Comics Review: ThoughtScape Comics #1

THOUGHTSCAPE COMICS #1
MATT MAIR LOWERY

[UPDATE: ThoughtScape Comics 2024 Kickstarter campaign is now live.]

STORY: Matt Mair Lowery
ART: Dave Law; Tyrell Cannon; Lisa Naffziger; Karl Slominski
COLORS: Dave Law; Tyrell Cannon; Lisa Naffziger; Karl Slominski
LETTERS: Dave Law; Tyrell Cannon; Lisa Naffziger; Karl Slominski
DESIGN: John Larson
COVER: Jenna Cha
44pp, Color, $8.00 U.S. (digital), $15.00 U.S. (print)

ThoughtScape Comics is new science fiction anthology comic book series from writer Matt Mair Lowery.  Lowery is the writer and co-creator with artist Cassie Anderson of Lifeformed, a YA science fiction graphic novel series published by Dark Horse Comics.

Lowery has stated that each issue of ThoughtScape Comics will contain 44+ pages of content, featuring stories written by Lowery and drawn by up-and-coming comic book artists.  Some of the stories will be self-contained and others will be part of a serial.  Multimedia artist, John Larsen, will provide the graphic design and packaging for each issue.

ThoughtScape Comics #1 contains four stories.  Lowery is joined by artists Dave Law, Tyrell Cannon, Lisa Naffziger, and Karl Slominski.  Two stories are apparently serials, and the other two are standalone stories.

ThoughtScape Comics is set in a world in which humanity's first multi-planet conglomerate, LifeTech, discovered the “ThoughtScape” in the late 21st century.  The ThoughtScape is a fifth dimension where every thought that has ever been thought exists.  Using technology of its own innovation, LifeTech began isolating and monitoring these thoughts (via “ThoughtScape Listening Posts").

Later, LifeTech began capturing and recording these thoughts through Thought & Information Service Collection Officers (TISCOs).  Eventually technological advancements allowed that the entire “ThoughtLives” of both living individuals and of the long-dead could be virtually reconstructed and played back through a variety of media formats.  The stories of ThoughtScape Comics will focus on the designs and intentions of LifeTech; the nature of ThoughtScape; and how people and beings connect, react, and exist with both.

THE LOWDOWN:  For the review of ThoughtScape Comics #1, I will offer comments on each of the four stories individually.

The first story is “Thoughtscape 2319: Parish, The Thought . Part 1,” the first part of a serial.  It is written by Lowery and drawn by Dave Law.  The story takes place at the edges of the galactic frontier in the year 2319.  Week 32.4, Thought & Information Service Collection Officer (TISCO) Odessa Query patrols her beat, currently the Hen 3-593 Di Chamaelontis System – 700 light years from Earth.

Her TISCO ship collects thoughts from ThoughtScape Listening Post Di.Cha.036, while she entertains her ship's neurocorder, Feyla.  Query prepares to move on to her next assigned Listening Post when she is diverted to an ongoing disaster.

Because of its cliffhanger ending, I am excited to read more of this story, especially because Lowery teases something awesome and awful coming to scare us, dear readers.  Dave Law's drawing style is perfect for science fiction comic books, and the design of the characters and the technology are convincing.  I also like Law's impressive title page drawing (for which I wouldn't mind having the original art).

The second story is “A Spy Without A face,” illustrated by Tyrell Cannon.  The story pits a mysterious “spy without a face” against a pack of assassins who have broken into a mysterious LifeTech facility.  Both sides get more than they bargained for in this black and white tale.

Cannon's graphical storytelling is high-speed and hyper-kinetic with the graphic design sensibilities of science fiction anime and manga.  Lowery's story allows Cannon to draw an explosive tale that is visceral and thrilling.  I'd like to see another Lowery-Cannon creation, and this story also made me seek out more information about Tyrell Cannon.

[Art by Tyrell Cannon for the story, "A Spy Without A face."]

The third story is “Adorable Orphans,” written by Lowery and drawn and colored by Lisa Naffziger.  Sally, an elementary school-age girl, loves her “Grammie,” her grandmother.  Her parents seem to despise the old woman, and they are particular about the things to which Grammie exposes Sally.

One day, Sally gets a package from Grammie.  Inside is the season’s hottest toy trend, one of LifeTech’s “Adorable Orphan android dolls” (also called a “DollDroid”).  The girl DollDroid's name is Betty, and she is a great friend for Sally, but everyone else better watch out.

