Tim Robbins has been a prominent actor in the industry ever since his impressive films in the 90s. His incredible performances in Jacob’s Ladder and The Shawshank Redemption made him a household name. He went on to earn an Oscar for his heartbreaking performance in 2003’s Mystic River.
Tim Robbins in 1990’s Jacob’s Ladder
Robbins made a surprising entry into the superhero world with the 1986 film Howard the Duck. The film was a colossal flop at the time of release and was not received well. However, Robbins is not against returning for a proper modern revival of the character, but he wants it to have a different tone than the over-the-top nature of the 1986 film.
Tim Robbins Will Only Return to the Marvel Universe in a Badass Howard the Duck Film Tim Robbins’ Howard the Duck film was a complete misfire
Among his illustrious work in the 80s and 90s,...
Tim Robbins in 1990’s Jacob’s Ladder
Robbins made a surprising entry into the superhero world with the 1986 film Howard the Duck. The film was a colossal flop at the time of release and was not received well. However, Robbins is not against returning for a proper modern revival of the character, but he wants it to have a different tone than the over-the-top nature of the 1986 film.
Tim Robbins Will Only Return to the Marvel Universe in a Badass Howard the Duck Film Tim Robbins’ Howard the Duck film was a complete misfire
Among his illustrious work in the 80s and 90s,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Rahul Thokchom
- FandomWire
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck, but a new poster for a supposed Marvel Studios-produced Howard the Duck movie has ruffled a few feathers.
In 1986, mainstream audiences were introduced to one of Marvel’s lesser-known characters: Howard the Duck.
The only problem? The means through which that introduction was accomplished. Director Willard Huyck’s film Howard the Duck is widely regarded as one of the worst motion pictures ever hatched.
Read full article on The Direct.
In 1986, mainstream audiences were introduced to one of Marvel’s lesser-known characters: Howard the Duck.
The only problem? The means through which that introduction was accomplished. Director Willard Huyck’s film Howard the Duck is widely regarded as one of the worst motion pictures ever hatched.
Read full article on The Direct.
- 4/3/2024
- by Jennifer McDonough
- The Direct
Dianne Crittenden, casting director on some of the most notable features of the 1970s and ’80s including “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” “Days of Heaven” and “Pretty Woman,” died March 19. She was 82.
She died Wednesday in Pacific Palisades, Calif., according to her friend and mentee Ilene Starger.
Crittenden would go on to have a prolific career in casting lasting over 40 years. Crittenden’s credits include “The Thin Red Line,” “On Golden Pond,” “Witness,” “Badlands,” “Oh! God,” “Howard the Duck,” “Wise Guys” and “Spiderman 2.” She was nominated for a CSA Artios award for “Witness.” She worked with some of the industry’s most prominent directors, such as Ridley Scott, Peter Bogdanovich, Wes Craven, George Romero and Brian De Palma.
In a 2010 featurette included in the Criterion Collection release, Crittenden spoke about her experiences working with Terrence Malick, or “Terry” as she calls him, on his WWII drama “The Thin Red Line.
She died Wednesday in Pacific Palisades, Calif., according to her friend and mentee Ilene Starger.
Crittenden would go on to have a prolific career in casting lasting over 40 years. Crittenden’s credits include “The Thin Red Line,” “On Golden Pond,” “Witness,” “Badlands,” “Oh! God,” “Howard the Duck,” “Wise Guys” and “Spiderman 2.” She was nominated for a CSA Artios award for “Witness.” She worked with some of the industry’s most prominent directors, such as Ridley Scott, Peter Bogdanovich, Wes Craven, George Romero and Brian De Palma.
In a 2010 featurette included in the Criterion Collection release, Crittenden spoke about her experiences working with Terrence Malick, or “Terry” as she calls him, on his WWII drama “The Thin Red Line.
- 3/21/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
Deadpool 3 has its official title: Deadpool & Wolverine. The first teaser trailer for the movie hit the internet during Super Bowl Lviii, giving superhero film fans their first glimpse at the wackiness it will offer.
One of the biggest reveals from the trailer was confirmation of the longstanding rumor that the Time Variance Authority would appear in the movie. The Time Variance Authority (or Tva for short) is the temporal enforcement organization seen in the Disney+ Loki series, which ensures time flows as it should in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Most people assume Deadpool and Wolverine will be tasked with killing rogue variants of live-action Marvel characters who deviated from the Sacred Timeline. However, a new theory by the YouTube channel New Rockstars suggests they’ll be tasked with fixing the lousy writing and plot holes in various live-action Marvel Studios and Fox superhero films.
Wade Wilson getting recruited...
One of the biggest reveals from the trailer was confirmation of the longstanding rumor that the Time Variance Authority would appear in the movie. The Time Variance Authority (or Tva for short) is the temporal enforcement organization seen in the Disney+ Loki series, which ensures time flows as it should in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Most people assume Deadpool and Wolverine will be tasked with killing rogue variants of live-action Marvel characters who deviated from the Sacred Timeline. However, a new theory by the YouTube channel New Rockstars suggests they’ll be tasked with fixing the lousy writing and plot holes in various live-action Marvel Studios and Fox superhero films.
Wade Wilson getting recruited...
- 2/15/2024
- by Kevin Stewart
- FandomWire
These days it's strange to think of Marvel struggling to outdo DC at the box office. But believe it or not, there was a time when the latter was the undisputed champ of superhero filmmaking. Director Richard Donner kicked off that winning streak with 1978's "Superman," the film that provided the blueprint for the modern blockbuster. Next, Tim Burton solidified DC's box office prowess with 1989's "Batman" — a film that made a heck of a lot of money at the box office and established the principles of modern blockbuster marketing.
Meanwhile, Marvel had this comparatively abject filmography to offer: 1986's "Howard the Duck," 1989's "The Punisher," and the direct-to-video "Captain America" in 1990. By the time DC and Warner Bros.' "Batman Forever" hit in 1995 and made $336 million globally (an impressive number for the time) it seemed DC would rule the superhero blockbuster space for a long time to come.
Of course,...
Meanwhile, Marvel had this comparatively abject filmography to offer: 1986's "Howard the Duck," 1989's "The Punisher," and the direct-to-video "Captain America" in 1990. By the time DC and Warner Bros.' "Batman Forever" hit in 1995 and made $336 million globally (an impressive number for the time) it seemed DC would rule the superhero blockbuster space for a long time to come.
Of course,...
- 2/4/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Marvel Studios is reportedly exploring a new project titled ‘Adventure into Fear’, bringing the classic horror comic series to television. This news comes from DanielRPK, a well-known industry insider. The comic series, which ran from November 1970 through December 1975, spanned 31 issues under the title ‘Adventure into Fear’. Its unique blend of horror and fantasy captivated readers for years.
An ‘Adventure Into Fear’ TV project is reportedly in the works at Marvel Studios.
(Via: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/h371gXP8rP
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) December 3, 2023
Initially, the first nine issues, simply titled ‘Fear,’ were reprints of stories from Marvel’s pre-superhero era. These included tales from ‘Journey into Mystery,’ ‘Strange Tales,’ ‘Tales to Astonish,’ and ‘Tales of Suspense.’ Most of these early stories were penned by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, featuring artwork from legends like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck.
The comic took a new direction with issue...
An ‘Adventure Into Fear’ TV project is reportedly in the works at Marvel Studios.
(Via: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/h371gXP8rP
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) December 3, 2023
Initially, the first nine issues, simply titled ‘Fear,’ were reprints of stories from Marvel’s pre-superhero era. These included tales from ‘Journey into Mystery,’ ‘Strange Tales,’ ‘Tales to Astonish,’ and ‘Tales of Suspense.’ Most of these early stories were penned by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, featuring artwork from legends like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck.
