Fanboys Anonymous

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 September 2018?

The Nun

Synopsis: A priest with a haunted past and a novice on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun.

Will I watch? = No

Peppermint

Synopsis: Peppermint is a revenge story centering on a young mother who finds herself with nothing to lose, and is now going to take from her enemies the very life they stole from her.

Will I watch? = No

God Bless the Broken Road

Synopsis: God Bless the Broken Road tells the story of a young mother who loses her husband in Afghanistan and struggles to raise their young daughter in his absence. The film combines elements of faith, country music, and stock car racing while paying tribute to those who serve in the United States Military.

Will I watch? = No

The Apparition

Synopsis: A journalist is sent by the Vatican to investigate a young girl claiming to be visited by the Virgin Mary.

Will I watch? = No

Bisbee '17

Synopsis: An old mining town on the Arizona-Mexico border finally reckons with its darkest day: the deportation of 1200 immigrant miners exactly 100 years ago. Locals collaborate to stage recreations of their controversial past.

Will I watch? = No

Winter Ridge

Synopsis: A young detective is torn apart after his wife ends up in a coma while hunting a serial-killer at the same time.

Will I watch? = No


The Predator

Synopsis: When a young boy accidentally triggers the universe's most lethal hunters' return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.

Will I watch? = Maybe

A Simple Favor

Synopsis: A SIMPLE FAVOR, directed by Paul Feig, centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy blogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town.

Will I watch? = No

White Boy Rick

Synopsis: The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.

Will I watch? = No

Unbroken: Path to Redemption

Synopsis: When the war ended, his battle began. Based on Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling book, UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION begins where Unbroken ends, sharing the next amazing chapter of Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini's powerful true story of forgiveness, redemption, and amazing grace.

Will I watch? = No

Lizzie

Synopsis: A psychological thriller based on the infamous 1892 murders of the Borden family.

Will I watch? = No

The Children Act

Synopsis: As her marriage crumbles, a judge must decide a case involving a teenage boy who is refusing a blood transfusion on religious principle.

Will I watch? = No

Hal

Synopsis: Hal Ashby's obsessive genius led to an unprecedented string of Oscar®-winning classics, including Harold and Maude, Shampoo and Being There. But as contemporaries Coppola, Scorsese and Spielberg rose to blockbuster stardom in the 1980s, Ashby's uncompromising nature played out as a cautionary tale of art versus commerce.

Will I watch? = No

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco

Synopsis: Sex Fashion and Disco is a documentary film concerning Antonio Lopez (1943-1987), the most influential fashion illustrator of 1970s Paris and New York, and his colorful and sometimes outrageous milieu.

Will I watch? = No

Bel Canto

Synopsis: A world-renown opera singer becomes trapped in a hostage situation when she's invited to perform for a wealthy industrialist in South America.

Will I watch? = No

The Dawn Wall

Synopsis: Legendary free climber Tommy Caldwell tries to get over heartbreak by scaling 3000ft of an impossible rock face: the Dawn Wall of El Capitan.

Will I watch? = No

MDMA

Synopsis: In 1984, the most powerful drug dealer on the west coast was a 19 year old coed. Based on actual events.

Will I watch? = No


The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Synopsis: A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.

Will I watch? = No

Fahrenheit 11/9

Synopsis: Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 11/9" is a provocative and comedic look at the times in which we live. It will explore the two most important questions of the Trump Era: How the f**k did we get here, and how the f**k do we get out?

Will I watch? = No

Life Itself

Synopsis: As a young New York couple goes from college romance to marriage and the birth of their first child, the unexpected twists of their journey create reverberations that echo over continents and through lifetimes.

Will I watch? = No

Assassination Nation

Synopsis: This is a thousand percent a true story about how the quiet, all-American town of Salem absolutely lost its mind.

Will I watch? = No

The Sisters Brothers

Synopsis: In 1850s Oregon, a gold prospector is chased by the infamous duo of assassins, the Sisters brothers.

Will I watch? = No

Colette

Synopsis: Colette is pushed by her husband to write novels under his name. Upon their success, she fights to make her talents known, challenging gender norms.

Will I watch? = No

Love Gilda

Synopsis: In her own words, comedienne Gilda Radner looks back and reflects on her life and career. Weaving together recently discovered audiotapes, interviews with her friends, rare home movies and diaries read by modern day comediennes (including Amy Poehler), LOVE Gilda offers a unique window into the honest and whimsical world of a beloved performer whose greatest role was sharing her story.

Will I watch? = No

My Son

Synopsis: The disappearance of his child sends a man on a dark path to find the truth.

Will I watch? = No


Night School

Synopsis: A group of troublemakers are forced to attend night school in hope that they'll pass the GED exam to finish high school.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Smallfoot

Synopsis: A Yeti is convinced that the elusive creatures known as "humans" really do exist.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Hell Fest

Synopsis: A masked serial killer turns a horror themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show.

Will I watch? = No

The Old Man & the Gun

Synopsis: Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker and his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public.

Will I watch? = No

Little Women

Synopsis: A modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel, we follow the lives of four sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March - detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood. Despite harsh times, they cling to optimism, and as they mature, they face blossoming ambitions and relationships, as well as tragedy, while maintaining their unbreakable bond as sisters.

Will I watch? = No

Bad Reputation

Synopsis: Documentary about rock star Joan Jett.

Will I watch? = No

Monsters and Men

Synopsis: The aftermath of a police killing of a black man, told through the eyes of the bystander who filmed the act, an African-American police officer and a high-school baseball phenom inspired to take a stand.

Will I watch? = No

All About Nina

Synopsis: Nina Geld (Winstead) is a bracingly funny and blisteringly provocative stand-up comedian whose career is taking off, but whose personal life is a near-complete disaster. To escape a difficult ex and to prepare for a prospectively life-changing audition, Nina flees to Los Angeles where she meets Rafe (Common), who challenges almost every preconception she has -- including those around her own deeply troubled past

Will I watch? = No


Which films make the cut?

6. A Simple Favor —Admittedly, I'm curious what this is all about.

5. Love Gilda — Gilda Radner wasn't one of my favorite SNL cast members, but this is at least about SNL and not about something like a period piece drama about an 1800s candlemaker or something lame.

4. Peppermint — Meh, generic action. It's mindless and there might be a few decent set pieces.

3. Smallfoot — Could be cute. I don't know. The preview wasn't bad that I had seen before Incredibles 2.

2. Night School — Maybe with AMC A-List, it'll get a few laughs out of me.

1. The Predator — I liked the original.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Edgar Wright for Bond 25?

Well I didn't see that one coming, but if it's true, it could be interesting. I think Edgar Wright is one of those guys that is overrated by a lot of people, but has the potential to do a lot of great things, if given the right projects and passion. I haven't seen Baby Driver, but I heard some good things. So long as he doesn't come into the project wanting to change things for the sake of changing it, he could work out real well.

Disney Play

This is the name of Disney's streaming service. I have two reactions to this. First off, to the people who don't have dirty minds, this makes a lot of sense. Second, after the James Gunn situation, woof, that's a bad name.

