Since it first debuted in 1977, John Williams' Star Wars score has been covered in thousands of ingenious ways by fans on a ton of different instruments. But while Rafael Aguirre doesn't get as complicated as involving flaming bagpipes to perform the songs, I appreciate the simplicity of hearing him reinterpret the iconic music on a classical guitar. Check it out below:
Via: Nerd Approved
James Wan's The Conjuring was one of the scariest films that I've seen in years. It genuinely freaked me the f**k out, and that's not an easy thing to do with me. Today we have a teaser trailer for you to watch for the upcoming sequel, The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist. This is just a taste of a full trailer that will apparently be released tomorrow.
The sequel will continue to follow the supernatural adventures of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. I believe this sequel might be even more horrifying than the first one.
The Enfield Poltergeist is based on another real life investigation the Warrens worked on in their long career. I previously came across a detailed account of what this story entailed on a website called The Committee of Skeptical Inquiry:
"In August 1977, a series of disturbances that were soon characterized as a case of poltergeist phenomena or even demonic possession began in Enfield, a northern suburb of London. The subject of a forthcoming movie, the occurrences, including the actions of an eleven-year-old girl who repeatedly 'levitated' above her bed, “held the nation spellbound” for over a year, according to Britain’s Daily Mail; 'no explanation other than the paranormal has ever been convincingly put forward'."
The tale begins with a divorced single mother named Margaret Hodgson who lived with her four children. They ranged in age from 7 to 13. The strange phenomenon started when the children began to complain that their beds were shaking during the night. There was a chest of drawers that would move in the dark and strange knocking sounds in the house. At one point there were even LEGOs and marbles that began to “zoom out of thin air and bounce off walls.” Of course, at first, Margaret thought that her kids were just making it all up or throwing LEGOs around themselves. But as things escalated, she couldn't ignore the craziness that was taking place anymore.
Apparently it wasn’t the house that was haunted, it was the kids. The two Hodgson daughters claimed to have been stalked by this poltergeist, and that it would haunt them at school and while visiting with friends. Margaret believed that it was her eleven-year-old daughter Janet who was the main focus of this poltergeist's attention. Some people were skeptical and thought that the young girl was pulling off some kind of elaborate prank.
There were a number of skeptics and investigators that came to the home to study what was going on there and try to figure things out, including Ed and Lorraine Warren. You can read more details on the incident here. There’s a lot more interesting stuff regarding the haunting there.
The movie is set to be released on June 10th, 2016.
I wouldn't be surprised if a study said Captain America: Civil War is the most anticipated new Marvel movie by fans. With the overwhelmingly positive response to the first trailer, the fact that Spider-Man is going to make his debut in the MCU, and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn calling it one of Marvel's best films yet, it seems like fans are champing at the bit to see how the conflict between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark plays out on the big screen.
(Potential spoilers ahead.)
As you know, the film is going to be packed with Avengers and a bunch of characters from the Marvel universe. One of them is Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man. But if Funko Pop Vinyls is correct, we may be seeing the insect-sized hero grow to enormous proportions in this movie:
Giant-Man NOT Ant-Man Funko Pop Vinyl for #CaptainAmericaCivilWar pic.twitter.com/TkHu7UbapZ
— Funko Pop Vinylz (@PopVinylz) January 5, 2016
I assumed we'd be seeing Lang become Giant-Man at some point in the MCU, but I figured his first appearance would come in Ant-Man and The Wasp, the planned sequel that's been added to the studio's Phase 3 lineup. But it sounds like he's going to be increasing in size even sooner than that, which means that Civil War may be even more action-packed than I thought. We'll find out if the Russo Brothers are able to control the carnage when the film opens on May 6th.
If forced to choose one, I think Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark might be my favorite movie of all time. It's infinitely rewatchable, and it introduced us to one of the coolest characters in the history of cinema, Indiana Jones. At GeekTyrant, we've written a bunch over the past few years about the kids who set out to make a shot-for-shot remake of the movie in the 1980s and famously had their production become a sensation among fans decades later. To get the complete rundown, you should read this wonderful piece by my friend Amy Nicholson at the L.A. Weekly.
