were once confined to the pages of their own books or standalone films have seen barriers leveled as studios open up to the scope of world-sharing.
That said, many have experienced uncomfortable growing pains. Most notably Warner Bros. and the DC Extended Universe whose films Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman and Suicide Squad have struggled to hit the mark. Suicide Squad in particular stands out because it was the studio’s first ‘team-up’ movie, and would, therefore, be thrust into the esteemed company of The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Anyone you ask will have their opinions as to why Suicide Squad may not have worked. When Chris Pratt was asked, he had this to say:
“I really like all the Warner Bros. movies. I think they’re really cool and I’m not a real tough critic on those movies. But one of the flaws might have been they were introducing too many characters in Suicide Squad. They spent 10 minutes telling us why should we care about these characters, rather than creating trilogies for each character and convincing us to care about the characters.
It’s like hardwood. They grew it really slowly so it’s strong. They didn’t create The Avengers first. They did Iron Man. And they tested it to make sure it worked. Then they did [Iron Man 2] and [Iron Man 3], then they did Cap, and then they did Thor. And they created a thirst for these characters, and that’s when they put them in The Avengers.”
You may notice, gentle reader, that there is a flaw to Mr Pratt’s theory. A more apt comparison might have been Guardians of the Galaxy: a team-up movie with a group of fresh characters, all introduced in one fell swoop without prequels or existing movie canon to go off.
Alas, we’ll take his point. There’s something to be said for showing, rather than telling, something which Guardians of the Galaxy certainly seems to have nailed in the past.
Chris Pratt will shortly be returning to our screens as the Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2, released May 5th. He is joined by Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, Kurt Russell, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn and Sylvester Stallone. The film is directed by James Gunn.
What do you think of Chris Pratt’s comments? Get the debate going in the comments below!
When it comes to Alien: Covenant‘s pre-release marketing, we have gotten the Kitchen Sink with stills, teasers, trailers, set photos, and now a virtual reality experience. Welcome to Alien: Covenant – In Utero:
The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.
This VR experience will be for the Oculus Rift technology and will take you.. inside?.. the neomorph. This sounds like it would be pretty badass if you had access to an Oculus Rift. Anyone have $500 to $1600 I could borrow?
The inundation of marketing tools on display here are a little worrisome. Most of the time, when you can cobble together movie still and trailer footage to pretty much re-create the entire film, that isn’t necessarily the best thing. It exudes a certain lack of confidence in the film itself. But maybe it will work this time.
Alien: Covenant stars Michael Fassbender, Danny McBride, James Franco (probably in an extended cameo role), Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup and, yes, Noomi Rapace back from Prometheus. Ridley Scott’s sequel isn’t far away now, as it opens May 19.
The zombie craze is just as crazy as ever. With the ‘Walking Dead’, ‘Z-Nation’ and ‘I-Zombie’ being such successful TV shows, it doesn’t seem like that is going away anytime soon. What’s better than watching some zombies and drinking a beer? Zombie beer of course! Today we will go into the best Zombie beers on the market. Most importantly, where they are originated and if you can get them!
Indiana Brewery Three Floyds have taken their love of zombies to a new level. This Pale Ale is a 6.2% hoppy beer that is a year round release, and even comic book artists themselves have a hand in this one. Tim Seely did the artwork, and it is glorious.
With the success of the Walking Dead comics and TV show, it only makes sense to have a beer to go with the merchandise. Sitting at a hoppy 7.7%, seemingly this IPA is a hefty one. With the citrus of the blood orange and the crazy amount of hops, this beer will make you want to chase down some walkers. Limited springtime availability for this beast.
Oregon brewery Nikkasi jumped on the zombie train by grabbing this awesome Red IPA. It’s a bit red in color, with mosaic and El Dorado hops, and a bit of a caramel backing. This bad boy comes in at 7% and is available all year round for your bloody needs.
There’s a beer for every zombie fan, and you are bound to find one that you love, just about as much as the undead love brains. These are only a few examples of beers to enjoy while you binge watch the day away.
For more awesome beers, check out the Beer Zombies. A site for lovers of both things in this article today, plus awesome merch!
