#if it had been hugh jackman and ryan reynolds as themselves that's one thing but no it's wolverine and deadpool? for some fucking reason <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[mashmouths]

girl what the fuck are they doing in the mcu

[tswiftcore]

Taylor & Travis: Simplified (1/2)

July 8, 2023:

Travis attends the Eras Tour in Kansas from a private box and trades friendship bracelets with fans (where he tries to meet Taylor after the show to give her a personalised friendship bracelet with his number on it, but fails).

July 26, 2023:

Travis reveals his failed friendship bracelet plan on his podcast New Heights, explaining, "I was disappointed that she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings... " And, "If you're up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelet, and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it.

September 16 - 17, 2023:

ESPN teasingly saturates Travis' report with Taylor Swift references, including, "Travis Kelce, at this point in time, is trying to Shake It Off and get back out there. He knows how much he's needed and that he's The Man. It was a little bit of a Cruel Summer for Travis Kelce with that knee injury but he can see the Daylight. He looks like he's Ready For It."

A day later, the jokes continue flooding in in the form of NFL commentary.

September 19 - 21, 2023:

Travis mentions some of his dating dealbreakers on an episode of Kristin Cavallari's podcast (high maintenance, must be humble and grounded, ideally kind-hearted and sweet like his mother, Donna), explaining, "You gotta have some sort of sweetness to you."

Then, Travis' brother, Jason, jokes about dating rumours on DeCamara & Ritchie, commenting, "I think they're doing great and I think it's all 100% true, and I hope this thing goes a mile - no, I'm joking, I don't know what's happening."

Finally, on an interview on the Pat McAfee Show, Travis explains that he threw the ball in Taylor's court by inviting her to see him play at Arrowhead Stadium. He told her, "Ive seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one's a little more lit."

September 24, 2023:

Taylor attends the Kansas City Chiefs game, observing from Travis' suite beside his mother Donna Kelce and wearing Kansas City Chiefs merch. After the game, Taylor and Travis were photographed leaving together in Travis' convertible, literally driving off into the sunset.

September 25, 2023:

A source explains, "They're having fun. This was Taylor's first time meeting his mom and dad, and everyone was enjoying themselves. She was super chill and low-key hanging out with his friends and family." The source also added that after the game, Travis rented out a restaurant for an intimate gathering with those same friends and family, with Taylor in attendance. "They were cute and normal, just hanging out and chatting. There's no pressure."

Taylor is pictured with her arm around Travis, reportedly wearing a denim dress.

September 27, 2023:

Travis addresses Taylor in his New Heights episode, commenting, "I'm enjoying life and I sure as hell enjoyed this weekend. Shout out to Taylor for pulling up. That was pretty ballsy. I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her - the friends and family. She looked amazing and everybody was talking about her in great light."

October 1, 2023:

Taylor brings her friends along to MetLife Stadium for another of Travis' games - in attendance were Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carptenter, Sophie Turner and Antoni Porowski.

October 2, 2023:

A source reveals that Travis and Taylor are "still just getting to know each other. It's nothing too serious - he is a charming guy. It's more of a hanging out situation than dating."

October 6, 2023:

Donna, Travis' mum, explains on the Got It From My Momma podcast that, "I feel like I'm in an alternate universe, because it's something i've never been involved with before. Every week just seems to trump the week before. So it's really kind of wild, a wild ride."

Further, Travis addresses his romance with Taylor during a team media availability, explaining, "It feels like I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl and right now I'm even more on top of the world." And in terms of paparazzi buzz, "You've got a lot of people that care about Taylor, and for good reason."

October 12, 2023:

Taylor attends a Kansas City Chiefs game alongside Brittany Mahomes and Travis' parents.

October 14, 2023:

Taylor and Travis hold hands on the way to making a surprise SNL appearance in NYC, including an SNL afterparty at Catch Steak. A source explained that they were super affectionate the whole night, giving each other kisses.

October 15, 2023:

Taylor and Travis hold hands around NYC after dinner at the Waverly Inn

October 22, 2023:

Taylor attends a Kansas City Chiefs game, following the pregame party, wearing a bracelet with Kelce's number (87). A photo is taken where Taylor openly kisses Travis on the cheek. Swift does a secret handshake with Brittany Mahomes. Taylor and Travis hold hands as they leave the game together. Later in the night, the two are photographed having dinner at an Argentine steakhouse called 'Piropos' in Missouri.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #637

Top Ten Mutants in Film & TV

Okay, so right out the gate I’m going to make a confession: I’ve not really read many X-Men comics. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read comics with X-Men in them; I’ve just not really read that much actual X-Men if that makes sense. So whilst I really like the concept of X-Men, and many of the stories, and many of the characters, it’s more or less all come from other media (or, y’know, other comics where Wolverine is in the Avengers or something like that).

So what this list is, really, is the characters that have popped for me across other media. And, let’s face it, that really accounts for two things (or maybe two-and-a-half): the Fox-produced X-Men movies – stretching from 1992’s original X-Men animated series, through the Fox-produced movies beginning in 2000, up to (I suppose) The New Mutants in 2020, and culminating in this year’s superlative resurrection with X-Men ’97, by way (of course) of the two Deadpool movies. Yeah, okay, there have been other X-Men thingies in the meantime (X-Men: Evolution, say, which I watched a little bit of, but which I mostly remember for its goth Rogue), but really these are the things I’m basing it on. Which movies and TV programmes have the best mutants? Which non-comics properties have produced my favourite X-Men-and-women-and-therotically-non-binary-people-like-Morph-in-the-new-show-but-I-guess-he’s-not-on-this-list-so-it-doesn’t-really-matter.

Anyway, despite being a cheat and a charlatan and obviously not a proper fan, I love the X-Men. I love their general superhero team dynamic; the basic, old-school appeal of Professor X’s X-Men versus Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. But I also – of course – love the nuance and allegory the story allows; how the mutants themselves, as a disenfranchised and distrusted distaff population, could be seen to be Blacks in America, or gays, or trans, or – flippin’ ‘eck – Jews and Palestinians, depending on how you squint. When I first came across the X-Men, it seemed like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were specifically tying their (ahem) two white characters to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X; the community leader preaching non-violent acceptance and integration versus the leader who believed that their repressed and abused minority could not gain rights without violently seizing them from the bigots in power. That allegory is not so clear cut, and one of the wonders of the premise is there are so many ways you could read or interpret it; X-Men ’97 is spectacular in the way it appears to be addressing modern concerns, although I suspect any time you read/watch X-Men you’d think “oh, this is about now.”

Where was I? Oh yeah, my favourite mutant characters from X-Men or whatever; except, y’know, more based on films and TV because – as I’ve said – I haven’t read as many comics as I’d have liked.

Wolverine: yeah, pretty basic, but whatcha gonna do? The taciturn, gravelly drawl of Cal Dodd in the animated series is one thing, but really the heart and soul of Logan is Hugh Jackman’s barnstorm, epoch-defining, twenty-four-year-long run playing the character. His physicality, his screen presence, his badassery, but also his humanity, his warmth, his empathy; a man at war with himself who just wants peace, but is compelled to keep fighting. There’s a reason Wolverine became the most popular X-Man in comics, and thanks to the tremendous portrayals we’ve had elsewhere, he holds the same accolade in film and TV.

Ms. Marvel: oooh, controversial! The excellent Ms. Marvel TV series somewhat shockingly declared Kamala Khan to be a mutant, rather than the Inhuman of the comics (a decision that has made its way back to comics, too). So she definitely counts, even if she’s not (yet) an X-Person. But Iman Vellani’s super-charismatic, loveable portrayal ensures Kamala burns off the screen, a font of energy and optimism.  

Deadpool: this really is down to one man: Ryan Reynolds, whose portrayal in two movies (we do not speak of Origins) is so iconic that it doesn’t just define the character for most people, but it’s also an exaggeration and enhancement of Reynold’s own comic screen persona; who else could be Deadpool now? He’s sardonic and funny, he’s violent but also often kind, and he breaks the fourth wall in tremendous ways.

Jubilee: I really loved Jubilee when I was a kid watching the animated series; I was kind of annoyed that she didn’t feature much in the movies. The classic “kid-appeal” entry-level character, she was younger than her teammates and offered an uneducated lens through which to view the X-Men’s world. Plus she’s sparky (literally), funny, courageous, and a bit of a goof. And, frankly, I’ve always loved her yellow coat.

Magneto: ah, Magneto; one of the most interesting and complex characters in all of comics. Yes, he’s a bad guy; he’s done bad things to good people, he’s definitely killed, and he’s caused innocents to suffer. But he does have a sympathetic core, fuelled by tragedy and a righteous sense of “never again”. We all know how great Ian McKellen is, but let’s tip our hat to the performances of David Hemblen and Matthew Waterson in the animated X-Men and X-Men ’97, showcasing all the nuance and complexity of a great Shakespearean actor. Also: the bit where he escapes from prison in X2 is mint.

Professor X: a lot of my love for him here is just down to listening to Patrick Stewart’s authoritative brogue. He just sounds like he’s in charge, yeah? Whether it’s on a starship or in a school. The First Class prequel movies added a lot of the complexity and ambiguity to the character that was present in the comics (and, I guess, the animated series), fleshing out his Optimus Prime-esque moral certitude.

Rogue: ah, sugah, how mucha this is just down to my likin’ for Lenore Zann’s voice actin’? Rogue in the show is super cool, an unstoppable powerhouse with a wit and a mouth and a ton of opinions. Her relationship with Gambit was an ongoing comic delight that also offered some heart; and, by god, how that developed in X-Men ’97… Zann gives a phenomenal performance in the sequel series. I don’t want to forget Anna Paquin’s turn as a more tortured, less outspoken Rogue; taking the place of the younger audience surrogate characters like Shadowcat or Jubilee, you get the impression she might be on the road to full Carol Danvers-level powers, but she ain’t there yet, honey.

