#and i mean having a character on an acclaimed and popular show on tv/streaming right now could have a huge impact

[bo0bydrake]

i have got to emphasise on the fact that this is huge actually- gay rights in football is something that's just barely discussed. during the world cup in qatar, captains were banned from wearing a one love captain's band because it was too political (it was just a band with a rainbow heart on it), homophobia and racism is practically rooted in the songs sung during matches and there are no out players in the premier league, or more generally, there is only one (1) out player in the top leagues. having a character simply just,, be with another man and also a footballer in the premier league is a huge statement and will hopefully aid in trying to make football a better space.

[biblioflyer]

The writer's strike and franchise fatigue: two heads of the same coin?

Context: I'm shamelessly reposting a comment on a popular webforum where someone posed the question "What's next for Star Wars?" that prompted a lot of discussion about the whats and whys of what's working, what isn't, and of course everyone's favorite hobby: performing yet another autopsy on the Sequel Trilogy. I declined to go there in favor of speculating on the production side.

Ultimately I think the future of Star Wars requires Disney to do what a lot of franchise owners have been resistant to doing for various reasons: allow their creative teams a wide latitude to fully develop their ideas without unnecessarily harsh deadlines tied to quarterly earnings reports. Now that isn't to say that projects can fail on their own merits.

I don't know for a fact that Book of Boba Fett was timid, awkward, and boring because the showrunners couldn't make a cut that worked with the time and resources allotted, but we were mostly all impressed with Rodrigues' work on Mando so we were cautiously optimistic that a Cool Gangster Drama with Boba Fett could be a thing. So what the hell happened? Solve that mystery and I think you ensure that Star Wars has a future.

Looking at another popular "Star" franchise, we see a lot of similar problems with uneven writing and what seems to be differing opinions both inside and outside the franchise as to what exactly it means for something to carry that name. What sort of stories can you tell? How do you tell them? Can you have a point of view character or does it always have to be ensemble? Can you deconstruct the setting only to reconstruct and reaffirm it in the finale without losing the fans?

What explains "bad" writing? Coercion by the studio? Writer inexperience? Showrunner inexperience? A failure to find the right balance between modernizing the storytelling of a franchise without it becoming illegible as part of that franchise or to cling so hard to fan service that it is afraid to experiment and becomes a less interesting and murkier Xerox of itself?

Something that I found fascinating in the discourse around the writer's strike is that the format of streaming TV with its short seasons has turned everyone involved in these productions into gig workers. Unless you're one of a half dozen showrunners who have helmed widely acclaimed franchises, modern tv has become severely siloed on the production side: writers have limited opportunities to learn directing, editing, and show running. They also have limited opportunities to see how their work translates to the screen when it lands in the hands of directors, actors, set decorators, and FX artists.

If you add up all of the live action Star Trek shows produced to date, you end up with 8 seasons of streaming that equal roughly 4 seasons of broadcast era TV. Which means that under the old paradigm, a traditional TV show would only now just be airing its second "good" season. Which, shockingly enough, maps very neatly to attitudes about Strange New Worlds and Picard Season 3, and to a lesser extent Discovery season 4.*

*To the extent it will ever be allowed to make a second impression, which is another seeming "problem" of the streaming era that needs addressing since any "failed" first season is very likely to result in a sub-franchise that is going to get cauterized and forgotten about given the era of a permissive financial environment for funding additional seasons and permitting a production to recover and learn from their mistakes is pretty much dead and gone.

Were I Disney, given these realities, I would probably fund 2 or 3 "stables" of Star Wars writers and production teams. One for light hearted action comedy, one for "serious drama," and a third for something more esoteric. Maybe a fourth for big budget tentpole films. Keep them employed and give them opportunities to develop their tradecraft.

Don't be so quick to slash and burn a dud, use failure as permission to experiment. If nobody cares about Book of Boba Fett anyway, why not take some risks and see if some writers who are claiming they can turn in a second season that can "fix" the first season by turning the stories that go nowhere or are halfhearted into the first chapters in more meaningful stories? People already tend to avoid series that have only one season anyway and become ever more likely to do so the more time passes without more seasons so you're just throwing away your investment by not trying to salvage it.

This is incidentally why I'm not antagonistic towards the prospect of trying to rehabilitate the Sequel Trilogy. The Prequels are poorly made but were rich in potential. That potential was not left on the table, it was exploited until we can no longer separate the Prequels as they originally stood from all of the tie in media that added depth and nuance to the setting and storybeats.

So were I Disney and I have all of these props and set pieces in storage doing me absolutely no good, then of course it will eventually be time to try to make the Sequel Trilogy good. Maybe do some Director's Cuts and then build out the universe to make it feel less claustrophobic and less overtly a bigger, louder, dumber rehash of the Original Trilogy.

[garc-i-a]

Netflix’s Marvel Shows Moving to Disney+ and What That Means for JATP

Netflix has often been the place to go to green light projects with a decent budget and have a widespread audience. Before all the networks had their own streaming services, Netflix had the rights to various properties to stream them all over the world. This also includes property that Disney owns such as Marvel.

To combat DC with their well regarded TV shows, Marvel made a deal with Netflix to create and distribute shows based off characters from the expansive comic world that is Marvel. All of these shows were done around the same time. As we all know, even though the shows were extremely popular, Netflix cancelled them all. With Disney+ created in 2019, they incorporated Marvel into the streaming service and wanted their shows.

Netflix had a contract that stipulated that the shows could not be transferred to another platform for two years. This is in regards to an online streaming service. Apparently if a show is moving to a regular TV network, the wait is a few months. This is based off an article written in 2019, “Feeling The Churn: Why Netflix Cancels Shows After A Couple Of Seasons & Why They Can’t Move To New Homes” from Deadline.

As I have mentioned in the past, One Day at a Time was picked up by PopTV about four months after it was cancelled by Netflix. CBS All Access originally approached Netflix but that clause made it to where One Day at a Time still had to fight to get picked up.

The reason I bring this up is that when the Marvel shows and One Day at a Time were cancelled, Disney+ had not premiered yet. It was still being “built” and the streaming service did not premiere until November 2019. Since premiering Disney+ had made itself known with HSMTMTS and the various Star Wars content among various other well received movies and shows made for it.

What I am saying is that Disney played their hand well. Now they have more leverage with their streaming service. They also own Fox and ABC. This gives them more power than Netflix. Netflix is just ONE streaming service that has worked up from renting movies to their original content. Disney is a conglomerate. And Disney+ is a part of that.

I have mentioned in previous posts that Madison was told how “expensive” it was for Netflix to make the show under the Netflix Family banner. Netflix knows that the show is beloved and critically acclaimed with awards. But their end goal is rather greedy and shortsighted.

What these screenshots show is that Netflix gives a surplus of money and creative liberty to show creators in the hopes of attaining viewership and more numbers. But in exchange they control the rights to distribution and any connections to the show. This forces show creators to make content that will go “viral” to make up for what they won’t get otherwise. Traditionally shows gain a budget as more seasons go on because the show is seen as marketable. With Netflix, to balance out what was given initially, they want numbers to justify renewal. As you see though, they “bum rush” creators with money at first but cannot sustain that for long. Which is why so many Netflix originals are cancelled, specifically where the cast are people of color.

Julie and the Phantoms is an oddity to them. They spent more money on season 1, thanks to the equipment, special effects, and musical numbers than they have had to for any other Netflix Family show. We know the show has been EXTREMELY successful. But not like Netflix wanted.

They needed a show like HSMTMTS to get more kids drawn to the streaming service. They were trying to market to the 5-11 age range. Except as we know, it is teens and young adults who gravitate towards the show. It also has a wide international audience. But it is not “big” enough in Netflix’s eyes to warrant spending more money on season 2.

Disney+ originals aren’t for young children. They know their audience. And they cater to the audience to curry favor. Netflix simply throws crap at the wall and hopes it sticks. I personally do want the show to go to Hulu but Disney+ is the most reasonable choice. We must continue to show up and show out for our beloved ghost show so that it has a season 2 and beyond.

[blazehedgehog]

Do you think the Sonic franchise would be universally accepted if it were to go into the direction set out by the SatAM cartoon (e.g. roboticization, Robotnik with demonic pitch-black eyes and a robotic arm, Sonic being part of the Freedom Fighter ragtag group) instead of the direction it took from the country of origin (e.g. Eggman being round and wears glasses, having colorful and surreal places)?

Well, let me ask you what you mean by that, because by 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog was a pretty big household name. Kids knew who he was, their parents knew who he was, and just in North America, he had two TV shows and a comic book. He was everywhere. That counts as "universally accepted" right?

And I suppose this is what you mean, right? Sonic was massively popular in the 1990's, when Sega of America changed so much about his identity to suit the region's tastes. And now, Sonic isn't as popular, so are the two data points related?

To me, this just feels like a broader version of "Robotnik was a better name than Eggman, because things were better when they called him Robotnik." And that has always been extremely circumstantial.

To my viewpoint, SatAM was extremely of its time. Cartoons were shifting in a certain direction -- typically the "Saturday Morning Cartoon" was something colorful and funny. There wasn't a lot of serious storytelling going on. It was stuff like Looney Tunes, but also things like G.I. Joe or Transformers, where they were more about action than meaningful plot.

That probably started to change around the time Fox debuted the X-Men cartoon in the 90's. This cartoon took stories from the comic books and (poorly) adapted them in to a Saturday Morning format. It was inscrutable and kids like me found it hard to follow, but my brother, who is 14 years older than me and was probably in his mid-to-late 20's, found it pretty fascinating. It broadened the format a little bit and soon the floodgates broken open.

Spider-man, Batman, Gargoyles, soon Saturday mornings were awash with darker, edgier, more serious cartoons for older kids. Even the Ninja Turtles, who were broken from the Transformers mold of colorful, action-based shows, was reworked to look darker and more serious. And right at the end of that first wave of shows was SatAM. Right place, right time, right vibe.

That... ended. Batman was eventually replaced with Batman & Robin, that was eventually supplanted with Superman Adventures, then the two shows were combined in to Batman & Superman Adventures, and every time it got retooled, the tone got lighter, and lighter, pushing back towards the old action shows of the 80's. Gargoyles went in the opposite direction, retooling itself in to "The Goliath Chronicles," becoming so self-serious it borderlined on a Saturday Morning soap opera. It lasted barely a whole season and most modern continuations of the Gargoyles mythos ignore it entirely. The "Red Sky" Ninja Turtles has more or less been treated the same, with extremely sparse home releases until it eventually landed on streaming a few years ago.

The Sonic comics kept the SatAM cast alive and relevant, yes. But obviously Batman comics stuck around, too. And Spider-man, X-men, and Ninja Turtles. That was the format a lot of these shows were trying to copy to begin with, so it makes sense that SatAM would transition to comics fairly painlessly.

To circle back around to how successful the games are or aren't, it's hard for me to cite this now because I always looked at the TSSZ article for it and now that's gone, but somewhere around 2010 or 2011, the Sonic franchise was actually listed as one of the most profitable entertainment franchises in the world that year, rubbing elbows with the likes of Pokemon and such. This was years after SatAM had fallen out of favor and the comics were starting to hit the skids because their availability was going down (this was a problem in the comics industry as a whole, not just for Sonic).

Meaning that, largely, the success of Sonic at that point was due to the games and 8 year old reruns of Sonic X. And it still landed in this top ten. I'd love to find this article, really I would, but it's impossible to google now thanks to so many other articles praising the Sonic movie for being the highest grossing video game movie of all time, mixed in with articles about how the Sonic fast food chain is dying and what happened to it.

At the very least, Sonic rates to make it on the Wikipedia list of "Highest Grossing Media Franchises." It rates high enough that it beats out Fortnite, Halo, Minecraft, My Little Pony, and Roblox.

Also, to back up a bit, consider: the Sonic movie did really well. And it wasn't Ken Penders' pitch for a SatAM movie, it was something wholly different.

And then consider the outrageous success of Sonic Mania. The most critically acclaimed Sonic game since 1994. Though sales figures aren't super clear, I'd estimate it's also probably the best selling Sonic game in the last decade and a half. There is nary a hint of the Freedom Fighters or "that Robotnik" in that game anywhere.

I love the Freedom Fighters. I love SatAM Robotnik. I'd love for them to come back in an official capacity. I'd love for the Archie comics to officially pick up right where they left off and keep going as if they never missed a beat. It burns me that Archie or Ken Penders or both forever tainted a lot of that stuff so badly that it's become an exclusion zone nobody wants to touch anymore. I've talked at length on this blog about how I think a character like Princess Sally was a perfect foil for Sonic and how they played off of each other extremely well. I want that back. I want Bunnie Rabbot back. I want Antoine back. I want Robotropolis back. And Snively. And Ixis Naugus.

But also, at some point, you have to look at the cold, hard truth: Sonic doesn't need those characters, it doesn't need that universe, and the SatAM version Sonic would not exist at all if it wasn't for the original Japanese Sonic first. SatAM was supplemental material to the main version of the thing people already liked. That's the entire reason something like Sonic Mania could achieve the success it did.

And that's all there really is to it.

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2020 - Best TV Show

It was prime time for TV in 2020, with many more free hours to fill. I managed to get through a lot of my backlog in fact, finally getting around to watching shows like The Strain. It’s a show about a deadly disease that tears society apart because a lot of arrogant people think they are exempt from quarantining. The disease turns people into vampires, so it’s technically escapism. Here are the Aarons for Best TV Show: 

#10. The Plot Against America (Miniseries) - HBO

It’s not TV, it’s not HBO, it’s real life. The Wire-creator David Simon’s penchant for illustrating the human fallout of institutional failures made him a perfect collaborator for HBO’s Plot Against America, an adaptation of Phillip Roth’s alternate-history novel. Following a Jewish family in New Jersey navigating the increasingly-fascist America of a hypothetical Charles Lindbergh administration, the show is a terrifying warning of what happens when hatred and conspiracy theories are allowed to accumulate political force. Notably, while the book ends with history back on the right track, the closing moments here are left ambiguous. The show was a limited series, but in many ways, The Plot Against America is ongoing.