“Adorable Orphans” is by far the best story in ThoughtScape Comics #1.  It is straight-forward, but Lowery is sly and sneaky in the way he surprises the readers in unexpected ways.  For instance, Sally's parents are both snobby and vulgar.  What's going on with Grammie?  And there is certainly more to Sally than what appears on the surface.

Lisa Naffziger's compositions and coloring are more alt-comics than children's comics, although I can understand why some people would see her work as the latter.  Lowery and Naffziger have created in “Adorable Orphans” a concept that could live on its own outside the world of ThoughtScape Comics.  If I were in Hollywood film and television production, I'd swoop in and buy the media rights for “Adorable Orphans” away from the rest of this package.

The fourth and final story is “Ex Post Facto: A Dash Varrick Misadventure . Part 1.”  A press release from Lowery describes the story in the following way:

XXXX#$%@&*!(AGAIN)))...Murder and music at the fringes of the revolution! he’s just a drop in the Co- maXYxXc o p y X > P A S T E Y # % Z o n e , - - h e ’ s - - y o u & M E m e M E . h e ’ s d - d - d a s h D A S H .tooLATEagaFILEretrieveERRORERR.accessing…

The art by Karl Slominski has elements that remind me of David Mack, especially, and of Bill Sienkiewiz, a little.  Otherwise, I have no idea what's going on with this story.

Overall, I like ThoughtScape Comics #1.  It presents such an expansive science fiction concept with a universe of possibilities as big as anything offered by the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises.  I hope a lot of comic book readers get behind the project and financially support it.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of science fiction anthology comic books (such as 2000 AD) will want to try ThoughtScape Comics.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/mattmlpdx
https://www.mmlcomics.com/thoughtscape-comics
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattmlpdx/thoughtscape-comics-1
https://twitter.com/TCannonComics
https://twitter.com/lisanaffziger
https://twitter.com/KarlSlominski
https://www.instagram.com/itsdavelaw/
https://twitter.com/kale_satan
https://johnlarsen.net/


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).  But that ad is for a graphic novel you might want to give a try.

All-Star Presenters Announced for 93rd Academy Awards

93RD OSCARS® ALL-STAR CAST REVEALED

Show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh today announced the ensemble cast to present at the 93rd Oscars®, which airs live on ABC on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.

Starring, in alphabetical order, are Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger, and Zendaya.

“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said Collins, Sher and Soderbergh.  “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”

Additional talent joining the show to be announced.

The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby® Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and international locations via satellite, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

###

ABOUT THE ACADEMY:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

-----------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 11th to 17th, 2021 - Update #28

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The American Cinema Editors have announced the winners at the 2021 / 71st ACE Eddie Awards.  Aaron Sorkin's film, "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (Netflix), won the marquee "Eddie," which is "Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)."

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  In the wake of an explosive allegations about his abusive behavior that stretches back years, Oscar-winning film producer, Scott Rudin, says that he will "step back" from active involvement in his Broadway productions.

ANIMATION-STREAMING - From Deadline:   The upcoming fourth season of Netflix's animated series, "Castlevania," will be its last.  Netflix is reportedly considering a new series set in the universe of Castlevania with an entirely different cast of characters.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney claps back at screenwriting brothers, James and John Thomas, who are trying to reclaim the rights to their 1984 spec script that became the 1987 20th Century Fox film, "Predator."  Disney owns the property as a result of buying 20th Century Fox.

DISNEY - From BleedingCool:  Actor Mads Mikkelsen has joined the cast of "Indiana Jones 5" in an unknown role. The film is being directed by James Mangold

MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:   The site looks at five underrated Black actresses who deserve more roles: CCH Pounder, Debbi Morgan, Tamara Tunie, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Lorraine Toussaint.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Two-time Oscar-winner Renee Zellewegger in the golf comedy, "The Back Nine," the will be directed of Michael Patrick King of "Sex and the City."

BLM - From YahooNYT:   In 2006, an African-American female Buffalo police officer, Cariol Horne, stopped a fellow officer from choking a handcuffed man.  She was eventually fired for this.  Now, a New York state court has vindicated Horne by restoring her back pay and pension.

CULTURE - From HuffPost:  Back in 2015, Dan Price, the CEO of "Gravity Payments" (a credit card processing company), slashed his $1.1 million a year salary to $70,000 per year so that he could pay all his employees $70,000 per year.  Fox News and Fox Business called him a "socialist" and said that his employees would end up on "bread lines."  Six years later, his number of employees has doubled and the payments the company processed has gone from 3.8 billion to 10.2 billion.

