Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Hands of Stone!

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Denise

hands of stone onesheetPow!  Biff!  Baaaaang!  No, these aren’t comic book superhero sounds.  They’re the sounds of welterweight boxing legend Roberto Duran.  Because I’ve got passes for the Baltimore area screening of his biopic, Hands of Stone! Synopsis!

HANDS OF STONE follows the life of Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez), the Panamanian fighter who made his professional debut in 1968 as a 16 year-old and retired in 2002 at the age of 50. In June 1980, he defeated Sugar Ray Leonard (Usher Raymond) to capture the WBC welterweight title, but shocked the boxing world by returning to his corner in their November rematch, famously saying the words “no mas” (no more.)

I remember hearing about Roberto Duran, but I’m ashamed to admit I don’t know much more about him than that he’s a famous boxer.  So I’m all in for checking out this film.  Are you?  Well then… Continue reading →

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Con News: HODOR HODOR! (Kristian Nairn comes to Baltimore Comic-Con!)

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Denise

BaltimoreComicCon_logo_nodateHold the damn door y’all.  Kristian Narin – aka Hodor on Game of Thrones – is coming to this year’s Baltimore Comic-Con!  From what I’ve seen on the Twitters and the IGness during this past season of GoT, he seems like a nice, cool guy.  Wanna find out for yourself?  Tickts baby.  Tickets.

Read on for the full press 411, and see you at BCC! Continue reading →

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“Suicide Squad”: the okay PG-13 that could have been a kickass R

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Denise

suicide squad poster

Nutshell: All pop-art acid trip posters with happy bunny colors, Suicide Squad‘s ad campaign came on like the new and different stepchild of Zack Snyder’s DCEU (DC Extended Universe).  But Squad is just as bleak as what’s come before, it just has sprinkles. And while Smith, Hernandez, Robbie and Leto are engaging, Squad still suffers from that same WTF-itis that hobbled Man of Steel and BvS. Fun, but forgettable. The Squad deserves better. Like a film that wasn’t afraid to go for a hard R. Grade: C+

“In a world of flying men and monsters, this is the only way to protect our city.”

Suicide Squad!  Pretty sweet, right?  Well, yes.  The team of anti-antiheroes has been Grade A badass in print for decades.  The idea of bad guys fighting evil has a groovy ring to it, and harnessing some of the coolest villains in the DCU hasn’t hurt.  But writer/director David Ayer takes these characters out for a spin…and then doesn’t have the foggiest idea where to take them.  Kickass performances, fantastic special effects and cinematography, and top-notch sound mixing/editing can’t hide the fact that Ayer has no idea what to do with his toys.  And that’s a shame.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Pete’s Dragon!

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Denise

PETE'S DRAGON one sheetUPDATE: MOAR PASSES!  Please visit www.seeitfirst.net and enter in the code: 339578!

Who doesn’t love dragons?  Okay, maybe those Masters in Mereen. (#RIP) But we’re not talking Game of Thrones here, we’re talking Disney, baby!  It’s the live action remake/reboot/re-somthing of Pete’s Dragon!  And I’ve got passes for the Baltimore area screening!  Synopsis!  MOAR EXCLAMATION POINTS!

For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.

If there’s anyone else out there who was initially worried about the reboot of such a wonderful animated classic, just look at that poster.  D’aww – fuzzy wuzzy dragon!  (The trailer is pretty spiffy too.)  Right this way to passes…

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Sausage Party!

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Denise

sausage party onesheetLewd.  Rauchy.  Made my 12-year-old self giggle without really knowing why.  (Oh, we all know why.)  And that’s just the poster.  Yeah baby, I’ve got passes for the Baltimore screening of Sausage Party!  Synopsis!

Sausage Party, the first R-rated CG animated movie, is about one sausage leading a group of supermarket products on a quest to discover the truth about their existence and what really happens when they become chosen to leave the grocery store.  The film features the vocal talents of a who’s who of today’s comedy stars – Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, and Salma Hayek.

