Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows Looks Back To 80's Cartoon Series

I honestly don't understand why Michael Bay gets such a bad reputation as a movie maker.  Yes, his movies aren't overly complicated when it comes to plot lines, but they are always fun to watch.  There's action and comedy, and it always has that "Michael Bay" touch.  That's why when he released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles two years ago, even though the critics panned it, I knew that it was going to be a fun movie.  It was.  Just for the record, usually when a movie critic says that something is a horrible waste of time and money, I go see it.

It's easy to forget that the sequel is being released later this year, what with all of the talk being focused on the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War dominating the fanboy news cycles, but this one is looking to be a hit in it's own right.  One of the reasons is because it's going to draw a lot of people that were fans from the 80's cartoon in to watch it, even if it's just out of pure curiosity.  Why?  Let's look at what we can expect from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows...

First off, Michael Bay won't be directing this one.  This just had to be pointed out.  Bay laid the ground work for the sequel with the original film, but this time around Davis Green will be its director.  Just wanted to point that out before going any further.  Okay, back to the movie itself.  Like I said, this is starting to look like the fan favorite 80's cartoon of our Heroes in a Half Shell.  Here are the facts.  First, our heroes are finally getting their "Party Van."  And I have to admit, it looks pretty sweet!  But that's a pretty weak reason for fans of the cartoon to go see the movie, so I'll move on.

Let's look at some of the players that are going to be appearing in the film.  Obviously, we're going to be seeing Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello, but we are also going to be seeing the return of Splinter, April O'Neil and Vern Fenwick (O'Neil's buddy cameraman).  The Shredder and Eric Sacks (Shredder's pupil and one of the main baddies from the first film) are also coming back.  The new comers to this movie are what makes things exciting.  First, Stephen Amell is going to be playing Casey Jones, the New York City masked vigilante that wields a hockey stick as his weapon of choice.  Next we Bebop and Rocksteady, played by comedian Gary Anthony Williams and WWE superstar Stephen "Sheamus" Farrelly, respectively.  Baxter Stockman will be introduced as the mad scientist that creates the mutagen that transforms the two into their famous cartoon appearances.  Finally, we have Krang, the evil brain in a robot body that hails from Dimension X, a portal to which will somehow be opened to in the film.

So tell me...are you looking forward to seeing this movie, or is it just me?  Does the fact that Michael Bay has handed the reins to the film over to David Green worry you, or does it even matter?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows hits theaters June 3, 2016.

One New Player Confirmed, One Suspected For Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Before I get started with the news of the one, possible two new additions to the movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, let me explain why I'm looking forward to seeing it.  Ever since I heard that Michael Rooker was returning to the film (along with Chris Pratt), and that Kurt Russell had joined to play (possibly) Star Lord's father, I started to get excited for the three-directional conflict that is going to be taking place.  Let me explain.

At the end of the first movie, we learned two things.  One, Peter Quill (a.k.a. Star Lord) switched the orbs before giving Yondu the "Infinity Stone," which actually turned out to be a Troll doll.  Conflict number one.  Then, we learned that Yondu had been hired to deliver Quill to his father, but instead kept him on as part of the crew of the Ravagers.  Now we know that Quill's father is going to be in the sequel, this sets up conflict number two.  See why I'm looking forward to this movie?  I can't wait to see how the three of them interact once they are all in the same place at once.  Should be fun to watch.

So here's the news on the new additions to the film.  First, Tommy Flanagan has been signed on to play Yondu's right hand man with the Ravagers.  This is a little confusing, since Sean Gunn (actor who played Kraglin, Yondu's former (?) right hand man) is still listed as being apart of the movie.  I guess this could be conflict number three.

The second actor that is being rumored to have joined the cast is none other than Sylvester Stallone.  While he hasn't been confirmed, he has been spotted in Atlanta, where the movie is being filmed, holding a script, and getting into a car that James Gunn usually reserves for Chris Pratt.  This isn't much to go on, but it is curious.  And, since I'm probably one of two people that liked Tango & Cash, it would be fun to see Kurt Russell and Stallone in another movie together.

So what do you think about these two (possible) additions?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters May 5, 2017.

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Possible Rogue One Trailer Leaked Online

Usually over the weekend I stay away from my computer, I like to decompress and relax. The problem with this is that sometimes I miss out on certain things that get posted and then quickly taken down.  This is what happened to me this past weekend.  Apparently, the trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story made it's way online.  At least, whoever leaked it said that it was.  One of the things that leads credence to this person's claim was that it was immediately removed, and all reposts of the trailer on YouTube have been removed by the site as well.  The website that reported this, WeGotThisCovered.com, said that it looked official, but at the same time they said that it's effects work was not very good, and they found it hard to believe that Disney would release something of such poor quality.

