By and large, the composition of the nerds that are portrayed in film and television still seem closer to the characters in Revenge of the Nerds than they are to the people that you meet at a comic convention. Prior to its release, the Nerdist produced Zero Charisma seemed like it might right that wrong and tell a story with relatable nerdy characters, but instead, the film introduced us to another stereotypical collection of emotionally stunted nerds....
Combinations Lights, and his seemingly eternal struggle to stay true to his family and do the right thing, was sorely tested this week, as all manner of distractions were thrown his way ahead of the big fight. Combinations opens with a nice subversion of one of the key moments in any boxing story, the rowdy press conference. As Lights and Javier ‘El Diablo’ Morales square up after the introduction from promoter extraordinaire, Barry K Word, they get into a shoving match that descends into a 15 man melee....
What many people don’t know to this day was that she was acquitted of the murders, despite heaps of circumstantial evidence against her, and that they remain unsolved to this day, 91 years after Lizzie herself passed beyond the realm of human understanding. Little is known about Sullivan, but the movie — which Sevigny herself developed for years — explores the back stories of both women, how they may have interacted, and how their relationship could have intersected with both Borden’s monstrous father (Jamey Sheridan) and the infamous murders....
The US double-bill premiere starts off with a bit of a cop-out: it’s not two new episodes, but a 45 minute recap bolted on to the first new one – but unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand or sensibly given up on a show with no flipping answers, you’ll know the score. Most of series three saw the group wandering over to the Others to exchange prisoners, whilst Locke became more and more unhinged, until a woman with a bad Lancashire accent fell out of the sky....
It’s a complex idea for a family drama to convey, but director Joachim Trier and his co-writer Eskil Vogt have carved it out in a really interesting way, making for a unique viewing experience where you’re never quite sure if you’re seeing the full picture. This is a particularly fitting approach for Louder Than Bombs, a film that deals with the death of a photographer. Isabelle Huppert embodies this role, appearing in old footage, dream sequences, flashbacks and hallucinations....
Last week’s review made an argument for the return of Luther being worthwhile on the basis that Idris Elba and the talented cast make average material better. While the cast are reliably excellent, maybe it would have been best to leave Luther on the shelf after all. Compared to a full series, a two-part special doesn’t allow a lot of room to develop new characters or create a threatening villain; the story needs to be told with some urgency and purpose....
Avengers: Infinity War spoilers coming. It’s been weeks people, get with the programme. With Thanos in the midst of his attack (which we know about through background news reports – it’s all very meta), Glenn Talbot, in his new guise of Graviton, wants a power-up in order to defend the world from Thanos. Of course, with Talbot, it’s all about ego which is very evident with his over the top puffed-out chest costume and his Just For Men Doctor Strange goatee, but whether it’s heroism or ego, Talbot needs more Gravitonium to become Earth’s saviour....
Marvel hasn’t had the best year on TV. While The Defenders made a splash, Iron Fist was pretty much narratively dead on arrival. And let’s not linger too long on Marvel’s Inhumans, which continues to limp along on ABC, despite being nearly universally panned by critics and fans alike. Based on the comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, Marvel’s Runaways follows the lives of six teens — Alex Wilder (Rhenzy Feliz), Nico Minoru (Lyrica Okano), Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner), Chase Stein (Gregg Sulkin), Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer), Gert’s adopted sister Molly Hernandez (Allegra Acosta) — and their probably-evil parents....
“I’m not being funny, mate” says Mel “but if you jump off this building you’ll do yourself a serious mischief”. The guy considers this and decides that, despite stinking of booze and anti-Semitism, Mel probably has a point. They both get down and notice that across the road there’s someone shooting into the street with a machine gun. “Shitting hell” says Mel Gibson “I’d best go and sort that out, mate”....
Mendelsohn’s really on form in Mississippi Grind. It’s a two-handed road trip drama with Ryan Reynolds as the other hand, and it’s remarkable just how well the two one another. Mendelsohn’s Gerry is a note-perfect creation: a 40-something, divorced real estate agent trying to sell houses in a run-down part of Iowa. Gerry’s also a gambling addict, and from his ruffled hair to his battered coat, you can tell he’s been on a losing streak for quite a while....