The comic took a new direction with issue...
- 12/4/2023
- by Hrvoje Milakovic
- Fiction Horizon
Marc Thorpe, the visual effects artist who worked on various Star Wars and Indiana Jones films and created the Robot Wars concept in the early 1990s — around the same time he was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s — died November 24 of complications of the disease. He was 77.
His daughter Megan Feffer announced his death in a Facebook post. Thorpe’s official website confirmed the news.
A noted Hollywood model-maker and puppet engineer, Thorpe joined George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic in 1979 and went on to work on effects for Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and other instal.ments of those franchises.
Other film credits through the 1980s include Dragonslayer, Poltergeist, Howard the Duck and, in 1990, The Hunt for Red October.
Thorpe developed the concept for what would become Robot Wars while...
His daughter Megan Feffer announced his death in a Facebook post. Thorpe’s official website confirmed the news.
A noted Hollywood model-maker and puppet engineer, Thorpe joined George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic in 1979 and went on to work on effects for Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and other instal.ments of those franchises.
Other film credits through the 1980s include Dragonslayer, Poltergeist, Howard the Duck and, in 1990, The Hunt for Red October.
Thorpe developed the concept for what would become Robot Wars while...
- 11/29/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Marc Thorpe, the visual effects artist who worked on several “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” films before launching the bot battling competition Robot Wars, has died. He was 77.
Thorpe died Friday of complications related to Parkinson’s Disease, his daughter Megan Feffer shared on Facebook.
“For him, early onset Parkinson’s disease started out with relatively mild tremors and then over time progressed toward less and less bodily autonomy — something particularly torturous for a fiercely independent artist like my dad whose joy in life was to create things with his hands,” Feffer wrote.
“While the disease itself is not technically considered terminal, it does eventually remove crucial functions like movement and swallowing – functions essential for life,” she continued. “To say the last few months, and especially the last few weeks, were challenging for my dad would be an understatement, and I am grateful that he is finally at peace.”
Thorpe...
Thorpe died Friday of complications related to Parkinson’s Disease, his daughter Megan Feffer shared on Facebook.
“For him, early onset Parkinson’s disease started out with relatively mild tremors and then over time progressed toward less and less bodily autonomy — something particularly torturous for a fiercely independent artist like my dad whose joy in life was to create things with his hands,” Feffer wrote.
“While the disease itself is not technically considered terminal, it does eventually remove crucial functions like movement and swallowing – functions essential for life,” she continued. “To say the last few months, and especially the last few weeks, were challenging for my dad would be an understatement, and I am grateful that he is finally at peace.”
Thorpe...
- 11/29/2023
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Marc Thorpe, the visual effects artist who created the hit television series “Robot Wars” in which customized radio-controlled robots fight in metal arenas, has died. Thorpe was 77.
Thorpe died on Friday at a hospice facility in Alamo, California, according to his daughter Megan Feffer. Thorpe’s death resulted from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Doctors first diagnosed Thorpe with the progressive nervous system disorder in 1993.
“But if there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that my dad would want to be remembered – and not for his Parkinson’s Disease. He would want to be remembered for his art,” Megan Feffer wrote on Facebook.
She added: “From being a model maker at Ilm on ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ to his creation of ‘Robot Wars,’ he made many, many beautiful, weird, detailed and strange things.”
In 1979, Thorpe started working at Industrial Light and Magic/Lucasfilm as a model maker and animatronic designer.
Thorpe died on Friday at a hospice facility in Alamo, California, according to his daughter Megan Feffer. Thorpe’s death resulted from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Doctors first diagnosed Thorpe with the progressive nervous system disorder in 1993.
“But if there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that my dad would want to be remembered – and not for his Parkinson’s Disease. He would want to be remembered for his art,” Megan Feffer wrote on Facebook.
She added: “From being a model maker at Ilm on ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ to his creation of ‘Robot Wars,’ he made many, many beautiful, weird, detailed and strange things.”
In 1979, Thorpe started working at Industrial Light and Magic/Lucasfilm as a model maker and animatronic designer.
- 11/29/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Marc Thorpe, who created special effects for Star Wars and Indiana Jones films before launching Robot Wars, which feature radio-controlled gladiators in events he called “festivals of destruction and survival,” has died. He was 77.
Thorpe died Friday of complications related to Parkinson’s disease at a hospice facility in Alamo, California, his daughter, Megan Feffer, told The Hollywood Reporter. He was first diagnosed with the progressive disorder that affects the nervous system in 1993.
“For him, early onset Parkinson’s disease started out with relatively mild tremors and then over time progressed toward less and less bodily autonomy — something particularly torturous for a fiercely independent artist like my dad whose joy in life was to create things with his hands,” she wrote on Facebook.
“While the disease itself is not technically considered terminal, it does eventually remove crucial functions like movement and swallowing — functions essential for life. To say the last few months,...
Thorpe died Friday of complications related to Parkinson’s disease at a hospice facility in Alamo, California, his daughter, Megan Feffer, told The Hollywood Reporter. He was first diagnosed with the progressive disorder that affects the nervous system in 1993.
“For him, early onset Parkinson’s disease started out with relatively mild tremors and then over time progressed toward less and less bodily autonomy — something particularly torturous for a fiercely independent artist like my dad whose joy in life was to create things with his hands,” she wrote on Facebook.
“While the disease itself is not technically considered terminal, it does eventually remove crucial functions like movement and swallowing — functions essential for life. To say the last few months,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After eight live-action Spider-Man movies, the most recent of which made unbelievable profits, the webhead is well and truly established as an icon of the superhero genre. We all know how things started, with Sam Raimi's 2002 "Spider-Man" giving us our first proper live-action Spidey film. But things could have looked very different if James Cameron's Spider-Man movie ever got made.
There's been a lot written about the director's ill-fated "Spider-Man," which would have been a much more adult, R-rated experience than Raimi's effort. The script was peppered with profanity and featured a love scene between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, who were supposed to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Nikki Cox respectively. Cameron was working on the project after the now-shuttered Carolco, which produced multiple blockbusters including Cameron's own "Terminator 2: Judgement Day," acquired the rights to Spider-Man in 1990. Had the director followed through with the project,...
There's been a lot written about the director's ill-fated "Spider-Man," which would have been a much more adult, R-rated experience than Raimi's effort. The script was peppered with profanity and featured a love scene between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, who were supposed to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Nikki Cox respectively. Cameron was working on the project after the now-shuttered Carolco, which produced multiple blockbusters including Cameron's own "Terminator 2: Judgement Day," acquired the rights to Spider-Man in 1990. Had the director followed through with the project,...
- 11/19/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
It took a very long time for Hollywood to take Marvel Comics seriously, and "Howard the Duck" gets a lot of the blame for that. By the mid-1980s, films like "Star Wars" and "Superman: The Movie" had incited a proper revolution in the film industry. Genres that previously weren't big hits — financially or critically — didn't just make lots of money, but they made movie stars out of actors nobody had previously heard of, and even won awards. All of a sudden, sci-fi/fantasy and pulp heroes weren't just "kids' stuff." They were surefire recipes for four-quadrant success.
But even though Marvel was churning out superhero TV shows like nobody's business — not just Saturday morning cartoons but primetime hits like "The Incredible Hulk" and "Spider-Man: The Animated Series" — Marvel's first big budget foray into live-action theatrical features wasn't based on one of their most iconic costumed crimefighters. Instead it was "Howard the Duck,...
But even though Marvel was churning out superhero TV shows like nobody's business — not just Saturday morning cartoons but primetime hits like "The Incredible Hulk" and "Spider-Man: The Animated Series" — Marvel's first big budget foray into live-action theatrical features wasn't based on one of their most iconic costumed crimefighters. Instead it was "Howard the Duck,...
