On today’s episode, we will conclude our TOP 20 FAVORITES SCORES OF 2016 program with the remaining ten scores on our list. Listen on PodTyrant

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Ever wonder why some cartoon characters wear gloves? I never did either, but once I saw the question there was something inside me dying to know! Unfortunately, the answer is a bit more complicated than one simple answer, but you will appreciate that each response is pretty in-depth and fleshed out! Essentially, it started as a time-saving and efficient method and eventually became steeped in tradition. I can't really think of many modern characters who still wear gloves outside of the staple Disney characters, can you? I think it's become such a Disney thing you almost instantly associate it with it if you see any other character wearing gloves!

Learn a lot more than you ever planned about early animation and gloves in the video below. 

I've enjoyed the creature designs that we've seen so far in the trailers and promos for Kong: Skull Island, all of which you can catch up on here if you want. I have a feeling were going to see a lot more creatures when we actually go see the movie.

If you're a fan of the films of Hayao Miyazaki, you'll be happy to learn that the creatures we will see in Skull Island were inspired by his designs, specifically from Princess Mononoke. This bit of trivia was revealed during a recent interview from JoBlo with producer Alex Garcia, who said:

"The creatures are a big thing. Jurassic World obviously owns the dinosaur thing right now. If Kong is the God of this island, we wanted each of the creatures to feel like they're individual gods of their own domain. Miyazaki and Princess Mononoke was actually a big reference in the way that the spirit creatures sort of have their own domains and fit within that. A big thing was trying to design creatures that felt realistic and could exist in an ecosystem that feels sort of wild and out there, and then also design things that simultaneously felt beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Where if you look at this giant spider or water buffalo, you stare at, a part of you says, 'that's the most amazing thing I've ever seen' and 'oh my god, that's going to kill me right now, I need to run for my life!

I think it's awesome that the creative design team looked to Miyazaki for inspiration. I also love that they wanted to create different, unique creatures to fill this new world of Skull Island. 

Kong: Skull Island is set to be released on March 10th. 

Medicom Toys have unveiled their official Spider-Man action figure from Spider-Man: Homecoming, and this thing is legitimately awesome. The best part is that it's super posable and can strike any kind of Spider-Man pose you can think of. 

This is easily one of the better Spider-Man action figures that I've seen. Last month Hasbro revealed their Spider-Man: Homecoming action figure line, but this one from Medicom is definitely a lot cooler.

If you're interested in pre-ordering it, you can do so right here. 

As you know, Star Wars Rebels is currently building up to a rematch between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul. I'm incredibly excited about that, but that isn't the first rematch that been envisioned between the two characters. io9 has reminded me that Dark Horse Comics's anthology series, Star Wars Visionaries, featured Kenobi and Maul going ballistic on each other. 

Star Wars Visionaries was a collection of spin-off stories created by ten Lucasfilm concept artists who had worked on Revenge of the Sith. All these stories are part of the former Expanded Universe, and the one that specifically deals with Kenobi and Maul gives us an idea of what we might see in the Rebels.

This particular story was published in 2005, and it's called "Old Wounds." It was created by Aaron McBride and followed a Darth Maul hell-bent on revenge as he hunts down Obi-Wan, who is three years into his time on Tatooine, where he is watching over Luke Skywalker. Maul tracks him down there, heads to the Lars homestead and puts Luke Skywalker's life in danger to lure Kenobi out... it works, and Kenobi is pissed. As you'll see in the comic panels below, Kenobi makes one hell of a badass entrance! He then proceeds to kick the living shit out of Darth Maul. Check it out!

Remember those crazy nightmares that Bruce Wayne was having in Batman v Superman? Well, there was a crazy looking Bat-creature that was supposed to be in one of those, and thanks to production designer Patrick Tatopoulos, you can see what that creature was going to look like. I love the wicked and terrifying look of the creature that is basically Batman as a monster. There was just no place in the story for it. The first thing I thought of when I saw the art was a quote from Stephen King's It, where Pennywise the Clown says, "Kiss me fat boy!" Then my mind immediately changed it to the creature saying to Bruce Wayne, "Kiss me bat boy!"

