Posted by
Unknown
- Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Tabletop gamers have had a number of ways to roll for initiative during a campaign, from straight rolling dice to using a dice tower, but there's now one new way to shake up your weekend Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and it doesn't include dice. Prepare to embark on an epic drinking adventure.
Orlando's MegaCon had a plethora of booths selling unique and geeky products throughout the weekend, but none was more intriguing than a pastel blue table lined with a collection of eye-catching drink-ware in varying sizes, towered by a monstrous jug called "The Growlin' D100" that was as intimidating as it was exciting.
From far away, it looked like yet another table selling etched glasses from every fandom until you were greeted by John "Hex" Carter, the brainchild behind Loaded Dice—a fun new way of playing tabletop games. With a giant grin and a rehearsed sales pitch, his voice was very telling of his excitement by his own product. This isn't your average goblet.
"Loaded Dice is a way to augment games, as a way to inject drinking into games," Hex stated. "For example, D&D, that's why it's styled around D&D, but we also joke that you can make any game a drinking game. Could you imagine Monopoly with a D6 drinking glass?"
Created by Hex and Mat Nicholson of Screech Dragon Studios, the concept is simultaneously genius and straightforward: each glass represents a different die from a D4 shot glass to a D20 pint glass and features markings on the back for each ounce, simulating a roll. Fill the glass up with your beverage of choice and start drinking. The more you gulp down in one shot, the higher your roll.
The glasses come in seven sizes, each representing a dice denomination at a reasonable price:
- Four-sided shot glass: $7
- Six-sided double shot glass: $9
- Eight-sized beer sampler: $10
- Ten-sided tumbler: $12
- Twelve-sized old fashioned: $12
- Twenty-sided pint glass: $15
- D100 mega jug: $30
At face value, these glasses do what any average 20-something does: create another drinking game. However, an alcoholic beverage is not required to enjoy this set, nor do they fully replace the usage of dice in a campaign. The intention is to compliment the game in a fun new way, and players are encouraged to find ways to incorporate that into the story.
"For those that already combine drinking and gaming, think of Loaded Dice as a tool to enhance that experience," Screech Dragon Studios said on their Kickstarter, suggesting that the possibilities of its usage are endless.
What Loaded Dice does immensely well is change the mechanics of rolling dice to be more skill-based instead of chance. Rolling a 20 doesn't require much effort, which is where this concept forces you to earn your roll. Take a sip and you can increase your attack by up to six damage with a D6 double-shot glass, but choose your potion wisely, for even the strongest adventurer may succumb to a twisted fate.
The company successfully funded their project through Kickstarter in 2016 with 266 backers pledging $20,191, doubling its $10,000 goal. Its popularity has since grown, completely selling out of the D12 glass halfway through MegaCon. "I didn't expect this much popularity!" Hex said with a humble smile.
The popularity of Stranger Things bringing back all the greatest staples of the 80's with their inclusion of Dungeons and Dragons, tabletop games have been making their way out of dark basements and into the light of Pop-culture. What was once a gathering of often bullied geeks and nerds, RPGs have more often been featured in television and film, changing the way society views them.
"I think there's this major table top renaissance that's going on and that's definitely putting more light on RPG gaming such as Dungeons and Dragons itself, and it's really exciting," Hex said. "It's becoming cooler and there's less of a stigma tethered to it as it used to be."
Hex is also hard at work preparing for his summer launch of another new game, ROBiTS, in partnership with Quick Simple Fun Games. The quick drafting card game lets you build a robot in bits and pieces, hence "Ro-bits," by drafting arms, legs, body, head, and so on.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, May 26, 2017
On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Baywatch.
What were the positives and negatives of Baywatch? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?
Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on Baywatch in the comments below!
Baywatch (2017)
DIRECTED BY
Seth Gordon
WRITTEN BY
Robert Ben Garant (story), Thomas Lennon (story), David Ronn (story), Jay Scherick (story), Damian Shannon (screenplay) and Mark Swift (screenplay)
STARRING:
Dwayne Johnson (Mitch Buchannon), Zac Efron (Matt Brody), Priyanka Chopra (Victoria Leeds), Alexandra Daddario (Summer Quinn), Kelly Rohrbach (CJ Parker), Ilfenesh Hadera (Stephanie Holden), Jon Bass (Ronnie Greenbaum) with David Hasselhoff (The Mentor) and Pamela Anderson (Casey Jean Parker)
Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) and a brash new recruit (Zac Efron) uncover a criminal plot that threatens the future of the bay.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, May 25, 2017
On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, Baywatch is given as full of a spoiler-free review as possible in under 60 seconds.
Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe and leave your comments on what you thought of Baywatch!
Baywatch (2017)
DIRECTED BY
Seth Gordon
WRITTEN BY
Robert Ben Garant (story), Thomas Lennon (story), David Ronn (story), Jay Scherick (story), Damian Shannon (screenplay) and Mark Swift (screenplay)
STARRING:
Dwayne Johnson (Mitch Buchannon), Zac Efron (Matt Brody), Priyanka Chopra (Victoria Leeds), Alexandra Daddario (Summer Quinn), Kelly Rohrbach (CJ Parker), Ilfenesh Hadera (Stephanie Holden), Jon Bass (Ronnie Greenbaum) with David Hasselhoff (The Mentor) and Pamela Anderson (Casey Jean Parker)
Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) and a brash new recruit (Zac Efron) uncover a criminal plot that threatens the future of the bay.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, May 19, 2017
We're back with another unboxing video from SuperHeroStuff.com to celebrate the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 which was released May 5, 2017.
