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‘Fifty Shades Freed’ Arrives on Blu-ray 5/8; Digital 4/28

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The global film sensation sparked by EL James’ best-selling book trilogy returns with the seminal final chapter of the darkly alluring tale that captivated the world. Stay in, complete your collection and experience the climax of this worldwide phenomenon with the ultimate at-home movie night when Fifty Shades Freed arrives on Digital and the all-new digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on April 24, 2018 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on May 8, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Believing they have left behind shadowy figures from their past, newlyweds Christian (Jamie Dornan, “The Fall,” Anthropoid) and Ana (Dakota Johnson, How to Be Single, Black Mass) fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins. Directed by James Foley (“House of Cards,” At Close Range), Fifty Shades Freed also features returning cast members Eric Johnson (“The Knick,” “Smallville”), Rita Ora (Fifty Shades Franchise) as well as Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden (Fifty Shades of Grey, Miller’s Crossing).

In addition to both the original theatrical version and a steamy new unrated version, Fifty Shades Freed comes with more than 30 minutes of never-before-seen bonus content, including a deleted scene, cast interviews and behind-the-scenes features. You get more passion, more drama and more suspense when you own the final chapter on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL:

  • An Intimate Conversation with EL James and Eric Johnson – A casual conversation between EL and Eric discussing the film, favorite moments, themes, etc.
  • Music Videos
    • “For You (Fifty Shades Freed)” – Liam Payne & Rita Ora
    • “Capital Letters” – Hailee Steinfeld & BloodPop®
    • “Heaven” – Julia Michaels

BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY, DVD & DIGITAL:

  • Deleted Scene
  • The Final Climax – Fans can follow not only Ana and Christian, but also both new and familiar characters behind-the-scenes throughout their journey of Fifty Shades Freed
    • The Wedding: Take a closer look at the beautiful wedding scene with the production and costume designers – from the breathtaking venue, gorgeous gown and the custom-designed floral arrangements
    • Honeymoon: Travel along with the newlyweds and soak up the sun in the gorgeous French Riviera. Discover the challenge production faced with accessing locations, and the search for the perfect honeymoon yacht
    • Mr. & Mrs. Grey: After the wedding and the honeymoon, what is it really like to be married? Find out how life in the penthouse changes once Ana moves in
    • Ana Takes Charge: Director James Foley and Costume Designer Shay Cunliffe explore Ana’s transformation and growth into a powerful businesswoman
    • Ana & Mr. Hyde: Go behind the scenes and find out the secrets about what makes Jake Hyde tick
    • Aspen in Whistler: Take a look at how the filmmakers and set decorator used Whistler, Vancouver as a stand-in for snowy Aspen, and discover the famous musician whose home was transformed into Christian’s mansion
    • Ana’s Revelation: Ana and Christian face their biggest challenge yet. Author EL James takes us through the choice that Ana must make and how the couple’s power dynamic shifts
    • Resolution: The final showdown between Ana and Jack brings the two face-to-face and Ana will do whatever it takes to protect Christian, his family, and her future
    • The Meaning of Freed: The cast and filmmakers share what being FREED really means for both Ana and Christian
  • Christian & Ana By Jamie & Dakota – Revisit the previous films and learn how both Ana and Christian have changed… and how both actors have lived through the experience

 

For more details visit Facebook.com/FiftyShadesMovies

 


‘Get Naked’ OGN (review)

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Written by Steven T. Seagle
Illustrated by Various‎
Cover by Mads Ellegård Skovbakke
Published by Image Comics
ISBN-13: 978-1534304802
Released 2/7/18 / $24.99

 

I once coined the expression, “When you live with someone, you run the risk of seeing them naked.”

It was NOT simply referring to seeing them without clothes.

After reading this unique new book from Image, I feel like I’ve just seen author Steven T. Seagle naked…and I don’t mean without clothes.

I really wasn’t that familiar with his work before this.

Oh, I’d seen Ben 10. It was once one of my son’s favorite TV series.

And I’d heard his name. I knew he had written quite a few mainstream comics in recent years but none that I was reading.

This book, though, Get Naked, is in the tradition of the great autobiographical graphic novels that range from Justin Green’s Binky Brown stories to Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and beyond. Described on the cover as a series of graphic essays, there are 19 different European artists, each one drawing a chapter in his or her own style.

And those styles are across the board! There’s everything from traditional comics to artsy illustration to underground comix style to children’s book art to animated cartoon looks!

Theme-wise, the book offers up Seagle’s personal observations and evolving thoughts on individual nudity as seen from his own American hang-ups and also through the various sensibilities one finds in both other countries as well as specific contexts.

I should probably mention that while this book is by no sane person’s definition pornography, it is most likely NSFW, which is ironic in that its goal seems largely to demystify the very concept of nudity. There are a couple panels of actual sex, too—well, not “actual” sex. Just pictures of it. And not really all that explicit, either. Still, some of you are easily offended.

Even if I wanted to play favorites as to the stories or the artists, I couldn’t. While the individual chapters each hold up beautifully on their own, they succeed best in forming the whole work, read from beginning to end, where you can follow Seagle’s thinking and education.

And as far as the art, with all the myriad styles and judicious use (and sometimes NON-use) of color, as I went through the book, anticipating what type of art the next chapter would was my favorite thing!

As this is all autobiographical, even the book’s thin focus on the concept of nakedness allows for all the human emotions one expects from this kind of project—fear, embarrassment, triumph, but most of all, a sense of humor. Not laugh out loud humor but more observational humor.

So, I guess I’ve really just met Steven T. Seagle, I’ve already seen him naked, and I like him. He has produced a fun, thoughtful, and unique read.

Booksteve Recommends.

 

‘Tomb Raider’ (review)

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Produced by Graham King
Screenplay by Alastair Siddons,
Geneva Robertson-Dworet,
Story by Evan Daugherty,
Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Based on Tomb Raider by Crystal Dynamics
Directed by Roar Uthaug
Starring Alicia Vikander, Dominic West,
Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott,
Thomas, Hannah John-Kamen, Nick Frost,
Antonio Aakeel, Derek Jacobi

 

I should have loved Tomb Raider.

Alicia Vikander is a great choice to play Lara Croft. The story isn’t really so complicated as to make it hard to adapt into a pretty solid action film.

In fact, it should write itself.

So why the heck was I left so completely nonplussed by it?

I think I know the answer and it is really frustrating.

The plot is loosely based on the 2013 reboot game Tomb Raider by Crystal Dynamics and released through Square Enix.

Tomb Raider tells the story of the very first adventure of Lara Croft, British aristocrat turned explorer and sepulcher pilferer. Motivated by the loss of her father seven years earlier when he disappeared without a trace for unknown reasons, Lara, through clues left behind by her dad, discovers where he went and why.

Determined to find him and finish what he started she enlists assistance of the son of the ship’s captain her father had hired to take her to a mysterious island, where her destiny as a world famous adventurer awaits.

As a huge Tomb Raider fan from the initial release on the Playstation up through the reboot in 2013 and the last game Rise of the Tomb Raider in 2015, it is still the only game that I have played every incarnation of the game and finished every single one. I fell in love with Lara Croft as a kid. Playing over a dozen games have followed her through adventure after adventure. I even like the dumb Angelina Jolie films as bad and cheesy as they are.

I really want to love this movie.

The director, Roar Uthaug and screenwriters, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons, working off a story by Robertson-Dworet and Evan Daugherty definitely got aspects of Lara’s story right. But it is what they don’t do justice that makes the movie so frustrating.

The filmmakers spend the first hour of film telling us an unnecessary plot line that never really shows that she is capable of anything that makes the character of Lara Croft what she will need to be for the rest of the film.

They barely give us any hint or inkling that she is even capable of a tiny iota of the crazy feats of strength, or skills that will be required of her in the rest of the film. She is thrust upon a situation that she is ill prepared for, yet somehow almost miraculously escapes. She all of a sudden has secret spelunking skills, free climbing training and hand to hand combat training.

By leaving out some very essential key elements crucial to Lara’s development when she finally does become the Lara Croft we all know and love it is almost by accident. She succeeds more by luck then skill in all the perilous situations she finds herself in.

That is where the film fails.

I didn’t expect her to just know all the survival skills she has, but we are never given time to see that she can do anything other then ride a bike fast and get her butt kicked in a kickboxing match early on in the film. I felt that even with the two hour run time so many elements of the story seemed rushed and that the ending winds up seeming rushed and almost forced, an augmented Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but without the heart or the urgency.

She never really feels like Lara Croft. And this is a big problem.

This movie should be the Casino Royale of the Tomb Raider franchise. Instead, it feels like the filmmakers had a Tomb Raider checklist and were more interested in making sure they had her do all the things we wanted to see her do; Lara falls, hangs from things, climbs and jumps from stuff, gets beat up a lot as well as beats up a lot of people, shoots a bow and arrow, solves giant puzzles, and has major “daddy issues”. Check.

