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  • New ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Video Offers Closer Look at Ben Mendelsohn

    New ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Video Offers Closer Look at Ben Mendelsohn

    The Secret Invasion set just keeps on giving, as our first video from the set has found its way online with our first full look at Ben Mendelsohn. In the last piece, we noticed that you could see his head next to Samuel L. Jackson, but we never got a clear shot. Well, a new video has surfaced from @BlueHarvesttoys that gives us a full look at the actor on set. While many will always remember him as the Skrull Talos, the actor did appear as himself in Captain Marvel, and it looks like that has become his default disguise in the upcoming Disney+ series.

    We still don’t know which side Talos is on and what the future may have in store for the Skrull if his race starts a war against their own. They seem to be in-between shots in this scene, which won’t give us any real hints on what exactly they are doing in this sequence, which will take place in Russia as part of the Disney+ series. Secret Invasion will adapt the iconic comic storyline but will take some liberties with the original, especially with how we were introduced to the alien race in the MCU.

    Source: Twitter

  • Cobie Smulders Spotted Alongside Emilia Clark in Latest ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Photos

    Cobie Smulders Spotted Alongside Emilia Clark in Latest ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Photos

    It looks like everyone is here, as more set photos are finding their way online. We just shared our first look at Emilia Clarke on the Disney+ set, and now she’s been spotted again but not alone. It looks like she is walking alongside Cobie Smulders‘ Maria Hill on the set, which may hint at her being an ally of sorts for our group of spies. Her role is still kept in the shadows, and it’s unclear if she is a human or even a Skrull, as anything is possible in an adaptation of Secret Invasion. You can check out the set photos here, as shared by @scarletetearp:

    It looks like some of the pictures we saw earlier featuring Samuel L. Jackson also included Ben Mendelsohn, who was just off-screen. Some more photos have found their way online that features a small glimpse of him in his human form on the Disney+ series set. The last time we saw him as himself in the MCU was during Captain Marvel.

    It’s been a crazy start to a Sunday with this many set photos leaking online, especially with almost everyone that has been announced for the project spotted on set. The only ones missing are Kingsley Ben-Adir, Olivia Colman, and Killian Scott. Yet, it could only be a question of time at this rate until they may end up getting spotted on set.

    Source: Twitter

  • Samuel L. Jackson Spotted in Latest ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Photos

    Samuel L. Jackson Spotted in Latest ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Photos

    Well, it seems that after a long bout of silence, set photos are slowly rolling online one after another for Secret Invasion. We just got our first look at Emilia Clarke from the Disney+ series set, but it looks like some more have spotted Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury on the set. The first photos that found their way online include a look at the clapperboard with the production name Jambalaya, as well as – if you look very closely – the actor sitting in a car.

    https://twitter.com/declanwilli94/status/1485225246735151105

    That is not all, as the actor has also been spotted in some more set photos by Milner Creative, as shared by @SInvasionNews with the actor wandering the streets, which we learned earlier on are meant to take place in Russia. He has the same beard on that we saw in the first official look from the 2021 Disney+ Day video.

    It makes you wonder if the version of the character we saw during the Spider-Man: Far From Home post-credit sequence was Fury. We don’t know the exact timeline for these events, but there’s a good chance it takes place long after and perhaps something happened in space. We don’t know what will bring him back to Earth, especially with the Department of Damage Control well-informed that he’s absent. We’ll see how it all comes together once we get a closer look at the series.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Emilia Clarke

    ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Emilia Clarke

    It’s surprising how little has found its way online from the Secret Invasion set. We’ve been following the Batgirl film through set photos and videos quite closely, while the Marvel productions have kept quite a tight lid on their projects. The only tease we got was that it was heading to Halifax’s Piece Hall with some set photos hinting at it being used as a stand-in for Russia. Now, some set photos have found their way online through Leeds Live, which gives us our first look at Emilia Clarke on the film’s set

    It certainly isn’t the first look you might’ve expected, as it offers no hint at who she might be playing and it’s kind of perfect. Secret Invasion will dive into a world overrun by Skrulls and with Nick Fury’s involvement, there will be quite a lot of spies going undercover. So, it’ll be a lot of “whodunnit” action in the series and we’ll still have to guess who Clarke is playing. According to the set photos they’ve shared, the Lead city center was transformed into a Russian street. So, we might spend some time in that location and we’ll see if they might even explore SHIELD’s history with the KGB.

