Regarded by most as the finest telling of the Zorro legend – screen icon Tyrone Power (Rawhide) stars in  The Mark Of Zorro as 19th century nobleman Don Diego de Vega, whose father, the mayor of Los Angeles, is removed from office by the sinister Captain Esteban Pasquale (Basil Rathbone, The Black Sleep), and a new corrupt regime. By day, the crooked politicians rob the citizenry at every turn, and at night, Don Diego, wearing a mask, defies their laws and avenges the innocents. As he leaves his trademark – the letter “Z” – wherever he goes, he also leaves an impression on the mayor’s niece (Linda Darnell, Hangover Square), who can’t help but love the hero in disguise. Featuring top-notch direction by the great Rouben Mamoulian (Love Me Tonight, Blood and Sand).

And we’re giving away 3 copies!

To enter, please send an email with the subject header “ZORRO” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following:

Which of these actors has never played Zorro?

• Antonio Banderas
• Andy Garcia
• George Hamilton
• Anthony Hopkins

Please include your name and address (U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).

Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on August 14th, 2016.

ITN Distribution, Inc. has acquired North American rights to the horror thriller CLOWNTOWN.

Written by Jeff Miller (Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan) and directed by Tom Nagel (“The Retrieval”), the film stars Brian Nagel (Katy Perry’s “Roar”), Lauren Elise (Justin Lin’s “Help”), Andrew Staton (“Relentless”), Katie Keene (Union Furnace), Jeff Denton (The Beast of Bray Road) and Greg Violand (Batman v. Superman).

CLOWNTOWN will roll out in theaters starting September 30, 2016 and on VOD and DVD on October 4, 2016. ITN Distribution’s President Stuart Alson made the announcement.

“ITN Distribution is excited to bring CLOWNTOWN to North American audiences,” said Stuart Alson.

“Stuart and ITN want to help us scare people with our killer clowns, so we’re excited for them to be handing our North American distribution,” said Miller.

CLOWNTOWN tells the story of a group of friends who get stranded in a seemingly abandoned town and find themselves stalked by a gang of violent psychopaths dressed as clowns. It is loosely inspired by the clowns who terrorized Bakersfield, CA in 2014.

CLOWNTOWN was produced by Jeff Miller, Tom Nagel, Brian Nagel, Christopher Lawrence Chapman, and Ronnie D. Lee. Robert Kurtzman (creator of From Dusk Till Dawn) co-produced. David H. Greathouse (Syfy’s “Face/Off,” Tusk) handled the bulk of the makeup FX. Stuart Alson of ITN Distribution negotiated the deal along with Jeff Miller and CT Films LLC on behalf of the filmmakers. Archstone Distribution is handling foreign sales.

In conjunction with the release of Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season on Digital HD, HBO invites viewers across the land to the launch of a brand new political movement: The GoT Party!

One party that everyone can get behind, TheGoTParty (GoTParty.com) is an unique, interactive and engaging online campaign asking the series’ fans to help select the very first Game of Thrones Party ticket, pledge their support for their candidate and purchase of Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season on Digital HD (or individual episodes) from all leading digital platforms.

Choosing from beloved and controversial GoT leaders including Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister and Petyr Baelish (and their potential running mates Tyrion Lannister, Lyanna Mormont, Maester Qyburn and Sansa Stark), voters will have the singular opportunity to shape the very first GoT party and its ideals. On TheGoTParty.com, “voters” can learn more about the candidates, compare platforms and cast their ballots for the leader they feel can carry the GoT Party into the future.

Running until August 31, TheGoTParty.com will be continually updated with original video content, real-time polls and infographics, adding to the interactive excitement.  With a dedicated hashtag (#GOT2016) and multiple social media channels, the electorate (read: fans) will be able to stay abreast of the campaigns, as the GoTParty candidates do pitched battle (at the polls). Then, on September 1, TheGoTParty.com will announce the winners, adding a singular and highly enjoyable chapter to HBO’s record-setting series.

As the winds of change swirl around Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms, GoT fans have, at long last, the opportunity to let their voices be heard loud and clear with The GoT Party.  So, if your audience is feeling disenfranchised or left behind with current goings-on, we invite you to point them towards GoTParty.com, where they can help to separate the contenders from the pretenders, and shape the future of TheGoT Party forevermore.

Visit GoTParty.com

Your favorite pizza-loving heroes return in an epic new adventure loaded with wall-to-wall laughs as TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS comes to Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on September 20, 2016 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.  The Heroes in a Half-Shell also will be available in a limited edition two-movie Blu-ray giftset with collectible metal lunchbox. The movie debuts two weeks early on Digital HD September 6.

Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo are back to battle bigger, badder villains, alongside April O’Neil and a newcomer: the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones. After supervillain Shredder escapes custody, he joins forces with two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady, to unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world. As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater threat with similar intentions: the notorious Krang.  Hailed as “fun from start to finish” (Brian Medina, Movie Pilot), TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Stephen Amell, and Tyler Perry in the live action film that is fun for the whole family.

The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Packs include more than 40 minutes of action-packed bonus content. Peek under the shell at the film’s eye-popping special effects, take a look inside the Turtles’ tricked-out van, go behind-the-scenes to explore the Turtleverse and much more!  The film additionally features a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack* remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.

Plus, the DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with reversible Turtle Masks in all four colors, for a limited time while supplies last.  The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS Blu-ray Combo Pack will also be available in a collectible metal lunchbox that includes the Blu-ray Combo Pack of 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Digital HD copies of both movies, and the two reversible masks.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Blu-ray Combo Pack

The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The combo pack includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray

• Feature film in high definition
• Bonus Content:

o   We Are Family

o   Whoa! Expanding the Turtleverse

o   House Party

o   It’s Tricky: Inside the Van

o   ILM—The Effects Beneath the Shell

o   Did You Catch That?  Turtle Eggs!

o   Deleted Scenes

DVD

• Feature film in standard definition

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack

The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack includes all of the above, as well as a Blu-ray 3D presented in 1080p high definition with English Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The Blu-ray 3D disc includes the feature film in high definition and 3D. The Combo Pack also includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack

Fans can enjoy the ultimate viewing experience with the 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, which includes the Blu-ray detailed above, as well as an Ultra HD Disc presented in 4K Ultra HD with English Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The Combo Pack also includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film.

Two-Movie Blu-ray Giftset with Collectible Metal Lunchbox

The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Two-Movie Giftset with Collectible Lunchbox includes Blu-ray Combo Packs with access to a Digital HD copy of each film as well as the following special features:

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS (2016)

Blu-ray

• Feature film in high definition
• Bonus Content:

o   We Are Family

o   Whoa! Expanding the Turtleverse

o   House Party

o   It’s Tricky: Inside the Van

o   ILM—The Effects Beneath the Shell

o   Did You Catch That?  Turtle Eggs!

o   Deleted Scenes

DVD

• Feature film in standard definition

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014)

Blu-ray

• Feature film in high definition
• Bonus Content:

o   Digital Reality

o   In Your Face! The Turtles in 3D

o   It Ain’t Easy Being Green

o   Evolutionary Mash-Up

o   Turtle Rock

o   Extended Ending

o   “Shell Shocked” Music Video

o   Making of “Shell Shocked”

DVD

• Feature film in standard definition

The Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack available for purchase include a Digital Version of the film that can be accessed through UltraViolet™, a way to collect, access and enjoy movies.  With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them—reliably and securely—to a variety of devices.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Single-Disc DVD

The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The disc includes the feature film in standard definition.

TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMovie.com

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Produced by Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett,
Sam Register
Written by Brian Azzarello
Based on Batman: The Killing Joke
by Brian Bolland and Alan Moore
Directed by Sam Liu
Starring Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill,
Tara Strong, Ray Wise

One of the most quintessential Joker stories, written by one of the comic industry’s greatest writers, finally gets an animated movie. And it was okay.