The film is disjointed and uneven at best. Misplaced humor, a back story that is spent too long unfolding, weak bad guys and uneven storytelling, make what could have been a great fun action film into a bungled and mishandled film of mediocrity.

Where it does succeed is in the fast paced action sequences and stunts.

Tomb Raider has some fun, great action sequences when they happen. Vikander is a great physical actress who does so much with what little she is given. She shows great range of emotion and she gives Lara the vulnerability she needs to counter her brash hard exterior. I just wish they had spent more time developing her into the badass tomb raider she is and not some random angry, estranged twentysomthing.

I wasn’t looking for John Wick or Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I definitely was looking for better then the previous two Tomb Raider film and I barely got that. At least in those version of the films I believed that Jolie’s Croft was capable of the ridiculous stunts and fighting she did, over-the-top as they were.

The movie isn’t a total wash though. The action, when it happens is excellent and like I said, Ms. Vikander is spot on and perfectly cast as Lara. At times you feel like you are watching the game happen on the big screen. The only problem is that those times are so few and far between that they are definitely like a mirage in the Gobi Desert.

I think in the end it’s biggest failure, for me, is in its ability to make me not really care either way about this film. I should love it but I can’t hate it. It just is and that is as much of a let down as finding an empty catacomb the promised to be filled with riches.

 

‘Cold Hell’ (review)

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Produced by Stefan Arndt,
Thomas Peter Friedl, Helmut Grasser
Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky
Written by Martin Ambrosch
Starring: Violetta Schurawlow, Tobias Moretti ,
Sammy Sheik, Friedrich von Thun,
Robert Palfrader, Murathan Muslu

 

Ozge Dogruol is your typical Turkish immigrant taxi driver in Vienna; except that she is also an emotionally shut-down kick-boxer with anger management issues. So, when she sees her neighbor’s dead and mutilated body and then sees the killer in shadows staring at her she knows she’s in for a lot of trouble.

But lucky for us she’s no damsel in distress waiting to be rescued.

What follows is a story of intense action and a surprising amount of character development from director Stefan Ruzowitzky, who won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for the World War II movie The Counterfeiters.

Cold Hell stars Violetta Schurawlow as Ozge the Turkish born Austrian cab driver that takes no shit from anyone. Her character could be compared to Girl With the Dragon Tattoo‘s Lisbeth Salander but that would mainly be because they are both strong female characters. Ozge has her own demons and keeps her emotions locked down until she’s kicking some guy’s ass because he’s pushed her too far.

The story follows Ozge in the aftermath of grisly discovery knowing the killer could come for her. The suspense is a slow burn as Ozge tries to find a place to hide from the killer. Through this we’re introduced to all the seeds of why she is so emotionally shut down; family issues, issues with the owner of the Thai-boxing gym she goes to; issues with her cousin Ranya who is cheating on her husband, Ozge’s boss. Lending her jacket to Ranya marks her as the next victim and finally gets the police to take Ozge seriously.

The mix of action scenes where the killer, played by Sammy Sheik who has had recurring roles in NCIS: Los Angeles and Homeland, comes close to getting Ozge and scenes where she is running and hiding from the killer keep the suspense high but also give the script time to reveal the inner workings of Ozge. By the end of the film you understand her and why this fight is not one she will give up on.

The police detective Christian Steiner, Austrian actor Tobias Moretti, eventually comes to Ozge’s aid. Seeing his interaction with his nearly senile father helps Ozge open up enough to help with information about the killer. She helps Steiner connect the mutilations to the punishments from a special place in Islamic Hell where cold is the destroying force instead of fire. And her knowledge of the city helps pinpoint the killer.

The film made me think of Christian-based horror films like Seven or Red State but only in that this was an Islamic religious extremist killer stalking others of the same faith. Religion plays a role in justifying the actions of the killer to himself but most of the other characters don’t wear their religion on their sleeve.

Once there is a lead on where the killer is located, the third act is non-stop action full of reversals for the killer, Steiner, and Ozge that keeps you on the edge of your seat and doesn’t disappoint with every turn. This is one of the best and smartest suspense, horror films I’ve seen in a while.

Online streaming channel Shudder has exclusive rights to Cold Hell and it’s worth it to sign up to see this film.

 

‘Love, Simon’ (review)

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Produced by Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey,
Isaac Klausner, Pouya Shahbazian

Screenplay by Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger
Based on Simon vs. the Homo
Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Directed by Greg Berlanti
Starring Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel,
Jennifer Garner, Katherine Langford,
Alexandra Shipp, Jorge Lendeborg Jr.,
Keiynan Lonsdale, Miles Heizer,
Logan Miller, Talitha Bateman

 

A good rom-com is hard to come by, especially in the teen market.

Everything seems too obvious, too disingenuous, too unbelievable.

But in Love Simon, the plausibility and likability of every element in the love story is what makes it a delight.

Every audience member may not see themselves in Simon, but they’ll feel for his struggle and root for his success as if he were their own classmate.

Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) has a loving liberal family, great friends, and your run-of-the-mill decent teenage life. The problem is, he is keeping a big secret from everyone: he’s gay. When another student posts on an anonymous secret sharing website that he is also closeted, Simon starts a conversation that threatens to uncover his secret. As he faces himself, Simon must also start to think about facing everyone else.

The movie immediately sets up a modern traditional suburban family with two married professional parents (Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner) and a little sister (Talitha Bateman) with a charming Masterchef Junior style cooking obsession to show their upper middle class lifestyle. The houses are big but not too big, the vice principal (Tony Hale)  is overeager in his need to be each student’s pal, and Simon has a Benetton ad of a friend’s group with a white female (Katherine Langford), a Latino-presenting guy (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), and a racially ambiguous charismatic tan female (Alexandra Shipp). It would be so easy for this to fall into a paint-by-numbers trap. But it doesn’t.

The story, based on the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, was written by powerhouses Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger (This Is Us and About a Boy). Their ability to pull nuance and empathy is on a much larger stage, but it still feels as intimate as television.

This was especially true of the dialogue, where the banter between parent and son (“This song was big in my day”/”So was Bill Cosby”) feels like an honest exchange instead of an endlessly workshopped line. They have created characters that feel like you have known them an hour at a time over the course of weeks, not 45 minutes ago. It’s rewarding, and makes you wonder how each character is doing well after the film ends.

Duhamel and Garner have an easy chemistry with her taking the intellectual and emotional lead but not simply leaving him to the “completely clueless dad” role. The dynamic between the friends is a classic with crushes, obliviousness, and the kind of vulnerability you need in a teen romance to help remember that every decision or slip up feels like a world-ending situation. Luckily, Robinson (and all teen co-stars) gives us that show without a single hitch. His heartfelt performance in particular makes you look forward to whatever the next project may be.

The journey to Simon’s truth in the context of friends and family is a touching story that is sure to start conversations and confessions. It has the power to move, but in a nuanced way that softens the sharp reality of facing something you’ve hid for so long.

Love Simon is exactly what you’ll do the very moment you get to know him.

 

 

‘Neurotic Quest for Serenity’ (SXSW review)

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Producerd by Bianca Villar,
Fernando Fraiha, Karen Castanho

Executive Produced by
Bianca Villar, Eduardo Nasser

Written and Directed by
Paulinho Caruso, Teodoro Poppovic

Starring Tatá Werneck, Vera Holtz,
Bruno Gagliasso, Daniel Furlan

 

Entered as part of SXSW Film’s Latinx highlights this year is an insane new hyper-comedy from Brazil called Neurotic Quest for Serenity from directors Paulinho Caruso and Teordoro Poppovic.

Coming from both a commercial background and a kids television series, this is the first feature film from the writers/directors, and they burst into big-screen comedy with all the confidence of the Farrelly brothers, with some Pedro Almodóvar and Stanley Kubrick thrown in for good measure.

Opening with a post-apocalyptic dream sequence that proves to be both Freudian backstory and a brilliant set-up for comedic payoff, we are introduced to Kaka K, the neurotic protagonist. She’s a famous actress with millions of admirers, but she’s also an unhappy mess, trapped by obsessive compulsive disorder and stalked by a superfan. The slightest visual cue triggers her anxiety, which, for the the audience, sends us on visual montages of her inner chaos.  A stove top left burning escalates rapidly to images of nuclear annihilation and, naturally, 80s television icon ALF screaming his head off.

We follow Kika’s accidental uncovering of happiness, or meaning, through the course of the film, and the mirror is never lowered once. The film is a sharp, almost nihilistic commentary on the search for serenity, and you don’t have to be neurotic to find a few giggles along the way.

In Kika, Caruso and Poppovic have created both a satire of pop culture’s distractions and the insignificance of its temporary enlightenment. Her quest in the film is purely for our laughs, and a lot is lampooned along the way. The character works thanks to Tatá Werneck’s comedic timing, but also a fearless foda-se additude. It’s a Portuguese thing. Look it up.