    It’s certainly great to finally get a good look at the series’ set even if it doesn’t really tell us much for now. As they are still filming, and the film was taken out from an official website’s 2022 lineup, we probably won’t see it until 2023. As such, we might not find out who Emilia Clarke is playing for quite some time, but that won’t stop us from definitely theorizing.

    Source: LeedsLive

  • REVIEW: ‘The Ritual’ Makes You Never Want to Enter a Forest Again

    REVIEW: ‘The Ritual’ Makes You Never Want to Enter a Forest Again

    I have the problem of being late to the party on many things. With only so many hours in a day, you end up losing out on some projects during their peak. After quite a few years, I’ve finally decided to check out the horror film The Ritual. The 2017 David Bruckner project brought the 2011 novel by Adam Nevill to life and follows a group of friends traveling into the unknown forests of Sweden with some dark consequences. What turns out as a mourning trip through the mountains ends up as probably one of the best horror films I’ve seen in some time, and why I wanted to write up a review on it.

    As the film was released back in 2017, I will be tackling spoilers in this review. If you haven’t yet seen it, I highly recommend you check it out before continuing.

    The opening is quite different from what I initially expected. The story doesn’t send you directly into the thick of it all, but rather we spend some time with our main cast. While we only get small inclinations of their characters, the story takes a dark turn very early on. A robbery goes wrong and ends up with one of our main cast getting killed in a convenience store. I’ve somehow managed to stay away from spoilers, and it catches you off-guard. We watch Rafe Spall‘s Luke, as he is forced to witness when his friend Rob (Paul Reid) is brutally killed over his wedding ring. He is too scared to help him and ends up living with that regret.

    In his honor, he and the rest of their friend group take a trip to Sweden to go hike in the mountains. Kungsleden – also known as the King’s Trail – was their original goal but they end up taking a shortcut through a forest after Dom (Sam Troughton) hurts his knee. This moment is when the actual story of the film kicks off as the forest is where the true horror is lurking, regret. Yes, there is a monster in this story, but what they did to flesh out our characters is by having that opening shock become a narrative throughline for Luke.

    It also lends itself for some amazing visuals as the threat they face blends their regret into the first. While at first there are separate areas, seeing elements from the convenience store appear into the forest made for great surreal imagery. We have an actual main threat, which I’ll get to in a bit, but the character arc of standing up to things makes the character interesting to follow, as it also becomes a point of conflict with his friends. They sadly end up mostly as lambs to the slaughter, we still feel for them. There is some well-done character development at play that is subtle but effective for the little time we spend with them.

    The film’s length works to its advantage, as it doesn’t overstay its welcome. As soon as we enter the forest, there’s a lot of build-up to the reveal of the creature lurking in the endless forest. One of my favorite moments was as they wander off, you can see it standing in the background before it moves along. Even if they still rely on some classic Western horror tropes with jump scares and red herrings – which still are used for a build-up. Once the shock factor of “something is lurking in the dark” is over, we get a lot of tension building as it tarts playing with their minds. As pointed out, those moments when the real world blends into the past to screw with our protagonist’s head were some of the best.

    So, let’s talk about the monster. It might be one of the most effective yet simplest design choices. The body is that of an exaggerated moose or dear, but its head is a human body twisted abnormally. We don’t get that many close-ups of his design, especially not until further into the film, but the use of shadows and the forest make it truly memorable. The fact it is teased as a god and the son of Loki makes it such a curious take on Norse folklore that I wish they expanded upon. We mostly get hints and teases throughout, which is very likely a better choice to keep it vague, but my love for mythology just made me wish they explored it even more.

    The way they hinted at the people that lived in this forest was well-done, as they used the buildings and road marks as a way to hint at their existence. They were effective and creepy, but part of me thinks they might’ve been better left out of the story. Yet, it’s also called The Ritual for a reason and you can’t include a god-like entity without any people willing to worship it.