Celebrate the Guardians' intergalactic exploits and their unimpressed allies with four mystery items and a premium New Era Hat representing the space-proof headwear of Richard Rider, the legendary Nova Prime!
The box is limited to 375 and priced to provide great value to the most discerning Guardians fans. The value of its contents taken individually, including its feature item – an exclusive New Era cap available only through the Guardians of the Galaxy HeroBox® – well exceeds the box price. $100 of Guardians of the Galaxy Gear for just $69.
Includes Exclusive New Era Hat
New Era 59Fifty fitted, flat brim style ($61.99 retail value)
Golden, shiny, polyurethane fabric mimicking the Nova helmet
Top of brim mimics the golden, reflective breastplates of Nova's uniform
Under the brim rendering of Nova by cover artist Aleski Briclot
Intergalactic interior featuring a swirling galaxy of stars
NOVA cap exclusive to SuperHeroStuff.com. Only available in HeroBox® and at select comic cons
Each Box Includes a T-Shirt + Bonus Items
You're guaranteed a Guardians of the Galaxy t-shirt celebrating your love of Marvel's space-faring heroes doling out mixtape-induced mayhem. Besides the t-shirt and EXCLUSIVE hat, the Guardians of the Galaxy HeroBox® contains four additional mystery items. What are they? Well, we're not going to tell you and neither will Groot. However, the contents absolutely hold greater value than the price of the box.
If you want to get in on the fun and reserve yourself some cool stuff for next month, place your order at SuperHeroStuff HeroBox and use the code 15-HERO-BOX to save 15% off your order of $40+.
Thanks again to SuperHeroStuff for sending this our way!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Sunday, May 7, 2017
Welcome to another edition of Wed, Bed, or Dead—the Fanboys Anonymous equivalent to games such as Marry/Fuck/Kill, or "Kill, Bang, Marry" or any of those other alternative names with the same "would you rather" ranking concept.
If you're unfamiliar with these games, here are the rules: three men or women will be pitted against each other and you are forced to place each of them into a specific category of your choosing. You cannot double up on any category, replace people, or anything else. You must pick one to "Wed" (marry), one to "Bed" (have sex with), and for "Dead" (kill)—in theory, of course.
Wed, Bed, or Dead: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Gamora vs. Mantis vs. Nebula
Having just watched this movie the other day, these characters are still very fresh in my mind. Technically, there are five main women in the cast if you count the villain Ayesha and Peter's mom, Meredith Quill, but these are the three who show up the most and are essentially part of the same team. To be fair, Nebula is not official for a team member, but she might as well be.
This is a pretty strange edition as we have three aliens: one who is green, one who has antennae, and one who is a cyborg. I guess we'll figure out everyone's kinks, right?
My Votes
Wedding Proposal = Mantis
Bedroom Invitation = Gamora
Death Sentence = Nebula
For these games, I like to use a three-point criteria of Attraction, Personality and Wildcard. Attraction and Personality are pretty self-explanatory, focusing on their looks and what goes on behind the scenes. Something like their intelligence, character traits, behavioral attitude, and so forth would go under Personality, while their physical appearance and sexiness make up the bulk of Attraction. As far as Wildcard goes, those could be any other factors that take away or add to someone's appeal.
Nebula's body has been contorted in several different ways throughout these two films, so you know she's flexible, but that's still not going to save her from the Kill slot. Her character is the most evil of the bunch and only toward the end of Vol 2 shows any redeeming qualities. Gamora is, at heart, a hero, while Mantis is sweet, so the two of them destroy Nebula on personality points.
Since all three women are attractive and we've devalued Nebula's attitude and such, the question turns to a bidding war between the personalities and physical appearances of Gamora and Mantis. At face value, Gamora is more attractive to me, but there was something cute about Mantis that I think would be much more tolerable to be with on a dating level. Gamora's got a mean streak to her and apparently is super competitive even with her sister's eyeball at stake, so that's going to be cause for plenty of arguments down the line. Mantis is also an empath, so she'd get me, and she has the biggest heart of anyone in this series so far. Since both are good looking and Mantis has the better personality, she gets bumped up to the Marry section while Gamora sits comfortably in the Fuck category.
Those are my choices, but what would you pick for these three?
Who gets the wedding ring, who gets the wild night of passion and who gets the guillotine?
Tell us who you picked for what in the comments below as well as suggestions for the next edition!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, May 5, 2017
On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
What were the positives and negatives of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?
Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in the comments below!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
James Gunn
STARRING:
Chris Pratt (Peter Quill / Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Vin Diesel (Groot), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Michael Rooker (Yondu), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Elizabeth Debicki (Ayesha), Chris Sullivan (Taserface), and Kurt Russell (Ego) with Slvester Stallone (Stakar Ogord)
Peter Quill and his fellow Guardians are hired by a powerful alien race, the Sovereign, to protect their precious batteries from invaders. When it is discovered that Rocket has stolen the items they were sent to guard, the Sovereign dispatch their armada to search for vengeance. As the Guardians try to escape, the mystery of Peter's parentage is revealed.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Monday, May 1, 2017
Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.
Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!
Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in May 2017?
RELEASE DATE: May 5, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Synopsis: Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' continues the team's adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's true parentage.
Will I watch? = Yes
The Lovers
Synopsis: Debra Winger and Tracy Letts play a long-married, dispassionate couple who are both in the midst of serious affairs. But on the brink of calling it quits, a spark between them suddenly reignites, leading them into an impulsive romance.
Will I watch? = No
The Dinner
Synopsis: A look at how far parents will go to protect their children. Feature film based on a novel by Herman Koch.
Will I watch? = No
3 Generations
Synopsis: After Ray decides to transition from female to male, Ray's mother, Maggie, must come to terms with the decision while tracking down Ray's biological father to get his legal consent.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2017
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Synopsis: Robbed of his birthright, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy - whether he likes it or not.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Snatched
Synopsis: When her boyfriend dumps her before their exotic vacation, a young woman persuades her ultra-cautious mother to travel with her to paradise, with unexpected results.
Will I watch? = No
Lowriders
Synopsis: A young street artist in East Los Angeles is caught between his father's obsession with lowrider car culture, his ex-felon brother and his need for self-expression.
Will I watch? = No
Paris Can Wait
Synopsis: Anne is at a crossroads in her life. Long married to a successful, driven but inattentive movie producer, she unexpectedly finds herself taking a car trip from Cannes to Paris with a business associate of her husband. What should be a seven-hour drive turns into a carefree two-day adventure replete with diversions involving picturesque sights, fine food and wine, humor, wisdom and romance, reawakening Anne's senses and giving her a new lust for life.
Will I watch? = No
The Wall
Synopsis: Two American Soldiers are trapped by a lethal sniper, with only an unsteady wall between them.
Will I watch? = Maybe
The Wedding Plan
Synopsis: When her fiancé bows out on the eve of her wedding, Michal refuses to cancel the wedding arrangements. An Orthodox Jew, she insists that God will supply her a husband. As the clock ticks down.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: May 19, 2017
Alien: Covenant
Synopsis: The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
Synopsis: A Heffley family road trip to attend Meemaw's 90th birthday party goes hilariously off course thanks to Greg's newest scheme to get to a video gaming convention.
Will I watch? = No
Everything, Everything
Synopsis: A teenager who's lived a sheltered life because she's allergic to everything, falls for the boy who moves in next door.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Synopsis: Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the trident of Poseidon.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Baywatch
Synopsis: Devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchanan butts heads with a brash new recruit. Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.
Will I watch? = Yes
6 FLICKS PICKS
Which films make the cut?
Well, this is a month filled with a lot of topics I have no interest in and then a few films that theoretically should appeal to me, but don't quite do the job, as you'll see based on my picks below.
6. The Wall — Just narrowly beating out The Dinner, which seems like it doesn't know what it wants to be, The Wall looks like the type of movie to me that could be really interesting, but only if it's good. If this turns out to be a film people love, I'll check it out, but it could be too gimmicky with its concept and fall short of being a decent film beyond that point.
5. Alien: Covenant — You're going to hate me for this, but I haven't really seen this franchise. I'm not big on horror films. I know, the first two are classics, but it just hasn't ever been something I wanted to dive into yet. That being said, the previews for this look pretty damn interesting, so with this list, it definitely beats out other options.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales — The first film was a huge shock in how good it was. The second was fine, but not as good. The third sucked and I didn't bother even watching the fourth. However, this is a rather weak month. I'm not going to be fooled that this will be good, but maybe they're back to their old quality.
3. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword — Oh God, this looks like it will be so stupid. That being said, the Sherlock Holmes films were fun, so maybe it's just a dumb stylized action movie that could be interesting even if it isn't good.
2. Baywatch — I'm genuinely shocked at how this went from being a movie I had zero interest in to being one of the only two films I actually do plan on seeing in theaters. This looks funny! Plus, it doesn't hurt that Alexandra Daddario is easy on the eyes.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 — I bought my tickets WEEKS ago. The first film was a movie I thought would be Marvel's first failure and it ended up being one of my favorites of the entire franchise, so I'm really looking forward to going on the ride for this sequel.
WHICH MOVIES ARE YOU INTERESTED IN CHECKING OUT?
TELL US IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Sunday, April 23, 2017
With the upcoming release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 approaching soon on May 5, 2017, Fanboys Anonymous is providing you with another edition of the FanTracks podcast, this time for Guardians of the Galaxy.
For copyright reasons, we cannot provide the movie itself, but if you sync up the video of the movie with our commentary, you can listen to our thoughts on the film as we crack some jokes, expose some plot holes and so on.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Release Date: August 1, 2014
Directed by James Gunn
Written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman
Starring Chris Pratt (Peter Quill / Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Vin Diesel (Groot), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Lee Pace (Ronan), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Djimon Hounsou (Korath), Michael Rooker (Yondu), John C. Reilly (Corpsman Dey), Glenn Close (Nova Prime), and Benicio Del Toro (The Collector)
FanTracks Episode 22 hosted by Tony Mango along with Chris Cheng.