- 11/7/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Howard the Duck was one of the biggest financial flops of the 1980s. It did so poorly that the two heads of the studio allegedly got into a fistfight over who greenlit it. But what does that have to do with Marvel? Let us explain.
Before there was an entire money-making studio dedicated to pumping out movies and TV shows based on the vast and ever-expanding catalog of Marvel Comics characters- we were seeing the likes of Sam Raimi making the Sony Spider-Man trilogy and Johnathan Hensleigh delivering an exciting take on The Punisher. Even before that, we had the iconic Blade movies and some solid X-Men fare- all movies we’ve covered in previous show episodes… Or have we?
See, it’s easy to do a Marvel series that praises the Raimi trilogy and roasts the goofiness of the Tim Story Fantastic Four films- but, today is going to...
Before there was an entire money-making studio dedicated to pumping out movies and TV shows based on the vast and ever-expanding catalog of Marvel Comics characters- we were seeing the likes of Sam Raimi making the Sony Spider-Man trilogy and Johnathan Hensleigh delivering an exciting take on The Punisher. Even before that, we had the iconic Blade movies and some solid X-Men fare- all movies we’ve covered in previous show episodes… Or have we?
See, it’s easy to do a Marvel series that praises the Raimi trilogy and roasts the goofiness of the Tim Story Fantastic Four films- but, today is going to...
- 10/5/2023
- by Kier Gomes
- JoBlo.com
By this time nearly every year, the Primetime Emmys are in the rearview mirror and Golden Globe and SAG film/TV season is in full swing. But this is clearly not every year. It appears that the Emmys won’t be budging off their rescheduled date of January 15, 2024 even if the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled soon. This means that they’ll be shoehorned in after the Golden Globes (January 7) and the Critics Choice Awards (January 14), with the SAG Awards set for February 24 (presuming SAG-AFTRA has long since been settled by then).
Of course, the Globes as of this writing also remain an awards ceremony without a broadcast or streaming partner after airing live on NBC and streamed on Peacock early this year, having been an NBC staple since 1996. That can and should still change before January. The submission website is about to open for Globe film and TV entries today,...
Of course, the Globes as of this writing also remain an awards ceremony without a broadcast or streaming partner after airing live on NBC and streamed on Peacock early this year, having been an NBC staple since 1996. That can and should still change before January. The submission website is about to open for Globe film and TV entries today,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Pete Kozachik, the Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor behind “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Corpse Bride,” “James and the Giant Peach” and others, has died. He was 72 years old.
Kvoa News Tucson first reported the news, commemorating Kozachik and sending condolences to his family, including brother Steve, the Arizona city’s councilman and vice mayor. Pete died Sept. 12 after suffering complications due to aphasia and primary progressive aphasia.
Kozachik received an Oscar nomination for his work on Tim Burton’s stop-motion holiday classic, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Besides the Henry Selick-directed 1993 animated film that combines Halloween and Christmas, he also worked on films like “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and “The Matrix.”
“Dreamscape” (1984) starring Dennis Quaid launched the visual artist’s film career. He worked as visual effects camera operator on “Howard the Duck” (1986), and he went on to contribute to “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” “Innerspace,” “Willow,” “Ghostbusters II,...
Kvoa News Tucson first reported the news, commemorating Kozachik and sending condolences to his family, including brother Steve, the Arizona city’s councilman and vice mayor. Pete died Sept. 12 after suffering complications due to aphasia and primary progressive aphasia.
Kozachik received an Oscar nomination for his work on Tim Burton’s stop-motion holiday classic, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Besides the Henry Selick-directed 1993 animated film that combines Halloween and Christmas, he also worked on films like “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and “The Matrix.”
“Dreamscape” (1984) starring Dennis Quaid launched the visual artist’s film career. He worked as visual effects camera operator on “Howard the Duck” (1986), and he went on to contribute to “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” “Innerspace,” “Willow,” “Ghostbusters II,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Pete Kozachik, a visual effects and stop-motion artist whose work on acclaimed animated films by Tim Burton, Henry Selick and others brought recognition and an Oscar nomination, died Sept. 12 at his California home in the Bay Area following a years-long battle with aphasia and primary progressive aphasia. He was 72.
His death was first announced on Tucson’s NBC affiliate station Kvoa. Kozachik attended high school and college in Tucson, and his brother Steve Kozachik is vice mayor of the city.
While best known for his Oscar-nominated work on 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Selick and produced by Burton, Kozachik launched his career in 1984 on the sci-fi film Dreamscape starring Dennis Quad. In ’86 he was the visual effects camera operator on the notorious Howard the Duck, going on to build a solid roster of credits in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,...
His death was first announced on Tucson’s NBC affiliate station Kvoa. Kozachik attended high school and college in Tucson, and his brother Steve Kozachik is vice mayor of the city.
While best known for his Oscar-nominated work on 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Selick and produced by Burton, Kozachik launched his career in 1984 on the sci-fi film Dreamscape starring Dennis Quad. In ’86 he was the visual effects camera operator on the notorious Howard the Duck, going on to build a solid roster of credits in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Pete Kozachik, the Oscar-nominated visual effects artist who contributed his stop-motion expertise to such films as The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Corpse Bride and Coraline, has died. He was 72.
Kozachik died peacefully Tuesday in hospice care in his Northern California home of complications from primary progressive aphasia, a rare form of Alzheimer’s, his wife, Katy Moore-Kozachik, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Kozachik also operated a stop-motion camera on Ghostbusters II (1989) and served as director of miniature photography on Starship Troopers (1997) and as a visual effects cameraman on Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002).
At Industrial Light & Magic, he worked on films including Howard the Duck (1986), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Innerspace (1987) and Willow (1988) before rejoining frequent collaborator Phil Tippett on the RoboCop sequels released in 1990 and ’93.
For director Henry Selick, Kozachik was director of photography on The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), James and the Giant Peach...
Kozachik died peacefully Tuesday in hospice care in his Northern California home of complications from primary progressive aphasia, a rare form of Alzheimer’s, his wife, Katy Moore-Kozachik, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Kozachik also operated a stop-motion camera on Ghostbusters II (1989) and served as director of miniature photography on Starship Troopers (1997) and as a visual effects cameraman on Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002).
At Industrial Light & Magic, he worked on films including Howard the Duck (1986), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Innerspace (1987) and Willow (1988) before rejoining frequent collaborator Phil Tippett on the RoboCop sequels released in 1990 and ’93.
For director Henry Selick, Kozachik was director of photography on The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), James and the Giant Peach...
- 9/18/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 1978, Richard Donner gave us the first superhero blockbuster with "Superman." Treating its subject matter with reverence and respect, the movie established comic book adaptations not only as crowd pleasing spectacles, but as spaces in which more weighty themes could be explored. Bolstered by the presence of none other than screen legend Marlon Brando in the role of Superman's father, Jor-El, the film was not just a hit, it was a critical success that gave off an air of prestige. Then, things sort of went downhill.
After 1980's "Superman II," each subsequent entry in the franchise seemed to chip away at the respect superhero movies had earned in 1978. It didn't help that Marvel tried its hand at making a comic book adaptation in the form of 1986's historic flop "Howard The Duck." Of course, It would be 22 years before Marvel got their act together with 2008's "Iron Man" — the film...
After 1980's "Superman II," each subsequent entry in the franchise seemed to chip away at the respect superhero movies had earned in 1978. It didn't help that Marvel tried its hand at making a comic book adaptation in the form of 1986's historic flop "Howard The Duck." Of course, It would be 22 years before Marvel got their act together with 2008's "Iron Man" — the film...