Just okay? It is one of the most popular Joker stores of all time!

But that’s just it. It is a JOKER story, and unfortunately, that’s ultimately not how this new film pans out.

The Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore and gorgeously illustrated by Brian Bolland, has become one of the most acclaimed Batman and Joker stories of all time. Originally written as a standalone book, The Killing Joke has since been worked into the canon of Batman lore.

In the story, The Joker plans to prove to Batman that any given man, when put through the same circumstances he did to become The Joker, would turn out just as mad as himself. His guinea pig in this plot is Commissioner Gordon. After acquiring the proper setting for his grand spectacle, a run down carnival, Joker goes to Barbara Gordon’s apartment and shoots her in the spine. Gordon’s daughter, the original Batgirl, is paralyzed in the process. He then kidnaps the Commissioner and both mentally and physically tortures him in order to drive him to the brink of insanity. The final push, he believes, is showing Gordon what he has done to his daughter after crippling her. Without any way out for him, “Madness is the Emergency Exit,” as the Joker so eloquently puts it in the comic. Surprisingly, that line is nowhere to be found in this new film.

It is a fairly simple idea achieved thorough a very complicated, very Joker plan.

With such amazing and well loved source material, an animated movie of The Killing Joke should be a cake walk. Literally, all the writers and producers had to do was transcribe Moore’s words into script form, animate it with a simplified style of Bolland’s art, and start reaping in the cash. And they did… for the most part.

So what went wrong? It’s that pesky “for the most part” part that nearly kills The Killing Joke for me.

Writer Brian Azzarello and executive producer Bruce Timm decided that the short story deserved a feature length, one hour, sixteen minute treatment.

It did not. It should have been kept as an animated short.

They also thought they could add to the story Moore created, and that their new section would be just as good as the original.

It wasn’t. They added a thirty minute prologue to this already nearly perfect story. The new material features Barbara Gordon as Batgirl and a story about why she quit her superhero persona. It is completely unnecessary and added nothing to the story or movie. It actually derails an already powerful story and definitely detracts from the power of Moore’s original work and message.

If you have been following any of the news coming out of Comic-Con International in San Diego last month, you certainly have heard all the brouhaha about this addition. If you haven’t, then the synopsis is this, if you are to believe any of the media coverage:

1. Fans got a sneak peek.

2. They really didn’t like the new thirty minutes they added.

3. Questions were raised.

4. The panelists were shitty, dismissive, and at some points couldn’t even remember the original story they were animating.

Now having seen it, I can tell you this much: in my very humble opinion, the addition of this prologue is not only very unnecessary, it is problematic.

I am a Batgirl fan. I am, in fact, a huge Batgirl fan. She is my favorite comic book character of all time. I own every appearance of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in comics, from her 1967 “Million Dollar Debut” in Detective Comics #359 to the current Batgirl from her Burnside incarnation. I have a room in my house dedicated to artwork of her from comic artists. There is nothing I wouldn’t love more than more Batgirl in ANYTHING.

Anything except The Killing Joke.

As a fan of the character, this story hits me hard. Harder than any other story in the Batman library because of what the Joker does to Babs. Adding more Batgirl to a story that was never implicitly about her doesn’t heighten the tension or make what Joker does to her any worse; it actually lessens it. By adding this new sequence at the beginning, what it does is disempower Batgirl while moving her decision to stop being Batgirl away from being about HER wanting to choose to stop.

Originally she stopped being Batgirl because she had had enough and could do more good fighting crime in other ways, and she was afraid she was becoming that which she was fighting to stop. For evidence of this, see the Batgirl Special #1 comic written by Barbara (Randall) Kessel, that was released a week before The Killing Joke in 1988.

The film now makes her quitting revolve around her fear that her feelings for Batman (and vice versa) could compromise the effectiveness of their ability to fight crime together. The comic makes her choice about HERSELF; the other is her choice because of HIM.  It isn’t the same thing. It needlessly makes Babs the wrong kind of victim in a story where she is already a victim of a senseless crime.

This also serves to make The Killing Joke about Batgirl and NOT about the eternal struggle of Batman and Joker, which was Moore’s intention in the first place.

What is so powerful about the original is that it shows that the Joker started off like any other poor shlub; he wasn’t always a maniacal killer. Before he became the clown prince of crime, he was you or me, struggling to get by and down on his luck. What the book is trying to show is that what made him the psycho killer he is today could be anyone’s “very bad day”. The Killing Joke also addresses the futile and ultimately destructive relationship between the Joker and Batman, focusing around how there can be no ultimate winner, only losers.

All this because they needed to pad out the 45 minute story to the 76 minutes to officially be considered a feature.

Wrong choices for the wrong reasons.

I am not saying they should have beefed up the already existing scenes; that would have been even more horrible. I am saying it didn’t need to be any longer than it already was. Me saying, “This movie would be awesome if you just cut out the first 31 minutes” is disingenuous. The filmmakers intended you to see the entire film. Azzarello and Timm made a conscious decision to add something that is not only insulting to the character of Batgirl but to the work as a whole.

They were adding more pouches to a perfectly designed costume.

They did it for a reason, and to discount that reason is to discount the film as a whole. They thought that the story itself could not stand on its own.

They were wrong.

Where the actual The Killing Joke story begins in this film (which is exactly at the 31:02 mark), continuing to the end, is almost exactly word for word and frame by frame the comic. There are slight changes here and there, but those changes, however microscopic, change the entire meaning and intention of the original work. Little things like having Barbara call him “Batman” instead of “Bruce” like she does in the comic, make it seem like she doesn’t know Batman is Bruce Wayne and that their relationship is only superficial and “professional”. In the comic universe, they are friends who care for one another. Not romantically, but as family. It makes them stronger.

The film on a whole seems rushed and uneven at best. Where they should have taken more time to let the story breathe, they seem to steam roll past. The animation style, sadly, is also not inspired by the book’s art. Brian Bolland’s original art is just as important as Moore’s words. Not having the film style at least be inspired by it is almost insulting.

Instead, we get a hybrid of more traditional 2D animation style and the “Timm look” of Batman: The Animated Series. This is also a mistake, in my opinion.  I get it; Bolland is a very detail oriented artist, but Timm is a super smart and talented guy. I am sure he could have figured out a way to interpret the “Bolland look” into animation. It never really jelled for me. It actually took me out of the story a lot once we got into the actual comic storyline part of the film.

Speaking of that, there has been some confusion going around about in which universe this film actually takes place. I think it is because of the choice of animation style. Having the style look similar to the animated TV show universe and not it be its own thing definitely is the reason. Also, if this was to be a TRUE adaptation of the comic, Barbara and Bruce should not be involved either sexually or romantically; they are family, no matter how much Bruce Timm fetishizes and ships their relationship.  The whole Batgirl/Batman relationship in the animated universe is a totally separate thing altogether. Additional confusion could stem from the fact that almost all of the original Batman: The Animated Series voice actors have returned to reprise their roles. I LOVE all of the actors. Kevin Conroy is Batman. Mark Hamill is Joker. Tara Strong is Batgirl. They were amazing, as you would expect.

However, while it was amazing that they are back, and I loved hearing all the familiar voices, I hate to say it: it actually distracted me and detracted from the final product. It became more about “OMG MARK HAMILL IS SO AWESOME AS THE JOKER I MISSED HIM!” and less about “Holy crap I have always wanted to see this animated!”

As for the quality of the animation, it was all over the place as well. I thought, “Bruce Timm is producing it, there is no way they can mess this up,” and at times, the animation was gorgeous, smooth, fluid, and feature film worthy. However, at other times, it was herky and jerky, like throw away episodes of the animated TV show. You know, ones that the “C” or “D” team animated, and definitely not up to feature film quality. I have grown to expect much better quality from the DC animated features. For the most part, the DC animated movies have been gold. This deserved better.

