Con News: Haley “Peggy Carter” Atwell coming to Baltimore Comic-Con!

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Denise

BaltimoreComicCon_logo_nodateThree.  It’s a magic number.  So far the media guests (read: TV, Film &/or Streaming folks) coming to this year’s Baltimore Comic-Con are Sean Astin, Candice Patton (aka Iris West of The Flash) and now…Haley Atwell will be there on Sunday!  If you aren’t down with Agent Carter, you’ve got ’til September to catch up on the awesomeness.  I know you’ve already been watching The Flash, so you’re already caught up on Iris.  Right?  RIGHT.

Read on for more info on Atwell as well as Patton, whom I missed out on earlier because e-mail can become a beast.

See you at the con! Continue reading →

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TrailerWatch: New “The Magnificent Seven” trailer gets the band together

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Denise

magnificent seven 2016 onesheet“A man carries a gun, he tends to use it.”

First, we got a teaser. Now the full trailer is out for The Magnificent Seven, and it’s looking pretty sweet.  There’s the same side-eye camaraderie the original had, lots of deadpan, and of course there’s plenty of shootin’.  Oh, and a Who’s Who breakdown of the Seven, always a nice intro.  Even the use of Yeezy as the background music feels right for this 21st Century reboot.  Synopsis!

With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns – Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.

Yeah trust me; that’s all the story this film needs, if it’s even half as cool as the original. (Or the wonderful film The Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa’s tribute to the western, and whose screenplay this film is based on.)  As director Antonie Fuqua is at the helm, awesomeness is looking like a distinct possibility.

#Mag7 opens September 23rd.

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Book Review: Lethal Kisses, Ellen Datlow, ed.

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Denise

lethal kisses“He came to see that curses and blessings were often interchangeable.”

Originally published: 1996. Yeah, a re-print. But it’s edited by Ellen Datlow. I’ve loved every anthology she’s ever worked on. World’s Best Fantasy and Horror.  ‘Nuff said.  And this is a 90s horror anthology I’d never gotten my hands on. Inconceivable!  After letting myself run loose through this collection, I’ve gotta say that while not every story was a home run, there’s plenty to love in this look at the many forms of righteous (and not-so-righteous) payback.

There’s 19 stories in this collection. And I love that there’s an intro to each tale, giving readers a look at the author, and a taste of his/her bibliography. I wish all anthologies did that…only wish there was a page break symbol of some type between the intro and the story – in a few instances it was a bit jarring. [Note: I received an advance reader copy, so that may have already been tidied up.] Continue reading →

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TrailerWatch: fantastic Red Band “The Edge of Seventeen” trailer kicks Hailee Steinfeld when she’s down

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Denise

edge of 17 onesheetThere are always a slew of teen films hitting the multiplex.  Think I’m lying?  That’s probably because the majority of them aren’t worth noticing.  But this red-band trailer’s (spoiler: language!  Bra sighting!) tone makes me think of a lighter, more multiplex-friendly Diary of a Teenage Girl with its ability to get into the brain of a teen and really dig deep.  Plus, Hailee Steinfeld is excellent.  Synopsis!

Everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness when her all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until the unexpected friendship of a thoughtful boy (Hayden Szeto) gives her a glimmer of hope that things just might not be so terrible after all.

The film also stars Kyra Sedgwick as Nadine’s well-meaning but completely ineffective mother, and Woody Harrelson as Nadine’s History teacher, mentor and reluctant sounding board.

This trailer nails the pain, awkwardness and feelings of ostracism that run rampant in high school, but manages to keep all that feeling true while bringing a whole lot of empathetic laughs.  Gotta say I’m impressed.  Edge of Seventeen opens September 30th.

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“Ghostbusters” is good. Suck it, haters.

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Denise

Ghostbusters-Poster-600x889

Nutshell: a remake will never re-capture the lightning in a bottle of a classic.  But this reboot has a certain charm and goofy fun all its own.  Sure, a strangely ill-used Hemsworth adds a certain je ne sais WTF.  But Kate McKinnon as crazypants Holtzmann more than makes up for that.  This film is perfect summer fun fodder, and stands on its own. Enjoy it as such. Grade: B+

“Welcome to the glory days of New York City. Have fun!”