- 9/10/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
In the Marvel vs. DC debate, it's important to remember that the latter had a headstart of several decades. Some of DC Comics' most popular characters were introduced on the page in the late 1930s and early 1940s, allowing them to stand at the very base of the pop culture firmament. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman both enjoyed massive success on the page and on the screen before the hotshot company Marvel entered its Golden Age in earnest. Marvel's star characters Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, et al, didn't hit shelves until the early '60s. While Marvel found its footing, Batman was starring in one of the best superhero movies ever made.
In cinemas, it took Marvel equally long to find a toehold. Films like "Superman" and "Batman" were overwhelmingly huge for decades, while Marvel had to be content with the success of "The Incredible Hulk" on television.
In cinemas, it took Marvel equally long to find a toehold. Films like "Superman" and "Batman" were overwhelmingly huge for decades, while Marvel had to be content with the success of "The Incredible Hulk" on television.
- 8/21/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Gene Simmons is known for his eccentricities. Even when he isn’t wearing makeup and silver armor on stage, he is a rock star in many ways outside of his music. Kiss has attached its brand to many different mediums, including comic books. Gene Simmons recently confirmed a longtime rumor about the band’s comic adventures and said these books have the potential to “recreate humanity” if it’s ever wiped out.
Gene Simmons says Kiss put their blood in their comic books Gene Simmons | Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images
Kiss looks like a group of superheroes, so it was only fitting that they started their own line of comic books with Marvel. They first appeared in issue #12 of Marvel’s Howard the Duck in 1977. They had a few more Marvel appearances before bouncing around to different companies, such as Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Archie Comics.
One rumor was...
Gene Simmons says Kiss put their blood in their comic books Gene Simmons | Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images
Kiss looks like a group of superheroes, so it was only fitting that they started their own line of comic books with Marvel. They first appeared in issue #12 of Marvel’s Howard the Duck in 1977. They had a few more Marvel appearances before bouncing around to different companies, such as Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Archie Comics.
One rumor was...
- 6/11/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
What comes to mind when you think worst movie of all time? I immediately think of the Razzie Awards, commonly disliked cult favorites like “Howard the Duck” and Prince‘s “Under the Cherry Moon,” which won five Razzies.
Yet, these cinematic missteps didn’t crack our top 10 worst movies list. There’s a whole new level of bad waiting to be explored.
This list plunges into the murkiest depths of the cinematic world, unmasking those movies that have truly tested viewers’ patience and sanity. Get ready for an onslaught of cringe-inducing comedies and fatally flawed fantasies. The genres that claimed seven and five spots in our list, respectively.
Related: 10 Best Movies of All Time, Ranked by Viewers
And for the brave souls among you, we’ve included links to watch these cinematic catastrophes. Who doesn’t love rubbernecking a good train wreck? So, prepare to cringe, laugh, or maybe cry...
Yet, these cinematic missteps didn’t crack our top 10 worst movies list. There’s a whole new level of bad waiting to be explored.
This list plunges into the murkiest depths of the cinematic world, unmasking those movies that have truly tested viewers’ patience and sanity. Get ready for an onslaught of cringe-inducing comedies and fatally flawed fantasies. The genres that claimed seven and five spots in our list, respectively.
Related: 10 Best Movies of All Time, Ranked by Viewers
And for the brave souls among you, we’ve included links to watch these cinematic catastrophes. Who doesn’t love rubbernecking a good train wreck? So, prepare to cringe, laugh, or maybe cry...
- 6/6/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
Clockwise from top left: Spider-Man 2 (Sony), Blade (New Line Cinema), Howard The Duck (Universal), Fantastic Four (20th Century Fox), Elektra (20th Century Fox)Graphic: AVClub
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated the superhero film landscape for 15 years and changed the blockbuster business for better and for worse. With Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3...
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated the superhero film landscape for 15 years and changed the blockbuster business for better and for worse. With Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3...
- 5/10/2023
- by Richard Newby
- avclub.com
This article contains Guardians of the Galaxy 3 spoilers
When it comes to cameos in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the franchise overlord put the “awesome” in Awesome Mix. We blasted off into the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s cosmos for what’s supposed to be a final hurrah for the team first assembled in 2014, and it was a who’s who of returning favorites and new faces in this new offering.
As with any MCU outing, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was stuffed to bursting with Easter eggs and cameos. Alongside the welcome return of Sylvester Stallone’s Stakar Ogord and Seth Green’s Howard the Duck, there’s even a role for Gunn’s wife and Peacemaker star, Jennifer Holland. Still, there’s a sense that Marvel ultimately wasted one actor that really could’ve had major potential.
Those up on Gunn’s back catalog...
When it comes to cameos in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the franchise overlord put the “awesome” in Awesome Mix. We blasted off into the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s cosmos for what’s supposed to be a final hurrah for the team first assembled in 2014, and it was a who’s who of returning favorites and new faces in this new offering.
As with any MCU outing, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was stuffed to bursting with Easter eggs and cameos. Alongside the welcome return of Sylvester Stallone’s Stakar Ogord and Seth Green’s Howard the Duck, there’s even a role for Gunn’s wife and Peacemaker star, Jennifer Holland. Still, there’s a sense that Marvel ultimately wasted one actor that really could’ve had major potential.
Those up on Gunn’s back catalog...
- 5/6/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Some noteworthy new releases, a bevy of library titles and the complete series of “Freaks and Geeks” are among the new additions to Amazon Prime Video this month. May will see the streaming availability of the 2022 films “She Said,” “Violent Night” and “Till” on Prime Video, while the beloved (and short-lived) TV series “Freaks and Geeks” will be streaming on Amazon starting May 4.
We’ve also included everything new to Freevee, which includes the first three “John Wick” movies, “Scarface” and “The Usual Suspects.”
Check out the complete list of everything new on Amazon Prime Video in May 2023 below.
Also Read:
The 41 Best Movies on Amazon Prime (April 2023)
Arriving May 1
MasterChef Mexico S1-4 (2015)
A Beautiful Mind (2002)
Amistad (1997)
Babe (1995)
Babe: Pig In The City (1998)
Babel (2006)
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)
Biker Boyz (2003)
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Blue Crush (2002)
Blue Crush 2 (2011)
Bound (1996)
Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (2004)
Bridget Jones’s Baby...
We’ve also included everything new to Freevee, which includes the first three “John Wick” movies, “Scarface” and “The Usual Suspects.”
Check out the complete list of everything new on Amazon Prime Video in May 2023 below.
Also Read:
The 41 Best Movies on Amazon Prime (April 2023)
Arriving May 1
MasterChef Mexico S1-4 (2015)
A Beautiful Mind (2002)
Amistad (1997)
Babe (1995)
Babe: Pig In The City (1998)
Babel (2006)
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)
Biker Boyz (2003)
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Blue Crush (2002)
Blue Crush 2 (2011)
Bound (1996)
Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (2004)
Bridget Jones’s Baby...
- 5/1/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
With its list of new releases for May 2023, Amazon Prime Video is increasing its global reach.
The streamer’s biggest original offering this month is a German series. Hohlbeins’ – The Gryphon, based on the works of Wolfgang Holhlbein, will present a sprawling fantasy tale about three teens discovering a fantastical world called The Black Tower where “the Gryphon, a world-devouring monster, mercilessly subjugates all living creatures.”
The only other original title of note in May is Freevee comedy Primo on the 19th. Written by author and journalist Shea Serrano and produced by Michael Schur (The Good Place), this coming-of-age series will follow a teenager balancing “college aspirations, societal expectations, and a hectic home life on the south side of San Antonio.”