After a short introduction, you will be told when to sync up your copy of the film so you can follow along with our commentary. Follow the links below to listen to the podcast on either YouTube, iTunes, or Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, April 14, 2017
On the latest edition of Trailer Reactions for Fanboys Anonymous, host Tony Mango gives his live response and overall thoughts about the latest trailer for Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi released earlier today. Make sure to subscribe and tell us in the comments what you think of the trailer!
OFFICIAL TRAILER:
TRAILER REACTION:
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi will be released in theaters December 15, 2017.
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Written by: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), John Boyega (Finn), Laura Dern, Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Benicio Del Toro, Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), Lupita Nyong'o (Maz Kanata), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Carrie Fisher (Leia) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is the latest in the line of animated DC direct-to-video films. Is it worth the watch or it is something that should be skipped?
Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
Directed by Sam Liu
Screenplay by Ernie Altbacker
Based on The Judas Contract by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez
STARRING:
Christina Ricci (Tara Markov / Terra), Stuart Allan (Damian Wayne / Robin), Taissa Farmiga (Raven), Brandon Soo Hoo (Garfield Logan / Beast Boy), Jake T. Austin (Jamie Reyes / Blue Beetle), Kari Wahlgreen (Koriand'r / Starfire), Sean Maher (Dick Grayson / Nightwing), Miguel Ferrer (Slade Wilson / Deathstroke), Gregg Henry (Sebastian Blood / Brother Blood), Jason Spisak (Wally West / Kid Flash), Masasa Moyo (Karen Beecher / Bumblebee), Crispin Freeman (Roy Harper / Speedy), Meg Foster (Mother Mayhem), and Kevin Smith as himself
WARNING - SPOILERS BELOW
Having never read the direct source material, I'm unfamiliar with any specific changes they've made for the better or the worse, so keep that in mind. However, I do know the general concept of Terra from the comics and knowing ahead of time how there was a potential for this to be rather dark, I strapped myself in for the ride.
Generally speaking, these animated films are fantastic. The voice acting leaves nothing to be desired and the animation somehow continues to improve despite it already being at the top of the game from the start. If you're a fan of one of the movies, you should be watching them all, as they don't disappoint when it comes to giving you a solid adaptation of how these characters come off in the comics and other avenues that you may or may not have already witnessed, like Justice League Unlimited and Young Justice or elsewhere.
This was one of my favorites and a big step up from Justice League Dark in both the overall story as well as how the characters were managed. Last time around, I felt like half of it was superfluous and the other half was just "meh" rather than great. For this movie, they pretty much checked off everything that I was hoping they would accomplish with just a few hiccups along the way.
Now that we got that out of the way, it's time for some specific thoughts that ran through my mind during the course of the film:
- I loved the flashback to the old incarnation of the team with Bumblebee, Beast Boy, Speedy, Kid Flash, Robin/Grayson being the leader and the introduction of Starfire.
- So if Beast Boy was a teenager five years ago, that means he pretty much had to be 13/14 at the time and now, he's 18/19. If that's the case, why is he still training like he's at the same level as everyone who is newer to the team? Dick and Kori are clearly in their early to mid-20s and Garfield should at least be the third ranked member of the team instead of coming off like a 15 year old, still. Strange.
- I wonder if this film and the previous one in this franchise were meant to gauge reactions for that return of the Young Justice series or perhaps a test run for a Teen Titans film. We know Nightwing and Batgirl are in the DCEU plans, along with Cyborg and The Flash being pretty young. Hm...
- "Robin, stop complimenting the bad guys." - LOL
- That musical sequence was way too jarring and on the nose. Too cheesy for my tastes.
- I really love Damian Wayne's character and I don't get the hate he gets. The snarky attitude is such a refreshing change of pace from the other Robins. For my money, Dick Grayson is the best and I love the jaded Red Hood vigilante version of Jason Todd, and it's Tim Drake who suffers from not having his own personality to stand out above the rest. I don't dislike Tim, but I can see why he's skipped over so often or why his intelligence is given to Dick just to condense things.
- There's really a lot of sexual content in here. I'm sure that will upset some people, although to me, this is fantastic, as it's a perfectly natural thing that is always glossed over. Teenagers and young adults would be have sex on their minds. Fist bump for Grayson.
- Speaking of which, the dynamic between Slade and Terra is creepy as hell. Perfect. We should be uncomfortable watching that. I'm also glad that they specified that they didn't actually have sex even though Terra clearly wants it. The reason why is because I like Deathstroke enough that I don't want to see his character tainted in my eyes (in this adaptation, at least) as being a pedophile. Then, I'd just want to see him die instead of having him come back in the future to kick ass.
- This Blue Beetle soup kitchen stuff is an unnecessary side plot to fill time. I could have done without that and instead, some more scenes with
- As much as I love Kevin Smith, I would have rather them not had any of that side plot, either.
- The frog version of Beast Boy is clearly the best.
- "It's good to have goals, esé. Me? I'm having waffles after you're dead." - THE MAN
- That Wonder Girl nod at the end was very cool. I'm surprised they're going with Donna Troy instead of Cassandra Sandsmark.
