I've been critical of Paul Feig's forthcoming Ghostbusters remake for a while now, and the reaction I often get is that it's unfair to truly judge a piece of entertainment without experiencing it in its entirety. For example, when I shook my head at the first trailer for the film when it was released earlier this year, I was told by at least a couple of friends to wait until I see the finished product to form an opinion. Sure. I can play by those rules. That's only fair.
Keeping that in mind, I listened to the new theme by Fall Out Boy (feat. Missy Elliott) for the film in its entirety before I decided it was one of the worst songs I've ever heard. That's not hyperbole. It's that bad. The Ray Parker Jr. original is no "Stairway to Heaven," but it's also not an elevator straight to hell. This might come close.
That's not really hyperbole. Fall Out Boy is admittedly not my thing, but this weird, disorienting reworking of one of the most classic theme songs in movie history is honestly difficult to listen to. As for Missy, she deserves better, and I sincerely hope that lines like "They roll up to my house, they knockin' at my door, they comin' bustin' in, kill all them ghosts" were because she was under a tight deadline. You can't kill ghosts, Missy!
I know the big debate has been about sexism with this movie, since the Ghostbusters team is made up of women, but can we all at least start to agree that this film has serious issues beyond the gender of its stars?
But don't take my word for it, Listen to "Ghostbusters (I'm Not Afraid)" by Fall Out Boy (feat. Miss Elliott) below.
Most of us suspected it, but now we know for sure. As revealed by Entertainment Weekly, which features an in-depth cover feature on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this week, Darth Vader will appear in Gareth Edwards' heist film, set in that galaxy far, far away between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
In addition to heralding the cinematic return of The Dark Lord of the Sith, EW also gives us a deeper look at never-before-seen Star Wars technology (including new Imperial walkers and TIE fighters), the heroic Rebel squad led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and why longtime fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars should be super psyched about Forest Whitaker's character.
I feel like it would be a huge misstep to set a film at this point in the Star Wars timeline without Vader's looming presence, so it's reassuring to know that we'll definitely hear his labored breathing and, hopefully, see his crimson lightsaber when Rogue One arrives in theaters Dec. 16.
The actor, who actually played several of Rita Repulsa's monster minions on the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, will join Elizabeth Banks and a cast of Zord-riding millennials in the 2017 reboot.
Cranston's casting definitely gives the movie some necessary credibility, but this Zordon still needs his Alpha. Is Aaron Paul available?
I don't count myself among the supporters of Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but I also refuse to believe that Warner Bros. won't make a concerted effort to address the film's criticisms in Justice League, scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2017.
The Snyder-helmed project is now reportedly a standalone movie instead of a two-parter and, earlier today, Warner Bros. released an official logo for Justice League (above) and the following plot synopsis:
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes — Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash — it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
I love that this is a redemption story for Ben Affleck's Batman, who was a mere shell of a Dark Knight in BvS and, having not seen the DC Cinematic Universe's Caped Crusader in his prime, it was impossible to see how far he'd fallen from grace. At the very least, the Batman in this film won't be a hard-drinking, gun-toting, murderous psycho, which is a definite step in the right direction. Plus, does anyone else get a Silver Age vibe from the logo? That's a great sign.
Hey, guys. It's been a busy couple of weeks as I somehow attempt to juggle a personal life, my professional responsibilities and my stubborn commitment to things I probably should have lost interest in at the age of 12. Even though I'm clinging to sanity as my brain frantically races from one project/crisis/chore to another at frantic speeds, I need to take the time to appreciate the little things: Summer is here, Hi-C Ecto-Cooler is back on store shelves and there's an Independence Day sequel heading to theaters starring Jeff Goldblum and, of all people to return in a big-budget summer sequel, Judd Hirsch.
We'd all be dead now if it wasn't for his David.
I'm not expecting much from Independence Day: Resurgence, but then again, I also didn't expect much from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, which I fully intended to review here on The Wort Report weeks ago before life got in the way. You've probably seen it by now if you had any intention to do so, but if you've yet to experience Brad Garrett as a brain monster in a giant robot's belly, I highly suggest you do so. The flick is total fan service, and makes me confident that we'll one day see weirdos like Mondo Gecko, Scumbug and Muckman in a future sequel. They wouldn't be that much of a stretch given the weirdness on display in the latest Toitles escapade.
Now that I've sufficiently lightened the mood, I'd like to admit that one of the reasons I've been relatively quiet in recent weeks is that there's been a lot of real-life ugliness in the world lately that has, unfortunately, bred even more ugliness on social media as divisive, complicated issues are debated with poorly conceived memes, abhorrent misinformation and, in the worst-case scenarios, hatred. This didn't exactly make me thrilled to log onto my laptop at night and wax philosophical about Aquaman's portrayal in DC Rebirth or those awesome Ghostbusters Twinkies filled with "Key Lime Slime."
But, then again, maybe it's pop-culture junk food (both figurative and literal) that we all need right now to help us from devouring each other. In fact, I think it's our duty as geeks (and aren't we all geeks these days?) to spread a little positivity when we can. With that in mind, here's a video from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon featuring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson eating candy for the first time in nearly three decades.
If you're a Star Wars geek (and really, who isn't?), you probably know by now that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is undergoing four weeks of reshoots this summer after Disney executives screened a rough cut of Gareth Edwards' standalone film set in that galaxy far, far away. According to reports, the changes are to match the lighter tone of previous Star Wars films.
Many fans on social media are losing their minds over this news, worried that the film will be a massive misstep following the critical and financial success of The Force Awakens.
To steal a phrase, I find their lack of faith disturbing.
Movies undergo reshoots all the time, largely to address studio notes and streamline the narrative, which is necessary since we're dealing with the first Star Wars film that doesn't revolve around the Skywalker family. Marvel's The Avengers had extensive reshoots, as did The Force Awakens, the surprisingly funny Ant-Man and, if we want to go further back, The Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future and even Rocky required additional shooting after principal photography. The studio isn't panicking, they just want to give us the best version of Rogue One possible. This is a good thing.
I know we're in an outrage culture these days, constantly searching for a reason to froth at the mouth, but maybe, just maybe, Disney knows what they're doing. Let the Mickey win. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on Dec. 16.
