Luke Owen looks at the latest episode of From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series…
After the action packed finale of Let’s Get Ramblin’, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series slows down the pace somewhat as we’re given a part of the story that should have been tense, but ends up being more convoluted than it needed to be. Like last week’s episode, Self Contained isn’t bad, but it’s not the dizzying heights of greatness we had in episodes two and three.
The Gecko Brothers are finally reaching the border having escaped Ranger Frederico and the Fuller family are co-operating against their will. However, with their names plastered on TV around the country and their names being talked about on the radio, they’re going to need a lot of luck in order to get into El Ray.
Just as the series has been thus far, Self Contained takes a short portion of the original movie and stretches it out over a 45 minute timeframe. But unlike previous episodes, Self Contained doesn’t quite succeed. In last week’s episode review, praise was given to Marcel Rodriguez for crafting a script that expanded the movie’s plot without feeling padded, but Matt Morgan and Ian Sobel have somehow missed the boat. They’ve got all the characters right and the dialogue is great, but there are unnecessary additions to the story which feel like contrivances to fill out the runtime. Did we really need the scene with Jacob knocking out another driver, forcing Scott to drive the vehicle in front? It feels as though the pair thought this would ramp up the tension, but it just feels lazy and forced.
One element that does work however is taking something that was essentially a joke from the original movie and expanding it into a genuine part of the plot. The gag from From Dusk Till Dawn was that Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame) played several parts in the movie including the border patrol agent and the mysterious Carlos. But because Carlos has been given a much bigger role in the series, they turn the gag of Marin playing both characters into a plot point. Carlos needs the Gecko Brothers to get across the border, so he uses his as-of-yet-unexplained snake shape shifting powers to take the form of the border patrol agent to help move the RV along. It’s a clever way of nodding to the 1996 movie without overly stating it’s an homage.
Criticisms have been thrown at Madison Davenport and Brandon Soo Hoo for being bland/uninteresting characters, but they seem to be coming into their own. Davenport’s Kate is still incredibly whiney, but her motivations are becoming clearer and it should lead to interesting dynamics as we reach the final half of the series. Scott on the other hand was never a very defined character to begin with so Soo Hoo had a clean slate to play with. Unfortunately he’s been held back by dreadful characterisation that exemplifies the media’s portrayal of “geek culture”, but in Self Contained, he’s not hampered by this writing to a show-stopping degree and instead becomes a badass with valid points. He does have an anti-bullying speech that is a little on the nose, but he handles himself quite well.
Despite the criticisms laid out in the above paragraphs, Self Contained is another good episode of what has been a great show. The acting is solid, the dialogue is beautiful in that Tarantino way of writing and the final moments of the episode have brought us to our final resting place – The Titty Twister. Some might claim it’s taken us a long time to get to this point, but From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is about to get really interesting…
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
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Marvel Studios has released four new images from director James Gunn’s (Super) upcoming cosmic Marvel ensemble Guardians of the Galaxy, featuring all five of the heroes in Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel)….
“From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team — the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits — Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand — with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.“
Guardians of the Galaxy is set for release on August 1st, with a cast that also includes Benicio Del Toro (Sin City) as The Collector, Lee Pace (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) as Ronan the Accuser, Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) as Nebula, Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) as Korath, John C. Reilly (Step Brothers) as Rhomman Dey and Glenn Close (Damages) as Nova Prime Rael. Watch the first trailer here.
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As Zack Snyder and actress Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 6) gear up to give a big screen debut to the Amazon Princess, former Wonder Woman Lynda Carter has shared her feelings on how she’d like to see the character portrayed in the Man of Steel sequel Batman vs. Superman, telling The Huffington Post that…
“I’m in [Gal's] corner. I just hope they write well for her. I’m very hopeful she embodies the essence of Wonder Woman. It’s less about super powers and more about heart and intellect and a sense of right and wrong with a goodness in her. Often times, writers really want to take a male superhero and dress him up as a female – and that’s just not who she is… They make Wonder Woman a macho Superman type character – they make her mean – and that’s not who she is.”
