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- Americans Too Scared to Talk: Chris Rock Rips Cancel Culture
- POTA Franchise Ranked: #3 War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
- Dark Horse’s Black Hammer Just Got a Bit More Unbelievable
- Z2 & Alter Bridge Team-Up for Unusual Comicbook
- Elvira Teams Up With Horror Legend Vincent Price
| Americans Too Scared to Talk: Chris Rock Rips Cancel Culture Posted: 31 May 2021 05:30 AM PDT Chris Rock, an actor and comedian, slammed modern society’s ongoing embrace of cancel culture, claiming that the country has reached a point where people are “scared to talk.” The Grown Ups star discussed the pitfalls of cancel culture and what it has done to basic dialogue and culture in the United States during a recent visit on The Breakfast Club.
"It's weird when you're a comedian because like, when you're comedian, when the audience doesn't laugh, we get the message. You don't really have to cancel us because we get the message. They're not laughing. Our feelings hurt. When we do something and people aren't laughing we — like we get it," Rock said.
The Spiral star continued:
As a result, The Week Of actor said he has witnessed many "unfunny comedians," "unfunny TV shows," "unfunny award shows," and "unfunny movies" because "everybody's scared to … make a move."
"That's not a place to be. You know, we should have the right to fail because failure, failure is a part of art," Rock continued, describing such as the "ultimate cancel."
"But now you know you got a place where people are scared to talk. That's not, you know, especially in America you're scared to talk, ah. But you know, that's what people want, you know, got to make adjustments," Rock added.
Relevant portion begins at 12:04
Rock, who has previously advocated for left-wing causes, made headlines in December when he proposed to then-incoming Vice President Joe Biden the creation of a “Supreme Court of Science” to oversee medical and environmental crises.
Rock is just the latest leftist celebrity to come out against cancel culture. The post Americans Too Scared to Talk: Chris Rock Rips Cancel Culture appeared first on Bleeding Fool.  |
| POTA Franchise Ranked: #3 War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) Posted: 30 May 2021 05:15 PM PDT
#3 in my Ranking of the Planet of the Apes Franchise.
The renewed Apes franchise comes to a conclusive end (while keeping things open for further sequels that are currently in development) with a trilogy capper that intelligently explores the fallout from the previous film for the main character. Matt Reeves follows up one of the best big budget special effects driven films of the last decade with a very good film that understands where the central character needs to go next.
It's been several years since the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Caesar has been running a guerilla war against the remnants of the US military at his heels. The movie begins with a pitched battle as the military finds the ape refuge and attacks only to get defeated soundly. Caesar has hardened since the war started, but he's still grasping onto his morality, manifested by him letting the few survivors go back to their colonel with a message that the war could end if the humans would simply leave them alone. That, of course, does not come to pass. Instead, the colonel brings in a special ops force to sneak in at night and assassinate Caesar in his sleep, killing Caesar's wife and eldest son instead. This does to Caesar what Koba had wanted from him before his death. Koba saw nothing good in humanity, and now, having felt the terrors of war firsthand and personally, Caesar falls into what Koba had wanted before his death.
The new film intelligently keeps Koba around, not as a primary antagonist, but as a ghost who haunts Caesar. The defeat of Koba himself doesn't defeat Koba's ideology. That's something that Caesar must continue to fight long after Koba himself has died. At the death of two members of his family, Caesar falls instantly into that, abandoning the ideological fight that he had won, and seeing nothing but the innate evil of humanity. He sets out on his own (with a few others who refuse to be left behind) to kill the colonel himself while the rest of the herd moves off to find somewhere else to live, their location having been revealed to the humans.
Along the way, they pick up a mute girl, and while the girl herself ends up working really well, I feel like her early introduction, right after Caesar has determined that he has become a Koba-like nihilist, is a bit too obvious. Suddenly, Caesar has a little human girl who could never be a real threat to him in his presence right after he picked up his anti-human feelings. Well, yeah, she's going to be one of the primary vessels to get him out of it, why do you ask? They also end up meeting a new ape, one who has no connection to the group but still can speak and has the increased intelligence of the rest, Bad Ape, a former denizen of a zoo who's been barely surviving just outside of humanity's reach and knows of the likely place where the colonel went to.
