Monthly Archives: August 2012
The Possession vs Lawless vs…Ooogieloves? Biff Bam Pop’s Box Office Predictions
The last weekend of the summer typically doesn’t have much to show in the way of box office, so expect the new releases to not do much business. Regardless, here’s what you can check out in theatres.
The Possession is yet another supernatural demon/ghost possession style flick, though one with an admittedly strong cast, including Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgewick. Last week’s horror entry, The Apparition, did absolutely nothing in terms of dollars, so The Possession could find itself an audience this last week of summer. Look for a first place showing with $13 million.
Find out what else is out there after the jump!
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Reboots – What Are They Thinking?
Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man
I’m old. I’ve seen three different Godzillas, three distinct Batmans, three versions of Charlie’s Angels, three takes on Doctor Who, at least three DC Universes, two cinematic Spider-Mans and at least half a dozen each of Sherlock Holmes and Tarzan. Franchise characters tend to exist in their own universe, whether bound by copyright or movie rights or just the nature of their worlds. Sometimes, the creative powers that be will restart that universe over again. This is called a reboot. What is it about reboots? Why do they keep happening, and why do they work? Let’s find out after the jump.
Fall TV Preview: The Mindy Project
Each week we will previewing new shows being added to the Fall TV Line-up. These recaps should help you decide what’s worth adding to your viewing schedule and what you should skip. This week introduces us to FOX’s The Mindy Project starring Mindy Kaling (The Office). To start off, have a look at the trailer for the new series and then read on after the jump for a full synopsis:
Superman and Wonder Woman’s Super Smooch Tops The Wednesday Run – August 29, 2012
What? What? What? They did what now?
I know this is DC’s New 52, and that the New 52 means change, but this is just…ludicrous! Look, I’m all for new stories shedding new light on old characters, but there are certain things that are sacrosanct.
When we’re talking about comic book superheroes, those things, ultimately, are: character name, general physical appearance, general costume motifs, and, of course, a love interest. When we’re talking about the most globally iconic superhero of all, well, Superman needs his Lois Lane – and Lois Lane needs her Superman! They define each other!
So what’s all this nonsense about discarding everyone’s favourite black-haired, intrepid Daily Planet reporter and reimagining Supes’ singular love interest as…the Amazonian Princess herself, Wonder Woman? Huh?
Fall Music Preview – Looking At New Singles From Green Day, Matchbox 20, Bob Dylan And More!
While August has been fairly lacklustre in terms of solid new album releases, there’s a ton of great material on the horizon for Fall 2012. Many artists have released singles from their forthcoming releases and here’s a look at the hits and misses so far.
Green Day, “Oh Love” – If you’d have told me in 1994 that Green Day would be one of the most consistent bands over the next 20 years, releasing hit singles, critically acclaimed concept albums and inspiring a successful Broadway production, I would have suggested that perhaps you took one too many shots of mud to the head during their Woodstock ’94 performance. 65 million albums and multiple Grammy awards later, the San Francisco, California power-trio continues to deliver radio-friendly tracks while somehow maintaining their punk rock credibility. “Oh Love” is the first single from their upcoming trilogy of albums ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré! to be released between September and January. The track finds lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong in strong voice delivering a catchy, power-pop anthem that works as both a sing-a-long and arena rocker.
Exclusive Interview: BBP Talks WWE 13 With THQ’s Bryan Williams
CM Punk is the WWE 13 coverboy!
While attending Fan Expo Canada 2012, I had the chance to get the inside scoop on the upcoming THQ game WWE 13, the next installment in the venerable sports entertainment franchise, from Senior Designer Bryan Williams. As a long time fan of wrestling video games, it was exciting to find out what THQ has in store for us when the game is released on October 30th. So check out the game trailer below and then watch our interview after the jump (and turn up the volume, as it was pretty darn noisy at the event!).
Revisiting The Walking Dead Season Two
While everyone I know was enamoured with the second season of The Walking Dead, I was spending my Sunday nights doing anything but watching the show. I sat through the first three episodes but I just wasn’t engaged with the plight of our survivors. I wish I could nail down what my issues were – maybe it was just moving too slow for my own tastes. Whatever the case, it was only with the second season DVD collection (out today) that I was able to get fully immersed once again the live action adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s world of the walking dead. Watching all thirteen episodes in quick succession was a plus. On that note, here are a few highlights from the second season that I discovered with the new collection. And yes, there will be spoilers galore
Hitting The Same Beats, Even If The Tune Is Slightly Different
If you’ve read Robert Kirkman’s comic book, there were certain elements of season two that you immediately recognized from the book and could predict how they’d play out. Hershel’s barn holding a horde of zombies. The romance between Glenn and Maggie. The ultimate fate of Shane. However, even with these critical storylines jumping from the page to the small screen, showrunner Glenn Mazarra and the rest of The Walking Dead team managed to have some genuinely unpredictable moments all season long. The death of Sophia, a mainstay of the comics, came as an utter shock to me, and the group’s discovery of her location was heartbreaking.
Speaking of death, I knew at some point Dale was going to shuffle off this mortal coil, but I didn’t expect it to come so early in the run of the show. I was sad to see Jeffrey DeMunn’s time on The Walking Dead end, but it did so with a great final moment, courtesy of Norman Reedus’ increasingly appealing character of Darryl.
Find out what else worked in season two of The Walking Dead after the jump.
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Watch With Amanda: What’s On TV This Week? August 27 – September 2
This week: Breaking Bad ends the season with Walt and Lydia working together to tie up loose ends.
