#New Minions Movie 2018

[newtstesco]

SMG4 FRIENDSHIPS THAT I FEEL LIKE WOULD BE VERY REAL AND ALSO IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ME I KILL YOU

FightingMario54321 and Meggy- they were both cops and have penchant for fighting, what more do i have to say? they set up play dates between Loaf and Cube

Luigi and SMG0- they both are so chill, and they’d probably discuss gardening and their favorite teas and have little tea parties and talk abt how chaotic Mario and Fred are

Niles and Kaizo- both have felt betrayed by someone they care about, and they’re both the bad boy trope fr fr, would listen to rob zombie together

Mario, Fred, and Spudnick- they are all super chaotic and love running around and causing problems on purpose, they’re not allowed to hang out a lot since they destroy so much when they’re together, but once a year the guardians allow a play date

Tari and EpicYoshiFan- i’ve always thought EYF was bit quieter and shyer than the other recolors, so i think he and Tari would get long great, talking about music and video games and staying up way too late doing things

XboxGamer997 and Melony- they both have this sort of main character energy with X’s omen sense and Melony’s fierce deity side, i also think X gets pretty tired frequently so they’ll just have lil sleepovers :3

Ruffman8890 and Boopkins- they’re both very high energy, and RM would love to watch anime with Boopkins because i said so fuck you

Karen, Toad, and Peach- tired of Mario’s shit and definitely need a break, they go drinking together sometimes

Jeeves and Toadsworth- weird old men gang! i am specifically thinking abt the 2018 video where Jeeves and Toadsworth were hanging out, they definitely would discuss like the weather and what the princess has been up to and how the milk is selling fr fr

Shroomy and Swag- once again, i am referencing a Christmas special, the 2021 one to be exact, they love going demon hunting on the weekends and blowing things up

Whimpu and Tari- they both like doing quieter activities and nerdy shit, so they’d definitely play pokémon together, Whimpu is a nuzlock GOD

Enzo and The Villager- they both recovered after the christmas crazies episode (a lot of christmas episodes, you can tell they’re some of my favorites) and now The Villager directs a children’s TV show (seen in the 10 year anniversary movie) and Enzo runs a birthday supplies store in bloopersville (source: my brain) and they have the same parole officer, and no one really understands what they’ve been through so they’re pretty tight

SMG3, Xboxfan996, and OiramOiram12345- evil dopple gang! they’ve mostly mellowed out tho, and 96 and OO live in bloopersville but come by the internet graveyard sometimes to get a coffee and talk about what’s new with them

SMG4, SLG4, and Minion- THEY ARE A FAMILY YOUR HONOR AND YOU CAN RIP THIS FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS! Minion and SLG4 live in bloopersville, and since they’re all sorta related to SMG4, they’re like “yeah we’re family lol” so SMG4 sometimes shows up at bloopersville for their birthdays

Desti and Saiko- they would have been BESTIES you can’t change my mind, Desti would totally go to Saiko for help with asking out Meggy

MCGustavo and Bob- i can’t explain this but just trust me they’d be best friends they’d smoke together lol

Chris and Belle- they both want to smack the shit out of their former bosses (Sergeant Mark and SMG3, respectively), they both get a little tired of the chaos and just wanna talk to someone who’s also tired of it for once

Jub Jub, Frankie, and the Weegee doll- they play roblox together :D

Mario and Ruffman8890- they are both so chaotic and love running around and pissing off Toad lmaooo

Waluigi and Tari- after the whole T-pose virus thing, they both see each other at a rubber duck store and hit it off immediately, they love hanging out and playing with their ducks

those are all the ones i can think of rn but this is so real and you will agree with me now

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

The forecast indicates an opening well over $100m for INSIDE OUT 2, which is really no surprise to me. Animated movies, even sequels to beloved favorites, tend to be underestimated before opening. They don't make huge bucks right out of the gate like frontloaded fan-driven things like MCU movies and the like. Their business is more in the walk-ups at the theaters, and make those big totals on Saturdays and Sundays. Hence why projections can be quite low. MARIO is a good example, some analysts had that at $70-90m for its opening.

That looks to be the case with INSIDE OUT 2, a sequel to a movie that made $90m on its opening weekend unadjusted... 9 years ago. Of course it was gonna stay flat at the very least, but some projections are suggesting it could cruise past $120m.

The all-timer opening weekends for animated movies:

$191m - THE LION KING (2019)

$182m - INCREDIBLES 2 (2018)

$146m - THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE (2023)

$135m - FINDING DORY (2016)

$130m - FROZEN II (2019)

$121m - SHREK THE THIRD (2007)

$120m - TOY STORY 4 (2019)

$120m - SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (2023)

$115m - MINIONS (2015)

$110m - TOY STORY 3 (2010)

$108m - SHREK 2 (2004)

$107m - MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU (2022)

$104m - THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS (2016)

$103m - THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016)

So, it'll be with the big leagues either way, but I'll be curious to see how high it goes.

Of course, some of the trades are seemingly celebrating this win for all the wrong reasons... And I'm sure Disney execs will use it as some sort of justification for something regarding their original movies. Don't be surprised if another sequel gets slotted before D23 this year, or some time thereafter. But the good news is, people get to keep their jobs once more.

I think $300-400m domestic is also pretty much a lock, could even challenge $1 billion worldwide. For Disney, this is their biggest animated release since FROZEN II, nearly five years ago. In terms of animated movies in general released after March 2020, this may share the top spots with Mario and the Minions.

On the one hand, I'm happy to see Disney finally get some BIG animation box office cake after years of movies either having to release elsewhere for the safety of audiences (SOUL, LUCA, TURNING RED) or outright flopping (LIGHTYEAR, STRANGE WORLD, WISH), and they're sure to get some more with MOANA 2, and possibly MUFASA at the end of the year... But, at the same time, there's all the corporate nonsense. I keep thinking, what are they going to say if ELIO and such perform more like ELEMENTAL?: "Uhhh, uhhh? I guess trying to do this 'general appeal' thing didn't work either??"

INSIDE OUT 2, coupled with MOANA 2, ZOOTOPIA 2, TOY STORY 5, FROZEN III & IV, etc. should make back what was "lost" on the other movies. I'm not against sequels funding the originals, that's the way it has been with many studios since the 2000s, I'm just more concerned about how Disney will go about the originals being made at both studios. If INSIDE OUT 2 holds on at the box office in the coming weeks, it'll just tell me that audiences liked the new story, and that there doesn't need to be any of this needless meddling of Pixar's filmmaking processes. INSIDE OUT 2 was approached the same way ELEMENTAL, TURNING RED, etc. were - so if it has great legs after an expectedly big opening, then that just proves my point. And vindicates those so-called audience-unfriendly movies.

But yeah, I expect a big sequel drop from Pixar by the end of the year. Something that'll come out probably 2-3 years after TOY STORY 5.

SUNDAY UPDATE: Estimates have it at $155m. Could go higher when tomorrow rolls around... Big doins'.