What's interesting about the human characters in this, the third of the rebooted Apes franchise, is that the humans are possibly even more interesting than the apes for the first time. The Colonel is a version of Colonel Kurtz in the movie's most obvious reference to Apocalypse Now. He's a madman who's seen things that his superiors haven't. They don't understand, and, what makes him most interesting, is that he's actually right to a great degree. His effort to destroy the apes isn't driven by hatred, but by a change in the nature of the conflict that Caesar doesn't even realize has happened. The virus that wiped out most of humanity and made the apes smart has mutated and started making humans no more than beasts. It's not a clash of civilizations, it's a fight for humanity's survival, and no one has realized it yet other than him. To add to the character, Woody Harrelson is absolutely electric as The Colonel. He's quiet, intelligent, zealous in his belief, and cruel all at once. His scenes with Caesar are the absolute height of the film as Caesar steadily gets to know the man he wants to kill.
Caesar's hatred, though, gets balanced with the fact that The Colonel found the herd and captured them, forcing them to build a wall at the abandoned weapons depot. He can't simply act on his own emotions despite moving in ways designed to separate himself from responsibility. Instead he finds himself grounded by his own people, no matter what he tries. He can't completely descend into Koba's viewpoint. He still has a small son to worry about.
It comes down to the conflict between The Colonel, who's taking a by any means necessary approach to a fight he knows he losing, and Caesar, who was willing to take a similar approach in a fight he had thought he had already lost, that is the center of the film. Perhaps the best scene is when the conflict comes to an end, and Caesar cannot take his vengeance anymore. It's a mixture of pity, anger, and relief that goes across Caesar's perfectly rendered digital face, and it shows him a different way forward, one that helps him purge himself of Koba's ghost completely.
War for the Planet of the Apes is steeped in the history of the franchise, using elements such as Nova, Charlton Heston's voice, the Alpha and Omega symbols from Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and the human muteness as building blocks in a story about Caesar's final journey into leadership and personhood. It also intelligently uses movies of the past, particularly Apocalypse Now, as inspiration for how to tell this story, going beyond parody and firmly entering homage while standing on its own two feet. I suppose my only small problem is the early use of Nova, though I do appreciate how she gets used later. Still, the movie is a very good final chapter to this new Apes trilogy. Rating: 3.5/4
Originally published here. The post POTA Franchise Ranked: #3 War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) appeared first on Bleeding Fool.  |
| Dark Horse’s Black Hammer Just Got a Bit More Unbelievable Posted: 30 May 2021 03:30 PM PDT The world of the Eisner Award-winning Black Hammer series continues to expand with this meta team superhero saga taking place between two different worlds in The Unbelievable Unteens! Written by critically acclaimed author and Black Hammer co-creator Jeff Lemire (Berserker Unbound, Sweet Tooth: The Return) and illustrated by returning Black Hammer artist, Tyler Crook (Colonel Weird: Cosmagog, Harrow County), The Unbelievable Unteens spins a genre-bending origin story for a brand-new superhero team!
After signing at a comic book convention, Unbelievable Unteens artist Jane Ito finds herself visited by one of the characters from her own creation—but was it her own creation? Were the Unteens an actual school of teenaged misfit superheroes who battled supervillains under the lead of the mysterious Dr. Miles Moniker? And if so, who wiped their memories and why? As Jane's world is turned upside down and she learns the true nature of her identity she discovers a sinister plot leading her to assemble a team she had suspected was purely fictional.
"The Unbelievable Unteens is a Black Hammer story that I have been working on for a few years and was just waiting for the right time and the right collaborator," said Lemire. "After doing Colonel Weird with Tyler Crook I knew he would be perfect to bring the creepy and wonderful teenage super hero world of the Unteens to life. This series stands alone but will also tie back into the new Black Hammer: Reborn series in unexpected ways!"
"I loved working with Jeff Lemire on Colonel Weird: Cosmamgog and was very excited that he wanted to continue working with me on The Unbelievable Unteens," Crook added. "I haven't had many opportunities to work on superhero stories and this book gave me the chance to scratch that itch. I can't wait for readers to get to know these characters and the weird events that made these Unteens so "unbelievable"!"