#9. Mrs. America (Miniseries) - FX

Its interests are married to The Plot Against America, but Mrs. America traces the country’s rising extremism from a more historically accurate perspective. The miniseries centers on political activists in the 1970s on opposing sides of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, but its dialogue isn’t a strict dichotomy. The episodic format is expertly utilized to build out intersectional ideas from the likes of Rose Byrne’s Gloria Steinem, Uzo Aduba’s Shirley Crisholm, and Margo Martindale’s Bella Abzug, detailing the difficulties in building a diverse coalition, and the dangers of a single-minded one. Drawing parallels to current debates, its compelling centerpiece is how conservative Phylis Shafley (Cate Blanchett) successfully defeats the Amendment; voting against your own self-interests, Mrs. America says, is as American as apple pie.

#8. The Outsider (Miniseries) - HBO

Societal collapse comes from within in the two shows mentioned above, but the threat in HBO’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 2018 novel is decidedly an “other.” King clearly had his mind on modern manipulations of truth when crafting the ingenious premise: a man is arrested for the murder of two young boys due to irrefutable DNA evidence, only to provide an air-tight alibi for the crime. To match King’s procedural prose, HBO brought on The Night Of’s David Price, who layers the original work with meticulous mysteries. The Outsider has all the pulpy jolts expected of the author, but the show’s true horror lies in its overbearing grief, best brought to life by Ben Mendelsohn’s Detective Anderson. To say more would be to spoil its secrets; you’ll want to be on the inside.

#7. Perry Mason (Season 1) - HBO

Just like the famous fictional attorney, HBO can’t seem to lose, with Perry Mason marking its third entry on this list. The reimagining of the long running court drama actually takes place before the character’s illustrious law career; here he’s a down-on-his-luck private eye caught up in a scandalous child kidnapping case. The result’s a gangbusters production of old-fashioned moody noir: political corruption, femme fatales, and a more morally-complicated Mason, as played by The Americans’ Matthew Rhys. The lavish period details and character-actor cast, including Shea Whigham, John Lithgow, and Tatiana Maslany, will help draw viewers in, but, I’ll confess, I was already hooked by the season’s chilling opening moments.

#6. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (Season 1) - NBC

Dour seasons have dominated this list thus far, but Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist sings a different tune. It’s a lovably oddball premise: an accident during an MRI causes a young woman, played by Jane Levy, to hear other people’s thoughts in the form of popular music. It’s all karaoke, but, emphasized by the presence of Skylar Astin, a worthy inheritor to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s musical-comedy crown. The tracklist, workplace antics, and love-triangle drama all exist in a comfortingly familiar network TV realm, but the show takes additional steps for inclusion with stories highlighting Zoey’s genderfluid neighbor (Alex Newell) and an American Sign Language performance of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song.” During a year in need of shuffling off stress, there was no better time to queue up Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.

#5. What We Do in The Shadows (Season 2) - FX

FX’s expansion of the mockumentary feature film of the same name lit up some of the darker corners of its universe in the show’s second season, transforming mundane-seeming material into something completely, uniquely batty. Each creature of Shadows took their turn in the spotlight this season, from a middle-management promotion gifting energy-vampire Colin Robinson unlimited supernatural power, to undead Nadja befriending a doll possessed by her own ghost, to Matt Berry’s Lazlo forging a small-town persona as a bartender/volleyball coach to escape a vengeful Mark Hamill. As always, it was the sympathetic Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), a Van Helsing descendent desperate to become a vampire, who gave the show its emotional stakes, and the vampires within a different kind altogether.

#4. Stargirl (Season 1) - DC Universe

Shadows was lit, but few things burned brighter this year than Stargirl (perhaps too brightly for the flamed-out DC Universe). The superhero drama is one of several that will outlive its original streaming service - fitting, given its obsession with legacy. Based on a character created by DC Comics stalwart Geoff Johns after the tragic loss of his sister, the show finds a young girl taking on the mantle of a fallen hero after moving to a town run in secret by supervillains. With sprightly fight choreography and an unabashed embrace of its comic book lore, Stargirl outshines the overabundance of small-screen superheroes out there. Its highlight is the bright performance of lead Brec Bassinger; put simply, she’s a star, girl.

#3. BoJack Horseman (Season 6b) - Netflix

Throughout its run, BoJack Horseman garnered acclaim for routinely delivering unexpected pathos, and the final season kept it on that track until the end. ...Get it, because horses run on tracks? The unexpected porter of television’s legacy of antiheroes ended in much the same vein as its sister shows - with consequences finally catching up with its protagonist. No amount of fanciful animal puns could soften that painful catharsis, as the show finally trampled its tricky web of abuse through bittersweet means. The series closed out with an especially thoughtful scene, the kind viewers who looked past the wonky pilot years ago were regularly blessed with; to the very end, BoJack, you were a gift, horse.

#2. Better Call Saul (Season 5) - AMC

As good as Bad ever was and better than ever before, the fifth season of AMC’s spin-off completely upended the world of its eponymous lawyer while bringing Vince Gilligan’s universe one step away from full-circle. Saul Goodman found himself in way over his head, and viewers found themselves way on the edge of their seats, as his first foray into “criminal” lawyering swiftly dovetailed with an escalating drug war. Despite the emotional distress of watching fan-favorite character Kim Wexler placed in perilous situations, there are no objections to be had with the drama’s continued masterful storytelling. Ramping up the slow-burn storytelling, season five saw Kim and Saul’s relationship develop in rich and unexpected ways, while still keeping their final fates unresolved. Fans are thus waiting with bated breath for the show’s final call next year. 

#1. The Great (Season 1) - Hulu

Who could be the best but The Great? There was a minor television controversy this year over Netflix marketing The Crown as a historical drama despite its fictional interpretation of events; The Great has no such pretentions. An asterix adorns every title card of the show, letting viewers know that its take on Catherine the Great’s coup against Emperor Peter III of Russia is only “an occasionally true story.” The show indeed is not great for education, but it’s the most entertaining television of the year, locking stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult in a battle of wits and a fight for the country’s soul under the watch of The Favourite co-writer Tony McNamara. The uproarious comedy slyly collates leadership based in cruelty with leadership based in goodwill in the background of its quite bawdy escapades, a subtle bit of relevant political maneuvering that lets it successfully claim the crown this year.

NEXT UP: THE 2020 AARONS FOR BEST TV EPISODE!

[aion-rsa]

The Losers: Chris Evans, Idris Elba and Zoe Saldana’s Forgotten Superhero Movie

https://ift.tt/3CsNhNU

Even The Losers get lucky sometimes. Before the DCEU was formed to compete against the ever-expanding, cash cow that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the approach at Warner Bros. was far looser. With the booming business of comic book adaptations in full swing, the studio was throwing money at several eclectic comic book titles like Watchmen and Jonah Hex, trying to stay competitive and seemingly more adult than their rivals. Hence before leaving to create his own superhero project, Hancock, wrier-director Peter Berg started penning an adaptation of DC/Vertigo’s The Losers, bringing in French director Sylvain White to helm the picture.

Produced by Joel Silver, The Losers centered on a team of elite, black-ops Special Forces operatives betrayed by their handler. Director White connected with the material immediately. 

“What appealed to me about The Losers was that it wasn’t the typical superhero-with-superpowers thing,” White told MTV. “It was based on real characters—realistic characters—and based in reality, like a lot of the European graphic novels that I had grown up reading.” The director worked with creators Jock and Andy Diggle to refine the script and lend their expertise with design to give the film a distinct visual palette that changes with new locations.

Frequent Silver collaborator Idris Elba was cast as Captain William Roque, with the cast being rounded out by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, coming off his turn as The Comedian in the studio’s adaptation of Watchmen, Zoe Saldana, fresh off of starring in the highest-grossing film of all-time, Avatar, Chris Evans, still mainly known for playing the Human Torch in Fox’s early Fantastic Four films, and rising actor Columbus Short. While current audiences would go on to become intimately familiar with most of this cast, their names didn’t generate enough buzz in 2010 to get folks into the theater. The Losers only made about $30 million on a $25 million budget.

Of course a tepid response at the box office does not mean that a movie is destined for obscurity. Just recently hitting Netflix and ready to capitalize off its now A-list cast, The Losers is currently the most popular film on the streaming service. Besides the even greater interest in comic book properties, the cast of The Losers have gone on to such success that they revitalized interest in one of DC’s almost-forgotten adaptations. Let’s look at where the cast of The Losers have been since the film’s release in 2010 to explain the sudden spike in love.

Idris Elba

While Elba, a star of British television via Luther, had already made an impression with American audiences by 2010 thanks to 28 Weeks Later, Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla, and a guest stint on The Office, Elba’s star would rise considerably after his appearance in The Losers. In 2011, Elba would join the MCU as Heimdall in Thor, who’s role in the Thor films would expand as the franchise progressed. Elba would also pop up in prominent roles in blockbusters like Prometheus, Pacific Rim, The Jungle Book, and Star Trek Beyond. Away from blockbusters though he really broke out with a SAG-winning performance in Beasts of No Nations, and starring in fare like Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game.

More recently, Elba stole scenes away from Jason Statham and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the villain in Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw. Finally, things have come a bit full circle for Elba, as he’s set to appear in another DC adaptation over 10 years after The Losers, portraying Bloodsport in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

In 2010, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was probably most well-known for his roles on television in series like Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy. That all changed after Morgan was cast in an adaptation of the “unfilmable” graphic novel Watchmen as The Comedian. While his time onscreen in the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons adaptation was minimal, bringing such an iconic comic book character to life earned Morgan a deeper cachet with the Comic-Con crowd. Morgan would work steadily in films like The Possession and the Red Dawn remake, but he arguably made a bigger impact on television portraying yet another iconic comic book character on AMC’s The Walking Dead, Negan.

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Morgan received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the villainous Negan upon his debut, earning the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series, MTV Movie and TV Award for Best Villain, and Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television. He’s been going steady as Negan since while doing other occasional comic-con friendly projects like Rampage.

Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana was on top of the world in 2010, and in the time since, she’s only become more successful. After appearing in the buzzy Star Trek reboot in 2009 and a little film called Avatar, the former Center Stage star would go on to headline her own action film Colombiana. However, that would seem like small potatoes compared to what would come in 2014. Saldana was cast as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s riskiest adaptation to date. Would audiences get onboard with an off-beat space opera featuring C-tier Marvel characters? Turns out, yes. Gamora not only became the heart of the Guardians, but the character would feature prominently in the grand Phase 3 finales Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

In the shadow of that, Saldana has starred in more Star Trek sequels, an ill-advised TV remake of Rosemary’s Baby, and as Nina Simone in in Nina, a performance did come under fire for due to the lightness of her skin. Still, Saldana now has leading roles in the two highest grossing films of all-time, and is still expected to star in Guardians and Avatar sequels. Not too shabby.

Chris Evans

Speaking of the MCU, Chris Evans wasn’t floundering in 2010, but he did seem to be stuck in a bit of a rut, typecast as handsome smart alecks prior to The Losers. In fact, his big mainstream break is probably the less than classic spoof comedy, Not Another Teen Movie (2001); afterward he played Johnny Storm in Tim Story’s lukewarm Fantastic Four movies in the mid-2000s; in fact, arguably his most amusing role up to 2010 was when he appeared as a douchebag movie star in Edgar Wright’s genre-bending comedy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010).

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$400 Million Knives Out 2 Deal Gives Netflix Major Movie Franchise

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That said, The Losers found him playing against type as an awkward tech expert. Perhaps his chance to show a different side of himself led to his life-changing role as Steve Rogers in the MCU’s Captain America. Anchoring the Avengers franchise for eight years, Chris Evans rose to the top of the A-list, and used that newfound celebrity to help get passion projects like Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer and Rian Johnson’s Knives Out made. Evans is one of the most popular celebrities on social media right now and looks to continue his profitable relationship with Disney by voicing Buzz Lightyear in the animated origin film, Lightyear. 

Columbus Short

Perhaps the only member of the cast not to launch into the stratosphere after The Losers, Columbus Short has had a few issues that have prevented his rise. Short booked a role on the popular ABC series Scandal, but personal issues derailed his involvement in the show. In 2014, as part of a no-jail plea agreement, Short pled guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence and performed 30 hours of community service. Short also avoided jail by pleading no contest to a felony assault charge after throwing “a running punch” at his in-law during a family gathering at a bar.

In an interview with Access Hollywood Live, Short shared that substance abuse due to the stress of family issues and personal loss had led to his departure from Scandal. However, Short has appeared to move past his personal struggles and can next been seen portraying Martin Luther King Jr. in Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Storyand returning as Quadir Richards in True to the Game 3. 

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[jeanvaljean24601]

How to Watch Mad Men and More Great Shows for Free Right Now

Another day, another brand new streaming platform out there begging you to subscribe to its service so you can ignore your family members and binge-watch a bunch of TV shows and movies in the name of entertainment. This time, it's NBCUniversal's Peacock, which offers a free tier as well as  two premium options (one with ads and one without). The service  features a number of programs for free, including Friday Night Lights and even Parks and Recreation, but Peacock isn't the only place you can stream great shows without breaking the bank.

Below, we've gathered up a number of shows that don't require you to shell out money for Netflix,  Hulu,  Amazon Prime,  Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Peacock, and/or  whatever other streaming service subscriptions are out there. Sometimes you just need a simple freebie. And you know what? You deserve it. So check out the list below and take comfort in knowing it won't cost you a thing.