I definitely recommend this for anyone who follows the DC side of the superhero world as it's short enough that you aren't investing too much time, yet it also feels complete enough that you aren't feeling underwhelmed. If you're a fan of the Teen Titans in their previous and more child-geared animated formats, you're going to love spending more time with some of these characters, but if you were also not the biggest fan of how childish those series were, you'll love the more adult angle for this adaptation.
See It or Skip It = See It!
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FILM?
LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Saturday, April 1, 2017
Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.
Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!
Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in April 2017?
RELEASE DATE: April 7, 2017
Smurfs: The Lost Village
Synopsis: In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting race through the Forbidden Forest leading to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history.
Will I watch? = No
Going in Style
Synopsis: Desperate to pay the bills and come through for their loved ones, three lifelong pals risk it all by embarking on a daring bid to knock off the very bank that absconded with their money.
Will I watch? = Yes
The Case for Christ
Synopsis: An investigative journalist and self-proclaimed atheist sets out to disprove the existence of God after his wife becomes a Christian.
Will I watch? = No
Colossal
Synopsis: A woman discovers that severe catastrophic events are somehow connected to the mental breakdown from which she's suffering.
Will I watch? = Yes
Gifted
Synopsis: Frank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mother.
Will I watch? = No
Graduation
Synopsis: A film about compromises and the implications of the parent's role.
Will I watch? = No
Their Finest
Synopsis: A British film crew attempts to boost morale during World War II by making a propaganda film after the Blitzkrieg.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2017
The Fate of the Furious
Synopsis: When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Spark: A Space Tail
Synopsis: Spark, a teenage monkey and his friends, Chunk and Vix, are on a mission to regain Planet Bana - a kingdom overtaken by the evil overlord Zhong.
Will I watch? = No
The Lost City of Z
Synopsis: A true-life drama, centering on British explorer Col. Percival Fawcett, who disappeared while searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s.
Will I watch? = No
Norman
Synopsis: Norman Oppenheimer is a small time operator who befriends a young politician at a low point in his life. Three years later, when the politician becomes an influential world leader, Norman's life dramatically changes for better and worse.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent
Synopsis: Both a biopic of a complicated man and an exploration of the gathering forces that converged to shape a new American cuisine and create the cult of "celebrity chef"... A consummate hedonist, Jeremiah Tower's career spans the riotous sexual revolution of the 70's to the high rolling "greed-is-good" spirit of the '80s. Key interviews with celebrities & celebrity chefs cement Tower's influence on today's food culture and reveal how he transformed the restaurant industry and in the process changed the way we eat.
Will I watch? = No
A Quiet Passion
Synopsis: The story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist.
Will I watch? = No
Tommy's Honour
Synopsis: In every generation, a torch passes from father to son. And that timeless dynamic is the beating heart of Tommy's Honour - an intimate, powerfully moving tale of the real-life founders of the modern game of golf.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2017
Unforgettable
Synopsis: A woman sets out to make life hell for her ex-husband's new wife.
Will I watch? = No
Born in China
Synopsis: Venturing into the wilds of China, "Born in China" captures intimate moments with a panda bear and her growing cub, a young golden monkey who feels displaced by his baby sister, and a mother snow leopard struggling to raise her two cubs.
Will I watch? = No
The Promise
Synopsis: Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, The Promise follows a love triangle between Michael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana, and Chris - a renowned American journalist based in Paris.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Free Fire
Synopsis: Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs turns into a shootout and a game of survival.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Leap!
Synopsis: An orphan girl dreams of becoming a ballerina and flees her rural Brittany for Paris, where she passes for someone else and accedes to the position of pupil at the Grand Opera house.
Will I watch? = No
Phoenix Forgotten
Synopsis: 20 years after three teenagers disappeared in the wake of mysterious lights appearing above Phoenix, Arizona, unseen footage from that night has been discovered, chronicling the final hours of their fateful expedition.
Will I watch? = Maybe
RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2017
The Circle
Synopsis: A woman lands a dream job at a powerful tech company called the Circle, only to uncover a nefarious agenda that will affect the lives of her friends, family and that of humanity.
Will I watch? = Yes
How to Be a Latin Lover
Synopsis: Finding himself dumped after 25 years of marriage, a man who made a career of seducing rich older women must move in with his estranged sister, where he begins to learn the value of family.
Will I watch? = No
Sleight
Synopsis: A young street magician (Jacob Latimore) is left to care for his little sister after their parents passing and turns to illegal activities to keep a roof over their heads. When he gets in too deep, his sister is kidnapped and he is forced to use his magic and brilliant mind to save her.
Will I watch? = Maybe
6 FLICKS PICKS
Which films make the cut?
Well...remember how March had an overabundant amount of movies I was interested in seeing? Well, April is making up for that. This is an incredibly weak set of films.
6. Free Fire — The cast is good. Maybe this is a fun, quick movie that can have some entertainment value even if it's kind of dumb.
5. The Fate of the Furious — I haven't seen a single one of the films in this franchise, but maybe I should binge them all and see this, as despite it clearly being stupid, I'd rather sit through this than the more pretentious and boring things on the list.
4. Phoenix Forgotten — I like conspiracies and aliens and UFOs and whatnot, so even though I don't dig the found footage angle necessarily, the driving force theme of the movie is something I'm into.