Alec Baldwin Cast as Thomas Wayne in Joker

More of a reason for me to not trust this Joker movie, as Thomas Wayne shouldn't be in it. But hey, The Shadow is Batman's dad. Ha.

Never mind. He's apparently not playing the part.

Matt Smith and Dominic Monaghan Cast in Star Wars: Episode IX

Did they cast them as "retconning The Last Jedi"? No? Okay, then they're probably as superfluous as Holdo and I shouldn't care.

Alan Tudyk Cast as Mr. Nobody in Doom Patrol

Neat. I don't know much of anything at all about Doom Patrol, so I have no comment on that, but Tudyk is fun.

Mark Raxton in Spider-Man: Far From Home?

Is this going to be the type of nonsense where they have just some random person on the bus be "Mark" and ruin the potential to use the character in the future, like they've done with about a dozen people already? Look, I love when you use a character that is from the comics in a spot where they make sense, but don't flat out waste them. Molten Man isn't some super awesome character like Norman Osborn, but still, if you're going to do Mark Raxton, have him be Molten Man and have him fight Peter in one scene.

We all know the backstory: Disney has purchased Fox's assets and part of the package is that the film rights to the X-Men characters are now able to be brought into the fold for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let's just get that out of the way.

For far longer than when this deal was even in the works, people have been talking strategies and theories on just how that could happen, as the MCU is pretty well established at this point with absolutely zero involvement in mutants.

Sure, we've had Inhumans, and it's been a complete and utter mess, revolving entirely on the television side of things, which goes completely ignored. Especially that TV show. Woof, that was awful. But that's the closest thing we've gotten, and even that doesn't have any impact on the movies, but bringing in Wolverine and company certainly would.

Without even talking about the logistics of the properties like The Gifted and Legion and other elements like that—all of which certainly wouldn't be able to be folded into the continuity and continue—let's just assume Marvel starts with a complete, clean, fresh slate.

If that's the case, how do they establish mutants in a world that has never had mutants?

Here are five ideas that I have regarding the potential ways this could be pulled off.

1) What do you mean? They've always been there!

This is my least favorite method, and I really hope that Marvel doesn't go in this direction, but it would be the simplest and easiest to do.

Effectively, they would do what they've done with everything else, and just say that things were in the background and nobody knew about the mutants in the shadows, or some clandestine government organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. did in fact know, but oddly, nobody ever brought it up, ever, in any capacity, even in conversations that seemed to fly in opposition of not mentioning it.

It's lazy and it makes no sense and creates plot holes, but the MCU isn't immune to errors like this. They're not infallible.

2) The Infinity Gauntlet

My ideal situation is for the end of Avengers 4 to be that there have been some changes to the canon, fixing some plot holes, patching up a few problems here and there, establishing some storylines that can be explored in the future and for everything to be in a better state.

For instance, I don't want Steve Rogers or Tony Stark to die. I want S.H.I.E.L.D. to be reinstated, so we can have that group's presence in the movies, and with Stark and Rogers as the heads of it (allowing them to work in the background and not have to appear as Iron Man and Captain America in movies). I want Thor to be the king of Asgard, allowing his absence. Clint and Nat and Rhodey and Sam and Maria Hill and even Nick Fury are in the mix as trainers and overseers of S.H.I.E.L.D, too, and so on. I want the timeline to make more sense. I want some of the television show's continuity to be cleaned up so we can do some of those stories better, like how we really got screwed on some characters meaning nothing. I want an acknowledgment that they know what's going on with Daredevil in the film universe and that people like Steve and Tony are aware of people like Fitz-Simmons, too.

And, I want this "new world" that is created with undoing the snap to be a world where mutants exist in a shadowy sense. S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about the existence of the genetics and have studied people like Wolverine, who has fought alongside Cap in World War II, and Magneto has gone through all that he's gone through, but mutants are largely in the background and nobody really addresses them as a social issue.

The gems themselves can do this, or this can be done by entities like The Living Tribunal, Eternity, Infinity, Death, Entropy, and so on, as a response to the way the gems were used. Basically, they could repair the universe. Better yet, you can have one quick shot of Stan Lee, playing The One Above All, and he can simply hand-wave the explanation to all the "true believers" watching. It's the MCU. You can get away with breaking the fourth wall.

3) The Beyonder

Maybe we go into Secret Wars, to an extent. Maybe The Beyonder screws with the world and creates some kind of merge between the two universes and allows for an explanation of why they were separate and why they're coming back together, after we see some of the MCU characters fighting the X-Men.

This would be messy and hard to accomplish, but it could be super fun to see.

4) The Fantastic 4

As a way to establish the Fantastic 4, who also need to be brought into the mix, what if there's an experiment that Reed Richards is working on (with or without Dr. Doom) that actually manipulates the universe and is used as an explanation for why these elements were missing all along?

Avengers Tower in New York should be replaced by the Baxter Building, for sure, and while we're establishing Reed and the F4, there could even be Kang the Conqueror making an appearance to further drive home the point of the new timeline. Hell, if you want to do an even deeper cut, have this other-worldliness written off as a byproduct of Franklin Richards in the future having messed with things and restoring the universe to having mutants.

5) Onslaught

We've already seen Magneto, Apocalypse, the Phoenix Force, the cure storyline, and more. We're running out of major X-Men villains to have their first appearances, and even though I don't think Onslaught is anywhere near a fully-realized character, it would at least be something different to bring to the mix.

You can't just introduce Mad Jim Jaspers and have him do all the reality manipulation, nor can you make Scarlet Witch responsible if she's not a mutant (and I hope she isn't ever converted over to being a mutant, as I like her so much more when she isn't)

But Onslaught has immense psychic abilities and could be used as a crutch for removing the world's knowledge of mutants, in some kind of misguided attempt to let them live in a bubble, away from normal eyes, and when it pops, the reality that was being manipulated snaps back in on itself and the universe "heals" this by having characters have new continuities where they've dealt with mutants in the past and such.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Leia Will Appear on Star Wars: Resistance

She HAD to. She's the general who is leading everything. Of course this had to happen. Since this is an animated property, they don't need to worry about the Carrie Fisher situation, and Rachel Butera will be taking over the role. I know nothing about Rachel, so I can't give a thumbs up/down regarding her voice acting skills, but this is a necessity for this story to make any sense and I'm glad to hear that they're incorporating the character.

Fantastic 4 in Deadpool 2

Why was there concept art for this? Why were they considering incorporating them? Was it to have a quick joke about how awful the movie was? I can't imagine it would have been in a serious capacity...

Different Version of a Scene from Avengers: Infinity War

Apparently, the original idea for the scene where Thanos talks to the child version of Gamora after the snap was going to include him walking through a river of blood. Yikes. That's pretty dark. It would have been cool, but I also think the locale with the different colors would have thrown it off and it might not have been too effective. They didn't need it, either.