MONDAY UPDATE: $154m. Great CinemaScore grade. This thing's smashing $400m domestic, maybe even makes a play for $500m. $1 billion worldwide locked, too?

[evilelena]

I'm so weird, I fill out three-year-old Cobra Kai surveys on tumblr.

Karate Kid/Cobra Kai survey

---

It’s the year 2021 and you’re obsessed with The Karate Kid. How are you feeling?

Well, it's now the year 2024 and...fine? I was never really "obsessed" with the Miyagi universe until October 2022 when I started going through all the episodes for my so-called "fan fixion". it's not really fanfic; intentionally bad recaps with fictionalized elements are just something my sister and I used to do ages ago for the lulz. We actually did them for Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Shield. The Cobra Kai ones are done by me; but my sister remains my one consistent reader. She's also the one who challenged me to incorporate the phrases "practice dumby" (yes, spelled that way), "Why is this happening to me?!", and "Ouch, ouch, oh, ouch!" (a line from one of my old childhood stories) into all of my recaps -- or whatever you want to call them. (In case anybody ever looks at those and thinks wtf?.) Despite not being "obsessed" until a year and a half ago, I still really liked CK and re-watched many episodes even before October 2022!

Did you grow up with TKK or are you new to the series?

Kind of both? I was born...uh, long enough ago that I was alive when TKK was released, although I don't remember its release because I was a very young child. I did see parts of all three first movies here and there over the years growing up -- and I watched that masterpiece The Next Karate Kid in the late 90's or early 00's while going on a Walton Goggins movie binge -- but I never appreciated them until my ex-on-good-terms recommended Cobra Kai. (I'm pretty new to the "fandom" but have been watching CK since May 2018.)

We gotta do the basics. Favorite character:

Johnny, for sure. Second favorite is Terry Silver.

Favorite ship:

Johnny and Daniel when they're bickering and squabbling like an old married couple.

Underrated character:

Stiven. Too bad he left, or he and Hawk could've become pals. I like how Stiven bravely tried to start a fight with Tory during the LaRusso house brawl, and she punched him away like she was batting away a pesky fly.

Underrated ship (don’t say therapy, lol):

Johnny and Ali? I (gasp) prefer them to Johnny and Carmen.

Wax On, Wax Off or Sweep the Leg?

Sweep the leg!

Which of Daniel’s dumb little outfits is your favorite?

Any where he incorporates the color blue. Bonus points if it includes his special blue-and-white karate headband.

Character from the films you most want to return, who’s not Terry Silver:

Charlie -- that minion of Ned, or whatever the main bully's name was in TNKK. (Charlie, played by Walton Goggins, was Ned's Rickenberger.)

Scene that lives in your head rent-free:

Oh, there are so many. Way too many to name in a three-year-old survey.

Will Anthony LaRusso ever be relevant?

Technically, he was one of the most relevant characters in 5x10. Without him, Kenny Payne might still be Terry Silver's prize pupil. (And Silver might not have been arrested. Stupid Anthony!)

You live in The Valley and are forced to join the karate gang war. Which dojo do you join?

Eagle Fang, but I'm not leaping from one building to another. (Sensei Lawrence is more than welcome to call me pathetic, though.)

What’s your training montage song?

"Gonna Fly Now"?

It’s the crossover event of the century! Which TV show are you combining with Cobra Kai for an hour-long Saturday night special?

Beverly Hills, 9010. Mel Silver can be Terry's cousin.

Tagging:

Nobody, because this is three years old.

[321spongebolt]

Underdog is one of those popular characters who fell into obscurity in recent years. Now that "Underdog" is owned by Universal, I think there should be a CG reboot movie. Unlike the live action Disney film released in 2007, I would want Underdog's CG reboot to be more faithful to the cartoon (even though I never saw it). This film would be released in theaters in 2D, 3D, IMAX (2D and 3D), and 4DX (2D and 3D)

Up above is how I would envision an "Underdog" movie poster. I have a blank one for those who want to try better than what I have done. You can view the older versions of my movie poster concept art on this page.

PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Illumination

DreamWorks Animation

DISTRIBUTOR

Universal Pictures

RATING

Obviously, PG, moving on.

ANIMATION

In terms of the animation, I wasn't sure if the CG should be fluent or stop-motion like, similar to some scenes in "Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish", but I was thinking that the same people who worked on "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" could try animating the characters. It could even be the first time Underdog, Sweet Polly Purebred, and other animal characters have actual fur. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2018)" also showed us how good hair and fur could work on CG characters.

OPENING LOGO VARIANTS

For the Universal Pictures logo, have Underdog fly around the earth as the letters spelling "UNIVERSAL" follow him (Assuming Underdog can breathe in Space).

The Illumination logo would feature the minions jumping off the Illumination logo and trying to fly, only for them to just plummet to the ground.

And for the DreamWorks Animation logo, I was thinking make Underdog 2D animated (with either traditional or flash animation). And after Underdog fishes on the moon, he would jump off the moon and fly through the clouds transitioning from 2D to his 3D design we see in the movie.

The title for the film itself would appear at the beginning and end of the movie. The end credits themselves would be 2D animated.

STORY CONCEPT

What I had in mind was if Dr. Simon Bar Sinister teamed up with Underdog's nemeses and formed a legion too powerful for Underdog to take on by himself. In fact, Underdog himself could get a team of his own consisting of other animal superheroes like him. And after putting Dr. Simon Bar Sinister and his legion behind bars, the movie would end with Underdog starting his new job at a superhero headquarters, which serves as the backdoor pilot for a TV show based on my movie idea.

CLOSING LOGO VARIANTS

After the credits (and post-credits scenes depending on if we'll get any) and the closing Universal and Illumination logos, Underdog would fly back onto the moon of the DreamWorks Animation logo and continue fishing until the screen fades to black.

TELEVISION SERIES BASED ON THE MOVIE

The TV series based on the movie would continue from the ending of the movie, and in addition to seeing more of Underdog in action, some episodes focus on Underdog's new superhero friends. This show, I was thinking would return to its original 2D routes, but this time through flash-animated software like Toon Boom Harmony, or something similar to that.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Maria (2019)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

You’ve seen movies like Maria a hundred times. Even if you think its concept of a vengeful mother pursuing the people who killed her family is new, it isn’t. In 2018, we got Peppermint. In 2020, The Rhythm Section. This one was slotted in between and it’s as forgettable as the other two.

Former assassin Maria (Cristine Reyes) faked her death and now lives a happy, normal life with her daughter Min-Min (Johanna Rish) and husband Bert (Guji Lorenzana). When her former lover, a gangster named Kaleb (Germaine De Leon), spots Maria, her new identity is compromised. After her family is murdered, Maria goes back to her old ways of violence to avenge her loved ones.

The premise is nothing to get excited about but there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Though it might’ve been distributed by Netflix, this is a Filipino film. You figure the change of scenery will generate some freshness. It doesn’t. This movie is so generic it could be set ANYWHERE.

