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Showing posts with the label Story

Thanksgiving,’ Eli Roth serves up a feature-length feast of gore, some of it stale

Gather ’round the table, horror fans, because Eli Roth is finally serving up his long-gestating holiday feast: the seasonal slasher movie “Thanksgiving.” The idea for this film got rolling some 16 years ago with the 2007 Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double feature “Grindhouse,” in which Roth and his longtime friend Jeff Rendell cooked up a joke trailer inspired by their love of themed horror movies and a Massachusetts childhood spent just down the road from Plymouth, the site of the first Thanksgiving. When horror fans first got their eyes on the “Thanksgiving” trailer, it sparked a fervent appetite for the whole meal, but with the full film finally hitting theaters after 16 years of discussion and development, it proves the adage — also true for Thanksgiving meals — that there can be too much of a good thing. “Thanksgiving” is an enthusiastic slasher romp in which Roth is clearly having a ball making his childhood dreams come true. But the problem here is the underbaked script, ...

Fantasia Barrino talks ‘The Color Purple,’ facing her demons and surviving a suicide attempt

Fantasia Barrino is opening up about overcoming darker times and nearly taking her own life. Barrino, who is reprising her role as Celie in the Oprah Winfrey-produced big-screen musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple,” told Variety that although she never thought she would be, she is “so HAPPY — in all caps.” After being crowned the winner of the third season of “American Idol” in 2004, Barrino told the trade outlet, she rushed to embrace her grandmother, who told her to buckle up, “because with all of this comes the storm.” In 2008, after ending her run playing Celie in “The Color Purple” on Broadway, the singer visited a church in Los Angeles, where Bishop George Bloomer warned her that she had years of pain to come. If she held on and made it through, he told her, her ending would look better than her beginning. Just two years later, amid a battle with depression and intense public scrutiny, Barrino tried to take her own life by swallowing sleeping pills and as...

Latin Grammys 2023: Latinas steal the show, sweep all major awards

Latin Grammy Awards 2023: Live updates from Sevilla The 24th edition of the Latin Grammys will bring together some of the biggest names across Latin Music and some new faces that will vie for the award for Best New Artist. This time the event isn’t taking place in Las Vegas, instead it will be hosted in Sevilla, Spain. Las cosas no se hacen precisamente temprano por estos lares. Mientras que la alfombra roja se inició después de las 6 de la tarde y terminó después de las 9 de la noche, la ceremonia oficial de premios que se transmite por televisión comenzó después de las 10 de la noche y se prolongó hasta después de la 1.30 de la madrugada. Para quienes cubrimos el evento en vivo, la jornada fue brutal. Para otros continentes, pertenecientes sobre todo a los territorios latinoamericanos y a los Estados Unidos, la idea de que el Latin Grammy se realizara tan tarde tenía sentido, incluso cuando no se iba a transmitir en vivo por allá. En lo que respecta a los trofeos, los resultados fina...

With sports and horror movies as canvas, an artist dissects the world’s digital upheaval

Emotionally creepy, intellectually disturbing and very, very loud, both audibly and visually, “Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom” is an extraordinarily compelling survey of the artist’s work in digital imagery, whether sculptures that incorporate video, room-size installations or large-format photographs. He’s been at it since the mid-1990s. The newly opened exhibition of more than 50 works at Little Tokyo’s Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art is also timely, which adds to its resonance. We have lately been swallowed up in spectacular social and political upheaval, intensified by the depredations of digital life that traffics in images of state violence. With the eruptions and disruptions of digital mass culture as its Ferrari-level engine, often represented by the roaring drama of sport, Pfeiffer’s art cogitates on power as an ongoing campaign waged between the individual and the crowd. Pfeiffer, 57, was born in Honolulu the year before Fre...

This 2023 Horror Movie May Be One Of The Best Modern Lovecraft Adaptations

Suitable Flesh is a modern exploration of ancient fears, inviting audiences to confront the terrors that lie beyond the threshold of understanding. The year 2023 promises an unsettling experience with Suitable Flesh, a spine-chilling adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story, "The Thing on the Doorstep." Directed by the visionary Joe Lynch and penned by the talented Dennis Paoli, this film brings Lovecraftian horror to life, weaving a narrative that explores the thin veil between sanity and ancient, malevolent forces. With a stellar cast including Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Davison, and Johnathon, this new horror flick ventures into the depths of psychological terror. Before delving into the depths of Suitable Flesh, it's crucial to understand the profound influence H.P. Lovecraft has had on the horror genre. Lovecraft's distinct cosmic horror, characterized by the insignificance of humanity in the face of incomprehensible cosmic entitie...