    I will say, the ending has some strange moments that take you out of the “horror” aspect of the film. After a heartbreaking yet creepy sequence with Dom, Luke has this strange calm reaction to everything happening. He walks into this creepy room filled with mummies and after they all start coming to life, he just calmly sets them on fire. Creepy old lady creeps up on you? He takes barely a second to just punch her square in the face. I was laughing way louder than I probably should’ve been because it was supposed to be scary.

    Surprisingly, those moments didn’t take away from the film’s overall experience, and the film might’ve become one of my new favorite horror films. The atmosphere throughout was really well handled and even with most of the film taking place in a dark forest, everything was lit appropriately and built up a tense atmosphere. The monster design and the build-up to its arrival were some of the best parts of the film. Its use of grief and trauma was also a smart character throughline that adds personal conflict and a resolution beyond just “survival.” It certainly has found a way into the top of my horror list.

  • Robert Pattinson Offers His Take on ‘The Batman’s No-Kill Rule

    Robert Pattinson Offers His Take on ‘The Batman’s No-Kill Rule

    Robert Pattinson is the next in line to bring the Caped Crusader to life. There have been many before, but each one has always added something unique to the character. In an interview with the magazine Presente, the actor talked about his take on the character in March’s The Batman, as well as offering some insight into his take on the DC icon’s essential “no-kill” rule. In the interview, he went on to offer two perspectives on it.

    There is this rule with Batman: he must not kill. It can be interpreted in two ways. Either he only wants to inflict the appropriate punishment, or he wants to kill and his self-control prevents him from doing so.

    Robert Pattinson

    The actor goes on to point out that he took that rule to heart when approaching the action sequences, as that limitation he set upon himself also becomes an essential aspect in how he takes on the crime in Gotham.

    I imagined it that way from the rehearsal of the first fight, I thought it was funnier: something in him just wanted to slit the guy’s throat! I told myself that if he spends his nights chasing criminals, it is impossible that he does not take pleasure in it. He suffers and it is a desire that overwhelms him. And by dint of knocking, his mind clears, he calms down, he reaches a state close to plenitude. I’m sure in this first fight, he manages to convince himself that every guy in front of him is the one who killed his mother (Laughs.) And so that allows him to vent all his rage.

    It’s not an uncommon interpretation, as some versions of the character always pointed out that killing is just the easy way out, such as in Batman: Under the Red Hood. With all his gadgets and training, he could easily kill his enemies. Even Christopher Nolan’s version of the character had revisited that very concept when he’s confronted with the choice next to Ra’s Al Ghul. Pattinson‘s version sounds to have a much darker core, which matches the fact he has the gun that killed his parents on his chest at all times.

    Source: Premiere via The Direct

  • REVIEW: ‘How I Met Your Father’ Episode 1 – 2

    REVIEW: ‘How I Met Your Father’ Episode 1 – 2

    Everyone has their “ol’ reliable” show to fall back on. It’s that one show you can’t help but go back to, over and over again even though there are countless other things to watch. Some have The Office, while others Parks & Rec, and for me, it always ends up being How I Met Your Mother. I have watched my ol’ reliable over 30 times by this point. If I’m being honest, I watch it so much that I have started to leave it on while I fall asleep purely to function as white noise. You can imagine both my excitement and skepticism when How I Met Your Father, a spin-off set in the same universe as its predecessor, was announced. I loved the prospect of a new series with the same love and charm that made the original so great. However, I was also worried about the all too common problem of a sequel that either falls into the trap of trying too hard to be the original, or steers so far off from it that the only link is by name. Now, after a long wait since its announcement, it has finally arrived on Hulu. Does it live up to How I Met Your Mother, or is this another sequel disaster in the making?

    Thanks to a two-episode premiere, we already have a start to the character and relationship development needed for a romantic sitcom. The show follows Sophie, played by Hillary Duff with Kim Catrall as her future self, as she tells her son the story of how she met his father. Similar to the approach of How I Met Your Mother, we follow older Sophie recounting her memories of the past. However, the show has made some changes to the original formula. Instead of being in the blind on who the aforementioned mother or father is, the new show lets us in on a pretty big secret as of the first episode: the father is one of the men we see her meet in the very first episode.