Neurotic Quest for Serenity is best when raunchy, and there are some hysterical setups—one involving a “nail monkey,” another over a mysterious Chinese meal, another involving the latest in nude selfies – the “boobassgina.” But it’s not all low-brow. At one point there’s an all-knowing call back to a famous line of dialogue in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, and the moment where Kika encounters a competitive actress at an important production meeting was my favorite.

While it’s designed to play to the masses like a Brazilian Judd Apatow film, there’s enough twisted commentary keeping it alternative comedy. Like last year’s Colossal, which mixed a similar blend of comedy and fantasy with dark undertones, this film is likely to both entice and repel SXSW audiences. I’m pretty sure the team behind it will find serenity in either scenario.

 

‘The Death of Stalin’ (review)

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Produced by Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun,
Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Kevin Loader

Screenplay by Armando Iannucci,
David Schneider, Ian Martin, Peter Fellows

Based on the graphic novel by
Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin

Directed by Armando Iannucci
Starring Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale,
Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs,
Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough,
Jeffrey Tambor, Adrian McLoughlin

 

Communism is NOT dead.

However Joseph Stalin, hilariously is.

The Death of Stalin has, for better or worse, (better IMHO) resurrected the evil former USSR’s bleak past of the spring of 1953.

In this wonderful, dark, political comedy by TV and film director Armando Iannucci, who also co-wrote the screenplay, based on the French graphic novel La mort de Staline. He perfectly balances riotous and shocking humor with the seriousness of the events in the USSR at this time.

There is turmoil and tragedy in the Soviet Union when the terrible and feared dictator, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin has a major stroke after receiving a threatening letter from a angered pianist. He suffers a cerebral hemorrhage that causes a massive stroke that later kills him. The ensuing and incredible power struggle within the Secretariat that follows is both unbelievable and more convoluted than an M. Night Shyamalan film except that, in this case, this all really happened.

All the major players are here, portrayed by some of the best character actors in the business.

Steve Buscemi is amazing as Moscow Party Head, Nikita Kruschev, who’s goal is to not only destroy the conniving and cunning, NKVD chief, and all around scary mofo, Lavrentiy Beria, brilliantly played by Simon Russell Beale, who steals the film, I think, but to also dispose soon to be interim Premier, Georgy Malenkov, the hapless and easily manipulated portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor. Michael Palin’s turn as Vyacheslav Molotov is both hilarious and surprising. Finally, Jason Issacs’ Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov is perfectly cast as the blustery and larger than life head of the Red Army who’s help Kruschev is going to need to help him fulfill his ultimate plan.

Their Oscar worthy performances along with an array of fantastic supporting players really bring this whole film together. These great actors play off each other and they have the well-oiled timing of veteran Vaudevillian performers. Everything gels to make it so much more then just a silly satire making fun of the Soviets and into something that is a truly scathing look at what real power and fear is like.

Hopefully, this film will not go unnoticed this time next year. If there was an award for best ensemble cast this would already have my vote, hands down.

I walked into this movie expecting a “Monty Python-esque” film spoofing the events around the death of Stalin. What I got was one of the best, most gripping, and belly achingly funny political satires I have ever seen. Iannucci, the Scottish born writer and director is best known for the very funny and often times scathing political TV shows and films, Veep, The Thick of It, and In the Loop. He takes all that he has learned and has spun a roiling tale here that has so many unexpected twists and turns depicting what actually happened that I was fully “on the floor” laughing at the horrible situations at hand.

How can one make something so dire as the plight and turmoil of 1950’s Cold War Soviet Union so funny?

Well as any master humorist can, he takes the horrific and finds the absurd in the extremes. One second you are guffawing at a perfectly timed joke and turn of phrase by tow of the master actors and in the next breath you are gasping at an insane moment of extreme, straightforward brutality much like the people of that place and time were.

Much like the award winning 1997 film Life is Beautiful, which uses humor and satire to show just how horrific and terrible the Holocaust was, this film does much he same with the events surrounding the power grab after the infamous dictator’s death. It never marginalizes or makes light of the tragedies of the people or of the utter despicableness of the politicians.

It DOES, however intensify, with humor, their lack of humanity and repulsiveness and utter disregard for the very lives they are supposed to be representing and protecting.

I love these types of films when done right. This film does it all right and then some. Like all great comedies it is a refection of the world around us and as we all know, things are pretty crazy right now. The Death Of Stalin is a highly polished mirror shining, brilliantly the past misfortunes of others back at us so that maybe we can finally turn a corner and straighten out our own messed up problems going on today.

Go see the film.

I feel it is one of those important films that will be on many people’s “best films” for years to come. Oh, and keep a sharp eye out for Pailin’s homage to his Jack Lint character in Terry Gilliam’s, Brazil, another brilliant politically charged dark comedy.

 

John Landis’ ‘Schlock’ Unpeels on Blu-ray in Exclusive, Limited Mediabook Edition on 4/27!

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Turbine Media Group in association with director John Landis present John Landis’ long out-of-print first feature film, the cult comedy SCHLOCK, in its Blu-ray world premiere in an exclusive dual-format mediabook Blu-ray/DVD worldwide-playable combo set limited to 2000 copies, releasing April 27th, 2018.

A love stronger, and stranger, than King Kong and Fay Wray! The long-slumbering banana monster Schlock wakes up after 20 million years and escapes from his cave, befriending a blind girl who thinks he’s a dog, and causes mass panic in the small town with a shocking bloody massacre setting the scene. Schlock tries to escape but the military is fast approaching…

This low-budget prelude to Landis’ brilliant career which includes ANIMAL HOUSE, THE BLUES BROTHERS, and AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, SCHLOCK is an ingenious monster comedy filled with wild movie references and absurd gags, with the then 22-year-old filmmaker paying respect to some of his favorite films like KING KONG, 2001, THE BLOB, and FRANKENSTEIN. SHLOCK is also the beginning of Landis’ partnership with makeup artist extraordinaire Rick Baker, and early feature from the gifted artist

Now being released for the first time ever in high-definition from Turbine Media Group, this exclusive limited 2000-copy Blu-ray/DVD combo mediabook edition contains the main feature in full HD sourced from an all-new, detailed 4K frame-by-frame restoration on Region Code–Free Blu-ray for worldwide playback, and an NTSC SD 4:3 full-frame open-matte DVD version, just like in the good old days of VHS. The mediabook packaging features original artwork and a bound-in, fully illustrated booklet with rare pictures and new writing on the film in German and English.

INCLUDES THESE SCHLOCKTASTIC SPECIAL FEATURES!

  • Exclusive new introduction by creator John Landis
  • Exclusive newly shot interview with John Landis (approx. 41 min.)
  • Vintage audio commentary by John Landis & Monster Maker Rick Baker (from the 2001 Anchor Bay DVD)
  • Trailers from Hell clip: John Landis on SCHLOCK
  • Original trailers (theatrical release, re-release, “Banana Monster” title, the original German 35mm trailer, and a new transfer of the German version)
  • Original 1970s radio spots
  • Bilingual edition: menus and booklet in English and German

 


DC News Extravaganza: Black Label, New Hanna-Barbera Team-Ups, Gaiman Oversees The Dreaming, Hawkman and Plastic Man Return & More!

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DC has had a busy few weeks with several major announcements. Check out all of the exciting news below.

 

DC LAUNCHES NEW PUBLISHING IMPRINT DC BLACK LABEL

DC Black Label, a new publishing imprint from DC Entertainment, gives premier talent the opportunity to expand upon the canon of DC’s iconic Super Hero comic book characters with unique, standalone stories that are outside of the current DC Universe continuity. An all-star lineup of creative teams will craft their own personal definitive DC stories in the tradition of compelling literary works like BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, DC: THE NEW FRONTIER and WATCHMEN.

“Many of our perennially best-selling, critically acclaimed books were produced when we unleashed our top talent on standalone, often out-of-continuity projects featuring our most iconic characters, a prime example being Frank Miller’s THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS,” explains publisher Jim Lee. “Creating DC Black Label doubles down on our commitment to working with all-star talent and trusting them to tell epic, moving stories that only they can tell with the highest levels of creative freedom.”

DC Black Label makes its publishing debut with the previously announced SUPERMAN: YEAR ONE saga from legendary author Frank Miller and artist John Romita Jr. The three-part prestige series will hit shelves August 2018. John Ridley’s THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE, announced in January, will be published under the new imprint as well. And Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet) joins DC Black Label for her first major work with the company, alongside artist Phil Jimenez, with WONDER WOMAN HISTORIA: THE AMAZONS.

Each DC Black Label series will have a unique format and release schedule to best serve the story and creative vision. In addition, the new imprint will be brought to life with a stylized new logo, evoking the sense of sophistication fans can expect in these new series.