‘The Marvels’ Never Really Stood A Chance

Critics and MCU fans all have something to say about the movie, and it’s a symptom of a larger issue. Have you heard? “The Marvels” has the lowest box office earnings for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film brought in $47 million in its opening weekend. So many headlines about the film, which had a reported production budget of $274.8 million, have been screaming about its failure. This is it, folks, the end of the Marvel franchise, and it’s all because of those pesky woke women who think they can make comic book movies, many detractors said. “The Marvels” is the sequel to “Captain Marvel,” which was the MCU’s first female-led (and co-directed) film. This sequel is also a follow-up to “Ms. Marvel,” the Disney+ series that introduced the much-loved comic book character of the same name to the franchise. Yes, there are criticisms about the film that many people agree on, like the fact that some of the backstory needed more context and the villain was underdeveloped. But this vehement...

'The Marvels' Suffers 'Unprecedented Box Office Collapse'

The superhero movie may have encountered a new villain at the box office: genre fatigue. Since 2008’s “Iron Man,” the Marvel machine has been one of the most unstoppable forces in box-office history. Now, though, that aura of invincibility is showing signs of wear and tear. The superhero factory hit a new low with the weekend launch of “The Marvels,” which opened with just $47 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The 33rd installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a sequel to the 2019 Brie Larson-led “Captain Marvel,” managed less than a third of the $153.4 million its predecessor launched with before ultimately taking in $1.13 billion worldwide. Sequels, especially in Marvel Land, aren’t supposed to fall off a cliff. Yet “The Marvels” debuted with more than $100 million less than “Captain Marvel” opened with — something no sequel before has ever done. David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Research Entertainment, called it “an unprecedented Marvel bo...

John Wick Franchise Producer Expresses Interest in Doing a Bowery King Spinoff

John Wick franchise producer Basil Iwanyk weighs up the prospects of a possible Bowery King spinoff starring Laurence Fishburne. With multiple spin-offs either airing or planned since John Wick: Chapter 4, franchise producer Basil Iwanyk has expressed his interest in creating a series centered around the eponymous hitman's partner-in-crime. In an interview with Screen Rant, Iwanyk teased the prospect of creating a spin-off chronicling Laurence Fishburne's mysterious character, the Bowery King. A long-time associate of Wick, Bowery King has become a fan favorite of franchise viewers, and Iwanyk believes there's legitimacy and intrigue in a potential film or series based on the character -- one who he believes has an interesting backstory. "I like the Bowery King a lot, and I like that world," he said. "We scratched the surface of who he is and who these men are and women, and why they do what they do. I think there's something really cool about these peopl...

Viola Davis Loved Making Tom Blyth 'Squirm' on the Hunger Games Set

Oscar-winner Viola Davis loved playing the villain alongside co-star Tom Blyth in A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Viola Davis loved playing the villain in A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Academy Award winner Viola Davis discussed her role as the villain in the Hunger Games prequel movie. The actress admitted that she loved playing the villain: "Just seeing how many times you can make someone squirm — like Tom Blyth, oh man it was a joy because he was very receptive to it, so I was just so happy about poking him." The actress plays Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the gamemaker for the 10th annual Hunger Games, an imposing and ominous figure in the story. Davis Reveled in Her Villainous Duties as Volumnia Gaul Davis recalled the moments in which she had to physically prod at Blyth, such as when she had to give his character stitches. "Loved it! Absolutely loved it," she said with a smile. Upon being asked what it was like to act alongside Bl...

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Trailer Teases the Demigod's Epic Quest

A new trailer has been released for the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. A full trailer has just been released for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. An all-new adaptation of the original book series by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians was developed for Disney+ by Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg. It introduces Walker Scobell in the titular role with Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri, respectively, co-starring as Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood. The series will make its premiere on Disney+ on Dec. 20, 2023, and an early look can be seen by viewing the new trailer below. Per Disney+, Percy Jackson and the Olympians "tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus." Other cast members featured in the new se...

