Great book. Great trailer. You’ve seen the second one, right? (Though the song “Say Something” kills me every time. Dammit.)
So. Wanna see this film? Here’s how….
Just a quick few picks from the Ghastly Awards judges. Except for me. I’m lazy. Like the meme says, it’s like regular lazy but I’m wearing a cape. Even though….
Thank you for the reminder, Edna.
Oh, and now that I’m a judge again, expect a Horror Comic Roundup every so often. Not all the time, as again, so very lazy. And broke. Hello blogging! Anyway, on with the picks!
Ghastly Awards – July/August 2014 Update
Don’t forget to submit your book for the 2014 Ghastly Awards!
Horror comics are becoming more and more frequent in our reading culture, and the Ghastly Awards are here to recognize those that shine the brightest. We encourage all Comic Creators and Publishers to take the time to head over to www.ghastlyawards.comand submit your work for 2014 Ghastly Award Nomination consideration.
Creators please remember that you can submit your Horror Comic work throughout the entire calendar year! This month the Judges are recommending you go back and take a look at:
The Creeps #1 (Fall 2014- Warrant Publishing) – This slim, new black and white, magazine sized horror comic is a valentine to fans of Warren Publishing’s mags of yore, Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. I have to give editor, artist and writer Rich Sala props; he nailed the look and even got some new art from some Warren alumni. This first issue has a lot going for it; a cover by Ken Kelly, a page by Frank Brunner and my favorite art of the issue, a four-pager by Rich Buckler! The stories are all short and sweet, though I wish they’d been more straight horror than the excursions into Sword and Sorcery. (It took me years to appreciate the old Dax the Warrior stories.) This first issue is impressive and I hope that if it gets a chance, Sala will veer a little bit away from the Warren cloning and let The Creeps develop its own style. As it stands, it seems to be trying a little too hard for Warrenism, including the pen-name Artie Godwin writing most stories. Less text on the cover would have pleased me too, but ballyhooing some of these great artists is no sin! This is a solid first issue, full of decent-to-great artwork and good stories. Let’s hope The Creeps grows and becomes the black and white horror mag we all NEED in our lives! – Mike Howlett
Morella Presents: Verotika Returns #2 – Demons and more demons– Danzig clearly writes about what he knows, and backed with super killer artwork from Simon Bisley and Garres, you know there’s always gonna be plenty of boobs and blood and satanic muscle to keep all your evil lusts satisfied. Especially interesting is the rise of a new black magic spawned terror– PUMKY, a character formed not far from the same malignant monster mold as Pumpkinhead! Looking forward to seeing where this goes… – Steve Banes
Lenore v2 #10 (Titan) – Just when I thought the best joke in the history of ever had happened in the last issue, here it comes again… and again… and again. What sucks here was the lack of a recap page. The time between issues sucks, and well right now a great story arc is taking place, so a recap would be nice. However I know that it’s part of Dirge’s diabolical plan to have me go back and enjoy the living hell out of issues 8 & 9 again. So touché good sir, you win. The artwork is stunning, the story is above and beyond everything else. Lenore is a must read for everyone, anyone and two aliens sitting on a branch somewhere in Iowa. It delivers time and time again, and seriously… just go read it. – Decapitated Dan
Creators and Publishers please make sure to go over to www.ghastlyawards.com to submit your books for 2014 Nomination consideration! More information on how the submission process works can be found here http://www.ghastlyawards.com/2010/10/submit-your-horror-comic-to-be.html
______________________________________________________Judges:
Decapitated Dan, Mike Howlett, Belinda “Spaced” McNeill, Lonnie Nadler, Bree Ogden, Denise Dutton
Staff:
Steve Banes, Pedro Cabezuelo,Founded in 2011 by Decapitated Dan with the help of Steve Banes, Mike Howlett, Lonnie Nadler and Mykal Banta, the Ghastly Awards recognize outstanding achievements in Horror Comics over a range of 15 different categories. The nominees are chosen by other horror comic book professionals and winners are chosen by a panel of judges.
The Awards were named for acclaimed comics creator “Ghastly” Graham Ingels.
Starting in 2013 the Ghastly Awards switched over to a Submission based process. Comic Publishers and Creators can submit their books for nomination consideration throughout the calendar year. The top five nominees in each category will be chosen by the Judges, and will then be voted on by the Judges, Creators and Fans to decide the winners.The Ghastly Award Judges work strictly on a volunteer basis. There is no paid staff and the awards are completely funded from the generous donations of its sponsors.