I mean, this film should work.

So I ask again, what went wrong? I think the answer lies with the creator. Alan Moore once said something to the effect that he writes comics in a way that they can never be made into movies.

I very much believe him, especially after seeing this missed effort.

Had they just kept The Killing Joke a short and not had the greedy notion to stretch it into a feature, they would have had perfection on their hands. But like Watchmen, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, V For Vendetta and Swamp Thing before it, when they get it wrong, they are unwatchable. But even when they “get it right” and nearly give me everything I could ever want in a movie version of a Moore story, I realize that I didn’t really want it in the first place.

It would be easy to say, “Cut out the first 31 minutes and you have an almost perfect animated version of one of my favorite stories,” but I can’t even do that.

Ultimately in the end, I think all the things that should have made it great all worked against it in a bitter twist of fate.

Batman: The Killing Joke is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital HD

Nemo Publishing announced today that comic artist and writer Jay Piscopo will be partnering with the KBC Shipyard Store & Tasting-Room to do sketches and signings at their location at 8 Western Avenue in Kennebunk, Maine on National Root Beer Float Day August 6th. FREE root beer float popsicles, actual rootbeer floats, and free Capt’n Eli soda samples will be handed out. Piscopo will be on hand to teach do his legendary presentation that shows artists of all ages that anyone can draw. Supplies are limited so don’t delay.

“Soda and comic books have been a staple of kids everywhere for decades,” explained Piscopo. “This event just gives families an excuse to get out and have a little fun for all involved.” Not a Maine local and curious about Nemo Publishing’s line? Check out www.captneli.com.

About the Creator: Jay Piscopo is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli graphic novel series and has created numerous titles featuring spin off characters from this series including The Sea Ghost #1: The Sea Ghost in the Machine and the Commander X All-Star Special. He is known for his signature pulp style and is a frequent contributing artist for Moonstone Books. He co-created the internationally distributed comic book series The Scrap City Pack Rats, featuring the world’s first disabled superheroes. This six-issue series received national attention for its groundbreaking approach and subject matter. Jay has conducted hundreds of comics workshops and classroom events teaching drawing and storytelling techniques across the country. He is an engaging presenter with extensive teaching experience.

Follow Nemo Publishing online:
www.captneli.com
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Welcome back to Giant Size Graphic Breakdown!

We’ve got a bunch of this week’s Rebirth titles and an advanced look at two of upcoming books.

Plus, It’s the week Suicide Squad comes out, so let’s get right into it!

Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 

Written by Rob Williams and Illustrated by Phillip Tan
Published by DC Comics

I wanted to like this title. I was actually excited by it. This is being released the Wednesday before the Suicide Squad movie. And this is the best DC had to offer? To be fair, it’s not terrible. Just another disappointment in a line that keeps pushing them out.

This issue shows the formation of the Suicide Squad including how Amanda Waller got Rick Flag to lead the team. It is full of exposition and it’s fairly dull. Williams gives us a tale with no ambiguity. Just a black and white story of how it is. And Tan isn’t a bad artist, he just wants to be Jim Lee so bad it comes off as cloying. I know he can do better. This looks rushed and sloppy.

When the new 52 came out, I really liked the initial run of Suicide Squad. And the John Ostrander series, of course, was fantastic. This feels like another directionless title in a sea of an ever growing generic line of comics. Maybe when Jim Lee hops on it’ll be interesting. But hey, it had a nice cover at least. It’s the interiors that lack and I so wish they didn’t. Bring back Adam Glass to write it then let’s see what happens.

But even so, here’s the rating.

RATING: C+

Nightwing #2 

Written by Tim Seeley and Illustrated by Javier Fernandez
Published by DC Comics

Part two of the “Better than Batman” storyline is upon us. It’s another bland entry in the DC Comics line. I wish this were better too. They have a great character in Nightwing. Yet, nothing of real interest happens here.

Seeley does what he can on the writing. It’s competent and he’s not a bad writer. This is just boring.

The secondary character of the book, Raptor, is a dull character. There is no emotional story going on here. Nothing of value. It’s an unimportant tale.

And that’s a crime. The biggest crime of the book.

The art is nothing to write home about.

There’s nothing dynamic about the storytelling at all. Save your money on this one. There are so many better comics on the market. Find a better one.

RATING: C-

Batman #4

Written by Tom King and Illustrated by David Finch
Published by DC Comics

Well, this issue is a slight improvement on the previous three issues of Batman. Or maybe I am Tom King crazy. But the story is a tad better. It’s probably I am Tom King crazy.

I just read King’s book The Sherriff of Babylon and it shows what he can do. If he can bring that same magic to Batman, this can be a top book. Right now it is not.

This issue is just okay, nothing too special. But you can see hints of it. You can see the promise.

The art by Finch is not as good as some of his previous work. Again, it feels rushed. I’d rather they take the time and we wait and a good book comes out, rather than just average. This is just average.

But it doesn’t have to be on, Tom King and David Finch. You can do better than this. This isn’t TERRIBLE, But between me and you I know you both have a classic inside both of you. Let’s see that.

RATING: B-

Green Arrow #4

Written by Benjamin Percy and Illustrated by Juan Ferreyra
Published by DC Comics

I have to admit I am kind of digging this book.

The story by Percy is not that special. It’s decent for sure, and I think he will grow into a fine writer. He’s not quite there yet for me, but he’s still doing a fine enough job for me to enjoy it.
The art though?

Holy wow. This is some great work here. The storytelling is top notch. It has passion, heart. I’m shocked Juan Ferreyra isn’t a superstar. It has a combination of comic book storytelling and animation. It’s fantastic.

I’m intrigued to see where it goes. Currently, this and the Flash and Batgirl are the bright spots in otherwise dull line.

RATING: B+

Superman #4 

Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason Illustrated by Patrick Gleason
Published by DC Comics

I wish someone would come along and do something different immediately with the Superman line.

Give Superman to Walt Simonson. Matt Fraction. Or hell, someone from the Archie Comics line presently. Mark Waid. Just please someone get me an interesting story. I’m not the biggest Greg Pak fan but even his run with Aaron Kuder was better.

Bring them back.

Superman seems lost.

Someone needs to find him. I have to admit I got about twelve pages into this book and put it down. I just couldn’t anymore.

As much as I didn’t enjoy Nightwing, I could follow it enough.

This was just a “Flip through Comic” meaning I flipped through the rest.

I challenge someone to write a Superman story that grabs me. This is not it. I think a lot can be done with Superman. Watch The Superman Adventures cartoon. They had it right. Let’s see something here.

RATING: D

Harley Quinn #1 

Written by Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti and Illustrated by Char Hardin
Published by DC Comics

It has been said many times over “If it isn’t broke don’t fix it.”

DC Comics did something smart and kept this team together. Especially in a week with the Suicide Squad film coming out. They kept together a team that works.

Now to be fair, I wasn’t a reader before Rebirth started. But reading it now, you can feel the writing chemistry between Connor and Palmiotti. They write a fun tale, with some laughs.

They also have a great feel for the character of Harley Quinn. It works as it did before the new book having now looked by at some of their previous work on the character.

Hardin is a fun artist for Harley Quinn.

The art is simple, yet always amazing. it works with the writing wonderfully. If you read this book before Rebirth, you’re going to love it. If you weren’t you probably won’t pick it up. Still, it’s a well done an enjoyable read if you are in the right frame of mind for it.

RATING: B

Justice League #2 

Written by Bryan Hitch and Illustrated by Tony S. Daniel
Published by DC Comics   

After a first issue that wasn’t too bad, issue 2 of this title gives us more of the same. It’s not bad. It’s just the same thing as the first, the same exact feeling I got after reading #1 with diminished results.