Early last year, we wrote about a trailer for a movie called Raiders! The Story of The Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, a documentary that traces the history of that fan film and the three kids (now grown men) who were largely responsible for making it. The doc made the festival circuit last year, and now Drafthouse Films has acquired the rights and will release it in limited theaters and on VOD this summer with a Blu-ray/DVD release coming in the fall. This is good news for those of us who have been hearing stories about this movie for years but have never had the opportunity to see it ourselves — while the documentary won't likely include the fan film in its entirety, it should have a considerable amount of footage in it that only people who have seen the completed film have seen before.
Peter Mayhew, who has played Chewbacca in all of the live-action Star Wars films in which the character appeared, kept that streak alive in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But he wasn't the only one wearing the Wookiee suit this time around. /Film points us to a Business Insider article that profiles 29-year-old Finnish actor Joonas Suotamo, a former Penn State basketball player who answered a casting call that resulted in him playing one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars universe.
A photo posted by Joonas Suotamo (@joonassuotamo) on
Mayhew, who is 71 years old now, has to walk with a cane, so Abrams needed someone a little younger and more spry to handle the action scenes in the film.
Suotamo was on set for five months, working alongside Mayhew, who would talk to his understudy for hours about the intricacies of Chewbacca.
Following his daily morning trip to get black makeup applied around his eyes so his skin wouldn't show through the eye sockets of the Chewie mask, Suotamo would spend his time before being called to set standing next to a full-length mirror, imitating Mayhew's movements. He wanted to keep the character fresh in his mind. Chewie's scenes were often shot twice, once with Mayhew in the suit and a second time with Suotamo.
He refuses to point out the scenes in which he appears, leaving it up to fans to figure out when we're watching Mayhew's performance and when we're watching his. It seems likely that he'll continue playing the part in future movies, and maybe even fully take over the part when Mayhew retires. (When asked if he'll be back, Suotamo replied, "I would assume things will stay the same.")
Check out the full Business Insider profile here for more information, but what do you think about the new Chewie? Did you notice that it wasn't Mayhew in the costume when you were watching The Force Awakens?
A photo posted by Joonas Suotamo (@joonassuotamo) on
A photo posted by Joonas Suotamo (@joonassuotamo) on
A photo posted by Joonas Suotamo (@joonassuotamo) on
A photo posted by Joonas Suotamo (@joonassuotamo) on
James Gunn's space epic Guardians of the Galaxy looked different than a lot of the other Marvel films, but the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is going to look different than any other movie, period. Gunn tweeted that the film will be the first to shoot in 8K.
Very excited to announce Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be the first film to shoot using the RED Weapon 8k https://t.co/zxwHuykojN
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 6, 2016
Gunn and his collaborators will use the WEAPON 8K digital camera from RED, which boasts the following capabilities:
WEAPON 8K captures 8K at 75 frames per second (fps), 6K at 100 fps, or 4K at 150 fps with REDCODE® RAW; and its wide dynamic range produces cinema-quality images rich with natural color. Additionally, WEAPON 8K features interchangeable lens mounts, an intelligent OLPF system, and in-camera 3D-LUT outputs.
But thankfully, even though the system has the ability to shoot at a higher frame rate, Gunn won't be utilizing that function:
This is higher resolution, not higher frame rate. https://t.co/RZIL63QJs4
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 6, 2016
The fact that he's not bumping up the frame rate is really good news, as anyone who has ever been forced to watch something on a motion-smoothed television can tell you.
Since Guardians of the Galaxy is easily in my top two or three Marvel films, I'm very excited to see what Gunn and his team do with the follow-up, and it'll be cool to see him continue to expand on that visually fascinating world with some brand new camera technology.
Mondo is kicking off the new year with two new posters that pay tribute to Christopher Nolan's best Batman film (and arguably the best live-action Batman movie ever made), The Dark Knight.
First up are two pieces from artist Laurent Durieux, who describes them as follows:
"It's been too long since I've come up with a new print for Mondo and this one has been finished and ready for many months. I have been both very anxious and excited about the day when it would eventually be revealed. THE DARK KNIGHT is such a great film, and most certainly is my favorite of Nolan's trilogy. I hope I did it justice. A lot of TLC went into it in the hope I would. Thank you Mondo for this great opportunity!"