My bat creature from BATMAN VS SUPERMAN Design and Photoshop artwork. P. Tatopoulos. Fabrication/ makeup /application,Steve Wang -Thomas Floutz. #patricktatopoulosdesigns #creature #batman #horror #artwork #fashion #concept #makeup #friend #teamwork #dc #zacksnyder

A photo posted by Patrick Tatopoulos (@ptatopoulos) on Feb 1, 2017 at 1:32pm PST

Bumblebee and Optimus Prime are apparently no longer on good terms after this brief clip for the Transformers: The Last Knight has appeared online ahead of the Super Bowl. There will be a full commercial that airs on Sunday that will be longer than the clip we're seeing online, which I'll admit has me excited because I love what I've seen so far! 

Get an early look at the #Transformers Big Game spot now, and see the extended spot on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/QWwoadimhd

— #TRANSFORMERS (@transformers) February 3, 2017

We also were given some first real details on the film today as the synopsis was released as well...

"The Last Knight shatters the core myths of the Transformers franchise, and redefines what it means to be a hero. Humans and Transformers are at war, Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Saving our world falls upon the shoulders of an unlikely alliance: Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg); Bumblebee; an English Lord (Sir Anthony Hopkins); and an Oxford Professor (Laura Haddock).

There comes a moment in everyone’s life when we are called upon to make a difference. In Transformers: The Last Knight, the hunted will become heroes. Heroes will become villains. Only one world will survive: theirs, or ours."

It's not entirely descriptive, but it's definitely a lot more information about this film than we've known previously. I think Hasbro just got me excited about a Transformers film, and I haven't felt that feeling since the first! Transformers: The Last Knight is due out June 28th, 2019.

We'll probably never see Robert Englund reprise his role as Freddy Krueger in another Nightmare on Elm Street movie again. But thanks to an upcoming documentary called Nightmares in the Makeup Chair, we get to see Englund all decked out as Freddy Krueger at least one more time. The documentary pays tribute to the practical effects artists who have brought the iconic horror movie character to life over the years. 

The film was directed by Mike Kerz, and as Englund is having his Freddy makeup applied by makeup artist Robert Kurtzman, the actor recalls his years playing the villain and pays tribute to Wes Craven and the other people he worked with on the franchise. In a statement to EW, Englund said: 

"Nightmares in the Makeup Chair is my love letter to the Nightmare on Elm Street series and to practical makeup. I’ve always been in awe of the multi-talented makeup effects artists. From sketching to sculpting, they realize the design. Then to the fine precision of the molding and the manufacturing of the makeup appliances which are nearly paper thin. And then, the application process where I sit in the makeup chair and I become their living canvas as they glue me in and paint the appliances. This documentary not only captures their talent, but I think it might inspire a new generation of practical effects artists. I was happy to become Freddy once again to share the makeup process with the fans."

Kurtzman added:

“Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger is one of the greatest horror characters of all time, and it was exciting for me to create my own version of Freddy. I always look forward to working with Robert Englund. He’s a captivating storyteller who tells these entertaining stories in the makeup room. And during this film he tells these great stories about the Nightmare films and playing Freddy while I’m applying the Krueger makeup.”

The director said that he was inspired to make this from vintage photos he saw of legendary make-up artist Jack Pierce doing the Frankenstein makeup for Boris Karloff. Since none of those makeup sessions were never caught on film, he wanted to create this doc. He also said:

"Robert Englund is fascinating as he shares insightful stories about the Elm Street films and Freddy with the audience. And it is amazing to watch Robert Kurtzman apply the various stages of makeup to transform Robert Englund into Freddy Krueger.”

As a longtime fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, this is a doc that I or any other fans won't want to miss out on. It will come out sometime next year. 

Bioware has been quiet about the multiplayer aspect of Mass Effect: Andromeda, so it's surprising that we all the sudden learn about it through a short pre-order trailer...read more on GameTyrant

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When I saw the most recent trailer for Disney's upcoming Beauty and the Beast live-action adaptation, one idea dominated my thoughts: this looks like the most expensive sweded video ever made. We feature videos here all the time of fans creating shot-for-shot remakes of their favorite movies and trailers, and this looks like Disney is essentially doing the same thing, only with a massive budget.

Indiewire points us to this video from YouTuber xBenQCatx which compares the new footage with the animated classic, and while there are some slight differences, overall it's very, very close to the original. Take a look: 

Beauty and the Beast arrives in theaters on March 17, 2017.

With John Wick: Chapter 2 only a few days away from release, star Keanu Reeves has locked down a lead role in a new (admittedly less action-heavy) movie. Variety reports that he'll headline a film called Siberia, in which he will "portray an American diamond trader trying to sell blue diamonds of dubious origin to buyers in Russia. As the deal begins to collapse he falls into an obsessive relationship with a Russian cafe owner in a small Siberian town while colliding with the treacherous world of the diamond trade from which he is unable to extricate himself."

