Oh stop it. You know you wanna see this. EVERYBODY wants to see this. I worried at first, then I saw this quote from Channing Tatum:
Yeah, he’s joking. But I’m betting there’s quite a bit of truth to it.
Then there’s this trailer. Looks like the boys are having a blast. I’m betting we all will. Drool bibs are optional, but highly encouraged y’all.
So. I’ve got passes. You want ’em? Read on, my dears… Continue reading
Nutshell: Another excellent revamp from the “New 52”, this time re-imagining “Babs” Gordon as a grad student. Stewart and Fletcher’s savvy GenY spin on the story + Tarr’s beautiful art (love Batgirl’s leather jacket!) = a playful, but still butt-kicking, update. Grade: A
Best Lines:
“You are my favorite person in the entire world. NEVER LEAVE ME.”
“Strange is your normal, Babes.”
“I’m past all the darkness. I can see now that there’s a better way.”
Goodies: Excellent sketch gallery, variant covers. (My favorite — #40’s amazing “Purple Rain” variant cover; a part of Cliff Chiang’s “12-inch series”. It’s purple-tastic.)
Story: Grad student Barbara “Babs” Gordon moves from dark and dreary Gotham to hipster haven Burnside. But can Batgirl make the transition without losing herself?
Thoughts: Re-inventions are de rigueur in the comic book world. We come to expect ’em. And while some aren’t so great (WTF happened to Lobo???), some are pretty darn cool (hello, Ms. Quinn!) So getting a “New 52” Batgirl is no shock. What is shocking is that the character is not only none the worse for wear, but her basic backstory is pretty much intact (okay, minus the whole Oracle thing…)
This is definitely a new Babs though; hookin’ up (sorta), hung over (most definitely) and a slave to her school schedule. College co-ed Barbara is funky (hipster knit cap, worn unironically!), fun (DrunkBabs!), but still fierce. Facing off against anime motorcycle assassins! A crazy cyborg! A D-bag drag racer! And the PD, who see her as a vigilante. Then there’s the new crew, including Qadir, the college resident computer uber-engineer, and his sister Nadima (who just happens to be her RA.) I kinda wanna be Nadima’s BFF, because she keeps sour cream and onion chips in her desk. I’m also loving new roomie/old buddy/possible new Oracle Frankie Charles, not only because I love it when stories include folks of all abilities, but because she’s a woman who can hold her own alongside Batgirl and Black Canary. Not too shabby.
As is just and right with all GenY/Z folk, social media, computer programming lingo, and general youthspeak are here, and feel authentic. (Says the GenX geezer. Art-wise, Tarr has great way with getting to the heart of Barbara’s edidic memory, with art that keeps the action moving and is easy to understand (but still cool.) Plus, the colors and shading are gorgeous.
There’s always a threat of storylines getting dumbed down when characters are aged down. But Batgirl of Burnside easily rises above with meditations on the price of social media presence, how honesty can help/hurt friendships, and the ever-popular What Price Heroism. All the pretty colors and shiny new storylines can’t hide the depth of the themes presented here. Good work, all.
Yes, Batgirl vs. Burnside feels a bit like Harley’s Hot in the City, with shades of Ultron, but there’s enough of a twist to make it fresh. My favorite of the stories included here? “Secret Origins #10“, when we see more of how Babs made it through the Joker’s attack, and how she met Frankie. Though the following issue chapter, “The Ghost in the Cowl” (aka Batgirl #40) brings this crazy/cool arc to a fantastic finish.
Publication 411: Collects Batgirl #35-40 and Secret Origins #10. Hits shelves June 16th, 2015. Also available in hardcover, in addition to the usual TPB. Niiice!
Subscribe or Shelve: Some may not like the “teen-ing” up of Babs (even though she’s actually in her early 20s). I say fie. She’s no Harley — who is? — but I’m digging the revamp so far. Keep the 21st Century/GenY savviness (it’s a word) paired with cool panels that peek into how Babs sees the world, and I’ll keep coming back.
Where my soundtrack/musical score fans at? Yeah, I know you’re here.
The first song on the soundtrack for Terminator Genisys has been released…kind of. In that it’s been hinted at, and the singers and title has been released. It’s called “Fighting Shadows”, and it’ll be sung by American rapper Big Sean and Chinese pop star Jan Zhang (Zhang Liangying). I’m loving the possibilities of this cross-genre collaboration. It can’t get to my earholes fast enough. What can I say? Y’all know I love it when a soundtrack goes to 11. And I’m hoping that’ll be the case with Genisys.
Though it’ll take ’til June 30th for the song to pop up on iTunes, I have a feeling it’ll hit YouTube right after Zhang’s appearance on CCTV 6’s “Talking to Hollywood with Betty Zhou” this Friday (June 19th, 2015).
Read on for the full 411…
Ba-na-na! Minions are awesome, and the #1 reason why Despicable Me (and its sequel) was such a hit. So naturally, they’re getting their own movie. Minions, in case you haven’t noticed the press launch. (Or if you’re not like me and have been mainlining every bit of yellow goodness.)