Inbar Lavi will be Eve in Lucifer Season 4

LOVE Lucifer. I have no idea who this actress is, but I also love that they're bringing in Eve. I hope we get to see Adam, too. Those two could be a great pairing to play off the Lucifer/Chloe dynamic. Also, it would be interesting if Dan got into a relationship with Eve. Or, hell, maybe Eve hooks up with Maze. Armchair booking, here.

GLOW Renewed for Season 3

Yessssssssssssssssssssss. Love the show. Also, cheap plug for Smark Out Moment.

Danny Boyle Exits Bond 25

Damn it. I was kind of interested in seeing what he would bring to the table. However, who knows, maybe these "creative differences" are actually a sign that the movie would have been bad and what we end up getting will be better. That's happened in the past. Look at some of the ideas for Batman films over the years. I guess we'll have to see.

Pennyworth Details

First off, remember, I think a series about Alfred is a bad idea. He's a fantastic supporting character. Supporting.

Anyway, this is supposed to be him in his mid-20s (of course) leaving the SAS. Okay, that's good that they're giving him the spy background, like I prefer. At least they have that down. And it seems like he'll develop a close bond to Thomas Wayne, which is good, too.

Why Mila Kunis Doesn't Want to be a Superhero

Because she doesn't want to be on a diet and "be hungry for 10 years." Fair enough reason, but Mila, look in the mirror. You look amazing. You wouldn't need to change what you're already doing.

Anyway, now I want to start thinking of fan cast ideas for roles I'd like to see her in. She's much more Marvel than DC, that's for sure. Hm...

Punisher Kills Mandarin

Yeah boy. Now, the Marvel universe doesn't need to worry about him. Not necessarily advocating vigilantism, but hey, sometimes cops need to shoot people, right? In the insane world of Marvel, maybe someone like Punisher needs to do the same for the supervillains.

Death Note Sequel

I'm of the minority that enjoyed the Netflix film, most likely because that's the only exposure to it that I ever had. I'm down for a sequel.

Hans Zimmer Returning to Score Wonder Woman 1984

Still not sure why this is set in 1984, but whatever, Hans Zimmer is awesome and I'm looking forward to his music. He always does a great job.

Zendaya Offered Ariel Role in Little Mermaid

The second movie that she'd be cast as a redhead who isn't a redhead? Typecasting. Also, can we get confirmation in the next Spider-Man film that she isn't actually supposed to be Mary Jane at all and that she's actually Michele Gonzales? As far as The Little Mermaid is concerned, it was never one of my favorites, and I'm surprised it's taken them this long to work on a live action film of it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 Put on Hold

Makes sense. I still think Gunn should have potentially been given another shot, but I hope this doesn't mess with the MCU too much.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Wolverine Has "Hot Claws"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this boils down to "his claws conduct so much heat, being metal, that the build-up of that allows them to be super hot" and not much else, right? So why is everyone so bent out of shape about this? It's not like they replaced the adamantium with fire, right?

Wally West is only in 3 Episodes This Season on The Flash

So dumb.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Movie NOT Happening?

Ewan McGregor doesn't seem to think so, and why not? It's only the easiest, most beneficial, best possible option for a spinoff, right? This group of people working on Star Wars after Lucas sold it really just don't know what to do. (Not that he had the best ideas all the time, either, Jar Jar)

Iron Fist Season 2 Trailer

"I didn't ask for the Iron Fist" - yeah you did, dude, when you challenged the dragon. I really, really hope they've learned their lessons from the last season and how damn near every Netflix show is a few episodes too long and drags the stories out too much. The trailer looked fine, but I have my reservations. At least it's only 10 episodes instead of 13. That will help a lot.

Star Wars Resistance Trailer

This looks like a copy and paste job from Star Wars Rebels and something that will spend too much time trying to get us to follow some plucky kid's journey to fill in the gaps of a convoluted story that will have absolutely no bearing on the main films whatsoever. Sadly, I can't get into it. Remember, The Last Jedi killed my enthusiasm for Star Wars.

Tatooine Spinoff Film Cancelled

Stop trying to think you can make a story out of everything just by cashing in on nostalgia.

Note: This has been another very slow news week from my perspective of someone who pretty much only checks out the film side of things. Lame.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

New Look for Jason Todd in DC Comics

I dig it. He looks like a cross between himself and Azrael.

Possible Names for Huntress and Black Canary

Alexandra Daddario is someone we need to see in a comic book film, but I don't know if Huntress is the right role for her. If they were going to take someone and make them a different race instead of having all white women in the standard roles, Huntress is the one I think that translates best to be maybe someone who is Hispanic or something. As far as Vanessa Kirby or Jodie Comer, I'm completely unfamiliar with Comer, but I don't think she looks right for the part. Kirby doesn't strike me as the best choice, either, but I'd like to see her in something somewhere...just not Black Canary.

Wilson Bethel is Bullseye in Daredevil Season 3

I have no idea who this actor is, and haven't seen him in anything at all, but he looks like he could be a good Bullseye as far as the appearance goes, so thumbs up.

Supergirl Movie in the Works

Nope. Bad idea. Supergirl already has a television show (and aren't we always told that DC thinks we can't handle having both at the same time? Hypocritical), and she's not a good enough character on her own unless your sole goal is "wouldn't it be interesting to cater to the female demographic and do a women's empowerment thing?" She doesn't have a good enough story or villains to drive a whole film on her own without just stealing from other characters and being "girl Superman with less going on."

Jon Favreau's Live Action Star Wars TV Series to Cost $100 Million for 10 Episodes

That sounds about right. I no longer care anywhere near as much about Star Wars anymore after The Last Jedi killed my enthusiasm, as I've been saying the past few months, and I feel like this is guaranteed to be the type of Star Wars that I don't like, which is when it focuses on the ships and the blasters and "isn't that weird alien neat?" more so than Jedi.

Birds of Prey Stuff

Black Mask as the villain? Okay. Harley Quinn, Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya trying to save Cassandra Cain? Well, that's not my lineup, or my story that I want, so...

Details and News on Disney's Streaming Service

As expected, it will be the home for all things Marvel, save for possibly the Netflix shows and other things that have deals elsewhere (until those deals expire, of course). This was a no-brainer.

They're looking to make television shows out of properties like High School Musical (never seen it, but it seems low-budget enough to make sense), Monsters Inc (way to beat that down), and The Muppets (worth a shot).

Remakes of Three Men and a Baby (why?), The Paper Magician (never heard of it), Stargirl (never heard of it, only the DC character), a Don Quixote thing (really?) and some movies like Noelle with Anna Kendrick being the daughter of Santa Claus (not going to watch it, but whatever).

The Jon Favreau Star Wars show, as mentioned above. Thoughts above.