If Maria can’t reinvent the wheel, you at least hope it can satisfyingly go through the motions. I’m sorry to say it can’t. The plot is clumsy. There’s a lot of attention paid to a Governor the de la Vega family is trying to strongarm. Maria’s husband is obsessed with Governor Villanueva's electoral circus so they attend one of his rallies, which is where the villains spot Maria. Even when Maria starts her path of vengeance and leaves multiple goons dead, Kaleb’s father insists his minions keep an eye on the Governor… but nothing is ever made of this subplot.

We learn Kaleb is after Maria so he can get her to feel the pain he felt… which is why he kills her daughter? At first, you think it’s got something to do with a little girl Maria spared all those years ago - the moment that made her realize killing people for a living is wrong -but that’s not it. The pain Kaleb refers to is a heartache. He's still upset Maria broke up with him so he wants to make her suffer “the same way he did”… by doing something completely different.

In terms of violence, you’ll be left unsatisfied. There are brutal scenes of torture but when it comes to the scenes of Maria dispensing vengeance, it’s obvious the actress doesn’t have the physicality necessary to pull them off. The fights are stilted and unconvincing, often shot in ways that make you question how fragile human beings are or how blood splatter works. There are several scenes where the blood was clearly added in post-production and they don’t help make anything you see convincing. None of the fights or deaths are exciting, not even when Maria is pitted against other sexy lady assassins.

You know the performances are bad when you’re unable to understand the spoken language and still notice the actors struggle with their character's emotions. You can’t blame the performers too much; the material they’ve been given is weak. Aside from the fact that Maria is not as bad as the people who are after her, there’s no reason to like the woman. She was a trained assassin who we saw kill innocent people. She might’ve wanted out of the game but not that much if she didn’t even bother moving out of the city. As for the villains, they're generic and flat. The fights are not creative in any way. It’s alternative too violent and too pulled back. Maria doesn’t get anything right.

The finale promises a sequel but it shouldn’t have bothered. Even if you don’t end up bored or hating Maria, by the time the follow-up comes around you’ll have forgotten about it completely. (Original Tagalog with English Subtitles, November 20, 2020)

[lizzystoddard]

What to Expect in 2023

Hey guys! 2023 is officially here, and we want to know what to expect this year. Here are the list of what's coming this year:

The 40th anniversary celebration of My Little Pony, which will include new toys and others and preceding the 35th anniversary in 2018 (1983-2023)

The 30th anniversary celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, which will include a special 30th Anniversary Edition (with a reprint of issue #291), set for release in April by IDW, preceding the 25th anniversary in 2018 (1993-2023)

The 10th anniversary celebration of Minion Rush, preceding the successful 5-Year Celebration from 2018 (2013-2023)

The 10th anniversary celebration of My Talking Tom, preceding the 5th anniversary in 2018 (2013-2023) [To learn more about this, click here]; plus the 5th anniversary of My Talking Tom 2 (2018-2023)

And many more to come this year (movies, video games, books, etc.)!

We can't wait to see all the fun stuff happening in 2023!

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JULY 24

An unofficial July theme: optimism! 

From a rom-com about the possibilities of the Space Race, silly Minion antics, movie theaters making a comeback, traveling to new places, and the most exciting Olympics in years, things are looking up. July is also a great time to take stock of the year’s movie output. The writers at ZekeFilm rounded up our individual top five films and named our cumulative top five in our Best of the Year (So Far) piece. (I also did a deeper dive on my favorite film so far.) I'm not saying we've found the joy of a dull moment of precedented-ness, but these Round Up of pop culture picks gave July a more relaxed, celebratory feeling.

July Crowd-Pleasers

1. Fly Me to the Moon (2024) 

If you’ve ever watched a romantic comedy baked in misunderstandings, secrets, and false identities—think Pillow Talk or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days—then you know the appeal of Fly Me to the Moon. Romances are about chemistry, which Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum have to spare, and comedies require a light touch, which is just what this semi-real retelling of the first moon landing needs. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch my review on KMOV. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. Despicable Me 4 (2024)

I have no new insight into this cinematic universe, and the plot points are so becoming interchangeable you could just read my review of 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru to understand what I thought of Despicable Me 4. All I know is Minions make me feel like I’m a giggling 6-year-old again, and I don’t care about the lack of innovation as long as that lasts. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

3. Twisters (2024)

The joy of Twisters is that in spite of its empyrean spectacle, it always stays grounded. Also, Glen Powell (and Brisket). Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Thelma (2024)

Imagine The Beekeper if Phylicia Rashad decided to go after the scammer criminals herself. Also, imagine she was 93 years old and could only use resources available to nonagenarians. June Squibb is hilarious as a grandma who doesn’t know when to quit, and Josh Margolin’s debut feature finds a sweeter center than Jason Statham did earlier this year. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

All hail sequels that are much better than they need to be! Though, in this case, keep your hails to a whisper. Lupita N’yongo, Joseph Quinn, and one endearing feline prove this franchise has legs—albeit spindly alien ones—and a heart outside the single family we saw in the first two chapters. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

MORE JULY CROWD-PLEASERS // About Time (2013) is an underseen rom-com that graciously does not overthink its time travel mechanics // I have never seen a commercial for Paddington (2014) or Paddington 2 (2017) that made me want to watch them—why were these charming, clever movies hidden behind gross-out jokes in their marketing? // The Great Debaters (2007) and The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) prove Glen Powell has always had it, and both films have plenty to recommend apart from his small roles // Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) may not be as vibrant as in the '80s but it does capture the same fun // Is Andrew McCarthy’s navel-gazing documentary Brats (2024) preoccupied with a therapeutic exploration of self? Is it extremely watchable for anyone with a love for 1980s popular cinema? Yes, and YES.

July Critic Picks

1. London! 

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.” That Samuel Johnson quote is overused for a reason. This month I returned to the United Kingdom for the first time since a three-week study abroad trip in 2012. A few activities were repeats from my college days (Harrod’s, National Gallery, Westminster Abbey), and I’ve now seen Six on two continents (great on both). Aside from a quick day trip to Stonehenge and Bath, the rest of my time was spent in London, discovering new coffee shops with baked goods on every corner and packing in as many museum visits as possible. If you’re headed across the Pond anytime soon, these are my top new-to-me cultural picks: 

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Christian Heritage City Walk Tour

Churchill War Rooms

The Design Museum, specifically Barbie: The Exhibition

High tea at The Rosebery in the Mandarin Oriental

National Portrait Gallery, especially the exhibit Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens

Natural History Museum, specifically the dinosaur fossils because Jurassic Park rules

Portobello Road Market, including standing in front of the Notting Hill Bookshop asking it to love me 

Roman Baths

St. Paul’s Cathedral, though make sure you’re warmed up before attempting to climb to the top

Stonehenge

Victoria and Albert Museum, which is extra special when you wait in the gift shop line behind Tessa Thompson, who seems just as lovely in person as she does on screen

2. Double Feature — Classic Espionage Thrillers: Saboteur (1942) + Mirage (1965)

Because we all need more plot twists in our lives. In Saboteur (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Robert Cummings is framed for sabotaging the U.S. war efforts and goes on the run to discover the real culprits in true Hitchcock fashion. In Mirage (8/10 // 8/10), Gregory Peck realizes he’s lost two years of memories and goes on the run to discover the real conspiracy in similar fashion to Charade (since they share a screenwriter and co-stars).