2.10 Hidden Process I was a carefree, vivacious critical stallion, galloping around the internet in search of hot takes and head scratches. Then Mr Robot season two finally broke me – domesticated me into a gentle pony with its non-stop fourth-wall breaking, cliff-hanger fetishising, metatextual nonsense. Mr Robot season two is filled with so many of the self-indulgent “watch-me-as-I-write-direct-and-edit-every-episode” flourishes that I hate. It has self-seriousness, spoiler-phobic traits that reek of egotism....
The colourful equestrian franchise has radically evolved since its initial release way back in the 1980s. Fast forward nearly 40 years and this worldwide phenomenon has spawned countless arrays of merchandise, several TV incarnations and now a big-shot feature film. Upon its hugely successful revival in 2010 the magical ponyverse has won over a new cult fandom of adult viewers affectionately known as ‘bronies’ and ‘pegasisters’, which has undoubtedly helped with its contemporary popularity....
As you all inevitably read this review or even watch the episode on your fancy tablet or smart phone, it only makes sense that the ever-popular topic of iPhones would go under the NewsReaders microscope. We get an under-used, but who is perhaps now my favorite correspondent, Xandra Dent, who tackles the area in the show’s tech segment. Xandra is much more of a caricature than a correspondent, but in the best possible way, as we see her romping about dressed like things such as a watermelon from “Fruit Ninja....
As part of our visit to the set of Days Of Future Past in Montreal last June, here’s our lively group chat with Mr Hoult, in which he talks about playing Beast (aka Hank McCoy), his memories of working on Skins, and making the transition from child to adult actor. Plus, there’s a bonus, fleeting appearance from James McAvoy, who appeared to be clutching a BB gun… Do you have to wheel around Professor Xavier a lot?...
How did you both get involved in the project? Paul- Really? [Laughter] I don’t know anything about these things. Tina-…and she says, “I have this book that someone’s going to call you about,” and I’m like, “Really? Well, happy new year to me!” [Laughter] Which was appropriate, because it was a New Years Eve party. How about you? What do each of you like about your characters? Tina- Well I really liked that it was sort of a story about adult people....
I think there’s a pattern developing here. When Daniel Mays turns up in a big BBC genre series, the moral of the story is keep your eye on him (we should have guessed this after Ashes To Ashes). This wasn’t an episode to win the show new friends, but it certainly kept the intrigue bubbling along. And for those of us who have enjoyed Outcasts to now, there was plenty to ponder....
When Curly told Tommy it was bad luck to have killed a stag, it wasn’t just gypsy superstition talking. Stags are symbolically linked with Christ in Catholic art. It’s fitting then, for an episode framed by religious acts—Polly’s confession, Tommy’s forced act of contrition—that the beast died on Good Friday. But still swinging punches, as is the Shelby way. Before letting Ada call an ambulance, Tommy launched a desperate counter-attack on the Economic League....
Frankenstein’s monster knows nothing but fear and anguish. The first taste of kindness he gets in life is from an actor, inebriated on some potent underground concoction, who works at the Grand Guignol. The Grand Guignol, in the world of Penny Dreadful, has been conveniently moved from Paris to London. Everything’s been moved to London. Dr. Frankenstein’s a native Londoner in Penny Dreadful. Didn’t we learn anything from Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein?...
But it seems that rumours of his retirement were overstated, because the director has now returned to much the same prolific form as before. His latest film is the hugely controversial Moebius, currently causing a stir on the festival circuit, while last year’s Venice award-winner Pieta finally arrives in the UK cinemas this week. Taking its name from Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of Mary cradling the Christ, this is a typically divisive tale of familial dysfunction, obsession, dependency and ultimately revenge....
Now one might say, “Oh, they’re just teenagers. Teenagers act that way!” The problem with the Super Megaforce team is that it isn’t portrayed in a negative light. Gia, Troy, and Jake outright telling Orion to kiss Emma when he’s so clearly uncomfortable with it is shown as nothing more then a joke. We also get Emma abandoning saving the city to help a kid fly a kite. I get it; it’s a super cute moment....