Watch it on: IMDb TV

Until recently you had to have a Netflix subscription to watch Mad Men, AMC's Emmy-award winning period drama from Matthew Weiner that was dedicated as much to style as it was to substance. The 1960s-set series, which traced the rise and fall of flawed Madison Avenue advertising executive Don Draper (Jon Hamm) through his own complicated relationship with identity, was a pointed commentary on the toxic masculinity, sexism, and racism of the era. It also changed the way we watch and talk about TV. If you haven't seen it yet, now's the perfect time to do so.

The Dick Van Dyke Show

Watch it on: Tubi (complete series), Pluto TV (complete series)

Realizing  The Dick Van Dyke Show is streaming for free feels a bit like winning a secret lottery or viewing an exceptional piece of art without paying the museum admission fee. The popular comedy, which ran for five seasons, was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke as the head writer of a TV show, while  Mary Tyler Moore portrayed his wife. It's a timeless classic — one that took home 15 Emmys during its run, and if you've yet to experience it, you literally have no excuse at this point.

The Dick Van Dyke Show Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Watch it on: ABC app (complete series)

Felicity is best known as the show in which Keri Russell cut her hair (not to be confused with the show in which Keri Russell wore a lot of great wigs, aka The Americans). Depicting Felicity Porter's (Russell) college years and the struggles that accompany trying to figure out who you're supposed to be, the show is also famous for Scott Speedman's whisper-talking and the ongoing battle of Ben (Speedman) vs. Noel (Scott Foley). Although the WB series was previously streaming on Hulu, you can now watch it for free on the ABC app.

A reimagining of the kitschy original series, Syfy's Battlestar Galacticastarred Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, James Callis, and Jamie Bamber and explored the aftermath of a nuclear attack by the Cylons, cybernetic creatures invented by man who evolved and rebelled against their creators. The show was critically acclaimed for the way it tackled the subjects of science, religion, and politics, and for the way it explored the deeply complicated notion of what makes us human. Everything from the miniseries to the two BSG films (Razor and The Plan) is currently available to stream for free on Syfy's website, so there's no better time to watch it. So say we all!

Watch it on: IMDb TV (complete series), Tubi (complete series), Pluto TV (first 13 seasons), YouTube (first 13 seasons)

For many millennials, the fourth series in the Degrassi franchise, Degrassi: The Next Generation, is the defining iteration of the long-running Canadian series. The drama series, which was sometimes so overly dramatic it was actually funny, tackled everything from date rape and suicide to sexual orientation and teen pregnancy. The series, which launched the careers of Drake (then known as Aubrey Graham) and Nina Dobrev, is streaming on multiple free platforms.

Watch it on: ABC app (complete series)

Eli Stone really had it all, which is to say it had Victor Garber singing George Michael songs, Loretta Devine singing George Michael songs, and George Michael singing George Michael songs. What else is there? ABC's offbeat two-season comedy-drama starred a pre-Elementary Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone, a high-powered San Francisco lawyer whose brain aneurysm gave him prophetic visions — which usually involved his friends, family, and colleagues breaking into song. Aside from a couple of ill-advised plotlines (the pilot, which suggests vaccines cause autism, is best forgotten), the show was a blast: a weird but memorable cocktail that should have stuck around for more seasons because, as I mentioned, Victor Garber sang George Michael songs. Also, Sigourney Weaver played God?! -Kelly Connolly

Watch it on: YouTube (nearly every episode)

A true Canadian treasure,  The Red Green Show was a long-running comedy starring Steve Smith as Red Green, a handyman who constantly tried to cut corners using duct tape and who had his own cable TV show. It was a parody of home improvement shows and outdoor programs and featured segments like Handyman Corner, Adventures with Bill, and The Possum Lodge Word Game. The show ran for 15 seasons, airing on PBS in the States. 

TV Premiere Date Calendar: Find Out When Your Favorite Shows Are Back

Watch it on: IMDb TV (complete series), ABC app (complete series)

Critically beloved but struck down before its time,  My So-Called Life has been praised for its realistic and honest portrayal of teenage life, not just via Angela Chase (Claire Danes), but through the show's young supporting cast as well. Now considered to be one of the best shows of all time, it tackled topics like homophobia, homelessness, drug use, and more without ever feeling preachy or like an after-school special. Also, Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto) could lean.

Watch it on: CW Seed (first five seasons), IMDb TV (first five seasons)

If you don't have Netflix but still want to watch  Schitt's Creek, you'll be happy to know you can watch the first five seasons of the heartwarming, Emmy-nominated comedy series, about a wealthy family who loses everything they own except the town of the show's title, for free on CW Seed and IMDb TV.

Dan Levy and Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek Photo: Pop TV

Watch it on: Peacock (complete series); IMDb TV (complete series)

You may never know what it feels like to have Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) be proud of you, but you can pretend by watching all five seasons of  Friday Night Lights, a series that was as much about a Texas community as it was about the sport that united it. By the end of the show, you'll be asking yourself "What Would Riggins Do?" and tattooing "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose" on your body, all while chanting "Texas forever!" Trust me, it happens to everybody.

Watch it on: CW Seed (complete series)

It is relatively easy to forget that The CW series The Carrie Diaries was a prequel to  Sex and the City, because the charming show, which lasted just two seasons, was able to stand on its own. The coming-of-age series that followed a teenaged Carrie Bradshaw (AnnaSophia Robb) was relatively innocent compared to the original series. The show's 1980s setting made it easier for the writers to focus on more harmless family storylines and teenage heartbreaks, but the show never shied away from the heartstring-tugging drama of young adulthood either. It's a shame the show never got the kind of ratings it deserved and wasn't able to exist beyond Carrie's high school years, but the Season 2 finale works well as a series finale, so viewers won't feel as if the story was left incomplete. android tv box

Watch it on: CW Seed (complete series)

It's a shame Bryan Fuller's saturated dramedy  Pushing Daisies, about a pie-maker (Lee Pace) with the ability to bring the dead back to life, couldn't bring itself back to life after becoming a casualty of the 2007-08 writers' strike. A whimsical delight, the show featured the pie-maker teaming up with a local private eye (Chi McBride) to solve murders by reviving the victims for a brief time. Known for its quirky characters, eccentric visual style, and Jim Dale's pitch-perfect narration, it remains must-see TV.

Watch it on: IMDb TV (first seven seasons); Peacock

Columbo kicked off nearly every episode by revealing the crime and its perpetrator to the audience, which means unlike most crime dramas, the show was less about whodunnit and more about Peter Falk's iconic raincoat-wearing homicide detective catching them and getting them to confess. Oh, and just one more thing: it's great.

Watch it on: CW Seed (complete series)

The charming and playful Forever, which starred Ioan Gruffudd as an immortal medical examiner, was the one show that could have saved ABC's Tuesday at 10 p.m. death slot. But the network still canceled the series anyway, enraging the show's fans, who have never let the sting of its death go. Luckily, it now lives on, ahem, forever (aka until the content license expires) on CW Seed.

Watch it on: IMDb TV (complete series)

It sounds odd to say The Middle, which ran for nine seasons on ABC, was unfairly overlooked, but it always felt like the series, which followed the middle class Midwestern Heck family, was a bit of a hidden gem. It wasn't as popular with Emmy voters as, say, Modern Family, and critics also failed to give it its due, but it was a real, heartfelt, reliable family comedy with mass appeal, and you can stream it on IMDb TV for free. h96 tv box

Watch it on: ABC app (complete series)

Trophy Wife's short life — it was canceled after just one season — can probably be chalked up to its unfortunate title, which was meant to be ironic but ultimately kept viewers from tuning in and experiencing the warmth of the show and the relationships at its center. Malin Akerman starred as the young wife of  Bradley Whitford's middle-aged lawyer, and the comedy explored the dynamics between the two, his children, and his two ex-wives, who were played by  Marcia Gay Harden and  Michaela Watkins. h96 max x3

Watch it on: NBC app (complete series)

Loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, Kings was a compelling drama before its time. Rudely cut down after just one season by NBC, the show starred Ian McShane as the king of the fictional kingdom of Gilboa, while  Christopher Egan portrayed an idealistic young soldier whose counterpart is David. The show also starred Sebastian Stan, which is reason enough to want to check it out.

Watch it on: ABC app (complete series)

Ray Wise portrays Satan in Reaper, a supernatural dramedy about a slacker (Bret Harrison) who reluctantly becomes a reaper tasked with capturing escaped souls from hell after it's revealed his parents made a deal with the devil many, many years before. The fact the show only lasted two seasons is a crime against humanity. Luckily, you can watch it in its entirety for free on the ABC app. h96 max x3

Watch it on: IMDb TV (complete series)

A team of experts led by a kooky old scientist (John Noble), his son (Joshua Jackson), and an FBI agent (Anna Torv) investigate strange occurrences around the country, X-Files style, in the J.J. Abrams-produced Fringe. The series is one of the best broadcast science-fiction shows of all time, particularly in its first three seasons, and perfected the art of the serialized procedural by weaving the show's deep mythology and excellent character work into weekly standalone stories, making it easy to binge or watch in spurts. And by the time the end of Season 1 starts, you'll have a hard time stopping. -Tim Surette

Watch it on: Tubi (complete series), Vudu (complete series)

Although American TV producers would eventually adapt  Being Human, the original British version, which followed three supernatural beings trying to live amongst humans, is far superior. The show, which ran for five seasons, starred Aidan Turner, Russell Tovey, and  Lenora Crichlow as a vampire, werewolf, and ghost, respectively. So skip the U.S. version entirely and watch the U.K. series for free.

Watch it on: Pluto TV (complete series),  Vudu (complete series), Tubi (complete series)

The Australian young adult-oriented series Dance Academy is not exactly what you'd call "great television," but it is great fun. Brimming with teen angst and melodrama, the series, which ran for three seasons and even had a follow-up movie, followed a handful of dancers at Sydney's National Academy of Dance as they trained in the sport they loved while also falling in and out of love with each other. The acting was sometimes questionable, but the series itself was addictive, not to mention one of the easiest binges you'll ever encounter. h96 max tv box

3rd Rock From the Sun

Watch it on: Tubi (complete series), Pluto TV (complete series), Crackle (all six seasons),  Vudu (all six seasons)

You might think a show about a group of socially awkward, 1,000-year-old aliens in human skin suits who are trying (badly) to pose as a human family and blend into an ordinary Midwest town might sound ridiculous, and, well, that's fair. But  3rd Rock From the Sun was still charming in even its most bizarre moments and gave its cast a lot of room to play up their roles and create an ensemble of weirdos that, at some point or another, start to tap into their newfound humanity and relish their new home here on Earth. -Amanda Bell.

[fiddletwix]

#SaveDaredevil - My Letter to Kevin Mayer

#SaveDaredevil is having a writing initiative this month, this time focusing on Kevin Mayer, who heads up streaming services for Disney, such as Disney+ and Hulu. We’re very interested in making Hulu a possible new home for Daredevil, so this initiative is vital.

Kevin Mayer is the same executive who mentioned in an interview recently that Daredevil and the other Netflix/Marvel properties were ‘very high-quality shows’ and it was ‘possible’ that they could be revived in the future on their platforms.

I’m posting this in the hopes of encouraging others to write their own letters and participate in the initiative. You can find information on the event here.

https://www.savedaredevil.com/write-to-disney

If you have the time, please also send letters to Marvel, Hulu and Disney, and you can even partake in #OperationNapkins by sending in Nelson, Murdock and Page napkins to Marvel either by snail mail or sending in an e-napkin.

Info for those options can be found here.

https://www.savedaredevil.com/write-to-marvel

https://www.savedaredevil.com/write-to-others

This letter borrows some elements of my previous letters, and some elements such as the time frame and petition amount will have to be updated before the deadline on the 31st so forgive me there. :)

Dear Mr. Mayer,

As you’re aware, a month and a half ago, Netflix canceled the popular and critically acclaimed Marvel series, Daredevil. Many fans, myself included, were heartbroken at this news. Not only did the series end prematurely, but the writers had already created the full framework for season four and submitted it to Netflix shortly before the cancellation occurred. Marvel also stated they had made plans for seasons five and six.

We believe this is a severe injustice to both the fans and the cast and crew who worked so hard to make Daredevil the amazing show that it is. To many fans, Daredevil was more than a show. It touched their hearts, opened doors to new friendships and even changed their lives.

For me, it’s been very difficult to get excited over anything in recent years, due to personal issues, but I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Daredevil season three, and it was a masterpiece of television. I was astounded at how good it was, and I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for season four.

When I found out it got canceled, I was heartbroken. It may seem silly to cry over something like this, but I did. That’s what Daredevil meant to me. That’s what Daredevil still means to me.

In an effort to revive the series, we have created the #SaveDaredevil campaign on social media, which is surging with increasing amounts of support every day from people all over the globe. We’ve also made a petition which, as of this writing, has 119,000 signatures and climbing.

Despite the massive support, we know we’re facing a tough battle. We’re aware that Daredevil is currently wrapped up in some heavy red tape with the contracts regarding Netflix and that there’s a two year hold on using the characters in other shows. We want you to know that the original cast, crew and showrunner are worth every second of waiting.

We’re not interested in a reboot or a recasting. The cast and crew of the original show were absolutely perfect, and losing any of them would severely damage the quality of the show. They created magic with Daredevil, and trying to replace them or reboot the series would cause us to lose that magic forever.

But we can only do so much. We need the help of people like you to be Daredevil’s hero. You have the power to help us save Daredevil, and I’m asking you to please utilize that power to bring the show back to the fans.

Since Disney+ has been slated as being family-oriented, and the show simply wouldn’t be able to function under a PG-13 rating, it is not a suitable option for Daredevil. However, with the deal between Disney and Fox coming to a close soon, Disney will reportedly gain 60% control over Hulu, which makes them a perfect new home for Daredevil, considering the TV-MA rating. Hulu already hosts the Marvel show, Runaways, so it will fit right in.