MUSIC - From HuffPost:   Mick Jagger of "The Rolling Stones" and Dave Grohl of "Foo Fighters (and formally of "Nirvana") have come together for a new single, "Eazy Sleazy," that takes on conspiracy theories and anti-vaxxers.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Universal Pictures is making a film that is based on one of the characters from the original "Dracula" novel, "R.M. Renfield," Dracula's henchman.  Chris McKay is in talks to direct and produce.  The film will be produced by Skybound Entertainment, the company belonging to Robert Kirkman, the creator of "The Walking Dead" comic book.

STREAMING-BLM - From Deadline:  The state of Georgia recently passed a slate of Jim Crow laws to keep African-Americans from voting.  Some business have decided not to do business with the state, and that includes Apple's filmmaking division.  It's film, the runaway slave thriller, "Emancipation," will not film in Georgia and may film in Louisiana, where the actual events upon which this film is based, took place.  Antoine Fuqua is directing and Will Smith stars.

STREAMING - From YahooEntertainment:   Superstar actress Melissa McCarthy and her husband, writer-director Ben Falcone wanted to work with Oscar-winning actress, Octavia Spencer.  They created that chance in the Netflix superhero comedy, "Thunder Force," about ordinary women with regular body types as superheroes.

POLICE/SCANDAL - From TheHill:   There is a report that Boston Police kept child sexual abuse allegations against now-former union president, Patrick Rose, Sr., secret.

From NBCBoston10:  This article includes a photo of Patrick Rose, Sr., former Boston police patrolman and Boston Police Union head, who is facing multiple charges of child sexual abuse.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 4/9 to 4/11/2021 weekend box office is "Godzilla vs. Kong" with an estimated take of 13.4 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From THR:   Carrie-Anne Moss is returning to "The Matrix" film franchise for next year's "The Matrix 4."  In a recent interview, Moss says she was offered a "grandmother role" the day after she turned 40 years old.

STREAMING - From YahooSports:   Actor Kevin James will play Super Bowl-winning New Orleans Saints coach, Sean Payton, in Netflix's film, "Home Team."  The film will recount the year Payton coached his son's sixth-grade football team.

MOVIES - From YahooAVClub:   Paramount Pictures and Hasbro are moving up the release date for for "Sanke Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins" from October 22nd to July 23rd, 2021.

TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  This is an update on the USA network and SyFy's "Chuck" series, an reboot/revival of the "Child's Play" film series.

AWARDS - From Deadline:   At the 2021 BAFTAs (British Academy Awards), "Nomadland" wins 4 awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Chloe Zhao) and "Best Actress" (Frances McDormand).

From Deadline:    At the 2021 / 73rd Directors Guild Awards, Chloe Zhao won the top prize for her film, "Nomadland."  She is only the second woman to win the award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film."  Kathryn Bigelow was the first when she won for her film, "The Hurt Locker."  This article also includes a complete list of winners.

From Variety:   Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods," Christopher Nolan's "Tenet," and David Fincher's "Mank" top the 2021 Art Directors Guild Awards.

MARVEL - From THR:   Marvel Entertainment's new comic book distribution deal - with Penguin Random House Publisher Services - has some comic book stores worried about the future of the market.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  English actress, Helen McCrory, has died at the age of 52, Friday, April 16, 2021, after a battle with cancer.  McCrory is known for appearing in the James Bond film, "Skyfall" (2012), and in the last three "Harry Potter" films.  McCrory may be best remembered for being a member of the main cast of the British period crime drama TV series, "Peaky Blinders."  McCrory had been married to English actor, Damian Lewis, since 2007 and was the mother of two children.

From Variety:  The former actor and stuntman, Felix Silla, has died at the age of 84, Friday, April 16, 2021.  Silla wore the costume to play "Cousin Itt" in the former ABC television series, "The Addams Family" (1964-66).  [The late actor Anthony Magro provided Itt's voice.]   Although two other actors provided the voice, Silla also provided the physical performance (wearing the costume) for "Twiki" in the former NBC TV series, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" (1979-81).

From APNews:  American investment advisor and convicted fraudster, Bernie Madoff, has died at the age of 82, Wednesday, April 14, 2021, in prison at the Federal Medical Center at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina.  Madoff is best known for operating the largest "Ponzi scheme" in world history, which allowed him to steal from the rich and the poor, the famous and the ordinary.  In June 2009, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison.