And that’s pretty much it for Amazon Originals this month! Thankfully, there is a huge influx of library content to keep Prime Video subscribers entertained. May 4 sees the...
The streamer’s biggest original offering this month is a German series. Hohlbeins’ – The Gryphon, based on the works of Wolfgang Holhlbein, will present a sprawling fantasy tale about three teens discovering a fantastical world called The Black Tower where “the Gryphon, a world-devouring monster, mercilessly subjugates all living creatures.”
The only other original title of note in May is Freevee comedy Primo on the 19th. Written by author and journalist Shea Serrano and produced by Michael Schur (The Good Place), this coming-of-age series will follow a teenager balancing “college aspirations, societal expectations, and a hectic home life on the south side of San Antonio.”
And that’s pretty much it for Amazon Originals this month! Thankfully, there is a huge influx of library content to keep Prime Video subscribers entertained. May 4 sees the...
- 5/1/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Clockwise from left: The Rundown (Screenshot: Universal Pictures/YouTube), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure(Screenshot: Orion Pictures/YouTube), Howard The Duck (Screenshot: Universal Pictures)Graphic: The A.V. Club
As we all welcome the move to warmer weather, Prime Video has a great lineup in May to try and keep you indoors.
As we all welcome the move to warmer weather, Prime Video has a great lineup in May to try and keep you indoors.
- 4/27/2023
- by Don Lewis
- avclub.com
Sony is in the bad guy business. Since the studio lent out Peter Parker to the MCU, despite owning the right to make movies about Spider-Man, Sony has tried to construct its own shared universe around the wall-crawler’s sinister foes. Thus far, the results have been mixed. Venom and its sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage found an audience for their zany rom-com takes on the symbiote, while Morbius inspired memes instead of box office receipts.
Sony hopes to avoid ironic support with its third Spider-verse live-action movie Kraven the Hunter by going even darker than its movies about literal monsters. A trailer released at CinemaCon not only revealed an R rating, but also a hint at the language and visuals that earned that distinction. The description from DiscussingFilm captures the general tone of the trailer, in which the title character is “killing everyone quite literally like an animal,...
Sony hopes to avoid ironic support with its third Spider-verse live-action movie Kraven the Hunter by going even darker than its movies about literal monsters. A trailer released at CinemaCon not only revealed an R rating, but also a hint at the language and visuals that earned that distinction. The description from DiscussingFilm captures the general tone of the trailer, in which the title character is “killing everyone quite literally like an animal,...
- 4/25/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Ed Gale, the actor who played Chucky in the 1988 horror film Child’s Play, admitted to having sexually explicit online conversations with a boy he thought was 14 when he was caught in a sting operation by the child advocacy group Creep Catchers Unit.
The Southern California-based group, which enlists adults to pose as minors to coordinate meetings with potential predators, confronted Gale at his Hollywood apartment, local reports say. The 59-year-old actor admitted to soliciting child pornography from the supposed child with the intention of “hooking up.” By his own estimations, Gale said he may have spoken with 10 other underage victims.
According to local reports, two LAPD detectives entered Gale’s apartment during the Creep Catchers sting. The group stated that the detectives confiscated electronic devices from the actor, but he wasn’t taken into custody.
Gale later played Chucky as the in-suit performer in 1990’s Child’s Play 2 and 1988’s Bride of Chucky.
The Southern California-based group, which enlists adults to pose as minors to coordinate meetings with potential predators, confronted Gale at his Hollywood apartment, local reports say. The 59-year-old actor admitted to soliciting child pornography from the supposed child with the intention of “hooking up.” By his own estimations, Gale said he may have spoken with 10 other underage victims.
According to local reports, two LAPD detectives entered Gale’s apartment during the Creep Catchers sting. The group stated that the detectives confiscated electronic devices from the actor, but he wasn’t taken into custody.
Gale later played Chucky as the in-suit performer in 1990’s Child’s Play 2 and 1988’s Bride of Chucky.
- 4/22/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Film News
In movies, the word “bomb” has always meant two things, generally at the same time. The first and most important definition of bomb is that a movie has lost a disastrous amount of money. Movies, in general, can’t afford to do that — they’re too expensive to produce. Bombs happen, but as a business model they’re not sustainable. A movie that bombs commercially has never been something to write off as a trivial matter.
The second definition of bomb, which is linked to the first (though not automatically), is that a film is spectacularly bad. It is, of course, not axiomatic that a movie that bombs commercially has failed as a work of art. There are movies we think of as classics that crashed and burned at the box office — like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Blade Runner” or “Intolerance” or “The Long Goodbye.” It’s become almost...
The second definition of bomb, which is linked to the first (though not automatically), is that a film is spectacularly bad. It is, of course, not axiomatic that a movie that bombs commercially has failed as a work of art. There are movies we think of as classics that crashed and burned at the box office — like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Blade Runner” or “Intolerance” or “The Long Goodbye.” It’s become almost...
- 4/22/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
The Masked Singer keeps viewers guessing week after week, as each celebrity guest is revealed. Part of the fun is watching the panel of judges – which includes Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke – try to solve the mystery too. Alas, no one on The Masked Singer figured out that Holly Robinson Peete was the fairy. Here’s why her time on the show was so important to her.
Holly Robinson Peete was the fairy on ‘The Masked Singer’
Peete made her appearance on the show in 2023. And she recently joined the podcast Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef to discuss her experience as the fairy on The Masked Singer. Peete revealed singing was her “first love” and loved the chance to share her passion with audiences. But she also revealed she “wasn’t expecting” to stump the panel of judges.
“I’m shocked. I know everybody on that panel,...
Holly Robinson Peete was the fairy on ‘The Masked Singer’
Peete made her appearance on the show in 2023. And she recently joined the podcast Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef to discuss her experience as the fairy on The Masked Singer. Peete revealed singing was her “first love” and loved the chance to share her passion with audiences. But she also revealed she “wasn’t expecting” to stump the panel of judges.
“I’m shocked. I know everybody on that panel,...
- 4/13/2023
- by Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
“Infinity Pool” actress Mia Goth has joined the cast of Mahershala Ali’s “Blade,” according to an insider with knowledge of the project.
Yann Demange, a French-Algerian filmmaker whose previous credits include Jack O’Connell’s “71” and Matthew McConaughey’s “White Boy Rick,” is attached to direct the vampire-killing actioner.
Michael Starrbury, who has penned episodes of Netflix and Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” and “Colin in Black and White,” wrote the latest draft of the screenplay.
Assuming all goes well from here, production will begin in Atlanta in early 2023. While the film will reportedly be darker than a stereotypical Marvel romp, the extent this film will straddle the line between the safely PG-13 MCU entries and New Line Cinema’s original hard-r trilogy with Wesley Snipes remains to be seen.
Also Read:
Marvel Studios Temporarily Shuts Down Production on ‘Blade’
When Stephen Norrington’s “Blade” debuted in...
Yann Demange, a French-Algerian filmmaker whose previous credits include Jack O’Connell’s “71” and Matthew McConaughey’s “White Boy Rick,” is attached to direct the vampire-killing actioner.
Michael Starrbury, who has penned episodes of Netflix and Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” and “Colin in Black and White,” wrote the latest draft of the screenplay.
Assuming all goes well from here, production will begin in Atlanta in early 2023. While the film will reportedly be darker than a stereotypical Marvel romp, the extent this film will straddle the line between the safely PG-13 MCU entries and New Line Cinema’s original hard-r trilogy with Wesley Snipes remains to be seen.
Also Read:
Marvel Studios Temporarily Shuts Down Production on ‘Blade’
When Stephen Norrington’s “Blade” debuted in...