We’re not asking for forever. That’s unreasonable. We’re only asking that Daredevil be given the chance to fully complete the story it set out to tell.

We want to do right by the cast and crew. We want to correct this injustice. Won’t you please help us ensure that Justice Never Stops?

Thank you for your time.

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/kevin-spacey-falls-hard-alec-baldwin-off-twitter-netflix-mess/

Kevin Spacey falls hard, Alec Baldwin off Twitter and Netflix mess

Actor Kevin Spacey continues his downward spiral… As you have probably heard, Kevin Spacey was recently accused of sexual misconduct. In addressing the accusation, Kevin proceeded to acknowledge and apologize for his likely past wrongdoing and then quickly changed the subject of his statement to being about him coming out. Inevitably, people were not impressed with him trying to distract the wrong of his actions by coming out. It was rather obvious that he was trying to lessen the severity of the accusation against him. Since the accusation surfaced, Kevin has been plagued with criticism from fans, social media users, and his peers. Now, his major employer is taking action to punish him for his misconduct, as well as how he handled the whole situation. On Friday, it was revealed that movie and TV company Netflix had officially fired Kevin from their award-winning show, House of Cards. In addition, the company also cancelled his upcoming Gore Vidal biopic Gore. As the news of the firing surfaced in the media, one of Netflix’s spokespersons released a statement addressing the company’s decision. They said, "Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey… We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show. We have also decided we will not be moving forward with the release of the film Gore, which was in post-production, starring and produced by Kevin Spacey." Earlier this week, it was reported by numerous media outlets that the star is currently seeking “evaluation and treatment.” When “House of Cards” debuted in 2013, it catapulted Netflix into a whole new level of Hollywood recognition and acclaim. The dark political series about an unscrupulous Washington power couple became Netflix’s first breakout hit, planting a flag for the streaming service in the competitive world of original TV programming. But just as its protagonist Frank Underwood fell ignominiously from power last season, the series itself has collapsed in scandalous fashion following allegations around actor Kevin Spacey, who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by numerous men including employees on the show. Netflix isn’t the only company left holding the bag. Media Rights Capital is the production company that owns the series and licenses it to Netflix. Since news about Spacey broke Sunday, followed by additional allegations, the companies moved quickly to cancel the seventh season of “House of Cards” and put production of the sixth season on indefinite hold. Netflix said in a statement Friday night that it is cutting all ties with Spacey and that he will not be involved with the show that he has starred in since 2013. “Netflix will not be involved with any further production of ‘House of Cards’ that includes Kevin Spacey,” the company said in a statement. While the scandal represents a public-relations debacle for Netflix, it isn’t likely to materially affect the company, even though “House of Cards” remains one of its most popular series, experts said. “I think of ‘House of Cards’ as a trampoline,” said Paul Levinson, a professor of media and communications at Fordham University. “Netflix put it up, jumped on it and Netflix got so high that it no longer needs ‘House of Cards.’ ” Netflix spent about $100 million to produce two 13-episode seasons for “House of Cards.” The political drama launched the company’s venture into original programming, helping to transform the streaming service into a global powerhouse and disrupter of the TV business. The Los Gatos-based company now has 104 million paid streaming subscribers and has made massive investments in new shows. It will spend as much as $8 billion on content next year alone. As a result, Netflix now has multiple hit series — including “Stranger Things,” “Orange Is the New Black” and “The Crown” — that it can rely on to retain and attract subscribers. The speed at which Netflix responded to the allegations against Spacey — the first of which was made by actor Anthony Rapp on Sunday in Buzzfeed — will likely work in the company’s favor, according to Michael Pachter, a digital media analyst at Wedbush Securities, where he covers Netflix. “I think Netflix is handling this extremely well,” Pachter said. “This is what you want them to do from an investor’s point of view.” Analysts said the cancellation of “House of Cards” was likely an easy decision for Netflix to make because the series was already past its prime and nearing the end of its run. Public scandals are rare for major TV series but not unheard of. The most recent instance was CBS’ “Two and a Half Men,” which saw the departure of Charlie Sheen after the actor’s personal problems became public. His character was killed off from the show. Among “House of Cards” fans, the most recent season was seen as something of a creative resurgence, but the show was clearly on the decline and had lost a lot of its buzz. Creator and showrunner Beau Willimon had left the show last year after four seasons. "During the time I worked with Kevin Spacey on 'House of Cards,' I neither witnessed nor was aware of any inappropriate behavior on set or off,” Willimon said in a statement. “That said, I take reports of such behavior seriously and this is no exception. I feel for Mr. Rapp, and I support his courage." Rapp alleged that he was 14 when Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance on him during the 1980s. Spacey responded by saying that he didn’t recall the incident, but offered Rapp “the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.” The two-time Academy Award winner also used the opportunity to come out as a gay man. Since Sunday, the accusations have quickly snowballed, including an unnamed artist who told Vulture that he was a minor when he entered into a consensual sexual relationship with Spacey decades ago. On Thursday, eight current and former “House of Cards” employees alleged to CNN that Spacey created a “toxic” work environment with his behavior. The allegations include one former production assistant who said Spacey sexually assaulted him during one of the show's early seasons. A representative for Spacey could not be reached for comment. Netflix could face civil legal exposure from any employee harassment that occurred on “House of Cards” because Spacey was also credited as an executive producer on the show, which means that he was in a supervisory position, according to Genie Harrison, an attorney who specializes in employment and sexual harassment cases. “The company will have strict liability because he's a supervisor and because he would be seen as acting on behalf of the company,” Harrison said. As the studio behind “House of Cards,” Media Rights Capital could also face legal exposure for any of its employees who were harassed by Spacey on the show. MRC, which is based in Beverly Hills, declined a request for an interview but said in a statement that during the show’s first year of production, in 2012, someone on the crew shared a complaint about a specific remark and gesture made by Spacey. The company didn’t elaborate on the nature of the complaint. “Immediate action was taken following our review of the situation, and we are confident the issue was resolved promptly to the satisfaction of all involved. Mr. Spacey willingly participated in a training process, and since that time MRC has not been made aware of any other complaints involving Mr. Spacey,” the company said in the statement. Netflix, which also declined an interview request, said in a statement Friday that it was just made aware of the 2012 incident and was informed that it was swiftly resolved. “Netflix is not aware of any other incidents involving Kevin Spacey on-set,” the company said in a statement. “We continue to collaborate with MRC and other production partners to maintain a safe and respectful working environment.” Both companies said they are evaluating the future of “House of Cards.” It remains unclear if writers and hundreds of Maryland-based crew are being kept on the payroll as executives decide on the fate of the sixth season. MRC would be on the hook for whatever expenses have to be absorbed as production on “House of Cards” is shut down, though the company could have insurance to cover such events. “House of Cards” is estimated to cost several millions of dollars per episode, with each season consisting of 13 installments. MRC sold the international rights for “House of Cards” to Netflix in a deal estimated to be worth more than $200 million, according to one industry executive familiar with the show. Even if Netflix emerges relatively unscathed from “House of Cards,” the streaming service faces another challenge with an upcoming movie it is making with Spacey, in which he plays the late writer Gore Vidal. The movie, which had been expected to be released next year, is believed to focus on the years that Vidal spent in virtual exile in Italy. Netflix said Friday night that it will not release the film. Netflix rival Amazon Studios confronted its own scandal last month when Roy Price resigned as head of the studio after accusations made by an executive producer that Price had made lewd remarks and unwanted advances. For the fourth time, actor Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria are expanding their family! On Friday, Hilaria joyfully announced that she and her husband are expecting their fourth child together. The star took to her Instagram page to share the exciting news with fans and followers. Alongside a photo of her and her family sharing some bonding time on the floor, Hilaria captioned, “Our Baldwinitos are getting a new teammate this spring. I’m [going to] make them a special cake to tell them if it’s a boy or girl…I’ll post tomorrow midday. We are so excited.” Hilaria Baldwin, Instagram post:   As of now, Alec and Hilaria are keeping busy, raising their four young children: Carmen, 4, Rafael, 2, and Leonardo, 1. Later on Friday, Hilaria showed off a picture of the cake she made with “Baby?” written across it in pink and blue icing. The star promised fans and followers that they would soon find out whether her kids can expect a baby brother or a baby sister. Congratulations to Alec, Hilaria and the rest of their clan! Alec Baldwin announced Saturday morning that he would be stepping away from his Twitter account following backlash over his recent remarks regarding women settling sexual harassment suits in the context of Harvey Weinstein. “It is w some degree of sadness that I will suspend posting on this a TWITTER account for a period of and in the current climate,” he wrote. “It was never my intention, in my public statements, to ‘blame the victim’ in the many sexual assault cases that have emerged recently,” he continued. “I simply posited that the settlement of such cases certainly delayed justice, though I am fully aware that those settlements were entered into w the understanding that settlement is wise, intimidated https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/926855125511163906 https://twitter.com/AlecBaldwin/status/926856382883745792 He added that his heart goes out to all the victims of sexual assault and that his foundation will continue to post on the topic of its work with the arts and environment. Baldwin faced backlash over comments regarding settlements that he made during an interview with PBS NewsHour, in which he pointed out that when women settle sexual harassment suits and are silenced in the process through NDAs, “the course of change” is delayed. “When you talked about Harvey Weinstein in the business, you knew that he was highly intrusive in the process of making films … you knew that he was a very intense guy … and last but not least, you heard the rumor that he raped Rose McGowan. You heard that over and over — we heard that for decades. And nothing was done,” he began. “Rose McGowan took a payment of $100,000 and settled her case with him,” he continued, after being asked why no one had come forward if they were aware of the alleged incident. “And it was for Rose McGowan to prosecute that case.” He referenced a New York Times article and stated that many people had wondered, “Do the settlement of these cases hurt the cause of exposing and bringing us to a place of real change?” “When women take money, and are silenced by that money – even though they took the money and were silenced because they were told beyond the money it was the right thing for them to do, keep quiet, don’t make too many waves, it’s going to hurt your career — when they do it, nonetheless, does it set back the course of change? That’s an issue, I think,” he finished. Asia Argento, who accused Weinstein of raping her in a New Yorker piece following the original New York Times exposé, retweeted the PBS NewsHour video, and wrote, “Hey, [Alec Baldwin] you’re either a complete moron or providing cover for your pals and saving your own rep. Maybe all three.” She followed up with a second tweet: “Alec Baldwin mansplaining ‘the cause’ for women everywhere. That’s a good caption for that video.” She also commented on Baldwin’s departure from Twitter, asserting, “We won’t miss you bully boy.”

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

[reynoldsnbauer]

The full blown film major analysis of why AP Bio won’t last you didn’t ask for below the cut

I want to preface this by saying I’m not an expert and there is really no way to know how this will turn out. All of this my opinion based on what I’ve learned and researched. I could be totally wrong and again I am not an expert.

1. Location and Star Power

Outside of SNL, NBC is not a place where comedies prosper. Right now it mainly has The Good Place (with Kristen Bell, a critical and aduience darling) and Superstore (which has roughly 3.9 million viewers on average, which is in the same ballparks as Emerald City, Powerless and The Blacklist: Redemption, all of which have been cancelled.) Parks and Rec was a rare case, and that had a lot of things going for it that AP Bio doesn’t. For example, it was staring and produced by Amy Poehler, who already had a large fanbase from SNL- meaning she had a large fanbase at NBC. Now I know what you’re thinking, Glenn has a large fanbase! And the show is being written/produced by SNL creators! 

So let me explain the difference. First of all, yes, It’s Always Sunny is on route to become one of the longest running TV comedies of all time. Which means, yeah, a lot of people watch it. But it is not as well known and infamous as SNL- a show that’s been on since the ‘70s and is known for launching careers. Not to mention that to the average viewer of Sunny, Glenn is likely just “the guy who plays Dennis”. His track record without the rest of the gang is mainly Coffee Town, a film produced by CollegeHumor that was only released on streaming platforms and select theaters. (Side note: Because it didn’t have a box office release I was unable to find how much money it made.) Pretty much everything else Glenn has done has been guest appearances, and it has never been such a big deal that his particular episodes have significantly raised ratings. 

Outside of Glenn, we have Patton Oswalt. While most people know his face, not all know his name. He’s what the industry would call a “working actor”. He has many guest appearances and small roles but is rarely the star or a main character. His biggest role in recent years it probably Remy in Ratatouille. This movie made about $620 million at the box office. Which is pretty good- but that money was likely coming from the fact that it was a Disney movie. His most recent films are Keeping Up with the Jonesses, coming in at only $30 million, and The Circle, which is still in theaters but so far is absolutely bombing (for what the large cast was expected to bring in) with less than $22 million. 

So based on the numbers, and his lack of leading roles, Patton Oswalt just isn’t going to bring in the viewership AP Bio needs to last. In my opinion, what AP Bio really has going for it is Lorne Michaels- an absolute genius. Unlike most producers, his name means something to nearly everyone who hears it. While having an SNL writer as head writer is good, Lorne is really what matters. TV production is what he does best: SNL, 30 Rock, Conan, Fallon, Meyers. But again, all of these shows had a star power. Both Tina Fey and Seth Meyers were regulars and writers on SNL.

And Lorne Michaels hasn’t always been successful in producing new shows. He headed production on multiple shows that only lasted a year at most: Up All Night (2011-2012), Mulaney (2013-2014), and Documentary Now! (2015-2016). So what makes these shows different? Two things: star power/name recognition and quality. Which leads me to my next point. 

2. Quality

The first half of this analysis has been based solely on numbers and data. I literally did not factor in the quality of any shows or films I referenced. That’s mainly because, to me, quality is subjective. And Hollywood agrees. At the end of the day filmmaking is a business, so I think looking at the numbers is most helpful in a case like this. 