The Unbelievable Unteens #1 (of four) will hit comic shops August 11, 2021. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. The post Dark Horse’s Black Hammer Just Got a Bit More Unbelievable appeared first on Bleeding Fool.  |
| Z2 & Alter Bridge Team-Up for Unusual Comicbook Posted: 30 May 2021 01:00 PM PDT Z2 Comics further cements their place as the leading publisher of music-inspired graphic novels across all genres with the announcement of this summer's Alter Bridge: Tour of Horror! In the grand tradition of comic horror anthologies like Tales Form the Crypt, Creepy, and Vault of Horror, Marvel Comics writer Emily Ryan Lerner and a cast of top artists take fans on a fun-filled ride of thrills and chills!
To celebrate their comics debut, the band will release a first-ever vinyl edition of their 2004 album, One Day Remains, available ONLY with the deluxe graphic novel package, exclusively through the Z2 website, and available for preorder now!
When one of Alter Bridge's roadies goes missing, they find a GHOULISH replacement! And what better way to pass the time between gigs than with four terrifying tales that are sure to keep you up all night! Join Alter Bridge, writer Emily Ryan Lerner (Marvel, HBO) and more for a spine-tingling ride through the supernatural!!!
"After 17 years making music and touring the world, there aren't many opportunities for a rock band to do something they've never done before. After partnering with Josh and the whole Z2 staff to create Alter Bridge: Tour of Horrors, we can now check create a horror comic off our bucket list. We can't wait for people to read this original story we came up with. It is equally exciting we are finally getting to release One Day Remains on vinyl thanks to this incredible partnership," explains Alter Bridge.
Publisher Josh Frankel says "Alter Bridge: Tour of Horrors is another testament to our commitment to the vision of the artist. While some of our releases are directly tied to the storylines of the albums themselves, our mission is simply to provide a home for these musicians to expose their fans to a whole new side of their artistic palette, uninhibited by their previous musical work or otherwise. This book is guaranteed to please both fans of the classic horror anthology and Alter Bridge fans seeking something new."
The Alter Bridge: Tour of Horrors graphic novel comes in at 120 pages and will be released in a standard hardcover edition in comic shops and bookstores alike in November 2021, as well special deluxe, super deluxe edition, and super-duper deluxe editions available for preorder now only through the Z2 website, which will include a special exclusive first-time vinyl edition of the band's 2004 debut, One Day Remains, in a strictly limited edition of 3,000 copies across three premium editions! The post Z2 & Alter Bridge Team-Up for Unusual Comicbook appeared first on Bleeding Fool.  |
| Elvira Teams Up With Horror Legend Vincent Price Posted: 30 May 2021 10:30 AM PDT
The Mistress of the Dark herself, Elvira, returns to monthly comic books and this time she's joined by fellow horror comedy legend Vincent Price!
The two titans of terror and comedy unite in comics for the very first time as Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents Elvira Meets Vincent Price! The ghost of Price has a mission that only the macabre maven can assist him with. The apocalypse is coming, and it's heading straight to livestreaming for binge-watching! Leave it to a fabled lost film to save the day, if only our horror hostess and spectral companion can find it in time.
Writer David Avallone (Bettie Page, Drawing Blood) returns to capture the timeless voice of Elvira, and taps into his own history and love for Old Hollywood and film to bring Vincent Price along for the ride this time. With over three years and countless issues of experience working right alongside Elvira herself and putting words in her mouth, fans will be happy to see his return. This time he's joined for the first time by artist Juan Samu (Black Panther, Transformers).
Avallone shared, "Writing Vincent Price is a gift. On-screen and off, he's an indelible character and it's delightful to write in his "voice," just as it is to write in Elvira's. He's charming and elegant and hilarious… and as in real life, a perfect foil for Elvira. I recommend fans Googling their talk show appearances together."
Though this new history-making crossover is perfect to jump right into for Elvira newcomers, Dynamite has released several graphic novels for fans to dive deeper into the hostess with the mostest's adventures.
Elvira loves to show off and though you can't judge a book by its cover, we make them extra pretty! Longtime Elvira artist Dave Acosta returns for one, as does fan-favorite pinup artist John Royle, as well as ones by Juan Samu and of course a stunning photo of the lady herself – Elvira, Mistress of the Dark! The post Elvira Teams Up With Horror Legend Vincent Price appeared first on Bleeding Fool.  |
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