I love Bryan Hitch’s art. His writing leaves me cold. There is no depth, no character, and no story beats. He manages to get by his action set pieces. But it has gotten a little tiresome in this issue. It’s just bombastic after bombastic after bombastic with very little character.

Daniel, does do a nice enough job on the art. I do miss Jason Fabok a bit (Where is he?). I want story and meat though. If Hitch can manage that, well, this book might take off a bit. Right now it’s a B-.

RATING: B-

Suicide Squad: Most Wanted – El Diablo and Boomerang

Written by Jai Nitz and Michael Moreci and Illustrated by Cliff Richards and Oscar Bazaldua
Published by DC Comics

Well, DC dropped the ball on bringing new Suicide comics to the shelves the week of a major motion picture comic out. This comic book clocking in at $4.99 is hardly worth it.

It features two separate tales of Boomerang and El Diablo and both are equally slow and boring.

This is a major opportunity squandered I feel. The stories contained here feel like short stories or backup stories expanded to full length.

The writing is again generic and the art is the same. There are so many great comic books on the stands from other publishers. Why should you pick it up? Well, you shouldn’t.

I understand the need for new content and the rush to get it out. A little more time spent would benefit everyone. This is just bad.

RATING: D-

Aquaman #4 

Written by Dan Abnett and Illustrated by Philippe Briones
Published by DC Comics

I’ll make this the quickest review I ever have done.

GREAT Brad Walker Cover.

The writing leaves me cold, and now feels a little soggy. I wish there was something, anything, to hold onto. It’s lost in a typhoon of blandness it seems.

The art isn’t bad. Not great, not bad.

I wish Brad Walker was drawing this and that Peter David was writing it.

That’s all.

RATING: D-

Green Lanterns #4

Written by Sam Humphries and Illustrated by Ed Benes, Robson Rocha, and Tom Derenick
Published by DC Comics

The first panel of this book was pretty cool. I enjoyed it and stopped and looked at it. That’s about where it stopped for me.

The rest of the issue is well enough drawn. And Humphries writes the best he can. It’s a grand space opera. And that’s okay. But it made me realize something.

DC Rebirth promised us something new.

A Complexity. Something we have been missing. It promised something exciting.

Instead, we got the biggest crossover event in history.

And they are just throwing product at us. Not story. Not value.

The books are so separated now there is hardly any relationship between them at all. It feels like the history is gone. Instead, we have the most basic, PC version of the heroes.

I understand Dr. Manhattan is the “overall” villain of the big storyline. It seems he sucked away the character’s personalities too in the process. Hopefully they will fight to get it back.

RATING: C+

Waugh waugh waugh! This week is a week of dastardly villains at your local comic shop!

Not only will stores receive the long-awaited vinyl bank of Bat-foe The Penguin, based on his appearance on the Batman Classic TV Series, they’ll also get an action figure of that enemy of civil liberties, Iron Man, as he appeared in Captain America: Civil War!

Read on for more details, and reserve yours at your local comic shop!

Batman Classic TV Series Penguin Vinyl Bust Bank

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Start saving for a rainy day with this umbrella-toting Penguin bank! Based on the criminal character’s appearance on the Batman Classic TV Series, this approximately 8” vinyl bank features the sculpting and paint of a high-quality bust, but the coin slot on his back and the access door in the base make it a great place to keep your loose change! Features the likeness of actor Meredith Burgess. Pair the Penguin with your Joker bank for the ultimate coin heist! Packaged in a clear polybag. Sculpted by Jean St. Jean. (Item # JAN162241, SRP: $22.99)

Marvel Select Civil War Movie Iron Man Mark 46 Action Figure

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Whose side are you on? In Captain America: Civil War, Tony Stark’s Iron Man takes his friendly rivalry with Cap to the next level, opposing his teammate in an all-out war for the safety of the world! This 7-inch action figure of Iron Man is based on his newest Mark 46 armor, as seen in Civil War, and features 16 points of articulation, as well as an Avengers Base diorama section. Collect all three Civil War figures to build the full diorama! Packaged in display-ready Select figure packaging, with side-panel artwork for shelf reference. Sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios! (Item #JAN162254, SRP: $24.99)

Also in stores now:

Marvel Minimates Series 67 Civil War 2-Packs Asst.

(Item #MAR162238, SRP: $9.99/ea.)

Marvel Retro Cloth Daredevil Action Figure Gift Set

(Item #FEB162460, SRP: $80.00)

Marvel Select Carnage Action Figure

(Item #NOV142179, SRP: $24.99)

Find your nearest comic shop at comicshoplocator.com!

This Friday marks the release of the latest entry in the DC Comics cinematic universe, Suicide Squad, which places some of the worst criminals in role of hero as they are recruited to save the world.  Under the watchful eye of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and the leadership of Rick Flag Joel Kinnaman) and his bodyguard Katana (Karen Fukuhara) the Squad consists of Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and Slipknot (Adam Beach).

In addition to their mission (dealing with a mystical threat, The Enchantress played by Cara Delevingne), the team has to deal with Harley’s boyfriend, The Joker (Jared Leto).

So in celebration of all things evil, we’ve teamed with our friends at TV Store Online to give away a shirt to two FOG! readers.

The Suicide Squad Group Poster T-shirt features an image of the team looking at their most evil (and being mocked by the Joker’s laugh).   The officially licensed shirt comes in white and is made from 100% Cotton.

To enter, please send an email with the subject header “SQUAD” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following:

Before she was a criminal, what was Harley Quinn’s occupation?

Please include your name, size (Adult S-XXXL) and address (U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).

Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on August 21st, 2016.

Part the second… as we continue our look at the works of television you never got to see on television. Yeah that makes sense, right?

Missed the first part?  Check it out here!

Below check out more bizarre and surreal tv pilots you would have never guessed existed and yet, were made.

Married With…Children

Exact same story as what aired but both Bud and Kelly were played by different actors to the point they were so awkward and out of place I couldn’t get a single bit of enjoyment from this.

Here, Tina Caspary and Hunter Carson are Bud and Kelly and after being so used to Christina Applegate and David Faustino these 2 just DID NOT WORK in these roles one bit. Hunter Carson was especially bad as Bud, far worse then he was in the Invaders From Mars remake in 1985. Tina Caspary is simply bland and unmemorable. Otherwise, pilot was the same.

Mercy Point

This, like Darkman, was a “test pilot” rather then a real pilot. At about 30 minutes long and using stock footage from Starship Troopers and Armageddon it’s more of a proof of concept than anything.

For those that don’t remember Mercy Point, it was a UPN series about a space station hospital that treated all races… kind of St. Elsewhere meets Star Trek.

The unaired pilot featured the same basic story as the aired pilot but moved VERY fast due to the liberal use of stock footage and the shortened run time.

The Norliss Tapes

An early 70’s unsold pilot that Dan Curtis made as (and I have no evidence of this, just supposition) a way to replace Kolchak, which was taken away from him.

Roy Thinnes is David Norliss, an investigative reporter that finds Vampires are real and has now gone missing. The odd catch of this series was that all of the Norliss stuff takes place in the past via his dictated tapes. Friends of Norliss find the tapes that David makes about his adventures and as they listen as we (the viewer, not the characters) watch as the events he describes unfold while they search for clues as to what happened to him.

Like I said before, I feel this was his attempt to redo Kolchak and it kind of worked, there are some pretty creepy moments in the pilot that could have made for a cool series but I am not sure it could have sustained.

NYPD 2069

A cop from “today” is comatose after a hit & run while investigating a rich mans murder of his wife. His wife agrees to a radical new procedure that allows for the “freezing” of brain damaged police and fire officers until a cure can be found.