However, as someone who wants to make television, quality is important to me. And it is important to whether or not a show stays on the air. Shows like Community and Crazy Ex Girlfriend (two of my favorites, actually) struggled to be renewed every season because of their low ratings. What kept/keeps them afloat is their critical acclaim and vocal fanbase. So yes, quality matters. 

So let’s talk about the quality of the new promo, as that’s all we have to go off. I personally liked it, but I’ve seen a lot of you saying you didn’t. I can see both sides and again quality is subjective so this is all personal opinion and inferences based on viewership trends. 

I’ve seen a lot of people saying that Glenn is essentially playing a less nuanced Dennis Reynolds. Really, it is too early on to tell. But based on the trailer I’m inclined to agree. But is this a good or bad thing? An argument could be made that The Mick’s success came from the initial belief that the show would be similar to Sunny, and Kaitlin Olsen would likely be playing the same character. This turned out not to be true of course, but I think it helped boost initial interest. However, Kaitlin has the backing of FOX, which is tied to FXX, where Sunny lives (and earns bank for the network). Sorry, I got a little into the business side there. 

Anyway, the show mimicking the dark, “unlikable” humor of Sunny could actually be a good thing for mainstream audiences. Critics however? Probably not. I can see the reviews now: “Howerton plays dry, uninteresting version of previous characters”. 

As for the quality of the show as a whole, I think there’s definitely potential. It’s a fresh premise but still familiar enough that it won’t alienate average viewers. The subject of teachers is an interesting one that many have tried to capture and few have succeeded. 

What worries me about the premise is that it’s sort of short sighted. Where can the show really go? Either Glenn’s character accepts his new role and learns to like it or he leaves/gets fired. There are obviously some interesting routes they can take after that (I may make a post about ideas for them) but unfortunatly popular comedy shows aren’t usually ones with twists, turns and story development. The most popular/long running sitcoms are usually the ones that have a contained premise, ie a group of friends live across the hall from each other and struggle with career and personal issues. Or a group of friends own a bar together and get into crazy schemes. Comedy is typically a formulaic genre. 

I do want to point out though that recently shows are trying to branch out from this structure. Crazy Ex Girfriend, The Good Place and possibly The Mick are examples. But again, these shows are not mainstream or “popular” by any means. For these shows to work the writing has to be really good.

Finally, I don’t think the promo did a great job of showing the writing, which again, has to be good. The few jokes featured in the trailer were good but nothing spectacular and sort of unoriginal, in my opinion. Some were even a little too crude for me personally. (And I’m a Sunny fan). I’m not sure a wholesome family network like NBC will be appreciated for having humor such as a teenager reading an explicit letter that has to be mostly censored to a teacher who says he “sees a lot of [himself]” in her. Especially after the recent scandal at FOX, where parents complained about a seventeen year old talking to her guardian about boobs.

I can’t say much else about the quality because we have such little to go on and, honestly, I don’t trust NBC’s marketing skills what so ever. 

3. Glenn

This final thought is purely a matter of opinion. And a naive one at that. I don’t know Glenn personally, but I’ve always felt connected to RCG for this reason: they’re living my dream. Literally. My biggest fantasy in life is to write, produce and star in my own tv comedy. Literally, that’s all I want from life. Unfortunately the starring part probably won’t happen cause I’m a terrible actress but that’s beside the point. 

I have only been studying media for a few years. And only one of those years has been fiction/film production, the rest was news. And already I am in love with it. The behind the scenes is my happy place. Acting is glamorous, sure, but for me, the creative genius really takes place in the writing and direction. So I personally can not imagine going from a show where you have almost complete creative control to one where you only act the lines someone else has written.

In fact that’s what perplexes me the most. I get wanting to grow outside of Sunny, as it can’t last forever. But to consider leaving a show where you and your best friends have complete control to write, produce, improvise, ect? It almost makes me angry. Glenn literally has the one thing in life I want and he’s going to give it up to play a “less nuanced version of the same character”? I don’t know. I just don’t see how he could be happy with that.

Anyway, these have been my personal thoughts about AP Bio’s future. If you read all the way through, I’m sorry. What’s wrong with you? But thanks. 

[theantisocialcritic]

The AntiSocial Critic Reviews… MST3K Live: Watch Out For Snakes Tour

I’ve been meaning to address Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return since it’s premiere. Unfortunately my penultimate viewing for the 14 episodes took the better part of a month and put me well beyond the point of relevance. Even so it’s reputation has been one of rather sublime regard. Technically considered the 11th season of the prolific comedy series from the 1990s, it returns following it’s record breaking kick-starter campaign and dropped on Netflix to much fanfare and viewership. 

Mystery Science Theater 3000, if you somehow haven’t heard of it, was a sci-fi/comedy series in the 1990s. It was created for a Minnesota Public Access affiliate before being picked up by the up and coming Comedy Central before eventually shifting over to the Sci-Fi Network and then being canceled after ten seasons and a theatrical film. The show is a simple setup but a clever one none the less. A group of comedians (two of them puppeteering a pair of robots) played the crew of the Satellite of Love. They’re part of an experiment by a pair of mad scientists to find the worst film ever made and are forced to sit and watch through a never ending stream of terrible movies.The show was supplemented with the creative/comedy stylings of local prop comedy Joel Hodgson who populated his weird world is a set of unique characters and led the show into big time popularity before passing the torch to it’s second host Mike Nelson. The current iteration of the show stars Jonah Ray, best known for his work with Seeso and The Nerdist. 

While official news of a subsequent season or followup has been scarce what we have gotten is a special thing in it’s own right. Less than half a year after the initial Netflix drop the new crew of the current iteration of the show began a Live Theater version of the classic riffing show that is just now starting to make the rounds across the United States. Having just gotten home from their Chicago showing of Eegah i’m filled with so many thoughts about what has grown to be one of my favorite television shows of all time. This is a show that was something initially experienced alone by large numbers of people who never really had the chance to meet or discuss the show. It was ultimately a cult hit all things considered. Since the kick-starter in December 2015 however the fan base has really shifted into something far more public and unified. Having such a fully packed theater full of people singing the famous theme song in unison and laughing through every joke is such an interesting experience in it’s own right compared to the way the show is usually experienced. This is something that really has only be captured in any way by the show’s original successor Rifftrax which filled the void it left after it’s cancellation but never truly became what MST3K had been fully. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return is the crystallization of a decade of quietly stirring love and melancholy for a fan base that wanted it back desperately.

In a way this deep desire is somewhat baffling if you haven’t been a part of the fan base for the show. It’s a very unique comedy show with such a specific setup that I have a hard time trying to think of ways to explain it or it’s appeal to people who haven’t seen it. On it’s own though it works perfectly. 

Accidentally or not, MST3K is a comedy show about life. 

The initial meta-joke of the franchise is often lost on young audiences now but the very real frustration that existed between viewers of TV and their televisions stations was palpable. Stations needed to fill their lineups with last minute fills for empty time slots and what better way to make things easier than to cram cheap B-Movies from the archive into the slots. 

More to the point the show’s on the noise idea of being forced to watch the movies by force alongside friends hit on a very specific nerve. MST3K is ultimately a show about how friendship and laughter are the best cure to the crap life throughs at you. It’s a lesson to embrace the difficulty and work with it because it’s unavoidable. At the end of the day as much as these movies test our patience we love them because we can laugh together watching them. The experience of watching the characters fight their way through dozens of movies ended up being a rather connecting and emotional experience. The experience of seeing MST3K The Return and the subsequent Live Show was incredibly powerful. 

The cleverly titled Watch Out for Snakes Tour is ultimately just a fifteenth episode of the the Netflix show. That isn’t a bad thing of course given just how good the fourteen episodes we already have have proven to be. What sets it apart from the other shows are the minor changes the show augments to shift the show away from a single camera TV show into a stage production with all the technical problems that come with it. Now not only to the puppets have the work on the fly but sophisticated cues for timing videos and audience interaction. Thankfully the show is for the most part fairly seamless with occasional timing errors between the actors and prerecorded videos. The uncompressed audio also has the effect of making the dialog and movie audio slightly at odds from time to time making a few jokes unintelligible. 

The creative means of audience interaction certainly shifts this significantly away from the way it was on TV with segments involving members of the audience and sing-along segments. It’s not the deepest way they could approach it but a live introduction by series creator Joel Hodgson with a short QandA is certainly worth the price to admission alone. 

Really the Live Tour is exactly what is says on the box. It’s more of the critically acclaimed series in a new form. The only real criticisms I could form for it are the same minor nitpicks i’ve heard regarding The Return such as the occasionally wonky voice acting that doesn’t quite reflect the original voicing for Crow and Servo and the significantly sped up pacing of the jokes. These are tiny nitpicks though across the face of a behemoth that works like gangbusters. If you’re a fan of the series the Watch Out for Snakes Tour is well worth the rather lofty ticket price for admission. Mystery Science Theater 3000 lives again indeed and it’s still great! 

Thank you all for reading! if you would like to see more reviews, articles and podcasts lemme know by tweeting me at @AntiSocialCriti or commenting below. Also be sure to check out my review show The Fox Valley Film Critics!

Push the button Frank! 

[placetobenation]

Hey kids – Paul Bernardo here and this week was quite eventful with the Emmys and a lot more tidbits to share. Join me here every week for the good news in entertainment. 

END OF THE DARK CRYSTAL

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has been cancelled by Netflix after only a single season. 

“We can confirm that there will not be an additional season of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” said Lisa Henson, executive producer. “We know fans are eager to learn how this chapter of The Dark Crystal saga concludes and we’ll look for ways to tell that story in the future. Our company has a legacy of creating rich and complex worlds that require technical innovation, artistic excellence, and masterful storytelling. Our history also includes productions that are enduring, often finding and growing their audience over time and proving again and again that fantasy and science fiction genres reflect eternal messages and truths that are always relevant. We are so grateful to Netflix for trusting us to realize this ambitious series; we are deeply proud of our work on Age of Resistance, and the acclaim it has received from fans, critics and our peers, most recently receiving an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program.”

In other words, Lisa Henson is saying – “I suck, I’m nowhere near as good as my brother Brian Henson, and he sucks too. Sorry”

Yes I saw the show, and yes I hated it. It had no heart and no joy and felt like a big money machine turning about. Nothing about it was interesting, even though the puppets looked exactly like the movie, as did Augra and the sets, but that’s about all it had in common with Jim Henson’s vision. 

Once again, either it’s Disney or Henson’s family – they are trying to duplicate the magic of Henson without having a clue what his work was about or what it stood for. Like i said about Star Wars, it’s amazing how many people can get it wrong. 

SCHITT’S CREEK IS MOVING

Pop TV belongs to the family of ViacomCBS, and so ViacomCBS is going to air the program on the more visible sister channel, Comedy Central. After it’s historic sweep at the Emmy’s, Schitt’s Creek is moving on up to take it’s bow in the limelight. 

EMMY WINNERS

Ok, so viewership of the Emmy’s was down this year – it’s the year of Covid – nobody showed up, what did you expect? Anyway it’s not about viewership points – it’s about Schitt’s Creek – sweeping their category and winning 9 Emmy’s, the most ever for a comedy series. The show does have two legends at the helm who have been at it for a very long time and are amazing collaborators. Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy have been winning awards and making people laugh since the day TV was invented. Eugene’s son Daniel Levy and Annie Murphy round out the winners along with best writing, best casting, best costumes, best directing and maybe a few more. 

John Candy was a big fan and collaborator with Eugene and I sure wish he were alive to see this amazing triumph from his best friend. Still breaks my heart that big kahuna is gone. 

Anyway – HBO wins 30, Netflix 21, Apple TV gets 2 as does Quibi, so that’s embarrassing. Adult Swim gets 4, NBC 8, Disney+ 8, ABC 5, CBS 2. No big surprises, except CBS getting 2, that’s kind of really bad. 

Euphoria gets 3 wins, Watchmen 11, Succession 7, Mandalorian 6. SNL 6, Last Week Tonight, 4.  No Bill Mahr, and he is slipping for sure. I thought Mandalorian would get more since it has revolutionized how tv is shot and made with it’s 3D movie studio – but maybe next year people will realize what it’s done. It’s so good it’s like Led Zeppelin, people really aren’t ready to embrace it or understand it yet. 

Eddie Murphy won an Emmy for hosting SNL after 30 years of being away. That’s more like a “please come back again” nod from the industry. I am proud of Euphoria because it took so many chances and pulled off all those risks very well with maturity and artistry and honesty. I am glad the show got rewarded for it. 

Watchmen was a huge undertaking by HBO. The movie by Zack Snyder was put under a microscope since the comic book is so dearly loved. Honestly, HBO put a huge amount of thought into it, the story was amazing, and heavy hitting as we expect from such a wealth of profound and heavy material.

Regina King was sublime in it, as was Jeffrey Irons and the rest of the cast. I loved everything about it from the costumes to the plot to the dialogue to how everything unfolded brilliantly until the very end. On one hand you hope it continues – but on the other hand the ending was so good- you kind of don’t want it to continue. 

RuPaul’s Drag Race won again, 6 times. I think this is the fifth year Rupaul won an Emmy for his show. I mean, the category is reality competition shows – so the bar is not exactly set high, but still – glad he continues on his winning streak. 

This year snubs really weren’t snubs for me – they were just series that were long in the tooth and have had their time. Curb Your Enthusiasm just didn’t work in the Trump Era – already too much hate in the world to find Larry David funny right now. Ms. Maisel was shut out, she had her time in the sun when streaming platforms were new and exciting. Dead To Me, Kominsky Method, What We Do In The Shadows and The Good Place were also all shut out. Again, they all had their day and now with so much material coming out at such a face pace, they were just simply yesterday’s news. 

