Corey

How do you like to spend your free time? Do you enjoy solving puzzles? Making new friends? What about hiding out in a fridge full of dead cockroaches, concealing yourself from a masked, hammer-wielding killer that’s hunting you down?

If you’ve ever wanted to experience your very own horror movie you could go to a haunted house…or you could check out This Is Real, a new horror experience from the mastermind behind the legendary Nightmare New York. Anyone who’s watched movies like Hostel or Saw has an idea in the back of their head of how they’d react if they were placed in some madman’s lair and forced to escape, and this experience allows you to see what you would really do in the situation.

A Nightmare in Red Hook

I signed up for a 9:00 P.M. performance, which I soon started to regret when I realized where it’s located. This Is Real is set up inside a warehouse in Red Hook, one of the few areas of New York City that isn’t easily accessible by subway. It requires either a bus or a long walk, which should set the mood quite nicely.

Sadly for thematic purposes, Red Hook has been gentrified there and back, and isn’t nearly as scary as it once was. On the way there, I passed two women talking about yoga and a small batch whiskey bar. There’s a Citibike rack out front.

Still, it was located in a dirty warehouse. I met the hosts outside, a couple of people wearing odd, almost Victorian-era outfits and and makeup. Their headlamps shined into the faces of my fellow participants as we introduced themselves and signed a release form that absolved them from anything that could happen to us. We all suited up in full-body jumpsuits and sealed all of our possessions away in a locked bag. A couple of people in my group commented on how nervous I seemed and I’ll blame that on my time with the nightmarish horror experience, Blackout (you can read all about that over here).

When it comes to extreme horror experiences, I’m very much an amateur. While I’m a lifelong horror movie fan, that was the only immersive experience I’ve done, and it truly rattled me and had me nervous that I was in for another mind-breaking situation. But it turns out I had nothing to fear: This Is Real is far more theatrical and silly – it’s very much a horror-themed escape room, not something built to punish you.

(From here on out, I’ll be talking about some minor spoilers. If you want to go into this experience completely fresh – and that’s probably the best way to do it – stop reading here and go buy some tickets.)

Survive and Escape

The concept is decidedly simple. You’re locked up in a warehouse. You don’t know how you’ve made it there, but you’ve been blindfolded and tied up with your hands behind your back. You’re placed in a cell and have headphones put on your head that allow you to hear everything going on…and then you’re just locked in there.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever had to untie your hands while they were behind your back, but it’s not easy. At first I laughed, but then I got increasingly nervous as weird sounds and screams started to come from next door. It was a really clever way of getting you in the right mindset, since you start to feel panicky right away. Once you do manage to untie yourself and take your blindfold off, you’re treated to a scene of horror straight out of a torture porn film: a masked killer tortures a man sitting in a chair.

Soon, the killer leaves the room and it’s up to you to escape. You’re really going to have to work with your cellmates (up to eight people can do this at one time) to escape, and it’s here that I snapped into place and started immediately working to get us out. Horror movie fans will certainly be more mentally prepared for the experience, as anyone familiar with the likes of Motel Hell and Frontier(s) has considered this scenario before.

It turned out that my knowledge of horror video games was even more of an aid, because this basically played like a live-action version of one. Resident Evil-style puzzles abound: keys marked with letters so that you can more easily know what they open (or do they?) and secret objects that grant access to the next room. There also were many moments where you are forced to find a secret hiding space to evade the killer, who alerted us to his return by whistling merrily when he came to open the door. There’s something utterly thrilling about peeping through a vent while a mask-wearing insane person stalks after you.

There’s a lot of twists and turns along the way, along with a number of performers and effects, but I managed to actually survive the night and make it out alive. I was lucky that I was attending with a bunch of pros. I know there are roller coaster enthusiasts that travel the world trying to find new coasters, but it wasn’t until that day I learned that there are immersive theater aficionados as well. One guy had flown in from L.A. just for this experience and the other two had gone to This Is Real last year.

But it wasn’t nearly as scary as I had thought it might be. The scene you wake up to is certainly unsettling, but it’s far more theatrical than some of the immersive horror competition. Plus, there’s the fact that you can “die” up to three times before being kicked from the game. Everything resets when someone dies and they might give you a hint of what to look for next if you’re truly stuck. It’s an exciting and frantic game with a great theme, but nothing that will terrify you past reason.

When it works, it works wonderfully. There were some clever puzzles and a ton of locked doors, and there was one sequence cleverly staged behind a wall that was utterly compelling and made me feel like I was truly in a horror movie. We were all sweating our asses off while running and hiding and it really does give you a far better trapped feeling than any other escape room I’ve done. Of course, it only gives what you put into it, but some people really get into it and that can make all the difference in the world.

Roll Credits…

The cast dropped their acts immediately after the experience was done and talked about what it’s like to do the show every day. The crew apparently has a big problem with people panicking and destroying pieces of the set, and they told me that one time a guy apparently crawled out of the ceiling and hid on top.