    Another change is that instead of watching the kids react to the story in the future, future Sophie is instead seen telling the story to her son, who is the one kept a secret from the viewers. I feel this was pretty obviously done in an effort to not make it obvious who the father is, considering we are narrowing it down to four gentlemen from the start. I personally love this change. The original was very ambiguous, which made it so any lucky lady could be the mother during the journey. However, I feel like this new approach will make for some tense and emotional moments as the show progresses. We’ll be on the edge of our seats, as four possible suitors are in the picture, all being around Sophie and competing for her attention as the plot unravels.

    In the two-episode premiere, I was surprised by how fast I was getting emotionally invested in the characters and their relationships. Jesse (Chris Lowell) is an emotionally damaged character that immediately takes a liking to Sophie. He is charming but awkward, which makes for a great character to cheer for. Sid (Suraj Sharma) seems to be a fun and loving man, who gets engaged to his fiancee in the first episode. It’s a similar scenario Lilly and Marshall’s from the original, but with a twist. Unlike the original, Sid’s fiancee has to leave to work in another city, seemingly not a part of the main cast. This dynamic has led me to believe that while he is engaged now, he is definitely not out of the running to be the father.

    Other characters include Valentina (Francia Raisa) who is Sophie’s best friend – a character that immediately made me laugh out loud – and her date Charlie (Tom Ainsley), as well as Ellen (Tien Tran), Jesse’s adoptive sister. I felt the cast immediately had chemistry and seemed like a very easy to imagine as a group of friends. This is largely why I am excited for the future of the show, a lot of shows struggle with introducing a new cast or building them into a cohesive friend group. With this largely already out of the way, more time can be focused on developing the plot.

    While the relationships and characters are lovable, the humor felt a bit forced. Multiple times I heard a laugh track and couldn’t help but feel that it distracted from the show rather than back up an actual hilarious moment. I’m not particularly fond of laugh tracks in general, but I will never fault a show for using them considering it is such a standard practice in the genre. However, using them to force a boring moment into being a funny one is never fun. That isn’t to say the show doesn’t have its laughs, there were many times when my fiancee and I audibly laughed out loud. While this was a negative thing for me, I also feel this is a problem with a lot of shows as they start out, so I will reserve judgment on this until the full season is completed.

    All-in-all, while I feel like the humor could use some work, the groundwork laid out in the first couple of episodes has me excited for the future. So far, I feel the show lies firmly in the “fans of the original should check this out” category. Sitcom lovers will also probably feel right at home. However, so far, I think the show is not for everyone, but we will see how that changes over the course of the season. Considering the emotional moment at the end of the second episode that ties How I Met Your Father to How I Met Your Mother, I think we are in for a real treat when we see what’s to come.

  • New ‘Batgirl’ Set Video Teases Her Investigation of a Murder Case

    New ‘Batgirl’ Set Video Teases Her Investigation of a Murder Case

    It’s still insane just how much we’ve seen from Batgirl‘s sets over the course of the last few weeks. Once the cameras started rolling, we’ve somehow gotten quite a good look at the DC film that introduces Leslie Grace as the iconic member of the Batfamily. We still know very little about the film outside of Brendan Fraser‘s joining the production as the Batman villain Firefly. There’s always a chance that something bigger is at play, and a new set video reveals she’s investigating a cover-up of a murder. She references someone that killed an innocent woman, and it’s uncertain if this might be in reference to Firefly or someone else, but one thing is for sure: murder is afoot in Gotham.

    We know that the series takes heavy inspiration from Batgirl of Burnside, where she becomes a popular hero until someone from her past starts trying to tear it down. It’s uncertain how much they’ll take from that story – outside of the obvious visual references of her costume – but they may be adding a spin to the story. Batman may also have a role in the story, who may become a confidant throughout her investigation. Firefly seems like the obvious choice to be behind these events but he’s an arsonist and not a murderer. Plus, Fraser has become knwon for playing loveable yet flawed characters. There’s a chance his addition might be a bit of a red herring.

