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Monday, May 3, 2021
Image Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for March 5, 2021
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DC Comics New Releases from Lunar Distributors for May 4, 2021
Batman #108 (Cover A Jorge Jimenez), $4.99
Batman #108 (Cover B Stanley Artgerm Lau Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman #108 (Cover C Riccardo Federici Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman #108 (Cover D Stanley Artgerm Lau Foil Card Stock Variant), AR
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Batman Fortnite Zero Point #2 (Of 6)(Cover A Mikel Janin), $4.99
Batman Fortnite Zero Point #2 (Of 6)(Cover B Arthur Adams Card Stock Variant), AR
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Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III TP, $16.99
Crime Syndicate #3 (Of 6)(Cover A David Finch), $3.99
Crime Syndicate #3 (Of 6)(Cover B Babs Tarr Card Stock Variant), AR
Dark Nights Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs TP, $19.99
Green Arrow Black Canary Till Death Do They Part TP, $34.99
Green Lantern #2 (Cover A Bernard Chang), $4.99
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Man-Bat #4 (Of 5)(Cover A Kyle Hotz), $3.99
Metropolis Grove TP, $9.99
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Suicide Squad #3 (Cover A Eduardo Pansica), $3.99
Suicide Squad #3 (Cover B Gerald Parel Card Stock Variant), AR
Swamp Thing #3 (Of 10)(Cover A Mike Perkins), $3.99
Swamp Thing #3 (Of 10)(Cover B Kyle Hotz Card Stock Variant), AR
Tiny Titans Pet Club TP, $9.99
"Godzilla vs. Kong" Stomps to $400 Million in Worldwide Box Office
“Godzilla vs. Kong” Soars to $400 Million at the Global Box Office
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In just one month, and with markets around the globe left to open or increase capacity, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Godzilla vs. Kong” has triumphed at the worldwide box office, grossing over $400 million. The announcement was made today by Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, Jeff Goldstein, and President of International Distribution, Andrew Cripps.
Through today, the film will have earned an impressive $85.3 domestically, even though Canada has yet to safely return to theaters in many of its cities. In international markets, “Godzilla vs. Kong” has taken in $315.8 million and continues to impress as some international markets begin to re-open.
Goldstein stated, “It’s evident that ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ is reigniting moviegoing everywhere and that audiences are more than ready to return to theaters, where and when it’s safe, for a big screen experience like this one.”
Cripps added, “It has been thrilling to see this film mark the return to theaters around the globe, with audiences continuing to grow and to uphold the importance of the universal shared experience of going to the movies.”
The film is also available in the U.S. on HBO Max for the remainder of April.
About “Godzilla vs. Kong”:
From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes the long-awaited showdown between two icons in the epic adventure “Godzilla vs. Kong,” directed by Adam Wingard.
Legends collide in “Godzilla vs. Kong” as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The initial confrontation between the two Titans—instigated by unseen forces—is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.
The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, with Kyle Chandler and Demián Bichir.
Wingard directed from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, story by Terry Rossio and Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO CO., LTD. The film was produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric McLeod, Jon Jashni, Thomas Tull and Brian Rogers, with Jay Ashenfelter, Herbert W. Gains, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira executive producing.
The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Ben Seresin, production designers Owen Paterson and Thomas S. Hammock, editor Josh Schaeffer, costume designer Ann Foley and visual effects supervisor John “DJ” DesJardin. The music is by Tom Holkenborg.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present a Legendary Pictures Production, A Film By Adam Wingard, “Godzilla vs. Kong.” The film is 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.
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Sunday, May 2, 2021
Review: Takes a Bit, But Pixar's "Soul" Finds its Soul
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 of 2021 (No. 1768) by Leroy Douresseaux
Soul (2020)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes0
MPAA – PG for thematic elements and some language
DIRECTORS: Pete Docter with Kemp Powers (co-director)
WRITERS: Pete Docter, and Mike Jones, and Kemp Powers
PRODUCER: Dana Murray
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Matt Aspbury (D.o.P.) and Ian Megibben (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Kevin Nolting
COMPOSERS: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross with Jon Batiste (jazz compositions and arrangements)
Academy Award winner
ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY/DRAMA
Starring: (voices) Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Ahmir-Khalib Thompson a.k.a. Questlove, Angela Bassett, Cora Champommier, Margo Hall, Daveed Diggs, Rhodessa Jones, Wes Studi, Sakina Jaffrey, Ochuwa Oghie, Jeannie Tirado, Dorian Lockett, and Marcus Shelby
Soul is a 2020 American computer-animated, comedy-drama, and fantasy film from director Pete Docter and co-director Kemp Powers and is produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Soul is also the first Pixar film to feature an African-American protagonist. Soul focuses on a jazz pianist who finds himself trapped in a strange place that exists between Earth and the afterlife.