3. Gambit (1966)

Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine are trying to pull off an art heist in swinging ‘60s style. What else do you need to know? Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

4. Making Movies by Sidney Lumet (1996)

Before The Big Picture podcast celebrated Sidney Lumet’s 100th birthday, I read his memoir/filmmaking guide and wished I’d read it years ago. The director of Network and The Verdict explains his filmmaking philosophies and techniques without getting too inside baseball or talking down to us. It feels like joining him in production meetings, sound stages, and editing rooms. I won’t look just at his work differently—these insights will impact my perspective on all watching going forward.

5. Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony

So far this Olympics has felt like the burst of joy and optimism I’ve wanted the Olympics to feel like since 2020, and the opening ceremony was full of all the pomp, circumstance, spectacle, sparkle, fireworks, Lady Gaga, and Minions I could ask for. 

MORE JULY CRITIC PICKS // Wicked Little Letters (2024) is a fun twist on the Parable of the Two Sons // The gender politics of Forever, Darling (1956) are silly today, but boy, did Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball have chemistry! // Death on the Diamond (1934) is a silly murder mystery set on the baseball diamond, but I can’t resist the St. Louis Cardinals as heroes // When Ladies Meet (1941) lets Joan Crawford shine in a rom-com

Also in July…

As Kyla and I continue the final season of SO IT’S A SHOW?, we dig into references Gilmore Girls makes to Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar in ep. 141. What is the tragedy that Rory and Lorelai allude to? Is Gwyneth Paltrow any good at playing this poet in a movie? And why does Rory love her work so much? No need to finish that copy of The Bell Jar that’s been sitting half-read on your nightstand for years—we’ve got all the answers!

Photo credits: London my own. Making Movies. All others IMDb.com.

[prententiousjackal]

When did Despicable Me take place?

I'm going to start with an extremely broad range first and narrow it down over time.

Gru was born 1960 September 28th according to his resume in the first movie which may or may not be real. But in Minions: Rise of Gru, 1976, January 30, the day before Chinese New Year's Eve, Gru says he is 11 and 3/4 putting his birthday around 1964 April 30. But given the level of imprecision this gives us a range from 1964 February to 1964 July. If Gru were to live as long as the oldest person to have lived (122 years), he'd live to as late as 2087. So Despicable Me takes place without a doubt between 1976 and 2087.

Gru is obviously older than in Minions: Rise of Gru which took place in 1976. And songs from 1976 are played diagetically in Despicable Me (Boogie Fever and You Should Be Dancing). So the movie must take place after 1976.

There are cars from the 2009, 2008 and 2002 in Despicable Me 3. https://www.imcdb.org/movie_3469046-Despicable-Me-3.html Since the girls haven't aged more than a few years (let's say 5 years), this means the first Despicable Me movie can't take place earlier than 2004.

One would expect Despicable Me to take place sometime between when the movie started production and the year after it was released. Between 2007 and 2011, giving Gru an age between 42 and 50. This is what I would accept if it weren't for the weekdays and lunar cycles.

In Despicable Me, Gru steals the moon and misses the dance recital on Saturday, May 26th.

The limit of Gru's life and the date Saturday, May 26th gives us the years: 1979, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018, 2029, 2035, 2040, 2046, 2057, 2063, 2068, 2074, 2085.

When Gru steals the moon we can see the effects of the moon disappearing, including a werewolf becoming human because the moon was a full moon before it got shrunk. And the moon is once again a full moon when it returns to its "rightful place in the sky".

Once we take the full moon into account, this limits the dates to possibly 2018 with a waxing gibbous. And 2029 and 2040.

I personally go with 2029 because I feel that the 2018 waxing gibbous is not full enough to match what we see in the movie. And 2040 is scheduled to have a semi-permanent human base on the moon, making Gru a murderer or at least a kidnapper, which would call into question why these things weren't mentioned in the movie. Some things may become commonplace in 2040 which would date the movie by their absence. And if it were 2040 then Gru would be 76 or 79 years old.

If the Despicable Me series continues in a way that features current pop culture references or more recent background cars while the series also refuses to show an equal amount of time passing in its universe as in real life, then 2029 will look reasonable if there's still more Despicable Me movies coming out in the 2030s. This would make Gru, 65 or 68 years old in the first movie.

[avalkorn]