The best three days of the year came to a close once again on Sunday, as the sun set in Chicago on the massive C2E2 banner hanging in McCormick Place. Like any good con, C2E2 provides a snapshot of popular culture, and especially providing a look at what the trends are in comics. After three very full days of panels and floor-journeying, here is what we saw as the state of comics:
DC continues to capitalize on a hell of a year. Rebirth worked, and they know it. Every one of their panels was packed, completely full up. And for each one, they presented a surprising amount of tact and honesty. Dan DiDio and the rest of the moderators spoke at length about the lack of faith and interest from fans toward the end of the New 52, and how fans missed the legacy of their deep pool of characters, while still longing for new and innovative stories. The result of course was Rebirth, devoted to more consistent creative teams, legacy focus, and risk-taking stories. The zenith of this is the new DC banner “Dark Matter,” which focuses heavily on art and fully-collaborative stories. The general sense provided at the panels was that these books were going to take big risks, and not be afraid to get weird with it. Looks no further than Capullo’s Batman promo image, in which the Dark Knight is holding a pair of battle axes.
Confusingly, DC continues to lack promotion, despite their success. Exclusive ashcan books were handed out at their “surprise” panel that re-announced “Dark Matter,” but that was about it. Considering their Post-Rebirth surge and the upcoming Wonder Woman film, you’d expect more of everything. This could be read as a lack of faith, though it seems more likely to express their continued struggle with allocation and lack of resources.
5. Marvel
Talk about a polar opposite. Marvel has struggled in the past year with decreasing sales and bad PR. Of late, the big story has been around Nick Spencer’s Captain America, and the upcoming “Secret Empire” event that doubles down on his allegiance to Hydra. Marvel’s Secret Empire panel provided a look into their strategy around this criticism: completely ignore it, and in fact, lean hard into what is viewed as the problem. It opened with the moderator asking if there were any Hydra members in the crowd; one fan stood immediately, proudly dressed in Hydra gear. He was cheered by the panel, and brought forward to read an advance copy of “Secret Empire.” Then they dived in, exploring the future plotlines of the event and the art, and the tie in books. And not once, in an hour plus, did they address the concerns of Steve Rogers being a Nazi. The crowd filled the room on this one, though was noticeably quieter than in DC’s Dark Matter panel. However, there was also a noticeable lack of dissent. Undoubtedly self-selection played a role, such that those who are more likely to read Secret Empire happily are more likely to go to the panel.
Other than Secret Empire, Marvel’s panels were relatively quiet. The most surprising was their X-Men panel, which was around half capacity. There were very few cheers at any of the news, and a noticeable silence around any Inhumans announcement. This was unthinkable in years past, when events like IvX, or the advertising around the Inhumans filled these panels to capacity. This spells bad news for the future of the larger X-Men and Inhumans franchise.
Their one advantage over DC should not come as a surprise: Marvel can promo anything. Free coloring books, inserts, one sheets, and comics flowed from their yearly booth. While last year the Michael Cho variant cover banners stood out over the floor, this year a massive Secret Empire banner welcomed every guest. Even if the event does flop or they are losing sales, one cannot help but think that they still garner more attention than DC, simply because they get their name out there more.
4. Image
Image really has nowhere to go but up. Their Contemporary Storytelling panel showcased the depth of talent the company now has relationships with. It also showed their continued focus on storytelling first, and above all. They aren’t interested in promotion through a traditional sense. Instead, they let their often-eccentric creative teams showcase their own works, and through that, Image’s brand image. They know that they are telling some of the best stories today, not just in comics, but in any medium. And if the amount of Lucille bats that were sold at their booth is any indication, Image is still able to play ball with the Big Two.
3. Dark Horse
Dark Horse always has a good presence at C2E2, though they’re real strength is in their booth. It is prominent, with lots of great books, staff, freebies, and signings. They’ve got panel topics that the Big Two aren’t talking about: “The Millennials Guide to Keeping Comics Alive” and “The Un-CONventional Superheroes.” And the real kicker: their new headlining comic, “American Gods,” adorned every three-day badge, and its presence was everywhere. Once the new show drops, expect Dark Horse to really kick things into high gear.
2. Valiant
Valiant has a smaller but devoted fan base, and that was felt in their full-capacity panels. However, their real strength comes from brand dispersion: Valiant is everywhere. Even if you’ve never read a comic by them, or even knew they existed, you could still walk out of the con with seemingly endless stacks of free comics and merchandise bearing the Valiant logo. Given their some-rumored-some-confirmed film/TV adaptations in the works, Valiant stands to make some larger waves going forward.