Nightcrawler: mein freund, I could talk about the coolness of Nightcrawler – his design, his accent, his powers, the way he reconciles his faith with the world he inhabits and the prejudice he’s faced – but let’s just distil it to its essentials. Like Magneto, he has one of the greatest, coolest, most impressive comic book movie scenes of all time; the opening of X2. I still have no idea how they did that twenty years ago.

Gambit: his girlfriend may be called Rogue, but Gambit is a rogue; a loveable cad, a jack-the-lad type, a gambler and a grifter and someone with – to coin a phrase – a lot of red in his ledger. I used to love his style (another cool coat!), his accent, his weird black eyes, and his brilliant relationship with Rogue. I really rooted for those guys, y’know? And then X-Men ’97 happens and – as my next mutant would put it – oh my stars and garters.

Beast: Kelsey Grammar is, I have to say, pretty spot-on casting for the officious, academic, and loquacious Hank McCoy; although I don’t think he quite captured his sense of fun. However, the definitive Beast – and still the voice I hear in my head – is George Buza. He’s smart and funny; of course I gravitated towards him as a nipper. Shout out to tomorrow’s Lex Luthor, Nicholas Hoult, who gives Hank a good deal of pathos in the First Class era films.

[jazy3]

Free Guy Review

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

If you haven’t seen the movie Free Guy (2021) stop reading right now! Drop what you’re doing and go get yourself a ticket! You’ll thank me later!

I loved this movie! I saw it this weekend for the second time because it’s that good! I first saw the trailer on YouTube a while back and then when theatres reopened a few weeks ago I saw the trailer again and my interest was piqued. I had high hopes for this movie based on the fun looking trailer, the premise, the cast, and the sense of fun and escapism that the movie seemed to embody and it did not disappoint. It’s always nice when you have high hopes for something and it meets or exceeds your expectations.

Free Guy is just such a fun and joyous movie. Never taking itself too seriously, packed with lots of heart, cool cameos, full of gaming and pop culture references, and it’s fueled by a unique concept that is well executed. There are just so many things I loved about this movie! It was a ton of fun to watch and the actors clearly had a blast making it. During the movie I kept trying to figure out where I knew most of the actors from but couldn’t place them. When I got home, I googled it and I instantly realized why. The roles are just so different and the actors embody their characters so completely you lose yourself in the film and get completely sucked in. I was honestly so surprised when I figured out what I knew most of the actors from because the roles that they’re known for are so different from their characters in the movie. Their appearances, established ages, and even the accents are so different that I literally did a double take, but that’s what makes the movie so good! Because the main actors obviously didn’t need the paycheque they were just there to have fun and it shows. I think if the situation had been different and the actors involved had been desperate for money or took the role for some other reason it wouldn’t have worked. The film would have come off as cheesy, forced, cringeworthy, or just plain bad. Free Guy is none of those things. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as ‘Guy’ a bank teller in a video game called Free City, Jodie Comer whose best known for playing Villanelle in Killing Eve as programmer Millie Rusk and her avatar Molotov Girl, Joe Keery whose best known for playing Steve Harrington in Stranger Things as programmer Walter ‘Keys’ McKey, and Taika Waititi whose best known for playing Viago in What We Do in the Shadows as the Head of Soonami Studios and the film’s main antagonist and villain Antwan. Rounding out the cast are Utkarsh Ambudka as programmer Mouser and Lil Rel Howery as Guy’s best friend and bank security guard Buddy. In a nutshell, Free Guy is about a bank teller named Guy who finds out he’s a non-playable background character (NPC) in an open-world Grand Theft Auto style video game called Free City. Guy becomes the hero of his own story after meeting Millie, the girl of his dreams, and winning fans all over the world by racking up points by being the good guy and helping others. After leveling up and helping Millie escape a dangerous situation in the game, Guy wins her over and she falls for him thinking that he’s another player. But when the world that Guy knows and all of the people in it are threatened, he teams up with Millie to save his friends before it’s too late. In the real world, Millie enlists the help of her former programming partner and best friend Keys in a race against time to stop their code and all of the sentient characters from Free City from being deleted by Antwan the developer who stole their code when the game’s sequel launches. I love that the movie had a unique premise and didn’t overcomplicate things. There are so many movies that I’ve gone to see over the last few years with such excitement only to be disappointed. For example, I loved Wreck It Ralph, but was so disappointed by its sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet. The trailers made it seem like it would take the premise of the first movie and move things into the online gaming world, and I was excited for that. Instead, the sequel left the premise of the first movie behind entirely and way over complicated the plot and the end result was extremely cheesy and disappointing. Free Guy’s strength is that it’s a self-aware movie made by self-aware people who are excellent at what they do. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously, nor should it, and that allows the story to flow and the characters to feel real and genuine. The movie achieves that perfect balance between being entertaining and telling a cohesive and important story because while the movie never takes itself too seriously the people behind it are serious about what they do. This was very clearly a passion project for all involved, especially Ryan Reynolds, and it shows! As he’s spoken about in interviews and on Twitter, Reynolds called on a lot of his friends to be in Free Guy and help him out and the end result was fantastic! I loved all of the cameos! The Chris Evans cameo was by far the funniest and the Alex Trebek cameo got me right in the feels. When I saw the movie in theatres me and everyone else in the theatre gave a collective “awww” when he appeared on screen. Enlisting real YouTubers to show up as fictional versions of themselves to talk about Blue Shirt Guy’s popularity was a nice touch and you’ve also got blink and you miss it voice cameos by John Krasinski, Dwyane The Rock Johnson, Hugh Jackman, and Tina Fey. Channing Tatum appears as the avatar of player Revenjamin Buttons which for the most part was hilarious. One of my few criticisms of the film is that they went a bit overboard the avatar’s antics as Guy and Buddy are attempting to leave and it got bit a cringeworthy. But I know other people found it hilarious so to each their own. I love all of the little details and references in the movie. Just listing them all would be a post in itself. If you’re someone that loves pop culture references and Easter Eggs this is the movie for you. The characters are fun and believable, and you get attached to them quickly. The actors commit completely to their roles which is makes the humour, romance, and heartfelt emotion of the film work. You buy it. 100%. Something that I absolutely loved was that the characters felt realistic and that the dialogue, attire, and settings for each character really felt authentic. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a movie or TV show and walked away thinking, “The person who wrote that clearly never meet a kid, teenager, or twenty something in their life! That was so unrealistic.” The slang’s all wrong. The dialogue is so eloquent everyone sounds like they did Shakespeare in the Park last summer. You walk away thinking, “What the hell was that? No one talks that way!” What I loved about the characters in Free Guy is that they felt like real people you could actually run into or walk past on the street. I’ve read in interviews that in addition to the written dialogue the cast did a lot of ad-libbing and improvisation and the end result is both hilarious and relatable. The dialogue feels real because it is. The big exception to this of course is Antwan who is altogether off the wall and ridiculous. Antwan is such an outrageous, absurd, vulgar, and cartoonish character. He’s so fun to watch and the actors clearly had a lot of fun with his scenes! I’ve read that a lot of his lines with Keys and Mouser were improvised and I believe it. When he goes all Jack Nicholson on the servers? Lord. He’s such a great villain to watch. The characters that are established to be in their twenties like Millie, Keys, Mouser, and the other employees at Soonami Studios talk, act, and dress like they’re in their twenties. The actors that are in their forties are styled to look like they’re in their thirties and honestly, they’re in such great shape it works! I mean I was honestly shocked to find out Taika Waititi’s real age. I love how the costuming really fits each character and allows you to learn more about them. Keys’ clothing is your typical gamer chic which makes because as we learn from his interview with Millie coding is his life and what gets him up in the morning. From Mouser’s clothing we learn that he’s a sports fan, but also isn’t afraid to take risks like with that blazer ensemble he wears in his final scene at Millie’s apartment.

