High school, dating, parents, acne, figuring out what you’re going to do with your life after graduation… Let’s face it, it’s stressful being a teenager. The urge to fit in and live a normal life free of embarrassment is overwhelming. So it’s a fair bet that being targeted by an alien artifact that resembles a big bug to become a superhero known as Blue Beetle probably wasn’t high on Jaime Reyes’ playlist.
Blue Beetle #7 Story by: Keith Giffen & Scott Kolins Script by: Keith Giffen Art by: Scott Kolins Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr. Lettering by: Josh Reed
Blue Beetle continues to be, flat out, one of the most fun and pure storytelling titles in comic stands today. Month after month, this book delivers the goods. Here are 11 reasons to read the latest chapter, Blue Beetle #7!
The Jack Kirby feel that crackles off the page.
Keith Giffen writing the best and creepiest Dr. Fate in ages.
The energy and caliber of the superhero battles. Old school and fun.
Josh Reed’s brilliant use of lettering for sound AND voice effects, a technique sorely missed in too many modern comics.
Seeing Ted Kord as a man of action!
Giffen’s excellent ability to bring characterization to his cast with dialogue.
“Thaaa-doooom”
Scott Kolins pencils paired with Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s colors. It is comic book art perfection.
The books ability to convey high stake situations yet not succumb to “doom and gloom”.
The inventive and energetic panel composition.
That absolutely gorgeous last page cliffhanger.
Seriously, folks, there are all sorts of great comics being done today, but this one just reminds me of why I fell in love with comic book narrative in the first place. Take a reality break and start reading Blue Beetle!
Warner Bros. and DC Comics are making sure everyone is talking about Justice League. The studio has already released various teasers and images (here) but I guess that wasn’t enough. Two character posters have just been released giving us an awesome new look at Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Ben Affleck as Batman.
We are eagerly awaiting a look at the rest of the Justice League characters, including Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and maybe even my boy Superman (Henry Cavill).
FUELED BY HIS RESTORED FAITH IN HUMANITY AND INSPIRED BY SUPERMAN’S (HENRY CAVILL) SELFLESS ACT, BRUCE WAYNE (BEN AFFLECK) ENLISTS NEWFOUND ALLY DIANA PRINCE TO FACE AN EVEN GREATER THREAT. TOGETHER, BATMAN AND WONDER WOMAN WORK QUICKLY TO RECRUIT A TEAM TO STAND AGAINST THIS NEWLY AWAKENED ENEMY. DESPITE THE FORMATION OF AN UNPRECEDENTED LEAGUE OF HEROES — BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN, AQUAMAN, CYBORG AND THE FLASH — IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO SAVE THE PLANET FROM AN ASSAULT OF CATASTROPHIC PROPORTIONS.
Justice League is directed by Zack Snyder and stars Henry Cavill (Superman), Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), and Ray Fisher (Cyborg). The film will land in theaters on November 17, 2017!
Amid ongoingrumours about Sonequa Martin-Green of AMC’s The Walking Dead having a lead role in Star Trek: Discovery, a captain and a cadet have just beamed aboard. And, as before, a spike in rumours about Martin-Green’s involvement overshadowed these confirmed casting announcements. I’m calling the rumours of Martin-Green’s involvement as such only because there has been no official announcement from CBS or Paramount Television that Martin-Green will be on Discovery. But, this photo that surfaced two days ago of several already-confirmed Discovery cast members partying with Martin-Green at James Frain‘s birthday is a good indicator that Martin-Green will indeed be on the show. Whether she will play the lead role of “Lieutenant Commander Rainsford,” as IMDb reports, is another question altogether – but, yeah, she probably will.
“Honestly, Captain, if you can’t remember my name, just ask.”
I’ve even heard rumours that Lt. Cmdr. Rainsford will be an homage to “Number One,” the canonically nameless first officer (played by Majel Barrett in Star Trek‘s pilot episode “The Cage”) who served aboard the USS Enterprise under Captain Pike. Now that would be cool. If Discovery‘s writers did base Martin-Green’s character on Number One, I hope they used fellow Canadian John Byrne‘s Star Trek: Crew as source material.