It was hilarious to see how nice they were after chasing us all. On the bus home from Red Hook (again, there are no subways in Red Hook) I saw two of the actors, and wondered if the experience had truly finished. Maybe they’re not done with me yet…

***

This Is Real originally premiered last year and sold out of its run in a mere six hours. This year, it’s an open-ended run. You can pick up tickets at thisisreal.nyc.

The post I Survived ‘This is Real,’ the Immersive Experience Where You Escape From a Horror Movie appeared first on /Film.

writing a bestselling series of novels about a time-traveling werewolf called..... Whenwolf

— darkbeast caarl (@NightlifeMingus) October 15, 2017

Wag's expenses are especially high because the startup relies on celebrity endorsements and costly marketing campaigns, said the three people, who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter. Fashion model Kendall Jenner, singer Mariah Carey and actress Chloe Grace Moretz have praised Wag on their social media accounts. Wag's spokeswoman says, "We have not paid our celebrity fans but we have offered them free walks for life." In June, Jenner disclosed on Instagram that she was compensated to publish a paparazzi-style photograph with her Italian greyhound, Mew.

...

Despite the red ink, venture capitalists have poured more than $200 million into Wag and Rover combined.

The mayor from Jaws is still the mayor in Jaws 2. It is so important to vote in your local elections.

— Adam Goodell (@adamgoodell) October 21, 2017

To make Amazon Key possible, Amazon has introduced its own $120 internet-connected security camera called Amazon Cloud Cam. Customers who want to participate in the program need to purchase an accompanying “smart” lock to allow delivery people to enter their home. Combined camera-lock packages start at $250.

Amazon Key is a service that lets a minimum-wage contract worker into your house while an always-on surveillance camera keeps tabs on them

— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 25, 2017

Quick question. One of several. Will Amazon retain rights over the data they can classify from the security footage?

— Wayne Chambliss (@rwchambliss) October 25, 2017

Remember The Belko Experiment? It came out earlier this year and was a B-movie set in an office building about employees who were forced to kill each other at the behest of a mysterious voice who locked them inside. I found that film to be an ugly and largely pointless exercise in brutality, but if that didn’t scratch your itch for office-set murder movies, perhaps Mayhem, the newest film from director Joe Lynch (Everly), will be more up your alley. It certainly looks like it’s a hell of a lot more fun. Check out a couple of Mayhem trailers below.

Mayhem trailer

There’s also a second trailer which, annoyingly, can’t be embedded anywhere online, but you can watch that one here. That second trailer, while not as slickly edited, does an especially good job of showing off this film’s cheeky vibe, with characters dropping one-liners like “time to go to work” and “consider yourselves notified!”

I know I keep comparing this to The Belko Experiment (sorry, the fact that they’re both being released in the same year makes it inevitable), but this looks like it capitalizes on all of the potential for commentary that Belko squandered, while also leaning into its premise and having tons of fun with its violence. One of the many ways Belko dropped the ball was by not using doing enough to have its characters utilize everyday office supplies as weapons, and it looks like Mayhem is all about finding creative and tongue-in-cheek methods of inflicting violence. Seeing a wrongfully-fired employee get revenge on the greedy corporate fat cats on the top floor of a building as a virus causes unfettered insanity may be exactly the type of catharsis that some of you need right now.

The movie has played at a few film festivals already, and for the most part, critics seem to dig it. Variety calls it “a smartly constructed and sardonically funny indie with attitude,” Bloody-Disgusting says it’s “an independent rager that’s pretty fucking hardcore,” and Nerdist praises its tone and says it “offers more than a few well-earned chuckles and it rockets forward with such reckless enthusiasm that it’s hard to not get caught up in the ultra-violent insanity.” We look forward to checking it out for ourselves.

Derek Cho (Steven Yeun, “The Walking Dead”) is having a really bad day. After being unjustly fired from his job, he discovers that the law firm’s building is under quarantine for a mysterious and dangerous virus. Chaos erupts throughout the office as the victims of the disease begin acting out their wildest impulses. Joining forces with a former client (Samara Weaving, “Ash vs Evil Dead”) who has a grudge of her own, Derek savagely fights tooth and nail to get to the executives on the top floor and settle the score once and for all.

Mayhem arrives in theaters, VOD, and Digital HD on November 10, 2017.

The post ‘Mayhem’ Trailer: All Hell Breaks Loose During a Bad Day at the Office appeared first on /Film.

Warner Bros. Pictures has a new war drama called 12: Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers coming to theaters in January of 2018. Formerly known as Horse Soldiers, the film follows a team of U.S. Special Forces soldiers sent into Afghanistan almost immediately after the attacks of 9/11 on a mission to track down a network of terrorists. But in order to get the job done, they must form a surprising alliance during a difficult time, one that is more relevant than ever during today’s times of political and cultural strife.

On February 7, 2017, /Film was invited to visit the set of 12 Strong during production in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We talked to stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Pena, Trevante Rhodes and Navid Negahban about their work on the movie, which included riding horses into battle on a small mountainside while flaming debris and gunfire surrounded them. Find out what we learned about the film and the true story at the center of it in our full 12 Strong movie set visit report below.