3. Colossal — This is a really weird angle for a film of this subject matter, so I'm in.
2. Going in Style — I've liked the three leads in virtually everything I've ever seen them in. Also, how does Ann-Margaret look exactly the same as she did when she filmed Grumpy Old Men?
1. The Circle — This is the only movie I'm legitimately considering seeing in theaters. I made note of it as soon as I saw the trailer for it a few weeks back. The cast is great, the premise is intriguing and the fact that I'm not too sure where this is all heading is making me very interested.
WHICH MOVIES ARE YOU INTERESTED IN CHECKING OUT?
TELL US IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, March 31, 2017
On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Ghost in the Shell.
What were the positives and negatives of Ghost in the Shell? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?
Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on Ghost in the Shell in the comments below!
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
DIRECTED BY
Rupert Sanders
WRITTEN BY
Jamie Moss (screenplay) based on the manga by Masamune Shirow
STARRING:
Scarlett Johansson (The Major), Takeshi Kitano (Chief Daisuke Aramaki), Michael Pitt (Kuze), Pilou Asbæk (Batou), Rila Fukushima and Juliette Binoche (Dr. Ouelet)
Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, "Ghost in the Shell" follows Major, a one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic's advancements in cyber technology.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, March 24, 2017
On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Saban's Power Rangers.
What were the positives and negatives of Power Rangers? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?
Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on Power Rangers in the comments below!
Power Rangers (2017)
DIRECTED BY
Dean Israelite
WRITTEN BY
Ashley Miller, John Gatins (screenplay), Matt Sazama (story), Burk Sharpless (story), Michele & Kieran Mulroney (story)
STARRING:
Dacre Montgomery (Jason Lee Scott), Naomi Scott (Kimberly Hart), RJ Cyler (Billy Cranston), Ludi Lin (Zack Taylor), Becky Gomez (Trini Kwan), Bill Hader (Alpha 5), with Bryan Cranston (Zordon) and Elizabeth Banks (Rita Repulsa)
Saban's Power Rangers follows five ordinary teens who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove — and the world — is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so, they will have to overcome their real-life issues and before it’s too late, band together as the Power Rangers.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, March 23, 2017
On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, Saban's Power Rangers is given as full of a spoiler-free review as possible in under 60 seconds.
Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe and leave your comments on what you thought of Power Rangers!
Power Rangers (2017)
DIRECTED BY
Dean Israelite
WRITTEN BY
Ashley Miller, John Gatins (screenplay), Matt Sazama (story), Burk Sharpless (story), Michele & Kieran Mulroney (story)
STARRING:
Dacre Montgomery (Jason Lee Scott), Naomi Scott (Kimberly Hart), RJ Cyler (Billy Cranston), Ludi Lin (Zack Taylor), Becky Gomez (Trini Kwan), Bill Hader (Alpha 5), with Bryan Cranston (Zordon) and Elizabeth Banks (Rita Repulsa)
Saban's Power Rangers follows five ordinary teens who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove — and the world — is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so, they will have to overcome their real-life issues and before it’s too late, band together as the Power Rangers.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Monday, March 20, 2017
With the upcoming release of Saban's Power Rangers approaching soon on March 24, 2017, Fanboys Anonymous is providing you with another edition of the FanTracks podcast, this time for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
For copyright reasons, we cannot provide the movie itself, but if you sync up the video of the movie with our commentary, you can listen to our thoughts on the film as we crack some jokes, expose some plot holes and so on.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Release Date: June 30, 1995
Directed by Bryan Spicer
Written by John Kamps (story), Arne Olsen (story and screenplay)
Starring: Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver / White Ranger), Amy Jo Johnson (Kimberly Hart / Pink Ranger), David Yost (Billy Cranston / Blue Ranger), Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam Park / Black Ranger), Steve Cardenas (Rocky DeSantos / Red Ranger), Karan Ashley (Aisha Campbell / Yellow Ranger), Paul Schrier (Bulk), Jason Narvy (Skull), Nicholas Bell (Zordon), and Paul Freeman (Ivan Ooze)
FanTracks Episode 21 hosted by Tony Mango along with Chris Cheng, Chris Dace and Shaun Walker.
After a short introduction, you will be told when to sync up your copy of the film so you can follow along with our commentary. Follow the links below to listen to the podcast on either YouTube, iTunes, or Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, March 17, 2017
The latest entry in Marvel's Netflix television series is Iron Fist, surrounding the story of Danny Rand and leading us one step closer to The Defenders. Season 1 was just released, which means it's time to start binge-watching all 13 episodes.
So far, the advanced reviews have treated it pretty poorly, stating it is by far the worst of the bunch and has virtually no redeeming qualities. Going into the show with those expectations should be interesting, but let's hope that there are more positives than negatives.
Instead of doing my standard "episode 1 first impressions" video or a Minute Man Review of sorts, I figured we would try something different here. As I go along and watch this season, I'll be adding notes of my thoughts throughout each episode as almost a stream of consciousness. Then, we'll wrap everything up with a full season recap and review to see just how good or bad the overall package was.
