Bronycon! Or how I met a buncha ponies.

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Denise

Today started the three-day pony hugfest that called BronyCon.  And it was magnificent.  Bro-hoofs, hugs and compliments were the rules of the day, and everyone was made to feel welcome and a part of the tribe.  I like this fandom.  Even waiting in line was fun, with calls of “Marco!”  “Polo!” and of course “Twilight!”  “Sparkle!”  And then there was the fun run to registration.

So, let’s get straight to the pictures, shall we?  Because the less said about the money I dropped at the merch room the better.  Hey, I needed that “Trust me, I’m a Doctor” t-shirt!  What?

Okay one thing; the psychology & analysis panels were superb.  Special shout-out to the folks who ran Friendship is Academic and the hilarious (yet informative) Thoroughly Analyzing MLP; FiM.  Cartoons: Playfully Transgressing Normative Codes was especially awesome, with tons of historical data on “girls comics”, sociology and gender studies.

Well done, BronyCon. Well done.

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Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Denise

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Nutshell: I. Am. Groot. A

Have you been loving the Guardians of the Galaxy trailers that show snippets of the film with groovy 70s rock? Well, then you’re gonna be blown out of your socks when you see the film. A fun-filled, self-aware, tongue-firmly-in-cheek explosion of special effects, smackdowns and fanboy shoutouts that definitely delivers. Scared the Powers That Be wouldn’t be able to bring this group of relative unknowns to the big screen and do ‘em justice? Worry no longer.

A young boy sits by his mother’s hospital bed, trying to will the inevitability of her death out of existence. He runs out of the hospital just after her machines confirm the end, and is hit by a bright beam of light. Cut to 26 years later and a grownup — well, physically anyway — Quill (Chris Pratt) is a space thief on a mission; steal a round globe thingy. What does it do? Is it something important? Is it ticking? Quill doesn’t know, and doesn’t care. He’s in debt to his former boss (Michael Rooker, rockin’ the blue makeup) and needs the cash. Of course, he gets busted. But then thanks to a plot progression I won’t ruin here, he meets with fellow sorta-kinda-badguys Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper, ‘Serkis’ed by Sean Gunn), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Dax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) and Thanos’ adopted daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldana). After the usual push-n-shove, they decide to figure out how to get out of jail, and how to get themselves back on their respective tracks. But it seems that everyone wants that round globe thingy, for various reasons. Including Gamora’s poppa, who has sent henchman Ronan (Lee Pace, looking a lot more bulky and dangerous than his Pushing Daisies days) to go get it. Cue cliffhanger music!

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: The Hundred-Foot Journey

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Denise

This looks adorable. And it’s got Helen Mirren in it, so it’s definitely worth a look. Plus free passes to The Hundred-Foot Journey, so why not, right?

Oh, here’s the synopsis:

In “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, the Kadam family, led by Papa (Om Puri), settles in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, it is both picturesque and elegant – the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, the Maison Mumbai. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin-starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren) gets wind of it. Her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant a hundred feet from her own, escalate to an all-out war between the two establishments – until Hassan’s passion for French haute cuisine and for Madame Mallory’s enchanting sous chef, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), combine with his mysteriously delicious talent to weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin with the flavors of life that even Madame Mallory cannot ignore. At first Madame Mallory’s culinary rival, she eventually recognizes Hassan’s gift as a chef and takes him under her wing.

“The Hundred-Foot Journey” abounds with flavors that burst across the tongue. A stimulating triumph over exile, blossoming with passion and heart, with marjoram and madras, it is a portrayal of two worlds colliding and one boy’s drive to find the comfort of home, in every pot, wherever he may be.

Read on for how to get yourself a pair o’ passes!

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Into The Storm

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Denise

into the storm onesheetReady for more screenings?  Yeah baby!  This time it’s for the crazy-cool weather flick Into The Storm. Y’know, the one with the plane-nado? And Laurie Sarah Wayne Callies from The Walking Dead?

Well, there’s passes to be had; read on to see how to grab your pair!

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First Mockingjay trailer hits. ¡Viva la Revolución!

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Denise

ourleadermockingjay trailer image

*throws two-finger salute.  no not that one*

Alright y’all.  Rested from a weekend of Comic-Con Twitter trolling (or actual attendance)?  Then let’s get started, shall we?