Do you agree with Carter? How would you like to see Wonder Woman portrayed in the Man of Steel sequel?
Batman vs. Superman is set for release on May 6th 2016 with a cast that also includes returning Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill (Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent) and Laurence Fishburne (Perry White) alongside Ben Affleck (Argo) as Batman, Jesse Eisenberg (Now You See Me) as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) as Alfred Pennyworth and Holly Hunter (The Piano), Callan Mulvey (300: Rise of an Empire) and Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.
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Now that the world premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is out of the way, we can expect Sony to really ramp up the marketing for its upcoming superhero sequel… if it can be ramped up any further, after what’s been an absolute blitz of promotion these past couple of months. Next up is a new featurette entitled ‘Scoring Spidey’, which delves into the score by Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams; check it out below…
We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead. It’s great to be Spider-Man.
For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen. But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro, Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is set for release on April 18th in the UK and on May 1st in North America, with a cast that includes returning stars Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man), Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy), Sally Field (Aunt May), Chris Zylka (Flash Thompson), Campbell Scott (Richard Parker), Embeth Davidtz (Mary Parker), Martin Sheen (Ben Parker) and Denis Leary (George Stacy) alongside new additions Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) as Electro, Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) as Harry Osborn, Paul Giamatti (12 Years a Slave) as The Rhino, Chris Cooper (American Beauty) as Norman Osborn, Colm Feore (Thor) as Donald Menken, Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) as Felicia Hardy, Marton Csokas (The Lord of the Rings) as Dr. Kafka and B.J. Novak (The Office) as Alistair Smythe. Read our review here.
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20th Century Fox has launched a new viral site for the upcoming superhero sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past, which looks back at the events that determined the fate of a species with ’25 Moments in the Struggle Between X-Men and Humans’. Head over to the new viral site here, and check out the video below….
And here’s a selection of images depicting said ’25 Moments’…
X-Men: Days of Future Past is set for release on May 22nd and features a cast that includes Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Lucas Till (Havok), Halle Berry (Storm), Anna Paquin (Rogue), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Shawn Ashmore (Iceman) and Daniel Cudmore (Colossus) alongside X-Men newcomers Evan Peters (American Horror Story) as Quicksilver, Booboo Stewart (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) as Warpath, Omar Sy (The Intouchables) as Bishop, Fan Binbing (Iron Man 3) as Blink, Adan Canto (The Following) as Sunspot, Evan Jonigkeit (The Following) as Toad, Josh Helman (Mad Max: Fury Road) as William Stryker, and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) as Bolivar Trask.
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Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we’ve got a great new shot of the fan favourite Dinobot Grimlock, who is set to make his live-action debut this summer in Paramount Pictures’ sequel Transformers: Age of Extinction…
Meanwhile, speaking to EW, director Michael Bay has spoken about the upcoming movie, stating that, “It’s kind of like a new Transformers. It’s the first of a new trilogy. I’m not necessarily sure that I’m doing [the others], but that’s what it’s meant for.”
Bay also went on to discuss the decision to go with an entirely new cast, with Mark Wahlberg (Pain & Gain) taking on the lead after three movies with Shia LaBeouf:
“It’s all good. [LaBeouf] is a good guy, but three movies, the same guy, it’s time, you know what I’m saying. It’s always good to freshen it up and change the story… It was [a mutual decision]. He only wanted to do three, and I think that’s all. Then I pulled Mark into this after Pain & Gain, because we had a great time working together.”
Transformers: Age of Extinction is out June 27th, with Mark Wahlberg starring alongside Jack Reynor (What Richard Did), Stanley Tucci (Captain America: The First Avenger), Nicola Peltz (Bates Motel), Bingbing Li (Resident Evil: Retribution), Sophia Myles (Underworld), Victoria Summer (Saving Mr. Banks), Titus Welliver (Lost) and T.J. Miller (She’s Out of My League). Watch the first trailer here.