The Dark Knight by Laurent Durieux. 24"x36" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 425. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $60
The Dark Knight (Variant) by Laurent Durieux. 36"x24" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 225. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $90
Those posters, as well as the Heath Ledger Joker profile below from artist Mike Mitchell, will go on sale at a random time on Thursday, January 7th (find out more here). The Durieux prints will be gone as soon as they sell out, but the Mitchell piece is a timed edition that will last until Saturday, January 9th at 11:59pm CST, so you have a couple of days to place your order if you want one. Which do you like better?
The Joker by Mike Mitchell. 12"x16" giclee. Hand numbered. Timed-edition available for purchase until Saturday, January 9th at 11:59PM CST. Printed by Static Medium. $55
Some possible new information has come to light regarding Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Up until this point, all we’ve known is that the story revolves around a team of resistance fighters who embark on a dangerous mission to steal the plans to the Empire's Death Star.
Thanks to Making Star Wars, who previously offered up a ton of information regarding Star Wars: The Force Awakens before it was released, we have some rumored information to share with you regarding Mads Mikkelsen’s character Galen, and Felicity Jones' character.
Here’s the information they provide, but tread lightly because it might contain SPOILERS about the story if it’s true:
Mads Mikkelsen (Galen appears to be his name in the film) is kind of the key to the film in a way. He is a scientist that took over the Geonosian Death Star project. He solved several of the flaws the Empire could not and is sort of a revered person in the Empire for his contributions. However, Mikkelsen’s character is a Robert Oppenheimer-type character. Oppenheimer helped design the atomic bomb only to say, “Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” The guilt “Galen” feels for his contributions to the Empire become too much and he defects, attempting to make things right. In order to do this, he enlists the help of his only daughter….
Felicity Jones’ character has to undo the devastation her family has unleashed onto the galaxy. Early versions of this character had her as a bounty hunter type of mercenary. But with the familial connections it appears as if this idea might not interface with the final stuff for the character so I’m hesitant to say she’s a bounty hunter/mercenary type in the final iterations of the film. I believe she is probably a scientist-type herself in character of the mission to get the plans, aided by bounty hunters, in this final iteration. (But I could be wrong about that part.)
Again, this rumor has not been verified, but the site says that they’ve heard it multiple times from what I assume are multiple sources, so they decided to move forward with posting the information. There’s obviously a chance that none of this could be true, but it still makes for a fascinating read and gives us Star Wars fans something to speculate and talk about!
What do you think of the possible details revealed here? The movie hits theaters on December 16th, 2016.
A couple months ago we learned that Disney was developing a new live-action movie centered around the 101 Dalmatians villain Cruella de Vil. The film will be called Cruella, and according to THR, Emma Stone is in talks to play the title character.
The project doesn’t have a director yet, but the script is being written by Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks). The film is a priority for the studio and they hope to shoot it later this year.
The report says that the film will tell an origin story of the classic character. De Vil was introduced in Disney’s 1961 animated classic in which she's obsessed with capturing the dalmatians. Glenn Close played the villain in the 1996 live-action John Hughes-produced movie, which I didn’t really care for.
It's not hard to imagine Stone in the role of a young Cruella. She’s a great choice, so if Disney is able to work out a deal with her, it will be cool to see her take it on.
Stone last appeared in Aloha and will next be seen in Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, which reunites her with Ryan Gosling.
Netflix has released a new Daredevil promo teaser as they advertise that their streaming service is now available globally.
The new season will introduce The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Elektra (Elodie Yung) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a recent interview with Empire, Daredevil star Charlie Cox spoke about his character’s relationship with Elektra, saying, "I think every single man has an Elektra in their past.” He then added:
"If you imagine that relationship, a very fiery, very lustful, very loving and hating relationship, and then you add to that two people who know serious martial arts, you're going to have an interesting dynamic.”
Ya think?! As excited as I am for the action aspect of the series, and to see how The Punisher is brought to life in it, I’m also curious to see how Matt's relationships with Elektra and Claire will play out in the upcoming season.
Daredevil's second season arrives on Netflix March 25th, 2016.
Across the globe, the streets just got safer. #Daredevil #NetflixEverywhere
Posted by Marvel's Daredevil on Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Via: Comic Book
The Walking Dead Season 6 is set to return in February, and there are going to be some big things that happen, especially with the introduction of the villain Negan. Apparently, everything is leading up to a major death.