Siberia will unite Reeves with producer Stephen Hamel, who produced the sci-fi romance Passengers (which Reeves was attached to star in at one point a couple of years ago); Hamel wrote the treatment for this movie, and Scott Smith (A Simple Plan, The Ruins) is writing the screenplay. Matthew Ross will direct, and here's where it gets a little confusing: this is not the Matt Ross who directed Captain Fantastic and is reportedly on the shortlist of directors to take over The Batman following Ben Affleck bailing on that film's director's chair. It's a different guy altogether, one who made his feature directorial debut with last year's Frank & Lola.

So...Keanu Reeves in a Russian romance and tangled up with sketchy diamond traders. Judging solely on the premise and the track record of those involved, this could end up being pretty solid, or it could be a direct-to-DVD level afterthought. What do you think?

Marvel has announced the cast of its upcoming Hulu series The Runaways, and it includes six young actors I'm not familiar with at all. Below you'll find photos of each actor along with a description of the character that they'll be playing in the series. Before we get to that, here's a brief plot summary that they offered:

Every teenager thinks their parents are evil. What if you found out they actually were?  “Marvel’s Runaways” is the story of six diverse teenagers who can barely stand each other but who must unite against a common foe–their parents.

When talking about the cast that they've gathered together for this series, Jeph Loeb, Executive Producer and Head of Marvel Television, said:

"The fun and chemistry that this group of talented actors create is wonderful and we’re so excited to bring these beloved characters to life." 

Runaways comic co-creator and series executive consultant Brian K. Vaughn added:

"I’m so excited for fans of the comic to watch this perfect cast of amazing actors, all of whom embody the spirit of their characters more than I ever could have imagined."

I don't know what to expect from this series, but I'm hoping that it turns out to be a great series. 

Rhenzy Feliz (Teen Wolf, Casual) as Alex Wilder is a loud-and-proud nerd. Admittedly a bit of a loner, Alex spends much of his free-time playing video games, but deep down, what he wants most is to reunite his childhood group of friends.

Lyrica Okano (The Affair, Unforgettable) Nico Minoru–tough, intelligent, and independent–embodies teenage angst. A budding “Wiccan,” Nico’s carefully crafted goth appearance isolates her from her peers and family, but maybe what she really needs is someone to talk to.

Virginia Gardner (Goat, Little Bitches) as Karolina Dean, model-perfect exterior with a lot going on behind her professionally whitened smile, is burdened by the lofty expectations and responsibilities put upon her by her parents. Underneath her veneer of privilege and perfection, Karolina is experiencing a newfound eagerness to explore her identity and pursue her own desires.

Ariela Barer (New Girl, One Day at a Time) as Gert Yorkes is a purple-haired, bespectacled, contemporary riot grrrl. Never passing up a moment to stand on a soapbox, Gert sometimes wields her persona as a brash social justice warrior to mask her true feelings.

Gregg Sulkin (Faking It, Don’t Hang Up, Anti Social) as Chase Stein is a lacrosse-playing, high school heartthrob. While many write him off as a dumb jock, Chase exhibits flashes of untapped brilliance in engineering, not unlike his wildly successful father’s.

Allegra Acosta (100 Things to do Before High School, Just Add Magic) as Molly Hernandez, the youngest and most innocent member of her friend group, is known for her peppy positivity and a deep yearning to belong.

Black Canary has been announced for Injustice 2 and she looks like the most exciting hero to play as yet! Her character clearly isn't based off the Black Canary's we've...read more on GameTyrant

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Some of you may be too young to remember City Slickers (that wasn't the case for City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold, which was nominated for a Razzie for worst sequel), but the first movie made some serious bank for Columbia Pictures back in 1991. It was a western comedy in which Billy Crystal and Daniel Stern played city dwellers who head out on a cattle drive. All sorts of '90s-era shenanigans ensue, and since Westworld is all the rage for HBO right now, the team at Funny or Die managed to get Crystal and Stern to reprise their roles in a new parody video that brings their characters into the Delos-controlled theme park.

Via: ScreenCrush

Marvel has released some new photos from their upcoming Netflix series Iron Fist. The images feature Finn Jones as Danny Rand showing off his martial arts skills along with a new look at Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri Hogarth, Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, and more. 

I'm excited for this series, and after seeing what Marvel has done with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, I have high expectations for Iron Fist. So far everything I've seen has looked great! 