There supposedly hasn't been a decision made yet about what to do with the Fox content. In my mind, what makes the most sense is to get rid of Hulu entirely, fold that stuff into the deal, and to create different tier platforms. Have a Disney-only subscription base model, a Kids model that allows access to everything but only if it's G and PG and maybe PG-13 (or you can do a Teens model that lumps in PG-13), a Fox-only thing, a Simpsons-only thing, and so forth, with one lumped "all-inclusive everything" model that is the most expensive. Obviously, something like the Simpsons-only would be cheaper, like $2 a month, whereas the "all-in" one would be $9.99 a month, and the Kid/Teen one would be something like $4.99. But hey, I'm not in charge. Hire me, Disney.

Ruby Rose Cast as Batwoman

I said before that I hate the idea of a Batwoman television show, as I've never liked any incarnation of the Batwoman character, and I feel like this is nothing but a political move to try to win over the LGBT crowd rather than to actually create a decent show. However, Ruby Rose is kind of perfect casting, so kudos on that, even though I'm not going to waste my time watching it.

Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders Join Spider-Man: Far From Home

Awesome! I want more Nick Fury and Maria Hill and I love the idea of having more people be mentors to Spider-Man. I'm still really hoping we get a Captain America / Spider-Man team-up in one of these films down the line, too.

Power Rangers Sequel Still in the Works

Good! They should have a follow-up movie with Tommy (and not as a girl, don't try to be cute and hip like that). I liked the recent film. It had some flaws, but it was still good for what I wanted it to be.

Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film

The Oscars are going to basically have a "most popular movie" award. I think this is a fantastic idea and something that should have happened a long, long, long, LONG time ago. Now, the question is, does it go to Black Panther and that this was a means to give that the award and be culturally significant without a Best Picture push, or does it go to Avengers: Infinity War? Also, the downside to this is that it gives them an excuse to not nominate these movies for Best Picture even if they deserved it, just because they have a divide between artsy and popular.

Silver & Black Split Into Two Films

JUST ADMIT ALREADY THAT THESE ARE STUPID IDEAS AND THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING ANY MORE THAN WARNER BROS IS MESSING UP THE DC FILMS!!!! Jesus, Sony! These are such stupid concepts that everyone can see failing from a mile away and you just refuse to let go of this whole "we need a cinematic universe of our own and want to bleed everything dry as much as possible" mentality. Knock. It. Off. Spider-Man: Homecoming isn't perfect and there are plenty of things that bug me about the movie and their choice of how to use like 20 characters (Betty, Mary Jane, etc) but good lord, Sony themselves just do not know what to do with any of these people and I don't want Silk or Jackpot or Black Cat or Silver Sable or anything like this.

Joivan Wade Cast as Cyborg in Doom Patrol

Why is Cyborg in Doom Patrol instead of Titans? Idk. This kid should be good for the part, though, so that's good.

Lady Gaga Maybe Turned Down Black Canary or Huntress

LMAO. No.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Frank Miller Gets Sin City TV and Film Rights Back from Miramax/Lantern Capital Partners

This doesn't mean much right now, but it could in the near future. With Miller having the rights back, we could see the creation of a different television series on something like Netflix that acts as a new adaptation of the source material, or a follow-up if the original cast wants to continue in some way.

Iron Fist to have 10 Episodes

Much, much better! One of the biggest problems with the Netflix series tends to be the amount of filler and if they're cutting 3 episodes from the season, that should really trim down on that problem. Very smart move.

Zack Snyder Would Have Ruined Robin in Two Ways

It's come out that Snyder's plan was to have had Dick Grayson be the Robin who got killed by The Joker, instead of Jason Todd, and that he would have introduced Carrie Kelley down the line. This was thankfully avoided, and I hate that people run to these ideas. Just because you liked The Dark Knight Returns doesn't mean Carrie Kelley is anything worthwhile of a Robin and that you should skip over the ENTIRE Bat-family in order to bring her character on screen. No. And you can't kill Grayson instead of Todd just because it's easier. I'm so, so glad we didn't get this.

Venom Trailer

This definitely looks much better than it did before, but I'm still somewhat hesitant to trust it, knowing how they've worked in the past and what their ideas were.

Kraven the Hunter Film in Development

I said this before, and I'll say it again. Kraven isn't a protagonist, nor someone you can make a movie revolve around. He needs to be one of two villains in a Spider-Man film, with the other being something like Scorpion or Lizard.

Batman Not Year One?

Good. But I'm still not sure what the hell we're getting, if we're getting anything at all.

No National Treasure 3

Jon Turteltaub has said that other franchises take priority because Disney films that they can make more money, but they're still looking for the right script. I feel like if you haven't figured it out by now, you probably aren't going to. It's been 10 years.

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 August 2018?

Christopher Robin

Synopsis: A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.

Will I watch? = Maybe

The Darkest Minds

Synopsis: Imprisoned by an adult world that now fears everyone under 18, a group of teens form a resistance group to fight back and reclaim control of their future.

Will I watch? = Maybe

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Synopsis: Audrey and Morgan are best friends who unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of the women discovers the boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy.

Will I watch? = No

Searching

Synopsis: After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her.

Will I watch? = No

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Synopsis: In 1993, a teenage girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center by her conservative guardians.

Will I watch? = No

Never Goin' Back

Synopsis: Jessie and Angela, high school dropouts, are taking a week off to chill at the beach. Too bad their house got robbed, rent's due, they're about to get fired, and they're broke.

Will I watch? = No

Nico, 1988

Synopsis: The last year of singer Nico's life, as she tours and grapples with addiction and personal demons.

Will I watch? = No


The Meg

Synopsis: After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.

Will I watch? = No

Dog Days

Synopsis: Dog Days follows a group of interconnected people in Los Angeles who are brought together by their lovable canine counterparts.

Will I watch? = No

BlacKkKlansman

Synopsis: Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer from Colorado, successfully managed to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan and became the head of the local chapter.

Will I watch? = No

Madeline's Madeline

Synopsis: A theater director's latest project takes on a life of its own when her young star takes her performance too seriously.

Will I watch? = No

Skate Kitchen

Synopsis: Camille's life as a lonely suburban teenager changes dramatically when she befriends a group of girl skateboarders. As she journeys deeper into this raw New York City subculture, she begins to understand the true meaning of friendship as well as her inner self.Camille's life as a lonely suburban teenager changes dramatically when she befriends a group of girl skateboarders. As she journeys deeper into this raw New York City subculture, she begins to understand the true meaning of friendship as well as her inner self.

Will I watch? = Yes/Maybe/No

A Prayer Before Dawn

Synopsis: The true story of an English boxer incarcerated in one of Thailand's most notorious prisons as he fights in Muay Thai tournaments to earn his freedom.

Will I watch? = No

BuyBust

Synopsis: An anti-drug enforcement agency stages a massive drug bust in the slums of Manila.

Will I watch? = No


Mile 22

Synopsis: An elite American intelligence officer, aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country.

Will I watch? = No

Crazy Rich Asians

Synopsis: This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family.

Will I watch? = No

Alpha

Synopsis: A story of survival set 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age.

Will I watch? = No

Juliet, Naked

Synopsis: Juliet, Naked is the story of Annie (the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan) and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded, singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe, who also happens to be the subject of Duncan's musical obsession.