MOVIE & TV SHOW

1. Гром. Трудное детство / 2023

2. Мульти-пульти / 2023

3. Obi-Wan Kenobi / S1 / 2022

4. Treasure Planet / 2002

5. American Psycho / 2000

6. Incendies / 2010

7. Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre / 2023

8. The Fabelmans / 2022

9. Minions: The Rise of Gru / 2022

10. Andor / S1 / 2022

11. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story / 2016

12. The Office / S5 / 2009

13. Babylon / 2022

14. Нулевой пациент / S1 / 2022

15. The Pale Blue Eye / 2022

16. M3gan / 2023

17. Ms. Marvel / S1 / 2022

18. Titanic / 1997

19. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania / 2023

20. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law / S1 / 2022

21. Russian Doll / S1 / 2019

22. Escape from New York / 1981

23. Cocaine Bear / 2023

24. The Legend of Vox Machina / S1 / 2022

25. Top Gun: Maverick / 2022

26. Scream VI / 2023

27. All Quiet on the Western Front / 2022

28. Russian Doll / S2 / 2022

29. 65 / 2023

30. Shazam! Fury of the Gods / 2023

31. The Legend of Vox Machina / S2 / 2023

32. The Office / S6 / 2010

33. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves / 2023

34. The Dark Knight / 2008

35. John Wick: Chapter 4 / 2023

36. Peaky Blinders / S4 / 2017

37. The Super Mario Bros. Movie / 2023

38. Renfield / 2023

39. Air / 2023

40. The Mandolorian / S3 / 2023

41. Dead Poets Society / 1989

42. To Catch a Killer / 2023

43. Guardian of the Galaxy. Volume 3 / 2023

44. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent / 2023

45. Tetris / 2023

46. Morbius / 2022

47. Triple Frontier / 2019

48. Dead Man / 1995

49. Euphoria / S1 / 2019

50. Fast X / 2023

51. Ghosted / 2023

52. The Office / S7 / 2011

53. The Little Mermaid / 2023

54. Euphoria / S2 / 2022

55. The Covenant / 2022

56. Hypnotic / 2023

57. The Flash / 2023

58. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of Black Pearl / 2003

59. Locke / 2013

60. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness / 2022

61. Blade Runner 2049 / 2017

62. Arrival / 2016

63. Красный состав / S1 / 2022

64. Barbie / 2023

65. Nimona / 2023

66. Moonrise Kingdom / 2012

67. Blue Beetle / 2023

68. Hercules / 1997

69. After Yang / 2022

70. Heart of Stone / 2023

71. Equilibrium / 2002

72. Under the Silver Lake / 2017

73. Hotel Artemis / 2018

74. Gunpowder Milkshake / 2021

75. Wild Target / 2009

76. Oppenheimer / 2023

77. Ночной дозор / 2004

78. Shrek / 2001

79. Sunshine / 2007

80. Дневной дозор / 2005

81. Interstellar / 2014

82. La Dolce Vita / 1960

83. Сергий против нечисти / S1 / 2021

84. Сергий против нечисти / S2 / 2023

85. Dumb Money / 2023

86. Molly’s Game / 2017

87. BlackBerry / 2023

88. Dracula / 1931

89. Decision to Leave / 2022

90. Logan Lucky / 2017

91. The Hummingbird Project / 2018

92. Papillon / 2017

93. Star Trek Into Darkness / 2013

94. The Hunger Games / 2012

95. The Killer / 2023

96. The Misfits / 2020

97. Napoleon / 2023

98. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire / 2013

99. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 / 2014

100. Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose / 2023

101. Слово пацана. Кровь на асфальте / S1 / 2023

BOOK

1. Dune / 1965

2. Supergods: Our World in The Age of the Superhero / 2011

3. Generation П / 1999

4. The Hobbit / 1937

5. The Theory of Everything / 2002

6. Elantris / 2005

7. The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan / 2020

GAME

1. Baldurs Gate III / 2023

2. Cyberpunk 2077 / 2020

3. Spider-Man. Miles Morales / 2021

4. Hogwarts. Legacy / 2023

5. Diablo 4 / 2023

[totallynotanannetesimp]

Overview: Quandale Dingle is an African-American man aged 20-25, most well-known for various unlikely and even seemingly impossible appearances throughout the entire universe, including virtual spaces. Another important piece of controversy regarding him is his imprisonment and eventual escape with the help of his friend Juandale Pringle.

Unique Facial Features: Quandale has an abnormally shaped nose, having a large size and pointing forward. His face is slanted downwards at an extreme angle, this being accentuated by his large lower lip.

Crimes and Imprisonment: After his incarceration, for battering on a police officer, grand theft, declaring war on Italy, and public indecency he publicly stated that on March 28th he will be escaping prison and has plans to "take over the world". Shockingly, even after this statement, he was still able to escape on the specified date due to the prison staff's negligence.

Escape from Prison: On March 28 2018, Quandale Dingle escaped prison and went into hiding at his friend Juandale Pringle's house. While he was running from police, he fell and accidentally scraped some foreskin off from his genitalia. Armed forces were later sent to Juandale's house, who was arrested and later killed. Quandale esecaped and is now staying at Aden Dookie's crib with Quindavious Gooch.

Family: It is known that Quandale Dingle has an autistic son as well as a "baby mama" named Sheniqua Anderson. His son's name is currently unknown. Quandale has stated that he supposedly gave away his son to "creepy old guys" due to his refusal to pay child support, although it is unknown if this is true. He has also stated that he trapped his son's hand in an air fryer. His relationship with his father is described as abusive by Quandale, who says he was "given a sucker punch full force" and was "smacked in the back of the head with a steering wheel" Quanlingling Dingle is Quandale's asian brother. At one point he placed illegal substances in Quandale's meal as a supposed assassination attempt or a misguided prank, which almost killed Quandale. Quandale's cousin, Henry Bartholomew Dinglenut was also arrested, for planting 2.5 Kilograms of TNT in a daycare center. Also putting a camera in president Joe Biden’s bathroom to watch him take a poo. His relationship with his mother, Quandlisha Dingleberry, is not in a good state, with her being the original founder of the AQTF, an organization with the goal of combating his devious activities.

Appearances: - Union city, New Jersey - New Batman movie (as "The Dingler") - Los Angeles - The lost city of Atlantis - The White House - Plushtrap Room (Five Nights at Freddy's 4) - "Prison Break" Roblox game - Lil Minion's mansion - Robbery of Goofy Ahh Jersey bank - Fortnite - Tilted Towers - Hitler’s Grave - etc.

Criminal history: Quandale Dingle has committed many crimes including: - Murder - Theft - Assault - Selling illegal substances - Using chemical weapons - Using nuclear weapons - Killing a president - Arson - Kidnapping - Rape - Tax evasion - Reviving Hitler - Starting a war - Treason - Genocide - Terrorism - War crimes - Hate Crimes - Child labor - Declaring War on Italy - Battery On A Police Officer - Public Indecency

Trivia:

Quandale was bent over in the prison showers by someone named Garfield Jenson.

Quandale almost drowned in his bathtub when he was 15 years old.

Quandale put percs in Vladimir Putin's drink and "he went to bed for a really long time".

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

The unmade PUSS IN BOOTS sequel...

In an alternate timeline, the 2nd PUSS IN BOOTS movie would've been released during the holiday season of 2018... It would've been a significantly different movie, too.

It would not have been directed by Joel Crawford, but rather Chris Miller, who directed the first PUSS IN BOOTS movie, and SHREK THE THIRD as well. He's not *that* Chris Miller of the Phil Lord-Chris Miller duo, but a long-time DreamWorks Animation veteran whose work goes all the way back to their debut feature ANTZ.

The title was PUSS IN BOOTS: NINE LIVES & 40 THIEVES.

It had, you may have guessed it, a 1001 Arabian Nights setting.

The concept art for this picture suggested something pretty damn cool. I absolutely love PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, in fact it is my favorite film in the entire SHREK franchise and just a new favorite movie of mine, period.

But... I'm not gonna lie, I would really love to see what *this* movie would've been like. I'm sure it would've had a tone and directing style similar to that of the first PUSS IN BOOTS, and the visual style for it would've been about the same: Much more hyper-detailed with ornate textures everywhere (look at Puss' sword in that movie and the other SHREKs, and look at his much simplified sword in THE LAST WISH), no framerate fluctuations, etc.

The SHREK series had often covered European fairy tales, and the first PUSS IN BOOTS movie married such fairy tales like Jack and the Beanstalk, and the Golden Goose, to a more old-school adventure genre: Think Zorro, Three Musketeers, etc. Threw in spaghetti westerns for good measure. It was a sandier side of the SHREK world, deserts, and Spanish and Latin American-inspired towns. THE LAST WISH retains all of that, the magical "Dark Forest" being not too far removed from the European fairy tale aesthetic. That whole storybook-inspired look they were going for put it firmly in the European fairy tale, I feel. Again, best of both worlds... But there's other worlds, right?

NINE LIVES & 40 THIEVES would've taken us more East, and I'd really love to see that in the fairy tale universe of SHREK. Who's to say they can't... take that idea off the shelf again? After all, THE LAST WISH ends with a direct lead-in to a fifth SHREK movie. Perhaps SHREK 5 can incorporate the Arabian Nights setting? Or a third PUSS IN BOOTS movie where we only follow "Team Friendship" on a new adventure?