PRE-GoT NEWS!!

During this Emmy thing – we got some news about the prequel to GoT!! It is called House of the Dragon, and casting is underway. That’s it – but isn’t that enough?! Let’s hope they don’t botch this one up!!

The Hulk Wins An Emmy!

Mark Ruffalo won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie with his role in I Know This Much is True which aired on HBO. He played two roles, brothers Dominick Birdsey and Thomas Birdsey. Mark gave them subtle but very noticeable differences and played them both brilliantly. Another actor in this show that I thought was fantastic was Rosie O’Donnell who played their social worker. Rosie brought a pain and a seriousness to a role that rivaled Mark’s characters. She was amazing and I just wish she got recognized somehow for doing an amazing job in a tough role, in a very serious and tragic series. 

MICHAEL JORDAN SHOOTS AND SCORES!

Michael Jordan wins his very first Emmy with the amazing documentary The Last Dance. Jordan beat out The Tiger King to win Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Tiger King was extremely popular, even had actors begging on Twitter to be cast in it, but Jordan as always, wins out. 

Jordan has always had a thing with winning, and what he accomplished in the NBA is unmatched, unparalleled and simply historic. 6 Championships, taking a year off to go play baseball, then come back, get back into shape, and win some more rings. Players feared Jordan, even in practice, if you did not give it your all, he would hound you and make your life miserable. Jordan and his talent, his motivation and his desire to win and pull a team up to join him, may never be seen in sport again, let alone in the NBA. 

What that man did has never been done before or since. You can do a series on Magic, Larry, Bill Russell, Iverson, Kobe, anybody – and Jordan’s story, will to win, and accomplishments will continue to reign above them all, just like he did on the court. 

Thanks for reading – see ya next Thursday!

[eloninau963-blog]

If You Do Not (Do)Gta 5 Download For Android Currently, You Will Certainly Despise Yourself Later

Grand Theft Auto V on Steam

Leisure Activities and also pastimes.

The mission also received objection from politicians as well as anti-torture charity groups. The game became subject to prevalent online dispute over its representation of females, particularly following the reaction against GameSpot journalist Carolyn Petit when she declared the game was misogynistic in her testimonial.

The video game's soundtrack includes an original score composed by a team of producers that teamed up over several years. It was released in September 2013 for PlayStation 3 as well as Xbox 360, in November 2014 for PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One, and also in April 2015 for Microsoft Windows. Style( s) Action-adventureMode( s) Single-player, multiplayerGrand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure video game established by Rockstar North and published by Superstar Gamings. The open globe design lets gamers openly stroll San Andreas' open countryside and also the imaginary city of Los Santos, based upon Los Angeles. The very best means to use and also set up Grand Theft Auto V's twenty-seven setups for your certain system is via GeForce Experience, an indispensable device for all GeForce GTX users.

GTA 6 Leakages Assert RDR2 Feedback Decreased Rockstar's Production.

Along with optimizing over 250 games, the cost-free GeForce Experience application can instantly update motorists as well as profiles, record and stream gameplay with ShadowPlay, and wirelessly stream PC video games, consisting of Grand Theft Auto V, to NVIDIA SHIELD devices. It's the among the very popular titles of all time, and also the highest-rated game of the previous decade. Currently, the highly-anticipated, definitive PC version has actually shown up, so join us as we dissect Superstar's record-breaking open-world activity video game to disclose the technological treats that wait for among its several, many graphics setups. Grand Theft Auto V for Playstation ® 4 and Xbox One additionally includes enhanced radio selections with over 150 extra new tracks as well as brand-new DJ blends from returning DJs across the video game's 17 radio terminals. Experience Superstar Games' critically acclaimed open world video game, Grand Theft Auto V.

GTA V - no limitations.

See what are the fastest cars in GTA Online, the most pricey, or the general leading performing lorries in GTA V. The GTA V APK game Saints Row IV has a DLC pack of tools as well as garments called GAT V, which is a recommendation to the initials of Grand Theft Auto V. The author, Deep Silver released it for free on COMPUTER, mocking GTA V's lack from the system at the time.

DLC have actually been launched routinely given that the launch of Grand Theft Auto V and also Grand Theft Auto Online, including brand-new cars, tools as well as various other web content. They are however extra progressed in Online with the accessibility of jobs as well as buildings in addition to extra personality customization alternatives like tattoos, clothing, masks, hairstyles etc . Another distinct feature is that the character swapping attribute is executed in a Google Earth-styled fashion and was presented during a Video game Informer trial, which was revealed to have run efficiently and without lag. The COMPUTER, PlayStation 4 and also Xbox One versions provide an exclusive function, the first-person setting, where the whole game can be played with the eyes of the protagonist.

Automobiles have actually outlined interiors various from each other; capturing is like that of a dedicated FPS game. The video game has actually generated numerous controversies associated with its physical violence and depiction of women. An objective that calls for gamers to use abuse equipment in a hostage interrogation polarised reviewers, that noted its political discourse yet felt that the abuse sequence was in inadequate taste.

Więcej od: Rockstar Games.

After Petit's evaluation web page got more than 20,000 mostly adverse remarks, numerous reporters defended her right to a point of view as well as lamented the video gaming neighborhood's defensiveness in the direction of criticism. Tv individuality Karen Gravano and also actress Lindsay Lohan both submitted lawsuits versus Rockstar in claims that characters in the video game were based upon their similarities.

Australian outlet store Target drew the video game from their 300 shops following a Change.org petition against representations of violence towards ladies in the video game. The video game is played from either a third-person or first-person viewpoint, and its world is browsed walking or by lorry. Gamers manage the three lead protagonists throughout single-player as well as switch amongst them, both throughout as well as outside objectives.

Instead of the old method of selecting through all the weapons sequentially, there is currently a Tool Wheel, which is similar to the one included in Red Dead Redemption, another game made by Rockstar Gamings. Grand Theft Auto V attracts inspirations from various Rockstar titles in the past, consisting of Max Payne 3, Midnight Club, Manhunt, as well as Red Dead Redemption. The PlayStation 3 as well as Xbox 360 variations of Grand Theft Auto Online allow as much as 16 simultaneous players, while the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows versions allow as much as 30 simultaneous gamers. The advancement group attracted impact from many of their previous projects such as Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3 and also made the game around 3 lead protagonists to innovate on the core framework of its precursors. Much of the development job comprised the open world's production, and a number of team members performed field research around The golden state to catch footage for the style group.

Discover more video games as well as downloadable material for Grand Theft Auto V!

Joining a little faction of gamers who have good reason to think they've uncovered a hint aboutGrand Theft Auto VI's release year for many years, Twitter customer individual GTAVInewzhas shared their listed below searchings for with the area. Players that got averted from swiping helicopters inGrand Theft Auto Vmay have discovered an assuming set of Los Santos International Airport terminal doors labelled, "2013," "2014," and "2021," all of which were recorded in October 2019 by VX97 on Imgur. WhileGrand Theft Auto Onlineplayers have actually been preoccupied taking part in or striking back versus the whole Alien Gang company, it shows up that the potential release year ofGrand Theft Auto VImay have been concealed right under their noses all along in theGrand Theft Auto Vmap. Explore all Vehicles, Motorcycles, Helicopters, Planes, Boats, as well as all other automobiles.

There are likewise submarines that players are able to utilize to check out the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The Rhinocerous from previous GTA titles has returned, including a brand-new facility aiming system as well as a sensible representation of a container.

, if You Can not Do the Time ...

Grand Theft Auto V for PC is readily available for acquisition on Instant Video gaming for a portion of its retail price. You will get a main trick as well as have the ability to play the video game in seconds. The video game is embeded in the imaginary community of San Andreas which is based loosely on generic southern The golden state life. While much of the video game's scripted action occurs in the city, the world is much bigger than previous GTA offerings, as well as gamers can explore openly.

This game is really enjoyable, has several tasks along with the major story and I advise it to individuals that like single-player games. Grand Theft Auto V also features Grand Theft Auto Online, the dynamic and also ever-evolving Grand Theft Auto cosmos with online bet up to 30 players, consisting of all existing gameplay upgrades and content released because the launch of Grand Theft Auto Online. Grand Theft Auto V received "universal praise" testimonials on Metacritic getting a metascore of 96/100 on PC as well as 97/100 on PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, and also Xbox One. On whatoplay.com, it obtains an aggregatee rating (playscore) of 8.62 on COMPUTER, 9.29 on PS3, 9.64 on Xbox 360, 9.32 on PS4, and 8.99 on Xbox One.

Download Grand Theft Auto V.

Grand Theft Auto V is an action-adventure video game played from either a third-person or first-person point of view. [b] Players total objectives-- straight circumstances with set goals-- to advance through the tale. Grand Theft Auto 5 is possibly among the best video games I have actually ever before played. The story is amazing and also the online mode is very fun and also a very cool experience.

Grand Theft Auto V increases the multiplayer attribute that existed in Grand Theft Auto IV. The multiplayer is treated as an added title and is referred to as Grand Theft Auto Online. In GTA Online, multiplayer staffs from Max Payne 3 can be carried over to GTA V. GTA V has actually multiplayer attributes connected to Superstar's Social Club. Grand Theft Auto V has more lorries than in any type of other Grand Theft Auto video game to date, with a variety of cars, consisting of aeroplanes, helicopters, cars and trucks, utility lorries, emergency situation solution automobiles, motorcycles, and also jet skis. Gamers are able to fly aircrafts, which was a cut attribute from Grand Theft Auto IV because of the minimal size of the map, but the attribute is now readily available in Grand Theft Auto V because of the much larger, open globe map.

GTA 5 raporty.

Grand Theft Auto V has the largest variety of very vehicles to day, in addition to one of the most amount of lorries, in the entire GTA series. The Cheetah is just one of the few lorries to appear most of GTA video games. New activities have been included, such as yoga, triathlons, jet snowboarding, parachuting, golf, tennis, and also scuba diving diving. Random occasions have actually likewise been contributed to the game and can appear anytime as the player discovers around the map. The cellphone has returned from Grand Theft Auto IV however is now just used for calling the player's get in touches with, surfing the internet, and also quick conserving.

The video game Saints Row IV has a DLC pack of clothes and also weapons called GAT V, which is a reference to the initials of Grand Theft Auto V. The author, Deep Silver launched it completely free on PC, mocking GTA V's absence from the system at the time. Gamers can ragdoll by pressing X/Square/SPACE (Xbox/PlayStation/PC) then B/Circle/R (Xbox/Playstation/PC). Multiplayer holds up to sixteen people on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and also thirty players on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 as well as PC variations.

Welcome to the Superstar Storehouse.

.

Superstar Games, the video gaming company behind GTA V, did not quickly reply to an ask for comment. The Hong Kong demonstrations are being played out on Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V online.

The story is centred on the break-in sequences, as well as numerous missions involve shooting as well as driving gameplay. A "wanted" system governs the hostility of police action to gamers who dedicate criminal offenses. Grand Theft Auto Online, the game's on-line multiplayer setting, lets up to 30 gamers take part in a variety of different cooperative and competitive video game modes. fantastic game can play it like each day enjoyable to be able to play with friends and have the ability to download cool mods as well as have fun.

, if You Can't Do the Time ...

The video game marketed 11,210,000 copies as well as grossed $800,000,000 on its very first day of launch, establishing several records, as well as eventually making $1,000,000,000 within 3 days of the game's launch. The game is played from either a third-person or first-person viewpoint, as well as its globe is browsed on foot or by car. Gamers manage the 3 lead protagonists throughout single-player and button amongst them, both throughout and also outside missions.

The shooting auto mechanics are better in regards to the feeling of the mechanics and larger compared to the melee technicians in the video game, that being stated, melee has been boosted over the previous titles too. Instead of the old method of choosing through all the tools sequentially, there is currently a Tool Wheel, which is similar to the one included in Red Dead Redemption, another game made by Rockstar Games. Grand Theft Auto V draws motivations from various Rockstar titles in the past, consisting of Max Payne 3, Twelve O'clock At Night Club, Manhunt, and Red Dead Redemption. As one of one of the most awaited video game titles to be released in 2013, the video game was commonly anticipated before its release. Grand Theft Auto V was released to global praise, holding scores of 96 and above on MetaCritic and GameRankings, as well as getting best scores from over 30 reviewers.

Like all previous Grand Theft Auto games, Grand Theft Auto V has actually dated conflict, though has been seen by some as considerably more questionable than its precursors. Players can play as pets (improved variation), unlike in any various other Grand Theft Auto game.

Explore all Vehicles, Motorbikes, Helicopters, Planes, Boats, and also all other cars. See what are the fastest cars in GTA Online, one of the most expensive, or the overall leading carrying out lorries in GTA V. GTA V is the initial video game in the collection since Grand Theft Auto Advance where the player can store all the weapons in their inventory as opposed to replacing them. Grand Theft Auto V is the first game in the franchise business to feature in-game subordinate songs (not counting cutscenes, debts and also pause menus, as numerous earlier games had incidental songs for these aforementioned series).

Absolutely one of the best games available now as well as can't wait on the launch of GTA 6. this game has an affordable price for all the important things that it uses, believe me, you won ´ t regreet acquiring it and pls tell a good friend to do it with you. In GTA 5 you can see the largest as well as the most detailed world ever created by Rockstar Gamings. Also the possibility to influence the life as well as activities of 3 major characters. This combination of numerous personalities history will make the video game as amazing and also interesting as feasible.

Komentarze dla GTA 5 Masz jakieś wskazówki? Coś Cię drażni? Podziel się tym z innymi użytkownikami serwisu:.