- 4/12/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Tubi originals for April include “Dead Hot,” co-starring Vanessa Hudgens and Gg Magree. They play witchcraft students who long to connect with the spirit world. But when a ghost hunt goes wrong, they head to Salem, Massachusetts, for a masterclass.
“A Good Man,” another streamer original, lands on April 13. A man enters a new relationship in the aftermath of his wife’s affair. But soon, things go awry when he notices familiar signs of betrayal.
The four movies that comprise “The Scorpion King” arrive April 1. A prequel and spinoff of “The Mummy,” the first movie, in 2002, is a sorcery action-adventure film starring starring Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan. An evil ruler wants to conquer the tribes of the desert.
Jim Carrey fans will want to revisit the two “Ace Ventura” comedies. Carrey shows off his gift for physical comedy, while creating a wacky...
“A Good Man,” another streamer original, lands on April 13. A man enters a new relationship in the aftermath of his wife’s affair. But soon, things go awry when he notices familiar signs of betrayal.
The four movies that comprise “The Scorpion King” arrive April 1. A prequel and spinoff of “The Mummy,” the first movie, in 2002, is a sorcery action-adventure film starring starring Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan. An evil ruler wants to conquer the tribes of the desert.
Jim Carrey fans will want to revisit the two “Ace Ventura” comedies. Carrey shows off his gift for physical comedy, while creating a wacky...
- 3/31/2023
- by Fern Siegel
- The Streamable
George Lucas' 1977 sci-fi film "Star Wars" was made on a budget of $11 million in 1976, which, in 2023 dollars shake out to about $58 million. That's a sizeable amount of money, of course, but given that the last theatrical "Star Wars" feature film, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" cost anywhere from $275 to $460 million to make, the original's budget seems like a drop in the bucket. Because Lucas was working with a mere mid-size budget (by today's standards), he was forced to change a great deal of his original "Star Wars" script, removing many fantastical elements and characters for more grounded, human, easier-to-film counterparts. From the looks of the original script, though, "Star Wars" might have come out looking as dense and as odd as Jodorowsky's failed "Dune" adaptation.
In 2020, details of Lucas' first draft were explored in detail on the Biography website. It seems the filmmaker's early visions for "Star Wars" were...
In 2020, details of Lucas' first draft were explored in detail on the Biography website. It seems the filmmaker's early visions for "Star Wars" were...
- 3/18/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
It’s hard to believe that season 9 of “The Masked Singer” has seen the departure of eight celebrities already. The most recent exits were Squirrel, who was revealed to be actress Malin Akerman, and Jackalope, who turned out to be social media sensation Lele Pons. The latter lost the Battle Royale to Fairy on March 15.
We’ve watched Fairy’s winning performance of “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons again as well as her first time at the mike when she nailed a cover of the Linda Ronstadt classic “You’re No Good.” And we’ve taken another look at her clues package. We think we’ve cracked the code as to Fairy’s true identity. Keep reading as we have all your “The Masked Singer” spoilers, including the answer to the question, “Who is Fairy?”
We think that the Fairy is Holly Robinson Peete, an actress best...
We’ve watched Fairy’s winning performance of “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons again as well as her first time at the mike when she nailed a cover of the Linda Ronstadt classic “You’re No Good.” And we’ve taken another look at her clues package. We think we’ve cracked the code as to Fairy’s true identity. Keep reading as we have all your “The Masked Singer” spoilers, including the answer to the question, “Who is Fairy?”
We think that the Fairy is Holly Robinson Peete, an actress best...
- 3/16/2023
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
When walking out of James Gunn's 2014 film "Guardians of the Galaxy," the 10th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this author heard several other audiences members talking about the film's post-credits stinger. In the epilogue, the vaguely villainous Collector (Benicio Del Toro) sat destitute among the ruins of his collection or rare cosmic antiquities. Only a few of his beloved baubles has survived a cosmic blast, including a dog from Earth. The dog, wearing a Soviet space suit, was clearly salvaged from the 1960s Russian space program wherein canines were sent up in rockets to test their safety. The dog in "Guardians" is not Laika, but a fictional dog named Cosmo. The Collector had been keeping it in a cage on a distant planet for decades.
As Cosmo gives the Collector a sympathetic lick, a voice from off-screen (Seth Green) immediately points out how gross the dog is. A...
As Cosmo gives the Collector a sympathetic lick, a voice from off-screen (Seth Green) immediately points out how gross the dog is. A...
- 3/15/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
February 2023 marks 50 years of "Howard the Duck", with Marvel Comics paying tribute to the 'social satirist' with a year-long series of variant comic book covers:
"...'Howard the Duck' was created by writer Steve Gerber and illustrator Val Mayerik, debuting in Marvel's 'Adventure into Fear' #19 (Dec. 1973), as a 'Man-Thing' back up story.
"Marvel's 'Howard the Duck #1 was published in 2015.
"He is abruptly abducted from his home planet by an unseen force and randomly dropped into the Florida Everglades by the demon-lord 'Thog the Nether-Spawn'.
"He meets the 'Man-Thing', who had been attacked by 'Korrek of Katharta' and the three of them are confronted by warriors of the 'Congress of Realities'.
"He then meets 'Dakimh the Enchanter' who banishes the warriors and transports Howard, Man-Thing, and Korrek to his castle, where they are joined by 'Jennifer Kale'. They then travel to the realm of 'Therea' and destroy Thog.
"...'Howard the Duck' was created by writer Steve Gerber and illustrator Val Mayerik, debuting in Marvel's 'Adventure into Fear' #19 (Dec. 1973), as a 'Man-Thing' back up story.
"Marvel's 'Howard the Duck #1 was published in 2015.
"He is abruptly abducted from his home planet by an unseen force and randomly dropped into the Florida Everglades by the demon-lord 'Thog the Nether-Spawn'.
"He meets the 'Man-Thing', who had been attacked by 'Korrek of Katharta' and the three of them are confronted by warriors of the 'Congress of Realities'.
"He then meets 'Dakimh the Enchanter' who banishes the warriors and transports Howard, Man-Thing, and Korrek to his castle, where they are joined by 'Jennifer Kale'. They then travel to the realm of 'Therea' and destroy Thog.
- 2/24/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
This article contains one Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania spoiler
No one’s giving out cool points for liking a Marvel movie. The MCU remains incredibly popular and the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, making over $28.5 billion at the global box office and counting. We’re currently 31 films deep in Marvel Studios’ sprawling cinematic universe, where no less than three Ant-Man projects now exist after the release of this month’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Go back in time and tell that to someone who just watched Howard the Duck; they’d laugh in your face.
The MCU has become such a cultural phenomenon that the discourse surrounding its mere continued existence flares up around every film and TV show Marvel releases. If it’s not the old “critics vs. fans” argument, it’s the idea that the MCU should have had the decency to bow out with Avengers: Endgame.
No one’s giving out cool points for liking a Marvel movie. The MCU remains incredibly popular and the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, making over $28.5 billion at the global box office and counting. We’re currently 31 films deep in Marvel Studios’ sprawling cinematic universe, where no less than three Ant-Man projects now exist after the release of this month’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Go back in time and tell that to someone who just watched Howard the Duck; they’d laugh in your face.
The MCU has become such a cultural phenomenon that the discourse surrounding its mere continued existence flares up around every film and TV show Marvel releases. If it’s not the old “critics vs. fans” argument, it’s the idea that the MCU should have had the decency to bow out with Avengers: Endgame.
- 2/20/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
The adult animated series “Hit-Monkey” has been renewed for Season 2 at Hulu, Variety has learned.
The renewal comes over a year since the show originally debuted back in November 2021. Based on the titular Marvel Comics character of the same name, the series follows a Japanese snow monkey whose entire tribe is slaughtered. He then teams with the ghost of American assassin Bryce to get revenge on the Yakuza who wronged them both.