About that... Very few Western animated movies spawn ongoing spin-off feature film series. DESPICABLE ME scored with the MINIONS movie in 2015, and that got an equally ginormous sequel this past summer. That was the inverse of LIGHTYEAR to the TOY STORY franchise, LIGHTYEAR could've been a big hit and could've spawned more space adventures with the human/actual space ranger Buzz... But alas, no cigar. (I'm honestly bummed about that, I was ready for more!) THE LEGO MOVIE tried to do this, but I feel Warner Bros. made the mistake of having the studio make two spin-off movies - unrelated to one another, LEGO BATMAN and LEGO NINJAGO - *before* THE LEGO MOVIE 2 proper. Maybe if LEGO MOVIE 2 opened in 2017 as originally planned, with BATMAN and NINJAGO afterwards, we could've had plenty of different theatrical LEGO stories to choose from. DreamWorks' own MADAGASCAR franchise couldn't have a side series of PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR movies, the first one - released back in 2014 - was deemed a box office disappointment. Its "flopping" actually lead to a big restructuring month at DreamWorks, which took NINE LIVES & 40 THIEVES off their schedule...

It was very possible that the movie was no more, much like other DreamWorks pictures that got the axe at the time: BOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR MONKEY, B.O.O.: BUREAU OF OTHERWORLDLY OPERATIONS, etc. Thankfully, PUSS Dos remained in limbo rather than being outright cancelled.

But NINE LIVES & 40 THIEVES didn't make it, we got THE LAST WISH instead.

But now... THE LAST WISH has been a leggy box office success, a record-breaking one at that, too. It's actually the first post-1999 wide-release animated movie since THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE to make more than 10x its opening weekend gross... EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE came out in 2000... So that makes **two**, **two** animated movies released in the domestic market since 1999 that scored 10x their opening weekend grosses... WOW!

So yes, I'd imagine the PUSS IN BOOTS train won't be stopping. I think it's a strong possibility that we get *both* new SHREK sequels *and* new PUSS IN BOOTS sequels. Puss showed with both movies that he can more than hold his own and have his own long-form adventures w/ Kitty Softpaws and Perrito. The original made over $500m worldwide back in 2011/12, and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars much like this film, which looks to finish up with over $450m worldwide. Hey, is it possible somebody else gets a new movie, too? I feel there's a lot of ground to cover in Shrek's fairy tale world that goes beyond Shrek's swamp, Far Far Away, San Ricardo, Del Mar, the lands inbetween, etc.... A magic carpet that's reminiscent of the one in most ALADDIN interpretations appears in THE LAST WISH as part of Big Jack Horner's collection, so maybe that Arabian Nights-style world is still out there and might be featured in a future SHREK/PUSS IN BOOTS movie?

I'd love to see that, honestly. Since the world of SHREK is back in business, I say go explore and expand that world!

[ao3feed-batb2017]

Send Me On My Way

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3A6uuXo

by BluD3vil_Fire2000

After saving a human toddler from a doomed fate, an unlikely group of friends—consisting of Migo, a no-nonsense, lone Yeti; Rodney, an inventor with a heart of gold; Alex, a Lieutenant of an enemy gang; and Blue, an exiled Princess with a unique power—band together to return the child to her family. In order to reunite the baby with her tribe, the four will have to take on many dangers along the journey while having to work together as a herd.

Words: 7501, Chapters: 5/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Ice Age/Multifandom AU

Fandoms: Original Work, Ice Age (Movies), Disney - All Media Types, Smallfoot (2018), Robots (2005), Madagascar (Movies), Wreck-It Ralph (Movies), Book of Life (2014), Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Wild Kratts, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Van Helsing (2004), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), The Prince of Egypt (1998), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Shrek (Movies), Monsters vs Aliens (2009), Shark Tale (2004), Antz (1998), Chicken Run (2000), Wallace & Gromit, Over the Hedge (2006), Flushed Away (2006), Bee Movie (2007), Kung Fu Panda (Movies), Megamind (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012), The Croods (Movies), Turbo (2013), Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014), Home (2015), Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Abominable (2019), Horton Hears a Who! - Dr. Seuss, Rio (Movies - Saldanha), Epic (2013), Ferdinand (2017), Spies In Disguise (2019), FernGully (Movies), Anastasia (1997), Cloverfield (2008), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), Indiana Jones Series, Open Season (Movies), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Movies), Hotel Transylvania (Movies), Quest for Camelot (1998), Cats Don't Dance (1997), Osmosis Jones (2001), Iron Giant (1999), The LEGO Movie (2014), Storks (2016), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Fantasia 2000 (1999), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), Cinderella (2015), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (2003), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), 101 Dalmatians (1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book - All Media Types, Robin Hood (1973), The Rescuers (Movies), The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Oliver & Company (1988), The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (1992), Aladdin (2019), The Lion King (1994), The Lion King (2019), Pocahontas (Disney 1995), Toy Story (Movies), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998), Mulan (2020), A Bug's Life (1998), Tarzan (1999), Dinosaur (2000), Emperor's New Groove (2000), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Monsters Inc. (Movies), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Treasure Planet (2002), Finding Nemo (Movies), Brother Bear (2003), Home on the Range (2004), Incredibles (Pixar Movies), Chicken Little (2005), The Wild (2006), Cars (Pixar Movies), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Ratatouille (2007), Enchanted (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), The Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Gnomeo and Juliet (2011), Brave (2012), Frozen (Disney Movies), Big Hero 6 (2014), Inside Out (2015), The Good Dinosaur (2015), Zootopia (2016), Moana (2016), Coco (2017), Onward (2020), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), Balto (Movies), Despicable Me (Movies), Minions (2015), Missing Link (2019), Coraline (2009), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), The Boxtrolls (2014), ParaNorman (2012), Rock-a-Doodle (1991), The Secret of NIMH (1982), Cool World (1992), The Meg (2018), Rampage (2018), Aquaman (2018), Geostorm (2017), Brightburn (2019), Godzilla (2014), Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019), Godzilla (1998), Godzilla: The Series, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types, Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies), Jurassic Park Original Trilogy (Movies), King Kong (2005), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Alien Series, Spiders (2013), Venom (Movie 2018), Ratchet & Clank, Crash Bandicoot (Video Games), Spyro the Dragon (Video Games), Rayman (Video Games), Gex (Video Games), Klonoa (Games), Croc (Video Games), PaRappa the Rapper, Oddworld, MediEvil (Video Games)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Additional Tags: Ice Age AU, everyone's gonna be in it, I just felt like it's too much, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Canon, Self-Insert, My OCs are in there as well, this is the first time I've done an AU like this, Inspired by Heroboy005 from fanfiction.net, if you see paragraphs that are familiar to the stories, Blood and Violence, Aftermath of Violence, Explicit Language, It does have some, Fluff and Humor, Family Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, That's all I can say

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3A6uuXo

[kelly-du]

Week 1-2: Pour 585(2019) Patrick Smith

Background:

In 2018, Patrick Smith produced a short animated film and released it online. It was a famous animated short film after its release, which was widely spread on the Internet. Many people were deeply inspired after watching the short movie clip, and it has also aroused heated discussion online because it reveals the helpless social reality.