From IndyStar:  Former professional basketball player and coach, Bobby "Slick" Leonard," has died at the age of 88, Tuesday, April 13, 2021.  He played college basketball for the Indiana University Hossiers and was a member of the 1953 NCAA Tournament championship team.  His seven-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) included stints with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs.  In 1968, Leonard began coaching the Indiana Pacers of the ABA (American Basketball Association), where he coached the team to three ABA titles, 1970, 1972, and 1973.  He continued to coach the Pacers when they joined the NBA in 1976 and remained coach until 1980.

Comics Review: HOME SICK PILOTS #5 Ends Its First Story Arc with a Kerrang!

HOME SICK PILOTS #5
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

STORY: Dan Watters
ART: Caspar Wijngaard
COLORS: Caspar Wijngaard
LETTERS: Aditya Bidikar
DESIGN: Tom Muller
COVER: Caspar Wijngaard
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Tradd Moore
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (April 2021)

Rated “M/Mature”

Home Sick Pilots created by Dan Watters and Caspar Wijngaard

Home Sick Pilots is a comic book series created by writer Dan Watters and artist Caspar Wijngaard, the creative team of the comic book, Limbo.  Home Sick Pilots focuses on a group of teens and a haunted house with an evil mind of its own.  Letterer Aditya Bidikar and designer Tom Muller complete the series' creative team.

Home Sick Pilots opens in Santa Manos, California, July 18, 1994.  A haunted house known as “the Old James House” walks across California, and inside is Ami, the lead singer of the high school punk band, “Home Sick Pilots.”  Ami has been missing for weeks, so how did she get in the Old James House?  It has ghosts, and Ami has to find them.  But what is the entire story behind Ami, the ghosts, and that house?

As Home Sick Pilots #5 opens, the Old James House turns on Ami, and now, she has to find a way to make a deal with them – all of the ghosts that haunt the hallways.  Elsewhere, Rip discovers that Meg is not dead, and she has some kind of connection to Ami.  It all leads to a Godzilla vs. Kong-type fistfight between a house and monster!

THE LOWDOWN:  At some point in the run-up to the debut of Home Sick Pilots, the series was described as being a blend of author Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting of Hill House (1959); the comic book series, Paper Girls, and the Power Rangers franchise.  Home Sick Pilots #5 brings this new series' first story arc, “Teenage Haunts,” to an end.

This fifth issue definitely shows the Power Rangers side of the concept, but influences aside, Home Sick Pilots, is like no comic book I have ever read.  I doubt most American comic book fans have seen anything like it.  If Watters and Wijngaard know of a comic like their amazing creation, I wish they would share its title with us.

Seriously, the crazy thing about Home Sick Pilots is that every issue seems like something brand new, as if it is connected to a main narrative, but also has its own fresh story thing happening.  Dan Watters' script for issue #5 keeps that mysterious, weird, exciting and scary vibe, but gives us an epic, screwy “kaiju” battle and a taste of the good things to come in this series.  Caspar Wijngaard's art and colors create a crazy world of houses that transform and walk and also, everyday structures that merge to form the ultimate mecha-styled monsters.

Aditya Bidikar's lettering is rhythmic in a way that conveys the odd, but alluring nature of this series.  Designer Tom Muller gives the series a look that recalls rock music poster art and concert show flier design to Home Sick Pilots.  Watters and Wijngaard and Bidikar and Muller jam Home Sick's Pilots' first show to an end with a crescendo.  I am highly recommending readers get the upcoming trade collection, Home Sick Pilots Vol. 1: Teenage Haunts, because I'm already anticipating the sixth issue and a new story arc.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of offbeat and imaginative supernatural comic books will want to fly with the Home Sick Pilots.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DanPGWatters
https://twitter.com/Casparnova
https://twitter.com/adityab
https://twitter.com/hellomuller
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

"Mortal Kombat" Soundtrack Due April 16th

Mortal Kombat (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Available April 16, 2021 on WaterTower Music

Features New Original Score From Golden Globe-, Grammy- and Emmy-Nominated Composer Benjamin Wallfisch