Synopsis!
The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.
But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award® winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
Featuring a soundtrack of hit music from the ’60s that still permeates our culture today, Minions is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. Brian Lynch has written the screenplay for the 3D-CG comedy adventure, and Chris Renaud serves as executive producer of the film. http://www.minionnation.net
Check out the new pics! Minions invade theaters with goggle-eyed cuteness July 10th, 2015.
Nutshell: Writer/director Colin Trevorrow does exactly what Jurassic World‘s theme park does; makes things bigger, faster and more dangerous in order to whip audiences into a frenzy. Pratt and Howard look great as Smart Tough Guy and Willfully Clueless Woman In Danger, but let’s face it; it’s dinos you’ve come for. So if you like mind-blowing CGI? An uninspired story and lack of any themes beyond “don’t mess with nature” may be a small price to pay. Check your brainpan at the door, and dig in. Grade: B
It’s been 14 years since Jurassic Park III hit theaters. And I’ll admit, I enjoyed the film, but the bare-boned “putting people in danger, then getting them out” storyline could have been so much more. I had that same feeling as Jurassic World unspooled. This go-round, the park that John Hammond dreamed of — and later warned against — is a reality. And in this Disney World: Dinosaur Edition of a park, there’s Starbucks, Margaritaville, park merch up the yazoo…and genetic experiments that have created an even larger, more lethal dino. Because focus groups! Yep, dinos have gone commercial. What could go wrong?
Anyone thinking that this new entry into the Jurassic saga will be anything close to the deep thoughts on chaos theory and genetic tinkering in Jurassic Park and The Lost World will be sorely disappointed. But at least the film is better at avoiding disaster than that doomed park. (What? Y’all saw the trailer.) Jurassic World may be just as cut-n-paste as III, but puts plenty of dinos in your face all through the film. From watching the Indominus Rex hatch during the beautiful and creepy opening credits, to a lone dino’s awesome roar at the end, nobody can say that World isn’t dino-tacular.
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Ready for the summer blockbusters? Well, I think everyone likes to dig into a mind-blowing popcorn romp this time of year. But are you looking around for something with a bit more depth, more character development? Maybe a touch of the heartwarming? Look over here; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl may be just what you’re after. Synopsis, if you please!
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL is the uniquely funny, moving story of Greg (Thomas Mann), a high school senior who is trying to blend in anonymously, avoiding deeper relationships as a survival strategy for navigating the social minefield that is teenage life. He even describes his constant companion Earl (RJ Cyler), with whom he makes short film parodies of classic movies, as more of a ‘co-worker’ than a best friend. But when Greg’s mom (Connie Britton) insists he spend time with Rachel (Olivia Cooke) – a girl in his class who has just been diagnosed with cancer – he slowly discovers how worthwhile the true bonds of friendship can be.
A Sundance double award winner? Hello! Connie “Who Doesn’t Love Friday Night Lights“ Britton? Sold! So step this way for passes, already!
“Get these motherf*cking snakes off my motherf*cking Air Force One!”
Okay, maybe he won’t be saying that. But a gal can dream, right? (Though he does drop the MF bomb in the super badass trailer.)
C’mon, Big Game looks like a film that’s gonna cross the thin line between modern action/adventure and straight up 80s flick funtimes. Here’s the synopsis:
A young teenager camping in the woods helps rescue the President of the United States when Air Force One is shot down near his campsite.
Because really, what else do you need to know?
Peep the pics below. Big Game hits US theaters June 26th, 2015.
Love Pixar? Of course you do. Wall*E, Up, Monsters Inc…they’ve got a way with animation and with storytelling. So you obviously want to get to Inside Out, Pixar’s newest film, right? Again, of course you do. Here’s the synopsis:
Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
Yes, it feels like a riff on the 90s sitcom Herman’s Head, but with a cast like this I’m sure it’ll be a whole lot of fun. So, want passes? Read on…
Gotta love Simon Pegg. Shaun of the Dead is one of my all-time favorite zombie films, and Hot Fuzz was just fantastic. So when I heard about Man Up, I leaned in. Here’s the synopsis:
A single woman who’s mistaken for a stranger’s blind date, leads to her finding the perfect boyfriend.
If the soundtrack is any indication, this should be a whole lot of fun. The B-52’s, George Thorogood, The Jim Jones Review, Duran Duran and a whole lot more. Not to mention the song “What Time Do You Call This” by Elbow, which is a dreamy sweet song that sounds like a Pivotal Moment Song for the film.
Man Up also stars the lovely Lake Bell (TRON: Uprising), and hit UK theaters May 29th. Not sure when it’ll come to the states, but I’ll keep tabs. Read on for the 411 on the soundtrack!
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Jurassic World hits theaters next Friday. But if you need a dino-fix, I have one for you. Well, I have a bunch of stills from the film. Tomato, potato.
As I’m unsure as to what stills are new, and what stills have been around, I’m posting ’em all. Pizza for everybody!
Anyone else up for some dinosaur park action?
Got a dollar to spare? A quarter?
Atomic Fangirl 