The Story

Based on Doug Stanton’s book Horse Soldiers, inspired by the true story of the aftermath of 9/11, the war drama 12 Strong follows Chris Hemsworth as Captain Mitch Nelson and his small band of U.S. Special Forces soldiers (which include Michal Shannon, Michael Pena, and Trevante Rhodes) as they are sent into Afghanistan to hunt down the Taliban terrorists and their Al Qaeda brethren for orchestrating and executing the attack on the United States back in 2001.

Once in Afghanistan, the soldiers soon find that they won’t be able to rely on their high-tech gear or any back-up in order to complete this mission. Instead, they must team with Northern Alliance General Dostum (played by Navid Negahban) and his band of Afghani soldiers in order to fight this common enemy. Citizens of the Middle East and soldiers of the United States had to overcome their cultural divide during a time of seemingly insurmountable tension and anger in order to fight a common enemy. Outnumbered 40-to-1, the U.S. Special Forces soldiers and their new allies rode to war on horses into the city of Masar-i-Sharif in order to strike a critical blow against a group who not only left a scar on America, but have been terrorizing the people of Afghanistan for years.

On the Set of 12 Strong

After huffing and puffing up a small mountainside to the set of 12 Strong in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we find an army of soldiers on horseback, armed and ready for battle. In front of them lies a steep drop down the side of the mountain, littered with fake corpses (including partial horse dummies), destroyed tanks and debris from battle. Further down the mountain lies their target, a small city structure where the enemy is firing upon them.

While the small group of press on this set only had to climb this mountain once, the stars of the film, their trusty steeds, and the Afghani extras charged down this small mountainside for several takes. Thankfully, the impressive and breathtaking imagery of seeing the heroes from both sides charging into battle appears to be worth the exhaustion for them.

Throughout the day, the team of soldiers (including Chris Hemsworth and Michael Pena on horseback) and their new Afghani allies make it further and further down the mountain side. As they inch closer to the field of debris, the action gets even more intense. Gunfire and smoke surrounds them as a destroyed tank is set on fire in the middle of the set. Zirconium pellents are fired from paintball guns to create the sparks of bullet ricochets on set. Remember, all this is happening on a mountainside where the wind is blowing sand and dirt quite fiercely.

The level of orchestration required to pull off some of these takes was astounding. This isn’t just a normal battle scene from a contemporary war drama. There have actors and extras on real horses, charging into battle. Most times on set visits, you don’t get much of an idea for the cinematic scope of the events you’re unfolding until you get to see it in the monitors in video village, where the director oversees the footage that was just shot. But here, standing on a mountainside in Albuquerque New Mexico, you can see the movie playing in front of your very eyes.

This Isn’t Just American Propaganda

In the years following 9/11, there have been countless movies about the aftermath of the attacks from a variety of perspectives. We’ve seen stories about soldiers sent to war, stories about those who rescued survivors in the attacks, and stories about families who lost loved ones. 12 Strong initially looks and feels like the kind of gung-ho, all-American  war drama that we’ve seen become more prominent in recent years, boiling the complicated conflict down to action and blind patriotism. But while speaking to the cast, we learned that this movie has a little more bubbling beneath the surface.

Immediately after 9/11, there was an anti-Muslim, pro-patriot sentiment that couldn’t be escaped in the United States. We are currently seeing a resurgence of these sentiments. 12 Strong aims to inform Americans that this first battle we fought against the Taliban was not a victory won solely American soldiers. Instead, our forces teamed up with Afghani soldiers and citizens who were sick of the Taliban and Al Qaeda and want nothing more than to rid their country of these despicable people. It’s more relevant than ever, as ignorant people lump all people of Middle Eastern descent and Muslim beliefs into the same group as extreme terrorists.

For Chris Hemsworth, this story angle was particularly intriguing to him. The actor noted that the film differs from the various Navy SEAL movies that we’ve seen unfold during the war on terror in the Middle East:

“With Special Forces guys they embed themselves in a community over a course of months or years, and there’s a diplomatic duty and relationship-building within these communities to achieve their outcome…the bigger challenge and the talent of what these guys achieved was the relationship they formed with Dostum [played by Navid Negahban], the warlord that were fighting with, and getting him to trust them and leveraging centuries-old blood feuds between these tribes and convince them to understand we’re all fighting the same enemy.”

This alliance between Americans and Afghani people was a key part of the story Hemsworth hoped to tell, and the extras on the set had the same sentiment. Hemsworth elaborated:

“I’ve had people from Afghanistan say, ‘Thanks for helping to tell the story that says we’re not all terrorists.’ It wasn’t about America coming in and saying, ‘We’re taking over and this is how we do it.’ It was a diplomatic approach about working with the locals and spreading the word that we’re fighting a common enemy, and that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda were the ones that were attempting to take over. I really liked being able to put a spotlight on that and separate this sort of terrorism,and ideology with the rest of the country, who do not agree with that. We are under the same fear and threat to their freedom.”

Continue Reading 12 Strong Movie Set Visit >>

The post ’12 Strong’ Set Visit: A Post-9/11 War Drama That is More Relevant Than Ever appeared first on /Film.