    Source: Twitter

  • The DCEU Can Shine Even Without Superman and Batman

    The DCEU Can Shine Even Without Superman and Batman

    Quite recently the internet has been ablaze with rumors and reports regarding the future of the DC Extended Universe. They have stated that Batman and Superman would essentially have no role in the DCEU moving forward. Michael Keaton might take on a role similar to Nick Fury in the early days of the MCU. Their original roles will be taken over by Batgirl and Supergirl of the trinity. While it seems like there’s a bit of uncertainty on what’s to become of the DCEU, I don’t think all is lost. In fact, I feel like there’s even more potential now than there was ever before.

    Obviously, Batman and Superman are essential characters to the comics mythos. They are the literal pillars of the DC Universe across all mediums, and rightfully so. Luckily the characters will live on in multiple other projects like Matt Reeves‘ The Batman, Batman: The Caped Crusader, My Adventures With Superman, Superman and Lois, as well as whatever DC has planned. The two aren’t completely gone from DC’s cinematic future. As such, they can continue to exist in their own separate projects while minor characters get a chance to shine in a connected DCEU.

    That is exactly why we shouldn’t look at this as the end but rather as an opportunity. In this instance, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven how a franchise can build itself without some of its most iconic characters. Yes, there have been comparisons when people pointed out that the DCEU went a little too fast so that they could catch up with the MCU, but in this case, they should take a page out of their book. With this new direction, they may be unshackled like Marvel Studios once was.

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe was able to build without its pillar characters, as back in 2008 they only had limited access to their roster of characters. As such, the MCU was forced to start without the likes of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and even the X-Men. They couldn’t access these characters that put them on the map. Instead, they worked with what was available at their disposal and built a universe with the likes of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Vision, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and many more. While it seems difficult to imagine a world without them, they weren’t well-known at that time.

    The DCEU has a chance to dig through its incredibly rich roster of characters and give the spotlight to those that would’ve otherwise never gotten the chance. Marvel is at a place now where they can introduce characters like the Eternals, Echo, Shang-Chi, and many more to their universe and instantly turn them into household names. Even Moon Knight just recently had more views within the first 24 hours than series like Hawkeye, WandaVision, and even Loki. These are all characters that became fan-favorites after being part of the franchise for years, and this new character managed to outperform them.

    So, even if the future for Batman and Superman in the DCEU is uncertain, this isn’t something to fear but rather embrace. These two characters have such a strong place in the cinematic consciousness of the public. They aren’t dependent on the rest, especially with Reeves‘ plans of building an entire universe based solely on Batman. So, the DCEU can reestablish itself and become even more interconnected as minor characters get their time to shine. We’re already seeing the new direction with projects on Black Adam, Blue Beetle, and more. This is just the beginning of a brighter future.

  • New ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Promo Art Offers Full Look at Gargantos

    New ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Promo Art Offers Full Look at Gargantos

    There’s been a lot of discussion about who will Doctor Strange face off against in the upcoming film Doctor Stange in the Multiverse of Madness. When merchandise started finding its way online, it gave us our first look at a villain named Gargantos. It confused many of us, as rumors pointed to Shuma-Gorath being the villain, not a Kraken-like monster from an old Namor comic. Well, it turns out that Gargantos is the film’s take on the iconic multiversal villain due to the potential restrictions on the characters naming rights. The first merchandise offered a look at him adding to the fact it’s the same character and a new promo art has found its way online that offers a full look at the character’s design in all its glory.

    Doctor Strange, Marvel, MCU, Gargantos, Multiverse of Madness

    It’s probably the most comic-accurate we’ve ever seen a design in the films, especially with the fleshy eyebrows that stick out above the giant eye. This is the most “cosmic” we’ve seen the character as well, who appeared in the first trailer flinging a bus at Strange. Here’s hoping we do get a massive version of Gargantos, as there are hints that we may meet more than just a singularity throughout the MCU’s multiverse. We cannot wait to find out what the future has in store for us once it releases in May.

    Source: Walmart via The Direct