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Viewer’s Guide to April 2017: 5 New Shows You Need to Watch

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April 2017 is going to be absolute insanity for anyone who watches TV. There’s no two ways about it; with multiple amazing shows airing new seasons every week in April, you won’t be able to spit without hitting a prestige drama. But just in case The Leftovers and Fargo and Better Call Saul and The Americans and Attack on Titan and Veep and Silicon Valley and countless others aren’t enough for you, here are five brand new, highly anticipated shows to check out.

The White Princess – April 16 – Starz

The White Princess
A sequel to The White Queen, an excellent adaptation of an excellent Phillippa Gregory novel, The White Princess is one of the many properties Starz has acquired to up its game in the era of Peak TV. (They’ve already got Ash vs. Evil Dead, an awesome experience in its own right, and another entry on this list…) The series takes place in an England which has been united by the marriage of Henry VII to Elizabeth of York. But this unity is only skin-deep, and beneath its surface lies an undercurrent of partisanship with the potential to once more plunge the nation into conflict. Emma Frost, a writer for The Man in the High Castle, will be serving as the showrunner. The series will also feature Michelle Fairley as Margaret Beaufort, who you probably know as Catelyn Stark from Game of Thrones. Fantasy fans take note.

GirlBoss – April 21 – Netflix

GirlBoss
GirlBoss is an admittedly “loose” adaptation of Sophie Amoruso’s autobiography about her life leading up to the creation of Nasty Gal, a massive, multi-million dollar fashion empire. Amoruso, the titular character, will be played by Britt Robertson, who appears perfect for the raucous, anarchistic narcissism demanded by the role. Kay Cannon, who wrote the screenplay for Pitch Perfect, will be serving as showrunner. It will be fascinating to see how GirlBoss depicts Nasty Gal, especially considering the company’s recent plummet from grace and into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Nonetheless, shows about strong, entrepreneurial females are far and few between, and Netflix has an excellent track record with this type of series.

Bill Nye Saves the World – April 21 – Netflix

Bill Nye Saves the World
This one is a little bit of a cheat compared to the others. It is not a drama but a “talk show” hosted by Nye, who presumably has realized he has better, more interesting things to do than debate creationists. Considering the host, it should not come as a surprise that the show will focus on discussing the impact of science in many different aspects of society, while also refuting anti-scientific claims. Nye has drafted Karlie Kloss, Emily Calandrelli, Nazeem Hussain, and Derek Muller to serve as scientific correspondents. We have also been promised appearances by stars ranging from Zach Braff and Rachel Bloom to Steve Aoki, so this is definitely something science fans should be paying attention to.

The Handmaid’s Tale – April 26 – Hulu


It seems odd that there has never been a successful adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, which is one of the most widely-read novels of the 80’s and certainly Margaret Atwood’s magnum opus. Nonetheless, this Hulu series seems to be the one to do it. With a cast featuring Elisabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, Joseph Fiennes, and Yvonne Strahovski, it’s hard to imagine how this project could go wrong. In the series, the United States has come under the power of Gilead, a Christian-fundamentalist government bent on the utter subjugation of women. To tell you anymore than that would be to ruin the powerful experience of discovering this dystopian nightmare for yourself. If the show has half the impact of Atwood’s novel, we’re in for a hell of a ride.

American Gods – April 30 – Starz

American Gods
If American Gods is anything less than the best new show of 2017, it will be a huge disappointment. Sporting Bryan Fuller (of the stunning Hannibal) as the showrunner, along with Michael Green (who co-wrote the script for Logan), this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece features one of the best casts literally ever assembled. Rick Whittle, Ian McShane (!), and Emily Browning lead an ensemble which features Crispin Glover, Jonathan Tucker, Cloris Leachman, Peter Stormare, Gillian Anderson, Dane Cook, Kristin Chenoweth, Jeremy Davies, and Corbin Bernsen, among others. The only thing you need to know about the premise is that Shadow Moon, played by Whittle, is released early from prison due to the death of his wife. On the plane ride home, he sits next to someone who changes his understanding of everything he knows about how the world works. As with The Handmaid’s Tale, to explain anything else would be to ruin your discovery of this beautiful, brutal, riveting universe for yourself. Don’t spoil anything for yourself, just make sure your schedule is clear on April 30.