In Marvel’s Iron Fist, billionaire Danny Rand (Jones) returns to New York City after being missing for years, trying to reconnect with his past and his family legacy. He fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.

The Marvel’s Iron Fist cast also includes Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing, David Wenham as Harold Meachum, Jessica Stroup as Joy Meachum, and Tom Pelphrey as Ward Meachum.

Iron Fist premieres on Netflix on March 17, 2017, and there will be 13 episodes. 

As Phil Lord and Chris Miller started shooting the Han Solo standalone film, Donald Glover has recently been spotted hanging out with Billy Dee Williams! It's pretty cool to see Young Lando Calrissian meeting old Lando Calrissian. There's no doubt that Glover is looking for some help and advice on playing the character. You can check out the photo below, which was shared on Reddit.

This must've been such a cool experience for Glover, who has expressed his admiration of Williams and his portrayal of Lando. While previously talking to SciFi Now, Glover explained that he will never be cool as Billy Dee Williams:

"I think the point of all of this is just to make people believe you, so I just keep thinking about that. I’m not Billy Dee Williams; I am not that cool. I don’t think anyone is really, but I just had to make it believable. I had to do my own ‘cool’. I called my mum and my dad when I heard I’d won the role, and she said to me, ‘Don’t mess this up. This is Billy Dee Williams, and he is really cool.’ I take it very seriously."

Glover is going to be great in this role. It's inspired casting, and I'm excited to see how he takes this classic Star Wars character and makes it his own. 

Asses are being kicked and bodies are falling in two new ads for John Wick: Chapter 2! There's a little bit of new footage in both of these TV spots, but for the most part, it's the same cool footage you've seen before. That doesn't make it any less awesome to watch, and I still got chills watching Keanu Reeves go to work as John Wick! I can't even begin to imagine how crushed I'll be if this film doesn't live up to the original. John Wick: Chapter 2 will be in theaters February 10th!

The director of The Hallow and the upcoming remake of The Crow, Corin Hardy, is set to direct The Conjuring spin-off horror film The Nun. If you saw The Conjuring 2, I'm sure you all remember that creepy ass demonic nun from the movie that haunted Vera Farmiga’s character.

I imagine this film will tell a prequel type story of this evil nun like the Annabelle spin-off. There are no story details for the film yet, but this is such a terrifying and intriguing character I'm curious to see how this story will turn out. 

Hardy will direct from a script written Gary Dauberman and James Wan, who is also producing the film. This will be the next film that Hardy directs and he will do it before he gets to The Crow, which has been in development hell for years.

The demonic nun was a last minute addition to The Conjuring 2. It was originally just supposed to be a regular demon with horns, but when Wan pitched the idea to the studio right before they started shooting, they gave him their blessing. I'm glad they did because it's such a freaky entity. 

One of the things that has sort of fallen to the wayside in a lot of commentary about movies  is the way the camera actually moves within the film. I'm certainly guilty of not talking about this as much as I should in articles every day, but the importance of communicating information wordlessly through camera movements in our pop culture entertainment doesn't deserve to be overlooked. It's something we all internalize and comprehend (or most of us, anyway), but we should be having legitimate discussions about the ways directors choose to move their cameras to tell a story.

Thankfully, Cinefix is here with a video essay looking at exactly that. They've chosen five movies to highlight here, and if you consider yourself a movie fan, you'll probably want to watch and see what they have to say:

On the heels of this morning's clip of the Transformers: The Last Knight Super Bowl ad, Michael Bay has announced he's officially leaving the franchise...again. He's said himself he would leave almost as many times as there have been sequels to the first film in the series, a fact which he acknowledges in a blog post written to fans...

"It’s bittersweet for me. With every Transformers film, I’ve said it would be my last. I see the 120 million fans around the world who see these movies, the huge theme park lines to the ride and the amazing Make- A-Wish kids who visit my sets, and it somehow keeps drawing me back. I love doing these movies. This film was especially fun to shoot. But, this time might really be it. So I’m blowing this one out."

While he has lied before, it could be very likely that Bay will exit the series with this film. I know there have been big meetings leading up to this film about the future direction of the Transformers franchise and what it will be going forward, and maybe those talks have included putting a fresh face in charge of the series. 

Of course, it's a big job to find a director who can helm a series which has raked in billions worldwide over its lifetime, so if a new director is in talks for the film, we would expect they would be a big name. No one is really coming to mind who could do Transformers better than Bay. Who do you think would be the right fit for the job? Do you really believe Michael Bay is done with Transformers?