“DC Black Label offers leading writers and artists of any industry the opportunity to tell their definitive DC stories without being confined to canon,” explains executive editor Mark Doyle. “We are carefully crafting each series to fit the vision of the creative team. All of these creators are masters of their craft. I’m psyched to be working on a Wonder Woman story with Kelly Sue and Phil, helping to bring John’s vision of THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE to life and reuniting with some of the greatest Batman talents in the industry.”

The following books round out the first wave of DC Black Label titles:

 

SUPERMAN: YEAR ONE

From Frank Miller (THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT: MASTER RACE) and John Romita Jr. (ALL-STAR BATMAN, SUPERMAN)

A groundbreaking, definitive treatment of Superman’s classic origin story in honor of his 80th anniversary. This story details new revelations that reframe the Man of Steel’s most famous milestones—from Kal-El’s frantic exile from Krypton, to Clark Kent’s childhood in Kansas, to his inevitable rise to become the most powerful and inspiring superhero of all time.

 

BATMAN: LAST KNIGHT ON EARTH

From Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, the creative team behind DARK KNIGHTS: METAL

Batman wakes up in a desert. He doesn’t know what year it is or how The Joker’s head is alive in a jar beside him, but it’s the beginning of a quest unlike anything the Dark Knight has undertaken before. In this strange future, villains are triumphant and society has liberated itself from the burden of ethical codes. Fighting to survive while in search of answers, Bruce Wayne uncovers the truth about his role in this new world—and begins the last Batman story ever told.

 

BATMAN: DAMNED

From Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, the creative team behind JOKER

On a deserted Gotham City bridge, a body is found. Whispers spread the news: Joker is dead. But is this a dream come true or a nightmare being born? Now Batman and DC’s outlaw magician John Constantine must hunt the truth through a Gotham City hellscape. The city’s supernatural recesses are laced with hints about a killer’s identity, but the Dark Knight’s descent into horror will test his sanity and the limits of rationality, as he must face a horror that doesn’t wear a mask.

 

WONDER WOMAN HISTORIA: THE AMAZONS

From Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet) and Phil Jimenez (INFINITE CRISIS)

A Homeric epic of the lost history of the Amazons and Queen Hippolyta’s rise to power. Featuring monsters and myths, this three-book saga spans history from the creation of the Amazons to the moment Steve Trevor washes up on the shores of Paradise Island, changing our world forever.

 

WONDER WOMAN: DIANA’S DAUGHTER (working title)

From Greg Rucka (WONDER WOMAN, BATWOMAN)

It’s been 20 years since the world stopped looking to the skies for hope, help, and inspiration. Now the world keeps its eyes down, and the powers that have risen have every intention of keeping things that way. Amongst a scattered, broken resistance, a young woman seeks to reclaim what has been forgotten, and on the way will learn the truth about herself, her heritage, and her destiny.

 

THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE

From John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, THE AMERICAN WAY)

A compelling literary series analyzing iconic DC moments and charting sociopolitical gains through the perspectives of DC Super Heroes who come from traditionally disenfranchised groups, including John Stewart, Extraño, Vixen, Supergirl, Katana and Rene Montoya, among others. At its core, the story focuses on the lives of those behind the costumes, and their endeavors to overcome real-world issues. It isn’t about saving the world, it’s about having the strength to simply be who you are.

44th Annual Saturn Awards Nominations Announced

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Marvel’s “Black Panther” not only took the world by storm, but earned an impressive 14 nominations, including Best Comic-to-Film, Best Actor (Chadwick Boseman), Best Actress (Lupita Nyong’o), Best Supporting Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Younger Actor (Letitia Wright), plus Best Director (Ryan Coogler), Best Screenplay (Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole), Best Music, Best Costumes, Best Makeup and Best Supporting Actress (Danai Gurira, who’s also nominated for Best Supporting TV Actress for “The Walking Dead”), while “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” made a Force-ful presence with nominations for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor (Mark Hamill), Best Actress (Daisy Ridley), Best Supporting Actress(es) (Kelly Marie Tran and Carrie Fisher, in her final role) as the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films today announced nominations for the 44th Annual Saturn Awards, which will be presented in June.

Other major contenders with 9 nominations each, were Guillermo Del Toro’s “Shape of Water,” nominated for Best Fantasy Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Sally Hawkins), alongside Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049,” being recognized with Best Science Fiction Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Hampton Fancher, Michael Green) and Best Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Supporting Actress (Ana De Armas) and Best Supporting Actor for original Blade Runner, Harrison Ford.

DC Films and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” and Fox’s “Logan” will battle it out with 6 nominations apiece.  “Wonder Woman” lassoed Best Comic-to-Film, Director (Patty Jenkins), Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Chris Pine) and Actress (Gal Godot), while “Logan” clawed noms for Comic-to-Film, Screenplay, Younger Actor (Dafne Keen), Supporting Actor (Patrick Stewart) and Actor (Hugh Jackman).  Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” scared up 5 top noms, including Best Horror Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Daniel Kaluuya), and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” was nominated for Best Comic-to-Film, Best Supporting Actor(Michael Keaton), Best Younger Actor(s) (Tom Holland and Zendaya), and genre favorites Andy Serkis and Michael Rooker were nominated for Best Actor for “War for the Planet of the Apes” (4 noms) and Best Supporting Actor for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” respectively.

In TV categories, AMC’s venerable show “The Walking Dead” walked off with 7 nominations (while its sister show Fear the Walking Dead scared up 3), followed closely by CBS All Access’s “Star Trek: Discovery,” 5 noms, including Best New Media TV Series, Best TV Actress (Sonequa Martin-Green), Best TV Actor (Jason Isaacs), Best Supporting TV Actor (Doug Jones), and Best TV Guest Star (Michelle Yeoh).   With 4 noms each are HBO’S “Game of Thrones,” FX’s “American Horror Story: Cult,” CW’s “Riverdale” and David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: the Return.”

Not to be outdone, “Outlander,” “The Orville,” “Better Call Saul,” “Supergirl,” “The Flash,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and Dean Devlin’s “The Librarians” scored 3 major noms each, while Marvel TV was nominated for no less than 6 different shows across various networks and new media (in addition to Marvel Films’s 20 nominations for “Black Panther,” “Thor: Ragnorak” & “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”)!

The Academy was founded in 1972 by noted film historian Dr. Donald A. Reed to honor and recognize films often overlooked by mainstream awards.  Over the years, the Academy has expanded its reach to include recognizing excellence in television, home entertainment and now new media/streaming shows, as well as other genres, including adventure, thriller and action.  The eligibility period is from February 2017 to February 2018.

 

The 44th Annual Saturn Awards Nominations

FILM:

Best Comic-to-Motion Picture Release:
Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Logan (20th Century Fox)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony / Marvel)
Thor: Ragnarok (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.)

 

Best Science Fiction Release:
Alien: Covenant (20th Century Fox)
Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)
Life (Columbia Pictures / Sony)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd. / Walt Disney Studios)
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (STX Films / EuropaCorp)
War for the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)

 

Best Fantasy Film Release:
Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios)
Downsizing (Paramount)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Sony Pictures)
Kong: Skull Island (Warner Bros.)
Paddington 2 (Warner Bros.)
The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)

 

Best Horror Film Release:
47 Meters Down (Entertainment Studios)
Annabelle: Creation (Warner Bros.)
Better Watch Out (Well Go USA)
Get Out (Universal)
It (Warner Bros.)
Mother! (Paramount)

 

Best Action / Adventure Film Release:
Baby Driver (TriStar / Sony Pictures)
Dunkirk (Warner Bros.)
The Fate of the Furious (Universal)
The Greatest Showman (20th Century Fox)
Hostiles (Entertainment Studios)
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (20th Century Fox)

 

Best Thriller Film Release:
Brawl in Cell Block 99 (RLJE Films)
Murder on the Orient Express (20th Century Fox)
The Post (20th Century Fox)
Suburbicon (Paramount)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight)
Wind River (TWC)

 

Best Actor in a Film:
Chadwick Boseman Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Ryan Gosling Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)
Mark Hamill Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Hugh Jackman Logan (20th Century Fox)
Daniel Kaluuya Get Out (Universal)
Andy Serkis War for the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)
Vince Vaughn Brawl in Cell Block 99 (RLJE)

 

Best Actress in a Film:
Gal Gadot Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.)
Sally Hawkins The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)
Frances McDormand Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight)
Lupita Nyong’o Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Rosamund Pike Hostiles (Entertainment Studios)
Daisy Ridley Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Emma Watson Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios)

 

Best Supporting Actor in a Film:
Harrison Ford Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)
Michael B. Jordan Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Michael Keaton Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony / Marvel)
Chris Pine Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.)
Michael Rooker Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Bill Skarsgard It (Warner Bros.)
Patrick Stewart Logan (20th Century Fox)

 

Best Supporting Actress in a Film:
Ana De Armas Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)
Carrie Fisher Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Danai Gurira Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Lois Smith Marjorie Prime (FilmRise)
Octavia Spencer The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)
Tessa Thompson Thor: Ragnarok (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Kelly Marie Tran Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)

 

Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film:
Tom Holland Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony / Marvel)
Dafne Keen Logan (20th Century Fox)
Sophia Lillis It (Warner Bros.)
Millicent Simmons Wonderstruck (Amazon / Roadside Attractions)
Jacob Tremblay Wonder (Lionsgate)
Letitia Wright Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Zendaya Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony / Marvel)

 

Best Film Director:
Ryan Coogler Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Guillermo del Toro The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)
Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.)
Rian Johnson Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Jordan Peele Get Out (Universal)
Matt Reeves War for the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)
Denis Villeneuve Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)

 

Best Film Screenplay:
Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Hampton Fancher, Michael Green Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)
Jordan Peele Get Out (Universal)
Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green Logan (20th Century Fox)
Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)
Rian Johnson Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Allan Heinberg Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.)

