Author: Jesse Schedeen
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6 Things You Need to Know Before You See ‘Suicide Squad’
The DC Extended Universe is taking a major step forward with the release of “Suicide Squad.”“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” established some of the biggest heroes in the DCU, but now it’s time for the villains to get their due. This violent romp will introduce moviegoers to characters like Deadshot and Harley Quinn and, hopefully, deliver a wild romp along the way.
If you’ve never heard of the Suicide Squad before, don’t worry. Here’s a breakdown of the six essential things you need to know before watching DC’s latest superhero epic.
1. It’s Basically ‘The Dirty Dozen’ but With Supervillains
If you’ve seen the classic war film “The Dirty Dozen,” you basically know what to expect here.Ruthless government operative Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, pictured) is in charge of a clandestine team known as “Task Force X.” This team (which is made up of convicted metahuman criminals) is charged with carrying out highly dangerous and politically sensitive missions that the U.S. government can’t officially involve itself in. Because these missions carry a high probability of death, Task Force X is affectionately dubbed “The Suicide Squad.”
2. The Squad Has a Very Deep Bench
“Suicide Squad” will introduce moviegoers to a great roster of characters who have never gotten their due on the big screen before. Among Waller’s recruits include: Marksman/assassin Deadshot (Will Smith), Joker’s ex-girlfriend/all-around psycho Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), drunken sleazeball Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who’s pretty self-explanatory.The two common threads linking all these characters is that they’re extremely dysfunctional and very dangerous. And word ’round the campfire is that not all of them will survive this movie.
3. There Are Good Guys, Too
While this movie is very much about celebrating DC’s colorful cast of supervillain characters, there will be a handful of (anti) heroes. Contrasting the aggressively amoral Waller will be the Squad’s field leader, Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman). This career military man agrees to lead the team, but he doesn’t seem especially fond of Waller’s methods. He’ll be joined by Katana (Karen Fukuhara), the only Suicide Squad operative who’s there by choice rather than being forced into service.4. Batman and The Flash Have Cameos
Even The Dark Knight is getting in on the fun. Ben Affleck will reprise his role as the Caped Crusader, possibly in a flashback sequence depicting how Bats apprehended Joker and Harley. (It’s been in the trailers since minute one, so no spoilers here.)However, this film will showcase Batman from the point of view of the criminals he hunts, meaning he’ll be seen as a terrifying force of nature rather than a protagonist. Hopefully he got his fill of casual manslaughter in the last movie.
And Ezra Miller‘s The Flash shows up, too — presumably very early in the film according to reports. You can’t have a DC movie without a few members of the Justice League.
5. It’s a Follow-Up to ‘Batman v Superman’
“Suicide Squad” will seemingly build on the events of “Man of Steel” and “BvS.” As we’ve seen from the trailers, Waller assembles her team in response to a growing fear about the unchecked power of heroes like Superman. And given that every time Superman has a bad day, entire sections of Metropolis are leveled, maybe it’s not such a bad thing to have a contingency plan.The film will also take advantage of the fact that Batman has been active for many years. Because the Dark Knight has already clashed with villains like Harley and Croc in his long career, these characters will be firmly established and ready for action as the film begins. Though it appears that “Suicide Squad” will focus quite a bit on Harley’s tragic back-story and her connection to a certain Clown Prince of Crime.
6. Expect to See a Very Big Bad
Even with the Suicide Squad being made up of supervillains, they’ll have villains of their own to battle in this film. One of those will be Joker (Jared Leto), who will get free from Arkham Asylum and possibly embark on another wild crime spree. Expect Harley’s quest to free herself from Joker’s twisted influence to be a major part of her story.However, it doesn’t appear that Joker will be the main villain of the film. That role may instead fall to Enchantress (Cara Delevigne), an ancient sorceress inhabiting the body of an archaeologist named June Moone. It’s not clear whether Enchantress is initially a member of the Squad, but — based on the trailers — we’re guessing that she’s the source of the supernatural threat the team will confront.
“Suicide Squad” hits theaters this Friday.
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5 Things You Need to Know Before Seeing ‘Star Trek Beyond’
We hope you’re ready to boldly go where lots of people have gone before, because “Star Trek Beyond” is about to hit theaters.This latest sequel features a new adventure for Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew, one that forces them to leave the confines of their ship and find themselves stranded on an alien planet — so think “The Martian” but with 100 percent more phasers.
Before you don your finest Federation attire and head to the theater, here are five things you need to know about the new crew’s third adventure.
1. Director Justin Lin Is Changing Things Up
Paramount faced a bit of a crisis after director J.J. Abrams jumped ship from the “Star Trek” franchise to “Star Wars.” After some further turnover, the studio settled on “Fast Five” helmer Justin Lin (right). Based on the trailers, it seems the studio is hoping that Lin’s more action-packed, crowd-pleasing take will draw in general audiences. Luckily, early reviews suggest this approach worked.And Lin, along with writers Simon Pegg (Scotty) and Doug Jung, have arguably made the funniest “Star Trek” film since 1986’s “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” Trust us, we know — we’ve seen it!
2. It’s More Like the Classic TV Series
As “Beyond” opens, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew are three years through their five-year mission, and some mission drift is starting to settle in. The film involves an encounter with one of those new civilizations the Federation are always going on about. Basically, expect “Beyond” to play out like a longer, flashier and more expensive installment of the classic “Trek” TV series. That seems to be one of the main reasons behind the film’s critical success.3. You’re Gonna Meet Some New Aliens
When Idris Elba was cast as “Beyond’s” big bad, many assumed he’d be playing a Klingon. But the Klingons will continue to take a backseat in this rebooted universe. Instead, Elba is playing Krall, a ruthless commander of an army of Swarm ships who has little love for the Federation or Captain Kirk.On the flip side, Sofia Boutella will appear as Jaylah, a warrior trapped on Krall’s planet who ultimately sides with Kirk’s stranded crew.