Will I watch? = No

The Wife

Synopsis: A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Will I watch? = No

We the Animals

Synopsis: Manny, Joel, and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. As Manny and Joel grow into versions of their father and Ma dreams of escape, Jonah embraces an imagined world all on his own.

Will I watch? = No

Minding the Gap

Synopsis: Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust-Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.

Will I watch? = No

The Little Mermaid

Synopsis: A young reporter and his niece discover a beautiful and enchanting creature they believe to be the real little mermaid.

Will I watch? = No


The Happytime Murders

Synopsis: When the puppet cast of an '80s children's TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Slender Man

Synopsis: Slender Man tells the story of a tall, thin, horrifying figure with unnaturally long arms and a featureless face, who is reputed to be responsible for the haunting and disappearance of countless children and teens.

Will I watch? = No

A.X.L.

Synopsis: A.X.L. is a top-secret, robotic dog who develops a special friendship with Miles and will go to any length to protect his new companion.

Will I watch? = No

Papillon

Synopsis: A prisoner detained on a remote island plots his escape. A remake of the 1973 film 'Papillon'.

Will I watch? = No

Support the Girls

Synopsis: The general manager at a highway-side ''sports bar with curves" has her incurable optimism and faith, in her girls, her customers, and herself, tested over the course of a long, strange day.

Will I watch? = No

Replicas

Synopsis: A scientist becomes obsessed with bringing back his family members who died in a traffic accident.

Will I watch? = No

The Bookshop

Synopsis: Set in England 1959, a small East Anglian town, Florence Green decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop.

Will I watch? = No

Beautifully Broken

Synopsis: A refugee's escape, a prisoner's promise, and a daughter's painful secret converge in this inspiring real life story of hope. As three fathers fight to save their families, their lives become intertwined in an unlikely journey across the globe, where they learn the healing power of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Will I watch? = No

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

Synopsis: A documentary set at the final of the 1984 French Open between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl at a time when McEnroe was the world's top-ranked player.

Will I watch? = No


Kin

Synopsis: Chased by a vengeful criminal, the feds and a gang of otherworldly soldiers, a recently released ex-con and his adopted teenage brother are forced to go on the run with a weapon of mysterious origin as their only protection.

Will I watch? = Maybe

The Little Stranger

Synopsis: THE LITTLE STRANGER tells the story of Dr. Faraday, the son of a housemaid, who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. During the long hot summer of 1948, he is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall, where his mother once worked. The Hall has been home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries. But it is now in decline and its inhabitants - mother, son and daughter - are haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life. When he takes on his new patient, Faraday has no idea how closely, and how disturbingly, the family's story is about to become entwined with his own.

Will I watch? = No

Blood Fest

Synopsis: Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda. As festival attendees start dying off, three teenagers - more schooled in horror-film cliches than practical knowledge about neutralizing psycho killers - must band together and battle through various madmen and monstrosities to survive.

Will I watch? = No


Which films make the cut? Well, to be perfectly honest, none of them would have. This is the first month that has no movies that I can see spending the money to watch in theaters, particularly with Movie Pass charging you "peak pricing" like they're doing. I had originally had The Predator and Scarface down as possibilities, but they moved to different dates. So, keep that in mind when looking at the list below. Wasn't August supposed to be a summer blockbuster month? Why are like half the films period piece dramas marketed to middle-aged women?

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Since this was a month with no real options, I struggled to pick between a bunch of things in last place. I almost gave a spot to Replicas, Papillon, The Spy Who Dumped Me and BlacKkKlansman.

6. The Meg — It's a megalodon.

5. Mile 22 — At least if I watch this, I can have some material to talk about how bad Ronda Rousey is in the film during my Smack Talk podcasts.

4. Christopher Robin — I was never the biggest Winnie the Pooh fan, and the CGI is creepy, but maybe there's something cute to take away from it.

3. The Darkest Minds — This looks pretty generic and uninspired, but it might be worth eating up 2 hours of my time, since I like superhero content.

2. Kin — This looks lame, but weird. Maybe the weird is good.

1. The Happytime Murders — If I actually see any, it will be this one, as the trailer made me laugh, despite how I normally don't find puppets or Melissa McCarthy funny.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Logan Marshall-Green Wants to Play Mr. Miracle

These actor campaigns never go anywhere.

The Batman May Draw Inspiration from Year One

Uuuuuugggggggh why does everybody want to make Batman either an origin story or an old man? Why can't we get a regular Batman movie anymore? This is DC's chance to do something like Hush, or Red Hood, or any of the other shit that we haven't seen yet, and they want to go back to the same story we saw most of in Batman Begins? Please no.

Shareholders Approve Disney's Acquisition of Fox

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!! Don't make me regret supporting this so much haha.

Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher Returning for Episode IX

They said before that they wouldn't just recreate Fisher by CG, but Billie Lourd's thankfully given them permission to use existing footage and try to do something with that. That's one step in the right direction, as is bringing back Hamill, as they screwed him over real bad with the way things went down in the past two films. Having Lando back is another good decision. It's almost like they are just now realizing what they should have done FROM THE VERY START.

But I still have no faith in this. I'm sorry. I can't believe in Star Wars anymore after what they've done. I just think that they're going to screw up everything now. I honestly don't even know if I'm going to see Episode IX opening night. I probably will, but this will be the first time that I have to actually think about it.

If they erase The Last Jedi from canon and Episode IX changes a tooooon of what they did there, then we can talk.

Mowgli Moves to Netflix

Maybe this is the right call. I was actually going to check it out in theaters (with Movie Pass lol) and now that it's coming to Netflix, I'll watch it there for sure. If they thought it would struggle in theaters, doing this will mitigate that problem.

Movie Pass is a Mess

When I went to see Mission: Impossible on Thursday night, it gave me the same errors that it gave everybody else and I had to buy the ticket at full price. That was the last straw, so I cancelled my subscription when I got home. I'm fully intending to upgrade my AMC Stubs Premiere account to A-List as soon as the next movie comes out that I want to see.

Wow...what a slow news week...I guess that's what happens after San Diego Comic Con.

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous REVIEWPOINT podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Mission: Impossible - Fallout by discussing what worked, what didn't, and whether you should see it or skip it.

The best intentions often come back to haunt you as Ethan Hunt, his IMF team and some familiar allies find themselves in a race against time after a mission goes wrong.

Make sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this with your friends and geek out with us!

The Death of Superman 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?