Needs no introduction, but let’s type something here anyway.  See Katniss and District 13 gear up for a takeover!  Cool-ass tree-climbers! (District 7 lumberjacks, perhaps?)  People being gunned down for the Mockingjay symbol! And is that Natalie Dormer as Cressida? Yes it is!Julianne Moore looking V important and serious.  Meet the new boss?

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 hits theaters November 21, 2014.  Hit up twitter with #OurLeaderMockingjay to let ’em know what you think!

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Elsewhere Review: Lucy

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Denise
[Actually this is more of a “posted it on Geek for e as a favor, but wrote it for here” kinda thing. You with me? Oh who cares about the backstory — on with the show!]

Nutshell: I’d give Lucy a B.  An exploding piñata of violence, humor and scientific mumbo-jumbo that may not be completely coherent but is easy to watch and enjoy.  Enough tongue-in-cheek to keep the stranger bits afloat, and Johansson shines.  Come for the ol’ ultraviolence, stay for the Deep Thoughts.

Movie Review: Lucy

Twitview: Existential sci-fi at it’s most fun. Johansson’s best performance to date.  B

Man, I’d love to be able to mainline Luminosity and really be a big-brained mofo.  You too?  Scarlett Johansson’s gal is in the wrong place at the wrong time (or maybe it’s all right?) and gets to discover what it’s like to be 100% brilliant in Lucy.  If 100% comes with goons trying to kill me, and my body trying to come apart at the atomic level?  Maybe I’ll accept my limits.

Lucy (Johansson) has spent some funtimes with a guy named Richard.  Richard has a delivery to make, but he doesn’t want to make it.  So he does what any other nice guy would do; he handcuffs a briefcase onto the girl he just shagged, and forces her to do it.  Lucy gets in over her head real fast, and before she knows it, she’s got a bunch of stitches on her abdomen and a gut full of blue crystal that’s supposed to be the next big wonderdrug for all the junkies out there.  When one of her mob babysitters kicks her in the gut for saying no to his advances, Lucy gets to know what it’s like to ride that particular drug train…and it’s a whole lot more than it’s developers had in  mind.  As her mind begins to expand, and crazy new powers develop, she decides to take down the jerks who did this to her.  Meanwhile, Professor Norton — neuroscientist extraordinaire — gets a phone call from a woman who embodies all his hypotheses, looking for help.  Guess who?

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Kios Chronicles webcomic coming to bookstores

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Denise
Image: BookWhirl

Image: BookWhirl

Webcomics are definitely a great way to get your fix if you can’t get to your local comic-book shop.  I love Crossed: Wish You Were Here and The Eighth Seal myself.  The Kios Chronicles is a newbie to me, but they had me at manga so I had to share.  The press release below could use a few editorial tweaks (comma party y’all!) but other than that it’s intriguing.

Writer/artist Adam Stoak looks like he gives good pencils  & colors.  Read on for more info on the series….

Can a 12-Year-Old Shepherd Boy Be King?

An adventure-fantasy series begins with Kios Chronicles, which will be featured at this year’s Beijing Book Fair on August 27-31, 2014 in Beijing, China

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — A fantasy battle manga is sure to engage adventure comic book readers in author Adam Stoak’s Legend of the King: Kios Chronicles. Readers get to follow a 12-year-old Kios and the challenges and adventures he endures on his way to attain the throne of Kavalie. There’s fun, action, thrill, and so much more in the pages of this exciting read.

A fearless 12-year-old shepherd boy named Kios is living an ordinary life, when he meets the mystical seer, Zora, and his life is suddenly transformed forever. Zora selects Kios to be the newly anointed king of Kavalie. But attaining his throne won’t be easy because there’s already a king on the throne and King Azor is not willing to relinquish the crown to anyone – especially not to the likes of a young, unproven whelp. While on his journey to fulfill his new destiny, Kios finds that the journey is loaded with colossal challenges. At every turn, there are overwhelming obstacles to conquer.

Complicating matters for Kios even more is the ever present threat of the Dark Nation, which has been at war with the Kavalie people for more than 100 years. So, to keep his people safe, Kios must face off against, and defeat the 7 invincible Dark Lords. The first Dark Lord he would face is the Giant Gath who has no problem crushing him. Can Kios overcome these obstacles and claim his rightful place as king?