In 2069, our cop is awakened and finds that quite a bit has changed and that he is the first full recovery from the freezing as it turns out many others have been revived but he is the only one that recovered completely. Not only are they able to cure him of his brain damage but he resumes being a cop… in a vastly new world. Seems being a cop has completely changed meaning in the intervening years. The justice system is a completely new monster now, trials are held on scene and executions are carried out by the officers (and all officers wear glasses that transmit all video and audio to the precinct).

Not at all like Judge Dredd, not even a little bit. All US citizens’ DNA is on file so all crimes can be solved nearly right away yet crime is still running amok (again, not all at like Judge Dredd right?). Anyway, our main cop friend is dealing with all of these new procedures as well as keeping a false identity and dealing with the fact that his wife has died since he has been in status and that his son is now an old man with Alzheimer’s.

This was actually a pretty cool pilot made for FOX by Steven Bochco in 2004 that was not picked up. Sure there are things in it that are derivative as hell but I still enjoyed it.

Popeye Doyle

Ed O’Neill taking over for Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle in this attempt to bring The French Connection to the small screen. Not bad at all but not as good as the movies. There is only so much grit mid-80’s television would allow. NBC did air this in 1986 but just as a TV movie. As weird as it sounds, O’Neill was really damn good in the part.

Power Pack

Based on the Marvel comic about kids of various ages with super powers. The kids don’t use their powers to save the world or anything, but to do housework and explore a “haunted” house. Very, VERY dull. Light hearted and obviously made for a 12 year old audience. Really reminds you where Marvel was in the early 90’s.

Practical Magic (aka Sudbury)

Obviously, a pilot based on the movie Practical Magic and lacking even the “charm” that film had. Kim Delaney and Jeri Ryan take over for Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in an essential remake of the films plot with some follow up as well. Overall it was not bad. but I was not a fan of the movie so I may not have been the best judge. I am not sure how long it might have lasted as a series. Produced by Sandra Bullock.

Public Morals

No relation to the new 2015 series of the same name. This was a kind of spin-off of NYPD Blue. Kind of as it shares a character and some sets but is so tonally different it’s shocking. It is a real spin-off since they did share the character of PAA “Gay John” though so… Remember when he left Blue and went to work “upstairs”? He went to this show about the Public Morals division of the NYPD. This though is a straight up sitcom, complete with laugh track and sitcom set ups.

There were indeed SOME funny jokes, but most fell flat and there were some that were so horrendously unfunny it hurt to watch the actors have to recite them. Ultimately, after 1 episode aired (Episode 5 because screw continuity damn it) the show was canceled. Officially, it was due to low ratings (wow, 1 episode, way to give the show a chance) but there were numerous complaints about the sexually graphic dialog which were honestly pretty damn raunchy for network TV for the time. This was the first time I ever heard (and SAW) a butt plug on network TV. I have all 13 episodes of course.

Skip Chasers

Morgan and Wong. Damn but they didn’t have the worst time trying to get pilots picked up (they have something like 5 unaired pilots from 4 networks in 6 years.

This one was was for CBS in 1998 and again finding no luck in getting picked up. Starring George Eads (CSI), Arsineo Hall, Cloris Leachman, Doug Hutchison and Kirstin Cloke plus a really funny cameo by David Duchovny. It was about, you guessed it, Skip Chasers, bounty hunters who catch bail jumpers.

Hall is a mailman that screws up a capture by Eads, Cloke and Hutchison and now has to help them fix it. They all work for Leachman at her bounty hunter agency and at the end, Hall joins up. Overall, it was a good pilot, funny, witty (Sci-fi movie references and a really funny riff on the old cliche of tracking someone down in a strip club), good performances (even from Hall) and might have worked. M&W were told by CBS that while it was not picked up in 1998 they would pick it up for mid-season, that never happened.

Tales Of Frankenstein

A 50’s B&W pilot for a new series by the then new Hammer Studios. As you can guess, it’s about Dr. Frankenstein stealing corpses and trying to make a monster and the people that try and stop him. The pilot is about what you would expect, nice B&W film, an interesting concept but ultimately, no surprise that it was not picked up as a series as just how many times can you do this same story?

Time Tunnel

A 2002 or so update by FOX to the old 60’s series. Seems that while creating a (you guessed it) Time Tunnel, the US Government created a “time wave” that is moving backwards in time and messing things up, therefore altering the future. The only people that are unaffected by the time changes are the scientists who were working on the Tunnel when the accident happened. Now, they have to go back and right what once went wrong… sorry, wrong show… they have to fix whatever changes the wave makes, without changing anything else. This was actually fairly good, I was interested in seeing more.

Trash

2003 pilot by the people that bought us the amazing Action in 1999 and starring Mike Erwin, Richard Burgi and Lisa Blount (with a really funny cameo by Charles Napier). Mike Erwin lives in a trailer park with some of the oddest residents in the world (and his Mom). He makes digital videos (so 2003) of these odd people all the while trying to keep his mom from losing the trailer (they just got the car repoed because his dad didn’t make the car payments in 6 months; “I guess the cost of vodka, Vicodin and whores went up”.

He has a best friend in Gypsy, a punk girl that clearly is in love with him but to whom he is completely clueless, oh and he accidentally got her brother sent to juvi so he is also trying to avoid getting his hobbits kick in (running gag about Tolkien). He also has a new job as the lawn boy for the Blu family, a rich, snotty family “on the hill”. Turns out his mom used to be in love with Bud Blu and there is A LOT of bad, bad blood with these families (lets just say, “THE BAD THING” that his mom and grandpa did to Bud in the early 80’s involving a septic truck and a locked limo have a lot to do with it).  Bud tries to keep Mike Erwin from his daughter Luna and lets just say, the Blu lawn would make helicopter pilots giggle by the time Erwin is done getting revenge.

This was a hilarious pilot that had good production values and great direction that really deserved to be picked up. I have no idea what network this was for but it feels like it was made for FOX.

Venus On The Hard Drive

Oh, Jennifer Aspen, why must you always be is shitty sitcoms? I love Jennifer Aspen as an actress but she is in simply the worst TV has to offer time and again. The plot is about 2 computer nerds that get an advanced computer program by mistake that is essentially a really bad CGI chick version of Skynet, that is also nice and doesn’t work… okay so maybe not like Skynet.

Anyway, Venus is an advanced defense program that gets released onto the net by mistake and is visually a hot chick rendered in really bad late 90’s CGI. Dumb sitcom.

Wanted

Same plot as the aired series but with a completely different cast and toned down violence and language.

Seems that the unaired pilot was made for CBS, while the recast series was made for TNT, and we all know that cable series have a lot more freedom in terms of how graphic they can be. I feel the TNT series is an unrequited classic and this was just so… different of a version that I can’t be objectionable.

Witches Of Eastwick

1992 attempt to turn the movie into a series. Ally Walker of Profiler fame stars in this with Julia Campbell and Catherine Mary Stewart. The plot concerns our Witches conjuring up the “perfect” man, who is just TOO prefect and they have to recall him, which takes some doing of the black arts. Very light hearted compared to the movie. A really watered down version for TV.

Wolf Lake

The original pilot that CBS used to pick up the series was completely different in nearly every way. The cast was mostly the same and even though most of the actors were playing the same essential characters, they all had different names and backstories. The plot of the unaired pilot was quite different then the aired series though.

In this one, instead of Lou Diamond Phillips playing Det. John Kanin we have him as Park Ranger Noah Cassidy. Cassidy is tracking strange wolf behavior across the northwest and finds himself in the odd town of Wolf Lake. Cassidy and whomever he is really working for seem to know all about the wolf clans and about what is going on in Wolf Lake, but he is playing a dumb government stooge to get information without tipping off the townspeople or the warring clans.

This was actually pretty cool, but I personally liked were the regular series took things rather then this early aborted version. The production design in the unaired pilot is cold and dirty whereas the production design of the aired series was more Twin Peaks meets Ray Bradbury and the costuming was much more ridged here then in the series, and the unaired pilot had none of the “weird for the sake of weird” stuff that the aired series had.