Millie’s clothing shows the contrast between her and her avatar Molotov Girl, and Antwan’s ridiculous coat enhances the overall wackiness of his character. Guy’s clothing tells us something too. He wears the same thing every day until he meets Millie in the game at which point, he starts deviated from his Free City programming and chooses a different blue shirt. I also really love that they put thought into why Keys needs to wear glasses. Something I noticed on rewatch is that Keys is far sighted which is why he has his glasses on when he’s looking at his laptop or computer and sometimes when’s talking to other people, but not when he goes to see Millie at her apartment or when he goes to get them coffee at the end of the movie. Another interesting aspect of Keys’ character that I noticed on rewatch is self-confidence is really something he struggles with in contrast to Millie and Mouser who are very confident. Millie is a genius programmer and Mouser is excellent at what he does, and they are both very confident in their coding abilities, but Keys isn’t despite being every bit the genius that Millie is. At the beginning of the movie when they first notice the issue with Guy Mouser jokes that Keys needs to be better at his job. In response Keys meekly says he thinks he’s pretty good at his job and trails off at the end. Mouser is just joking around, but because Keys lacks self-confidence comments like that hit him hard. Mouser is moving towards his own desk as he talks so he doesn’t notice how self-deprecating and uneasy Keys’ response is. In the interview from the indie games conference that Millie plays for Keys at his apartment, he brushes off the interviewers comment that he’s a genius and says Millie is the real genius because she created the AI engine and he just wrote the code to make it work. Later on, when Keys helps Millie get into the stash house, she calls him a genius and he tells her that as he’s currently sitting on a toilet stealing user code he doesn’t exactly feel like one. Millie responds offhandedly that he never does, but luckily, she knows better. When Keys realizes that Millie was right, and that Antwan did steal their code and their game worked he tells Millie they need to celebrate because once everyone sees their build she’ll be celebrated and she could win a noble prize. Both Millie and Keys are geniuses in their own right. The game wouldn’t have worked without both of their skills and Guy wouldn’t have come to life without both of them working together. Millie’s AI engine made his sentience possible, but Keys is the one who gave him hopes and dreams so that when he met Millie in the game, he came alive. When done right the settings we see tell the story just as much as the characters do and I love how realistic the settings in Free Guy look. The floor at Soonami Studios where Keys and Mouser work looks like a real office and I love that the desks have clutter and personal effects on them like real cubicles do and that they show Keys taking a box of his stuff with him as he leaves. The lobby with the moving water videos and Antwan’s massive but largely empty office fits perfectly with the obnoxious, zany, and over the top character that he is. I also love the contrast between Keys and Millie’s apartments and how those settings tell us a lot about each character and where they are in their lives when the film starts. When Keys comes home from work to find that Millie has broken in, we see that he lives in a stylish one bedroom apartment with an open concept kitchen full of stainless steel appliances, a large living room centred around an expensive wall mounted TV and entertainment system, with his computer and gaming station set up in the corner. On the walls we see artful clusters of black picture frames, through a partially open door we see a bedroom off to the side, the apartment is full of black and white furniture including a plush couch and nice lamps, and features a textured silver accent wall. All of which makes the fact that Millie managed to break in even more impressive because it is clearly an expensive apartment in a nice building. Keys’ style is minimalist and upper scale and based on what we learn about the events that took place before the start of the movie this indicates that Keys got the apartment and all of the nice stuff in it using the money he received when Antwan bought his and Millie’s game. In contrast, Millie lives in a bachelor apartment and spends her time in coffee shops ordering one single black coffee over four hours. This tells us that she kept her original apartment that she had from before the game was sold and is living off the money she got from the sale while she spends all of her time trying to find the proof she needs to win her lawsuit. When we see Millie’s place, we find that it’s cozy, full of plants, throw rugs, quilts, and comfy furniture. She’s got a bike in the corner, you can see her bed from the centre of the room where she’s got her computer and gaming station set up adjacent to the coffee table and the rest of the living room furniture. Her kitchen is smaller and full of wooden cabinets and her bathroom door has DIY multicoloured square panels on it. Keys and Millie’s apartments are very different and through these settings we see the contrast between where these characters are in their lives, their wealth, and their personal style. The song ‘Fantasy’ by Mariah Carey is featured heavily in the film and is guaranteed to get stuck in your head in the best way! Jodie Comer’s cover of it is amazing! It fits the moment where Guy makes it to the island that is Millie and Keys’ original build and shows it to the world perfectly. This movie made me appreciate Mariah Carey’s music in a whole new way and I can’t be the only way. After watching the movie, I went looking for the song on Apple Music, wound up listening to the Mariah Carey Essentials Playlist, and I’ve become obsessed. I knew some of her hits, but after listening to her music more I get why people love her so much. Her five octave vocal range is amazing, and her music is just so fun to listen to. The film has a really great soundtrack overall and I’ve had many of its song on repeat since I saw it. Something I really loved about this movie and the reveal at the end that Keys is in love with Millie and is desperate for her to notice, but she’s been oblivious the whole time is that they don’t do the supposedly nice nerdy guy whose really a jerk trope. So many movies do this where you have a nerdy male character whose unluckily love, looked over, or his love is unrequited, and we’re supposed to root for him because he’s a quote “nice guy”. But really, he’s not. He’s a jerk who feels slighted because a woman in his life doesn’t love him back or notice him and he feels as if she owes him something. The scene at Millie’s place where Millie tells Keys he looks cute when he brags, and Mouser encourages him to tell Millie how he feels is super frustrating to watch but it’s so important to Keys’ character. He asks Millie out for coffee and when she turns him down to jump back into the game, he doesn’t make a big deal about it even though Mouser wants him to. Instead he gets up and goes and gets her a coffee anyway. She goes to tell him her order, oblivious to the fact that he’s memorized it, he tells her he remembers, and goes to get the coffee anyway much to Mouser’s and the audience’s dismay. This is big because Keys clearly doesn’t want to be walking down the street by himself to get coffee. He wants to be getting coffee with Millie so that he can tell her how he feels to see if she might feel the same way, but when she turns him down he goes and gets the coffee anyway because he truly loves and cares about her and he values their friendship enough to put his own feelings aside and suffer in silence rather than lose her and what they’ve built. So, he takes the opportunity to get some air rather than continue to sit there in disappointment. Which is why he’s so confused when Millie runs after him and calls out to him from across the street. He doesn’t understand what she’s doing there. She turned down his offer to get a coffee and he already knows her order so why is she there? I love that they chose to make that scene non-verbal. I think if Millie had come out and made some big declaration of love it would have felt cheesy and overdone. But her running after him and silently communicating through her smile and body language that she understood and that she felt the same way was perfect. It was subtle and beautiful and perfectly acted. It also felt realistic to the characters because in real life when you’ve known someone a really long time and you’ve spent a lot of time with them you don’t always need words to convey what you mean. What Millie wanted to express in that scene was so big and so all-encompassing she couldn’t find the words to say everything that she wanted to say so she didn’t. She just stood there and smiled knowing that being the genius that he is he would understand. It’s like Keys says in their interview, words will fail you, but code never does. His coding worked and now she understands so rather than try and say it all and fail she just looks at him and smiles to show him that she finally gets it. She finally understands what he’s been trying to say to her all this time. And you can see the exact moment Keys realizes why she’s there. The moment where he goes from being confused as to what she wants to realizing that she saw the video and she knows how he feels and that she wouldn’t be standing there smiling at him like that if she didn’t feel the same way. When I watched the scene the first time around, I was anxiously clutching my nachos the entire time because when Keys ran towards her my immediate thought was, “Oh my god he’s gonna get hit by a car and they’re never gonna get to be together! Oh my god!” But then he didn’t get hit by a car and Millie ran out to meet him and for the first time in their relationship she met him halfway and they kissed and it was beautiful! I think because Free City had so much violence in it that’s where my mind went and I’m very glad they didn’t go that route. One of my only criticisms about the movie is that I wish they had stayed on Millie and Keys just a little bit longer. They kiss and embrace and then very quickly they cut to black. I wish they’d linger on that moment just a little bit longer because I love those characters so much and in the scene that follows where Guy and Buddy are reunited we see them hug and then walk away together to start their new lives and I wish we’d gotten just a bit more time with Millie and Keys. I also really loved the parallel between the different kinds of relationships within the movie and how platonic relationships are just as important as romantic ones. The reveal at the end about Guy being Keys’ creation and a love letter to Millie and her realizing she’s been loving Keys vicariously through Guy and them finally coming together and being on the same page is beautiful because from the very beginning the movie is full of clues, hints, and foreshadowing that all comes together at the end. Meanwhile, we see the friendship between Guy and Buddy and how important that friendship is to him because it’s something that he created on his own. His love for Millie is born out of the programming that Keys gave him, but his friendship with Buddy is something that Guy created all on his own of his own volition. Which is part of what makes Buddy’s death on the bridge so tragic. I cried when Buddy disappeared. Reynolds and Howery play their characters with such sincerity that his death pacts an emotional punch you don’t expect. I love that the security guards at Soonami are so moved by Buddy’s heroism and are so captivated by what’s happening with the live stream that Millie is able to sneak past them into the server room and stop Antwan from destroying what’s left of the game. Something else I noticed on rewatch is that during the final battle after Millie gets booted from the game and Guy has to fight Dude on his own the glasses he’s wearing are very similar to the ones Keys wears in the movie which I thought was a cool nod to Guy being Keys’ creation. This really is a movie in which you find something new every time you watch it. For instance, the second time around I noticed that the foreshadowing that Keys is in love with Millie, but she’s oblivious to it because she’s so focused on the game was really well done. In the video from the indie game conference that Millie plays for Keys at his apartment when asked by the interviewer about their chemistry Millie responds first and says that their friends, their relationship is completely platonic, and laughs off the idea that they have chemistry. In contrast Keys falters and is silent and then eventually says meekly that they’re just friends. Millie is looking ahead at the interviewer and to the side away from Keys as she’s laughing and so she doesn’t see Keys’ reaction. At the end of the apartment scene after Millie breaks in to ask Keys for his help, he tells Millie he cares about her and he almost says something else. It feels like he’s about to say, ‘I love you’ but then he catches himself and instead tells her that she needs to leave. When Keys visits Millie’s apartment to tell her that she was right and they’re sitting on the couch he reaches out and puts his hand on her knee and then snatches it back when he realizes he’s gotten too close. He wants so desperately to be closer to her and in his excitement, he gets closer than he normally would before realizing that putting his hand on her knee in that close proximity is not a platonic gesture. Millie is so caught up in the realization that Guy, the person she’s fallen in love with, is an AI and not a real person that she doesn’t notice. My heart broke for Keys in that scene as he realized that Millie had fallen for Guy and kissed him and was so upset about it and meanwhile, he was right in front of her desperate for her to see how much he cares. It must have just wrecked him to go home that night and realize that Guy was based on the lovelorn character he created and that Millie had fallen in love with his creation while at the same time being so oblivious to his real world affection for her. In the scene at Millie’s apartment after they’ve gotten the server from Antwan and Mouser encourages Keys to say something, I noticed on rewatch just how weak and meager Keys’ attempt to ask Millie out is. He stumbles his way through asking her to get a coffee and trails off at the end so it’s no wonder Millie doesn’t clue in that he’s trying to ask her out. And in Keys’ defence he sent her a whole video confessing his feelings for her and all of the little things he loves about her and then told her to watch it and he has no idea if she did or not. We the audience know that Millie only saw half of it, but Keys has no idea if she saw none of it, part of it, or all of it. He knows she got Guy to remember, but she’s also sending him mixed messages. One minute she’s saying he’s cute when he brags and the next, she’s turning him down for coffee to talk to Guy. From the outside it’s so obvious that Keys is in love with Millie, but she doesn’t see it because she’s always looking the other way, not paying attention, so caught up in the game, and too focused on their work to see what’s right in front of her. On rewatch one of the big things I noticed is that Keys is always on the edge of telling Millie how he really feels but he always stops himself because she brushes him or the idea off and because he’s scared of what will become of their work and their friendship if she doesn’t feel the same way. It’s a huge leap. If Millie doesn’t feel the same way it’s going to make their relationship incredibly awkward and could potentially destroy their partnership so Keys decides it’s better not to say anything or only hint at how he feels rather than run the risk of ruining everything. Something else I noticed on rewatch is that in the interview they give Keys says he thinks of himself as an author and that code is what gets him up in the morning and that he loves the ones and zeros of binary because words can fail you and let you down but code never does. At the end of the movie when Millie goes to talk to Guy in Free Life he tells her that he loves her and while he knows that’s his programming he’s realized that he’s a love letter to her and that somewhere out there in the real world is the author. Such a great callback. All in all, I can definitely say that Free Guy has been my favourite movie so far this year! Definitely my favourite movie of the summer. I went to see it twice in theatres and I’ve never done that for any other movie before. I’ll rewatch them at home sure, but I’ve never actually paid money to see something twice on my own. I’m very excited to see the sequel and my hope is that it will be just as good as the first.  Until next time.