As someone who used to live thisclose to the Discovery Channel building, Shark Week is a big deal for me. (Miss you, Chompie!)
So to celebrate the sharkiest time of the year, let’s drink! Don’t do booze? Works just fine with soda, tea or whatever. Probably better, as you’ll actually remember the episodes the next day….
***
The In No Way Official Shark Week Drinking Game
* Drink every time you hear an Australian or South African accent. If that person isn’t Australian or South African, finish your drink. (#faildrink)
* Drink every time a shark’s dorsal fin protrudes from the water.
* Drink every time a narrator uses the phrase “feeding frenzy.”
* Drink every time there’s a overly-dramatic reenactment of a shark attack. (Note: ALL Shark Week reenactments are overly dramatic.)
* Drink every time you see someone in a shark cage.
* Drink every time an expert mentions chum, a shark attack statistic, or a shark fact (note: once per expert, or you’ll be on the floor in the first 5 minutes.)
* Drink every time the camera shows a surfboard or person underwater in the same frame as a shark.
* Drink if they show a chewed-up surfboard, raft or sea kayak.
* Every time a new person is interviewed, drink.
* Drink every time someone says, “this species of shark is normally very peaceful.”
* Every time a person is declared a “shark expert,” drink.
* Finish your drink at the end of the episode. Should you not finish between the end of the episode and the start of the new show, chug an extra beer.
* If they mention the state you live in, or grew up in? Drink.
* Drink every time the show references a new type of shark. If the shark does not attack humans (nurse shark) drink three times.
* If a shark attacks something, drink. If that something is a seal, finish your drink.
* Drink every time someone mentions punching a shark in the nose or eye to stop an attack.
* Drink every time some one mentions “Jaws”, if the “Jaws” theme music plays, or if there’s a clip from the movie. Then say “we are going to need a bigger boat”.
* When a shark attack victim talks about the attack, drink.
* Drink every time shark attack odds are given.
* Drink for every limb the shark victim lost. If it happened to be their genitalia, the least you could do is finish your drink.
* Drink every time you see a subdued shark being poked, prodded, or given a tracking device on a boat.
* When a great white gets air, drink. Beware: do this one during Air Jaws marathons at your own risk.
(cobbled together & edited from Drink Nation, Bro Tips, and other sites on the interwebs.)
Nutshell: I give Into the Storm a C. It’s a passing grade, but only just. I was pulled into the action and loved the FX, but couldn’t get past the fact that this was a run-run-run film with little to no character development past getting out of the storm. Which is understandable in a disaster movie, but still too basic a premise to get more than a simple nod of approval from me.
TwitView: Cool FX! Lukewarm characters. Boom! C*
Into the Storm deals with a Big Bad tornado, what would be called an EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale (which in and of itself is fascinating stuff) Originally called a “Category 6” tornado film — a wording snafu as the Fujita scale goes from 0-5, making the sixth category E-5 — other titles were bandied about ‘til Into the Storm stuck. Don’t worry though, there’s plenty of damage and destruction in this film. But Twister still stands as the #1 tornado film, thanks to it’s deeper look into the lives and motivations of it’s characters. Those things felt tacked on and hollow inInto the Storm.
Welcome to Kansas. Home of Dorothy, sunflowers and badass tornados. Into the Stormfocuses on that last one, in case you haven’t seen the “plane-nado” trailer that’s been in heavy rotation of late. But this film has no trailer park, but instead focuses on how the middle class struggles with having no cell phone reception…and no roof over their heads. Okay, there are a few yahoos here for comic relief, but mostly this deals with two groups; a local kid and his brother prepping for the year’s HS graduation ceremony that they’re filming for their Vice Principal dad, and the scientist stormchasers that are looking to make a ton of moneydocumentary of a superstorm.
The elder brother Donnie (Max Deacon) decides to ditch his filming responsibilities and instead help his crush Kaitlyn (Alycia Debnam Carey) re-film her summer eco-internship film, which got corrupted because technology sucks. So they head out to the abandoned, decrepit old paper mine to get footage. What could go wrong? Younger bro Trey (Nathan Kress) sticks with dad (Richard Armitage, taller and less hairy than he is in The Hobbit). Dad tries to talk the Principal out of holding the graduation ceremonies outside; looks like there’s a storm coming. But the Principal poo-poos him. What could go wrong? Meanwhile, storm-nerds Allison, Pete, Daryl, Jacob (Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Arlen Escarpeta and Jeremy Sumpter) desperately try to find a storm before their financial backing gets pulled. When Allison sees that a storm is building in Silverton Kansas, which is where the HS graduation/abandoned paper mill happen to be. But don’t worry, their TARDIS Titus tank of a car can lock down in winds up to 170 MPH; only E-5 tornados go faster than that. What could go wrong? Yop, you bet’cha.