New Track “Techno Syndrome 2021 (Mortal Kombat)” Now Available

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music announced the Friday, April 16, 2021 release of the soundtrack to New Line Cinema’s explosive new movie “Mortal Kombat,” which brings to life the intense action of the blockbuster video game franchise in all its brutal glory, pitting the all-time, fan-favorite champions against one another in the ultimate, no-holds-barred, gory battle that pushes them to their very limits. The film, helmed by award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker Simon McQuoid marking his feature directorial debut, is set for release nationwide in theaters on April 23, 2021 and will be available in the U.S. on HBO Max in 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos on supported devices for 31 days from theatrical release. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Mortal Kombat (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) contains all new score by Golden Globe-, Emmy-, and Grammy-nominated composer Benjamin Wallfisch (IT and IT Chapter 2, Shazam, Blade Runner: 2049 [w/ Hans Zimmer]). The first single from the album has already been released. “Techno Syndrome 2021 (Mortal Kombat)” is composer Benjamin Wallfisch’s musical homage to the music, fans, and enduring lineage of Mortal Kombat. The track was produced and performed by Wallfisch and mixed and mastered by Tom Norris (Skrillex, Gaga, Zedd).

Director Simon McQuoid discussed working with Wallfisch on the score and on “Techno Syndrome 2021.” “Ben and I both knew that we needed to use the classic Immortals track ‘Techno Syndrome’ as source material for the entire score of ‘Mortal Kombat.’ But along with that, we knew that an updated, elevated version of the song also needed to be created, and Ben certainly delivered. I am so excited by this new 2021 version of the track; when I first heard it, it blew my mind. Actually, Ben kind of blew my mind on a daily basis through the making of this film, so we can all thank Benjamin Wallfisch for his genius and passion in creating ‘Techno Syndrome 2021.’”

Benjamin Wallfisch further elaborated. “When I was invited to come on board ‘Mortal Kombat,’ I was very aware of the responsibility that comes with scoring a franchise so deeply embedded in pop culture and with such a passionate fanbase. My first question was what can we do with ‘Techno Syndrome,’ a piece of music so much part of the DNA of the game and the original movies? What motifs could be reinvented and blown up to a full-scale symphonic sound world in the score, and might there be room for a full reinvention of the whole song as an EDM single in 2021? A huge thank you to The Immortals for giving us their blessing to reimagine their classic track in this way, as a celebration of the world of Mortal Kombat and its fans, and of the uplifting power of Electronic Dance Music, which the original did so much to light the fuse of 30 years ago.”

The soundtrack release date is set for April 16 and features 24 tracks by Wallfisch, who interpreted the film’s themes and emphasized the story’s hard-driving, visceral action through his music. Fans will be thrilled to hear the composer’s heart-pumping score, which includes themes for such characters as Lord Raiden, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, Cole Young, Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao, among others, and epic battle themes from the film, including “Kano v Reptile” and “Sub-Zero v Cole Young.”

Mortal Kombat (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) will be available April 16. The first single, “Techno Syndrome 2021 (Mortal Kombat)” is now available, and the full album track list is as follows. All music by Benjamin Wallfisch.

1. Techno Syndrome 2021 (Mortal Kombat)
2. Hanzo Hasashi
3. Lord Raiden
4. Bi-Han
5. Shang Tsung
6. Cole Young
7. Birthmark
8. Sonya Blade
9. Kano v Reptile
10. Liu Kang
11. The Great Protector
12. Sub-Zero
13. Kung Lao
14. Origins
15. Kabal
16. Goro
17. Arcana
18. Jax Briggs
19. The Void
20. The Tournament
21. Sub-Zero v Cole Young
22. I Am Scorpion
23. We Fight as One
24. Get Over Here

From New Line Cinema, “Mortal Kombat” was helmed by award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, Todd Garner, McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh.

In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld's Sorcerer Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt him down. Fearing for his family's safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies from Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?

The diverse international cast reflects the global nature of the brand, with talent spanning the worlds of film, television and martial arts. The ensemble includes Lewis Tan as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson as Kano; Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks as Jax; Ludi Lin as Liu Kang; with Chin Han as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion. Also featured are Max Huang as Kung Lao and Sisi Stringer as Mileena.

McQuoid directed from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, from a story by Oren Uziel and Russo, based on the video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Michael Clear, Jeremy Stein and Larry Kasanoff served as executive producers.

Bringing the hugely popular property to the big screen, McQuoid led a team of Australian and U.S. filmmakers, including director of photography Germain McMicking, production designer Naaman Marshall, editors Dan Lebental and Scott Gray, visual effects supervisor Chris Godfrey, costume designer Cappi Ireland and fight choreographer Chan Griffin. The music is by Benjamin Wallfisch.

