Awesome Con has a Black Friday treat: a free t-shirt with weekend pass purchases!

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Denise

awesome con black friday 2015

Yeah, you’re high on L-Tryptophan.  You never want to see pumpkin pie again (or at least ’til December.)  You can barely lift the remote, let alone thumb through the comics you bought to tide you over for the weekend.  But amp up, little fanperson — there’s one thing you should know.  If you haven’t picked up your Awesome Con 2016 pass yet, they’ve got a cool (awesome?) deal from Thursday to Saturday: get a free t-shirt if you pick up a 3-day pass this weekend!  Yep.  They’ll mail you a t-shirt.  In time for the holidays.  For you to wear before the ‘con.

VIP folks, that means you get two — TWO — t-shirts!  One that’ll be mailed to you, and the other VIP shirt that you’ll pick up at Awesome Con.  Same goes for any other VIP pass.  Sweet, right?

What can I say?  I’m a sucker for t-shirts.  And Black Friday stuff.  So when the two meet?  I’m all over it.

Awesome Con will be June 3-5, 2016, at the DC Convention Center.  It was a blast last year, so if you’ve been wondering about a pass, this is a great time to grab one.  I share because I care.  See you in June!

Posted in Convention-al | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Captain America: Civil War” trailer: Bucky! Black Widow! BLACK PANTHER!!!

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Denise

civil war whose side are you onIt’s getting close y’all.  Six months ’til Captain America: Civil War hits theaters.  And to help gear folks up, Marvel released a new trailer during Jimmy Kimmel last night.  It does not disappoint.

I’m liking the slow burn on the Superhero Registration Act, and how Bucky and Cap are back as a team.  I’m guessing there’ll be no hints of Avengers Disassembled here, as the MCU hasn’t touched on any of the comic book backstories (yet….)  Still, it’s awesome to finally see Black Panther, even if it’s just for a few seconds.  (Remember; his stand-alone film doesn’t hit ’til 2018.  Gads – the waiting y’all!)

Enjoy!

Posted in Movie News, Trailers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Victor Frankenstein: what’s scarier, monsters or a man obsessed?

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Denise

victor frankenstein
Nutshell:  A fascinating look at the friendship/partnership between Victor Frankenstein and his right-hand-man Igor.  But this film also shines a light on obsession and its various forms, including a stellar performance by Sherlock‘s Andrew Scott as a driven police officer determined to bring the pair down.  Grade: B

So.  You thought you’d seen the last of the spooky for the year?  Well, no.  Frankenstein, his monster, and Victor’s dogsbody Igor are comin’ at’cha, and it’s a film that’s well worth a look even for folks who don’t “do” horror.  Why?  Because Victor Frankenstein manages to keep the rip-roaring “It’s alive! ALIVE!” action of James Whale’s 1931 classic and add in a look at how obsession of any type can ultimately bring about your downfall.  Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment

Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: The Big Short!

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Denise

the big short onesheet
UPDATE: all PDF passes have been given out. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Yaaaay — turkey day week!  Okay, I’m reaching.  But I do so love holidays.  And free screenings.  So how about passes for The Big Short, a film about the banking bust of the double-aughts, the one that has left us still reeling?  Synopsis!

When four outsiders saw what the big banks, media and government refused to, the global collapse of the economy, they had an idea: The Big Short. Their bold investment leads them into the dark underbelly of modern banking where they must question everyone and everything. Based on the true story and best-selling book by Michael Lewis (The Blind Side, Moneyball), and directed by Adam Mckay (Anchorman, Step Brothers) The Big Short stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt.

Passes?  Of course.  Right this way…

Continue reading →

Posted in Free Screenings | Tagged | 2 Comments

“Creed” a worthy successor to “Rocky”

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Denise

CREED one sheet

Nutshell: Director Ryan Coogler delivers a TKO of a film, one that celebrates what’s come before while bringing the Rocky/Creed story into the present.  Michael B. Jordan is a powerhouse in more ways than one.  Grade: A-

“That bell don’t mean schools out.  That bell means hell.”

I won’t lie, I bawled like a baby when I saw Apollo Creed go down for the last time in Rocky 4.  Bawled.  Then went home and tried to re-write the story in my head, because Apollo had gone from Rocky’s nemesis to a trusted friend, and a character I’d grown to care about.  Apollo’s death was devastating, and while the rest of Rocky 4 is so-so (great ‘roid-pump-up soundtrack & revenge film, maybe not so great with its thin skim of plot), that moment is forever etched upon my mind.

So when I heard that there was a film coming out that would look at Apollo Creed’s son Adonis (aka “Donny”, if you ask Rocky)?  I worried.  Let’s face it; while Rocky Balboa was a fun ride, it strained credulity.  Then I heard the film would have the one-two punch of Fruitville Station‘s Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan, and that Creed would work not only as a new Rocky installment, but as a stand-alone story.  I got interested. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Night Before: a thinking man’s stoner film, and a holiday treat

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Denise

the Night before onesheet

Nutshell:Who’da thunk that a film about three guys who can’t seem to stop acting like children would be such a grownup treat? Gordon-Levitt, Rogen and Mackie deliver performances that are funny and heartfelt. Director/writer Jonathan Levine delivers a film that goes beyond stupid stoner clichés and digs into universal truths about friendship and growing up.  Ho ho go. Grade: B+

“It’s harder to stay friends when you’re older…you have so much of your own shit going on.”