In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, The Walking Dead executive producer Greg Nicotero said that the remaining half of season six was "Relentless" and "Heartbreaking." Nicotero then went on to say, "If you read the comic book, you know we're climbing towards a major death.”
SPOILERS ahead if you haven't read the comics:
If you’ve been keeping up with the comics, then you know in issue #100 Glenn is killed off. It sounds to me like the series is going to stick with that major event. So basically, they teased his death earlier in the season just to eventually really kill him off.
Who knows, though. There’s always a chance that they will take it in a different direction. Maybe Nicotero is just being misleading to really shock us when this big event happens.
Not only will you be able to watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but now you’ll also get to taste it too, thanks to new cereal that will tie in with the film. The Batman v Superman cereal comes from General Mills, and it will premiere at the Wizard World New Orleans Comic-Con, which will take place from January 8-10.
There will be a Batman cereal and a Superman cereal for you to choose from, and as the marketing material suggests, you get to choose your side. The two flavors are Batman Chocolate Strawberry and Superman Caramel Crunch. The Superman cereal will feature pieces shaped like Superman’s shield, and the Batman cereal will feature pieces shaped like the Batman symbol.
I’ll end up giving them both a try. I’m intrigued by the chocolate strawberry flavor. It could either taste amazing or be complete garbage. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
If you’d like to learn more about the cereal and even get yourself a few coupons, go to DCSuperHeroesCereal.Tumblr.com.
Darren Aronofsky is about to boldly go where he’s never gone before with a new series that he’s developing for the National Geographic Channel. This will be an event series called One Strange Rock, and it sounds epically ambitious.
Aronofsky is producing the project alongside Nutopia’s Jane Root. According to the report, “The project is poised to film for 100 weeks around the world and in outer space, using micro- and macro-photography technology and bringing cameras where they’ve never been before.”
National Geographic Global Networks CEO Courteney Monroe said:
”We’re going to transport viewers on a mind-bending and thrilling visual adventure that will amaze and surprise.”
Aronofsky added:
"One Strange Rock explores how intricate, interwoven and fragile life as we know it is on Earth and how rare it may be in the universe. The more we appreciate how awe-inspiring the development of life on this planet has been, the more likely we are to become inspired stewards of the home that sustains it."
This series sounds like it could be incredible. I love this kind of stuff, so I’m excited to see what exactly Aronofsky and his team are going to do with this. This sounds like it will be a huge, must watch TV event
Source: THR
We were left with a lot of unanswered questions at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but those questions will likely be answered throughout the course of this new trilogy of films. One of the big questions is: who is this Snoke guy?! There was a popular theory that he was Darth Plagueis, but Andy Serkis, who plays the character, killed that theory.
There's a fascinating new fan theory that was recently brought to my attention that Supreme Leader Snoke from Star Wars: The Force Awakens might actually be Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a. Darth Vader. This is a theory that I don't really buy into, but I thought it would be worth having a discussion about it.
What makes this theory so interesting is the fact that the facial scars of Snoke almost perfectly align with the facial scars that we saw on Darth Vader when he removed his mask at the end of Return of the Jedi. Here's another photo from seventhonmars:
View post on imgur.comI can only imagine J.J. Abrams did that to throw people off and get them to speculate like we are right now. It's just really hard for me to think that this is actually the case.
Last week we posted some concept art that was done for the film that features Anakin Skywalker's force ghost. One of the artists that created the art explained that when Anakin died, he didn’t fully go to the light side of the force. He talks about how Anakin would flow back and forth between both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader, which is incredibly intriguing. As I previously wondered, does this mean he could be talking to Kylo Ren as Vader and to Luke and Rey as Anakin?
There's some interesting stuff there to think about. Obviously, we have no idea where exactly this is all going to lead, but what do you think about this fan theory that Snoke is really Anakin Skywalker?
At the start of CES 2016, there was a lot of hype over LG's bendable 18 inch screen, and now we can finally see it in action. The Verge was able to get a live demo in which a tech supervisor showed the screen bending in action! While it is super cool, I noticed they were quick to say the resolution is not quite HD, and the fact that they only let someone who was familiar with it operate it with latex gloves makes me think we are still a ways away from seeing it on the market!