New Line Cinema Presents an Atomic Monster/Broken Road Production, “Mortal Kombat.” The film is set for release nationwide in theaters and will be available in the U.S. on HBO Max in 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos on supported devices for 31 days from theatrical release. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

“Mortal Kombat” is rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references.


ABOUT BENJAMIN WALLFISCH:
Benjamin Wallfisch scored Andy Muschietti's “IT” and “IT Chapter Two,” David F. Sandberg's “SHAZAM!,” Leigh Whannell's “The Invisible Man,” and is co-composer of Denis Villeneuve's “Blade Runner 2049” (with Hans Zimmer). Wallfisch has worked on over 75 feature films and received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, and was twice Grammy- and Emmy-nominated.

Wallfisch’s other recent projects include Neil Marshall's “Hellboy”; Academy Award Best Picture nominee, Ted Melfi's “Hidden Figures” (in collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Hans Zimmer); and Sandberg's box office hit “Annabelle: Creation.” On the invitation of Zimmer, he contributed music based on Elgar's “Enigma” Variations for Christopher Nolan's “Dunkirk.”

In recent years, Wallfisch has also scored Gore Verbinski's “A Cure for Wellness”; the Steven Spielberg-produced short film “Auschwitz,” directed by James Moll; James Marsh's “King of Thieves,” starring Michael Caine; and Steven Knight's “Serenity,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway.

With over 25 albums of his music released to date, Wallfisch has performed live in over 100 concerts worldwide, leading orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony at venues including the Hollywood Bowl, Sydney Opera House and Royal Festival Hall. He has collaborated, recorded and performed his music with artists including Lang Lang, Herbie Hancock and Yuja Wang, and has over 50 concert music commissions to his name.

ABOUT WATERTOWER MUSIC:
WaterTower Music, the in-house label for the WarnerMedia companies, releases recorded music as rich and diverse as the companies themselves. It has been the soundtrack home to many of the world’s most iconic films, television shows and games since 2001.

-----------------

Review: KILLER OF SHEEP Remains Fascinating

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 of 2021 (No. 1765) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Killer of Sheep (1978)
Running time:  80 minutes (1 hour, 20 minutes)
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Charles Burnett
PRODUCER:  Charles Burnett
CINEMATOGRAPHER/EDITOR:  Charles Burnett

DRAMA

Starring:  Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett, Eugene Cherry, and Jack Drummond

Killer of Sheep is a 1978 film drama from writer-director, Charles Burnett, who also produced, photographed and edited the film.  Burnett shot Killer of Sheep on 16mm black and white film, and he filmed it mostly on weekends in the Watts neighborhood of southern Los Angeles in 1972 and 1973.  He originally submitted the film to the UCLA School of Film in 1977 as his Master of Fine Arts thesis.  Set in Watts, Killer of Sheep focuses on a slaughterhouse worker who suspends him emotions to continue working in such a job, but ends up have little sensitivity for the very family in which he works so hard to support.

Killer of Sheep premiered at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York on November 14, 1978.  It did not receive a general theatrical release because Burnett has not secured the rights to the music he used in the film.  Over the years, however, people were apparently able to see the film at small film festivals, on the college film circuit, and via bootleg copies.  It was inducted into the “National Film Registry” in 1990, the second year of the registry.

In 2007, a group of interests, including the UCLA, Steven Soderbergh, and Milestone Films, worked to purchase the music rights and to restore Killer of Sheep to 35mm film.  It received a limited release in late 2007 and several “Top 10” lists, including being chosen the best film of the year by Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine.

Killer of Sheep is a depiction of the urban Black Americans of Watts as seen through a series of loosely connected vignettes.  If the film has a focus, it is on Stan (Henry G. Sanders), a husband and father who works at the slaughterhouse, Solano Meat Co., where he helps process sheep for slaughter.  Stan finds the monotonous work to be repugnant, and he seemingly suspends his emotions to deal with the job.  The result is that his home life suffers.  He shows little sensitivity to his unnamed wife (Kaycee Moore) and to his two children, son (Jack Drummond) and daughter (Angela Burnett).  Stan has trouble sleeping, does not play with his children, and avoids sex with his wife, who wants intimacy and real affection from her husband.