Marvel's Iron Fist Season 1 (2017)
SHOWRUNNER:
Scott Buck
WRITTEN BY:
Scott Buck, Scott Reynolds, John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Bill Everett, Gil Kane and Roy Thomas
STARRING:
Finn Jones (Danny Rand / Iron Fist), Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing), Jessica Stroup (Joy Meachum), David Wenham (Harold Meachum), Ramon Fernandez (Kevin Singleton), Tom Pelphrey (Ward Meachum), Lewis Tan (Zhou Cheng), and Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple)
Returning to New York City after being missing for years, Daniel Rand fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.
*WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS BELOW!*
Episode 1 - "Snow Gives Way"
- Neat opening credits. Not what I expected.
- Uh...this opening scene and it's music are a strange way to start this off. I'm not sure if I wanted to jump into the story this way, but let's see.
- Homeless dude is nice. He's probably going to die, isn't he?
- Ward is a dick. He needs to eat a fist. An iron fist. Joy is okay for now but she's doomed to be a traitor down the line.
- Yup. Homeless dude can't even make it one full episode.
Episode 2 - "Shadow Hawk Takes Flight"
- We aren't going to spend too too much time with this whole "maybe he isn't Danny Rand" thing, right? We know he is, so don't waste the audience's time. As long as it's cleared up by the end of this episode, I'm okay with it.
- I also wouldn't mind a little humor.
- If he were really Canadian, he'd be more apologetic and less willing to fight people. Also, he'd probably want a donut instead of that chicken parm. Damn it. Now I want a chicken parm and a donut.
- So Colleen just casually carries around a sword? Oh. Nevermind.
- Why is Colleen doing the Molly Shannon "superstar" thing with her hands under her armpits? Just don't smell them.
- Is it wrong that I kind of like Harold?
- Cool shot with the window writing/handprint.
- Dat product placement.
Episode 3 - "Rolling Thunder Cannon Punch"
- Digging Colleen in the sleepwear.
- Darryl is so dead.
- Oh hey, Hogarth...and she has a heart?
- Very nice transition of the sheets to snow.
- That whole restaurant scene was very CW.
- So that scene with Colleen in the cage was mostly just to try to make her look legitimately tough again after losing her sparring session with Danny, wasn't it? Not a fan of transparent stuff like that. We already saw that she can handle herself. Losing to the fucking Iron Fist is no dishonor. At least she'd better keep doing this for money to bite her in the ass down the line. She also needs to have to fight Darryl.
Episode 4 - "Eight Diagram Dragon Palm"
- Can we actually see the dragon in this episode? Probably not, right?
- After 15 years, why didn't they change the company name from Rand to Meachum?
- I'd like to see a face turn for Ward. All of these shows have a good person revealed to be a heel and I'd like a switch on the trope expectations.
- Gender-bending Hogarth really was such a smart decision, as was her casting. Moss is charming despite also seeming like such a bitch.
- I'm getting a suspicion that in an episode or two, the villain will switch over again like what happened in Luke Cage.
- Colleen in a white outfit? I see what you're doing here. Nice :-)
- T minus 10 minutes before Danny and Joy bang.
- Hahahaha we have a hallway fight scene. Everyone is jealous of Daredevil.
- Madame Gao is boss
- Well, that was some dragon
Episode 5 - "Under Leaf Pluck Lotus"
- Someone really, really wanted to do that first shot and made it a priority, didn't they?
- Since we didn't see a dragon last episode, what's the likelihood this doesn't have a lotus in it?
- Drugs'll kill you, Ward.
- Okay, so we have a paper flower. Does that mean we'll get a paper dragon?
- Sup Claire? Been a while. Such an endearing character. She's really a highlight of this section of the MCU.
- I'm so hungry.
- Chastity, eh? No wonder you didn't bang Joy before the hatchet men showed up.
- Do we need another playful flirting karate scene?
- This pier stuff is taking forever and it isn't even fun. Get to the point already.
- "When are they gonna get to the fireworks factory?!"
- There better be a vampire kid here that Danny shoots in the heart with a bow and arrow. (Vampires are my theory of what Black Sun and the revival tech and all boils down to, with Blade coming into the mix after The Defenders)
- Don't fuck with Gao, son.
Episode 6 - "Immortal Emerges From Cave"
- Thanks for that butcher shot. That cured my hunger pangs.
- Taaaaake oooooon meeeee. Taaaaake meeee ooooon. I'll beeee gooooone in a day or twoooooooooo
- I can't help but feel like this entire power plant cancer storyline is entirely filler added after they realized they had nothing else for the Meachums to do once they started fucking with The Hand. I hope they prove me wrong.
- Danny should talk to Stick instead. Or Obi-Wan.
- So do they wash those towels in that well, or is that a job for a laundromat?
- Challenge #2 is hot.
- Ha. Claire said "sweet Christmas" which means Luke Cage is rubbing off on her (giggity)
- I would be okay with Gao meeting her end in this season. She's made her mark.
- The glowing hand effect isn't really a wow factor.
- Sabina is cute. She's still a side quest to eat up time, though.
- Oh damn, Gao.
Episode 7 - "Felling With Tree Routes"
- Why would you cut your finger off after specifically wanting to avoid cutting your finger off?
- This is usually the point where things slow down and I think it's been pretty slow already. Don't do this.
- Also, we still haven't seen the costume, the dragon, or Turk. Come on.