[ificouldhelpyouforget]

All Right, I've Got Some Sh** to Say

I've officially been a part of the K-Pop world, the Stray Kids world primarily, for a little over a month. I'm in my 30s, but considered a baby Stay (which I still love). But damn is this K-Pop thing toxic as hell! Let me start explaining.

The whole thing with Kingdom is insane. Mind you, I've done what I can to help Stray Kids while being mindful of time with family and myself. Yes, I want them to win because that would be incredible for them, but some days I seriously don't have the time or ability to stream or make fifteen accounts to vote. No matter what, we should be proud of what SKZ has done with their performances and that they are getting attention from some big-name actors out there (here's looking at you, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman). And more musicians are noticing them, too! That's so rewarding! Why can't we as fans be happy with that if they don't win? We don't have to destroy our bodies to make sure they win. I'm pretty sure not a single member of Stray Kids would be happy to hear about anyone failing to take care of themselves. As long as we continue to support them no matter what, that means the world. They've already made so many accomplishments during the competition and that's incredible!

On another note, why are so many so against being supportive of other groups during this whole thing? Like, I've strictly watched SKZ things and voted for them, but I think other groups are really awesome. I vote for other teams I think do really well or caught my attention in some way or another. I feel like some fans out there are really hard on anyone who starts stanning any other group. Relax, okay? Let people do what they want, all right?

One thing that is shocking to me is the negativity and rudeness from fans when someone kindly reminds them to stream and vote. It takes, what, two seconds to vote? Four minutes to stream a video or song? Even one view and one vote is better than nothing. And you don't even have to think about it again after. Don't just whine and say, "Because I've been asked to do this, I'm not going to." You're not helping SKZ with that sort of attitude. Now, there's the other side of the spectrum where fans who have been voting and streaming are telling those who don't not to celebrate the win. That's bullsh**. There are people who legitimately can't do that because of their life, job, family, etc. Supporting SKZ or any other group by being a fan in some capacity is enough. There are other ways to support groups that doesn't involve constant streaming or anything.

Now I want to talk about the Hyunjin thing. I came into SKZ's world right after he went on hiatus and I had to do a lot of research to figure out what the heck was going on. And it really pisses me off, this whole stupid situation.

The way someone acts in middle school doesn't define their character now. We throw around the phrase "the past is in the past" all the time when dealing with personal stuff in our own lives, but seem to completely forget that for everyone else. The. Past. Is. In. The. Past. No matter how someone was back then, it doesn't make them the same today. People make mistakes all the time and it isn't our job to treat anyone like they can never make mistakes. That only hurts others and destroys their mental health. It doesn't matter if the rumors are true or not. Sure, it hurts fans when it comes out to be true (if it does), but that doesn't necessarily mean they're like that. It's what I hate for anyone in the public eye. When you sign up for a role like an idol or actor, you've signed up to no longer have a private life. Not really, at least. Someone is always watching, always digging around. But I don't think it should be that way. I don't think anyone should immediately think someone is guilty the moment a rumor comes out. When we start condemning people over a f***ing rumor, that's when they go on hiatus or leave altogether. There's no longer "innocent until proven guilty" and it's a load of sh**. Hyunjin should have been a part of Kingdom, but someone had to bring something out of his past that, personally, I think has been overblown... all to ruin him. I'm disgusted by people like that, people who enjoy making others suffer.

I'm just so tired of people using someone's past to destroy their career. I don't care what someone did in the past (unless it's physically hurt someone or violated someone - then it's a much longer process of forgiveness). I'm looking at them now. I'm also not interested in their personal life. That's theirs to hold onto. It's the least I can do to respect celebrities. In the case of SKZ, they came together to create music and videos for us. Otherwise, they are human like us. Probably with more money and a career that is way more exciting, but they are human beings, too. If they're not perfect, good. They're not supposed to be. None of us are.

Right now, I don't have much more to rant about. I'm just so tired of the hate. I want to love Stray Kids and their music without thinking about the hate coming from anyone. Standards in S. Korea are already high enough (in Asian countries in general). Why should I, a mere fan, hold them to any higher standard than creating things they love and are proud to release for us?

I just want them to be happy.

And I want Hyunjin back...

[redspiderling]

Idk but im really getting sick of people STILL bringing up the fact that they couldve gotten emily blunt as Nat and not scarlett. its been what, 12 years and theyre still complaining. I personally love Scarlett's portrayal, and I know that their upset comes from their dislike for her and the shit shes done. But Scarlett did the best with what she was given (which was basically nothing, thanks MCU!) and she truly cares about nat which is why she stuck out despite being treated like shit for years

Hey anon!

Sorry you’re having a tough time online anon, I know we’re supposed to find peace and quiet in places like these but, oh well.

From what I’ve gathered by rummaging through a lot of that rubbish (for science), there are two things these people have in common (most of the time):

a) They are not Black Widow fans

b) They have no idea what they’re talking about and are finding reasons to tell us they don’t like Scarlett Johansson.

The first fact is pretty easy to determine and, consequently, ignore and move on with your life. The second one is more complicated and I can’t offer any real reassurance, I get pissed off sometimes as well. I’m guessing you’re aware that mine is a Scarlett-friendly blog, which is why you felt comfortable enough leaving this ask here. I think it tells a lot about just how much I lack a sense of self-preservation that I didn’t even consider ignoring it.

I’ll try to unpack this, a bit, and hopefully next time you’ll think of these words and ignore these comments more easily. 

Lets start with the simple fact that Emily Blunt didn’t want the role. In 2012, she told Vulture that she's kind of glad she didn't get those parts. According to her, superhero movies tend to cast women as second fiddle to the guys.

So, these “fans” wish the role of Natasha had gone to an actress that didn’t find it appealing, instead of Scarlett who actually met with Favreau multiple times trying to persuade him that she could do a good job, and went through the process of transforming herself physically to fit the part before she was even cast?! OK.

I’m breezing right past any “she’s not good enough as an actress” comments, because Scarlett is a double Oscar nominee now.

By the way, I’m not blaming Emily Blunt for thinking the way she did. She wasn’t wrong, superhero movies tended -at the time- to cast women as second fiddle to the guys. And if it weren’t for actresses like Scarlett Johansson, and Natalie Portman and all these women who worked hard and tried to make things better, they still would. Marvel had to literally trick Natalie Portman into signing her contract for Thor 2 by lying to her, and telling her they had chosen Patty Jenkins to direct the film, and Scarlett refused to make a Black Widow movie without a female team (director, writer etc).

Emily Blunt simply didn’t think it was worth her while to go through all that nonsense and I say good for her, she saved herself from a lot of drama. But at the same time, I can’t help but admire the actresses who did take those parts and decided to make things better for themselves, and for women in show business in general. Both Scarlett and Natalie fought to get women to direct films for the MCU, to get better treatment, and to get more women on screen.

Anyone who can’t see the merit behind the actions of these people isn’t worth your while anon.

Let’s move to the real crust of the issue here, which is that the people making these comments don’t like (or say they don’t like) Scarlett Johansson and are finding all sorts of ways to express that dislike.

Not only is it’s ridiculously easy to hate on Scarlett online in any way imaginable and from all fronts, it also sells. Scarlett Johansson’s name generates traffic/likes/you name it.

if you googled Scarlett’s name last week, you’d get results like How Scarlett Johansson Actually Kicked Off Ryan Reynolds And Hugh Jackman's Famous 'Feud'  from all sorts of credible sources. Then you’d click on the article and it would of course be complete bullshit. Scarlett had absolutely nothing to do with it and the actual thing was a joke that Hugh Jackman made during an interview. 

Number of articles on it? More than a dozen. 