Star Trek: Discovery – “But Who’s the Trekkin’ Captain?!”
“Who’s your favourite Star Trek captain, Lorcas or April?”
“Rumours” aside, the announcement that Jason Isaacs, most famous for playing Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies, will play Captain Lorcas of the USS Discovery is probably a welcome one to many Trek fans. Beyond simply having a varied résumé that includes six Harry Potter films, Isaacs’s credits include voicing Ra’s al Ghul, Lex Luthor, an assassination target in Hitman, and a couple of voices in Star Wars Rebels. So, based on his past with pop-culture, Trek fans can probably rest assured that Isaacs will take this role as seriously as he has others.
We’ll just have to wait and see what the relationship between the USS Discovery and the USS Shenzhou, and both ships’ captains, has to offer. Check out one of my previous articles for more on the Shenzhou‘s captain and crew.
Star Trek: Discovery – “Whoa, Tilly, Take Your Time”
“Red hair is fine, just don’t wear any red shirts.“
The aforementioned cadet that will appear on Star Trek: Discovery is named “Tilly.” Nothing yet on whether this will be the cadet’s first or last name, but we do know that Tilly will be played by Mary Wiseman, a recent graduate of Juilliard who has appeared in Difficult People and Louis C.K., Zach Galifianakis, and Jonathan Krisel’s Baskets. As with the other confirmed characters, little is known about Tilly aside from the fact that she is in her final year at Starfleet Academy and has been assigned to the USS Discovery.
So, until the next casting announcement (I think the only cast member left to announce is Sonequa Martin-Green), keep your shields up and your phasers on stun.
Fox has so far been very forthcoming with promotional material for Alien: Covenant. Now they have provided us with a second poster (this is the first hereCheck) for the highly anticipated sequel from the original’s director, Ridley Scott. Check it out below!
Honestly, that’s actually pretty gorgeous and brings to mind all manner of fine art and Renaissance paintings. What do you guys think? Comment and discuss below!
Alien: Covenant stars: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby, and James Franco. It is directed by Ridley Scott. The film opens in cinemas May 19th, 2017.
The red band trailer for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, the latest offering from Academy Award winning director, Martin McDonagh, was released today by Fox Searchlight. For fans of In Bruges, Seven Psycopaths and damn good writing in general, the trailer is a delight dripping in McDonagh’s trademark comedic profanity, via Birth Movies Death.
The movie follows Mildred Hayes, played by the formidable Frances McDormand, a mother on a mission who won’t rest until the police get to the bottom of her daughter’s murder. Martin McDonagh is a director who attaches himself to certain actors for consecutive projects and Three Billboards sees his reunion with Sam Rockwell among others, who stole the show in Seven Psycopaths. Colin Farrell is a notable absence from the ensemble, having headlined both McDonagh’s previous projects, but given the caliber of the remaining cast, we’ll let them off.
Readers familiar with McDonagh’s dark comic style will agree that Frances McDormand’s quick wit and precise delivery are a great fit for his writing, and we can’t wait to see what insanity lies in store for us in Ebbing, Missouri.
Starring alongside Frances McDormand are Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, Zeljko Ivanek and rising star Lucas Hedges. Director Martin McDonagh is joined by longtime collaborators, the producers Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin.
It is expected to hit theaters later this year. Start counting down now…
Earlier today we got a new Justice League teaser, which displayed some of Aquaman’s amazing abilities. Now Warner Bros. and DC Comics have released another teaser but this time it focuses on Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight.
We get some really cool shots of Batman in this short teaser including an epic look at him skulking on the edge of a building and kicking ass in the Batmobile.
Check out the teaser below!
That shot of Batman standing on a hooded skeleton might be one of the best looking Batman scenes we’ve ever seen in a movie featuring the Caped Crusader.