So. It’s time to take a peek at the all-laydeez version of Ghostbusters. With so many folks hating on this film before they’ve even seen it, I figured it’d either be amazing, or a complete suck-fest.  And while this reboot doesn’t capture the zeitgeist in the way the original did, it’s still a rip-roaring good time. Continue reading →

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Lights Out!

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Denise

lights out onesheet“Everyone’s afraid of the dark.  And that’s what she feeds on.”

Wan the man, baby!  That’s right; James Wan is doing production honors on this creepy film, based on the incredible short film that scared the [RADIO EDIT] outta me.  And that’s a high bar to clear, y’all.  Take another look at the bright sunny sky before you read this synopsis!

When her little brother, Martin, experiences the same events that once tested her sanity, Rebecca works to unlock the truth behind the terror, which brings her face to face with an entity that has an attachment to their mother, Sophie.

If this feature length creeper is even half as spooky as director David F. Sandberg’s short – and the trailer looks good – this should be a scary good time.  With me?  C’mon into this dark hallway…

Continue reading →

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie!

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Denise

ab_fab_poster_2That’s right, sweetie darlings.  Pats and Eddie are coming to the big screen!  For those of you who don’t know, Absolutely Fabulous (Or “AbFab”, as the cool kids call it) is a BBC show that’s reached cult level status.  Because it’s amazing, darling.  Nutshell?  Patsy and Edina (Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders) are 60s groupies who managed to parlay their boozy, druggie hippie lifestyle into lives of leisure.  They’re loud, over-the-top, politically incorrect, and give zero.  Hilarity ensues whenever they’re forced to come out of their hazy bubble.  Did I mention it’s got a kickass theme song? Synopsis!

Appropriate for their big screen debut, Edina and Patsy (Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley) are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to; shopping, drinking and clubbing their way around London’s trendiest hotspots.  Blamed for a major incident at an uber fashionable launch party, they become entangled in a media storm and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. Fleeing penniless to the glamorous playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, they hatch a plan to make their escape permanent and live the high life forever more!

So, ready to grab that bottle of Stoli and party with the best of ’em?  Right this way… Continue reading →

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TrailerWatch: “A Monster Calls”

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Denise

A Monster Calls onesheetI don’t like to hate on films I haven’t seen yet, but A Monster Calls looks like the film BFG wishes it could have been.  This trailer for Monster is lovely, crazy, and filled with magic and mayhem.  It’s also got a touching Felicity Jones performance, and Sigourney Weaver as grandma.  Plus, it’s Liam Neeson who voices the titular Ent-like monster.  Color me intrigued.  Synopsis!

A visually spectacular drama from director J.A. Bayona (“The Impossible”). 12-year-old Conor (Lewis MacDougall), dealing with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) illness, a less-than-sympathetic grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), and bullying classmates, finds a most unlikely ally when a Monster appears at his bedroom window. Ancient, wild, and relentless, the Monster guides Conor on a journey of courage, faith, and truth. Toby Kebbell plays Conor’s father, and Liam Neeson stars in performance-capture and voiceover as the nocturnally visiting Monster of the title.

A Monster Calls bursts into theaters this October.

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Con News: Sean Astin coming to Baltimore Comic-Con 2016!

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Denise

BaltimoreComicCon_logo_nodateSean Astin – that’s right y’all, Samwise Gamgee from LOTR – is coming to this year’s Baltimore Comic-Con!  And for your Turtles fans out there, he’s the voice of Raphael!  Also, Lynn McGill on 24, Mikey in The Goonies…and let’s not forget Rudy, Hercules, and The Strain!

Could nabbing an Academy Award nominated actor be the first of many other groovy media guests for BCC?  Read on for the full PR deets, and see you at the con!
Continue reading →

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#BronyCon5: My Little Favorites (slideshow)

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Denise

BronyCon 2016 logoAhh.  Rehydrated, rested and really missing the awesome vibe that is BronyCon.  We’ll all be back come August 2017 though, right?  RIGHT.

Here’s a few pics from the ‘con, just some of my very favorite cosplayers, and awesome moments…

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