Ready to get your condiments on?  Right this way…

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#MetroFW: Metropolitan Fashion Week and Cirque Du Soleil team up for Autism Speaks

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Denise
Cirque du Soleil Partners With Metropolitan Fashion Week and Autism Speaks (PRNewsFoto/Metropolitan Fashion Week)

Cirque du Soleil Partners With Metropolitan Fashion Week and Autism Speaks (PRNewsFoto/Metropolitan Fashion Week)

This sounds amazing. I do love me some Cirque, and so channeling their creativity into fashion seems like a match made in fabric heaven.

I wish I could hop across the country and check out Metropolitan Fashion week.  Gorgeous designs, a mix of theater and creativity, and the first Metropolitan Fashion Awards?  I do love award shows.  And this year’s theme – La Vie en Blue – sounds so…groovy.  Happy sigh.

Read on for the full 411, and I hope to bring the list of the MFA winners to you this October!

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Con News: Arthur Darvill comes to Intervention7!

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Denise

intervention 7 imageLove Doctor Who? Legends of Tomorrow? Of course you do. Well, Intervention 7 is bringing actor Arthur Darvill to Maryland! Huzzah!

Darvill joins Juliet Landau, Rene Auberjonois, Dwight Schultz and more!

Read on for the full info! Intervention 7 hits Rockville, MD, September 16th-18th.

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TrailerWatch: “The Great Wall” film stars two white dudes. Because of course.

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Denise

The Great Wall onesheetHere we go again y’all. A film about something in Asia gets white leads. Oh honestly. Okay here’s the synopsis:

Set in the Northern Song Dynasty, the story is about mysteries revolving around the Great Wall of China. [Hint: IT’S MONSTERS Y’ALL.]

At around $150 million dollars,  The Great Wall is being called “the largest film ever shot entirely in China.”  And while I get that China wants to increase revenue by making sure this film breaks out of the art house grind here in the states, the trailer looks like the typical “white guy saves the world” kinda story.  And guess what?  His sidekick ain’t asian; it’s Pedro Pascal.  Third billed on IMDb?  Willem Dafoe.  As much as I love me some monsters, I’m sick of whitewashing in general, and putting white leads front and center on films that are otherwise set in/focused on areas where whites are a minority or just didn’t exist at the time/persons of color.

I’m guessing Matt Damon took this foreign film gig because cash money?  Because this Last Samurai BS is getting old.  To quote John Oliver, how is this still a thing?  Right now I’m filing this in the Eyeroll File, next to ScaJo’s whitewashed Ghost in the Shell.  You’re gonna have to give me more to root for, Legendary Pictures. If this is a film about China, maybe give us some Chinese actors up front? With love, your hapa friend.

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Con News: “Mad” magazine’s Al Jaffee to receive Hall of Fame award at the Harvey Awards

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Denise

BaltimoreComicCon_logo_nodateI loved Mad magazine when I was a kid. Loved it as an adult. So it’s great that Al Jaffee is getting the Harvey Kurtzman Hall of Fame Award at this year’s Harvey Awards! The Harveys are held during Baltimore Comic-Con weekend, and this year the ceremony will be on Saturday, September 2nd.

Jaffee will also be at the con on Saturday, September 2nd.  Kismet!  Read on for the full 411, and see you at the con!
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In Horror: John Leonetti to direct “Wish Upon”

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Denise

broad green logoOoh – magic box horror! I do love me some Hellraiser. But this sounds like a different riff, which is just and right.  Director John Leonetti helmed the so-so Annabelle, but also worked on The Conjuring, Tales from the Crypt and Sleepy Hollow.  Nice.  And it’ll be produced by the company that brought us Cloverfield?  Okay, you’ve got my interest piqued. Synopsis!

When 16-year-old misfit Claire finds a magic box that promises a chance at the life she’s always wanted, she never could have guessed that each wish would demand a deadly payment.

Read on for the full 411!

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