Are you impressed? Underwhelmed? Constipated?
The first official teaser trailer has been released announcing Marvel's Daredevil Season 2. There's no actual footage from the series, but it does tease the introduction of The Punisher. I just love the artful imagery that was used to create this little tease to get fans pumped up and excited. As you can see, I've also included the poster above.
Just when Matt thinks he is bringing order back to the city, new forces are rising in Hell’s Kitchen. Now the Man Without Fear must take on a new adversary in Frank Castle and face an old flame – Elektra Natchios.
Bigger problems emerge when Frank Castle, a man looking for vengeance, is reborn as The Punisher, a man who takes justice into his own hands in Matt’s neighborhood. Meanwhile, Matt must balance his duty to his community as a lawyer and his dangerous life as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, facing a life-altering choice that forces him to truly understand what it means to be a hero.
The new 13 episode second season is officially set to premiere on March 18th, 2016. The series stars Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Matt Gerald, Jon Bernthal, Rosario Dawson, Elodie Yung, Scott Glen, and Stephen Rider.
Here's a story that literally no one could have predicted. After what has been an abysmal past couple years for Adam Sandler and his films, Netflix is reporting that The Ridiculous Six currently holds its highest viewing numbers OF ALL TIME. Yeah, it beat The Office, House of Cards, Beasts of No Nation, and literally everything else!
Mind you, this is the same movie that was marred with problems including racial tensions with Native Americans on set and was practically declared DOA by critics.
I'm not hating! I'm just legitimately surprised Sandler was able to dig himself out of the grave that was Pixels. I'm happy for the guy, and the Guardian reports he has three more films on the way. Guess I'll be eagerly awaiting those and check out The Ridiculous Six on Netflix later today!
I'm sure the entire Deadpool movie experience will be a trip, but nothing will throw viewers for a loop more than the hero's constant dialogue with the audience throughout the course of the film. Sure, breaking the fourth wall has been done in plenty films, but director Tim Miller tells Empire that no film has reached quite the level of "meta" this one will...
“Does he know he’s a comic book character in a comic book movie? Does he know that Ryan Reynolds is playing him, and that Ryan Reynolds also played Green Lantern? It’s a big rabbit hole, and we explore it pretty deep,”
Miller also went on to add that it will be DEADPOOL doing all this and the film really won't begin to get weird until Wade Wilson makes the transformation. That's comforting to know. Miller is really going out of his way to assure fans that he is staying 100% true to the character we know in the comics. It gives me faith that this film will be every bit as awesome as promised!
Deadpool is coming February 16th...which is a little over a month away!
A&E has released a new trailer for their upcoming series Damien, which is based on the classic 1976 horror film, The Omen. As you'll see, the series is basically a continuation of the story started in the original film, which the series connects to directly. That fact alone is pretty exciting for a horror fanatic like myself. I'm intrigued with what I've seen so far. Here's the synopsis for the series:
Damien follows the adult life of Damien Thorn, the mysterious child from the 1976 motion picture who has grown up seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. Haunted by his past, Damien must now come to terms with his true destiny — that he is the Antichrist. Barbara Hershey stars as Ann Rutledge, the world’s most powerful woman who has been tasked with making sure Damien fulfills his destiny. Omid Abtahi portrays Amani Golkar, a close colleague of Damien’s whose fierce loyalty will be tested when he realizes who his brother-in-arms actually is. Meganlyn Echikunwoke plays Simone Baptiste, a woman whose life is thrown into turmoil when tragedy unexpectedly strikes.
Damien stars Bradley James (Merlin, Homeland) as Damien Thorn, Barbara Hershey (Insidious), Omid Abtahi (Better Call Saul), and Meganlyn Echikunwoke (House of Lies).
The series is being developed by executive producer Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead). The hour-long drama is set to premiere on Monday, March 7th.
I was really deep into a random web search and out of the blue I learned that Quentin Tarantino has a foot fetish. Being a skeptic and not wanting to be sued for libel before I took this information to you, turns out it's pretty well-documented. From his early film work, to his current film work, going all the way to a leaked email where he wanted to suck someone's toes.
If you didn't toe, now you toe...here's a compilation of one of our time's most prolific directors homage to feet frame by frame.