Fans of the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America probably already know that a sequel is in the works, but while you wait for that to come to fruition, here’s a cool way to step into the world of the movie. McDowell’s, the fictional restaurant that serves as a key location in the film, is taking over a local Hollywood restaurant for a Coming to America-themed pop-up early next week, just in time for Halloween. Read all about it below.

According to Eater, the Fat Sal’s Deli in Hollywood located at 1300 N. Highland Avenue will be transforming into McDowell’s on Monday, October 30 and Tuesday, October 31, 2017 from 11am to 3pm. The interior and exterior of the current restaurant are supposed to be revamped to look like the one from the movie, which is obviously a riff on the fast food joint McDonald’s. But McDowell’s is different: while McDonald’s has the Golden Arches, McDowell’s has the Golden Arcs. And forget about the Big Mac – McDowell’s Big Mick is where it’s at. I’ve always thought sesame seeds on buns were superfluous anyway. Here are a couple of clips from the film that take place inside McDowell’s:

This isn’t the first time a McDowell’s pop-up has come to America. Back on Halloween in 2015, a restaurant in Chicago called The Wiener’s Circle that’s famous for its employees cursing at customers got the McDowell’s treatment. It’s unclear whether the same people are putting this pop-up together, or if the upcoming event was simply inspired by the Chicago pop-up. Either way, Fat Sal’s has a bit of a connection to the entertainment business already: it was co-founded by actor Jerry Ferrara, who played Turtle on HBO’s Entourage. Yes, really. That association may be a bit much for you, but I assure you, their sandwiches are delicious and very much worth seeking out if you’re ever in the area.

Fingers crossed Ferrara himself slips into the plaid uniform of a McDowell’s employee and fully commits to the bit, just like the workers did in Chicago in 2015.

Any of our Los Angeles readers planning on dropping in and checking this out? Come on back here and let us know how it goes in the comments. Let’s just hope Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t stop by, because that didn’t exactly work out all that well last time:

The post ‘Coming to America’ Restaurant McDowell’s is Coming to Hollywood appeared first on /Film.

Let the cock blocking begin!

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The best teen comedy of the decade has been renewed.

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Mr Bean is something I do not get. I will probably catch flack for this, but I don’t find the character funny in the slightest. So these do nothing for me. But I am sure there are plenty of you guys and gals out there who will be happy to add this to your collections.

Funko Pop Mr Bean

Funko is excited to announce the British icon Mr Bean is coming to Pop!

He’s a man of few words but don’t let that fool you,
Mr Bean is full of unusual yet brilliant schemes.

The hilarious Mr Bean can now be your favorite collectable!
With this best friend Teddy and wearing his
signature tweed jacket and skinny red tie.

Look for the chase piece, Mr Bean with a
Christmas turkey on his head!
A rarity of 1-in-6!

That head on the chase is ridiculous. There is no way they will be ab;e to quality control that to the point where they all stand outside the box. I do think that it is an incredible sight however. As stated above: I do not partake in Mr Bean, so I have no idea what that could possibly be a reference to. But it may be the weirdest Pop they have ever put out. The regular release has a great sculpt as well. Rowan Atkinson looks good as a Pop. Weirdly for most people, I know him more from the criminally underrated film Rat Race than Mr Bean. Maybe someday I can get Pops from that film.

Mr Bean will be a popular get when he hits shelves in January.  As always, and because of the uniqueness, the chase will be hard to come by. Save yourself the trouble. Order two from a online retailer and you may end up with both. Like this one.

The post Mr Bean gets A Funko Pop, And One Of The Most Ridiculous Chases Ever appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Dana Carvey was once one of the most popular cast members on Saturday Night Live. He star had risen so high that after leaving the late night sketch series that he launched his own self-titled primetime sketch comedy series on network television. So why did it fail?

A new Hulu documentary called Too Funny to Fail: The Life and Death of The Dana Carvey Show takes a deep dive into the creation of the short-lived sketch comedy series. Why is a canceled sketch comedy series of any interest? Well, The Dana Carvey Show featured the likes of Louis C.K., Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Robert Smigel, Jon Glaser, filmmaker Charlie Kaufman and 30 Rock executive producer Robert Carlock, all before they made it big. With so much talent in one place, why wasn’t this show a hit?

Watch the Too Funny to Fail Trailer

This documentary is exactly the kind of thing that the comedy nerd inside me loves. Hearing about the inner-workings of projects where there was a plethora of talent who would go on to become comedy superstars is endlessly fascinating to me. While we’ve seen plenty of docs on comedic institutions like Saturday Night Live, we rarely see feature length documentaries focusing on shows that barely anyone remembers anymore.

Funnily enough, the 1990s was a time in my adolescence when I was obsessed with Wayne’s World, watching it on VHS at my aunt’s house (my parents didn’t own it for some reason), and always trying to stay up late to watch SNL, hoping that there was a new sketch featuring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as the couch-surfing buds. I might be one of the few who actually has memories of watching The Dana Carvey Show on ABC, so this documentary was tailor-made for me.