What do you guys think? Which of these shows are you excited for? What did I leave off the list?

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Welcome to Where We All Collectively Worry About ‘The Mummy’

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Today, Universal released their one-sheet for The Mummy, the upcoming Universe-building action/adventure (and decidedly void of horror) starring Tom Cruise. And it’s just about as soul-crushingly mediocre as the teasers and trailers we’ve seen to this point.

Here’s the poster:

The Mummy

So, yeah, mediocrity of the highest order. If that’s even possible. Because this new poster doesn’t look terrible, and it’s certainly not great. But this poster exudes the same air as many fans have picked up from the trailers: it’s an empty summer movie vessel.

This is shaping up to be another X:Men Apocalypse, just a run-of-the-mill spare summer blockbuster with a story told primarily against green screen and all sorts of destruction porn and Tom Cruise Running. It has the feel of these soulless, cynical assembly line formula pictures that come and go during the hot months and everyone just sorta moves on. Not promising for what is supposed to be the UNIVERSAL MONSTERS SHARED UNIVERSE!

Sorry for yelling, but the original films shaped the earliest days of my film consciousness. Like so many people my age and older (and hopefully younger), the Universal Monsters told horror fans what horror was. It was a gateway of mysticism and creativity, and it birthed some legendary characters on the silver screen. It was also primarily concerned with horror.

These new ones never wanted to be horror films. That was apparent when the studio hired Fast and Furious dudebro Alex Kurtzman to direct this and serve as a creative director of sorts, a la Zack Snyder at the DCEU. But I held out hope that perhaps some horror elements will sneak in and overwhelm any sort of globetrotting empty-headed action. There are a few clips of Sofia Butella’s Mummy doing some mildly scary shit, but who can remember them all with all that Tom Cruise Running. Plus, London blows up! Have you guys ever seen anything like that before?! Oh… yeah a few times.

Perhaps Tom Cruise and co-write Christopher McQuarrie can save this thing. I am all for Tom Cruise action and plenty of that Running, and McQuarrie is a solid writer. On the flip side, maybe they just hopped on board the train for the payday and nobody can blame them for that.

I just wish they would have worked to give these new movies some sort of discernible personality. Maybe it does, but that hasn’t shown in the trailers. Even if it turned out to be bad and campy and ridiculous, that’s at least something. And I doubt it will be great, so where does that leave us? Yeah, The Mummy will probably end up doing one thing well this summer, and that’s have A/C in its theaters.

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“The Passage” Is Coming To Fox – Five Reasons To Get Excited

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In January it was announced that Justin Cronin’s The Passage Trilogy had been picked by Fox to be turned into a TV series. This is amazing news for fans of the novels. The Passage has often been compared to The Stand by horror legend Stephen King due to its apocalyptic tones. 

What is The Passage?

Spanning over 100 years The Passage starts with a government conspiracy about death row inmates. 12 murderous criminals who are injected with a virus which gives them psychic abilities. It then morphs into a post-apocalyptic horror pitting the last group of human survivors against legions of vampires. Central to the story is six-year-old Amy Bellafonte who seems to be immune to the virus and is humanity’s last hope.

The pilot has yet to be filmed or cast but is scheduled to start shooting over summer. However, it’s never too early to start getting excited and here are five reasons why.

The Characters

At it’s core The Passage Trilogy is a character driven piece. Despite the time scale of the books, there isn’t a large cast. There are lots of support characters, but ultimately this is the story of Amy and her protectors. Whether it’s FBI agent Bradford Wolgast and Sister Lacy in the present day.  Or Peter Jackson and Alicia Donadio in the future. The audience will grow to care about these fully thought out and flawed individuals. Child characters can be hard to relate to for older readers. However, Justin Cronin wrote Amy in such a concise way that the audience won’t be able to resist her charms. The tragic tale of FBI Agent and father figure Wolgast will make for truly captivating TV. While the future character of Peter and his search for hope in a desolated future will melt the heart of even the most jaded viewer.