Everybody bands together to avoid the super-storm that threatens to destroy the entire town. Well, everyone except the two drunk-ass yahoos who feel more like bits of real life thrown in. Because really, who hasn’t seen ijits doing stupid stuff on YouTube? Still, Kyle Davis and Jon Reep throw themselves into the roles of Donk and Reevis, the good ol’ boys that decide the best way to prepare for Tornado Apocalypse Now is to strap cameras onto their motorcycle helmets and get rip-roarin’ drunk. That plays out exactly as you’d expect, and their banter does liven up sections of the film that would be a bit too dour otherwise.
Does this stuff actually happen? Well, ask any Midwesterner. Or just Wiki E-5 tornadoes. Most recently there’s been an E-5 in Central Oklahoma, and an “outbreak sequence” in the Southern/Midwest US. And then there was the 2007 “outbreak” in Florida. So yeah, Into the Storm may have touched on those storms and built things up from there, though with tornadoes there isn’t much that needs to be made up. One particularly spectacular scene involves a tornado made up of fire, or “fire whirl”. So much Hollywood make-believe, or so I thought….
Now don’t get me wrong, I love me some CGI mass destruction as much as the next person. But without that connection to characters, disaster films feel like endurance tests where you see how much awesome you can absorb without spinning out yourownself. Did Sarah Wayne Callies, Richard Armitage and Matt Walsh turn in great, believable performances? Yes. But their characters didn’t “hook” me, and that’s poor editing/storyline choices rather than a failure of talent. Director Steven Quale blew me away with Final Destination 5, but even back then he skimped on characterization. Sad that in that regard he’s learned nothing in the last three years, though he’s still top-notch when it comes to bringing chaos to the big screen. Screenwriter John Swetnam probably put all his love and attention into his other project opening the same weekend; the art-house classic Step Up All In. At least it feels like it here.
With films like The Impossible, Aftershocks and hell yeah even 2012 and Day After Tomorrow, there’s more to disaster movies than demolishing shit. Get me to care about the characters beyond simply not wanting to see a human get kerblooied. But if I’m two beers (or half a bucket of popcorn) down? Into the Storm is a fine way to watch Hollywood spend money like water. Just dont’ expect more than eye-catching FX and you’ll be fine. I mean kinda fine. You might want to hide under your seat just in case.
* -- this movie should not be confused with the award-winning TV miniseries of the same name starring Brendan Gleeson as Winston Churchill. Just so you know.
Sometimes I’m too lazy for a full-out piece. Sometimes everything I’ve got to say about a film can be summarized in a sentence or two. Sometimes it’s both. So herewith, a quick-n-dirty on the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
Nutshell: Gotta give TMNT a solid B. It’s not fine art, but then anyone going to this film expecting that is loco en la cabeza. The turtles are amazingly lifelike, proving that the Academy will have to start realizing that acting is more than getting your ownself on screen. Not a great story, but what more is needed than Bad vs. Good in a movie like this?
Before: Oh man. I don’t know anything about TMNT beyond pizza, Cowabunga, turtles, a rat and nuclear sludge. What have I done? Bonus points for the theater being filled with very, very young kids. (sarcasm) Please let the shrieking be kept to a minimum. PLEASE.
During: Okay, the beginning credits scene does exposition better than I’ve seen in awhile, and on-par with other “it’s fun to learn!” starting expo scenes like World War Z and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Plus, the moving-drawings style of animation here is beautiful, a very bare-bones Sin City, and that’s a good thing. And while I’m enjoying the film well enough, I’m definitely not enjoying it as much as Pumped Dad sitting immediately behind me. Then again this fella is probably the target demo; a 30-something dude that most likely grew up watching the original cartoons. Dude is stoked. Meanwhile, in my brain I’m loving the banter between the teen turtles, the grimy but groovy art direction and the motion-capture, which is perfect. Megan Fox & Will Arnett are great straight-humans to the turtles’ amped shenanigans and seem to be enjoying themselves. Fox does seem to take a bit of time warming up to the whole emoting thing, but she seems to be getting the hang of things quickly.