The Wonder Cabinet

Another Morgan and Wong failed pilot, and another one that would have been a great series.

First, look at the impressive cast, you have James Morrison, Poppy Montgomery, Currie Graham, Kim Coates and Glenn Morshower.

The plot of The Wonder Cabinet is involved so here goes… back in the day, people that collected odd items of human interest kept them in what was called a Wonder Cabinet.

Now, Kim Coates is the liaison for a shadow group that is collecting evidence of medical and scientific changes in the human species (hyper-evolution). He gets a group of outcasts from their respective fields (we have a famous heart surgeon who crashed and flushed his career down the toilet, we have medical student who shares views that put her at odds with the establishment of sciences and we have a neurosurgeon that lost his license to practice due to gambling issues) to find these items and people for this shadow group all over the globe. That’s the premise.  Very Chicago Hope meets the X-Files. Personally I thought it was a very good pilot and it’s a shame that ABC didn’t think so.

Lets end it there today but in the future I will be bringing to light a vast swath of unaired and unsold TV pilots that I wager you will have never even heard of but which deserve to have some light shine on them.
So much more to come. Good luck searching theses out!

The Art of Jock showcases the uniquely dynamic work of acclaimed artist Jock, from his groundbreaking comics art to his stunning posters for the pop culture company Mondo and his evocative concept illustrations for a range of acclaimed films.

Mark Simpson, known by his pen name, Jock, is an internationally recognized, three-time New York Times bestselling artist and Eisner Award nominee. Over the last two decades, Jock has become one of the most distinguished illustrators in comics, with credits that include titles with DC Comics/Vertigo (The Losers, Batman: The Black Mirror, Green Arrow: Year One), Marvel (Savage Wolverine, Daredevil), and his runaway success, Wytches (co-created with Scott Snyder for Image Comics). He is also known for his extensive work with Mondo—the renowned pop culture company famous for its iconic poster designs and collectibles— including electrifying posters that offer unique interpretations of fan-favorite movies such as Shaun of the Dead, The Thing, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Halloween, and many more. In the movie world, Jock’s concept art has defined the look of major films such as Dredd, Ex Machina, and Star Wars Episode VIII.

Made in collaboration with Mondo, The Art of Jock delves into the prolific artist’s catalog, showcasing not only the best of his sketches and published images, but also personal notes from Jock himself that provide insight into the inner workings of his creative process. Featuring commentary from longtime collaborators such as Scott Snyder and Alex Garland, this look into the mind and method of one of the most critically acclaimed illustrators working today is a must-have for fans of comic book and pop culture art, as well as aspiring artists and illustrators.

The Art of Jock arrives in bookstores on September 20, 2016.

Lionsgate is exhuming classic horror films with a red carpet rollout this fall for the limited edition Vestron Video Collector’s Series. Hours of materials have been assembled for the Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray™ releases, starting with six horror cult classics! Taste the fear and the flesh, in shocking high definition for the first time, as teenagers meet their untimely demise at the hands of cannibals, killer robots, horror icons, sewer-dwelling monsters, and an army of the undead!

Vestron Video has been a leader in providing the most unique and wide-ranging selection of films. Lionsgate honors the spirit of Vestron Video by presenting the Vestron Video Collector’s Series — a line of classic genre films newly remastered and with a wealth of supplementary features. Starting with Chopping Mall and Blood Diner, and continuing with Waxwork and Waxwork II: Lost in Time Double Feature, Return of the Living Dead 3, and C.H.U.D. II: Bud the CHUD, these re-releases are for the collector and horror fan alike and will be available for a limited amount of time.

Teenagers trapped in a high-tech mall overnight must find a way out before three malfunctioning security robots destroy them in Chopping Mall. In order to raise an ancient Egyptian goddess, two cannibalistic brothers use their restaurant to add something special to the menu in Blood Diner.

Each limited-edition feature, transferred from the original film elements to high-definition Blu-ray™, is packed with special features including brand-new audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and interviews with cast & crew — including one with Chopping Mall’s robot! The Chopping Mall and Blood Diner Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray™s will each be available for the suggested retail price of $39.99.

CHOPPING MALL BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• AUDIO COMMENTARIES:

o   Director/Co-Writer Jim Wynorski, Actress Kelli Maroney, and Co-Writer/2nd Unit Director Steve Mitchell

o   Historians/Authors Nathaniel Thompson (Mondo Video) and Ryan Turek (Shock Till You Drop)

o   Director/Co-Writer Jim Wynorski and Co-Writer/2nd Unit Director Steve Mitchell

• FEATURETTES:

o   “Back to the Mall”

o   “Chopping Chopping Mall”

o   “The Killbots”

o   “Scoring Chopping Mall”

o   “The Robot Speaks”

o   “The Lost Scene”

o   “Army of One”

o    “Chopping Mall: Creating the Killbots”

• Isolated Score Track by Chuck Cirino
• Trailer

BLOOD DINER BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• AUDIO COMMENTARY with Director Jackie Kong
• FEATURETTES:

o   “Queen Kong”

o   “The Cook, The Uncle, and The Detective”

o   “Open for Business”

o   “Scoring for Sheetar!”

o   “You Are What They Eat”

• Archival Interview with Project Consultant Eric Caidin
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Still Gallery

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the field of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, unleashes the tense anime action drama of BLEACH on Blu-ray for the first time with the home media release of Set 1.

Now available, BLEACH Set 1 presents the complete, uncut first 27 episodes of the popular series on 4 Blu-ray discs, and carries an MSRP of $54.97 U.S. / $63.99 CAN. Episodes are available with dialogue selections for dubbed English as well as subtitled, Japanese 2.0 audio, with episodes presented in their original 4:3 format.

In the BLEACH anime series, for as long as he can remember, Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts. But when he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper who battles evil spirits known as Hollows, his life is changed forever. Now, with a newfound wealth of spiritual energy, Ichigo discovers his true calling – to protect the world of the living and the dead as a Substitute Soul Reaper. When Rukia is taken away to face the ruthless justice of the Soul Society, Ichigo and his friends must cross over and do battle in the spirit world…

“Fans have eagerly anticipated the release of BLEACH on Blu-ray, and this summer we invite them to expand their personal anime collections with the release of the first set of this riveting series,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Marketing Manager, Animation.

The BLEACH animated films and TV series (distributed in North America by VIZ Media, rated ‘TV-14’) are based on a smash hit manga series created by Tite Kubo (also published in North America by VIZ Media, rated ‘T’ for Teens).

For more information on BLEACH manga and anime titles published by VIZ Media, please visit www.viz.com.

Come on down to South Park with all-new, uncensored episodes from Season 19. Every episode of this critically-acclaimed and award-winning show is packed with unforgettable moments and hilarious absurdity — from pissed off celebrities to talking towels and crime-fighting kids. Join Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Cartman for all their foul-mouthed adventures!

Special Features Include:

• Season 19 Commentary by the Creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone
• South Park: The Fractured But Whole – E3 2016 Game Trailer
• Deleted Scenes
• #Social Commentary (on Blu-ray only)

Vegas is the place to be, and many people have used the natural attraction that emits from Sin City, like the Vegas palms online casino, which showcases just how exciting gambling can be. Still, there are other forms of media that have shown how thrilling this place can be. The following are five films that highlighted the popular city.

1. Ocean’s Eleven

Vegas was the cornerstone of this film. The film starred everyone from Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and George Clooney.

The idea behind the film was to outsmart a ruthless casino owner by breaking the entire casino and getting away with all the money. The casino is equipped with some of the best technology available, and it is up to the team to figure out how to cheat the system.

There is definitely a lot going on in the film, and it all takes place under the enticing lights of Vegas.