The Crew Working On The Show

The show is already in very safe hands. Elizabeth Heldens has been confirmed as executive producer and writer.  Having worked on Friday Night Lights, Deception and Camp she is no stranger to handling character driven pieces. Matt Reeves has also signed up to produce the pilot. Reeves has experience in the vampire genre having handled the remake of Let Me In. He’s also directed ensemble pieces such as Cloverfield and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes. With these two leading the project all signs are pointing to a huge hit for Fox.

 

The Villains

The main threat in the series are a group of death row inmates turned Vampire overlords The Twelve. Describe as monstrous, inhuman and gigantic they present the perfect villains for both present and future. While the vampire underlings will be a constant source of threat for the cast in the future.  Wolgast and Sister Lacy will at first, have to face off against a secret government group in the present. This threat will allow the writers a chance to show the depth of the characters going against humans and the difficult choices that this will entail. While the future cast will be pit against vampires and the harsh world they now inhabit.

Time Jumps

The audience is going to be watching a series that spans 100 years. Whether they dedicate an episode to each time period or focus on a single time to its conclusion this is a show that is going to be taking the audience on a journey through time. Ideally, a cutting between the present day and future will show the scale of the show. Game Of Thrones has paved the way for epic tales spanning a whole world. There is no reason that The Passage can’t follow their lead and treat the audience to a show set in present day and a vampire torn, bleak future.

This would add tension to all the present day segments as the viewer will ultimately know that the characters will fail at whatever they are trying to do. It would also work well in weaving a rich tale, dropping hints in both time periods that the other will be able to answer. Such as who is Patient Zero? Why is Babcock different from the rest of The Twelve? Are there other survivors?

Rise Of The Bookworm!

2017 is shaping up to be the year of the bookworm. Two of the most anticipated movies of the year The Dark Tower and IT are based on books by Stephen King.  A Series Of Unfortunate Events has already been confirmed for another two seasons. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Midnight Cross Road by Charlaine Harris are just a few of the adaptations hitting the small screen. In a time where comic book movies and shows have dominated the pop culture sphere, it’s refreshing to see books are still as relevant as their comic counterparts.

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New Day Craft Meads and Ciders: New Spin on the New Basic

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New Day, New Way

New Day is a craft meadery/cidery. Located in the heart of Indianapolis, Indiana New Day is making its mark on the beer lovers heart. From using ingredients that are top notch, hand picked for bringing out flavors we have never tasted before, this will make the skeptic in your head shut up.

Founders Brett Canaday and Tia Agnew wanted to explore different things they were good at. Turns out, they were really good at everything. They started harvesting their own honey, and from there it took on a life of its own.

Their portfolio includes three ciders and three meads. They will make barrel aged items, as well as more seasonal types, but the six core remain the most strong and popular.

Breakfast Magpie

By far, the most sought after is Breakfast Magpie. This seasonal release goes fast, and for good reason. This mead is black raspberry in flavor and infused with Espresso Reserve beans. Raspberry and coffee? YES PLEASE. It is a beautiful purple color when poured, and makes your glass fill up with the aroma of blackberries. It has an ABV of 8% and is sadly only available in the winter months.

These meads and ciders are great on their own, but they are also versatile. You can mix them with juice, and even harder alcohols to make yourself a super cocktail, or a meadmosa. Using South Cider, with orange juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine and you have yourself the best breakfast drink of life.

If you get the chance to travel to Indiana, make this stop high on your list. You can sample the year rounds at the tap room, and get yourself a growler to go. They are also available in 500 ML bottles, which you can find in liquor stores across the state.

Everything else you need to know can be found at Newdaycraft.com

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Review – Les Normaux by JJ and Al

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Paris is the city of love, but in JJ and Al’s webcomic Les Normauxit’s a city of monsters, too. A boy named Sebastien moves to Paris to learn magic from his aunt, and ends up meeting Elia, a vampire; the comic follows their relationship, as well as their ever-expanding circle of friends.

Hosted on Tapastic, Les Normaux has been running since November 2014. Unlike most comics, it runs in ‘seasons’ of 18-22 strips, and has just started Season 3.