Here’s the official synopsis from Hulu:

It had all the makings of a huge television success:  a white-hot comic at the helm, a coveted primetime slot, and a pantheon of future comedy legends in the cast and crew. So why did The Dana Carvey Show—with a writers room and cast including then unknowns Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Louis C.K., Robert Smigel, Charlie Kaufman, and more— crash and burn so spectacularly? Too Funny to Fail tells the hilarious true story of a crew of genius misfits who set out to make comedy history… and succeeded in a way they never intended.

Too Funny to Fail hits Hulu on October 21, 2017.

The post ‘Too Funny to Fail’ Trailer: Hulu Documentary Digs into ‘The Dana Carvey Show’ appeared first on /Film.

Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme has made a meta film commenting on his career before with 2008’s JCVD, but now the Muscles from Brussels is heading to Amazon for a new action comedy series where he takes it to the next level. Jean-Claude Van Johnson stars JCVD as a version of himself that takes acting gigs as a cover for his real job as an undercover operative.

After the brief teaser trailer that hit last week, a full trailer is here that reveals a lot more of the show’s story and gives a far better sense of the goofy, self-effacing tone they’re going for with the show. Spoiler alert: this looks hilarious.

Jean-Claude Van Johnson trailer

“No one’s going to die…except for all the people I’m going to kill.”

This trailer perfectly delivers on the promise of what I thought this show could be the first time I heard about it. When /Film exclusively broke the story about this show’s existence last year, I was excited about the concept, but didn’t want to get too excited in case the show couldn’t live up to its premise. Thankfully, this trailer has now wiped away any doubt I had, and now I’m convinced this will end up being a great way to cap off the year (and God knows we all could use something nice to wrap up 2017).

The best surprise for me is the appearance of Moises Arias, who appears to be playing the equivalent of James Bond’s “Q” for Van Damme’s character. That actor brought such bizarre, wonderful energy to The Kings of Summer a few years ago and I’ve been waiting to see him get another fun, memorable role ever since. This could be the one that puts him on more people’s radar.

Here’s the show’s official synopsis:

‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ stars global martial arts & film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme playing “Jean-Claude Van Damme,” a global martial arts & film sensation, also operating under the simple alias of “Johnson” as the world’s most dangerous undercover operative. Unhappily retired, a chance encounter lures him back into the game, forcing him to confront the greatest enemy he’s ever faced.

The new trailer also reveals the official release date. Jean-Claude Van Johnson will begin streaming on Amazon Prime starting on December 15, 2017. So if every ticket for The Last Jedi is already sold out, at least now you have a backup option.

The post ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ Trailer: Van Damme Makes Fun of Himself and Saves the World appeared first on /Film.

When Randall picked up Gizmo from the antique store in Gremlins, obviously the Mogwai was the standout selection. That may not be the case, however, for this Gremlins poster, which turns that store into a pop culture cornucopia.

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“United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru; Republic Dominican, Cuba, Caribbean, Greenland, El Salvador too.” By now, the classic Animaniacs’ song, Yakko’s World, is probably firmly stuck in your head. But did you know that Rob Paulsen, the voice of Yakko Warner, recorded that incredibly complex…

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The trailer is so bonkers, I’m not sure if there are any other words necessary.

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The Natural History Museum of London has announced the winners of the 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. Highlights of this year include bioluminescent termite mounds, hoards of giant spider crabs, a juvenile gorilla lounging on the forest floor—and an absolutely heartbreaking image of a poached black…

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The Marvel Universe is about to learn in a very big way that the “quiet, friendly” African nation of Wakanda is a global (and universal) force to be reckoned with; and as the newest trailer for Marvel Studios‘ Black Panther makes clear, King T’Challa’s/Black Panther’s revolution isn’t going to be televised…it’s going live!

Following-up on where events left off in Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to Wakanda in time to find his very sovereignty challenged by warring factions from within his own borders. When Wakandan exile Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and black market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) conspire to bring down his reign, T’Challa must become the Black Panther; and with the aid of C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman),  as well as Okoye (Danai Gurira) and members of Wakandan special forces unit Dora Milaje to prevent a world war.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther stars stars Boseman, Jordan, Gurira, Freeman, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker; and is set for a February 16, 2018 release.

The post ‘Black Panther’: New Trailer Takes The Wakandan Revolution Global appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Stranger Things is a special kind of television show. It became an overnight phenomenon last summer, and anticipation is at a fever pitch for Part 2’s big debut next Friday. But what about those people who do not have Netflix? Yes, they do exist. I myself have a great friend who is dying to watch the show, but will not subscribe to Netflix for some crazy reason. Say what you will about their movie choices, but their original programming is more than worth the price. People like him were screwed as far as Stranger Things was concerned.

Not anymore.