Let that sink in. A dozen articles from various sources on a joke Hugh Jackman made that contained the words Scarlett Johansson.

So, while some of the people who dislike her are genuinely hurt by things she has said over the years, I find that these honest people don’t roam the internet generating hate. Because this type of hate doesn’t makes any sort of sense.

There are countless other examples of actors, entertainers, singers, whatever, who have done ridiculously worse things than misspeak, or get cast in a role that some people considered inappropriate, who don’t generate anywhere near that amount of attention. 

And it’s not that we’re suddenly so progressive we can’t handle even the tiniest of missteps. Hell, as early as a few years ago you’d get quotes from directors saying “Oh, we didn’t cast her because when you see Scarlett Johansson on screen you’re just waiting for her to take her clothes off” and no one batted an eye.

So anon, try not to pay attention to it or, heaven forbid, actually engage these people in conversation. It’s completely pointless. At this point I’m convinced that on some level it’s plain old internalised misogyny, and then to a greater degree a marketing strategy, because we’ve seen literal criminals get more leeway than she ever did, and because it’s not something you’d argue with someone about in real life.

Honestly, try to talk about it with people outside of the internet. Humans are much more reasonable when they’re not hiding behind a screen.

[furederiko]

Tis the start of the week, thus it's time for Random-News-Digest! Only a few categories, though...

Disney Live Action

"Beauty and the Beast" has had its big Hollywood premiere several days ago, following the UK one that was already held in a prior date. Which means, critics have begun voicing their opinions about it. From what I read so far, the response was... rather divisive. Some called it a loyal, bold, and faithful adaptation of the original, that would bring together old fans and new ones alike. Some praised the movie to the point of predicting it to be one of the year's first best-selling title so far, that it's going to make a lot of money. But on the opposite side, there were those who weren't as pleased with the adaptation. Collider called it "too much of a good thing", and The Hollywood Reporter likened it to a "crystal-meth-like narcotic high that lasts about two hours"! Both which... can mean good and bad at the same time. Of course, the rule of the thumb is, everyone has the rights to have their own personal and subjective opinion. So in the end, it's all just a matter of taste. Knowing that, it's hard to pinpoint which one of these responses is the accurate one, without actually seeing the movie with our own eyes. In fact, even you and I might have a completely different opinion about it. That's just the way it is.

Backlash to the movie also came in other areas. The first one was about Disney's approach to the 'renewed' sexual orientation of one character, that made fans both buzzing in cheer and jeer. The movie might not even gain access to Russia JUST because of it! WOW. In an interview with Attitude Magazine, director Bill Condon (who is openly LGBT, in case you're not aware) stated that Josh Gad's LeFou might be heading towards a more 'queer' trajection in the movie. Basically crowning him as Disney's first openly LGBT character in the big screen. This is said to be an update from the original animated movie, that originally placed his character as some kind of idiot manservant comic-relief to Gaston. Who, by the way, in the movie is played by the loveable dashing actor Luke Evans. Thus making perfect sense that anyone, regardless of their gender, might easily have a crush on him *wink*.

In my opinion (rhyming nicely with LeFou's actor's point of view), I see nothing wrong with it. In fact, this is a natural progresive albeit MINOR update that embraces the change in our culture and society. If not something that simply works as a subtle tribute to the late Howard Ashman, the original lyricist of the animated movie, whose fingerprints are all over the animated movie. C'mon guys, it's the year 2017! But why minor, you ask? Because if you actually pay attention to the character of LeFou in the animated movie, there has ALWAYS been a hint of attraction to his boss. Something that went beyond mere "I respect my boss so much, I'll go with him wherever he goes". It WAS there all along, so what Disney is doing, is nothing more than a confirmation. Problem is, there are people who simply don't want to accept this, and being an internet era, immediately voiced their disagreement. Especially after USA officially became a 'discriminative country' thanks to its new elected leader. This kind of reaction feels... ODD, if you ask me. But to each their own, so who am I to judge, right? Besides, just like above, I need to see the movie first before I can fairly say whether this update is for the better or opposite, or even worth the pointless argument alone.

The other negative buzz, was the ridiculous questioning of lead actress Emma Watson's feminism stand! With some even going so far as calling her... a hypocrite. YIKES! Yes, this came following her rather revealing photo shoot for an interview with Vanity Fair. This reaction, was also... ODD. Pray tell, WHAT is really the point of being a feminist? Isn't it, the FREEDOM of choice for women to express themselves, to stand proud without the need to be approved by men? Isn't that... what Watson was doing? Hmmmm. Which is why I'm feeling confused about the reasonings behind these decries. Does this mean, a fully grown-up actress (albeit growing on-screen from an innocent child one), is NOT allowed to do both? Posing elegantly in a magazine for a mature art piece, and still be a feminist who stands up for female rights? Once again, do tell me what's the point of feminism. Because the way I see it, if she's not allowed to perform such pose just because she's a woman, then isn't that... sexist instead? And for crying out loud, it's her own body too, not ours! Really, please elaborate me on this (which is a sarcastic rhetoric, in case you don't realize one). I thought being feminist is an ideal that extends more than just about women wearing pants...

As of writing, "Beauty and the Beast" is sitting at a score of 73%, aggregated from 44 critics on RottenTomatoes. This number will definitely fluctuate in the coming weeks, so it's not the end result. For the sake of pure numerical comparison only (not quality, that'd be subjective), Disney's previous two live action remakes ranked higher. Kenneth Branagh's "Cinderella" ended with a 83%, while Jon Favreau's recent Academy Award winning "The Jungle Book" finished with a heaping 95%. To be fair, I'm never a fan of the original animated movie in the first place, so my interest to see this movie hasn't been as high as those other titles. But now my curiousity has peaked at the highest level, because I just need to see whether these absurd complains are true, or that these people are only making too much of a big deal out of nothing. I have a feeling it's the second one...

Currently in production for a December 25, 2018 release, is the long awaited sequel "Mary Poppins Returns". Disney Studio has officially released the first look for lead actress Emily Blunt as the titular character via Twitter. And well, response to this one was generally positive. Which was on point, if you ask me, because Disney is keeping most of Poppins' signature looks in tact. That is something that would easily please fans of the first movie that starred the legendary Julie Andrews. Of course, with the risk of sounding pessimistic, "Beauty and the Beast" also had the same warm-welcome at first. But look at what is happening now, right?

Anyway, I expect we're going to see more of the other cast really soon. Just a reminder, Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer are set to portray the adult versions of Michael and Jane Banks, the children that Poppins nannied in the first movie. Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to play Jack, a street lamplighter who will aid Poppins in her mission to bring back joy to the Banks. While Meryl Streep will be playing her cousin. Will this movie be as captivating and genuinely endearing like the first one? Or will it suffer unnecessary backlashes, because people in the modern age are more prone to complain about everything and can't seem to shut their mouth for just a moment to enjoy something as is? As always, we'll see... hahaha.

X-Men Universe

Before you ask, NO, I won't talk about that X-Men TV show that had just cast its Polaris. I couldn't care less about it, so this is as far as I go on even mentioning one. Yep, I'll just focus on talking about the movies instead. But nope, I won't talk about that NOT-Supernova X-Men movie, which I couldn't care less. Not even "Logan" as well. Even if critics everywhere are praising the movie, seemingly unable to find any flaws in the R-rated gruesome comic book adaptation, that is already raking a great amount of money in its first weekend (and exceeding expectations too). I just don't have that much interest for Hugh Jackman's last foray as the titular character, and will not watch one until.... the home video is out. That's all I can say.

Instead, I'm going to talk about another title that seems to be in pre-production process. Yes, "Deadpool 2"! Sequel to the surprise hit that made FOX shifted direction into venturing the R-rated superhero business. Apparently, there's a short for the sequel that has been playing in front of "Logan". Not to worry though, because FOX and lead actor Ryan Reynolds has kindly released this 03:41 minutes butt-sho... er, I mean "No Good Deed" online for everyone to see. So it's not just limited to those who are watching "Logan" anymore. Lucky for me, eh? Then again, that's not such a big deal anyway (Deadpool: "R U effing kidding me?"), because writer-producer Rhett Reese has clarified that this footage will NOT be used in the movie itself. What's the purpose then? Simply a final message to Hugh Jackman before he rides off into the sunset. After all, with Wolverine officially gone, the burden has fallen to Reynolds' shoulder to carry the flag of the FOX-Marvel franchise. Reese also confirmed that his sequel is currently in casting mode, hence why there is no release date given for the movie just yet.

Speaking of casting, another big name has been thrown to the "Who Should Play Cable" hopefuls. This time, it's a popular name that would make Netflix's fans happy, particularly those who are watching "Stranger Things". According to The Wrap, Hawkins Police Department Chief himself, David Harbour, has been considered for the role of the future-based mutant. He even said to have screen-tested for the part. Of course, knowing what happened to previous contenders like Kyle Chandler, this doesn't necessarily mean Harbour is set for the role. So don't get excited too much too soon about it, because it might very well be just a passing news in the near future. Not to mention, The Wrap's source El Mayimbe isn't as reliable as he used to be anymore, with most of his scoops regarding "Logan" turning out to be false. Nevertheless, it's still interesting to see the range of actors they are looking for the character.

Personally, while I think Harbour's a fantastic actor, I just couldn't see him as Cable. Not saying that he won't be able to pull it off, but I'm expecting someone who's a little more... stern and naturally buffed, considering the character itself has always been like that. That's nothing Hollywood can't fixed of course, but those who already came with the built would be better. Perhaps, the likes of John Cena, or Joe Manganiello would fit my criteria for this role? Even the recently cast Black Bolt, could be a better choice... physique-wise. Anyway, let's just hope we'll hear more about the casting soon. With "Logan" already out on the market, and its actor posting a final message to Wolverine fans, it makes sense that FOX would be moving ahead with "Deadpool 2". To keep the hype strong for their favor, what else?