 

Best Film Production Design:
Sarah Greenwood Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios)
Hannah Beachler Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Dennis Gassner Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)
Paul Denham Austerberry The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)
Rick Heinrichs Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Hugues Tissandier Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets (STX Films /EuroCorp)

Best Film Editing:
Michael P. Shawver, Claudia Castello Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Paul Rubell, Christian Wagner The Fate of the Furious (Universal)
Gregory Plotkin Get Out (Universal)
Michael McCusker, Dirk Westervelt Logan (20th Century Fox)
Sidney Wolinsky The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)
Bob Ducsay Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)

 

Best Film Music:
Ludwig Goransson Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Michael Giacchino Coco (Walt Disney Studios)
John Debney, Joseph Trapanese The Greatest Showman (20th Century Fox)
Alexandre Desplat The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)
John Williams Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Carter Burwell Wonderstruck (Amazon / Roadside Attractions)

 

Best Film Costume Designer:
Jacqueline Durran Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Studios)
Ruth E. Carter Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Ellen Mirojnick The Greatest Showman (20th Century Fox)
Michael Kaplan Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Warner Bros.)
Olivier Beriot Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets (STX Films / EuroCorp)
Lindy Hemming “Wonder Woman” (Warner Bros.)

 

Best Film Make-Up:
Joel Harlow, Ken Diaz Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Donald Mowat Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)
John Blake, Brian Sipe Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Alec Gillis, Sean Sansom, Tom Woodruff, Jr., Shane Zander It (Warner Bros.)
Mike Hill, Shane Mahan The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight)
Peter Swords King, Neal Scanlan Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Arjen Tuiten Wonder (Lionsgate)

 

Best Film Special / Visual Effects:
Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, Dan Sudick Black Panther (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.)
Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Marvel / Walt Disney Studios)
Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus Kong: Skull Island (Warner Bros.)
Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlan Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Lucasfilm Ltd./Walt Disney Studios)
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist War for the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)

 

Best Independent Film Release:
I, Tonya (Neon)
LBJ (Electric Entertainment)
Lucky (Magnolia)
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (Annapurna Pictures)
Super Dark Times (The Orchard)
Wonder (Lionsgate)
Wonderstruck (Amazon / Roadside Attractions)

 

Best International Film Release:
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (Arka Media Works)
Brimstone (Momentum Pictures)
The Lodgers (Epic Pictures Group)
The Man Who Invented Christmas (Bleecker Street)
The Square (Magnolia)
Wolf Warrior 2 (Well Go USA)

 

Best Animated Film Release:
Cars 3 (Walt Disney Studios)
Coco (Walt Disney Studios)
Despicable Me 3 (Universal)
The Boss Baby (20th Century Fox)
Your Name (Funimation)

 

TELEVISION

Best Superhero Television Series:
Arrow (The CW)
Black Lightning (The CW)
The Flash (The CW)
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (The CW)
Gotham (FOX Television)
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)
Supergirl (The CW)

 

Best Science Fiction Television Series:
The 100 (The CW)
Colony (USA)
Doctor Who (BBC America)
The Expanse (SYFY)
The Orville (FOX Television)
Salvation (CBS)
The X-Files (FOX Television)

 

Best Fantasy Television Series:
American Gods (STARZ)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Good Place (NBC)
Knightfall (HISTORY Channel)
The Librarians (TNT)
The Magicians (SYFY)
Outlander (STARZ)

 

Best Horror Television Series:
American Horror Story: Cult (FX)
Ash vs. Evil Dead (STARZ)
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)
Preacher (AMC)
The Strain (FX)
Teen Wolf (MTV)
The Walking Dead (AMC)

 

Best Action/Thriller Television Series:
The Alienist (TNT)
Animal Kingdom (TNT)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Fargo (FX)
Into the Badlands (AMC)
Mr. Mercedes (Audience Network)
Riverdale (The CW)

 

Best Presentation on Television:
Channel Zero (SYFY)
Descendants 2 (Disney Channel)
Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time (BBC America)
Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Return (Netflix)
Okja (Netflix)
The Sinner (USA)
Twin Peaks: The Return (Showtime)

 

Best Actor on a Television Series:
Jon Bernthal Marvel’s The Punisher (Netflix)
Bruce Campbell Ash vs. Evil Dead (STARZ)
Sam Heughan Outlander (STARZ)
Jason Isaacs Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
Andrew Lincoln The Walking Dead (AMC)
Seth MacFarlane The Orville (Fox Television)
Kyle MacLachlan Twin Peaks: The Return (Showtime)
Ricky Whittle American Gods (STARZ)

 

Best Actress on a Television Series:
Gillian Anderson The X-Files (FOX Television)
Caitriona Balfe Outlander (STARZ)
Melissa Benoist Supergirl (The CW)
Lena Headey Game of Thrones (HBO)
Sonequa Martin-Green Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
Adrianne Palicki The Orville (FOX Television)
Sarah Paulson American Horror Story: Cult (FX)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead Fargo (FX)

 

Best Supporting Actor on a Television Series:
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Game of Thrones (HBO)
Miguel Ferrer Twin Peaks: The Return (Showtime)
Kit Harington Game of Thrones (HBO)
Doug Jones Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
Christian Kane The Librarians (TNT)
Michael McKean Better Call Saul (AMC)
Khary Payton The Walking Dead (AMC)
Evan Peters American Horror Story: Cult (FX)

 

Best Supporting Actress on a Television Series:
Odette Annable Supergirl (The CW)
Dakota Fanning The Alienist (TNT)
Danai Gurira The Walking Dead (AMC)
Melissa McBride The Walking Dead (AMC)
Candice Patton The Flash (The CW)
Adina Porter American Horror Story: Cult (The CW)
Krysten Ritter Marvel’s The Defenders (Netflix)
Rhea Seehorn Better Call Saul (AMC)

 

Best Performance by a Younger Actor on a Television Series:
KJ Apa Riverdale (The CW)
Millie Bobby Brown Stranger Things (Netflix)
Max Charles The Strain (FX)
Alycia Debnam-Carey Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)
David Mazouz Gotham (FOX Television)
Lili Reinhart Riverdale (The CW)
Chandler Riggs The Walking Dead (AMC)
Cole Sprouse Riverdale (The CW)

 

Best Guest-Starring Performance on Television:
Bryan Cranston Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams (Amazon / Sony Television)
Michael Greyeyes Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)
David Lynch Twin Peaks: The Return (Showtime)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan The Walking Dead (AMC)
Rachel Nichols The Librarians (TNT)
Jesse Plemons Black Mirror (Netflix)
Hartley Sawyer The Flash (The CW)
Michelle Yeoh Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)

 

Best Animated Series on Television:
Archer (FXX)
Bojack Horseman (Netflix)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Cartoon Network / Sony Television)
Family Guy (FOX)
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim)
The Simpsons (FOX)
Star Wars: Rebels (Disney XD)

 

Best New Media Television Series:
Altered Carbon (Netflix)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Mindhunter (Netflix)
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams (Amazon / Sony Television)
Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
Stranger Things (Netflix)

 

Best New Media Superhero Series:
Future Man (Hulu)
Marvel’s The Defenders (Netflix)
Marvel’s Iron Fist (Netflix)
Marvel’s Runaways (Hulu)
Marvel’s The Punisher (Netflix)
The Tick (Amazon)

 

Home Entertainment:

Best DVD/BD Release:
2:22 (Magnolia)
Colossal (Universal)
Cult of Chucky (Universal)
Dave Made a Maze (Gravitas Ventures)
The Devil’s Whisper (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Man from Earth: Holocene (MVD Visual)

 

Best DVD/BD Classic Film Release:
Caltiki The Immortal Monster (Arrow)
Deluge (Kino Lorber)
Lifeboat (Kino Lorber)
The Mephisto Waltz (Kino Lorber)
The Old Dark House (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Tobor the Great (Kino Classics)

 

Best DVD/BD Special Edition Release:
Lost Horizon (80th Anniversary) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Lost World Deluxe Edition (Flicker Alley)
Night of the Living Dead (Criterion Collection)
Re-Animator Special Edition (Arrow)
Speed Racer Collector’s Edition (Funimation)
Suspiria 40th Anniversary Edition (Synapse)

 

Best DVD/BD Collection Release:
OSS 117 Five Film Collection (Kino Classics)
Abbott and Costello Rarities (Thunderbean)
The Adventures of Captain Marvel (Kino Classics)
Christopher Nolan 4K Collection (Warner)
Dracula Complete Legacy Collection (Universal)
Fritz Lang: The Silent Films (Kino Lorber)
The Mummy Complete Legacy Collection (Universal)

 

Best DVD/BD Television Series Release:
American Gods (Season 1) (Lionsgate)
Grimm: The Complete Collection (Universal)
The Rockford Files: The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series (Paramount)
The Vampire Diaries (The Complete Series) (Warner)
Westworld: Season One: The Maze (Warner)

 

LIVE STAGE PRODUCTION

Best Local Live Theatre Production:
Finding Neverland (Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
Miracle on 34th Street (Pasadena Playhouse)
Oklahoma! (3D Theatricals)
Something Rotten (Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
Spamalot (3D Theatricals)
Zoot Suit (Mark Taper Forum)

 

The 44th Annual Saturn Awards will be presented in June in
Burbank, California. For more information on the Academy
and becoming a voting member for the 44th Annual Saturn Awards,
please visit  www.SaturnAwards.org.