Stranger Things Part One Blu-Ray and DVD Set (Target Exclusive)

How cool is this packaging?!?! As a nerd who geeks out for special packaging and has been known to buy things he does not even want because of awesome packaging, this is cool. I am a 80’s/90’s kid, so VHS is my default memory for consuming films at home. To have this awesome show come in an old school VHS-style box is a home run for me. Pictures do not do this thing justice. It has a surprising weight to it. The outer cover has the key art from Part One on the front, along with a old school video store category sticker. The back features a single photo of Joyce (played by Winonna Ryder) like the old horror boxes of old. I LOVE that they also in small writing put the old VHS copying warning under the picture.

Then they double down and the inner case is modeled after a VHS tape. Right down to the “Be Kind Rewind” sticker.

I am in love.

Inside is of course not a VHS tape, but a multi-layered case for your discs. On top you have the two Blu-Ray discs, and when you lift the flap you get cool art of Nancy reaching out of the Upside Down and the DVD discs. For those who worry about such things: there are NO special features on these discs. That is a shame, but not surprising. All you will find is the trailers for Part Two of Stranger Things and one for The Defenders. For the Blur-Ray specs, you can choose between 5.1 Dolby TrueHD sound or 5.1 Descriptive Audio. And there are English subtitles. That is it. Video is true HD, but not 4K. I like that, I almost wish it was even lesser quality to enjoy the show as a throwback.

Stranger Things Demogorgon Poster

Finally you get a cool Stranger Things Demogorgon poster. There is no credited artist that I can find, but it certainly leaves its mark on you when you see it.

Look, this is a pretty bare bones release. This is for two groups of people I have already mentioned: those without Netfilx and those who collect such things/fans of the show. That is why this is exclusive to Target and did not get a wide release. Yes, I have Netflix. But I also love the show and want to support it anyway I can. At $25, for the show on Blu-ray and DVD in one creative package? That’s a no-brainer buy for me.

This hit stores today. If you want as copy, go to Target now or order one online here.

The post Stranger Things Gets The Coolest Home Video Release Of The Year appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

IT’S FUCKING TUESDAY. DID YOU KNOW ICELAND HAS EUROPE’S LARGEST BANANA PLANTATION?

WORDS OF WISDOM OF THE FUCKING DAY:

YOU WEREN’T BORN TO JUST PAY BILLS AND DIE.

PERSON OF THE FUCKING DAY:

CRAZY BASTARD WALKED NIAGARA GORGE ON STILTS. more>>

EDUCATE YOUR IGNORANT ASS:

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CROSS STITCHING SHIT. more>>

FUCKING MIND-BLOWING BOOK OF THE DAY:

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BECOMING A GODDAMN DIGITAL NOMAD. more>>

USEFUL SHIT OF THE GODDAMN DAY:

DON’T FUCKING PANIC. more>>

WEBSITE OF THE FUCKING DAY:

BOOKMARK HELLA VIDEOS AND WATCH THEM LATER. more>>

AWESOME-AS-SHIT VIDEO OF THE DAY:

THE FIRST ASTEROID EVER FUCKING DISCOVERED. more>>

SWEET-ASS PICTURE OF THE DAY:

MOTHERFUCKING CHINA. more>>

Once again, the fate of the galaxy is in the hands, feet, and empty heads of four of the dumbest people in the universe.

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Eminem made a return of sorts at Tuesday night’s BET Awards. In a freestyle rap, he again went after Donald Trump after previously attacking him during last years “Campaign Speech” and on rapper Big Sean‘s song “No Favors”. In a blistering four-and-a-half minute freestyle, he calls Trump a “bitch” and “racist 94 year old grandpa”. But one line in particular is standing out for most:

Racism’s the only thing he’s Fantastic 4 cause that’s how he gets his rocks off, he’s orange.

Naturally, as a comic fan that line is both hilarious and kind of sad when you think about it.

Makes you wonder why Trump backer Ike Perlmutter hasn’t taken the Fantastic Four book out of the doghouse for a spin. I mean, he is friends with Ike. Ike donated to his campaign, and even trusts him enough to count him as an official adviser of his. In this time of Marvel Legacy relaunches, surely there is room for this one?

Naturally, something like this is going to get a rise out of people. Colin Kaepernick, also name-checked in the freestyle, paid his respect.

Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James Respond to Fantastic Four Call-Out

I appreciate you @Eminem ✊ pic.twitter.com/nwavBwsOkQ

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) October 11, 2017

LeBron James, who has also been vocal about Trump calling him previously “a bum”, also loved the FF shout-out:

Racism is the only thing he's Fantastic 4(fantastic for), cause that's how he gets his rock off, he's orange. Sheesh @Eminem!! ✊#United pic.twitter.com/wcL28BCWpy

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 11, 2017

Eminem also went hard at his fans that may support Donald Trump.

“And any fan of mine who’s a supporter of his, I’m drawing in the sand a line, you’re either for or against, and if you can’t decide who you like more and you’re split on who you should stand beside, I’ll do it for it for you with this. Fuck you.”

I would say that is pretty cut and dry wouldn’t you? The apperance was planned to get hype for the new Eminem album, his eighth. Needless to say, this will garner some publicity.

You can watch the entire thing down below.