4. RIP, U.S.S. Enterprise (2009 – 2016)
“Beyond” looks to buck the trend of most “Star Trek” films by taking place mostly planet-side rather than in the depths of space. Much of the conflict revolves around the Enterprise crew forced to abandon ship and take refuge on Krall’s deadly planet when Krall kills their ship.The death of Enterprise occurs early in the film, and it’s too bad the crew of this ship hasn’t had a chance to really bond with the iconic vessel — outside of it being the thing that gets them from A to B. But for real Trek fans, seeing their favorite ship get, as Krall says, its throat cut, is still a body blow — especially since the last time Kirk and crew were in a Part III (“The Search for Spock“) the Enterprise also met an explosive end.
5. There Will Be a New Enterprise
With the recent announcement of “Star Trek 4” bringing Kirk’s dad, Chris Hemsworth, back to the Final Frontier, the crew of the Enterprise will obviously return. Which means they will have to get a new ship. Look for their new ride — the Enterprise-A — to make an appearance before the end credits roll.Both Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are signed on for the fourth film, but the untimely death of Anton Yelchin makes the return of the character of Ensign Chekhov unlikely. Recent interviews with filmmakers indicate that the role will also not be recast.
While it will be sad to see a “Trek” without one of our favorite shipmates aboard, we can’t help but be excited to see Kirk and company explore more strange new worlds on the big screen.
“Star Trek Beyond” beams into theaters Friday.
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5 Things You Need to Know Before You See ‘Ghostbusters’
It’s been far too long since we’ve seen ghosts getting busted on the big screen, but that’s finally going to change as the new “Ghostbusters” reboot hits theaters. This reboot will introduce a whole new team of intrepid ghost hunters. Hopefully someone warned them not to cross the streams.As the new movie nears, fill your cup with Ecto Cooler, sit back and check out this list of five things you need to know before watching the new “Ghostbusters.”
1. It’s a Reboot, Not a Sequel
Entire books could be written about the many futile attempts to make “Ghostbusters 3” a reality. After countless false starts, Sony finally ditched the idea of commissioning a direct sequel to the previous two films and instead moved forward with a total reboot in 2014.That, plus the addition of director Paul Feig, was the spark the project needed to finally leave development hell and become a reality.
2. It (Mostly) Features New Characters
While the new “Ghostbusters” is a reboot of the franchise, don’t expect it to merely rehash the events of the 1984 original or even feature the same lineup of characters. No Ray, Egon, Peter or Winston this time around. (But you will see the original surviving cast members. More on that in a bit.) Instead, this reboot revolves around two disgraced believers in the paranormal — Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) and Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) — who are determined to prove the existence of ghosts. After hooking up with a kooky nuclear technician named Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), a brash subway worker named Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), and a hunky secretary named Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), these intrepid women form the all-new Ghostbusters.
Even the villain is different this time around. Rather than recycling Gozer or Vigo, the reboot is introducing Rowan (Neil Casey), a powerful demon intent on unleashing a ghostly apocalypse upon Manhattan. But don’t fret, there is one familiar face returning. Slimer will be there to make life difficult for the new Ghostbusters.
3. Not Everyone Is Excited
You’d think the prospect of getting the first new “Ghostbusters” movie in 25 years would be cause for universal celebration among the geek community, but you’d be wrong. Some Walter Pecks-in-training were dead set against the project before the first images and footage even appeared. And when the first trailer did hit the Internet, it quickly became the most disliked movie trailer in YouTube history.Why such a negative reaction when “Ghostbusters” is hardly the first classic ’80s property to get the remake/reboot treatment? Most of the hate seems to center on the female-dominated cast. But Sony isn’t worried. In fact, Sony studio chief Tom Rothman called this online controversy “the greatest thing that ever happened” as far as the new movie is concerned. They do say that any publicity is good publicity.
4. The Original Actors Will Have Cameos
This may be a reboot, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing some familiar faces in the new movie. Much of the surviving cast from the original movies will be making cameo appearances, including Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts. They won’t be playing their original characters, obviously, but it’ll still be neat to see the old gang back together (minus the late, great Harold Ramis and the still-retired Rick Moranis).Murray’s presence is especially notable given that his reluctance to appear in another Ghostbusters movie is one of the main reasons “Ghostbusters 3” never happened. But as Murray told Vulture, he agreed to appear in the reboot as a sign of support for the new crew.
5. There Might Be a Ghostbusters Shared Universe
Shared movie universes are all the rage these days (thanks, Marvel), and there’s a chance the “Ghostbusters” franchise will be getting that treatment in the years ahead.Word leaked in 2015 of a another “Ghostbusters” movie in development, this one possibly produced and directed by The Russo Brothers (“Captain America: Civil War”) and rumored to feature an all-male team anchored by Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt. The plan is to apparently to introduce two separate teams that would eventually team up, Avengers-style, and pave the way for a larger shared universe full of wacky ghost hunters.
It’s not clear what the state of that spinoff is these days. The Russos are certainly keeping busy with their Marvel obligations. But there’s also word of a new animated movie produced by original “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman. Maybe Ray, Egon, Peter, and Winston will feature in that one?
Plus, there’s also the “Ghostbusters: Ecto Force” animated series slated to debut in early 2018. So it sounds like our favorite blue collar paranormal exterminators will be keeping busy in the years to come.
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