Dragon Ball Reveals "The Sort of Bulma That Toriyama Wouldn't" in Retro Art

Bulma takes center stage in a collection of '80s promotional artwork by manga artist Gaku Miyao originally geared toward Dragon Ball's female fans. Dragon Ball has unveiled a series of retro illustrations spotlighting Goku's beloved companion since the series' earliest conception, Bulma. X (formerly Twitter) user Todd Blankenship (@Herms98) recently showcased a series of vibrant promotional pics from the franchise's early years. According to the post, these pictures were not drawn by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama but by another manga artist named Gaku Miyao, who is now known for their Kazan series. However, the illustrations adorned the covers of Showa's line of Dragon Ball-themed notebooks, which were designed to appeal to the franchise's female fans. Therefore, Miyao made Bulma a centerpiece of the campaign, including her in every illustration alongside Son Goku. Bulma has been a staple of Toriyama's iconic shonen title since the very beginning, a...

MCU Creators Considered Making Loki's Wildest Kang Theory Reality

The team behind Marvel's Loki considered making a major He Who Remains change that would have made the show's wildest Kang the Conqueror theory true. Loki season 1 could have had He Who Remains as the variant of another major Marvel Cinematic Universe character, not Kang the Conqueror, making Loki's wildest Kang theory true. Jonathan Majors first debuted as He Who Remains in Loki, then played Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but things could have been very different. Speaking with Den of Geek, Loki producer Kevin Wright revealed that the team behind the series considered making He Who Remains a Loki variant. Check out the full quote below: “We just thought [He Who Remains] would be a great title for the last man standing in the multiversal war. In the writers’ room, all ideas are on the table, and there were conversations about what if Loki was He Who Remains. Those conversations didn’t get very far; I don’t think it even got to Tom [Hiddleston] because while ther...

Netflix's New Horror Show Just Staged The Reacher Reunion We've Been Waiting For

Netflix's latest horror series has staged a reunion between two key cast members of Reacher, who won't be returning for season 2 of Amazon's show. Netflix's new horror miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher stages the Reacher union that Amazon's series has denied viewers. While the Tom Cruise duology of Jack Reacher movies may have been a financial success, the casting of the actor himself was - and remains - controversial among fans of the books. Amazon's Reacher found its perfect embodiment of the titular avenger in Alan Ritchson, who had both the stoic humor, charm and physique to bring the hulking character to life. Perfect as Ritchson was, his co-stars in the first season deserve equal praise. Reacher season 1 cast Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe and Malcolm Goodwin as Finlay, and adapted the first novel in Lee Child's series Killing Floor. Roscoe fan Finlay help Reacher investigate the murder of Reacher's brother, which thus uncovers a criminal consp...

Two of Futurama's Most Beloved Characters Have Surprisingly Wild Kill Counts

Futurama's Bender and Turanga Leela are two of the show's biggest heroes. Despite their heroic feats, they've racked up a lot of kills over the years. The world of Futurama is one where death and murder aren't just accepted aspects of life, but a casual constant. People who should by all accounts be dead can live on as heads in jars, and characters causing countless deaths across the cosmos is brushed aside. Even with this in mind, some of the show's nominally heroic characters have racked up some horrifying kill counts over the years. In one of Futurama's darkest elements, Bender and Turanga Leela have proven to be very violent over the years. Bender especially has a staggering kill count in-universe, and Leela has even turned her wrath onto her friends in an infamous non-canon tale. Here's how two of Futurama's central characters quietly became very horrifying. Futurama's Bender Is a Literal Killing Machine A long-running gag about Bender is his an...

Current Berserk Team Discuss the Struggles of Continuing Manga After Kentaro Miura's Death

The current team behind the Berserk manga feels that they are doing Kentaro Miura proud by continuing his story. The team that is currently creating the new arc of the Berserk manga admits it was hard continuing without the original creator. The fantasy manga was created and headed up by Kentaro Miura, who sadly passed away in 2021. Many fans felt that Berserk's story would end with his passing. However, many of Miura's close friends and the manga studio decided that it would be best to continue Berserk to honor his legacy. The Return of Guts and Berserk Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga are responsible for the most recent arcs in Berserk, including the newest arc that just started. In an interview with Asahi, Mori noted that the team felt it might be too hard to continue on without Miura. However, Mori then felt that if he didn't do it, a certain someone might not be too happy: "I thought maybe I could do it. I thought Miura would be angry that I didn't do anything, so I...