Marvel Studios

"Doctor Strange" has been released for home video for quite some time now. Thanks to this, director Scott Derrickson has been making rounds about his movie once more, either with the press or via social media. He's been answering questions on Twitter lately, and his response might have hinted on what we can expect from the as-of-yet-unnannounced sequel. To be honest, since "Doctor Strange" was a success and a easy hit among audience, even snagging some prestigious Awards honors ever since (like Academy Award?), a sequel is nothing more than a sure thing. Highly likely Marvel Studios consciously opts to not reveal too much about it though, to keep the momentum and attention towards current projects instead. Heck, confirming its sequel for Phase 4 could even be considered spoiler alert for "Avengers: Infinity War", right? A movie that will see Benedict Cumberbatch's second return in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Intriguingly, while Derrickson hasn't been confirmed to return for the directorial duty, the way he responded with ideas and everything, seems to have partially confirmed that he would definitely be back, or at least involved in the sequel.

As for what he said about the inevitable solo sequel, Derrickson has revealed several interesting bits. When asked about the potential of Jericho Drumm, or more familiarly known as the Master of Mystic Arts Brother Voodoo, Derrickson replied that his brother, Daniel Drumm's demise might not serve as a mere pointless random incident. After all, this IS Marvel Studios we're talking about, and not FOX nor Warner Bros. His death will surely triggered an after-effect from his younger brother. Since in recent years Jericho has become a Sorcerer Supreme himself, it makes perfect sense to see him joining the sequel as Strange's apprentice. To add credential to this, do remember that when Chiwetel Ejiofor was cast, many sites have speculated that he's playing Jericho instead of Mordo. As for which actor should play Jericho? Expect Marvel Studios to target big names. I don't know, how about... Trevante Rhodes from the latest Best Picture Winner "Moonlight"? *grins*

The brief inclusion of Dormammu the Dread in the movie, would naturally pave way to another key character in the Doctor Strange lore: his equally magical romantic interest, Clea. It wouldn't be surprising to see the character incorporated in the sequel, because as Derrickson himself stated, "you can't tell the story of Doctor Strange w/out eventually dealing w/Clea.". It's safe to say that we haven't seen the last of Dormammu, thus his silver-haired sorceress nephew will surely come into play as well. As for the villain, Derrickson mentioned the name Nightmare once again, but unlike before, he has backtracked a bit with a tinge of uncertainly because he's a "tricky villain to get right". In my opinion, going with Nightmare would allow Marvel Studios to completely venture to the realm of horror genre, and that's certainly going to be a challenge. It could open the gate for supernatural characters like Blade, or Moon Knight too. Especially since Derrickson is clearly a fan of the latter, as much as the Fantastic Four.

Promotional materials have begun hitting the internet, in anticipation of the arrival of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2". We get to see more of Kurt Russel's Ego, as well as Yondu and Nebula who both have been hinted greatly to be joining the team. The movie will open on May 5, 2017 in the US, but I won't be surprised if it arrives earlier in other countries. In fact, I believe it will be available here late next month. Because that's how it has always worked for Marvel Studios movies. We almost always get a May movie in April. The good news is, even after seeing the third and latest trailer, I still don't have any clue about what the movie is all about. Which is good, because I'd love nothing more than some elements of surprise!

Meanwhile, the July movie, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is said to have begun additional photography as we speak. Or 'reshoots', in case you prefer a much pessimistic sounding choice of words. According to reports from social media, a crew for the movie was spotted at Disneyland California. Not just that, a school bus scene apparently has been filmed outside of LA's Van Nuys High School. There isn't an official confirmation for reshoots like this, but it is said that lead actor Tom Holland and his personal assistant- best friend Harrison Osterfield will be meeting with co-star Jacob Batalon very soon. Is it for this reshoot? It's anyone's guess.

As for "Infinity War" that's currently in production, there's a rather startling news that was sparked from Atlanta Business Chronicle. Namely, the claim of Pinewood Atlanta Studios' co-owner, that there is a "largest film production ever with a $1 billion budget." going on right there. Easy bet obviously went to Marvel Studios, considering "Infinity War" is gathering a huge number of actors and resources, to create what seems to be a 'Two-Parts Finale' of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Mind you, NONE of this was official news. It was never stated openly that "Infinity War" was what the co-owner was talking about. It's all a result of speculation and pure assumption. But since we know how the internet works, it's more than enough to drive people talking. Both in praise and cynical tone.

Interestingly, this wasn't even new. Bleeding Cool, had also reported the same rumor before. Calling the combination of "Infinity War" and the 2019's UNTITLED Avengers movie to reach the exact same number. So is this true, then? Though I'm inclined to believe its possibility, there's always a high chance that it's nothing more than an exaggeration. After all, Bleeding Cool in particular has been known to be an anti-Kevin Feige fansite, who favors the side of Marvel Comics (as well as Marvel TV) more. That alone is enough to make me question the foundation behind their report. Not to mention, they don't really have a good track-record in reporting insider info. Remember, they were the one who assumed that Chiwetel Ejiofor would be playing Brother Voodo. And we all know how that turned out to be, right? Sean Gerber had posted a fine thinkpiece about how this situation does NOT make sense, pointing out some valid reasons for this to be illogical. Go ahead and read it on Marvel Studios News.

Marvel TV

Production has officially begun for Marvel's "The Inhumans" last week. Precisely on March 3, 2017. Photos of Black Bolt from the set has already begun circulating on the internet (courtesy of Reel News Hawaii)! So fast, huh? A few days prior, the remaining core cast members have been announced. Joining the already announced Iwan Rheon and Anson Mount, were the other Inhumans Royal family characters, as well as two more supporting ones.

The first one to be announced was gorgeous actress Serinda Swan, who was cast to play Medusa Amaquelin. Medusa is the wife of Black Bolt, which means she's the Queen of the Inhumans. Interestingly, this isn't Swan's first comic book role, as she has portrayed the magician Zatanna in the TV series "Smallville" before. Her casting announcement was followed by Asian-American actor Ken Leung, who will be portraying Karnak Mander-Azur. Similar to Swan, this wasn't Leung's first comic book role, as he has played the mutant Spike in FOX's critically panned "X-Men: The Last Stand". To put it simple, Leung is officially both a mutant and inhuman now. How cool is that?

Several others, and arguably lesser characters were announced all together as the production officially began. African-American actor Eme Ikwuakor is set to play Gorgon Petragon. Australian actress Isabelle Cornish will portray Crystal Amaquelin, who is Medusa's younger sister. Mike Moh, familiarly known by gamers all around the world as Ryu in "Street Fighter Assassin's Fist" web-series and its sequel, has been cast as Triton Mander-Azur, who is Karnak's blood-brother. Hawaiian native Sonya Balmores, will portray the Inhumans Royal Guard Auran, while Ellen Woglom's character is currently undisclosed to not spoil the storyline. The same announcement also confirmed the appearance of one key character of the Royal Family: LOCKJAW!!!

As for the characters they are playing, if the official announcements were any indication, then we might be seeing a very faithful adaptation of the comics. Black Bolt will have the power of his devastating voice. Medusa would have her 'powerful hair'. Karnak will be Black Bolt's brilliant strategist with the natural ability to pinpoint weakness in all things. The same with the other three. His brother Triton will have his fish-like ability, Gorgon will have his super strong legs and hooves, while Crystal is a master of elements. Just like in the comics! The only change that seems apparent, is the switching of Karnak and Triton placing in the Mander-Azur family. In the comics, Triton has been described as the older son. But seeing their actors age, it seems this might be reversed. Which shouldn't be a surprise, since many adaptations have been practicing the exact approach ("Ultimate Spider-Man" animated shows, for example). For more information on how these Royal characters are linked as a Family (they are literally siblings and cousins), MCU Exchange has provided an excellent infographic for our convenience. As for Woglom's mystery character, interestingly, she is said to be working at a private aerospace company, with a passion for all things space and lunar. This is a vague hint that the setting of the show would take place out of Earth, and perhaps on the Blue Side of the Moon. Could she be an important character from the comics too, then? That's certainly a possibility.

It's safe to say, that the hype level for the show just skyrocketed due to these announcements. For me personally, it's Lockjaw's inclusion as well as Moh's casting that basically sealed the deal. The moment I saw Moh's name, I think I nerded out, because I've been wanting to see him play a Marvel heroes. Sure, he'd make a far better Shang-Chi than Triton, who will be covered by scales and prosthetics throughout the show. And yes, he'd make a better Karnak too, since he's an actual martial art practitioner (in fact, I wonder why he's not switching role with Leung?). But the fact that he's a Marvel actor now, is enough to make me happy. Of course, it's when I read that the show will incorporate a 2000-pound giant mutt with the power of teleportation, that I basically lost it. After all, you simply can't have a faithful Inhuman show without Lockjaw!