The post Eminem, Yuge Fantastic Four Fan, Compares Trump To The Thing In Epic Takedown appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Netflix has released a new and final trailer for their upcoming series Mindhunter. The story takes place in 1979 and a looks at the beginning of serial killer profiling. It starts with the question, ‘How do we get ahead of crazy if we don’t know how crazy thinks?’ Two FBI agents set out on a sinister investigative odyssey to discover the brutal answers.

You have to appreciate the use of the Talking Heads song Psycho Killer.

Mindhunter features Jonathan Groff (Looking), Holt McCallanay (Sully), Anna Torv (Fringe) and Hannah Gross (Unless). The series is directed by David Fincher (Gone Girl, The Social Network, Zodiac) and premieres October 13th on Netflix.

The post Mindhunter: Digging Into The Way Serial Killers Think appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Michael B. Jordan is getting back into the superhero game, and maybe this time, the project won’t stink! Netflix has just ordered a 10-episode season of Raising Dion, a new superhero drama that Jordan will executive produce and appear in. Get the full Raising Dion details below.

Michael B. Jordan has a history with superhero projects. He appeared in Josh Trank’s pretty-good superhero flick Chronicle, where he played one of three young men who suddenly discovers they have super powers; and also in Trank’s not-so-good superhero movie The Fantastic Four, where he played Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, and gave pretty much the only good performance in the film. He’ll also be seen in Ryan Coogler’s awesome-looking Black Panther, due out in 2018.

Now the Creed actor will bring his considerable talents to a new Netflix series. Inspired by a short film and a comic book from filmmaker Dennis Liu, Chasing Dion follows Nicole, a woman raising her son Dion in the aftermath of the death of husband (played by Jordan). The complications of single parenthood are overwhelming enough, but then Nicole discovers Dion has superhero-like abilities. Nicole works to keep her son’s powers a secret, fearing that less-than-savory individuals would exploit Dion’s abilities for nefarious gains. You can watch the Raising Dion short film that inspired the project below.

Raising Dion short film

Of the project, creator Dennis Liu said:

I started this project many years ago because I wanted to see more diverse representation on film and television and I’m excited to partner with Netflix and MACRO, who I know shares that commitment. More than ever, we need more stories told from different points of view and my hope with Raising Dion is to create a cinematic experience for all families that will lift your spirits and make you laugh and cry.

Carol Barbee, a writer for shows such as Jericho and Hawaii Five-0, will serve as showrunner and will also write the script for the first episode, with Liu set to direct. Regarding the project, Cindy Holland, Vice President for Original Content for Netflix, said:

“We haven’t seen this type of superhero story before — an origin myth full of imagination, wonder and adventure, all grounded in the experiences of a modern single mother. Michael B. Jordan is an exciting and dynamic talent, and I’m excited to see him, MACRO, Carol and the team translate Dennis’ unique vision to television.”

Jordan is currently working on a TV adaptation of Fahrenheit 451, and will next be seen in Marvel’s Black Panther.

The post Michael B. Jordan is Bringing a Superhero Drama to Netflix appeared first on /Film.

Syfy has posted the first full trailer for Season 1 of Happy, the adaptation of the comic by Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson. Starring Christopher Meloni and Patton Oswalt, the series debuts on December 6.

Meet Nick Sax, a corrupt, intoxicated ex-cop turned hit-man, adrift in a stinking twilight world of casual murder, soulless sex, eczema, and betrayal. With a hit gone wrong, a bullet in his side, the cops and the mob on his tail, and a monstrous child killer in a Santa suit on the loose, Nick and his world will be changed forever this Christmas — by a tiny blue horse called Happy!

The post Watch The First Official ‘Happy’ Season 1 Full Trailer appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Revealed today at New York Comic Con during the Keanu Reeves panel (yeah, Keanu Reeves has his own panel. Got a problem with that?), here’s the trailer for Replicas, a sci-fi thriller starring Reeves, Alice Eve, and Thomas Middleditch. Directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff and written by Stephen Hamel and Chad St. John, there’s no release date for the film yet, other than a vague “coming soon.” Bleeding Cool ace reported Hugh Sheridan is at the Keanu Reeves panel and will have a full report later. For now, enjoy the trailer.

In this sci-fi thriller, neuro-scientist William Foster (Keanu Reeves) is on the verge of successfully transferring human consciousness into a computer when his family is tragically killed in a car crash. Desperate to resurrect them, William recruits fellow scientist Ed Whittle (Thomas Middleditch) to help him secretly clone their bodies and create replicas. But he soon faces a “Sophie’s choice” when it turns out that they can only bring three of the four family members back to life.

The post Watch The Trailer For Keanu Reeves’ New Sci-Fi Thriller, Replicas, From New York Comic Con appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Here it is! The first official trailer for Pacific Rim Uprising (no colon, as we’ve been pointedly told).

The trailer was revealed at the Pacific Rim Uprising panel at New York Comic Con, and oh, will you look at that? Bleeding Cool ace reporter Kaitlyn Booth is at the panel and sending us live updates, which you can view here.