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Last year, Walt Disney Japan announced a new anime series from Toei entitled Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, and now thanks to CBM we’ve got our first look at the show thanks to video of the opening title sequence and a clip from the first episode, both of which are in Japanese with English subtitles (not that it looks like it would make much sense anyway). Check them out below…
In an all-out battle instigated by Loki, most of Earth’s super heroes and villains have been trapped inside disks—a new technology originally developed as portable security devices for capturing and securing villains around the world.
The Avengers team up with a group of teens to reclaim the scattered disk, and using their special abilities and techniques (waza), thwart Loki’s evil schemes to save the Earth from ultimate destruction.
Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers is airing now in Japan and is expected to make its Western debut later in the year.
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Andy Naylor reviews Judge Dredd #18…
“Judge Death and the 12 other Dark Judges have targeted Mega-City and found the entire population guilty of the most serious crime… living! While the Dark Judges prepare their “Affordable Death Care Act,” a desperate Justice Department, facing mass-murder of unreal proportions, draws up an apocalyptic plan that will change the city forever. And the only person standing between the city and certain death—Judge Dredd—is a billion miles away on the Titan penal colony. But he turns out to have allies in the strangest of places.”
After the poor showing from the Mega-City Two story line, it was a great relief to read an enthralling and dark Dredd comic that contained something resembling a plot. Previously, Dredd had been exiled to Titan as a convict while back in Mega-City One is assaulted by the returning Judge Death and his posse of Dark Judges.
The plot is tense, concise and proceeds with purpose. The reader is drawn in to the tension and predicament, if this were a movie then you’d be at the edge of your seat, digging your nails into the arms and holding your breath. Compared to the Judge Dredd #17 this story is very much devoid of the Dark Judges. The last issue threatened to overwhelm the reader with a vast array of Dark Judges, this issue concentrates on what it should, Judge Dredd. We are with him for the entire time, witnessing his determination to return to Mega-City One and save the citizens he swore to protect, despite the fact it would be safer to stay at the Penal Colony on Titan.
The art throughout is fantastic, just what Dredd should be – dark, atmospheric and bland colours which highlight the bolder ones when required. The panels flow easily and at no point are you confused about where to go next on the page. My only complaint with the presentation is the clashing font and box colour when the robot guards are talking. Light grey with white text is NOT easy to read!
This particular story arc of Judge Dredd just gets better and better. I can’t wait for the next issue, I just wish each issue was slightly longer.
Andy Naylor – Follow me on Twitter.
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There’s a little under a month to go before the arrival of Son of Batman, Warner Bros.’ DC Universe Animated Original Movies adaptation of Grant Morrison’s acclaimed ‘Batman and Son’ arc, and we’ve got a brand new batch of images from the direct-to-video feature which you can check out right here…
Hidden atop a secret mountain stronghold lies the League of Shadows and its fearless leader, Ra’s al Ghul. Together with his equally dangerous daughter Talia, he oversees a trained army of assassins with plans for global domination. But an uprising from within the league now threatens to shift the balance of power and sends Talia and her young son, Damian, fleeing to Gotham City. With assassins on their trail, Talia seeks the protection of Batman, who, unbeknownst to him, is the boy’s father. With his son in tow, Batman wages war against the villain Deathstroke and the League of Shadows, all while teaching his headstrong boy that one can’t fight crime by becoming a criminal. With help from Gotham’s finest, including Commissioner Gordon and Nightwing, Batman will soon discover that his son and most trusted ally are one and the same!
Son of Batman is set for release on May 6th, with a voice cast that includes Jason O’Mara (Justice League: War) as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Stuart Allan (Rise of the Guardians) as Damian Wayne / Robin, Morena Baccarin (Homeland) as Talia, Giancarlo Esposito (Once Upon a Time) as Ra’s Al Ghul, David McCallum (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as Alfred Pennyworth, Xander Berkeley (24) as Kirk Langstrom / Man-Bat and Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds) as Deathstroke / Slade Wilson. Watch the first trailer here.
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