Intriguingly, most if not all of the names in this cast are on a 'different' level than your average TV actors. If you pay attention, most of them have had big screen roles as well. Swan was in "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" and "Tron: Legacy". Leung was recently in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Cornish was as suspected, the younger sister of movie actress Abbie Cornish. She has been a contender for "Transformers: Age of Extinction" before, but more importantly, she's also a "Home and Away" alumn, a.k.a the show that gave birth to lots of Hollywood big names such as... yes, Chris Hemsworth. Mount was in "Non-Stop" among many other titles. Ikwuakor and Moh mostly had roles in TV, but have been involved in big movie productions before. There has been a wide speculation that Marvel TV was looking for actors who could fit both mediums nicely, considering "The Inhumans" will have an exclusive 2-weeks IMAX debut before proceeding later on as an 8-episodes TV show on ABC. Clearly, this IS indeed the case, and I'm genuinely pleased. Speaking of IMAX debut, the theatre chain itself had announced via Twitter that the first two episode will arrive in one feature-length movie format on September 1st, 2017 (additional scenes will be added for the TV version). This practically confirmed previous report that it will debut on Labor's Day. That's only less than 6 months aways!

If there's any lingering question I have about this show, is how it will play out in the MCU. How significant it will be in the bigger picture. Remember, Marvel Studios had this as a movie planned for Phase 3 once, before "Homecoming" and the sequel of "Ant-Man" shuffled it away to 2019. Kevin Feige had since mentioned that there's still a plan for the movie in Phase 4, but then ABC and Marvel TV announced it a mini-series. Will the one produced by Marvel Studios be using the exact same cast to this one? Will fans' expectation to see Mount's Black Bolt as part of an Illuminati that consists of Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, and others, exceeds more than just a wishful thinking? Or will... everyone be recast, similar to the fate Linda Louise-Duan who is not reprising her "Doctor Strange" role in the upcoming Marvel's "The Runaways". As great as these actors are, I doubt they have the high-profile needed to sell a high-budget movie version to a global audience. Which is why many have imagined the likes of Vin Diesel, Jessica Chastain, and other A-list actors in these roles instead. Technically, this show CARRIES the greatest potential to be an actual bridge between the TV and Movie side. But judging from the current situation between Marvel Studios and Marvel TV, it'll be far wiser to not get our hopes up too high. Yes, ABC is a network owned by Disney, but even the House of Mouse has no power to settle what's happening between the two divisions. Especially since both are reporting to a different boss *sigh*. Let's just hope for the best, shall we?

As for the other shows, it seems Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" has wrapped production of its first episode. At the same time, "Runaways" is close to wrapping its in production, as some candid photos and videos have hit the internet from Long Beach's Ernest McBride High School. Despite the intention to keep things tightly kept in secrecy, eager fans will still find a way to get information anyway. THAT my friend, is how our internet works! LOL. Unfortunately, as great of an idea these two shows are, the chance of me watching both has only continued to wane. As I said, unless it's through illegal means (which is NOT recommended) I don't think I'm going to watch both. Why would I purchase a Hulu and Freeform account to watch one show, right? Looks like it's a good thing that my interest for "The Inhumans" has spiked enormously. In the end, that might be the only new Marvel show I'd be watching. Or is it? According to IMAX CEO Greg Foster, they are "already looking for a second series" to work with. Could we be seeing more Marvel shows with "The Inhumans" treatment then? That's a possibility...

Netflix

The 4th and final Defender's member so far, the last character that Marvel TV promised several years ago, will be upon us in just one week from now. Yes, Danny Rand will be debuting on Marvel's "Iron Fist" on March 17th, 2017. Hype is high, as well as expectations, and as I said, if the last trailer was any indication, then this is going to be an interesting show. At least for me personally.

Unfortunately, just two weeks before all episodes of the show is released worldwide, showrunner Scott Buck just had to 'run his mouth' and well... revealed something underwhelming. That's like... taking cues of DC Films for their impressive bad-marketing stunt. In this case, it's concerning Danny's iconic costume. Talking to Games Radar, Buck stated that fans should NOT hold their breath to see Finn Jones wearing one. In this show, that is. To be fair, the same thing happened on the first season of Marvel's "Daredevil", where it took 12 episodes before Charlie Cox' Matt Murdock consciously shifted from black beany to a specially crafted costume. So there's no reason for us to be shocked. Even so, this news was still disappointing to fans nonetheless. Why? Because every Netflix shows afterwards, had been real shy on implementing one. Marvel's "Jessica Jones" only revealed one just to make fun of it, and Marvel's "Luke Cage" only featured a very quick glimpse of one in its 4th episode. Both ended up serving as mere passing nods. That's why somehow, fans are expecting a change in this repetitive scenario. Because once, or the first time, is okay, but doing it again and again every year? That will get old real fast.

And yes, I do feel slightly disappointed with this. I mean, if anything, at least Danny should be wearing a similar attire to the one Matt wore in his series' first season. That's practically an all-black version of Iron Fist's attire, right? Many fans (through various fansites) have also pointed out one VERY logical thing. Similar to rich characters like Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, and others, Danny has a reputation he has to protect. He's the heir of a wealthy businessman. He OWNS a company, and is supposed to be its long-lost CEO. Can he damage such esteemed position by openly beating up thugs and evil henchmen as a vigilante, exposing himself to the world? Even Buck's statement contradicted this very issue: "There was no good reason we could imagine to put Danny Rand in a costume because Danny Rand is still discovering who he is as a hero and where he is going to be, so he’s not yet ready to put on a mask or a costume.". Eventhough he backtracked a bit by saying "At the same time he is someone who is rather well known as a billionaire, so he can’t necessarily go out in public and do the things he does without being recognized. It does become an issue for the character.". Seriously? THAT makes for a good reason, right? Let this sink in to your brain for a bit. Of course, Buck might simply be hinting at some surprises in store, that we can only learn by watching the series. So for now, let's just give this show the benefit of doubt.

Pocket Monsters

Still playing "Pokemon GO", eventhough the addition of Generation 2's species isn't as big as it should have been? Well, worry not, because according to John Hanke, more "major new releases" will arrive this year. Yes, and there are 3 of them too! Speaking in an App Convention, the Niantic boss confirmed that there are major quarterly updates being planned for their successful App this year. There aren't any official announcement about what they will be, but two of them might have already been revealed through interviews.

The first one, is 'Gym System Overhaul'. A statement that came straight from Hanke himself. I can't help but wonder what this means. To be frank, I've been hearing many complaints regarding the state of Pokemon GO's Gyms nowadays. Either it's becoming rather dull due to being monopolized by high-level players, or the fact that it now mostly consists of the same types and species over and over again. This isn't surprising, since several Pokemon like Vaporeon, Gyarados, Snorlax, and others have become the game's top-tiers. Hence, their presence on Gyms have not only become a norm, it's an underwhelming and annoying repetitive sight. No wonder many players have walked out because of it. I'm curious whether the App will eventually choose to go the Core Game route, by assigning fixed Pokemon on Gyms instead of letting players assign their own. But what about the battle part? Well, that's where... 'Battling' comes to play. Just imagine how the fanbase will react when they know they can do Pokemon Battle with other players. Won't that be a lot of fun?

The second update, is something I have long expected to arrive in the App. And what is that? 'Trading'. Yes, the ability to exchange Pokemon with other players. This is the exact reason why I speculated that a Battling feature might be coming as well. Because the ability of Trading, means there will be interaction between players in the App. After all, just the thought of seeing an alert with the tune of "There's another Player near you" is enough to thrill me! Tatsuo Nomura, the Senior Product Manager for Niantic has even confirmed that this Trading system "won’t be through the internet ...The person needs to be in your proximity". This is GREAT news. I've mentioned on my First Impression last year, that "Pokemon GO" has massive potential it can explore. Trading, which might trigger Battling, is one of its key social feature, and is a step to the right direction. Not only it will enhance gameplay, it will also enhance real-life social aspect of the game. I can already imagine players meeting new people, interacting, and develop a healthy community if not deeper relationship with one another. That's precisely what Niantic's earlier title "Ingress" has successfully accomplished, right? It has even spawned a bishoujo Manga! So just imagine what "Pokemon GO" could be when it can replicate the same feature. Fans are going to love it!

A quick disclaimer note, do mind that what I just said on the previous two paragraphs are combination of fact, and personal speculations. The Gym Overhaul and Trading are facts, albeit not yet officially announced, while the Battling and other bits are my own wishful thinkings. So until we hear actual confirmation to these features, take it with grains of salt. Oh, and by the way, included in the Hanke's statement, was a "systemic solution to spoofers". I can't really comment on this, because I'm not quite sure what it means. Mind you, I'm not THAT fluent on the gameplay, due to being a casual gamer. But of course, the general notion is, Niantic is hard at work to stop players from cheating on the game. And that's a good reassurance to existing players.

Sidetracking a bit, the first trailer for this year's movie have been officially released by The Pokemon Company. There are two versions, the normal-length and shorter one, but the content of both are practically the same. Serving as the 20th anniversary movie, "Gekijouban Pocket Monster, Kimi ni Kimeta!" is a retelling of Satoshi's first encounter with his most loyal and trusted companion, Pikachu. After seasons of TV series, and 19 movies, that had the pair travelling together with various other Pokemon and close friends, it's time to revisit the harsh and tumultous starting point between the two. A fated meeting that has evolved into a strong bond that inspires many Pokemon fans all around the world. The movie will premiere in Japan on July 15, 2017. Will you come to the theatres to see this nostalgic tale? I know I would I could...

Nintendo

Nintendo's new hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch has been released! Have you purchased one? In alternate universe where financial situation is not an issue, I would've already been playing one right now. Heck, I might have been among the line of those first queue to get my hands on one *sigh*. So yeah, despite my desire to own one, I have no choice but to wait until things are more... stable. It could happen in a few months, later this year, or even next year, only time will tell (and God knows when).