Providing individuals the center finger is an additional new function the player can use while in a lorry. Rockstar advised that the gamer do this in numerous areas around Los Santos to see the end result; relying on where the gamer is at, they will obtain varied reactions from pedestrians. Grand Theft Auto V develops almost every mechanic that was in the previous Grand Theft Auto games.

The Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions include one more 162 tracks to the in-game radio. The first-person view is only readily available in the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Staffs win multiplayer suits to gain experience points as well as climb up on the internet leaderboards.

Media.

Regarding driving goes, the vehicles have actually been considerably boosted, with Superstar running extra complicated physics on them, such as making some cars hold to the ground a little better. The driving auto mechanics really feel even more like an auto racing game, especially the Twelve o'clock at night Club series, contrasted to Grand Theft Auto IV's rough, boat-like handling system.

Re-release.

" Grand Theft Auto V" was released in late 2013, yet still cost least 15 millions devices in 2017, when it was the 6th very successful videogame. Follow the in-game treasure hunt to unlock the Double-Action Revolver in Grand Theft Auto Online. As soon as you get your gratis Double-Action Revolver, full the Headshot Difficulty in Freemode for a GTA$ 250,000 incentive as well as unlock it for future gun-slinging ventures in Red Dead Redemption 2. Stay educated about the most recent on GTA V, GTA 6, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Rockstar Gamings, along with brand-new MyBase functions!

[justonemoreepisodeuk-blog]

The Walking Dead

I don’t know if I can carry on with The Walking Dead.  It doesn’t give a lot back.  I’m persevering because, when it’s at its best, it’s truly among the most impactful television I have ever seen.  But series eight, which has just returned from its mid-season break, is a gruelling and gruesome onslaught of hopelessness.

I mean, who has a mid-season break anyway?  With the average American series over twenty episodes, compared to Brits calling it a day after about six or seven, I realise I don’t have a leg to stand on. But where are the other mid-season breaks in adult life?  I’m very much in favour of bringing some sort of half term to working life, otherwise it’s just endless, isn’t it?

But anyway, they’ve had a good innings.  Who’d have thought such an incredibly graphic and violently gory drama would attract such international acclaim?  There was a slight head start from its roots in a series of popular comic books, but I don’t know anything about these really, so I won’t wade in with my views (though a lack of knowledge has never really stopped me before).  In short, the initial premise is that a man wakes up from a coma to find that a zombie apocalypse has taken hold on the USA. Cue eight seasons of struggles to stay alive.

And what a man.  Rick Grimes is the Southern sheriff whose sweat-soaked shoulders end up bearing the weight of leadership: he finds himself the de facto head of a ragtag band of survivors.  Around him, there develops a cult of Rick.  He seems to be able to keep people safe.  Repeatedly, the characters end up in nice new communities: planting a few crops (they seem to favour beans), sticking spikes through zombies’ heads at their perimeter fence to avoid being overrun, teaching the children how to cope (mixed ability, of course).  This obviously lowers the scope for drama, so it never lasts long.  After a while, you begin secretly to wish it will all go terribly wrong.  After a bit longer, you realise this is inevitable and merely bide your time until the undead stream into whichever compound and thin out the cast a bit.

However, Rick doesn’t go around mansplaining how to kill a zombie to a bunch of terrified mother hens. He’s epic, but the strong female characters run rings around him.  Michonne, Sasha, Tara, Rosita and Maggie are just some of the bad motherf*ckers keeping his show on the road.  For me, though, the most impressive is Carol.  While every cast member of The Walking Dead grows and develops, Carol’s beginnings as a brow-beaten housewife couldn’t be further from where she ends up. The first episode of series five, No Sanctuary, is proof of her undeniable badassery.  It’s one of the greatest things I have ever seen.  Take a bow, Melissa McBride.

This is what happens to Rick’s people.  They get tough.  And then they come across other people that are softer, and dominate them, or they come across other tough people, and fight with them.  This seems to be the rut we are stuck in.  With each series, more times passes since the apocalypse. The undead might be more decayed than before, but it’s the humans who are even more monstrous.

I’ve already covered the spin-off show, Fear The Walking Dead, where I mentioned that the constant threat of death makes the drama more intense.  Your favourite could be killed at any juncture.  Never are they more at risk than at the huge storyline climaxes that have punctuated the start and end of each season (and each mid-season for that matter).

It’s these peaks that have been more like troughs in recent series.  In an effort to avoid being predictable and allowing its main characters to seem immortal, The Walking Dead will desperately cull a few of them, just to keep you on your toes.  But these deaths feel like betrayals, particularly when they don’t take the storylines anywhere.  There’s a balance to be struck here, but the striking has failed to hit the mark like it used to.

I should have seen the end in sight when a tiger appeared in the second episode of the seventh season. Shiva might also be in the comics, but this wild animal’s introduction in The Well, obeying its human masters, shattered many illusions for me.  The dead coming back to life?  I’ll buy it. But a tiger that knows which people to maul based on the community they come from?  Come on!

Countless friends have abandoned ship, complaining that the storylines are too drawn out, that there is too much build up before the release of any action.  But then series eight has been constant battle action, and that doesn’t feel right either.  When you’ve invested so much in a show, you feel it owes you something.  I’m sticking with it in case I can work out what I feel it owes me.  Maybe I’ll know when I see it.  I don’t want to be a fan that expects everything to be done just to please them, so I’m bearing in mind that this is still one of the best shows out there (which I seem to say every single week on here…).

Given my love of trash (Bromans, Survival Of The Fittest, Geordie Shore), I’ll tolerate a lot of things.  I’ve come to terms with how much the cast perspire in the 100% Georgia humidity. I don’t mind that so many of them seem to be British, which makes me constantly scrutinise their accents for an accidental syllable of Home Counties pronunciation.  I don’t mind that the rest were in The Wire.  I could handle The Cell (series seven, episode three) when Daryl is held captive and tortured with the same song on loop (ruin your day here).  And finally, I can handle the current storyline doldrum.

The reason for this is series two, episode seven, Pretty Much Dead Already.  It ends with an epiphany.  It makes you question all you thought you knew about zombies, about humans and about humanity.  It turns on its head the unwritten rules of TV.  I felt like the sofa had collapsed away from under me and I was freefalling into a new world.

I’m just waiting for that to happen again.

[recentanimenews]

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Anime of 2017

Welcome to the third and final entry in our Staff Picks series, in which we count down our favorite anime, manga, and video games of the past year. This time we’re talking about anime, and what a year it’s been for Japanese animation! 2017 saw the US release of a number of highly anticipated anime films, including the worldwide smash hit your name. (now slated for a Hollywood remake). On the business side, Netflix and Amazon leaned in hard on anime streaming rights, picking up multiple popular exclusives and frustrating the efforts of established players like Crunchyroll and FUNimation. The biggest results of those investments had to wait until 2018 to manifest, with Netflix releasing Devilman Crybaby to wide acclaim just as Amazon shut down their Anime Strike service. Despite the fracturing of the streaming market, fans found a lot to love, even within the typically maligned medium of 3-D animation. Anime is evolving fast thanks to a mix of technological advancements, the decline of the domestic home video market, and increased overseas attention, and 2017’s unlikely success stories point to an exciting future for the medium.

And with that, enjoy the list of our favorite anime of 2017!

David Estrella

#3: Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel Part 1

Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel has carried the ignominy of being “unadaptable” for so long that I started to believe it. The route in the original visual novel is a long, meandering read. Half of it is spent in the kitchen cooking dinner; the other half of it is sweaty, relentless banging in the bedroom. Plot happens at the end but not after hours of Kinoko Nasu failing to get to the point.

FSN readers generally believe “Unlimited Blade Works” is the best route in the game and have aligned their issues with the writing in “Heaven’s Feel” to place the blame on Sakura, a purple-haired childhood friend trope with a whisper-soft voice and little agency in the hot-blooded shonen manga battles of the Holy Grail War. Leave it to Ufotable to adapt the first part of the “Heaven’s Feel” theatrical trilogy as a superpowered slasher film in which legendary heroes go down like hormonal teens at summer camp. It’s a gorgeous, moody film that evokes the spirit of Garden of Sinners, another Ufotable joint that is somehow 10 years old now. The vision here is greater than simply adapting text-to-screen, it’s all about making a good film, leaning into the strengths of the Fate franchise while respectfully cutting the fat from the source material. Hopefully the remaining films can match or surpass this excellent beginning.

#2: Kemono Friends

Take a second to forget about the Kadokawa drama and search for that moment in time when Kemono Friends took the world by storm. Crystallize it and hold it dear. Kemono Friends should not have, could not have existed in a world such as this. Media giants are poised to consume one another and stamp out all the good in the world. It has always been this way. Somehow, Kemono Friends was broadcast on TV Tokyo. By the last episode, hundreds of thousands of viewers were in an animalistic fervor for this show. Anime fans have never beheld a work as pure, joyous, and heartfelt as Kemono Friends. It came from nowhere, from nothing, and it became everything for us. It gave me the power to slug through my day-to-day as I followed it.

“I have to live. I have to watch Kemono Friends.”

Kaban-chan, Serval-chan, all the Friends we met on the way. With their help, I rediscovered some ephemeral, nameless thing in creative work. Something compels us to create. Sometimes it goes away, sometimes it comes back, sometimes it goes away again and it doesn’t come back for months. Writing these blogs, writing in general takes time, effort, energy, and an iota of love for my own craft, just an iota to write it even with the shrill voice in my head telling me that no one reads these things and that it’s not worth the effort.

Kemono Friends was a dead smartphone application before the anime adaptation became a cultural phenomenon. Technically, that means there are more people reading the Ani-Gamers blog, specifically my writing, than there are people in the whole world playing the Kemono Friends mobile game. I’ll write my damn blog because of this truth.

#1: Kizumonogatari Part 3

What more do you want me to say?

“Kizumonogatari Part 1 is the experience of having all my hopes and dreams realized, and then surpassed.”

“Part 2 loosens up and charges forward with a maniacal glee – washing the world in theatrical arterial sprays and small intestines uncoiling in mile-long arcs.”

“These three films are a singular artistic effort, the like of which, realistically, won’t be repeated for some time.”

“This is the best possible Kizu animation we could have gotten, and we are all immensely blessed to have lived long enough to see it.”

I might be wrong, but I think myself to be a reasonable person. Reasonably, I can be allowed one or two things to be irrationally passionate about. If you know me personally, if after all this time you have not seen the Kizumonogatari trilogy despite my having spent a lifetime online gushing about it, we can’t be good friends. I’m drawing the line in the sand here. We can be friends, just not good friends. You cannot call yourself a good friend of mine if you haven’t seen Kizumonogatari. Between us, there will be a distance, a permanent, unresolvable distance that cannot be bridged by any act of kindness or gesture of goodwill, except for watching Kizumonogatari. Having friends that aren’t good friends is good, actually. People you only feel 6/10 happy to see is still a positive. It’s a low-energy positive that doesn’t require a lot of effort to maintain.

So I’m Definitely Not Mad about people being really into garbage media like 2-D idols and F2P shooters over Kizumonogatari and the Monogatari Series. Kizumonogatari is great, it’s for me alone, and I will share it with no one.

Ink

#3: The Eccentric Family 2

You know what Two Car: Racing Sidecar fell short on? Mascots. The sheer show-don’t-tell conversion of novel-based dialog to facial reactions and sets in the second installment of The Eccentric Family builds upon the competency in the first adaptation with an emboldened sense of maturity. (In reality, I just love boy-meets-girl stories.) These are characters that have become very dear to my heart, and seeing them grow (no matter how) is an honor. I feel somewhat uneasy naming a sequel as an “of the Year” pick, but the degree to which this season of this anime amps up the previous season’s ambitions is as noticeable as it is enjoyable.

#2: Girls’ Last Tour

Even in the season of a revived and re-envisioned Kino’s Journey, Girls’ Last Tour feels like the spiritual successor to the original Kino’s. Light on the surface but ponderous beneath, Girls’ Last Tour is charming and engrossing. It feels like a puzzle-platformer video game but develops worlds of wonder from the exploration of desolate areas of a post-apocalyptic world. The youths balance each other out via their unbalanced blends of optimism and pessimism, and this odd couple formula, mixed with the contrast of cute girls doing cute things against the setting, creates something truly special. The only flaws in the series are that it does not take place on the Isle of Man and that it only has enough protagonists for a single kneeler team.

#1: your name.

If Two Car: Racing Sidecar involved every pair of racers switching souls with one another and then again with the racers on other teams, it would only be a slightly lesser masterpiece compared to Makoto Shinkai’s body-swapping epic your name. I love this movie on multiple levels. Any movie that necessitates a second watch is worth valuing above the average anime. Shinkai accomplished something truly spectacular in terms of storytelling: he made the world weep and laugh together during a theatrical release that crept across the globe against all odds (I mean, c’mon … it’s anime) like a fulfilled Wyld Stallyns prophesy. But I’d be lying if I said this was his best work as a director. (Garden of Words forever!) Even so, your name. is a tour de force in that it made a non-Ghibli anime, featuring multiple instances of adolescent boob fondling, palatable and beloved to a worldwide audience.

Evan Minto

#3: Land of the Lustrous

I already wrote up the Land of the Lustrous manga for my manga Staff Picks, but it’s doing double duty this year so here I go again! Studio Orange’s anime adaptation retains most of the appeal of the original series, with atmospheric environments, surreal effects, and a meandering story that has a surprising amount to say despite not really coalescing into a single focused narrative. But the true achievement of the anime version of Lustrous is its CG animation, which blows away its contemporaries. Featuring translucent materials, copious simulation effects, dynamic virtual camera work, and expressive acting backed by both keyframe animation and motion capture, Lustrous is a new breed of CG anime that captures the appeal of traditional animation while taking full advantage of digital tools. The deft mixing of 2-D and 3-D animation in some scenes has been discussed at length and is indeed worth highlighting, but as a fan of CG animation who has been consistently disappointed by its use in anime, I want to believe that Land of the Lustrous represents the beginning of a CG renaissance, not just deference to the old ways of hand-drawn anime.