It was being reported last week that Disney is in fact close to releasing a trailer for the film, but they aren't sure which trailer to reveal first.  From what it sounded like, there are three or four that they are choosing from.  Once they decide which one to show us first, then the editing and clean up to the shots could begin, giving the leaked trailer even more authenticity.  However, since the trailer was taken down before I was able to view it, I can't say for sure.  The one thing that I did see before it was removed was a still frame of some AT-At's against a sunset/sunrise.  It reminded me of that scene in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that showed the three Tie Fighters flying in front of a rising sun.

Was anyone able to watch this trailer before it was removed?  If you did, let me know what you saw, and what your thoughts were on it.  You can leave them in the comments section below, you can email me at comconocave@gmail.com, or you can visit the Comconolcast Facebook page. 

Could Sabretooth Return For Wolverine 3?

The X-Men movie franchise has to be one of the most screwed up in the history of cinema.  I know hearing this will probably piss off a few people, but the truth hurts sometimes.  Let me explain,

Nothing in this cinematic universe has any sort of truth.  Too many actors have played the same character, and each version of the character seems to have a different history.  This has been attempted to be explained away by the powers that be at 20th Century Fox and Bryan Singer saying that X-Men: First Class reset everything.  Well, not everything.  Things were screwed up long before that film ever was made.  Case in point?  Sabretooth.

In the first X-Men, released back in 2000, Sabretooth was played by Tyler Mane.  He did a great job of capturing the comic book look for Sabretooth, but seemed to be unable to do more than grunt here or there.  Still, Mane did a great job.  Nine years later, X-Men Origins: Wolverine came out, and we were introduced to a new Sabretooth.  Keep in mind that this is a full two years before X-Men: First Class was released.  In this film, Logan and Victor are brothers.  In X-Men, they aren't.  There is a good back story to the two brothers, and I really enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so of this movie.  The rest I've been trying to forget ever since then.  Out of the two movie versions of Sabretooth, Liev Schreiber's version in Origins was hands down the best of the two.  Many fans agree on this, as well, even though they hated the movie.

Now that Hugh Jackman has announced that Wolverine 3 will be his last movie portraying Logan, it sounds like the movie studio is wanting to pull out all of the stops and let him go out with a bang.  They've already announced that the movie will be loosely based on the comic book story Old Man Logan, but there will have to be a lot of serious changes made from it before it reaches the big screen.  The biggest one is that they won't be able to have Wolverine tricked into killing off all of the X-Men.  That would kill any future X-Men project if they were all dead, or give us another alternate timeline that would just confuse fans even further.  Plus, he'll need to have someone to travel with on whatever quest or journey that they're going to have him go on.  It just makes sense to do this because unless you're Tom Hanks living on an island, you need someone to interact with...that's not a volleyball.

This is why Schreiber would be the perfect choice.  They already have a history together, there's obviously conflict between the two, and this could set up for a great adventure.  So is this even possible?  MTV News recently caught up to Schreiber and asked him this very question.  Here's what he had to say:

"We've talked about it.  I don't know.  I mean, he's mentioned it to me.  Old Man Logan story, that's appealing.  That's something I can do.  'Old' being the operative word.  Old Man Sabretooth."

Schreiber hinted at being interested last year on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show.  Here's what he said back then:

"I heard that the storyline is Old Man Logan, and when I heard that I thought, well, you know, there's Old Man Logan, there could be Old Man Sabretooth.  I don't know if I'm invited."

Let's hope that he is!  Wolverine 3 is scheduled to be released March 3, 2017.

Is This Going To Be The Title Of Star Wars: Episode VIII?

At the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we see that Rey is one step closer to her purpose, her destiny.  While she was living on Jakku, she said that she dreamed of a world covered in water, and that there was an island in the middle.  She saw the same island in her "lightsaber vision" while she was at Maz's place.  Then, she flew there after the Resistance completed the map that would lead them to Skywalker.  That was when we first got to see Luke again, 30 years after the Battle of Endor.  But where are they?

Rumors have been swirling around that Luke is at the Jedi Knights "First Temple," where it all began.  Of course, these were just rumors.  Now that production has begun for Episode VIII, things have started to slip out as far as what we can expect from the next installment.  The biggest thing so far?  The possible title of the movie.  A "mysterious" photo appeared on Reddit, and was almost immediately taken down, that showed what might be new name of the film.  That title was Star Wars: Tale of the Jedi Temple.

I know, it's kind of hokey, but it's still better than Attack of the Clones.  If this is the actual title, then it looks like the next chapter is going to delve into the history of the Jedi Knights.  We know that Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill have both done a few re-shoots for Episode VIII that take place back on the island that they were at.  Ridley was talking to MTV in an interview and had this to say about it:

Me and Mark [Hamill] have been rehearsing a lot, and it's really amazing.  When we went back to Skellig to do the opening of VIII, it was so crazy doing the same scene with a different crew of people.  He's amazing to rehearse with, and I'm very excited to be doing the rest of the stuff."