2. The Hangover

As the saying goes, whatever happens in Vegas, stays in the Vegas. No movie has ever made this statement clearer than The Hangover. The film stars Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Ed Helms, and Bradley Cooper.

The plot follows a group of friends who throw the traditional Vegas bachelor party for a friend who is getting married. The entire party travels to Sin City and stays in a prestigious room. The day starts as an uneventful day until there is a black out in the film. The friends wake up and do not remember anything.

The room they are staying in is completely destroyed. One of the friends is missing a tooth; there is an unexplained tiger and baby in the room. Worst of all, the groom is missing, and now they have to piece together these mysteries.

3. Honey, I Blew Up the Baby

This was an interesting movie set in the great city of Las Vegas. This was the third installment of the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids series that starred Rick Moranis as a genius inventor.

In this film, the scientist makes a machine that can make things a lot larger than they would normally be. Of course, the problem in this film is that his machine makes his child into a giant. The baby is sweet, fun, and loves lights, which attracts him to Vegas.

4. Rain Man

Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman star in this movie about a young man dealing with the death of his father and discovering that he has a much older brother. The older brother is played by Dustin, and he is autistic.

Cruise’s character has to come to terms with his brother’s disabilities but also discovers a very rare power that he has. The power is his disability makes him a human calculator, which Cruise’s character exploits in Las Vegas.

5. Leprechaun 3

Not every movie in Las Vegas was about being cool or told a lively story. It just so happens that there was also a horror film made in Las Vegas, too.

The film stars Warwick Davis as the titled horror monster. It is the third film and follows the monster as he goes on a killing spree attempting to retrieve all of his gold. It is definitely a great setting to tell a horror story with undertones of greed.

These are just some of the most prominent films that were based in or about Las Vegas from different genres.

Produced by Sean Ellis, Mickey Liddell,
Pete Shilaimon, David Ondříček
Written by Sean Ellis, Anthony Frewin
Directed by Sean Ellis
Starring Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan,
Aňa Geislerová, Toby Jones

I have two very important words for you: AVOID ANTHROPOID!

A fascinating chapter in World War II about the plot to take out a top Nazi official is, sadly, turned into a maddeningly humdrum drama that’s absolutely not worth your two hours.

Save yourself and either read up on the assassination of Heydrich or watch the Fritz Lang film Hangmen Also Die, about the same incident, instead. What should be a tense, emotional spy thriller is instead a mediocre slog through history with characters you never care about.

Jamie Dornan (50 Shades of Grey) and Cillian Murphy (Inception) play two Czech spies who escaped the Nazi takeover and parachute back in to spearhead Operation Anthropoid, the bold plan to kill the highest-ranking Nazi in Czechoslovakia.

Everyone in the film speaks English but merely adopts a foreign accent, with varying degrees of success. Maybe that’s why one of the only Czech actors in the film, Anna Geislerová, is the real standout. She reminded me of Game of Thrones’ Carice Van Houten (who, of course, is Dutch) but brings an inner life and believability to her character that the better-known actors can never achieve.

That and a briefly glimpsed priest who harbors the fugitives in his church. That actor, Roman Zach, who I’ve never seen before, brings more to his few scenes than the two leads put together.

Try as they might, you never forget for a second that you’re watching Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy playing Czech patriots. You don’t care that Dornan’s hand shakes when he goes to shoot a fleeing enemy or load his weapon, except to idly wonder if that was an acting choice or in the script. They never disappear into their characters and so you never get caught up in their fight.

The film begins with the two parachuting into the Czech woods. As the two make it into Prague, they find the Resistance shattered and their one contact gone. They eventually find what’s left of the movement and announce their bold plan. They then are ensconced in a safe house where Dornan quickly falls for pretty Marie (Michelle Le Bon) a friend of their host family.

The Resistance plots Heydrich’s movements, looking for the best place to launch their attack.

To help with their cover, Murphy’s character asks Marie to bring along a female friend. She brings Lenka (Anna Geislerová), who ends up being an invaluable asset and the best thing about the movie. Their first meeting is at a bar filled to the brim with Nazis, where Murphy chews out the women for wearing dark lipstick, since it will make them the center of attention (lipstick being in short supply during the war and all.) He then asks Lenka to hit him since their “scene” needs an “ending.” So much for not calling attention to yourself, Murphy!

Since (spoiler) none of the plotters survived, we have no idea what really transpired and so moments like this ring particularly false.

I waited patiently for the assassination attempt, and for a minute, the film finally seems to come together as it finally happens. But then the plotters must go underground and spend what seems like an eternity holed up in a local church. When the inevitable showdown with the Nazis occurs, the elaborate shootout (which an end note tells us took six hours), feels like it goes on for at least an hour.

I actually laughed out loud during a scene where a Resistance member who’s about to be killed by Nazis bites an arsenic tablet and then – unwilling to wait for its nearly instantaneous effect — shoots himself in the head. I know how he felt. LET’S JUST GET IT OVER WITH, SHALL WE?

When the end finally comes for the last few survivors, sure enough, the audio goes silent and all we hear is the mournful plink of just one piano key. Can we please retire this movie music cliché along with the rest of this film?

And if you thought for a second that the awkward teenager practicing his violin throughout the film will make it unscathed to the end, well, then you clearly haven’t seen enough movies. Did we also need to see him presented with his dead mother’s head in a bucket?

The killing of Heydrich is an incredibly pivotal chapter in World War II, but this film does it no justice. When you’re rooting for the main characters to just go ahead and die already, when you’re angry at a film for wasting two hours of your life, that’s a huge misfire.

Star rating: 1 out of 5

Produced by Amanda McBaine,
Jesse Moss, Danny Breen
Directed by Jesse Moss
Featuring Mike Henry, David Needham,
Hal Needham, Burt Reynolds,
Sonny Shroyer, Paul Williams

Entertaining doc about the making of the 1977 smash, Smokey and The Bandit, the friendship between the director, Hal Needham, and its star, Burt Reynolds, and the importance and bravery of Hollywood stuntmen.

That sums up the appeal and the problem of The Bandit; it’s about a lot of interesting subjects, but at only 84 mins., its lack of focus renders the film a bit thin.

In the early to mid 70s, Burt Reynolds was the biggest star in the world.  A huge sex symbol, but also a real man’s man, his star appeal was apparent.

Even notoriously picky critic– and film-nerd icon – Pauline Kael totally got it.  She appears here in a brief clip, offering an insightful analysis of Reynolds’ star quality, assessing that he could be the next Sean Connery….if he’d only stop holding back.

Reynolds was mostly known at the time for good ole boy action films featuring terrific stunts. Reynolds’ usual stunt double was a true badass named Hal Needham, a guy who worked his way up from a sharecropper’s son to being one of the most revered stuntmen in the business (as well as a largely successful – if not critically celebrated – film director). In an interview here, a colleague describes Needham as “a nice guy….not a Rhodes scholar”.  And another colleague commented, with genuine admiration, that he’d never seen someone do so much with so few tools.

Needham was fearless and wanted to make his star look good; Reynolds, a former stuntman himself, respected the hell out of Needham and knew he needed him to look good.  They become fast, and loyal, friends.  And not long after, roommates – at a swingin’ 70s bachelor pad in Hollywood – for eleven years!

Needham eventually really, really wanted to direct, so enlisted his friend – the biggest star in the world – to star in his debut about a character named The Bandit, who, with his buddy played by Jerry Reed, smuggles a truckload of Coors beer to the South, where (at the time) it was illegal to sell.  (Shades of Yuengling Lager; my fellow East Coast transplants living in LA will understand.  Sigh….)

The doc cuts between making-of vignettes and talking heads, behind the scenes stunt work and some terrific clips from TV talk shows, commercials, etc of the era.  There’s a very amusing moment where a young Barbara Walters giggles like a schoolgirl at an off the cuff witticism by Reynolds, some very fun ads for a failed toy called The Stuntman, et al.