Smith specializes in making short films using metaphorical hand-drawing. Much of his work was influenced by his days as a storyboard artist for Walt Disney. Thus, this results in a nostalgic touch that is often found in his short animations.

Concept:

Pour 585 reveals a dystopian world of hand-drawing drinking glasses in which all the characters are going through their rite of passage. And a timid character tries to escape and break the rules. Its outsize personality comes at a price when he begins to rebel against the pouring ritual. This animated short film is a cautionary tale, which reveals many social realities from different aspects, such as power, politics, and even life.

Narrative Analysis:

The narrative of this animated short film tells the story of a timid character who is attending a ritual but tries to escape. However, fellows and the organizer forced it to be poured, mocking and provoking it during the ceremony. As a result, the main character becomes twice as big as the organizer, and his mentality changes from submissive to violent and angry. He crushed the wine glasses that mocked him when he resisted and turned his former organizer into his minion.

The story setting is a background about consistency. The producer tried to use repetitive rhythms to express this consistency. For example, we can see the wine glass minions' identical steps, determined expressions, and repeated acceptance of wine. However, the protagonist who breaks this consistency only depicts insecure expression and posture, such as shrug, anxious micro-expression, and halting step. This combination of repetition and rule-breaking allows the audience to see that the main character is afraid of being poured and suggests that he might try to resist, while the others readily accept the drink and become the ruler's loyal servant. Therefore, a situation that is "emergent" or that goes against the logic of the story can be seen as a "crisis".

Going back to the elements of the animated film itself, the color and tone of the film are also very symbolic. The animated movie fills up with a large amount of black, white, gray, and red. The dark and shaded color palate of the film seems to convey a sense of black humor. Dark hues show a gray, cold world, while the color red stands out. Red has a symbolic meaning in the theory of color. Generally speaking, it is a symbol of violence, love, or passion. And red with different grayscale also has various symbolic meanings. For example, shaded red (red mixed with gray or black) tends to be interpreted as violent because it is more like blood color. Based on the depressing background of the whole story, red tends to be "violent" in this setting. "Pour 585" is a cruel and painful world, an unpredictable shade of red that suggests to the audience that ritual violence and brutal coercion are to come.

In addition to the color symbolism itself, the objects, actions, and settings are also worthy of analysis. From the opening scene, we can see many feet of the wine glass in a close-up look. The movement of the feet is uniform from left to right, like military management, barracks, or troops. The author was trying to add political metaphor to the film. The seemingly gray ink background is the outline abbreviation of wine bottles if we look carefully. We can see the cork but not the bottle and the wine inside. In the context of war, red generally refers to regime, collectivism, and militarism. There is a difference between the bottle and the glass, while the bottle has a lid, but the glass is used to hold the wine. They are only responsible for receiving because of their hollow structure. A corked wine bottle means it can't be filled with new wine, while an empty glass can be infused with ideas and ideologies. More carefully, in the climax of the film, the main character becomes the new ruler and then takes out all the wine from the former ruler's body, which means that the main character is contrary to the ideas of his predecessor. If he wants to survive in a new world, he must accept the new ruler's idea. The team direction at the end and the beginning of the film is the opposite. The author gave a hint that the opinions of the former ruler and the new ruler are not the same.

From the above analysis, we can see that the story is linear and interlocking. In Barthes Narrative Codes, the author used Proairetic/Action Code to make the story seem coherent and acceptable by giving the audience logical clues. This code represents the author's use of sequential elements during the production of the story to ensure its continuity. Similar to the above use of color, object, and scene reification.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Bronx Warriors 2 (1983)

When I began my exploration of the Post-Apocalyptic Action genre, I subjected myself to many films that could be described as "mediocre" at best. What few drops of amusement Steel Dawn, Exterminators from the Year 3000, Cyborg and 1990: The Bronx Warriors and contained were swimming in a sea of boredom. Bronx Warriors 2: Escape from the Bronx, a.k.a. Escape from the Bronx a.k.a. Escape 2000 is the film I'd been waiting for. A thin plot padded out with relentless carnage, bad special effects and endlessly entertaining action scenes. It’s a great bad movie.

Set several years after The Bronx Warriors, Trash (Mark Gregory) and the rest of the outcasts living in the lawless New York are being forcibly evicted by the General Construction Corporation. The corporation's private Disinfestors Annihilation Squad clear the space efficiently: they kill without a second thought. To fight back, Trash, Doblòn (Antonio Sabato), ruthless explosives expert Strike (Timothy Brent/Giancarlo Prete), his son (Alessandro Prete) and a crusading reporter named Moon Gray (Valerie Dobson) set out to kidnap General Construction’s president (Enio Girolami).

I didn’t think writer/director Enzo G. Castellari (with the help of Tito Carpi) would rip off “Escape from New York” a second time… but here we are. While Trash’s first adventure mostly stole the setting and world of John Carpenter’s 1981 film, this one steals the plot. There’s a bunch of other stuff going on with the reporter and Trash’s parents but they’re just pleasant time-wasters until the President is kidnapped and brought into a lawless wasteland from which he must be rescued. Yes, this time we’re cheering for the people of the Bronx rather than the eye-patch-wearing antihero looking to save him (though it should be mentioned that a Snake Plissken lookalike is prominently featured) but no one is fooled. On the upside, the bare-bones story and flat characters make room for action, action and more action.

What makes Escape from the Bronx such a good bad movie are the battle sequences. Vehicles in this universe must be fuelled entirely by dynamite. A single bullet tends to reduce them to smoldering, twisted wrecks… unless they don’t. The body count is absurd. There must be hundreds of dead at the end of General Construction’s rescue attempt, as people get electrocuted, shot, bashed in the head, shot, set aflame, shot, and killed in all sorts of other ways you do not expect. It’s a good thing the villains’ minions all wear identical hazmat suits which cover their faces. Otherwise, they would’ve had to hire an army of stunt people. Once in a while, you get that sweet sight of a dummy blown back by a ball of fire and you can even spot the wig coming off its head before the camera turns away. When we are shown charred corpses, they look as though they’re been severely sunburnt rather than brutally murdered.

The performances are in that sweet spot; either the actors are so stiff they might as well be made of plastic, or they’re over-the-top and turn every one of their lines into pure, golden cheese. While it does not contain the same kind of memorable moments as Miami Connection or The Room, Bronx Warriors makes up for it with many big surprises. The action scenes go on for so long they should become boring but they somehow don't and instead, turn into some of the funnest you’ve seen in any bad film.

Watch Escape from the Bronx (or whatever you want to call it) back-to-back with Escape from New York and you’ve got a perfect night of genuine and ironic fun at the movies. (On DVD, September 28, 2018)

[courtgossip]

WRR 2: Electric Boogaloo

Mar. 31, 2018

Another week, another rumor roundup!