FUELED BY HIS RESTORED FAITH IN HUMANITY AND INSPIRED BY SUPERMAN’S (HENRY CAVILL) SELFLESS ACT, BRUCE WAYNE (BEN AFFLECK) ENLISTS NEWFOUND ALLY DIANA PRINCE TO FACE AN EVEN GREATER THREAT. TOGETHER, BATMAN AND WONDER WOMAN WORK QUICKLY TO RECRUIT A TEAM TO STAND AGAINST THIS NEWLY AWAKENED ENEMY. DESPITE THE FORMATION OF AN UNPRECEDENTED LEAGUE OF HEROES — BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN, AQUAMAN, CYBORG AND THE FLASH — IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO SAVE THE PLANET FROM AN ASSAULT OF CATASTROPHIC PROPORTIONS.
Justice League is directed by Zack Snyder and stars Henry Cavill (Superman), Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), and Ray Fisher (Cyborg). The film will land in theaters on November 17, 2017!
The year is 1977. Movies are red hot. Hollywood has bestowed upon us poignant and riveting gems like Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There is the shrewd candor of Annie Hall. Of course, it’s hard to ignore the epitome of Lynchism in Eraserhead. What a majestic and magnificent movie year for the world of motion pictures. Spanning all genres and types, all hearts can be swept away in the glory of film canon.
Well, we could talk about those gems, but we won’t. You’re in my list. It’s not going to go down the way you think. As a rule of thumb get used to that.
5The Spy Who Loved Me
To say that the Sean Connery Bond is my favorite Bond is redundant in the universe of Bond fans. Captain “This IS a Spanish accent.” is at his best being the mysteriously STD free spy who’s gun is more than just allegory. Connery notwithstanding, I have a soft spot for Roger Moore. Who in a Bond bouquet with Daniel Craig’s lilies, Pierce Brosnan’s orchids, Timothy Dalton’s baby breath, and Connery’s magnolias (just imagine him saying it), usually comes up pansies. Yet in this flick, he finally for one of those brief shining moments comes up roses.
We’ve got implausible gadgets, ridiculous premises, and a sea of unbangable for the likes of non-Bond Roger Moore. I will not delve into the sheer utter ridiculousness that is Jaws. I get it. The time period, the lack of cool villainy; it seemed like a good idea. Not to knock Richard Kiel at all. He almost makes foie gras out of Spam. You can’t do that any finer. I suppose this is where taste comes in because it is these reasons exactly that this movie is on my list. Every hero is only as great as his villain. So if you need to get your hero up the charts in no time flat, make the villain even less plausible and bam. Hollywood makes the best recipe for relational pie. It’s hard to notice that flashlight isn’t sunlight if you’re in an underground bomb shelter. Good on ya.
4Saturday Night Fever
How can I not love this disco Technicolor fever dream? It is literally Abba’s Dancing Queen the movie with a West Side Story side car. This thing was made for greatness and to last. I think this movie is why the 80’s 90’s music movies came to be. Ask yourself would we have even had a Breakin’ or Breakin’ 2 Electric Boogaloo without John Travolta’s gyrating hips. I’m sure we would never have ventured to 4 house parties. Dare I say we wouldn’t have any business to Step Up to. That my friends is a world I cannot thrive in.
There are times when a movie gets to be self-indulgent. Sometimes we need to invest our time and energy in the ones that provide a reasonable yin and yang instead of the full Shakespeare of tragedy or comedy. Ignore the bad plot device that pretends rape always is and see the struggle to define oneself. Nothing is more reaffirming than setting that to the Bee Gees. It’s ok for a film to offer all of the emotions that life can press into two hours of glaring music disco lights and the fairy dust of your city leaving dreams.
3Pumping Iron
Try to ignore the obvious reasons a slightly unbalanced heterosexual woman would like this film and see beyond. Also, try to be generous with the term film. Often overlooked because of the subject matter, it should not be for that very reason. This one is obscure but groundbreaking. If someone would’ve told me that someone would have Pumping Iron as one of their list of five fav movies of 1977 I would’ve checked them for bath salts. Yet looking back this is the start of a fascinating genre we now call reality TV.
This industry very rarely films itself. It would be like looking into the eye of the abyss. Where do I begin where do you end? This very nature is captured in haunting detail in this half documentary half scripted yarn revolving around the world of competitive bodybuilding. In almost macabre mimicry each aspect tries to be more of what the other side is. The real leans to the fiction as the fiction leans to real. It is in truth one of the primary Rosetta stones to all that has followed. From this rip in the grand design, out of the pit you get everything from American Idol to modern professional wrestling. Drink it in man.