Well, ’tis the season y’all.  No, it’s not Thanksgiving yet.  But each year it creeps up a little earlier, tick by tick.  So why not give in and haul out a little holly?  Full disclosure here; I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this film.  I feared the sloppy, haphazard stoner brofest of This Is The End and Your Highness.  You know, the story about how thirty-somethings who should at least attempt halfway decent adulting instead try to cling to the “high schoolers with a real I.D.” hijinks that by this time are just embarrassing.  (Not to mention tedious for any filmgoer over the age of 21.)  Don’t get me wrong, a little of the ol’ stupid for stupid’s sake is a hoot (see: This Is The End).  But this genre can fall into overkill fast.  WAY Too many references to how getting baked is hee-lay-ree-ous, nudity thrown in only for shock value, and the amazing insta-high movie drugs seem to give everybody can send a stoner film spiraling around the drain. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Huntsman Winter’s War: trailer and spiffy new Girl Power posters!

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Denise

Huntsman Winters War Collage

Well, Snow White and the Huntsman was…a thing.  Okay; it was beautiful, but a bit wobbly.  A lot wobbly.  That whole KStew thing didn’t help that poor film either.  But hopefully with the Snow White story jettisoned and a new director at the helm (that’d be Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, the man responsible for the gorgeous FX in the original Huntsman), here’s hoping that things will fare much better.  Or at least the film will have more of an even tone.

The trailer shows a war between sisters — the Ice Queen (Emily Blunt) and the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron).  And it looks like this is when Hemsworth’s Huntsman meets his much-beloved wife Sara (Jessica Chastain), [PREQUEL SPOILER ALERT] whom he was still mourning in the first film.  Guessing Chastain’s character will be an incredible badass, but one that won’t make it past the end credits.  Unless she’s trapped by magic…?  Hey, this series is supposed to be a trilogy.  So guess we’ll see.

Not sure I love the borderline silly singsong narrative in the trailer; it doesn’t quite work for me.  But I do love the girl power vibe with these posters, and am happy to see Dominic Watkins’ breathtaking production design and Colleen Atwood’s gorgeous, Oscar-nominated costumes are coming back for this sequel.  Plus, who doesn’t want to see Theron and Blunt throw magic around?

The Huntsman Winter’s Tale hits theaters April 22nd, 2016. Check out the trailer below, and clicky on the picture above for the high-res deets!

Posted in Trailers | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Zoolander 2 trailer: what happens when models get old? They become spies, of course!

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Denise

zoolander trailerzoolander 2 still

Zoolander and Hansel hit the runway during Fashion Week. They teased us with a tidbit trailer. And now the full Zoolander 2 trailer is here!  And while I was both looking forward to another installment and fearing sequelitis?  This trailer looks solid.  Peep this:

Glad to see that Will Farrel is back, and that Penelope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, Olivia Munn and Benedict Cumberbatch will be on the scene too.  And okay, I even give Bieber some credit for making fun of his image.  Zoolander 2 hits the runway theaters February 12th, 2016.  #BLUESTEELFOREVER y’all.

 

Posted in Movie News, Trailers | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“Prometheus” sequel is “Alien: Covenant” – and it’s part of a trilogy

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Denise

alien covenant banner

Okay facehugger fans – remember when we all speculated that Prometheus was a prequel to the Alien franchise?  And how they all said NOOOO, it’s shiny and new and different?

Well.  It’s now official; the Prometheus storyline is a part of the Aliens story.  And the next film that’s gonna hit theaters will be titled Alien: Covenant.  Synopsis?  Oh, they’ve got one.

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created in Alien with Alien: Covenant, the second chapter in a prequel trilogy that began with Prometheus — and connects directly to Scott’s 1979 seminal work of science fiction. Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.

So.  Questions?  I have them.

  1. TRILOGY?  Alrighty.  But let’s hope that it’s a better prequel trilogy than Star Wars.
  2. Sounds like David is the sole survivor of the Prometheus expidition.  But Noomi Rapace is slated to star in Covenant as well…could she be in flashbacks?

According to SciFied.com, there will be two monsters in Covenant (earlier known as Alien: Paradise Lost); one will be closer to the Big Bad from the original Alien franchise, and another  – called the “Deacon” – will be a bit more of a mystery.    From their piece, “the movie won’t be going the route of an Alien movie, just we will see more clues and things that we can relate and make connection to the Xeno DNA and Bio-Mechanics of the Engineers.“ So perhaps the Decon will be some sort of missing link?  Whatever it will be, tidbits like this means more cool mythology and science for fans like me to dig into.

Alien: Covenant is scheduled for an October 6th, 2017 release.

Are you digging this? Hit me up in the comments!

Posted in Movie News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: The Good Dinosaur!

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Denise

good dinosaur onesheetPixar.  Disney-Pixar.  Yay?  Definitely yay!  Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, Up, Inside Out, and one of my all-time favorites of the universe, WALL-E. And Disney-Pixar’s got a new one coming at’cha, called The Good Dinosaur.  Synopsis!

“The Good Dinosaur” asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct?  Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

The Good Dinosaur is scheduled to open the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but why should you wait?  I’ve got passes!  Right this way… Continue reading →

Posted in Free Screenings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment