Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Selma

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Denise

selma

Screenings!  Free!  Happy new year (almost)!  This time it’s Selma, a film about Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here’s the synopsis:

SELMA is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.  The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.  Director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA tells the real story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.

Want passes?  Of course!

Continue reading →

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

Review in a Flash: Into the Woods

Posted on December 25, 2014 by Denise

into the woods

It’s Awards Season Onslaught time! So that can mean only one thing; quickie reviews so you (and I) can get out and enjoy the season faster. Feliz Chrismukwanzyulekkah y’all!

Before:  Straight up; this ain’t your momma’s Once Upon A Time.  It’s your momma’s Sondheim, which means it’s a dark look at the Grimm Fairy Tales, if the Wikipedia page on the musical is any indication.  Maybe I don’t want to see this; dark tales from Disney, directed by the dude that pooped out Nine?  Oh man.  But Rob Marshall did give me Chicago too, in all it’s hammy glory.  And Anna Kendrick is awesome…plus Le Streep.  Alright.  I’m in.  I’m just putting my trepidation on record.

During:  Holy crap, Emma Blunt has PIPES!  She’s awesome.  This is kinda the way I felt when I first heard Kendrick sing in Pitch Perfect; that wonderful moment when someone you already enjoy shows a facet of themselves that makes you like their work even more.  Happy face time y’all.  Loving the melding of movie set and theatrical setting here; you’re meant to know that you’re watching a play.  There’s just enough mock-up here, with the forest and the overly colored sets, to keep things fun and slightly tongue-in-cheek.  Probably why the darkness of the subject matter rolls off so well.  Depp is obviously having fun with his Wolf, and his makeup and costuming harkens to Cats rather than Rick Baker realism.  It works here.  So does putting Christine Baranski into the shoes of Cinderella’s evil Stepmother.  That touch of real theater adds to the fun, as does Tracy Ullman as Jack’s Mother.

Continue reading →

Posted in Review In A Flash | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Review In A Flash: Big Eyes

Posted on December 25, 2014 by Denise

big eyes onesheetIt’s the Awards Season Onslaught time! So that can mean only one thing; quickie reviews so you (and I) can get out and enjoy the season faster. Feliz Chrismukwanzyulekkah y’all!

Before:  Wait.  This is a Tim Burton joint?  Oh man, I hope it’ll be more true to history than Big Fish crazy.  There’s a time for crazy, and a time for filling folks in on a crazy story.  Plus, I had two old Keane prints in my bedroom when I was a kid.  Creepy as hell, yet I couldn’t take ‘em down.  They were judging me, and found me sad.  Y’know what else is sad?  The official web site looks like it’s been hacked by Walter’s family…or perhaps that’s simply Burton’s way of letting potential viewers in on the sturm-und-drang of Keane’s life before they hit theaters?

During:  “I think what Walter Keane has done is just terrific. It has to be good. If it were bad, so many people wouldn’t like it.” — Andy Warhol

Continue reading →

Posted in Review In A Flash | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Interview now distributed online. Take that, haters!

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Denise

image

Merry free speech Christmas, y’all!

Now we can get back to the real question; does this movie suck or not?

Meanwhile, I’m off to my own Christmas Eve tradition. Christmas Fettuccine & The Holiday. Happy Merry!

Sony Pictures To Distribute “The Interview” Online Beginning Christmas Eve Through Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and Dedicated Website

Film To Be Widely Available On Demand Throughout The United States

[Culver City, CA – December 24, 2014]  Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that The Interview will be available online across the United States starting today, Christmas Eve.

As of 10:00 a.m. PST, the film will be available to rent in HD on Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and the dedicated website http://www.seetheinterview.com at a price of $5.99. The film can also be purchased in HD for $14.99.

“It has always been Sony’s intention to have a national platform on which to release this film,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Entertainment. “With that in mind, we reached out to Google, Microsoft and other partners last Wednesday, December 17th, when it became clear our initial release plans were not possible. We are pleased we can now join with our partners to offer the film nation-wide today.

“We never stopped pursuing as wide a release as possible for The Interview.  It was essential for our studio to release this movie, especially given the assault upon our business and our employees by those who wanted to stop free speech. We chose the path of digital distribution first so as to reach as many people as possible on opening day, and we continue to seek other partners and platforms to further expand the release.”

“I want to thank Google and Microsoft for helping make this a reality. This release represents our commitment to our filmmakers and free speech. While we couldn’t have predicted the road this movie traveled to get to this moment, I’m proud our fight was not for nothing and that cyber criminals were not able to silence us.                                                                                                                             
“No doubt the issues we have confronted these last few weeks will not end with this release, but we are gratified to have stood together and confident in our future. I want to thank everyone at Sony Pictures for their dedication and perseverance through what has been an extraordinary and difficult time.”

Fans can watch The Interview on several platforms including:

·         Google Play: the movie is available to buy or rent at play.google.com, and can be watched in the Play Movies & TV app on Android and iOS phones or tablets, or streamed in the living room via Chromecast, Roku or the Nexus Player.

·         YouTube: the movie is available at youtube.com/movies and can be watched on the web, in the YouTube app, or on select living room devices like Chromecast, Apple TV, PlayStation and Xbox.

·         Microsoft’s Xbox Video: the movie is available to buy or rent on the Xbox Video app on Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and XboxVideo.com.

·         SeetheInterview.com: In addition, The Interview is available at the dedicated websitewww.seetheinterview.com, which is sponsored by Sony Pictures and powered by Kernel and with payments through Stripe, a secure payment platform.

In addition to Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft and http://www.seetheinterview.com, The Interview is also being released in more than 300 United States theaters on December 25th.

Posted in Holiday-ness, Movie News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

BronyCon holiday card is Best Holiday Pony

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Denise
image

(Image: BronyCon)

D’awwww you guys! BronyCon sent out holiday greetings, and one look at these ponys – their mascots, gussied up for the season – and I’m all in for a sleigh ride.

Happy, Merry Chrismukwanzyulekkah to all!

Posted in Convention-al, Holiday-ness, Pony News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Interview, giving in to terrorists, and why North Korea can kiss my ass.

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Denise
image

Image: DiamondSparks/ponychan

Let’s get this out of the way right now – The Interview was never going to be  a classic of modern cinema. It’s more likely a goofy riff filled with stupid pandering humor that leaves people feeling empty at the end. Hell, I’ve seen This Is The End.

But Sony Pictures knuckling under to terrorist threats – and the hacking that released a ton of their Super Secret Squirrel movies and backstage stuff – really ticks me off. Yes, the idea behind the shelving of The Interview‘s Christmas day opening sounds like a good idea, if only to be on the safe side after threats of 9/11 style attacks on theaters showing the film. But for a while it seemed as if Sony would knuckle under completely, shelving it for good.

Really? The Western world is going to start doing whatever terrorists want, just in case something bad may happen? What is this; are we living one step away from Black Mirror? For crying out loud. What’s next, threatening action if anyone ever watches Paul Blart: Mall Cop? (Wait, that’s no loss.) Still, how many more threats will come if this one succeeds?

There’s a bit of hope though. Newest wrinkle? Seems Sony will be releasing The Interview on Crackle for free. So hopefully they won’t pull it again. Not because I’m dying to see this film  but because if we as a nation are gonna be all “No negotiating with terrorists”? We need to support those that get singled out by narcissistic nutjobs.

Granted, perhaps I’d be ticked off at a film that has me dying horribly at the end. (Though honestly, having Franco & Rogen botch the assassination feels like it’d have been funnier….) But if I were in a position of crazy-ass power, I’d just let the haters hate, and then roll around in a pile of money as my minions peeled me grapes.

So tonight? I’ma watch Team America: World Police. Paramount pussed and decided not to support screenings of Team America as a way for some theaters to say F-you to North Korea (and to a lesser extent, Sony)? Fine. It’s on Netflix.

“America, Fuck Yeah!”

Posted in General Mayhem | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Interview – Sony Pictures Entertainment / THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE CHANGE

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Denise

image

I get it; a huge corporation needs to protect itself and it’s customers.

But I hate that terrorists win in this instance. At least so far.

From Sony Pictures Entertainment:

“In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.

Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”

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

Wanna peek at the titles for next year’s Free Comic Book Day? Right this way…

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Denise
fcbd conner art

(Image: FCBD/Amanda Conner)

Mmm, free comic books.  Yeah, yeah, mah people.  We’ll probably clean up this month, with all the holidayness erupting all over the place.  Mmm, prezzies.  But the folks at Free Comic Book Day have announced the 50 titles that made the cut for the 2015 FCBD!  I know, right?  I’m psyched too.

BTW, like the logo above? It’s the 2015 t-shirt design, by AMANDA CONNER.  Yes, I’m psyched.

My Must Haves for next year’s ‘Day? (All titles have “FCBD 2015” attached.  I was just too lazy to re-type it all.)

  • Boom! Studios 10 Year Special
  • Dark Circle Comics #1 (the new Archie superhero line launch?  Yeah, I’m on it.)
  • DC Comics Gold Book — like I don’t want a cover that has “Top Secret” written on it?
  • FCBD 2015 Doctor Who Special
  • Savage Dragon Legacy
  • Secret Wars #1 (WOOT!)
  • Avengers #1 (hopefully there’s an Age of Ultron tie-in.  Oh who am I kidding; you know there’ll be one.)
  • And Then Emily Was Gone
  • GFT Wonderland Special Edition One Shot (What?  With their horror miniseries in 2014, GFT is growing on me.)
  • Jurassic Strike Force 5 One Shot
  • Lady Justice
  • The Stuff Of Legend

And okay, the Attack On Titan cover has me wanting to check out the Kodansha Comics Sampler too.  So many…so very many….

Free Comic Book Day 2015 will be May 2, 2015.  Plenty of time to plan your local comic store takeover. Er, visit.  Yeah.  Visit.

Peep the full list at the source, of course!  Clicky to pop to the Free Comic Book Day site!