 

 

 

Win ‘Tomb Raider: The Art and Making of the Film’

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From Warner Bros. Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Tomb Raider follows the treacherous journey of a young Lara Croft as she takes her first steps toward becoming a global hero.  Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl) stars in the lead role, under the direction of Roar Uthaug (The Wave).  Showcasing lavish concept art, behind the scenes photos, insight into the stunts, and fascinating contributions from cast and crew, Tomb Raider, The Art and Making of the Film, is the perfect companion to this highly-anticipated release.

And we’re giving away three copies!

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

Who played Lara Croft in the previous two Tomb Raider films?

Please include your name, and address (U.S. 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 April 1st, 2018.

 

That ’90s Show

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The ‘80s are so 2010.

As pop culture continues to bask in the loving glow of retro nostalgia, the trend is evolving the adoration of the Reagan era to an appreciation for the Clinton era. Less and less are the TV shows with Duran Duran soundtracks as new shows featuring “Whoop, There It Is” and “Waterfalls” make their way to the front.

Yes, the ‘90s are back.

Every novelty hip-hop song, striped Gap shirts galore and edgy kids in Doc Martens are being more of the normal as love for items 20 to 25 years ago becomes a culture craze.

So, if you are a binger with a deep, unabiding love for Orb fruit drinks and My So-Called Life, here are a few shows you won’t want to miss.

 

Everything Sucks (Netflix)

It’s the AV Club vs. drama club as the mean older kids do their best to torture freshman tech geeks in this 10-episode dramedy. Filled to the brim with parent issues, sexuality issues, acceptance issues and more, this 30-minute sitcom highlights ‘90s pastimes made either redundant or antiquated thanks to modern technology. Standing in line for tickets to a Tori Amos concert, getting help at a Blockbuster Video, dancing to Ace of Base, busy signals…the nostalgia factor is in full effect at Boring High School.

 

Fresh Off The Boat (ABC)

The primetime nod to the Clueless era follows the story of a Taiwanese family who immigrated to America in the ‘90s and aim to gain citizenship for their new adopted country. The mix of old world ideals with retro counter culture, along with some very smart writing, makes for a compelling primetime sitcom.

 

The Goldbergs (ABC)

The Goldbergs is all about the misty memories of yesteryear. Each episode focuses on a specific pop culture event and how it affects Adam Goldberg and his family. Now in its fifth year, the show acknowledges the passing of time by graduating from the ‘80s to the ‘90s…for at least a single episode (right now). Originally meant to be a Tim Meadows-driven pilot, The Goldbergs: 1990 Something was filled with color-blocked suits and high-waisted jeans. But while the Alphabet opted to kill the potential series, we might get more of the primetime family in a post-’80s time warp for future episodes.

 

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)

This miniseries is less about kitschy nostalgia and more about a singular terrible event from the ‘90s and the people behind it. An interesting look into the mind of a serial killer, the show tackles the issues of the time period, specifically the way gay men and the AIDS epidemic were treated by society at the time. Great performances for the cast pull the mini together as audiences get an in-depth look at a sociopath psycho at work.

 

Halt and Catch Fire (Was AMC, now Netflix)

A look at the development of personal computers in the ‘80s moves into the ‘90s as the growth of the World Wide Web, online culture and Internet start ups begins to dictate life in the new counterculture. Although the show ended in 2017, you can still binge on Netflix if you find yourself missing the ear-piercing screeches of dial-up.

 

‘Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind The Show The Whole World Watched’ (review)

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Produced by Victoria Labalme
Directed by Frank Oz
Featuring Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson,
Dave Goelz, Fran Brill, Bill Barretta

The title of this chatty documentary says it all.

Director Frank Oz (who voiced and operated beloved kids’ show characters from Cookie Monster and Bert to Fozie Bear and Miss Piggy) basically sits and talks Muppets for an hour or so with former colleagues Fran Brill (Prairie Dawn), Bill Barretta (Pepe the Prawn), a scene-stealing Dave Goetz (Gonzo), and Jerry Nelson (Dr. Teeth, Snuffleupagus).

One thing they conspicuously DON’T talk about is the rise and fall of the megastar Muppet, Elmo (whose original performer, Kevin Clash, was forced to resign amid allegations of sexual misconduct, though the charges were later dropped).

And while that omission is perhaps understandable, there’s likewise barely a mention of Carroll Spinney, the scandal-free voice of googly-eyed icons Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.

Given the (very) brief running time, though, it’s understandable that Oz keeps the focus squarely on the group in front of the camera and their memories of becoming Muppet guys (with Brill sharing her thoughts about generally being the sole female in a boys club ensemble that, of necessity, spent long hours cramped together behind and beneath various set pieces, arms aloft, bringing inanimate objects to life with only their hands, arms, and voices).

Yet despite the physical discomfort of Muppeteering and the occasional tensions associated with any form of creative endeavor, Brill and her colleagues all share universally fond memories of their collaborations together, in large part thanks to the remarkably positive and relentlessly upbeat workplace environment fostered by the guy who brought them together in the first place:  Jim Henson.

Indeed, the invisible spirit of Henson is practically a sixth cast member as the ensemble discusses the gone-too-soon creative force who not only reinvented puppetry for the media age — starting on a local Washington, D.C. affiliate during high school before rising to national prominence via Saturday Night Live‘s try anything first season, Sesame Street, and beyond — but also created and performed beloved pop culture icons like Ernie, Rowlf the Dog, and Kermit the Frog.

Indeed, one story about Henson submerging himself underwater in an airtight tank to create the illusion of his signature felt amphibian strumming a banjo and singing “The Rainbow Connection” in the middle of a swamp helps to explain the motivation, affection, and loyalty he engendered in his employee/collaborators, since he was always willing to do at least twice as much as he asked from anyone else.

Unfortunately, his relentless work ethic was also his downfall, with a hectic professional schedule delaying medical care that might have prevented his tragically premature death in 1990 at the age of 54.

Still, while hardly comprehensive, Oz’s doc is nevertheless an entertaining, upbeat tribute to the legacy of Jim Henson and his collaborators (as well as a sweet memorial to Nelson, whose reminiscences were fortuitously captured before he, too, passed away, shortly after filming).

To watch the conversation, visit muppetguystalking.com because, according to the site, it’s “the ONLY place to get our documentary. Seriously.”

 

Thank Co-Writer Vanessa Taylor For Making ‘The Shape of Water’ Into Guillermo del Toro’s Masterpiece

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I’ve seen The Shape of Water twice in the past few weeks, both before it won the Academy Award for Best Picture earlier this month.

And I’m glad I did.

The film has stuck in my mind since both viewings, and was better the second time.

Many folks have written and said great things about this movie. And while most of the roses are justifiably thrown at Guillermo del Toro’s feet, I also think about his screenplay co-writer, Vanessa Taylor, and how The Shape of Water diverts from and feels like an apotheosis of del Toro’s own idiosyncratic lane in cinema history.

It’s a great story full of weirdness and whimsy and scares, that somehow presents itself as the most normal thing in the world.

But hey, that is Guillermo del Toro’s secret sauce, right?

Plus there’s the social commentary, which is not uncommon in a GDT film. Look at The Devil’s Backbone with its Spanish Civil War backdrop, or the fun of how Blade II features a black man and a hillbilly taking down effete Eurotrash vampires.

But The Shape of Water, occurring in 1962 Baltimore, is del Toro’s most heavyhanded commentary, pointing a finger at post-WWII America as a society creating and elevating monsters via racism, sexism, and homophobia. It’s a film in which a group of social minorities (disabled, black, gay, women, working class) band together to undermine a domineering, sadistic white male in order to fulfill the sexualized, nontraditional romance between a woman and a fish-man.