1. Aftershock, IDW, Lionhead
These are some of the smaller players, but if the con is any indication, then their future is bright. Most significantly: they all had panels! This is great to see from smaller publishers, and the focus was on putting up bigger names. Having Brian Azzarello up on stage obviously helps spread their brand and show that they are legitimate players. Fans can personally interact with the staff and creative at their booth in a way that just isn’t possible with the larger brands. If you’re not reading titles from any of these companies, well, you should be.
Eternal Empire got my attention for one simple reason: the team that created Alex + Ada are behind it. If there ever was a team that’s earned a level of trust from me, Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn have got that trust. This is also a new genre from this team playing in the realm of fantasy. My interest is piqued and I’m game to see how this turns out. Heck, Alex + Ada is one of my favorite Image series. There is a level of excitement here mixed in with my genuine love for Luna and Vaughn’s last work. It’s a brand new experience from a creative team I love. Let’s do this. Let’s face it there’s only so much I can do to delay this one so on with the show. Time to venture forth into the new realm of Eternal Empire #1!
If Eternal Empire is even half as good as Alex + Ada we are in for a treat.
Starting off at the ground floor of anything is an exciting experience. When you’re experiencing something along with everyone else, it’s unique and cool to see develop. Eternal Empire from this first issue has that level of excitement to it. For one thing, Luna and Vaughn are developing a massive world in terms of Saia. From the beginning to the end of the issue, we get character work but a ton of world building. It’s a tough intro at first and honestly I do recommend being patient with it. This is an entirely different beast than Alex + Ada in terms of tone and everything else. At least from what I can see of this first issue, this can easily change as the series goes on. Yet from that intro, I can see a lot of potential.
For one thing our main character is only known as “Snow Hair” and we see her struggles as she deals working in Essla. She’s a great character though, and through her we see the world that Luna and Vaughn are crafting. We don’t really get a glimpse into the Eternal Empress wreaking havoc, but we know she’s powerful and not to be trifled with. It may not work for some but I like how Luna and Vaughn handled the Eternal Empress here. This is about “Snow Hair” and her journey, we only need to know the world at this stage. We’ll see and learn more together through her eyes down the line but for now, we have what we need. It does work as by the end of the issue and who she runs into, I can’t help but be intrigued as to what will happen to her next.
It’s a unique new series for sure. Eternal Empire takes all the right risks and they work in the series favor.
I do like how Jonathan Luna’s art and design of Eternal Empire is as detailed as the story itself. Let’s start with the logo and lettering, which deserves a lot of praise. I especially like the faded out letters as “Snow Hair” whispers to herself; that is a cool effect. Even better is the growling, loud, and powerful letters at the beginning of the book; that is cool as well. Even the logo has a great look to it. It almost looks like something you’d see on a family crest. It’s in the simple touches that you can’t help but pay attention to how much care is going into this. As much as I liked the art, I definitely noticed everything else in play here. It’s a detailed wonderland here and the scope of this is just as noticeable in the overall design of this series.
Now as for the art in this, it has an intimacy to it similar to Alex + Ada but there’s a twist to that. The best way I can describe this is this book is showing brilliant vistas and scope, while still keeping the reader engaged on “Snow Hair” herself. There’s a level of appreciation in how everyone from the workers to the guards has such a unique style to them. “Snow Hair” has a look that shows she’s just one of the workers, but it shows her difference and how much more weary she is. Then you notice the color effects, my goodness the color in this is beautiful. From how the fire looks to how snow falls, there is some serious detail work here and I like that. The craft in Eternal Empire shows from the ground up.
Eternal Empire is showing immense potential and it could easily become as beloved as Alex + Ada.
Eternal Empire is off to a strong start. There are emotional hooks and a world that can’t help but get more interesting as it develops. I’m intrigued and excited to see where this story goes from here. If you’re a fan of Alex + Ada, you need Eternal Empire in your life. If you’re not, I say give this comic a chance. Eternal Empire is going to be one series I follow excitedly month to month. Eternal Empire hits stores on May 3rd and I highly recommend grabbing it when it is released. This will be one amazing adventure.
The debut trailer for Kingsman: The Golden Circle is here! Watch it down below.
Well, what do you think? Does it look as outrageously entertaining as the first? Be sure to sound off in the comments section below.
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” introduced the world to Kingsman – an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy…”
The film’s cast includes Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, with Sir Elton John, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle hits theaters on September 22.