After: Hey! This wasn’t too bad. Okay, it wasn’t as amazing as Pumped Dad thought it was, but perhaps that’s because I’m not the target demographic. As I’d expected, the film was short on plot but long on quality FX and fandom shout-outs, and it’s basic “turtles save the day from Shredder’s fiendish plot” ain’t nothing new. But man, that Shredder in full battle gear may be too much for very young kids, though I heard not so much as an indrawn breath from even the tiniest kids at the screening. Guess they were as sucked in as Pumped Dad. Loved the end credits song “Shell Shocked”, a crazy blender-on-frappé tune performed by Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign. Woop! Psst: no post-credits scene here. Move along once you’ve gotten your fill of the credits jam.
Nutshell: I’d give Magic in the Moonlight a B. Though it’s not Woody’s best, it’s a sure sight better than most of what’s out there right now. Plus, Firth & Stone have undeniably sweet chemistry, and there’s plenty of quips to giggle over. Love Eileen Atkins as Aunt Vanessa, and all the women’s costumes need to be in my closet Right Now.
Twitview: Not his best, not his worst. Firth & Stone are sweet and funny. B
Stanley (Colin Firth) hates a con artist. Which is kind of ironic, as he’s a magician of the highest order, providing his audiences with grade-A illusions. But outside of his day (night?) job, he’s a debunker of pseudo-mystics, and he loves his work. So when his best — and only — friend Howard (Simon McBurney) calls upon him to help debunk a mystic that has her claws in a wealthy family down in the French Riviera, Stanley leaps at the opportunity. But Sophie (Emma Stone) isn’t what he expects, and soon he’s questioning his ideals. Should he stick with stodgy, disappointing truth or allow that there’s the possibility of magic and joy in the world?
The basic story here is Stanley’s battle with his own deeply held disbelief. He’s desperate to hold on to the idea that there is no real magic in the world, that there’s an explanation for everything, and that the head trumps the heart every time. Of course you know he’ll be taken down a peg or two. Being as this is a Woody Allen joint though, Stanley will get a ton of wisecracks in before his inevitable shift in perspective. Firth and McBurney have a wonderful lifelong pals chemistry, and although I’m sick to death of the May/December romances that litter Woody’s work, I have to admit that the chemistry between Firth and Stone is equally engaging.
Colin Firth is winning here, even though his Stanley is about as big a jerk as anyone could come across. Plus, it’s good to see Firth dust off his Darcy, as Stanley is just as arrogant as his Austen counterpart. There’s even a playful wink-nudge for P&P fans, as Stanley plays out a scene that seems cribbed straight from Austen’s notebooks. Fun in it’s own right, but even better if you know the ‘95 BBC adaptation. Sadly there’s no rising up from the lake in this film. Sorry folks.
LOVED Man on Wire. So I’m super interested in seeing how this film turns out. Enjoy!
Image: Takashi Seida (©2014 CTMG, INC All Rights Reserved.)
TRISTAR ANNOUNCES TITLE AND WRAP OF PRODUCTION FOR “THE WALK”3D / IMAX 3D CAPER FILM
DIRECTED BY ROBERT ZEMECKIS
STARRING JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT
BASED ON PHILIPPE PETIT’S BOOK “TO REACH THE CLOUDS”
Tomorrow Marks the 40th Anniversary of Petit’s August 7, 1974 Walk Between the Twin Towers
MONTRÉAL, Canada, August 6, 2014 – Principal photography has wrapped on the inaugural film from Tom Rothman’s TriStar Productions, now officially titled The Walk. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film is a true story based on Philippe Petit’s book “To Reach the Clouds,” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the young dreamer who dared the impossible: an illegal wire walk between the World Trade Center towers. Zemeckis wrote the screenplay with Christopher Browne. Producers are Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, and Jack Rapke. The film will be released on October 2, 2015.
Tomorrow, August 7, is the 40th anniversary of the astounding event, now being brought back to vivid life in the third act climax of the film.
Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Robert Zemeckis, the director of such marvels as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future, Polar Express and Flight, again uses cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. With innovative photorealistic techniques and IMAX 3D wizardry, The Walk is true big-screen cinema, a chance for moviegoers to viscerally experience the feeling of reaching the clouds. The film is a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the Towers of the World Trade Center.
Also starring in the film are James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, Charlotte Le Bon, Clément Sibony and César Domboy.
The production’s creative team includes director of photography Dariusz Wolski, production designer Naomi Shohan, editor Jeremiah O’Driscoll, and costume designer Suttirat Larlarb. The composer is Alan Silvestri.