Stan wants another job, and he often finds himself caught up in the schemes and plots of friends and associates.  Stan and his friend, Bracy (Charles Bracy), attempt to buy a car engine from a squabbling family.  Two fast-talking acquaintances want Stan to help them in their plot to murder a man.  All the while, a portrait of the austere and impoverished life of poor and working-class African-Americans emerges.  Can Stan better his life even if he feels unable to affect the course of his life?

I have previously seen two of Charles Burnett's films, To Sleep with Anger (1990) and The Glass Shield (1994).  I had not heard of Killer of Sheep until its surprise inclusion in the list of films inducted into the 1990 class of the National Film Registry.  I have been putting off seeing the film for years since the DVD release of the 2007 restoration and limited theatrical run.

Burnett made Killer of Sheep with nonprofessional actors, reportedly a nod to the influence of “Italian neo-realism.”  I can't say exactly as I have never seen such a film.  I also would not describe Killer of Sheep as having a documentary feel.  The film's loose collection of vignettes have informal story acts, although the film does not have a plot.  Burnett provides the slimmest character development and something like a narrative, but the actors are quite convincing in their portrayals.  I found myself fascinated by the way they sold the idea that they are indeed playing characters and that they made those characters seem real.  Henry G. Sanders makes Stan the solid center of Killer of Sheep.

Killer of Sheep indirectly speaks to the economic exclusion and segregation faced by black people in Watts then and for decades.  Stan, his family, and their friends and neighbors are always short of money and resources and hope.  Still, their lives are filled with moments of happiness and joy, and they make good times out of whatever they can.  There are also moments of beauty, such as when Stan's daughter sings an Earth Wind & Fire song to her doll while her mother (Stan's wife) watches.

Killer of Sheep is not a film to be described so much as it us a film to be watched and experienced.  There is such a sense of naturalism about it.  The film is not so real that it is a documentary, nor is it so surreal that it becomes a black and white dream.  Killer of Sheep is a story, a story of ordinary Black people in a particular place and time.  Killer of Sheep is so special because it tells a story that most American filmmakers would have not bothered to tell.  That makes Killer of Sheep and its maker, Charles Burnett, national treasures.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, March 12, 2021


NOTES:
1990 National Film Preservation Board, USA:  1 win: National Film Registry


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Netflix and Sony Pictures Sign Exclusive Streaming Deal

Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment Sign Pay-One U.S. Licensing Deal for Feature Films

Agreement includes a first-look at films Sony Pictures intends for direct-to-streaming

Hollywood, Calif. -- Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) announced a multiyear, exclusive first pay window licensing deal in the U.S. for theatrically released SPE feature films, beginning with their 2022 film slate. This new agreement builds upon Netflix’s pre-existing output deal with Sony Pictures Animation films to now include all SPE film labels and genres.

Under the deal, Netflix will obtain first pay window rights to SPE titles following their theatrical and home entertainment windows. Tentpoles such as Morbius, Uncharted, Where the Crawdads Sing, and Bullet Train will be among the initial 2022 offerings. They will be followed by continued entries in Sony Pictures’ rejuvenated slate of IP, including the sequel to Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and several more SPE films featuring Marvel characters, including future installments of Venom and Spider-Man; and expected follow-ups for the Jumanji and Bad Boys franchises. Netflix will also license rights to select titles from SPE’s vast movie library.

As part of the partnership, Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group will offer Netflix a first look at any films it intends to make directly for streaming or decides later to license for streaming, and Netflix has committed to make a number of those films over the course of the deal. Any such direct-to-streaming projects will be additive to SPE’s full theatrical film slate, which will continue at its current volume.

“Sony Pictures is a great partner and we are thrilled to expand our relationship through this forward-thinking agreement,” said Scott Stuber, Head of Global Films at Netflix. “This not only allows us to bring their impressive slate of beloved film franchises and new IP to Netflix in the U.S., but it also establishes a new source of first run films for Netflix movie lovers worldwide.”

“Netflix has been a terrific partner as we continue to expand our relationship,” said Keith Le Goy, President, Worldwide Distribution and Networks, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “At Sony Pictures, we produce some of the biggest blockbusters and the most creative, original films in the industry. This exciting agreement further demonstrates the importance of that content to our distribution partners as they grow their audiences and deliver the very best in entertainment.”


ABOUT NETFLIX:
Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with 204 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT:
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. Sony Pictures Television operates dozens of wholly-owned or joint-venture production companies around the world. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, Sony Pictures International Productions, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html

-------------