Fans of Marvel’s Ultimate line will in no way be surprised to hear that once again, a new creative team will be taking the reins of the line and completely changing the status quo. It happened before when Jeph Loeb took over and brought about the insane Ultimatum series, which had wide sweeping effects across the whole universe. Basically, every character you really liked ended up dying horribly tragic deaths.
So we were then given Ultimate Comics, a fresh take on what was left of the Ultimates Universe, but it was bogged down with poor shipping schedules and unconnected storylines. So now it has been announced that the new creators Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer are coming in to turn the Ultimate U. into a more cohesive involved universe, promising at least monthly shipping and another batch of wide sweeping chances to kick off after the “Death of Spider-Man” storyline currently running in Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man.
Over the last week they have revealed 4 books that will be released under the new Ultimate Comics Reborn initiative, so keep reading to see if your favorites make the cut.
When I was a kid, it was HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax. Those were the ‘Big 3’ premium channels. And while HBO was the biggest, they all competed with one and other. Then more than a decade ago, HBO separated itself with its original programing.
In a huge vomit inducing report, Keanu Reeves is in talks with the studio bringing us Akira to play one of the main characters. I wasn’t crazy about the front runners to play Kaneda and Tetsuo before, but Keanu Reeves? And now it takes place in Neo Manhattan instead of Neo Tokyo? Jeez, why not just call his character Kevin and call the movie a U.S. equivalent of Akira? Adam perhaps, or Alex. Why does it need to have anything to do with Akira when it’s the complete opposite of everything but the plot. And I’m willing to bet that the plot will be warped somehow too.
The latest word ’round the campfire about Oz: The Great and Powerful was that Sam Raimi and Disney were having a little bit of a casting spat. Raimi wanted Hilary Swank to play the role of Evanora, the wicked witch of the East. Disney on the other hand wanted Michelle Williams to occupy the role. Thankfully neither one of them was given the role and it has since passed to Rachel Weisz.
I am totally digging Weisz being in this role. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a movie as a villain so this will be refreshing. Plus if she’s the sister of Mila Kunis it had better someone almost as hot cast in the role. Hilary Swank may be able to act but she is pretty hideous next to Kunis.
What a great wicked witch she'll be
So I would seem like the main characters of the movie have all been cast with the addition of Weisz as Evandora. If you haven’t heard anything about the movie, James Franco will be playing the Wizard as he first arrives in the merry old land of Oz and Mila Kunis will be playing the future Wicked Witch of the West. Sound off below on how you think the movie is starting to look cast wise!
What Ever Happened to Original Summer Movies? It’s Okay, I Made a Solid List For You to Watch…
When I volunteered to do an article about summer movies, I felt right at home. Ever since we were in high school, Doc Kronner and I would set up movie events in the summer where we would gather scores of friends together to partake in the best and worst movies of the season. But they were event movies for a reason, we would always debate afterwards whether one movie was better than the other, how much it impressed us or let us down. It was great times to be had. Needless to say, I had my list of ten movies that I was looking forward to. A solid ten in my mind that I could get myself excited about.
Then I got the bomb dropped on me. I had to do the article that involved no sequels and no comic book movies. That kind of made me blow up my list and start from scratch. The tent pole pictures of the summer were all comic book movies or sequels. I actually had to research what was coming out this summer in order to write this article. However, I’m glad it worked out this way, because I think I have some stuff you guys need to check out. Not because it has a built-in fan base, but because it just looks damn interesting and it’s about time we covered something original for the summer, right? So in chronological order, I have some summer movies you need to check out that are either original, or might be flying under your superhero radar.
Bridesmaids (May 13)
Now, I hate the marketing team that keeps begging this the female equivalent of The Hangover. It should be expected considering the massive success of the movie, but remember when The Sweetest Thing was supposed to be the solution to the R-Rated female comedy? Let’s keep the comparisons on the down low and look at the basics. You have a Kristen Wiig starring vehicle. Check. She wrote it too? Check. Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, and Ellie Kemper? Check. Aww, sweet, Jon Hamm? Yeah, sign me up. As long as the Target Lady or Gilly doesn’t show up, I’m game.