Soul introduces Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a pianist living in New York City and who dreams of playing jazz professionally. He is also a middle school music teacher at M.S. 70, and the school's Principal Arroyo (Jeannie Tirado) has just offered to make him a full-time teacher. Joe's mother, Libba, (Phylicia Rashad) insists that he make teaching a full time job, fearing for his financial security as a jazz musician chasing gigs and sessions.
One day, a former student, Lamont “Curley” Baker (Ahmir-Khalib Thompson a.k.a. Questlove), who is now a jazz drummer, tells Joe that there is an opening in the jazz group, “the Dorothea Williams Quartet,” and that auditions are being held at “The Half Note” jazz club. Dorothea Williams is a legend, and playing in a jazz outfit like hers has been Joe's dream for years.
But an accident causes Joe's soul to be separated from his body, and Joe ends up trapped between “the Great Beyond” and “the Great Before.” And perhaps the only thing that can save Joe is helping a wayward soul known as “22” (Tina Fey).
Soul may feature Pixar Animation Studios' first African-American lead, Jamie Foxx's Joe Gardner,, but it is not really a “black film.” The film is not a celebration of ordinary black people, but it dares to imagine black people as ordinary folks who have the same ups and downs, successes and failures, and hopes and dreams as everyone else. Also, Soul is the most adult film that Pixar has produced to date. I think children could enjoy it, but Soul deals with the kind of existential questions that adults face. In fact, I found that the film's story seemed to confront me about my life on more than a few occasions. I also like that the film asks a lot of questions, but bluntly and stubbornly refuses to answer all of them.
I did find the first 50 minutes of Soul to be muddled in terms of the narrative. Everything about it is technically proficient, but the story lacks … soul. It is not until Joe and 22 reach Earth that Soul really begins to grapple with the struggle between living a life with a purpose as in goals and living a life in which once enjoys living.
Whenever I review a Pixar film, I really don't get into the quality of the animation. From the standpoint of technology and art, Pixar has practically always been astounding and awesome. For a long time now, Pixar's computer-animation (or 3D animation) has been so good and so beautifully rendered and colored that it makes me forget that I am watching an animated film. Soul, in its dazzling colors, inventive characters, and imaginative settings (“the Great Beyond” and how it welcomes a soul), is about as strong as its predecessors
Soul's film score recently won an Oscar. Jon Batiste's jazz compositions and arrangements are captivating, and made me feel like I was right there in the performance. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score, especially when the story moves into the realms of the soul, is ethereal, magically, and futuristic, and sounds like music from another world.
I like the voice performances. Jamie Foxx does not fully sound like Jamie Foxx, and, in that, he makes Joe Gardner feel like a genuine character. What more can I say about Tina Fey? As “22,” she shows, once again, that she has talent to burn. Also, I think Phylicia Rashad makes the most of every line she has in the film; she makes Libba Gardner seem like a real mother.
Ultimately, Soul reminds me that I really need Pixar Animation Studios in my life. Pixar's feature films find the best of humanity and emphasize the beauty in us all. This time, Pixar gives us Soul to remind us to look up and notice the beauty in us and in the world around us.
8 of 10
A
Sunday, May 2, 2021
NOTES:
2021 Academy Awards, USA: 2 wins: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures-Original Score” (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste) and “Best Animated Feature Film” (Pete Docter and Dana Murray); 1 nomination: “Best Sound” (Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott, and David Parker)
2021 Golden Globes, USA: 2 wins: “Best Motion Picture – Animated” and “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste)
2021 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Best Animated Feature Film” (Pete Docter and Dana Murray) and “Original Score” (Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross); 1 nomination: “Best Sound” (Coya Elliott, Ren Klyce, and David Parker)
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Saturday, May 1, 2021
Comics Review: "ROBIN #1" Enters the Octagon
ROBIN #1 (2021)
DC COMICS – @DCComics
STORY: Joshua Williamson
ART: Gleb Melnikov
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
EDITOR: Paul Kaminski
COVER: Gleb Malnikov
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Gleb Melnikov; Riccardo Federici; Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson; Jeehyung Lee
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2021)
Rating: Age 13+
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson
“Versus the World!”