We here at The Moon have been quite distracted by news of this whole movie night hullabaloo, and for that we apologize. Allow us to make it up to you with three bits of relationship gossip for your entertainment:

The Old Soul and the Ancient Greek were seen canoodling again this week. An informant who happened to be standing near them at the time tells us AG ask OS if he would like to dance, but OS (befuddled) declined.

Another potential relationship update: The Botticelli Beauty (female) and The Egyptian Bodyguard were both in attendance, EB making eyes at BB(f) for the first hour. Seeing our fair lady without a dancing partner, though, EdL (we don't have a nickname for him yet--please send in any suggestions you may have, dear reader) asked her to dance. The two shared three dances before EB politely cut in. He and BB(f) danced off and on together for the rest of the night.

The Minion and The Dancer were seen sitting together and chatting all through the night. One witness said, "They begun their discussion as any two friends would, but as time passed they just got closer and closer. Like, physically. They were also laughing a lot. Daniel is apparently very funny."

Interesting developments all around. Which coupling do you think will make things official first? Cast your votes now!

[dailymilesmorales]

Thor and Hulk are at it again. The Avengers' helicarrier is under attack by a swarm of robot minions under the command of MODOK, the head of a tech company who became a super-powered Inhuman villain after a catastrophe known as A Day — and still the raging green muscle finds time to hurl a projectile at Thor’s head. “Just like old times,” says the Asgardian, referencing a bit from 2012’s Avengers movie. Only this isn’t their next blockbuster sequel. It’s their first blockbuster video game.

Since the MCU has been put on indefinite hold in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic (see: Black Widow’s release date, production on the next Spider-Man movie), games — and, specifically, Marvel Games — are rising to meet the need for fresh stories. This year alone will see the debut of Marvel’s Avengers (Sept. 4) from the Tomb Raider team at Crystal Dynamics, plus Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (holiday 2020), a separate spin-off of Insomniac Games’ 2018 Spidey adventure that revives the breakout Spider-Verse star.

“We always believed in the power of video games,” says Bill Rosemann, who’s like the Kevin Feige of Marvel’s gaming division. “We’re happy that more people than ever are discovering — even though you may be physically in different areas — [that] games can bring you together and create connections."

This next phase (to use an MCU term), which finally gives fans playable Marvel adventures on large console platforms, began with Spider-Man. Earlier attempts to make games of this scale, like an Avengers project planned to coincide with the original movie, fell apart. Leaked footage of this first-person effort, as well as a canceled Daredevil game, exist on YouTube as a glimpse of what could've been. The 2018 release, Marvel’s Spider-Man, finally webbed a green light because it was “all about timing,” says Rosemann. “It's all about what talent is available? Do they want to work with Marvel? If so, what's their passion? When you have all those things align, that’s when you can create something great.”

Jon Paquette, the lead writer of Marvel's Spider-Man, noted how one of their mantras "was to design an experience that felt like you were playing a Marvel movie." Out of that mission came a story about Peter Parker, a little more experienced in his years as New York's friendly neighborhood... you know, interwoven with a battle against a sinister rogues' gallery. It became the best-selling superhero game of all time, at over 13 million units. “We had a feeling it was gonna do that,” says Bryan Intihar, Insomniac’s creative director. "I mean, you don't [really] know. There’s this ultimate fear of screwing up one of the most popular characters.” When celebrities like Lin-Manuel Miranda and LeBron James began sharing images from the game on social media, they knew it had “reached another level."

They still didn’t know if they could make a sequel. There were two post-credits scenes that teased big things to come — another element borrowed from the movies — but that was them "stacking the deck," as Intihar put it. One stinger revealed that Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino teen from Harlem and a playable side character, also developed powers after a bite from a radioactive spider once held in Norman Osborn's secret lab.

“We knew really early that [Spider-Man] was going to end with him getting the spider bite," Intihar says. “We would tease it during development. I think everybody was focused on, 'Can you make the first one really good and we'll worry about the other stuff later?' But we wanted to have that set up so if it became a reality [to do another game] we could pull it off." At one point during an early workshop session, Miles was going to be a post-credits scene reveal and nothing more, but Intihar says the team determined it was important to "see the roots of him being a hero before he even had spider powers." Intihar adds of the final end-credits tag, "One of the reasons we put that out was to hopefully convince people that ‘He’s a Spider-Man now. Can we have a game with him?‘”

It paid off, partly because Insomniac went from being a partner with game publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment to being an official member of the Sony family once the company acquired Insomniac in fall 2019 for $229 million, per the company's financial statements. After that, "they were fully on board with the idea" for a sequel, Intihar says. Rosemann thinks of that first Spider-Man as "proof of concept." Now, for the holiday 2020 season (COVID-19 willing) Miles’ own game will further expand this virtual world.

In Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, set in winter one year after the events of the previous game, Miles' Harlem home is on the verge of being torn apart by a war between an energy corporation and a criminal organization armed to the teeth with advanced tech. It's not a formal sequel to Spider-Man. That, if the coy responses from the creatives are any sign, may or may not be coming later. It's a shorter spin-off, likened in scope to the Lost Legacy game in the Uncharted series. Nevertheless, Intihar promises "it has a lot of heart."

"This is a full arc for Miles Morales that started in Spider-Man," Brian Horton, the game's creative director, says. "We really are completing this hero's coming of age in our game. It is a complete story."

The choice of a smaller narrative came amid discussions of what that hero's journey looked like for Miles in the context of Insomniac's games. After all, Miles, according to Marvel Comics canon, doesn't typically exist in the same reality as Mr. Parker. "When we started crafting it," Horton recalls, "we realized that, with a little bit more of a compact storytelling style, we could tell a very emotionally impactful story that would fit really well as an experience that would take Spider-Man 1 and [Miles Morales] and do justice to this character."

Miles may be training with Peter to hone his Spidey skills, but Horton and Intihar see him as "his own Spider-Man." The animation, the movements, the mechanics, even his powers (including bioshock and invisibility) aren't just unique tricks for this character, they are metaphors for that hero's journey the pair keep mentioning. Peter's origin "was born out of tragedy" — i.e. the death of his Uncle Ben — but Horton mentions Miles "is more so born out of family. What I think is really compelling about Miles as a character is he has friends that he could actually let into his world — his human world and his Spider world. He's a little different in the way he approaches it."

Despite all this spin-off talk, Rosemann isn’t actively overlapping his universe of interconnected games — at least not yet. It's more like a Spider-Verse. "Each game is in the Marvel universe, but they're in their own reality, if you will," he says. "Currently, our plan is to keep each game set in its own Marvel universe." It's part of his goal to give game-makers as much freedom as possible to craft the stories they want to tell. So, while this year’s Avengers won’t be linked to Spider-Man, it has its own web-slinger. Spider-Man has been confirmed to arrive in Marvel's Avengers as a DLC story sometime after launch. But when the game drops, it will also come with a lead character who maintains certain parallels to Miles.

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