Hesher (May 13)
Okay, technically this film has been around since early 2010 doing the film circuit run, but it’s finally getting a wide release this summer and it’s definitely going to be way under the radar. It’s my job to make sure you see this movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Hesher, a bad-ass troublemaker that enters the lives of T.J. (Devin Brochu – Rubber) and his dad (Rainn Wilson) after the loss of his mother. Natalie Portman is also in this movie, and since she is the only reason I would ever punt a small animal just so she can say ‘hi’ to me, that means I would be seeing this movie. But the thing is, this movie is supposed to be awesome. Even without Natalie, I think I would still be talking about how we need to see this movie. The trailer’s nice, go check it out and see why Gordon-Levitt is starting to become one of my favorite actors.
Super 8 (June 10)
This is the closest movie to an ‘event flick’ on my list. Amongst my friends, I think I was one of two that actually made it to the end of Lost after six seasons. I actually DVR’d Undercovers too, so that shows I am a J.J. Abrams slappy. However, the guy is a great storyteller, and Spielberg endorses him, so you know you are going to get a visual treat. And lens flares. Like, a million of them.
Regardless, this has Kyle Chandler(I will always carry the football for you Coach Taylor) and it has a childhood nostalgic feel to it. Abrams combined the plot of a monster/alien movie getting loose with a dramatic idea he had about growing up making Super 8 films with his friends, and getting fascinated with filmmaking. Yet another coming of age movie, but throw a little action and sci-fi in there and you get probably the movie I most look forward to on my list.
Horrible Bosses (July 8th)
Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis. C’mon now, that’s friggin’ sweet. Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, and Kevin Spacey play the bosses they want to murder? Okay, you had me at hello. The big kicker? According to IMDB, Jaime Foxx plays a guy named ‘Motherf*cka Jones’. Done and done. I am all for seeing Charlie Day get more prominent roles seeing as it feels like we wait forever for Always Sunny.
Also, Julie Bowen is also in it, so it’s another reason to see if she yells an awkward, “HAPPY LOOK OUTAH!”
Cowboys & Aliens (July 29)
Yeah yeah, it’s based off a graphic novel. I don’t care, I need to mention this movie, which is also the second movie on my list that screams ‘event movie’. James Bond, Indiana Jones, Olive Wilde, Sam Rockwell…uhh, hello awesome cast? I remember seeing the first teaser trailer one year ago where no one knew what the movie was until the title card came. I remember people in the theater groaning asking aloud, “You cannot be serious…” I then turned to my girlfriend and she turned to me and said, “We have to see that on the title alone.” And that is why I hang out with awesome people. But I digress. It’s a high concept movie, but with Jon Favreau behind the lens I think we will be good hands. Or we better hope so because he passed on Iron Man 3 and Avengers for this. That has to count for something, right?
30 Minutes or Less (August 12)
Aziz Ansari is a genius. He’s probably the best sidekick to have in anything media related, because he steps in with the best observations or reactions to make awesome comedy. With Jesse Eisenberg playing straight man to Aziz’s manic best friend, that should be on the list. If I attempt to explain the plot, I tend to lose interest because it sounds pretty weird. Just know that Eisenberg digs Ansari’s sister, has a bomb strapped to his chest, and must rob a bank so Danny McBride can hire a hitman. See? How that’s how you set a tease.
So let me start this off by saying AMC can do now wrong in my book. With home runs like The Killing, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead any new show they put out is at least worth a first watch…with the exception of Rubicon. Seriously though, was anyone able to pay attention to that show any longer than 3 episodes? Well, obviously not. Anyways, I’ll give them a free pass on that one since they rolled out The Walking Dead soon after.
Their next big show, Hell on Wheels, is a story of vengeance set in post-Civil War United States (That is the Reconstruction Era for all you history buff’s. Click HERE to learn what you should have already known from grade school, or visit your local library!) during the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. The show is centered around a Confederate soldier named ‘Cullen Bohannon’, played by Anson Mount, whose search for the Union soldier who brutally raped and murdered his wife brings him to work on the railroad.
Anson Mount is seen here hugging his ‘Crossroads’ co-star Britney Spears.
Levine plays the man in charge of building the section of railroad and who hires Cullen, while Meaney plays the opportunistic business man Thomas ‘Doc’ Durant, the driving force behind the construction of the railroad. The show also stars actress Dominique McElligott who is part of the team of surveyors mapping the railroad’s course, all the while taking care of her sick husband.
Here is the latest trailer:
Looks pretty sweet and definitely worth a watch if you ask me… Which you if you are reading this you obviously are, SO WATCH IT!!!
Grizzly Bomb 