Episode VIII is still just under two years away from being released, so we probably won't hear a lot more about this film until after Rogue One leaves theaters this December.  Episode VII is scheduled for release December 15, 2017.

It's A Star Trek David Vs.Goliath

It's the fanboys going head-to-head with the copyright holders of Star Trek (CBS and Paramount).  If you haven't heard before, there is a film being produced by professionals that are also fans of Star Trek called Axanar.  It covers the war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.  It's raised all of the money needed to create it through fundraising and have repeated on numerous occasions that they are not profiting from this project, and all money raised has gone into the production of the film.  CBS and Paramount sued Axanar's production company with a cease and desist order, claiming copyright violations.  So that's the end of that, right?

Wrong.  Here's what Axanar's PR rep Morey Altman had to say about the suit:

"1.  The motion filed Monday on behalf of Axanar Productions and Alec Peters identifies what we view as deficiencies in the original complaint. Specifically, of all the copyrights owned by CBS and Paramount that relate to Star Trek, none are specifically referenced as being violated meaning it's not clear what the potential damages are or, more importantly, what Axanar Productions might be able to do to change its production and no longer infringe on the copyright.

2.  The motion also asks for a dismissal of the suit as it pertains to the feature film, Axanar, because the film has not yet been produced - the script hasn't even been finalized -  and it's impossible to identify precisely how the film infringes on CBS and/or Paramount's various copyrights."

And to quote Blastr.com, "here's the crux of these arguments straight from the motion itself:

"Until the film has been completed, the Court will not be able to compare Defendants’ film with the relevant Star Trek films and episodes at issue to determine whether the themes, mood, setting, pace, plot and characters are substantially similar. Moreover, to the extent any of the elements Plaintiffs are complaining about are actually protectable, Defendants intend to vigorously defend their use (if any) as a fair use. Without a film, the Court cannot evaluate the purpose and character of Defendants’ film, whether it is transformative, or a parody, and the amount and substantiality taken (if any). Similarly, the Court will not be able to evaluate any de minimis use defense."

The key thing to mention out of all of this is the term "fair use."  The same article went on to explain that "you've likely heard that term show up quite a lot online recently due to corporate takedowns of small content creates on sites like YouTube, Vimeo and others. And there's an argument to made that a work, inspired or otherwise using elements from another copyrighted work, is within its legal right to exist and even draw income. But fair use is a vague and tricky concept, one whose fate is being played out right now, both legally and in the court of public opinion."

The most likely outcome for the two groups here is to try and find some "middle ground" to agree on.  There are a lot of people that want to see this project proceed, and with the the "fair use" arguement still being a "hot-button topic," CBS and Paramount may want to take this route, or feel pressured to, and find some sort of agreement with the Axanar production group.

Here's one of the trailers for Axanar that you can find on YouTube:

 

Sam Raimi Will Get World War 3 Started For Warner Bros.

There are a few things that are inevitable in life.  Death, taxes, and Bruce Campbell will have some sort of role in any film that Sam Raimi directs.  The two of them have been busy lately, bringing back Ash Willliams, the fan favorite from The Evil Dead movies and Army of Darkness, to the Starz network with Ash vs. The Evil Dead.  Season one is over and done, and now work for season two begins.  So what does a brilliant director like Raimi do in the in between time?

We heard a while back that Raimi signed on to do a remake of Jacques Audiard's A Prophet, but now we've learned that he's helping out with a film for Warner Bros. called World War 3, which is based on the "non-fiction" novel The Next 100 Years written by George Friedman.  Here's the plot summary that was released:

"In his thought-provoking new book, George Friedman, founder of STRATFOR — the preeminent private intelligence and forecasting firm — focuses on what he knows best, the future. Positing that civilization is at the dawn of a new era, he offers a lucid, highly readable forecast of the changes we can expect around the world during the twenty-first century all based on his own thorough analysis and research. For example, The U.S.-Jihadist war will be replaced by a new cold war with Russia; China’s role as a world power will diminish; Mexico will become an important force on the geopolitical stage; and new technologies and cultural trends will radically alter the way we live (and fight wars). Riveting reading from first to last, “The Next 100 Years” is a fascinating exploration of what the future holds for all of us."

Since this is a new project that was just announced, there have been no actors that have been cast, or even any writers for the film yet.  As soon as they start announcing these things, I'll let you know.  It's an interesting concept, and Raimi (if he ends up being the one to direct it) will do an incredible job, as always. The article just said that Raimi had "attached himself to another Warner Bros." movie, but it didn't say that he would be directing, so I don't want to get ahead of myself.

So what do you think?  Is this something that you'd be interested in seeing?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.