We are also treated to modern-day interviews with Reynolds, with clips of him supervising and offering advice at his acting school, etc.

The aspects that really shine through are a huge respect for stunt people, Reynolds’ and Needham’s great love and respect for each other, and the impact this tiny little movie had on people.

It’s telling that Reynolds was understandably incensed that Universal held the premiere of Smokey in NYC.  The film was made for the “flyover” states, for the South – and it was HUGE there.  We see, late in the film, testimonials from Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, and others for whom Smokey and The Bandit is a major film touchstone in their lives.  The way other adult fans gush about devouring Ghostbusters and Star Wars during their childhood, these guys cite Bandit as the one of the major, important films in their lives.

And, as a doc made by CMT, The Bandit was obviously not made with the Jodorowsky’s Dune crowd in mind.  However, if you do have an interest in all of film history, including influential, hugely popular films that speak to a specific time and place, The Bandit is certainly worthwhile.

It’s not a great film, the lack of focus is detrimental (though hardly disastrous), and it feels almost defiantly superficial.  But it’s never less than entertaining, and it contains enough insights – especially if you have no previous knowledge of the film’s history, the popularity of good ole boy cinema, or Reynolds’ stardom in particular – that even film scholars should give it a look.

(On a tangential note, for an excellent doc about stunt people, check out the 2004 film Double Dare.  Great stuff).

The Bandit airs tomorrow, August 6 at 10pm ET/PT on CMT

Pickin’ and grinnin’, singin’ and spinnin’ tall tales and corny jokes, the citizens of Kornfield Kounty landed on television in 1969 with the arrival of HEE HAW as a summer replacement series for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

With a cast of down-to-earth characters including Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones and Archie Campbell, knee-slapping comedic zingers, and jaw-dropping musical performances, the comedy-variety show, co-hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark, captivated the country.

In 1971, after two successful years, CBS dropped the show in an effort to “de-countrify” the network’s programming; however, it was quickly picked up and aired for the next 21 years, making HEE HAW the longest-running weekly syndicated original series in television history.

In a new-to-retail set, HEE HAW: THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION offers 14 HEE-larious discs featuring some of the best sketches and brightest stars from the series’ impressive 23-year history, rarely seen since their original broadcasts.  Across 21 vintage hours, viewers can sit back and be entertained by korny klassics such as “PFFT! You Were Gone,” “Gordie’s General Store,” “Board Fence,” “Cornfield” and “Moonshiners”  — as well as the all-time favorites “Rindercella” and “Trigonometry.”  And because HEE HAW was a favorite stop for country music’s biggest stars and legends, THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION also features hundreds of classic performances from Hall of Famers at the peaks of their careers including Tammy Wynette (“Stand By Your Man”), George Jones (“White Lightnin”), Merle Haggard (“Okie From Muskogee”), Waylon Jennings (“Me and Bobby McGee”),  Johnny Cash (“I Walk the Line”), Jerry Lee Lewis (“Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On”), Tanya Tucker (“Delta Dawn”), and Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty (“Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man”) and too many others to name.

Though the last “new” episode aired in 1992, this 14-disc collector’s edition perfectly captures the reasons why HEE HAW was one of the longest-running and best loved television variety shows of all time!

BONUS FEATURES

• New interviews with show regulars including Roy Clark, Lulu Roman, George Lindsey, Charlie McCoy and Jim and John Hager
• Additional bonus programming includes all-time favorite comedy from the early years in “Hee Haw Laffs,” featuring “Board Fence,” “Doctor Spot,” “Old Philosopher,” “Haystack,” “Schoolhouse” and other knee-slappers

Magic, mirth and mystery highlight this tale starring horror legend Bela Lugosi (Dracula, White Zombie) as an evil lunatic set on destroying mankind with a gigantic death-dealing device. Mankind’s only hope is Frank Chandler, a.k.a. Chandu The Magician (Edmund Lowe, Dinner at Eight), who calls upon mystical abilities to fight the megalomaniacal fiend. Adapted from the popular broadcast serial, this creepy classic conjures action and excitement at every turn. Co-starring Irene Ware (The Raven) – Directed by William Cameron Menzies (The Maze, Thing to Come) and Marcel Varnel (Convict 99).

And we’re giving away 3 copies!

To enter, please send an email with the subject header “CHANDU” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following:

Chandu The Magician co-star Bela Lugosi’s best known role was Count Dracula.  How many times did he portray the character on screen?

Please include your name and address (U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).

Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on August 14th, 2016.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) commemorates the film career of the late legendary musical artist Prince with the debut of the Prince Movie Collection on Blu-ray™ October 4. The Collection features Prince’s only three acting performances: the Academy Award® winner Purple Rain[i] with newly remastered audio and video, along with the unofficial sequel Graffiti Bridge and Under the Cherry Moon, both available for the first time on Blu-ray.

The Prince Movie Collection will be available for $24.98 SRP and each film will sell individually for $14.97 SRP. Instead of the traditional blue Blu-ray casing, each film will be packaged in Prince’s signature color of purple (while supplies last).

Fans can also own each film via purchase from digital retailers.

About the Films

Purple Rain (1984)

Winner of Grammy® and Academy Awards®[ii] for its pulsating song score; Purple Rain marks the electrifying movie debut of Prince as The Kid, a Minneapolis club musician as alienated as he is talented. The Kid struggles with a tumultuous home life and his own smoldering anger while taking refuge in his music and his steamy love for sexy Apollonia Kotero. Prince and the Revolution scorch with “Let’s Go Crazy”, “I Would Die 4U”, “When Doves Cry” and the title song in what Rolling Stone calls “the smartest, most spiritually ambitious rock-’n’-roll movie ever made.” New 2016 1080p HD master.

Special Features:

• Commentary by Director Albert Magnoli, Producer Robert Cavallo and Cinematographer Donald E. Thorin
• First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty: Visit the Nightclub Where Prince Started
• Purple Rain Backstage Pass: Behind the Scenes
• Riffs, Ruffles and a Revolution: The Impact and Influence of Purple Rain
• MTV Premiere Party Original Broadcast
• 8 Music Videos: Let’s Go Crazy, Take Me With U, When Doves Cry, I Would Die 4 U/Baby I’m a Star, Purple Rain, Jungle Love, The Bird and Sex Shooter
• Trailer

Under the Cherry Moon (1986)

– His Purple Rain took the movie and music worlds by storm. Now Prince stars – and makes his directorial debut – in his lavishly playful second film, Under the Cherry Moon. He plays an American musician living with his pal (Jerome Benton) on the French Riviera and on the bank accounts of bored divorcees. The next object of his affection is a lovely and spirited young heiress (Kristin Scott Thomas in her movie debut). He doesn’t count on confronting the girl’s enraged father (Steven Berkoff). And he certainly doesn’t count on falling in love. But with Prince in charge, you can definitely count on exciting music, shimmering costume, production design and style to burn. This Moon shines!  New 2016 1080p HD master.

Special Features:

• Trailer

Under the Graffiti Bridge (1990)

It’s got that Purple Rain feeling through and through. And it’s got The Kid, too! For the first time since Purple Rain, Prince is back as The Kid. And where he goes, there’s music! With “Thieves in the Temple”, “New Power Generation”, “Elephants and Flowers” and more red-hot Prince tunes from the Platinum-selling Graffiti Bridge soundtrack. What time is it? Party time! Morris Day and the Time play “Release It, Shake!” and more. And you’ll also see and hear George Clinton, Tevin Campbell, Robin Power, Mavis Staples and other hot performers, too. Graffiti Bridge is where the movie meets the music. Cross over on it now!  New 2016 1080p HD master.

Special Features:

• Trailer