They take this concept, and then stock it with great character actors in roles bespoke to their onscreen personas.

Del Toro says he wrote the lead role for Sally Hawkins. It’s tough even to be all that mad about Octavia Spencer playing a cleaning woman, again, when the part is this good. Or that Doug Jones is playing another fish-man in a Guillermo del Toro movie, because this one is far from Hellboy’s Abe Sapien. Or that Michael Shannon continues his twisted officer full of evil from when he broke out in Boardwalk Empire.

You even add here that, in the true fashion of an auteur who knows he is making a masterpiece, del Toro flexes. He stunts on the audience. Not only does he center his film on a mute lead, he also puts together scenes entirely in Russian without subtitles. You nearly feel him nudge your shoulder, and say, “Don’t worry; you’ll get it.” He makes a movie that is a monster movie, a period movie, a fantasy movie, a spy movie, and a romance all in one, and it works.

Guillermo del Toro already came into The Shape of Water as one of the most imaginative film directors in the world. He already was respected for his dedication to craftsmanship of set and character design. He built his career on horrors, fairy tales, ghost stories, and monsters, by taking what would have been schlock in many others’ hands, and adding dimension, heft and new angles to stories and genres we already know.

So, in hindsight, of course del Toro would be the one to watch Creature from the Black Lagoon and feel sorry for the Gill-Man, and make a film about that.

But he goes one further.

Whether it’s the Gothic horror of Crimson Peak, or the fairy tales of Pan’s Labyrinth or kaiju/giant monster spectacle of Pacific Rim, del Toro has often show an affinity for the girls and women in his stories. But each of those films’ female protagonists either are actual girls or are very young women. That would include Liz Sherman of the Hellboy movies, too; she’s a young woman who has to learn self-control.

With The Shape of Water, however, del Toro centers the story on a full-grown, mature woman, and the film quickly doesn’t let us forget it. For starters, Sally Hawkins, who plays the lead role of Eliza Esposito, was 40 when this film was shot in 2016. Hollywood convention would have cast an ingénue, because this sure does feel like an ingénue’s role at first.

Eliza is mute, a disability that humanity often equates with lack of intellect. (The roots of words “dumb” and “stupid” come from the concept of being rendered speechless.) Eliza’s facial expressions, gestures and sign language, paired with the rich, whimsical, Amelie-like visuals and soundtrack, might have guided the viewer to think of her as childlike and immature, like Amelie.

Nope, says the film, which establishes its characters and types within minutes of introduction.

Screenwriters Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor drop the mic early. For Eliza, they matter-of-factly depict Eliza’s “morning” routine (which turns out to be evening, because she works graveyard shift) that includes a masturbation session in the bathtub. Orgasms clear the mind, yes. The film presents Eliza’s sexuality early and plainly as a way to characterize her as confident, self-possessed, and self-assured.

“We are used to either never depicting female sexuality, or depicting it in a glamorized, artificial way,” the director told IndieWire. “I thought, most of the sexuality in the movie is not glamorized. Including the moment they come together, the amphibian man and her, is done in a very human, encompassing, naturalistic way. It really was about making the audience little by little fall in love with the creature.”

And I bet having Vanessa Taylor along didn’t hurt, either. Who’d have thought that a woman writing the screenplay would enrich a story about a woman?! Gee. Whiz.

Taylor has had a long career as a producer and writer in TV. Her work includes Alias, Everwood, Tell Me You Love Me, and Game of Thrones.

Taylor wrote a few pivotal episodes of Thrones, including season two’s episode six, “The Old Gods And The New.”

In that one, Theon Greyjoy takes over Winterfell with exponentially brutal results, and Joffrey Lannister can’t handle riots in King’s Landing. Both men are weak and try to assert themselves out of cross purpose, and they quickly fail because they lack the respect and wherewithal that self-assuredness and keen planning would have brought.

Meanwhile, Arya Stark dupes Tywin Lannister, Bran Stark’s wildling friend Osha cons Theon, Daenerys Targaryen appears (for now) cornered in Qarth, and we are introduced to the fierce wildling Ygritte. In that one episode alone, Taylor spent considerable time on some of Thrones’ best female characters; and among those, Arya and Ygritte are among the show’s best characters, period. She also laid the groundwork for the eventual romance between Jon and Ygritte.

So, Taylor, used to producing and writing material brimming with structure and juggling multiple genres, made a lot of sense. Del Toro also said she was the one who figured out that the Soviets needed their own full storyline in the film, which was a “missing piece” to making the film work. The doctor’s role added to the personhood of the creature.

Plus, hey, Taylor wrote fairy tales herself as a girl.

“It was when I realized that it was a fairy tale that I sort of got how it was all gonna fit together,” Taylor said at a screening of the film for Deadline. “There was all these different pieces, right? It’s period, and it has all these different elements to it. When I realized it was a fairy tale, I saw how it could all tonally work together. And that, I thought, was really exciting. It just made me see how it would all be so believable. I thought, ‘Oh, I totally get this. This makes complete sense to me that she’s in love with the fish.’”

Of course it does, if the emotions are right. If you nail the emotions, everything else falls into place. In The Shape of Water, del Toro and Taylor hook us into the romance by the simplest means of all: “Deep down, he’s just like me.”

Perhaps Taylor saw enough of herself in Eliza to further realize her, in a way del Toro could not. He needed someone to see what he alone could not.

And The Shape of Water is all the better for it.

 

Skybound & Image Announces ‘Stellar’, New Comic Series Created by Robert Kirkman & Marc Silvestri

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Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics’ newest comic book series Stellar is a concept created by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri and written by Joe Keatinge, with art by Bret Blevins. The story follows child turned ultimate weapon Stellar and her life after successfully ending an intergalactic war.

Stellar was taken as a child and transformed into the ultimate weapon, one that would end an intergalactic war. She succeeded… at everything except finding peace.

Reduced to a bounty hunter, she scours the worlds she’s broken, searching for redemption. But there are other weapons loose in the galaxy, who just can’t leave the war behind them.

Joseph Keatinge (Shutter) and legendary artist Bret Blevins (New Mutants, Sleepwalker) will transport you to another dimension, filled with crashed spaceships, fast-talking aliens, and ageless wonders.

Created by: Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri
Writer: Joseph Keatinge
Artist: Bret Blevins
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Editor: Sean Mackiewicz
Associate Editor: Arielle Basich

The first issue of Stellar releases on June 13,
and the final cutoff order for retailers is May 21.

 


Win a ‘Unsane’ Movie Poster Signed by Director Steven Soderbergh!

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There’s little doubt that filmmaker Steven Soderbergh is one of the most interesting directors working today.  His body of work includes such memorable films as Sex, Lies and Videotape, Erin Brockovich, Oceans Eleven, Traffic, Contagion and Magic Mike.

His latest film Unsane stars Claire Foy as a young woman who is involuntarily committed to a mental institution where she is confronted by her greatest fear–but is it real or is it a product of her delusion?  The film also stars Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins, and Amy Irving and arrives in theaters this Friday.

And we’re giving away one movie poster signed by Soderbergh to a Forces of Geek reader!

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

Soderbergh is the only director to have had two films receive Best Director nominations in the same year for the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Directors’ Guild of America.  What were the films?

Please include your name, and address (U.S. 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 March 23rd, 2018.

 

‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ (review)

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Produced by John Boyega, Cale Boyter,
Guillermo del Toro, Jon Jashni, Femi Oguns,
Mary Parent, Thomas Tull

Screenplay by Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder,
Steven S. DeKnight, T.S. Nowlin

Story by Steven S. DeKnight, T.S. Nowlin
Based on Characters by Travis Beacham
Directed by Steven S. DeKnight
Starring John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Jing Tian,
Cailee Spaeny, Rinko Kikuchi, Burn Gorman,
Adria Arjona, Zhang Jin, Charlie Day

 

I think the production notes for Pacific Rim: Uprising were, “brighter, louder, faster and more, More, MORE”.

The colors are brighter and more vibrant. The action is close up and edits are fast. And there are more Jaegers (human, piloted super-size, fighting robots).

Lots more Jagers.

What Pacific Rim: Uprising was lacking was anything resembling an original thought.

The story is an amalgamation of the original film, Japanese Mech anime from the 90’s, and every 80’s sequel trope. The result is a film that will probably pull in a decent two weeks hall at the American box office and then crush the international markets, particularly China.

If you didn’t see the first film, or maybe you did but don’t remember it; don’t worry. The film spends the first 10 mins recapping the first Pacific Rim with voice over and flashbacks intercut with current day shenanigans of our new “hero” Jake (John Boyega).

The war against the Kaiju is over.

The world is slowly rebuilding itself. Jake is the underachieving son of the original film’s savior, the legendary Stacker Pentecost (Idris “Cancel the Apocalypse” Elba).