The new season will follow Hit-Monkey and Bryce as they travel from Japan to New York City. Fred Tatasciore voices Hit-Monkey. The rest of the returning voice cast includes Olivia Munn as Akiko Yokohama, Jason Sudeikis as Bryce, and Ally Maki as Haruka. In addition, Leslie Jones will be joining the show for Season 2 in an undisclosed role.
The show was co-created by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, who also serve as executive producers. 20th Television Animation serves...
The renewal comes over a year since the show originally debuted back in November 2021. Based on the titular Marvel Comics character of the same name, the series follows a Japanese snow monkey whose entire tribe is slaughtered. He then teams with the ghost of American assassin Bryce to get revenge on the Yakuza who wronged them both.
The new season will follow Hit-Monkey and Bryce as they travel from Japan to New York City. Fred Tatasciore voices Hit-Monkey. The rest of the returning voice cast includes Olivia Munn as Akiko Yokohama, Jason Sudeikis as Bryce, and Ally Maki as Haruka. In addition, Leslie Jones will be joining the show for Season 2 in an undisclosed role.
The show was co-created by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, who also serve as executive producers. 20th Television Animation serves...
- 2/2/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu and Marvel’s ambitious, four-show animated series slate is down to one show — which will no longer have “Marvel” in its title.
The Disney-run streamer has renewed Hit-Monkey for a second season. The pickup comes more than a year after it debuted on Hulu in November 2021, and more than eight months after the only other series of the four to make it to air — Modok — was canceled after a single season.
The four series greenlit in 2019 came from the now defunct Marvel Television, headed by Jeph Loeb. They were positioned as an animated counterpart to the four-show Marvel TV lineup at Netflix (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist), complete with a culminating miniseries to be called The Offenders (playing off The Defenders team-up for the Netflix shows).
Marvel TV, however, was folded into Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios late in 2019, and Loeb departed. After that, two of...
The Disney-run streamer has renewed Hit-Monkey for a second season. The pickup comes more than a year after it debuted on Hulu in November 2021, and more than eight months after the only other series of the four to make it to air — Modok — was canceled after a single season.
The four series greenlit in 2019 came from the now defunct Marvel Television, headed by Jeph Loeb. They were positioned as an animated counterpart to the four-show Marvel TV lineup at Netflix (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist), complete with a culminating miniseries to be called The Offenders (playing off The Defenders team-up for the Netflix shows).
Marvel TV, however, was folded into Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios late in 2019, and Loeb departed. After that, two of...
- 2/2/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Harrison Ford didn't exactly need a hit in 1989 when he signed on for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," but his agent was probably overjoyed that he was returning to the blockbuster franchise that broadened his appeal beyond "Star Wars." Though the character of Indiana Jones was not tailor made for Ford (Tom Selleck had been offered the role first), he'd imbued the whip-cracking archaeologist with the same roguish, seat-of-his-pants charm that made Han Solo such a dashing delight. Indy is certainly capable, but not overly confident. He's accident prone. He's constantly improvising his way out of peril, and, in doing so, piles more rough mileage on that middle-aged frame.
Moviegoers lined up to see Ford as Han and Indy, but they were less enthusiastic about his dramatic turns. He'd scored a surprise hit as a Philadelphia cop hiding out in Amish country in Peter Weir's "Witness," but found...
Moviegoers lined up to see Ford as Han and Indy, but they were less enthusiastic about his dramatic turns. He'd scored a surprise hit as a Philadelphia cop hiding out in Amish country in Peter Weir's "Witness," but found...
- 12/28/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Next year marks 50 years of Marvel's "Howard the Duck", with Marvel Comics paying tribute to the 'social satirist' with a year-long series of variant comic book covers, starting February 2023:
"...'Howard the Duck' was created by writer Steve Gerber and illustrator Val Mayerik, debuting in Marvel's 'Adventure into Fear' #19 (Dec. 1973), as a 'Man-Thing' back up story.
"Marvel's 'Howard the Duck #1 was published in 2015.
"He is abruptly abducted from his home planet by an unseen force and randomly dropped into the Florida Everglades by the demon-lord 'Thog the Nether-Spawn'. He meets the 'Man-Thing', who had been attacked by 'Korrek of Katharta' and the three of them are confronted by warriors of the 'Congress of Realities'.
"He then meets 'Dakimh the Enchanter' who banishes the warriors and transports Howard, Man-Thing, and Korrek to his castle, where they are joined by 'Jennifer Kale'. They then travel...
"...'Howard the Duck' was created by writer Steve Gerber and illustrator Val Mayerik, debuting in Marvel's 'Adventure into Fear' #19 (Dec. 1973), as a 'Man-Thing' back up story.
"Marvel's 'Howard the Duck #1 was published in 2015.
"He is abruptly abducted from his home planet by an unseen force and randomly dropped into the Florida Everglades by the demon-lord 'Thog the Nether-Spawn'. He meets the 'Man-Thing', who had been attacked by 'Korrek of Katharta' and the three of them are confronted by warriors of the 'Congress of Realities'.
"He then meets 'Dakimh the Enchanter' who banishes the warriors and transports Howard, Man-Thing, and Korrek to his castle, where they are joined by 'Jennifer Kale'. They then travel...
- 12/20/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
There's a pretty easy argument to be made that the Joker is the most iconic comic book villain of all time. Certainly, he's one of the most easily recognizable, especially after an Oscar win for the late Heath Ledger and a nomination for Joaquin Phoenix for their respective performances in the role. Still, as great as Ledger and Phoenix were as the Clown Prince of Crime, for some fans no one will ever match Jack Nicholson's iconic turn in Tim Burton's 1989 film "Batman."
Nicholson's performance was so memorable that it's become one of his signature roles, alongside McMurphy from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and Jake Gittes from "Chinatown." Because Jack was so good, it's hard to imagine that another venerated actor was originally targeted for the role: John Lithgow.
That's not the only way the film could have turned out differently, either, as the original intention...
Nicholson's performance was so memorable that it's become one of his signature roles, alongside McMurphy from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and Jake Gittes from "Chinatown." Because Jack was so good, it's hard to imagine that another venerated actor was originally targeted for the role: John Lithgow.
That's not the only way the film could have turned out differently, either, as the original intention...
- 12/19/2022
- by Jeff Kelly
- Slash Film
In the 1920s, Russian animator Władysław Starewicz, a.k.a. Lasislas Starevich, began experimenting with stop-motion animation techniques that would make the process look a little bit more natural. Traditionally for stop-motion, a doll, clay, or other plastic substance would be moved slightly, photographed, moved slightly again, and so on for 24 frames per second, creating the illusion of movement. The resulting animation takes a lot of painstaking work and a great deal of time, but it makes for an appealing style than allowed dolls and models to come to life. The issue Starevich had with stop-motion was that is possessed a "jerky," unnatural quality of movement. He combated this by moving his camera during the photography process to add a blur to the image. If an animated figure had the same photographic blur as a quick-moving human, Starevich figured, then the animated object would appear more real.
Thus, go-motion animation was born.
Thus, go-motion animation was born.
- 12/14/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Richard Miller, the famed sculptor whose decades of memorable work at Industrial Light and Magic included creating Princess Leia’s gold bikini for Return of the Jedi and Davy Jones’ tentacled beard for two Pirates of the Caribbean movies, has died. He was 80.
Miller died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday — two days after his birthday — at his home in Northern California, an Ilm spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. He was a cancer survivor and died after an extended stay in hospice care.