One of the most famous sidekicks in pop culture, Robin is a DC Comics superhero character. The original Robin's civilian identity was Dick Grayson, the ward of millionaire Bruce Wayne and therefore the sidekick of Wayne's superhero alter ego, Batman. Robin/Dick Grayson was originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson and first appeared in Detective Comics #38 (cover date: April 1940). Eventually, Dick Grayson became a new superhero, Nightwing, and over the last 30 years, there have been other Robins.
Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, and thus, is also the grandson of Batman villain, Ra's al Ghul, Talia's father. An unnamed male infant credited as Batman and Talia's child first appeared in the original graphic novel, Batman: Son of the Demon (1987). Other writers would later compose speculative stories about the child's life. In Batman #655 (cover dated: September 2006), writer Grant Morrison reinterpreted that child as Damian Wayne, the centerpiece of the story arc, “Batman and Son,” in which he became the fifth character to assume the role of Robin.
As part of DC Comics' “Infinite Frontier” initiative, Damian Wayne is the star of a new ongoing comic book series, simply entitled Robin. It is written by Joshua Williamson, drawn and colored by Gleb Melnikov; and lettered by Troy Peteri. In this new series, Damian wants to prove that he is the greatest fighter in the world (DC Universe).
Robin #1 opens with the search for Damian Wayne. Batman, Nightwing, Tim Drake/Robin, Orphan, Stephanie Brown, and Oracle can't find him. It seems Damian is as “off the grid” as a person can be. Elsewhere, Damian is taking on Sir Edmund Dorrance a.k.a. “The King Snake,” who, like Damian, is searching for the “League of Lazarus.” It is this league that holds the “League of Lazarus Tournament.” Held every 100 years, this secretive tournament gathers the best fighters in the world.
That is where Damian thinks he can prove that he is the best fighter in the world, but first, he will have to find the secret island where it is held. That means he will need to win a special marker, and The King Snake wants that marker, too.
THE LOWDOWN: It seems that if Damian Wayne a.k.a. “Robin” is going to have an ongoing comic book series, it should not simply be another entry in the “Batman family” of titles. Damian needs a goal or a mission. His quest to be the best by taking on the world's most deadly combatants sounds like a good idea. What is even better is that Damian's hubris and his lack of knowledge of those that he will face present obstacles and conflicts that are comic book narrative gold. So, in this first issue, writer Joshua Williamson offers a good set-up slash introductory chapter that will keep readers interested – at least for a few issues.
The art by Gleb Melnikov is stylistically appropriate for this series, but Melnikov's compositions are wild, untamed, and untrained. He isn't anywhere near being called a draftsman, and his illustrative techniques … well, he is weak on the techniques of graphical storytelling. I don't mean to say that he cannot tell a story using the medium of the comic book; the storytelling is clear, while the drawing is a bit chaotic. On the other hand, his Robin #1 cover art is beautiful, and I have seen some of Melnikov's cover art and single-page illustrations, and they are also visually and/or graphically striking.
Melnikov's influences show, and to be honest, every page and some times every panel shows a new influence. I see Art Adams and early Joe Madureira. There is some early Tony S. Daniel – think the Tony Daniels of The Tenth (Image Comics). There is some Jim Lee and a little Rob Liefeld. I think Gleb Melnikov has the potential to become a superstar artist, and the process of doing a monthly comic book title may bring that out. Right now, as I've already stated, his drawing is raw, but, at the same time, I must admit that he is already a sharp colorist.
Troy Peteri's lettering also provides a nice balance to the tone of the story. He creates a steady rhythm that heightens the intensity of the violent, Mortal Kombat-like battles. So, this new Robin comic book is definitely worth another look or two.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Damian Wayne will want to read Robin.
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Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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