Jake spends his days scavenging old battle sites for Jaeger tech to pay for his high end, nomadic lifestyle. Jake is forced to face his past when he is picked up by military police after a botched scavenging job. Jake is given the choice between prison or training new Jaeger recruits.

Cue every slacker who becomes a hero trope. He’s the son of the last film’s dead hero that we never heard about until now. He isn’t his dad (which he will tell you often and at length), so he rebels against his family legacy.

And just for fun let’s add a side of young, orphan genius in the form of Amara (newcomer Caillee Spaeny), a self-taught Jaeger pilot/engineer who somehow built her own fifty foot Jaeger and is picked up with Jake after a almost successful escape from the police in her homemade Jaeger, proving her value to the military.

But that is not Amara’s true value.

Her true purpose is to act as “Exposition Girl” for the rest of the film. Amara spends a good portion of her screen time spoon feeding us introductions to characters, robots, and plot points. It’s as if the team of writers didn’t trust the audience to follow any of the story without some character to hold their hand. And what plot exists in the film is heavily, let’s say for niceties sake “influenced” by the 1995 Japanese Anime classic, Neon Genesis Evangelion. If you haven’t seen the anime, you probably won’t be bothered. But if you have, Pacific Rim: Uprising will probably make you shake your proverbial fist.

Even after borrowing a plot twist from Evangelion, the writers had an opportunity to take the idea somewhere interesting, the possibility that it isn’t aliens that we are fighting, but ourselves. That our fellow humans are the most dangerous adversary because they will usually act in self interest. Nope, they abandon that idea half way through. It’s back to punching invading aliens.

Almost the exact same plot as last time, only the Kaiju is bigger.

Most of the cast is wasted on cookie cutter, one dimensional roles. I don’t blame the actors, they are working with what they are given, but it’s hard to shine with lazy writing.

To be fair, the first film had a lot of the same problems, but there was a charm to it that set it apart from the Transformers franchise.

All this aside, if all you are looking for is shiny robots that look cool beating up monsters or each other, then great, you are all set. Buy your ticket and popcorn, turn your brain off, and settle in.

Personally, I’d rather stream some Robotech from Crunchyroll.

 

Win a Digital Copy of ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

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In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past. The visually stunning film welcomes the return of original characters, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Yoda, R2-D2 and C-3PO and further explores the deepening journey of the saga’s new members, Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren.

The film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern with Frank Oz, and Benicio Del Toro.    Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman. J.J. Abrams, Tom Karnowski and Jason McGatlin are the executive producers.

And we’re giving away five digital codes!

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

Which The Last Jedi cast member has appeared in the most Star Wars feature films?

Please include your name, and address (U.S. 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 April 1st, 2018.

 

‘I Kill Giants’ (review)

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Produced by Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan,
Joe Kelly, Nick Spicer, Kyle Franke, Martin Metz,
Kim Magnusson, Adrian Politowski

Screenplay by Joe Kelly
Based on I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly & Ken Niimura
Directed by Anders Walter
Starring Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots,
Sydney Wade, Rory Jackson, Zoe Saldana

 

Anders Walter directs an adaptation of one of my favorite and most touching original graphic novels, I Kill Giants written by Man Of Action’s Joe Kelly and exquisitely drawn by J. M. Ken Niimura. Kelly also adapts the screenplay to the film, bridging a gap between page and screen that sometimes gets lost in translation.

Kelly is an amazing storyteller and when news that I Kill Giants was being made into a movie, many thought, “How that could even be possible?”

Like the end of the evergreen Alan Moore / Dave Gibbons classic Watchmen before it, I Kill Giants has the unique distinction of having an ‘un-filmable ending’. The impossibility is no reflection on any storytellers given the challenge, it falls under the category of “how does this get from the page to the big screen?”

There are popular techniques to solve this problem, like the Watchmen changing a major plot point at the end of the movie or another zig zag away from the end of the original story.

I Kill Giants is easily my go-to suggested YA graphic novel. I can’t count the amount of gift copies I’ve purchases in the past ten years. We are talking ‘instant classic’ material here. I had a personal Renaissance and lapsed comics fandom and this was one book that sucked me right back in at a time when I needed it, along with another great another teen comic, Invincible.

I Kill Giants is all heart, in the way that makes the infamous Jack Kirby quote rings true, “Comics will break your heart”.

I watched this movie clutching pillows and comfort blankets, awaiting a wave of emotion that I new would happen at the climax of the movie. …At least I was hoping it would make me suffer “all the feels” of the original comic.

As much as I’ve put family members and friends through this by proxy, I don’t think that I have picked up my copy since it put me to bed. If you are getting a disparaging vibe from my tone, it is the opposite. Some objects are so precious that they must not be toiled with lightly. Barbara, played to the note by talented young actress Madison Wolfe, knows of sacred and special objects that hold power and how to treat them.

Barbara comes off as that kid, that geek, that nerd, that D&D player that gets beat up in school, or at least is a target of bullying. She creates totems to fight off the harassment but is completely enraged and engulfed, day and night, by her primary job.

She. Kills. Giants.

By setting traps and ensnarements by her seaside town, she takes it upon herself to save the town, everyone in it, her family, her one new friend Sophia and even her bully when it comes down to it. She’ll save them all from giants and The Titan. Her sister Karen, played by Imogen Poots, struggles to take care of Barbara and their brother and all of the household chores including meals while working full time to keep chicken surprise on the table.

Zoe Saldana stars as the school psychiatrist, who of course is trying to break into Barbara’s world, that seems to be closing in on her as the days go by. With the task of defeating Titans and Giants, her schoolwork and home life suffer and her late night jaunts are very dangerous. But Barbara is on a mission, again, to kill giants.

This is a movie for fans of Spike Jonez’ Where The Wild Things Are more than a gigantic open world feel of Harry Potter, but there are elements of both of these kinds of movies in Walter’s debut as a director for I Kill Giants.

I Kill Giants is produced by Christopher Columbus, who prolifically gives us our young adventurer movies like Home Alone, Adventures in Babysitting and the Harry Potter movies, writes the introduction to the most recent trade paperback. The production design is very close to the black and white manga style of Ken Niimura’s art, and I found that extraordinary.

The key art for the movie says a lot about I Kill Giants. It features Barbara, in silhouette, complete with plush bunny ears, about to face an anonymous giant with a magical hammer.

Who among us hasn’t pictured smashing at our problems, at the unknown, being frustrated as well as trying to understand how the world works? Barbara faces The Titan. She faces giants just as we all do, every day.

I grew up in the suburbs, spending my time in a treehouse, reading comics, digging holes, making magical objects out of scraps parts and junk. These were sacred objects to me, and I’ve swung a few dingers at giants off of the cliff where I used to sled. Barbara is all of us misfits, but not in the way we’re always depicted. She harnesses the power of introverted play to cope, but it certainly doesn’t make her any new friends or pleasant to get to know.

With a roll of the 20-sided die, her protection spell might just shield us from the unknown.

I’m going to be recommending this movie, just as I have the source material, for people of all ages, and there will be a wave of reviews more insightful than mine, dancing around spoilers as I have.

If this movie remains a sleeper, that’s fine, I can keep it a secret like a scrapbook, but I hope this movie breaks records and makes a lot of money. Man of Action deserves it, and this is a very impressive debut from freshman director Anders Walter.

I Kill Giants is now playing in theaters and
is now available on Digital HD and On Demand.

Our Forever Love Affair

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Fashion is, more than ever, in one of its most self-aware periods with both designers and brands producing pieces that directly react to global events attempting to capture the defining mood of the age.

Bold statements are seen that take a pop at the establishment in all its forms with the state of America (Calvin Klein) and the state of Britain (Preen), ‘fake news’ (Balenciaga) and sexism (Dior and Prada) all being highlighted in refreshingly explicit ways.

It’s not surprising then that we saw the return of punk to the runways, which in all of its gloriousness is fashions original symbol of defiance, with bite and spike being found in one corner, and this ‘new punk’ uses the old, classic tropes being more attitude and a total post-punk mash-up.

Another, more obscure trend that might surprise some is the rise in numbers of those that are playing online bingo.

Bingo has through the ages been depicted as a game for the older generation but today it is bang in trend with a far younger user with the average age now in the region of 18 to 34.

It seems that the online games tick quite a few boxes for many people with the social aspect of bingo being as important today as it was in yesteryear when bingo lovers would go to a physical venue to meet up with friends and catch up with all the latest news and gossip.

Today we can choose a top-quality online site like Swag Bingo to meet with our friends and family, enjoy a few games and perhaps take advantage of some of the excellent bonuses and promotional offers. Online bingo sites like Swag Bingo also provide a full range of other games to try out for a change as well as a selection of instant games that can be played alongside your bingo games.

In fact, playing online bingo is now so cool that its popularity has overtaken other popular games, a far cry from the once fuddy-duddy personal it once had of cold bingo halls and a bingo-ball caller making cheesy jokes whilst all eyes were down in silence.

 

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