#2: Little Witch Academia

Little Witch Academia’s move to TV brings with it a few downsides: less ambitious animation and background art, simplified character designs, and a story stretched a tad too thin. But despite it all, the strong cast and unique brand of family-friendly magical adventure means it still maintains much of its original charm. Akko, the excitable and untalented young heroine, is just as stupid and lovable as ever (in fact, she might be even stupider this time around) as she joins Luna Nova Academy and works toward her dream of being a great witch. The series excels at episodic comedy vignettes, but it also tries out, with mixed results, a darker direction via both the backstory of Akko’s role model, Shiny Chariot, and the introduction of a direct antagonist. There’s also more time spent with her classmates, including two standout episodes focusing on her two sidekicks: a literal look inside the head of the morose and sarcastic Sucy and a visit to the family home of the timid bookworm Lotte. The world around them still has the whimsical design sensibility that made the originals so unique, with ornate architecture and mechanical design that showcases a magical world whose ancient origins collide with modern technology. And then there’s the staff at Studio Trigger, who have clearly fallen in love with this series. They delight in bringing its characters, creatures, and machines to life on screen with springy animation recalling the glory days of their time at Gainax. Little Witch Academia’s TV series is sometimes inconsistent, but when the stars align it makes for absolutely delightful viewing.

#1: In This Corner of the World

A mini-phenomenon in Japan when it came out in 2016, In This Corner of the World chronicles the everyday struggles of a young married woman in the shipbuilding town of Kure, near Hiroshima, during World War II. Based on the original work by Hiroshima native and manga artist Fumiyo Kouno (Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms) and directed by Sunao Katabuchi (Mai Mai Miracle), In This Corner is a film with genuine heart and an unprecedented sense of historical verisimilitude thanks to the absurdly detailed research the filmmakers undertook during pre-production. It’s a WWII movie, so there’s a heavy dose of tragedy, but also love, laughter, and beauty. What makes it the year’s best anime is the way that these contradictory emotions inform and accentuate each other. The effect is a story that’s layered and thought-provoking, surpassing even Ghibli’s masterpiece Grave of the Fireflies. By mixing comedy and drama, In This Corner builds a richer view of the psychological and moral contradictions of war, and leaves its audience with a profound understanding of the sacrifices made by civilians under siege. The film is essential viewing, not just because it captures the reality of war in 1945, but because it can inform our understanding of war today.

Alex Osborn

2017 delivered a healthy assortment of both quality TV series and unforgettable feature-length films. I’ve already put together a video rundown of my top 5 anime series of the year, so I’m sticking strictly to movies for these picks.

#3: A Silent Voice

Tamako Market and K-On! director Naoko Yamada crafted an emotionally gripping and visually astounding coming-of-age film that will stick with me for a very long time. A Silent Voice addresses bullying, disability, and depression with a level of care and authenticity rarely seen in the medium. Shoya Ishida’s transformation from an indifferent, thrill-seeking brat into a broken, lonely, and suicidal teenager is harrowing, and sets the stage for what is ultimately a cathartic tale of one’s desperate journey to find genuine friendship and redemption.

The animation is expressive and fluid, the painterly backgrounds are stunning, and the character designs are diverse but maintain a visual coherency. While the inclusion of The Who’s “My Generation” during film’s opening didn’t really work for me, Kensuke Ushio’s restrained, yet deeply affecting score marries beautifully with the themes and overall tone of A Silent Voice.

I must say I’m glad I decided to dive into Yoshitoki Ōima’s manga after having watched the movie, as the film’s lack of development for the secondary characters would have been far more glaring had I already been familiar with the source material. Still, given the constraints of a 130-minute film, Yamada delivers an admirable adaptation that has me eager to see what she does next.

#2: In This Corner of the World

Grave of the Fireflies holds a special place in my heart as one of the finest World War II dramas of all time. I honestly never thought Studio Ghibli’s animated masterpiece would ever be topped. Then I watched In This Corner of the World. Set in WWII Japan, director Sunao Katabuchi’s astounding war drama provides an admirably accurate depiction of Hiroshima before and after the devastating effects of the atomic bomb.

Ani-Gamers editor-in-chief Evan Minto called the studio MAPPA production a “masterpiece war anime,” and I couldn't agree more. He spoke with the film’s producer, Masao Maruyama, about the incredible amount of work that went into recreating the experience of WWII, and their monumental effort really shows.

The carefully-researched production depicts life during WWII through the perspective of a young woman named Suzu, and expertly weaves moments of endearing comedy into what is ultimately a heart-wrenching drama. Despite the unnerving tragedies Suzu faces, her story is ultimately one of hope. In This Corner of the World delivers a conclusion that, for me, puts the film ahead of Grave of the Fireflies as the greatest animated WWII drama of all time. MAPPA created a breathtaking adaptation of Fumiyo Kōno’s manga, with distinct and beautiful character designs by Hidenori Matsubara, and music by Kotringo that seamlessly shifts from solemn to uplifting, rounding out what is a near-flawless production.

#1: your name.

I missed the opportunity to see your name. when it debuted at Anime Expo 2016, so I had to wait for its theatrical debut in the US the following year. In that time, the mounting critical praise and commercial success it received in Japan elevated my excitement to ridiculous heights. When I finally got my ticket for a matinee showing in April, I entered the cinema with near unattainable expectations, and somehow the film managed to not only meet those expectations, but exceed them, leaving me a satisfied, albeit blubbering mess by the time the credits rolled.

your name. is the culmination of director Makoto Shinkai’s career up to this point, fully realizing the “lovers separated by distance” premise that’s served as the focal point of nearly all of his prior works. In addition to being his most technically polished production, your name. integrates the best elements found in his prior works, yielding one of the most emotionally gripping romance anime I’ve ever seen.

I love how it takes the well-worn “body swapping” trope and subverts expectations, using it as a springboard to tell what is a deceptively-profound and thought-provoking love story that also has something to say about spirituality and the devastating effects of natural disasters. The leads are instantly endearing, the comedy is almost always on point, and the lovingly-crafted backgrounds, as expected from a Shinkai film, are a marvel to behold. The soundtrack, composed by Radwimps, is my favorite of the past few years, and on top of that, one of my favorite artists, Masayoshi Tanaka, did the character designs. your name. is basically the perfect blend of everything I love.

For more 2017 Staff Picks, check out our manga list and video game list!

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Anime of 2017 originally appeared on Ani-Gamers on January 14, 2018 at 6:08 PM.

By: David Estrella

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

The Unexpected, Groundbreaking, Cult Phenomenon of ‘Twin Peaks’

What do you tell people to expect before watching Twin Peaks? It’s as complicated an answer as what to expect when you meet David Lynch. Just ask the man: “They expect, like, a person that's 5-foot-8. Who's very hairy. Who's had most of their teeth removed and who's just gotten out of the hospital,” the filmmaker said in 1990.

ET spoke with Lynch and the cast of Twin Peaks throughout the unexpected, groundbreaking series’ short-lived initial run from 1990 to 1991 on ABC. The TV phenomenon, which returns Sunday, May 21 for a third season on Showtime, showcased Lynch’s penchant for challenging our initial perceptions of everyday life and suggesting there’s always something more going on. 

MORE: Kyle MacLachlan Returns as Agent Cooper in First Look at 'Twin Peaks' Revival -- Watch!

“Then sometimes they're surprised and a lot of times they're not, because we all know that the surface is one thing and there's 99 percent to us all that we don't see right away,” Lynch explained. If there’s a perennial theme to be found throughout his body of work, it’s Lynch being fascinated with that 99 percent.

The decision of the director, who had already earned three Oscar nominations in the first decade of his career, to work in TV puzzled a lot of people in the entertainment industry. Today, we don’t think twice about the fluidity between film and TV, as many acclaimed directors and actors regularly jump between mediums. Why wouldn’t they crave the longform storytelling potential that only TV can offer? Lynch certainly did. “People can get to know characters and fall into another world, and have so many great experiences in it,” he explained. 

After Blue Velvet, his fourth film following Eraserhead, The Elephant Man and Dune, people had a good idea of what to expect from a “David Lynch film” -- or perhaps at least what not to expect. Along with his writing partner, Mark Frost, Lynch was now starting to get ideas about a woman’s murder in the Pacific Northwest, the region where they had both grown up. At the behest of their agent, they began thinking of TV as a way to tell an expanded story and give depth to stereotypical characters. The project ended up at ABC, a network that ultimately welcomed the duo’s vision. “We were lucky to get green lights all the way through many, many barriers at ABC. They were supporting us like crazy,” Lynch said.

“It's a story about a young woman [Laura Palmer, who] gets killed in the town and an FBI agent comes in, and so on and so forth, but it becomes a character study of all these people in the town and how idiosyncratic people are,” Sherilyn Fenn said during a visit to the set in 1989. Largely unknown at the time, Fenn went on to earn an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Audrey Horne, whose jukebox diner dancing and cherry stem knotting scenes hold two of the top spots on the list of the series’ most memorable moments.

Rolling Stone

As with most cultural phenomenons, the people involved couldn’t imagine the success that was about to follow. But everyone could acknowledge the series was unlike anything else on TV at the time.

“I knew that David was working in conjunction with Mark Frost, writing something that was unusual for television,” Kyle MacLachlan said at the time. Just like everything in the town of Twin Peaks, MacLachlan’s character, Special Agent Dale Cooper, was full of surprises. Many TV pilots will use an outsider presence to help the audience feel grounded in reality amidst their journey through a strange land. In Twin Peaks, just as we start to feel safe with Cooper, Lynch and Frost directed us toward the Black Lodge.

“It's a place you look at and you think you would love to live in. The people are very charming. A little quirky,” said Lara Flynn Boyle, who played Donna Hayward, Laura’s best friend. “And then the more time you spend looking at the town and being in the town, being around the people, you see that everything isn't what it looks like.”

It became clear that while the series began as a murder mystery, learning more about the characters became a fan priority. “The characters are so, so intriguing. So bizarre. Do such strange things. Unexpected things in situations that are very odd. It's just the nature of the show. The unknown factor keeps people on the edge of their seat,” said MacLachlan. Wondering about what’s in Laura’s diary is easy to put on hold as you pause to witness the magic of the late Miguel Ferrer deliver a monologue as FBI forensic pathologist Albert Rosenfield that ends with “I love you, Sheriff Truman.”

MORE: Showtime Releases New 'Twin Peaks' Teaser With Some Familiar Music

“It kind of cracks me up how much people want an answer to who killed Laura Palmer thing, because that murder was kind of the ball that got everything rolling,” Sheryl Lee said later, after the show had become a hit among fans. The actress played Laura as well as her cousin, Maddy Ferguson, in season two.

“I just keep hearing that question over and over again, and there's so much other great stuff going on,” Lee continued. She believed that while Laura’s death was the pilot’s crucial catalyst, the show’s essence lay in the many secrets and relationships that were subsequently uncovered.

Of course, that didn’t mean the show’s producers were in any hurry to reveal her murderer. “We have our number on every page of the script. If that gets out anywhere, they know it's your number. You're in trouble,” Madchen Amick (Shelly Johnson) explained. One week, the future Riverdale -- a show very much inspired by Twin Peaks -- actor received a script that contained the answer to who killed Laura, but later discovered it was a trick from the writers.

Soon after Twin Peaks began airing came the viewing parties among passionate fans offering the series’ signature coffee and donuts. Several cast members were also known to gather at Russ Tamblyn’s (Dr. Jacoby) home to catch the newest episode together. (During one viewing party ET attended, a young Amber Tamblyn, whose directorial debut comes out the same weekend as her father reprises his role, was spotted watching with the cast.) The series’ unique characters and attention to detail within episodes helped elicit a cult-like following of Rocky Horror Picture Show proportions.

“The cult figure thing -- it's not anything I did. I just did this role and it captured people's imaginations so I'm kind of there giving something that I'm not really clear what it is. Do you know? So, it's an interesting phenomenon,” said Catherine E. Coulson, our Log Lady, while Lee added that it gave viewers credit for being intelligent. “It is definitely an audience participation show.”

She continued: “I have heard theories about every character having killed her and with different motivations and reasons and all this, and all of them make sense. And whether or not they're right, at least the viewers are thinking. You know it's not the kind of show you can go, ‘OK, I want to tune out for two hours and turn it on to watch it.’”

The series also enjoyed international popularity. Japan, in particular, suffered from a huge case of Twin Peaks mania, with MacLachlan later becoming a spokesperson for a coffee company there. 

“A few years ago, the people who live here knew about the Northwest, but as far as that goes, the rest of the world didn't really care about it. And who could figure that in Spain and Italy and England and Japan and many, many other countries something like this that seems sort of homespun could be understood and appreciated so much and intensely,” Lynch said in 1992, after the show had gone off the air.

“All I keep saying is it's the mystery of the woods and it's the same kind of thing that gets a fairy tale going on. Once you start walking in the woods, your imagination starts going and you know there's something of this in the land of Twin Peaks,” he continued. 

Close enough.

Twenty-six years after Laura spoke those words, the prophecy is being fulfilled. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, a 1992 prequel film that chronicled the final week of Laura’s life, had seemingly been this story’s final chapter. But the show’s cult status never died, as Twin Peaks found new life among viewers of the streaming age. And eventually, the series was set to continue on Showtime with 18 new episodes -- impressive, considering the original series only ran for 30 episodes -- with the original cast and creatives in place.

“If they ask us to come back, I'm sure it would be a real pleasure to see our friends again,” Ray Wise (Leland Palmer) said in 1992.

A damn fine pleasure, indeed.