LES NORMAUX – REVIEW

It’s a chronic problem in media these days that LGBT+ romances tend to be sad, gloomy or focused simply on the ‘coming out story’. Les Normaux is a beautiful response to this trend, telling straightforward romance stories with only a few hints of darkness. It’s remarkably easy to just accept the characters as they are – queer, diverse and quite happily blushing at each other or making silly jokes – without the overarching anxiety most queer media brings with it.

The most outstanding feature of Les Normaux’s art are the character designs. It’s impossible to mix up Sebastien and Elia (below), and even minor characters are immediately distinguishable even from a silhouette.

les normaux, sebastian, elia, knight jj

The comic’s characters are also wonderfully and naturally diverse. Among the main characters alone, there is aromantic, asexual, bisexual, gay and lesbian representation; not only that, but characters with Filipino, Indian, Native American, and Moroccan roots. It’s a tribute to the true diversity of Europe, and the discussions of heritage and identity that do come up expertly avoid preaching at the reader. These characters aren’t here to teach a life lesson; they’re simply living and existing as they are.

My only complaint with Les Normaux is a stylistic one; it releases in ‘episodic’ strips to tell its story, but sometimes leaves the smaller gaps unfilled. As a reader, it’s frustrating not to see the details of Sebastien and Elia’s early relationship, but at the same time, the comic invites us to fill in the gaps ourselves.

LES NORMAUX – JJ AND AL

Les Normaux began with a Halloween livestream of monster couples in 2014, and began the collaboration between JJ (KnightJJ) and Al (alababwa).

[O]riginally I did most of the writing and Al did the editing because English isn’t my first language. However ever since the beginning Al has been very involved in creating ideas and even naming the characters.” -KnightJJ

Now, the two of them brainstorm the comic together, talking through plot points and making a general outline of the season.

[F]or each episode we write the script in an interactive file at the same time. Or sometimes I do it before hand and Al goes back in and edits. I create the storyboard and then draw the panels. Al now puts in all the text and speechbubbles. -Knight JJ

The comic is a success on Tapastic (almost 35,000 subscribers) and already picking up a small following on its Patreon.

JJ and Al are also collaborating on Atlas, and JJ is also working on Samuel and Djeya.

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Review: 11 Reasons ‘Batman’ #20 Brings An Intense Conclusion To A Brutal Story

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As Batman engages in one of the most intense and brutal fights he has ever had with the villain Bane, he finds himself relying on the one weapon and asset that has always brought him back from the edge. It’s not a gadget, nor a physical skill or a martial art. It’s something deep within the vigilante’s mind and soul. Something that has driven him since the beginning. The memory of his parents.

Batman #20Batman #20
“I Am Bane Part 5”
Publisher: DC Comics
Written by 
Tom King
Penciled by: 
David Finch
Inked by:
Danny Miki &Trevor Scott
Colored by:
Jordie Bellaire

Batman #20 brutally concludes the epic tale Tom King, David Finch, Danny Miki, Trevor Scott and Jordie Bellaire have been telling for five chapters now. And while on the surface it appears to be just another violent, intense round of fisticuffs, the REAL battle is going on inside Bruce’s mind and soul. This issue is all about Batman’s most powerful weapon – his relentless drive. Read on for 11 reasons why Batman #20 is a physically and emotionally powerful piece of comics storytelling.Batman #20

  1. How this arc completely works as an endpoint to one longer, multi-part tale.
  2. The way the art team imagines the fight, bringing out the brutality and violence with even the smallest detail (blood drops, sweat, teeth).
  3. Page layouts that completely convey the claustrophobic nature of this close-up fight.
  4. Finch’s ability to capture emotion in faces (especially rage in this issue).
  5. The frightening image of the Joker on page 7.
  6. King’s emotional and revealing interior monologue that works as the issue’s narrative.
  7. Batman’s vulnerability.
  8. The sheer imposing SIZE of Bane.
  9. “As Gotham burns, I will stand on one of your gargoyles”.
  10. The amazing splash image on page 18.
  11. The quiet and powerful way the story ends. “Yes, mother. I know.”

Batman #20Without a doubt, this was one emotional ending to an intense Batman story. King has been showing us the many facets of Batman and what makes him one of the most complex characters in comics. And now, he has done the same for Bane as well.