The post Pacific Rim Uprising Gets Its First Official Trailer At New York Comic Con [WATCH] appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

When you’re a band looking for a comeback, hitting the road to travel the highways and byways across this country can be pretty hellish all on its own: cramped space, long hours driving, crappy motels, and eating most of your meals “to go.” Worst of all? Band mates and crew that leave garbage around that attracts ants.

But what do you do when those ants are almost as large as your tour bus — and there’s a lot of them?

Welcome to the horror comedy world of Dead Ant, written and directed by Ron Carlson (All American Christmas Carol). So ahead of its world premiere at Screamfest 2017 (running October 10th-19th at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese 6 Theatres), here’s a look at the film’s official trailer:

When the “one-hit-wonder” glam-metal band Sonic Grave embark on a trip to Coachella in hopes of a comeback, their peyote trip pit stop in Joshua Tree incites an “unworldly” viscous attack, and they must “rock” themselves out of harm’s way.

Dead Ant stars Tom Arnold (Sons of Anarchy, True Lies), Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Stranger Things), Jake Busey (The Predator, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), Rhys Coiro (Texas Rising, Entourage), Leisha Hailey (The L Word, Bosch), Cameron Richardson (Get a Job, Alvin and the Chipmunks), and Danny Woodbury (Bones, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

Screamfest Horror Film Festival has a proud tradition of offering attendees access to some of the most creative minds in the horror and science fictions genres through film screenings; Q&As with casts and crews; and conversations with some of the most original and innovative visionaries working the industry today.

Although gaining a certain level of notoriety in 2007 when it “discovered” Paranormal Activity, the festival has also premiere films such as 30 Days of Night; Let the Right One In; The Grudge; The Collection, Trick ‘r’ Treat and The Human Centipede. Filmmakers from across the pop culture spectrum continue to support the festival, including Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, Clive Barker, Eli Roth, James Wan, Zack Snyder, William Friedkin, John Landis and James Gunn.

The post ‘Dead Ant’ Trailer: Ants Aren’t Just For Ruining Picnics Anymore appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Tommy Wiseau and his cult favorite The Room are about to become even more popular thanks to James Franco‘s The Disaster Artist, which chronicles the making of the 2003 film. Early buzz on The Disaster Artist has been very positive, with /Film’s own Jacob Hall calling it a “hilarious and sincere tribute to one of the worst movies ever made.” But there’s one review that probably takes precedence over the rest: Tommy Wiseau’s. So what did Wiseau think of the film? You can find out by seeing the Tommy Wiseau Disaster Artist review below.

Wiseau has inexplicably become very famous for making something very bad. The Room, a truly strange film Wiseau wrote, directed, and acted in, became the stuff of midnight movie legend. The type of so-bad-it’s-good film that grows a rabid cult following. And now Wiseau has his own biopic, of sorts, with James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, a new comedy from A24 that chronicles the making of The Room. But what does Wiseau himself actually think of the film? In a video posted by the L.A. Times‘ Jen Yamato, Wiseau lets his feelings be known.

The only #TheDisasterArtist review that matters: #TheRoom's Tommy Wiseau on James Franco's film ????????Full glorious vid: https://t.co/04lSk6Ybc7 pic.twitter.com/z2J0ryNS8O

— jen yamato (@jenyamato) September 12, 2017

In the video, Wiseau, sitting with Disaster Artist stars James and Dave Franco, and Greg Sestero (The Room co-star whom Dave Franco plays in the new film) sit and listen as Wiseau says he “99% approves” of the film, although he seems to be nonplussed about the way The Room‘s football scene was handled. Interestingly enough, whenever Franco talks with Wiseau in the video, he apparently can’t help but slip back into Wiseau’s accent that he uses in The Disaster Artist. Wiseau’s take here coincides with his take out of SXSW, which Franco recounted (for EW):

“He didn’t see it until SXSW, and we were unsure of what he was going to think, especially because he said, [mimicking Wiseau’s accent] ‘Greg book only 40 percent true.’ It was like, well, that’s what we based it on, so what are you going to think about our movie? And that screening was so successful, it was like a rock concert. That and the Spring Breakers screening at SXSW [in 2013] would be the two greatest screenings of my life, I imagine. I was like, ‘So, Tommy, what did you think of the movie?’ And he said, ‘I approve 99.9 percent.’ He said, ‘I think the lighting, in the beginning, a little off.’ [Laughs] I told Brandon [Trost, The Disaster Artist‘s cinematographer]. He was like, ‘Yeah, maybe we should watch The Room, get some lighting pointers!'”

Here’s the synopsis for The Disaster Artist:

This is a true story about the making of THE ROOM – the cult classic described as the “Citizen Kane of bad movies”. THE DISASTER ARTIST, directed by and starring James Franco, is a buddy comedy about two outsiders chasing a dream. When the world rejects them, they decide to make their own movie – and it’s a movie so wonderfully awful due to its unintentional hilarious moments, meandering plots and terrible acting.

The Disaster Artist opens in select theaters December 1, 2017.

The post Watch: ‘The Disaster Artist’ Reviewed By ‘The Room’ Star Tommy Wiseau appeared first on /Film.