2Star Wars: The New Hope
Well, we all know this treasure trove of pop culture myth phenomenon. Well, pop culture period was spawned by this one. Instead of boring you with the list of why this was all amazing, I can now be ok with this because Rogue One settled the most confounding aspect of this otherwise rather cleverly plotted little flick. WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU MAKE IT THAT EASY TO DESTROY!?!? It was by design. Oh, it all makes sense. Back to Anakin Skywalker asthmatic jokes by all means.
The greatness of Star Wars is not in story or plot. I dare to say it isn’t even the How to Create a Nerd Dynasty George Lucas edition we’ve been watching for decades now. The greatness of Star Wars is what it inspired and gave birth to. The story reinfused a genre with life and energy we didn’t realize we were missing. It did all the big things. The film captured imaginations, hearts and inspired scientists and writers alike. As well as a story canon that has produced stellar highly-focused, critically-acclaimed nuanced graphic novels, literature, animation and artwork. Here we are in all of its creepy fanfic, comic-con, merchandising glory. This was the mothership. This is why we’re all here. So it earned the number two spot for me.
1Smokey and the Bandit
I’m from Texas. I can’t lie. The whole movie was like a documentary to me. This is my all-time favorite because of one simple fact. When traveling in the north of the United States I’m asked what is growing up in Texas is like. In true Texan fashion, I ask, “Ever seen Smokey and the Bandit?” The answer is usually, “Yes but that’s just ridiculous. That can’t be real.” “All true.” I lay out deadpan. The look of shock horror then terrified understanding is the reason all I have to say is, “I’m from Texas” to get any thoughts of being snappy with me to fade away. This movie is one of the many reasons why.
Beyond being an hour and thirty minutes of justified Texas street cred, it’s a fun romp with some heavyweights in Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. It’s the backwoods Sheriffs who run their towns like little kingdoms. Where running from the law is part of the commerce. A movie about experiences and rebelling against unfair sanctions. Mostly it’s about the definition of a good girl being challenged by T-tops and revving engines. Ignore the testosterone overtures, girls can dig cars too.
What is your favorite film from 1977? Comment below.
Bonnie Black is an elderly woman living out her last days in a care home. Although visited by a loving granddaughter, surrounded by friends, and filled with memories of a happy life, Bonnie still fears death. Prone to strokes, she goes to sleep wondering if she will even wake up. But what Bonnie Black doesn’t know is that death is just the beginning…after her death, Bonnie finds herself in a bold, dangerous, and unfamiliar new world, populated by all manner of magic and monster. But Bonnie is not alone, as everyone from her past life exists in the new realm, some are friends, some are family, some are enemies, and some are something much, much worse. And as Bonnie undergoes a journey to track down her husband, her enemies begin to unleash a new plot that could affect the world she left behind and everyone on it.
Reborn #5
A Millarworld Book
Publisher: Image Comics Written by: Mark Millar Art by: Greg Capullo
Inks by: Jonathan Glapion
Colors by: Fco Plascencia
Created by: Mark Millar and Greg Capullo
Reborn #5 has probably been my favorite issue of this series so far. With only one issue to go, this chapter had a lot to resolve and even more to set up for a logical and satisfying conclusion next month, and I have to say it delivered completely. Here are 11 reasons to read Reborn #5.
The very human and honest narration that grounds the fantastical story.
Greg Capullo’s, Jonathan Glapion’s and Fco Plascencia’s absolutely gorgeous art.
The design of the six-armed dead giant on page 6.
Actually, the creature designs, in general, are amazing
The way Mark Millar builds the world through background glimpses and subtle narrative and not exposition.
The touching flashbacks to Bonnie’s life on Earth.
The deliberate, suspenseful tension and pacing of Bonnie and her father’s journey.
The twist about Bonnie’s husband, emotional and not “shocking”.
The tiny little fairies floating around subtlety in almost every panel.
The realistic and natural dialogue.
The final reveal of who Lord Golgotha finally is.