You can pick up Batman #20 at your local comic book shop.

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Adam McKay’s Dick Cheney Film Lands Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Amy Adams

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Adam McKay, who’s appeared to have left dumb comedy behind for more politically-leaning fare, has secured a major trio of talent for his upcoming Dick Cheney Biopic: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Amy Adams.

The biopic will cover a long stretch of the curmudgeonly evil mastermind’s political career, from his time working as Chief of Staff for Gerald Ford, to his time with George H.W. Bush and Dubya. The report in Variety claims Bale will play the former Vice President, Carell will be warmonger Donald Rumsfeld, and Amy Adams Lynn Cheney.

Wait, what? Christian Bale as Dick Cheney? This is going to have to be some sort of impressive makeup and physical transformation job. There isn’t any sort of resemblance, and Bale has changed his body drastically in the past. That being said, Bale backed out of Michael Mann’s Ferrari biopic because he wasn’t going to alter his body weight so intensely again. Who knows…

McKay’s film will get going fairly soon, probably so it can capitalize on Awards season this fall.

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(UPDATED) Doctor Who: Is [ SPOILER ] Returning in Series 10?

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Spoiler, sweetie! Don’t read on if you don’t want the new series of Doctor Who to be (potentially) spoiled…
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UPDATE: BBC released a statement by John Simm saying that he will, in fact, return to Doctor Who as The Master in the upcoming series.

“I can confirm that it’s true, thanks to the power of time travel I’m back,” said Simm. “It’s always a pleasure to work with this great team of people and I can’t wait for you all to see what the Master gets up to in the next series.“

Take this information with a grain of salt. 

The UK tabloid The Sun is reporting that John Simm’s incarnation of The Master will make an appearance at some point during series 10.

According to their unnamed source, a spoiler warning will appear directly after the first episode airs. A clock counts down to reveal the this massive secret. We won’t know for sure how accurate this information is until the episode airs on April 15.

john simm master

The Master has been a foe of The Doctor’s since the 1971 episode, ‘Terror of the Autons.’ Back then, he was portrayed by Roger Delgado, taking on the third The Doctor (Jon Pertwee).

John Simm took on the role of The Master in the 2007 episodes, ‘The Sound of Drums’ and ‘Last of the Time Lords,‘ against David Tennant’s tenth Doctor. He would appear again in the 2009/2010 specials ‘The End of Time: Parts I and II,’ which are Tennant’s final episodes as The Doctor.

The Master would not appear again until 2014, this time as Missy, played by Melissa Gomez. Gomez is also returning this in series 10, as we have already seen in a recent teaser.

Will both Simm and Gomez’s incarnation of the villainous Time Lord team up to square off against The Doctor? Or will Missy face off against her former self? Time will tell.

Series 10 is also the final one for both Peter Capaldi, as well as showrunner Steven Moffat. So, regardless if this information is true or not, expect huge surprises and revelations this year.

What are your thoughts on this potential spoiler? Would you like to see Simm’s version of The Master return? Let us know in the comments!

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New ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ TV Spot Introduces The Team

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A brand new TV Spot has been released for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The spot was made to inform the public that the film will be hitting theaters in one month. Watch it below.

Are you looking forward to the next GotG movie? Which new team member are you most excited to see? Comment below, let us know!

“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”

Guardians Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Kurt Russel as Ego The  Living Planet, Karen Gillian as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Sylvester Stallone in a currently unknown role. The film is directed by James Gunn.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5.

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Rumored New Synopsis For Marvel’s ‘The Inhumans’ Released

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Rumor TV has released a new synopsis for Marvel’s The Inhumans. This shouldn’t be taken as confirmed yet, as the studio or ABC hasn’t make an official word on it. However, with that said, read it down below.

“After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where their surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself.”

Scott Buck, who handled Iron Fist, will be the showrunner on Inhumans. The cast includes Sonya Balmores, Isabelle Cornish, Eme Ikwuakor, Ken Leung, Mike Moh, Anson Mount, Iwan Rheon, Serinda Swan, and Ellen Woglom.

The first two episodes of Marvel’s The Inhumans premieres in IMAX on September 1. After that, the series will continue on September 26 on ABC.

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