Response for the release has been generally positive. Including that ODD-sounding cartridge mouth-testing stunts everywhere. LOL. Yes, some folks are holding back until Switch has more exclusive titles like "Super Smash Bros", a core "Pokemon" title, or the likes, but many who has purchased one are pleased with its features. As well as its launch titles. "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" in particular, is an easy crowdpleaser. Fans of the franchise immediately fell in love with the game, calling it fun and amazing. In fact, IGN rewarded it with a full score of 10 on their review! Something that is rarely done by the Entertainment Site. Of course, with the good also comes the bad. Other title, like the much anticipated "1-2 Switch" didn't perform as successful as it's expected. Then again, you can't have it all, right?

Nevertheless, Reggie Fils-Aimé, the President of Nintendo America has conveyed his thankful message to all fans who have supported Nintendo by getting Switch. It remains to be seen whether Switch will stand strong amidst competition with bigger Ultra-HD consoles like Playstation 4 or Xbox One. Moreso the rumored high-tech Project Scorpio from Microsoft's front. There's always the possibility that Switch will end up suffering like its predecessor Wii U, and not gaining much love like the groundbreaking Wii. Let's just hope this hybrid console will bring Nintendo back to its prime.

For now, gamers can enjoy other available games like "Just Dance 2017", "Disgaea 5", "Othello", and others, while they wait for more titles to arrive throughout the year. One of it is "Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers" that will released on May 26 in Japan, North America, and Europe. It's a remake of the classic title, with new characters and bonus features. And that's just one of the Switch's upcoming title! Here's hoping it will be getting even broader titles in the future. Like that rumored "Pokemon Stars", perhaps? That would be super dope... :D

[wbwest]

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West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 1/27/17

In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, Star Trek Discovery is delayed, and will not make the previously-announced May premiere date. Keep in mind that this is actually the second postponement of the show, as it was originally slated to premiere this month. The fact that they were dragging their feet on casting convinced me that it wouldn’t make the May date, mainly because I didn’t think they could get the effects done in that amount of time. After all, they first announced they’d cast their lead exactly a month ago. Plus, it still seems like they’re trying to figure out how lead Sonequa Martin-Green is going to juggle roles on both Discovery and The Walking Dead. All I know is that the CBS All Access streaming service is basically dead on arrival, as it’s going to need more programming than just The Good Wife‘s spinoff, The Good Fight. The only way to really gain some sort of foothold would be if they took back the Trek shows from Netflix and made All Access the exclusive North American home of Star Trek (Discovery will already be exclusive to Netflix outside the US), but I don’t know if that’s something all parties would go for. Meanwhile, James Frain has been cast as Spock’s father, Sarek, for the series. I don’t know – the longer the show is delayed, the less I find I care about it.

Speaking of Netflix, they have ordered a reboot of early ’00s makeover show Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. Now, I used to love this show, but I also didn’t know any better. If you never saw the show, 5 gay guys would take some straight schlub and give him a lifestyle makeover to make him a better guy all around. Carson was the fashion guy, and he’d teach you to “zhuzh” your sleeves. Kyan was the hair guy, and he’d teach you how to manage your ‘do. Thom was the decorator, who’d make over your living space. Ted, currently the host of Chopped, was the food and wine guy. And Jai…cute, clueless Jai was the “culture” guy. He’d teach you clever ways to open a CD. No, I’m serious. They never really did find a way to use Jai to his fullest potential. Anyway, the whole show is predicated on the assumption that gays are better than straights in every way. They’re better dressers, eaters, groomers, decorators, and…CD openers. And that’s just a raging ball of stereotypes there. It was an interesting time, as the show kind of helped get gays into households that probably wouldn’t have otherwise accepted them, but there was something minstrelsy about the whole thing. I’d like to think we’ve come a long way since 2003, so the idea of this show being rebooted just sounds like a bad idea to me. Plus, they didn’t contact any of the original guys to come back, so it won’t even have a nostalgia factor to it. So far, everything I’ve read about the reboot seems to agree with me that it’s not a good idea, but what do I know? What do y’all think?

Fox has ordered an X-Men TV pilot, with Burn Notice‘s Matt Nix attached as showrunner. Apparently, it will focus on a family on the run and, based on Nix’s past experience, they’ll probably be assisted by a hot chick who could use a sandwich or three.  My biggest problem with the news, however, is that Bryan Singer will reportedly direct the pilot. Yes, he has experience with the X-Men film franchise, but it’s time for new voices. Plus, he shat the bed so badly with X-Men: Apocalypse that I feel like his mutant card should be revoked for a while. He’s been attached to the X-Men franchise for 17 years, but all of his contributions haven’t been great. I’d be fine with him as a consultant or even a producer, but I don’t think he needs to direct this thing. Then again, it’s just a pilot, so maybe it won’t even make it to series. Right now, critics are raving over FX’s Legion, which is loosely tied to the X-Men franchise, so maybe it’ll take center stage and the Nix show will be passed on.

Speaking of Singer’s X-Men franchise, with its wonky continuity, Hugh Jackman has been saying that Logan won’t be set in the common X-Men film timeline that we’re used to. Now, it’s not quite clear how we should take that, seeing as how the films don’t really adhere to a clear timeline, especially after the events of Days of Future Past. At this point, I hardly care. I just want a good movie. I mean, it’s set in the future, and for it to be “in continuity” would effectively be painting themselves into a corner. That’s why futures in comics are always “possible futures” because A) the future (hopefully) isn’t set in stone and B) it’d be bad for storytelling if they set out to say it was THE future. Anyway, we got the final trailer last week, which gave us a much better look at Laura/X-23. I’m really getting excited for March!

And while we’re talking about March movies, we FINALLY got the full trailer for Power Rangers, and it looked pretty good. To a lot of my friends, I’m “The Power Rangers Guy”, so they’re kinda curious to know what I thought about it. Let’s just say I’m cautiously optimistic. There’s a lot to hate in what we’ve seen, and I hated how most of the reveals we got came from the lackluster toyline than from actual footage. Now that we’ve seen footage, however, I think this could be something good. I still don’t think it’s going to beat Beauty and the Beast or anything, but it could turn out to be a pretty good popcorn movie. I like the design of Cranston as Zordon, I liked Bill Hader as Alpha, and the action looked pretty good. Still not sure about Goldar, and I’m actually kinda worried about Elizabeth Banks as Rita. Every time we’ve seen her, she seems to be chewing the shit out of the scenery, in an almost Divatox kind of way. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out.

It’s like they’re trying to completely throw away the West Year Ever honor I gave them, as DC Entertainment made some questionable moves. First up, it’s reported that they’re going back to square one on their Flash adaptation, so look for a delay to be announced any day now. Since losing director Rick Famuyiwa, Warner Bros has decided to take the film in a new direction while star Ezra Miller gets ready to film the sequel to Fantastic Beasts. Meanwhile, they announced that The Rock will star in a Black Adam movie, separate from the planned SHAZAM film, in which he’ll portray the villain. From day one, I’ve said that Johnson was a terrible choice for Black Adam because he’s the villain of the story, and there’s no one in Hollywood at the moment who’s charismatic enough to go toe to toe with him and have the audience root for him. Everyone LOVES The Rock, so who’s going to want to see him lose? If anything, he should’ve been cast as Captain Marvel himself, and then some lesser star could bulk up to play Black Adam. Right now, I feel like this movie is going to sit on a shelf until the fates align and Hollywood’s next It Guy reveals himself. Zac Efron? Could he be Captain Marvel? Could he successfully share the screen with Johnson? We’ll soon find out in Baywatch, but I worry that the film is never going to come together due to imbalanced casting.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Scarlett Johansson split from husband of two years, Romain Dauriac. I still haven’t forgiven her for hurting Ryan Reynolds. Then again, I haven’t forgiven him for hurting Alanis Morissette. They all mean so much to me.

Speaking of Alanis, her former manager admitted to stealing close to $5 million from the singer

Former star of Disney Channel’s Jessie, Debby Ryan, is rumored to have been cast as Dagger in Freeform’s Cloak & Dagger series based on the Marvel characters of the same name. Meanwhile, relative unknown Noah Gray-Cabey is rumored to have been cast as Cloak

Miles Morales, and not Peter Parker, will be the focus of the upcoming animated Spider-Man film. Know what would’ve made this news more awesome? If it was live action instead of animated. Oh well…

In a move that I’m sure was surprising even to its cast, ABC renewed The Middle for a 9th season. This is a bold move for a show that really seemed like it was packing up about 3 years ago.

Speculation abounds, as it was revealed that the next installment in the Star Wars film series is subtitled The Last Jedi

Now that SuperMansion is on Adult Swim, nobody is ever watching Crackle again since Jerry Seinfeld just inked a $100 million deal to move his Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee series to Netflix

Breakout new series of the season, This Is Us, scored a 2-season renewal from NBC

Speaking of NBC, after much back and forth, it was finally confirmed that Will & Grace will be returning with a 10-episode order.

This is going to be something of a “drive-by” West Week Ever. You see, I don’t really want to get political on here, as there’s enough of that online. That said, I think it’s going to be pretty hard not to be political in the near future. All I’m going to say is that I think the biggest pop culture “news” story of the week was the Women’s March on Washington. America Ferrera, ScarJo, and others spoke, while Madonna made a few controversial statements of her own. A lot of folks feel like performers should just perform and not have political views, but I think those people are going to be sorely disappointed for the foreseeable future. Personally, the march was good to me as it brought a lot of cool folks to town – many of whom I haven’t seen in quite some time. I’m not going to get into the particulars of it, as there are other places you can go for the full story. What I do know is that it set a record for Metro ridership, and the crowd dwarfed that of the inauguration that took place just a day prior. So, with that in mind, the Women’s March on Washington, as well as the various “sister marches”, had the West Week Ever.