- Colleen's rocking those shorts again. Can't blame Danny for opting out of that whole chastity vow. Shouldn't the "You sure?" line be Colleen asking him, though?
- I feel like this is the end for Ward.
- "Don't forget to watch your plant, Danny. It is your responsibility now." I repeat, Gao is boss.
- Wait, who is this bearded dude again?
- Boy, Roxxon sure does have some bloody hands and yet we haven't seen them get what's coming to them in the MCU so far.
- RIP Harold.
Episode 8 - "The Blessing Of Many Fractures"
- Good fakeout, Ward.
- Luke Cage wrote a prison letter. Nice touch.
- Homeless people to the rescue again.
- Jessica Jones spied on the company? Even better than the Luke Cage letter thing.
- Drunk dude is cool. He should come back.
Episode 9 - "The Mistress Of All Agonies"
- Yesssss. Harold rocks. He can kill Ward now. Little John Malkovich looking traitor.
- Still waiting on that dragon and costume and Turk cameo.
- So you're just gonna keep selling hot dogs after this random lunatic stuck his hand in the water?
- You would get sick of ice cream pretty damn fast, Kyle.
Episode 10 - "Black Tiger Steals Heart"
- Is this another CW episode of needlessly wasting time by having everyone argue?
- Isn't Davos the big villain for Iron Fist? I guess they're doing the Baron Mordo thing.
- Yeah, this feels like a waste of an episode almost. These seasons are always a few episodes too long and it seems like this is stretched out. I kind of want it to just reach it's conclusion already.
- Also, who is the big bad? Obviously The Hand is, but you can't introduce this bearded dude so late and have me think he's the big monster to overcome if that's the case.
Episode 11 - "Lead Horse Back To Stable"
- Oh great. Just skip over the dragon. It's not like that wasn't one of the main things people were interested in seeing. I'm sure another board room meeting was a better decision. Much more exciting.
- Maybe if you showed his powers being more than just a glowing fist that seemingly does almost nothing more than normal beyond a slight upgrade, I would feel more threatened that he can't get over losing his power.
- "You cut off the head and the snake will die." No, two more will take its place.
Episode 12 - "Bar the Big Boss"
- This has lost a lot of steam despite how it should be the most entertaining right now just before the finale.
- Also, I'm hoping they don't change the primary villain again and the title means that he'll be fighting an actual bar.
- The Davos heel turn is completely unearned. This dude hasn't done enough yet for it to mean anything.
- That music cue is inspired by Interstellar, right?
- I'm also way past the point of seeing extended sequences of Danny Rand doing the same meditation poses. I get it. I've seen it about 30 times by now. Setting this one to some lighthearted hip hop stuff doesn't change it up outside of making it feel like an awkward music choice.
Episode 13 - "Dragon Plays With Fire"
- If we don't at least get the costume here, I'll be pissed.
- Come ooooooon. This is the finale. Why is this so boring? Get on with it! I'm halfway through and it's mostly people just going "oh man, we're still so scowly like we've been for 12 and a half episodes already."
- LOL at the shot where he flies through the window. That was supposed to be so much cooler than it came off.
- This was the most underwhelming finale of the five seasons we've had so far.
- How do you not have the easiest costume to put on screen? You were able to do TWO Daredevil costumes, Jessica Jones pulled out her Jewel attire, Punisher had his stuff and Luke Cage wore his crazy getup, but a yellow bandana and a green shirt was too hard to pull off?
- Very, very disappointed with how this all turned out in the end. I still think Jessica Jones had half a season of filler but this season with Iron Fist just felt like it was poorly balanced from the very start.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SEASON 1 OF IRON FIST?
LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Monday, March 13, 2017
With the upcoming reboot of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series set to come out March 24th, the hype is building up fast and our nostalgia is kicking in full force! To coincide with that, Fanboys Anonymous is partnering up again with HalloweenCostumes.com to hold a special contest where you can win a free Power Rangers costume t-shirt just for showing your support for our website!
HOW TO WIN
Three winners will be picked to receive a free t-shirt of their choosing from the six available designs above dependent upon completion of entering the contest below, so GO GO enter now!
Power Rangers T-Shirt Contest
If any aspect of the above widget does not function, please leave a comment below to call attention to the matter at hand.
Check out the Power Rangers merchandise over at Halloween Costumes for more!
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Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, March 10, 2017
On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Kong Skull Island.
What were the positives and negatives of Kong: Skull Island? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?
Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on Kong Skull Island in the comments below!
KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017)
DIRECTED BY
Jordan Vogt-Roberts
WRITTEN BY
Dan Gilroy (screenplay and story), Max Borenstein (screenplay), Derek Connolly (screenplay), John Gatins (story)
STARRING:
Tom Hiddleston (Captain James Conrad), Samuel L. Jackson (Lieutenant Colonel Packard), Brie Larson (Mason Weaver), John C. Reilly (Hank Marlow), Toby Kebbell (Major Chapman), and John Goodman (Bill Randa)
Kong: Skull Island reimagines the origin of the mythic Kong in a compelling, original adventure from Jordan Vogt-Roberts Jordan Vogt-Roberts. In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific—as beautiful as it is treacherous—unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong.