Posted in Comics & Graphic Novels | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Salt Lake Comic-Con joins with Indie Lounge at Sundance

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Denise

Still more reasons why I need to travel more…  This year’s Sundance Film Fest is looking like a nicely nerdy fit with the Indie Lounge and SLCC.  Oh who am I kidding; I just want to sit in a gorgeous place and read comic books.  There, I said it.

And am I the only one hoping that with the use of the term “Fellowship”, that there’ll be hobbits?

(PRNewsFoto/SALT LAKE CITY)

(PRNewsFoto/SALT LAKE CITY)

Salt Lake Comic Con and the Indie Lounge Unite Forces to Create a Fellowship of Mythological Proportions During the Sundance Film Festival

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Independent Film Maker’s Lounge announced today an epic partnership with Salt Lake Comic Con to create an Indie Lounge for entertainment and gifting during the opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival, January 22-25, 2015.

Indie Lounge will host the top tier of celebrity high life, latest musical talents from around the world and entertainers from all over the globe as they enter their fifth year of hosting.

Entrance to the Indie Lounge is an exclusive, invite-only experience designed to indulge A-list celebrities, B-list entertainers and press and media outlets from around the globe with luxury gifting, as well as the opportunity for independent filmmakers, musicians and affluent industry professionals to connect and collaborate. It’s literally the place to #getscene.

Located on Main Street’s coveted Courtyard Summit, the Indie Lounge offers festival attendees an escape from the barrage of movie premieres and meetings. With an iconic presence, the Indie Lounge is widely known for their hospitable environment and full service Snap Daddy’s gourmet catering that is perfectly weaved into this venue’s warm, sanctuary-like atmosphere.

“The excitement surrounding the relationship between Salt Lake Comic Con and the Indie Lounge adds an entirely new dimension in what to expect in gifting and entertainment offered at the festival,” stated Indie Lounge Producers.

Since its debut onto the Sundance scene in September 2013, Salt Lake Comic Con has attracted some of the world’s most notable celebrity guests.

“We’re all about entertainment and celebrities, and together with the Indie Lounge, we believe we can complement all the great events and activities taking place at the Sundance Film Festival and help connect fans to their favorite stars,” said Dan Farr, Salt Lake Comic Con Founder and Show Producer. “I believe that this Indie Lounge will be one of the most sought after and coveted credentials in town.”

For more information about Salt Lake Comic Con and its FanXperience (FanX) on January 29-31, 2015 visit the Salt Lake Comic Con website at http://saltlakecomiccon.com/.

ABOUT INDIE LOUNGE:
The Independent Filmmakers Lounge during the Sundance Film Festival, more commonly known to the industry as the Indie Lounge, was developed in 2010 as a focal point for established and inspiring filmmakers who attend the Festival. The Indie Lounge has established itself as one of the most highly regarded gifting and entertainment lounges which takes place during the first weekend of the Sundance Film Festival. The Indie Lounge specializes in attracting A-list celebrities and B-list entertainers, as well as Producers and Directors from around the world. The hospitality of the lounge, its unique filmmaking forums, live entertainment, gourmet catering and award winning hosts have cemented the #IndieLounge as a mooring of the Sundance experience. Website: www.powerandindustry.com/sundance

ABOUT SALT LAKE COMIC CON:
Salt Lake Comic Con is organized by Dan Farr Productions in partnership with ABC4/CW30 of the Nexstar Broadcasting Group. Dan Farr Productions is an event and marketing group devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows and partnering with premium celebrities and brands in the pop culture arena. Dan Farr Productions is dedicated to producing spectacular celebrations of popular culture that lead the market in providing exceptional and rewarding experiences for our consumers, fans, celebrity guests, vendors and partners. Website: www.SaltLakeComicCon.com, www.abc4.com/.

Posted in Comics & Graphic Novels, Convention-al | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Review in a Flash – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Denise

the hobbit botfaIt’s the Awards Season Onslaught time! So that can mean only one thing; quickie reviews so you (and I) can get out and enjoy the season faster. Feliz Chrismukwanzyulekkah y’all!

Before:  THE HOBBIT!!11!!  Happy that the final installment of this trilogy is finally hitting theaters, but sad that that means the trilogy is at an end.  Been purposefully ignoring the trailers in the hope that I’ll be a wide-eyed Five Armies innocent once it unspools.  Though gotta say that Orlando Bloom still looks airbrushed within an inch of his life in the teasers I’ve eyeballed.  It’s gotta be tough playing a character that’s supposed to be younger than when you played him 10+ years earlier. L.O.L.A. Lola…

During:  I feared that the rambling that PJ did during The Desolation of Smaug would play out further here.  No worries there.  In fact, this film takes place seconds after The Great Wyrm decides to destroy Lake-Town after he gets sick and tired of Thorin and his dwarven compatriots (to say nothing of Bilbo’s trickery…hello inviso-ring!)  Smaug destroying Lake-Town — and Bard trying to destroy Smaug — is, to quote Galadriel’s speech to Frodo in Lord of the Rings, “beautiful and terrible as the dawn!”  Seems a shame to end that bit so (relatively) quickly, but we’ve got things and stuff.

Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews | 1 Comment