This book is available online and can be purchased at http://www.westbowpress.com, http://www.amazon.com and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

Legend of the King: Kios Chronicles by Adam Stoak
Publication Date: August 20, 2012
Price: $16.95; 126 pages; ISBN 9781449762841

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The Best of Me: images and poster! Love! Heartbreak! Kleenex!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Denise

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When it’s October, I’m usually hip-deep in horror.  But love is good too.

Michelle Monaghan (True Detective) and James Marsden (X-Men, 30 Rock) play the lovebirds.  The synopsis from IMDb is rather brief, but as this is a Nicholas Sparks joint, how in-depth does it have to be?  This is romance, not rocket science y’all.

A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.

Expect the usual (re)meet-cute, falling-in-love montage, obstacle and besting of obstacle.  As I’m a chick-flick addict and a bona-fide Sparks junkie (see: The Lucky One, The Vow), I’m probably swinging to the “this’ll be fun” side of the fence with this latest Sparks cinematic outing.  I might just wedge it into my usual Halloween horrorfest.

The Best of Me opens October 17, 2014.  L’amour!  L’amour! (Points to the House that can tell me what movie that’s from….)

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Ready preee-verts? 50 Shades of Grey has first images for ya!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Denise

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Mr. Grey will see you now y’all.

As I haven’t read the books — though I’ve totally enjoyed the snarkfest that is Linotte Reads 50 Shades series on Persephone  — all I know is that the 50 Shades of Grey series is wannabe S&M for soccer moms that seem to wish for spousal abuse.  (It ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, ladies.)

But, I’ll be there for the screening, because I love sculpted abs just as much as the next sculpted-ab lover.  ‘Til then?  Check out these images from the film.  And don’t forget; Fifty Shades of Grey (spelling out the number in the theatrical version, in case you were wondering) will open February 13, 2014.  Because nothing says I Love You more than a man that can’t feel love unless he’s beating someone!

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Ready for Insidious 3? Wanna visit the set?

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Denise

Gotta say that Insidious & Insidious 2 were great twists on the same-ol’ horror.  For folks who feel the same, Focus Features has started a FB & Twitter contest, with the winner getting a grand tour of the set.  Not to shabby, right?

You like Facebook.  You like Twitter.  Like a free movie-centric vacation?  Then read on for the deets!

If you win, take me?  Please?  Or just spam me with pictures.  Either one works!

***

<blockquotefocus features logo
>INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 BEGINS PRODUCTION

FAN SWEEPSTAKES LAUNCHED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA MONICA, July 22nd, 2014 – Focus Features, Entertainment One (eOne), Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA), and Blumhouse Productions announced today that Insidious: Chapter 3 has begun production in Los Angeles. Leigh Whannell, co-creator of the terrifying horror franchise, is writing and directing the new movie.

To commemorate the start of production of the series’ newest chapter, Focus is launching a sweepstakes on the official Insidious Facebook (www.facebook.com/InsidiousMovie) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/InsidiousMovie) pages. Insidious buffs and fans will have the chance to win a trip for two to Los Angeles to visit the set of Insidious: Chapter 3. The contest begins on Tuesday, July 22nd, and ends on Friday, July 25th. The contest’s complete official rules can be accessed at www.focusfeatures.com/article/insidious_set_visit.

Insidious: Chapter 3 stars Dermot Mulroney (of August: Osage County) and Stefanie Scott (of Blumhouse’s upcoming Jem and the Holograms) alongside Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, and Mr. Whannell, with the latter trio reprising their roles from the first two movies in the franchise.

In Insidious: Chapter 3, a twisted new tale of terror begins for a teenage girl and her family, predating the haunting of the Lambert family in the earlier movies and revealing more mysteries of the otherworldly realm The Further.

Focus Features will release Insidious: Chapter 3 domestically nationwide on Friday, May 29th, 2015. eOne will distribute the picture in Canada, U.K., and Spain; and Sony will distribute the picture in the rest of the world. Jason Blum of Blumhouse, who produced both previous movies in the series, is producing the next installment with returning producer Oren Peli and franchise co-creator James Wan, who directed the two earlier films written by Mr. Whannell with story by Mr. Wan and Mr. Whannell. Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Steven Schneider, Charles Layton, and Xavier Marchand are executive-producing Insidious: Chapter 3.

Insidious, released in 2011, and Insidious: Chapter 2, released in 2013, grossed a combined $257 million worldwide.

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