A dear member of Ilm’s extended family, Miller was the lead sculptor and a key staffer in the Ilm Creature Shop and later the Ilm Model Shop for nearly 30 years. He contributed to 55 features and numerous other projects dating to 1981, when he joined the company to work on 1983’s Jedi, the last installment in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Richard Miller, the famed sculptor whose decades of memorable work at Industrial Light and Magic included creating Princess Leia’s gold bikini for Return of the Jedi and Davy Jones’ tentacled beard for two Pirates of the Caribbean movies, has died. He was 80.
Miller died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday — two days after his birthday — at his home in Northern California, an Ilm spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. He was a cancer survivor and died after an extended stay in hospice care.
A dear member of Ilm’s extended family, Miller was the lead sculptor and a key staffer in the Ilm Creature Shop and later the Ilm Model Shop for nearly 30 years. He contributed to 55 features and numerous other projects dating to 1981, when he joined the company to work on 1983’s Jedi, the last installment in the original Star Wars trilogy.
- 12/11/2022
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ironically, Willow was a bit too big. Or at least too big to succeed as George Lucas had imagined it could. The brainchild of Lucas since before the first Star Wars, the 1988 film starred Warwick Davis as the eponymous Willow Ufgood, a farmer and would-be sorcerer’s apprentice from a race of dwarves called Nelwyn. The premise was classic fantasy: after discovering a baby Daikini (or regular-sized folk), Willow goes on a journey to protect the baby from an evil sorceress queen (the deliciously pantomime-esque Jean Marsh) – by way of mountains, monsters, and some riotous action sequences.
Back then, studio bosses baulked at the film’s 35m (£29m) price tag. The production spanned three continents, a huge cast of little people and featured more special effects work than Lucas’s FX house, Industrial Light & Magic, was prepared for. The finished film is a bloated two hours-plus, which feels too much...
Back then, studio bosses baulked at the film’s 35m (£29m) price tag. The production spanned three continents, a huge cast of little people and featured more special effects work than Lucas’s FX house, Industrial Light & Magic, was prepared for. The finished film is a bloated two hours-plus, which feels too much...
- 11/29/2022
- by Tom Fordy
- The Independent - Film
Just under two months after losing original helmer Bassam Tariq, Marvel Studios has hired both a new director and a new screenwriter for its upcoming “Blade” reboot with Mahershala Ali.
Yann Demange, a French-Algerian filmmaker whose previous credits include Jack O’Connell’s “71” and Matthew McConaughey’s “White Boy Rick,” has signed on to direct the vampire-killing actioner. Michael Starrbury, who has penned episodes of Netflix and Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” and “Colin in Black and White,” will write a new screenplay.
While the film has already been pushed from Nov. 6, 2023 to Sept. 6, 2024, Marvel Studios did not rush to find a replacement filmmaker. Sources confirm that Marvel was taking their time to find the right candidate. Assuming all goes well from here, production will begin in Atlanta in early 2023. While the film will reportedly be darker than a stereotypical Marvel romp, the extent this film will straddle...
Yann Demange, a French-Algerian filmmaker whose previous credits include Jack O’Connell’s “71” and Matthew McConaughey’s “White Boy Rick,” has signed on to direct the vampire-killing actioner. Michael Starrbury, who has penned episodes of Netflix and Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” and “Colin in Black and White,” will write a new screenplay.
While the film has already been pushed from Nov. 6, 2023 to Sept. 6, 2024, Marvel Studios did not rush to find a replacement filmmaker. Sources confirm that Marvel was taking their time to find the right candidate. Assuming all goes well from here, production will begin in Atlanta in early 2023. While the film will reportedly be darker than a stereotypical Marvel romp, the extent this film will straddle...
- 11/21/2022
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Few filmmakers have had a run quite like George Lucas did from 1977 to 1990. In those years, he created "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones," was creatively involved with movies as worlds apart as "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" and "Labyrinth," and produced the first-ever Marvel film: 1986's "Howard the Duck" (never forget). He also received story credit for "Willow," director Ron Howard's 1988 fantasy adventure movie starring Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood, a humble Nelwyn (little person) farmer charged with protecting a baby who is prophecied to bring about the downfall of an evil sorceress.
Co-written by Bob Dolman and starring Val Kilmer as Madmartigan -- a rascally swordsman prone to getting chased by his mistress's jealous husband -- "Willow" is neither as generally beloved nor widely despised as Lucas's other genre films from the 1980s. But it does have a great hero and an imaginative fantasy setting ripe for...
Co-written by Bob Dolman and starring Val Kilmer as Madmartigan -- a rascally swordsman prone to getting chased by his mistress's jealous husband -- "Willow" is neither as generally beloved nor widely despised as Lucas's other genre films from the 1980s. But it does have a great hero and an imaginative fantasy setting ripe for...
- 11/16/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Early in “Brainwashed,” filmmaker and cinema studies professor Nina Menkes quotes author James Baldwin when she says, “Nothing can be changed until it is fixed.” But before a broken system can be fixed, it first needs to be acknowledged. That’s Menkes’ job, and she does it so well that her lecture — which forms the basis of the movie — should be seen by everyone.
As a substitute for a Feminist Film Studies 101 class, “Brainwashed” gets the job done a lot more quickly and cheaply than if you registered for grad school. In sharing her academic talk, “Sex and Power: The Visual Language of Oppression,” Menkes gives us a base from which to understand the visual language of movies. She interviews seminal theorist Laura Mulvey, who popularized the concept of the “male gaze.” And she talks to a range of filmmakers, academics, and performers, who expand on what that concept has meant to them professionally.
As a substitute for a Feminist Film Studies 101 class, “Brainwashed” gets the job done a lot more quickly and cheaply than if you registered for grad school. In sharing her academic talk, “Sex and Power: The Visual Language of Oppression,” Menkes gives us a base from which to understand the visual language of movies. She interviews seminal theorist Laura Mulvey, who popularized the concept of the “male gaze.” And she talks to a range of filmmakers, academics, and performers, who expand on what that concept has meant to them professionally.
- 10/20/2022
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Over 30 years on, it's hard to overstate just how big "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and the resulting Turtlemania were back in the day. One minute, everyone in the school playground was doing swapsies with Garbage Pail Kids and Panini football stickers, the next, it was all "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles." Yes, you read that correctly; in the UK, the powers-that-be deemed the word "Ninja" too violent, so "Hero" was swapped in instead. On top of that, Michelangelo's nunchucks were replaced by a grappling hook, a baffling decision because you still had Leonardo's swords and Raphael's three-pronged Sai, both of which were arguably more deadly than two lumps of wood connected by a chain.
In the school lunchroom, the usual motley collection of "The A-Team," "Star Wars," and "He-Man" lunchboxes was quickly overtaken by shiny new Turtles ones. There were comic books, cartoons, action figures, and video games; everyone with a...
In the school lunchroom, the usual motley collection of "The A-Team," "Star Wars," and "He-Man" lunchboxes was quickly overtaken by shiny new Turtles ones. There were comic books, cartoons, action figures, and video games; everyone with a...
- 10/16/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
Some might think a story about a group of discarded baby turtles who turn into kick-ass fighting ninjas might be a bit of a stretch. After all, turtles, by all accounts, are slow, so how could one ever believe they could figure out how to use nunchaku? However, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird proved that this idea is actually brilliant with the creation of their insanely popular comic about four turtles who master the art of ninjutsu and use their fighting techniques to keep New York City streets safe. Since the release of the first comic book in 1984, Donnie, Raph, Mikey, and Leo have become pop culture icons, and their story has endured through multiple generations of children. Fans have seen everything from very good television adaptations to extremely questionable movie adaptations, but perhaps one of the most memorable iterations of the Turtles came in...
- 10/10/2022
- by Miyako Pleines
- Slash Film
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