Wish Will Celebrate Disney's 100 Years With 'Dozens of Legacy Nods' to Classics

The upcoming animated film Wish will pay homages to various animated Disney film since 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The upcoming Disney animated film, Wish, will include subtle nods to the studio's various fan-favorite films of the last 100 years. Wish is directed by Chris Buck known for co-directing the studio's hit films Tarzan, Frozen, and Frozen 2, and Fawn Veerasunthorn, who served as the head of story on Raya and the Last Dragon. In an interview with Entertainnment Weekly, Buck and Fawn revealed that akin to Easter eggs, the movie will throughout be paying subtle nods to classic Disney films, to celebrate Disney's 100th Anniversary. Buck and Veerasunthorn expressed their delight at finding these hidden references. "They're all over the movie," Buck said. "We are compiling a list, and I couldn't tell you how long it is now. " "There's some that we don't even know are there yet, and we may not know until they tell ...

Ahsoka: Shin Hati Fondly Reminisces About Her First Lightsaber Duel & Flying a Ship in the Star Wars Universe

Shin Hati actress Ivanna Sakhno relishes her time using a lightsaber and flying a starfighter on the Disney+ series Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) finally faced off against Shin Hati, but the Dark Jedi didn’t stand a chance against the one-time student of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). Actress Ivanna Sakhno brings Baylan Skoll’s (Ray Stevenson) apprentice to life each week on the Disney+ series Ahsoka. And for Sakhno, she’ll never forget the first time her lightsaber blazed to life on set. Sakhno said in an interview conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike (via Star Wars): “It will always stay within me as the moment when Natasha and I saw our lightsabers ignite for the first time. And I see Natasha’s eyes. And she’s looking into my eyes. And, in that moment, we could really sense that it’s the beginning. It felt like the months of training before and what was about to come balanced each other out and kind of grounded the experience. It felt like we opened the gates into ...

Chucky Season 3 Trailer Promises Bloody Halloween Inside the White House

Chucky is coming back with its Season 3, and this time, the story will take place inside the safest place in the United States, the White House. The third season of Syfy and USA Network’s hit cult horror series, Chucky, is finally arriving next month, and seems to be taking an equally ridiculous and horrific turn. Syfy released the full-length trailer on its YouTube channel, which shows that the notorious killer doll, Chucky, has somehow found his way into the White House, becoming the favorite toy of young Henry Collins, the son of President James Collins. While Chucky's motives within the nation's highest office remain unclear, the trailer teases a reunion with familiar faces from the previous seasons. In Season 3, Chucky establishes an unexpected connection with Henry, offering him companionship in the unfamiliar White House environment. The trailer reveals a key scene in which Chucky gives a FaceTime call to Jake, Devon, and Lexy, to entice them and declare, "They'...

How Logan Explores Themes of Elderly Care

Logan shows the difficulties of caring for people who suffer from Alzheimer's by portraying the father-son relationship of Professor X and Wolverine. When Logan came out in 2017, most fans believed they would be seeing Hugh Jackman's Wolverine for the last time. Because of this, the movie showed a new side of two of the most famous X-Men characters -- Logan and Professor Xavier. Logan beautifully portrays the strong bond between Wolverine and Professor Xavier, highlighting the sacrifices made in caregiving for someone with Alzheimer's disease. By presenting the mental and physical decline of Professor X, Logan opens up a discussion about the struggles of those who suffer from Alzheimer's and their caregivers. The X-Men movies showcased Professor X as a caring figure to all of his students. In Logan, that favor was returned as Wolverine was shown to deeply care for Professor X. He kept him alive and spared him the knowledge of how his uncontrolled powers killed most of h...

One Piece Theory: Mihawk Is the Son of a Roger Pirate and a Former Empress

An intruguing couple in One Piece has been considered the top candidates as Mihawk's parents, and the evidence points toward this theory being true. Despite being syndicated for over 25 years, One Piece still presents many questions that demand answers. Among its many narrative threads, there are countless events that need to be explored. While Will of D., the lineage of Shanks, and the identity of Rocks D. Xebec are but a few of these mysteries, they speak to the show's interest in the lineage of One Piece's cast. The anime explores this recurring theme time and time against. As the series approaches its long-awaited final saga, there are still several major characters whose backstories and lineage are completely unknown. Arguably, the most noteworthy of these individuals is none other than Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman. Since his first appearance in the Baratie Arc, Dracule Mihawk’s origins have been shrouded in mystery. One Piece states the swordsma...