The Death of Superman
Directed by Jake Castorena Sam Liu
Written by Peter Tomasi

STARRING:
Jerry O'Connell (Clark Kent / Superman), Rebecca Romijn (Lois Lane), Rainn Wilson (Lex Luthor), Rosario Dawson (Diana Prince / Wonder Woman), Nathan Fillion (Hal Jordan / Green Lantern), Jason O'Mara (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Christopher Gorham (Barry Allen / The Flash), Matt Lanter (Arthur Curry / Aquaman), Shemar Moore (Victor Stone / Cyborg), Nyambi Nyambi (Martian Manhunter), and more

Here are some specific thoughts that ran through my mind during the course of the film as a stream of consciousness:

• Intergang doesn't get much play. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because they never should stand a chance against Superman? Still, I like Intergang. Glad to see they're in here.
• "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a bully." - Superman, you just threw Mannheim into a building and made a giant dent in that, and the cement. Property damage, dude. You're a bit of a bully, too.
• Bibbo!
• LOL at Flash showing up immediately. Awesome touch. Especially that they want him to be a janitor of sorts.
• Dick move, Clark. Let Lois meet your parents.
• Irons should have been voiced by Shaq. Why not, right?
• Steve! Or should I say, The Stevenator!
• I love Batman's nonchalance of having enough money and not thinking twice.
• Same bat time, same bat channel.
• Lori Lemaris on the swim team. Quite a catch. Ha! I love it.
• I love seeing Flash be Flash and actually use his powers well.
• Dabney Donovan. Damn. They're really doing some deep cuts. That's what I like to see.
• Stupid Joey.
• I like the touch of it being at night, so Superman has no solar radiation to drink in.
• A neck snap? A stabbing? References all around to different things, and this feels like a Man of Steel / Batman v Superman nod. I love it.
• Oh damn. Bibbo's prayer to God was brutal.

Out of all the adaptations they've done of this story so far, this was definitely my favorite. I loved the references and the acknowledgement of continuity, the tone staying true to the comics, and pretty much everything about it. This is the type of animated comic-to-screen stuff that I want to see more and more and more of. If every good story from the comics was treated this way, more people would be able to get to experience how great some of these tales are. Top notch!

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

NOTE: Bigger edition this week, with more to talk about and a later publishing date, due to San Diego Comic Con. I didn't want to put this up on Friday and then have Saturday and Sunday's news sit until a few days later. Instead, I'll just be updating it from time to time with more information, and I'll start a new Week in Geek on Monday. Keep checking in for any updates!

Zombieland Sequel in the Works

Awesome! I was pleasantly surprised by the first movie, and I'm down for a sequel, particularly as the cast is returning. They made the movie what it was. Any other kind of sequel would have been problematic.

Venom Not in MCU

GOOD. Jesus. That would have been a major mistake.

Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

Bruce Willis says it isn't; it's a "goddamn Bruce Willis movie." I don't see it as a Christmas movie, necessarily, but I see the rationalization for it.

Star Trek 4 to Start Production in Early 2019

I don't know about this. The whole thing sounds like a bad idea to me. Not having Anton Yelchin will be a disappointment, and I don't like the idea of bringing back Kirk's dad, and I don't trust it being directed by S.J. Clarkson. Still, these three movies have been better than anything else Star Trek related I've ever seen, so I'll watch it.

Birds of Prey Character Lineup

Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, Harley Quinn and Renee Montoya. No Barbara Gordon? No Lady Shiva? I prefer the male Question rather than Montoya, who I think is better as one of the best cops in the GCPD. Eh...we'll see what's going on here, but I don't know.

Rugrats Revival

A new animated series that I won't watch, cause, well, let's face it, I'm 31. A live action/CGI movie. That sounds horrifying.

Batwoman TV Show

Fucking stupid. Batwoman is a terrible character, and I'm not saying that because she's openly gay. I'm saying that because she's nothing BUT openly gay. You take the same character and eliminate that, and you're left with NOTHING. Just make Cassandra Cain gay and that's it. This sounds ATROCIOUS.

Henry Cavill Wants Brainiac for Man of Steel 2

First off, I agree. Second, you can't name it Man of Steel 2. You have to name that story The Last Son of Krypton.

Rumors for Batman and Suicide Squad 2 Villains

Supposedly, The Court of Owls and Penguin for The Batman. I'm cool with that, especially if Nightwing and Robin are in the movie, and Penguin is just a secondary villain.

For Suicide Squad 2, rumors are either a mind-controlled Supergirl, or Amazo. Please don't do Supergirl. Amazo is such a better villain for that role.

Joker Set for October 4, 2019

If you're going to make a movie about The Joker, you pretty much have to call it either "The Joker", "Joker", or something like "The Man Who Laughs", so I'm not opposed to the title, even though I'm opposed to the movie. October 2019 at least works with the Halloween theme.

The Crow Removed from Schedule

Good. It was probably just a shameless attempt to get a quick buck based off IP and nothing more, anyway. This always struck me as more of a Netflix series project more than a single film. Go in that direction. Get someone less famous to play the part than Jason Momoa, give it 10 episodes, and have it live as more of an ongoing thing than just a one-shot movie.

The Clone Wars Returning

Why? We all know where it leads (The Last Jedi, ugh), and the stories have been told, haven't they? Also, you mean to tell me ALL of this stuff happened in 3 years? This is why the Clone Wars should have been from The Phantom Menace until Revenge of the Sith and taken 10 years. I honestly don't think I'll even bother watching it, as it will just feel like unnecessary filler and Expanded Universe stuff.

Tom King Received Death Threats Over Batman/Catwoman Split

Am I a fan of the split? No. Did I see it coming? Of course. It's comics. This shit happens all the time. But goddamn, people, why are you sending death threats because of this stuff? I just said in the paragraph above, again, how much of a distaste I have for The Last Jedi and how it's ruined Star Wars for me 7 months later, and I've never wanted to kill anybody because of it. Hold your horses.

Stargirl TV Series

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid idea. Stop having this reactionary "we should have a show that features X marginalized group" or something mentality. Stargirl isn't going to be able to hold a decent series on her own! That's like trying to make a series out of Blue Devil. Oh fuck, now that I've said that, they're going to do it, aren't they? Stargirl is best utilized as a supporting player to showcase her age versus the older and more experienced members of the Justice League.

Iron Fist Season 2 Teaser / News

I see nothing of value here in the teaser. It's as generic as it could have been.

Alice Eve is Typhoid Mary? I wouldn't have cast her in the role, I think that's a waste of someone who could have been in the proper MCU, and I don't get why Typhoid Mary is in Iron Fist instead of Daredevil.

Titans Trailer

Starfire still looks dumb, and I don't know why they're going for this horror vibe, and the visual effects look weak, BUT ROBIN SAID "FUCK BATMAN" AND HE LOOKS LIKE LEGIT DICK GRAYSON AND THAT HE WON'T BE TREATED LIKE A JOKE SO I'M PUUUUUUMPED...but he didn't kill that guy, did he? I hope not.

New Spider-Man PS4 Trailer

This game looks interesting and good, and if I had a PS4, I'd totally play it.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trailer

Awful, in so many ways.

Jon Schnepp Passes Away

Very sad to hear that. I met Schnepp on two occasions, very briefly, at two conventions. He was certainly a character. RIP big man.

The Joker's Name is Arthur Fleck

At least, in the Joaquin Phoenix film that is probably going to be problematic. Arthur Fleck? Not a fan.

Footage of Young Justice: Outsiders

Super cool. Even though I felt like Young Justice suffered from a lack of focus, the series was great for the two seasons it had. I'm really excited about it.