Moviegoers can follow the film on the official movie site at http://www.thewalkmovie.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheWalkMovie or on Twitter @TheWalkMovie.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.
Two of my favorite words; Fear and Con. Together. FearCON! Niiiiice. And now there’s two days rather than their usual one. But this year they’re doing it outside. In Phoenix. That should be interesting. Luckily it’s in November, and they’re doing an Indigogo drive to finance a tent for the convention goers. Backing the project gets you discount tix. Again with the niiiiice.
I wonder if I can make it down there. With the November 1st start date, it’s right at All Saint’s Day. Oooooh, so perfect. Perfectly scary! Now I’m jonesing for October’s scary vibe….
Read on for the full deets!
Just got this, just sharing it.
Looks like a hoot. Personally, I think they should be pushing the Nina Dobrev angle – hello VD fandom! – but hey…
LET’S BE COPS
Action-Comedy
Release: Wednesday, August 13, 2014
MPAA Rating: R
Run Time: 105 minutes
Director: Luke Greenfield
Cast: Damon Wayans Jr., Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D’Arcy and Andy Garcia.Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlMIRn1_q5c
Synopsis:
It’s the ultimate buddy cop movie except for one thing: they’re not cops. When two struggling pals dress as police officers for a costume party, they become neighborhood sensations. But when these newly-minted “heroes” get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line.
Deets:
When: Thursday, August 7, 7:00pm
Where: Landmark Harbor East
How: clicky! http://l.gofobo.us/bxPM8FCm
REMEMBER: seating for screenings are always first come, first served and are not guaranteed. So get there early to get a seat.
Good luck everyone!
Love these three ladies. Love the Oceana organization. Leonardo DiCaprio helped out earlier this year, now it’s Rashida, Cobie and Angela. Niiiiice!
Read on. Read on!
(Psst: it was tough picking just a few pics. So here’s the whole set!)
New PSA and Photos Show Celebrity Trio Using Star Power to Protect the OceansWASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — A trio of Hollywood celebrities recently took their star power to Belize to help Oceana protect the largest reef in the Western hemisphere. Cobie Smulders, Rashida Jones and Angela Kinsey traveled to coastal Belize, where they raised awareness for this delicate ocean ecosystem and promoted Oceana’s ongoing work in the country.
Cobie Smulders of “How I Met Your Mother” fame filmed a new Oceana PSA in the stunning South Water Caye Marine Reserve where she visited a unique island made of mangrove trees. She swam through this critical habitat that is home to juvenile reef fish and provides shelter for them to grow before they settle on the nearby barrier reef. Once back on dry land at the Pelican Bay Resort, Smulders remarked on how amazing it was to see such a diverse and important habitat just beyond the surface of the water.
“Maybe because it’s underwater people don’t really think about it as much, but this reef is Belize and you just want it to always be there,” said Smulders. “It was really interesting to see how necessary these habitats are for the good of the reef. Oceana works really well with local governments and communities to empower them and educate them in how to preserve their local marine habitats,” she added.
A short ride away to the north, friends and “The Office” co-stars Rashida Jones and Angela Kinsey traveled together to the island of Ambergris Caye, where they stayed at The Phoenix Resort, right next to the second-largest barrier reef in the world. Oceana took Angela and Rashida snorkeling in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, where they learned about the various pressures facing this reef ecosystem and marveled at the sharks, turtles, fish, and rays that flooded this protected area.
“You can tell this area is totally protected because every fish is like ‘I’m hanging out here!'” commented Kinsey after her first snorkel. “I felt like I was in a giant encyclopedia of fish. You really see how important protecting their habitat is.”
“Hol Chan [marine reserve] is like the 405!” added Jones. “There’s every type of creature imaginable. It’s amazing to see that type of diversity in one snorkel.”
Since opening its Belize office in 2009, Oceana has tallied a number of impressive victories that include securing a national ban on destructive bottom trawling in all Belizean waters, and advocating against offshore oil drilling in Belize’s incredible marine environment.
Join Cobie, Rashida and Angela in protecting the ocean’s hidden treasures by visiting www.oceana.org/hiddentreasures.
Oceana is the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans. Oceana wins policy victories for the oceans using science-based campaigns. Since 2001, we have protected over 1.2 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and other sea creatures. More than 600,000 supporters have already joined Oceana. Global in scope, Oceana has offices in North, South and Central America and Europe. To learn more, please visit www.oceana.org.
Got a dollar to spare? A quarter?
Atomic Fangirl 