Personally, I can’t wait for the conclusion of the series. Not because I want it to end because I want to see HOW it will end. Look for my review next month and pick up this book now.
Although we don’t have a lot of information regarding the very anticipated Han Solo spin-off movie, Woody Harrelson did offer up some juicy bits while promoting his latest film, Wilson, on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Check out the clip below.
As far as I can recall, there’s no “Beckett” ever mentioned in previous movies or novels. So it sounds like a totally new character. But if anyone can mentor a roguish charmer like Han Solo, it’s Harrelson! What do you guy think? Comment, discuss, and speculate below!
The untitled Star Wars: Han Solo film is scheduled to be released on May 25, 2018. It is directed by dynamic duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street/The Lego Movie).
There are some movies that are critiqued based on artistry and craft. These are your “films.” Then there are the movies that you know are made purely for entertainment. The popcorn flicks. These works aren’t meant to be judged on their cinematography or their symbolism. You go into these movies looking for a few simple things: you want a good story, and a fun time. That’s all that Saban’s Power Rangers really had to deliver on.
Unfortunately, the new Rangers movie seems to fall just shy of enjoyable. It has a lot of fun elements to it, but they never seem to come together in a cohesive way to make the movie “fun” as a whole.
First, let’s say that this movie didn’t exactly have a ton to live up to. The original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series was all about being campy and cheesy; it was dumb fun. This new take on the Rangers definitely pays homage to that. There’s plenty of camp and cheese to enjoy if that’s your thing. But the filmmakers also try to ground the story in some sense of realism. It’s not “dark and gritty” in a DC Extended Universe kind of way, but that’s still the tone it seems to be going for at times. The problem is that the camp and cheese doesn’t blend well with the realism and grit. It never fully commits one way or the other, and the final product comes out feeling a bit jarring and disjointed.
Saban’s Power Rangers ultimately isn’t a bad movie; instead it’s simply dull and uninteresting. The story has a ton of promise, but the audience will walk away unfulfilled when it’s over. None of the big moments feel earned, like when the Rangers finally suit up or when they have their first big Zord battle. These moments just kind of happen without inciting any kind of excitement or emotion in the viewer.
This problem might come down to the characters. They’re not compelling enough to root for. That’s not a slight against the actors either; their performances are fine. The characters themselves are simply not written in a way that makes you care about them. Instead they all feel like they’re being built up for a moment that never comes. And some of them end up making choices that are completely contradictory to things they said earlier in the film. Perhaps if the Rangers were fleshed out more instead of being caricatures of angsty teenagers, the story would have held more weight.
Now, with the general movie review out of the way, there are a few side items that need to be addressed…
The Breakfast Club Rant
Remember when the first Power Rangers trailer came out, and everyone was making the same, “oh they meet in detention; they’re like the Breakfast Club!” joke? Oh man, do the filmmakers lean into that element hard.
Detention is just the start. There are whole elements in this movie that seem ripped straight from The Breakfast Club. The football player who’s tired of living up to everyone else’s expectations of him. The nerd who’s only in detention because an explosion went off in his locker. The Rangers even have a conversation while sitting in a circle that boils down to “what will happen when this is all over? will we still be friends?”
I can’t say that these similarities ruined the movie, but they did feel weird. They probably would have felt more natural if the writers called attention to them and made them jokes within the story.
The Product Placement Rant
Big blockbuster popcorn flicks have product placement in them. There’s no escaping it. But the product placement in Power Rangers is some of the most in-your-face product placement that I’ve ever seen. And – humorously – it’s relevant enough to the plot that the details of it would constitute “spoilers.” Just know that you’re going to be craving some Krispy Kreme when you leave the theater.
The Bottom Line
Power Rangers is a movie you’ll watch once for the sake of nostalgia, and then forget about completely. It’s not flat-out bad; it’s just boring.
Blue Beetle #7
Seriously, folks, there are all sorts of great comics being done today, but this one just reminds me of why I fell in love with comic book narrative in the first place. Take a reality break and start reading Blue Beetle!
Personally, I can’t wait for the conclusion of the series. Not because I want it to end because I want to see HOW it will end. Look for my review next month and pick up this book now.