James Gunn Fired by Disney; Won't Direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

So in the past, James Gunn made a bunch of jokes about rape and pedophilia. An offhanded comment that could be misconstrued is one thing, but this appears to have been a large number of statements making light of that, and not necessarily even in the context of pure jokes. It's creepy, gross, and probably indicative of some kind of personal problems. If it had been just one comment a bunch of years ago, I could let it slide, as I think people are too quick to get upset over everything nowadays, but this definitely comes off as not a momentary mistake, but a much bigger deal. Disney made the right call. I'm sure this throws their plans for a loop with GOTG Vol 3 and the MCU in the future, but they are a family-friendly brand (for at least public appearances) and can't be associated with him, nor do I think they can't survive without him. Frankly, I'm also interested to see who takes over the gig. Kind of fucked up that this was a witch hunt from the alt-right, but hey, he shouldn't have had those skeletons in his closet to bring out, so Gunn gets no sympathy from me on that front.

Glass Trailer

Yooooooooooooo I'm sold.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot

They specifically wanted a black lead, which I'm not opposed to, but I also feel like maybe they could have gotten away with making this a spinoff rather than a reboot, by naming it something else, like (name) the Vampire Slayer, and having Sarah Michelle Gellar make a cameo by passing the torch or something. I don't really care too much. Do what you want. But if this was 100% just "we need a black Buffy" then I feel like it falls into the same problem as so many other things, where people are only concerned with appealing to whatever marginalized market the producers care about, rather than thinking of what the best product is. I won't be watching regardless, as I never was into Buffy.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Trailer

This looks intense. I'm not sure why this is happening before King Kong vs Godzilla, as I don't know where they go from here, but at least this looks cool as shit.

Shazam Trailer

I'm not as sold as some other things, but I do like what I see so far. This has potential for sure.

Aquaman Trailer

Pretty damn good, especially for an Aquaman movie.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Steve Ditko Passes Away at Age 90

Legend. RIP.

No Batgirl, but Barbara Gordon, in Birds of Prey

Look. I don't know if I trust any of this rumor stuff anymore when it comes to DC. I don't know if I trust the actual directors of the films themselves "confirming" anything anymore, for that matter. But if you told me no Barbara Gordon in Birds of Prey, I'd be dumbfounded and pissed. If you told me Barbara was in it, but she's not Batgirl, then okay, she's Oracle. She absolutely MUST be in the movie as either Batgirl or Oracle. It's just a necessity. You can't do X-Force without Cable, you can't do Teen Titans without a Robin, and you can't do Birds of Prey without Barbara in my mind.

Incredibles 2 Becomes Highest Grossing Animated Film Ever

Very cool. It's not my favorite animated movie of all time (either Aladdin, Toy Story or The Lion King) but it was still something I enjoyed quite a bit (see here) so I'm happy that it made a lot of money.

Gal Gadot Visits Inova Children's Hospital in Costume

I absolutely, absolutely love that celebrities do this. Whether you're Captain America or Wonder Woman or Superman or even a villain, it's so good to see that these icons put the time in to put a smile on these kids' faces.

J.B. Smoove Cast in Spider-Man: Far From Home

Supposedly as a "lead role", but I doubt it. Remember how many people were in the last film? I'm assuming he's just a chaperone for the class trip or whatever.

Lando Returning in Episode IX

It took three of these movies to bring Lando back. That's another reason to showcase how these people don't know what to do with this franchise. The one, very first thing that should have been in the works when it came to the script planning stage of Episode 7 should have been "well, we know we have Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando, Artoo and Threepio in the mix" and they managed to fuck that up in multiple ways. You had me worried with The Force Awakens, and you lost me at The Last Jedi. I'm more confident that this movie will suck more than that it could be a step in the right direction, even though I agree with the decision to finally bring Lando back. It's just a little too late.

Neil Blomkamp Manning RoboCop Returns

I don't get why the remake has so much hate. It isn't the original, but it isn't like it's so much worse or anything. In some ways, it's better, and in some ways, it's not as good. It just doesn't have the nostalgia. Having another reboot, sure, let's give it a shot.

Joaquin Phoenix Confirmed for The Joker

I can't have any faith that this will be anything but a mistake. Phoenix is too old and out of shape for the part, The Joker shouldn't have an origin film, it's not a good idea to have it set separately from the main continuity (which still needs to be cleaned up anyway) and I feel like this is an instance where people are too into the idea behind doing the movie, rather than doing the movie's ideas.

The 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be hosted by Michael Che and Colin Jost on September 17, 2018 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles California, broadcast by NBC.

Here is a list of the nominees in all of the categories.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Atlanta (FX)
Barry (HBO)
Black-ish (ABC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
GLOW (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)

Outstanding Drama Series

The Americans (FX)
The Crown (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
This Is Us (NBC)
Westworld (HBO)

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

At Home with Amy Sedaris (truTV)
Drunk History (Comedy Central)
I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman (Hulu)
Portlandia (IFC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Tracey Ullman's Show (HBO)

Outstanding Limited Series

The Alienist (TNT)
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Genius: Picasso (Nat Geo)
Godless (Netflix)
Patrick Melrose (Showtime)

Outstanding Television Movie

Black Mirror: "USS Callister" (Netflix)
Fahrenheit 451 (HBO)
Flint (Lifetime)
Paterno (HBO)
The Tale (HBO)

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

The Amazing Race (CBS)
American Ninja Warrior (NBC)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)


Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson, Sr. on Black-ish (ABC)
Ted Danson as Michael on The Good Place (NBC)
Larry David as Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Donald Glover as Earnest "Earn" Marks on Atlanta (FX)
Bill Hader as Barry Berkman / Barry Block on Barry (HBO)
William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher on Shameless (Showtime)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Pamela Adlon as Sam Fox on Better Things (FX)
Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam "Midge" Maisel on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett on Mom (CBS)
Issa Rae as Issa Dee on Insecure (HBO)
Tracee Ellis Ross as Dr. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson on Black-ish (ABC)
Lily Tomlin as Frankie Bergstein on Grace and Frankie (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde on Ozark (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson on This Is Us (NBC)
Ed Harris as The Man in Black on Westworld (HBO)
Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings on The Americans (FX)
Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson on This Is Us (NBC)
Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe on Westworld (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown (Netflix)
Tatiana Maslany as Various Characters on Orphan Black (BBC America)
Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne / Offred on The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri on Killing Eve (BBC America)
Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings on The Americans (FX)
Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores Abernathy on Westworld (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Antonio Banderas as Pablo Picasso on Genius: Picasso (Nat Geo)
Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Benedict Cumberbatch as Patrick Melrose on Patrick Melrose (Showtime)
Jeff Daniels as John O. Neill on The Looming Tower (Hulu)
John Legend as Jesus Christ on Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
Jesse Plemons as Captain Robert Daly on Black Mirror: "USS Callister" (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Jessica Biel as Cora Tannetti on The Sinner (USA)
Laura Dern as Jennifer Fox on The Tale (HBO)
Michelle Dockery as Alice Fletcher on Godless (Netflix)
Edie Falco as Leslie Abramson on Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC)
Regina King as Latrice Butler on Seven Seconds (Netflix)
Sarah Paulson as Ally Mayfair-Richards on American Horror Story: Cult (FX)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Louie Anderson as Christine Baskets on Baskets (FX)
Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles on Atlanta (FX)
Tony Shalhoub as Abraham "Abe" Weissman on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Kenan Thompson as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau on Barry (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Zazie Beetz as Vanessa "Van" Keefer on Atlanta (FX)
Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Aidy Bryant as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Betty Gilpin as Debbie "Liberty Belle" Eagan on GLOW (Netflix)
Leslie Jones as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Kate McKinnon as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris on Roseanne (ABC)
Megan Mullally as Karen Walker on Will & Grace (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister on Game of Thrones (HBO)
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones (HBO)
Joseph Fiennes as Commander Fred Waterford on The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
David Harbour as Jim Hopper on Stranger Things (Netflix)
Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson on Homeland (Showtime)
Matt Smith as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on The Crown (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Alexis Bledel as Emily / Ofsteven on The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven on Stranger Things (Netflix)
Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia on The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones (HBO)
Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret on The Crown (Netflix)
Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay on Westworld (HBO)
Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford on The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Jeff Daniels as Frank Griffin on Godless (Netflix)
Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas Iscariot on Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
John Leguizamo as Jacob Vazquez on Waco (Paramount Network)
Ricky Martin as Antonio D'Amico on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Édgar Ramírez as Gianni Versace on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Michael Stuhlbarg as Richard Clarke on The Looming Tower (Hulu)
Finn Wittrock as Jeffrey Trail on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene on Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
Penélope Cruz as Donatella Versace on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Judith Light as Marilyn Miglin on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Adina Porter as Beverly Hope on American Horror Story: Cult (FX)
Merritt Wever as Mary Agnes McNue on Godless (Netflix)
Letitia Wright as Nish on Black Mirror: "Black Museum" (Netflix)


Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Atlanta (Episode: "FUBU"), Directed by Donald Glover (FX)
Atlanta (Episode: "Teddy Perkins"), Directed by Hiro Murai (FX)
Barry (Episode: "Chapter One: Make Your Mark"), Directed by Bill Hader (HBO)
GLOW (Episode: "Pilot"), Directed by Jesse Peretz (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (Episode: "Initial Coin Offering"), Directed by Mike Judge (HBO)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "Pilot"), Directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Amazon)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

The Crown (Episode: "Paterfamilias"), Directed by Stephen Daldry (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (Episode: "Beyond the Wall"), Directed by Alan Taylor (HBO)
Game of Thrones (Episode: "The Dragon and the Wolf"), Directed by Jeremy Podeswa (HBO)
The Handmaid's Tale (Episode: "After"), Directed by Kari Skogland (Hulu)
Ozark (Episode: "The Toll"), Directed by Jason Bateman (Netflix)
Ozark (Episode: "Tonight We Improve"), Directed by Daniel Sackheim (Netflix)
Stranger Things (Episode: "Chapter Nine: The Gate"), Directed by The Duffer Brothers (Netflix)

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (Episode: "Episode 2061"), Directed by Andre Allen (TBS)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Episode: "Episode 421"), Directed by Paul Pennolino (HBO)
The Late Late Show with James Corden (Episode: "Episode 0416"), Directed by Tim Mancinelli (CBS)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Episode: "Episode 438"), Directed by Jim Hoskinson (CBS)
Portlandia (Episode: "Riot Spray"), Directed by Carrie Brownstein (IFC)
Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Donald Glover"), Directed by Don Roy King (NBC)

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (Episode: "The Man Who Would Be Vogue"), Directed by Ryan Murphy (FX)
Godless, Directed by Scott Frank (Netflix)
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Directed by David Leveaux & Alex Rudzinski (NBC)
The Looming Tower (Episode: "9/11"), Directed by Craig Zisk (Hulu)
Paterno, Directed by Barry Levinson (HBO)
Patrick Melrose, Directed by Edward Berger (Showtime)
Twin Peaks, Directed by David Lynch (Showtime)

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special

Big Little Lies, Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (HBO)
Fargo (Episode: "The Law of Vacant Places"), Directed by Noah Hawley (FX)
Feud: Bette and Joan (Episode: "And The Winner Is… (The Oscars of 1963)"), Directed by Ryan Murphy (FX)
Genius (Episode: "Einstein: Chapter One"), Directed by Ron Howard (National Geographic)
The Night Of (Episode: "The Art of War"), Directed by James Marsh (HBO)
The Night Of (Episode: "The Beach"), Directed by Steve Zaillian (HBO)


Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Atlanta (Episode: "Alligator Man"), Written by Donald Glover (FX)
Atlanta (Episode: "Barbershop"), Written by Stefani Robinson (FX)
Barry (Episode: "Chapter One: Make Your Mark"), Written by Alec Berg & Bill Hader (HBO)
Barry (Episode: "Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast and Keep Going"), Written by Liz Sarnoff (HBO)
Silicon Valley (Episode: "Fifty-One Percent"), Written by Alec Berg (HBO)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "Pilot"), Written by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Amazon)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

The Americans (Episode: "START"), Written by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg (FX)
The Crown (Episode: "Mystery Man"), Written by Peter Morgan (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (Episode: "The Dragon and the Wolf"), Written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss (HBO)
The Handmaid's Tale (Episode: "June"), Written by Bruce Miller (Hulu)
Killing Eve (Episode: "Nice Face"), Written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (BBC America)
Stranger Things (Episode: "Chapter Nine: The Gate"), Written by The Duffer Brothers (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee: The Great American* Puerto Rico (*It's Complicated) (TBS)
John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City, Written by John Mulaney (Netflix)
Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady, Written by Michelle Wolf (HBO)
Patton Oswalt: Annihilation, Written by Patton Oswalt (Netflix)
Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life, Written by Steve Martin & Martin Short (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special

American Vandal (Episode: "Clean Up"), Written by Matthew McManus & Kevin McManus (Netflix)
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (Episode: "House by the Lake"), Written by Tom Rob Smith (FX)
Black Mirror: USS Callister, Written by Charlie Brooker & William Bridges (Netflix)
Godless, Written by Scott Frank (Netflix)
Patrick Melrose, Written by David Nicholls (Showtime)
Twin Peaks, Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch (Showtime)

Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (Episode: "Southern Italy"), Written by Anthony Bourdain (CNN)
The Defiant Ones (Episode 1), Written by Allen Hughes, Lasse Järvi, and Doug Pray (HBO)
Icarus, Written by Bryan Fogel, Mark Monroe, and Jon Bertain (Netflix)
Jane, Written by Brett Morgen (National Geographic)
Mister Rogers: It's You I Like, Written by JoAnn Young (PBS)
The Vietnam War (Episode 8: "The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970)"), Written by Geoffrey C. Ward (PBS)