Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Tuesday, June 28, 2016
On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is given a full review in under 60 seconds.
Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe and leave your comments on what you thought of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates!
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
DIRECTED BY
Jake Szymanski
WRITTEN BY
Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O'Brien
STARRING:
Zac Efron (Dave Stangle), Anna Kendrick (Alice), Aubrey Plaza (Tatiana), Adam Devine (Mike Stangle), Sugar Lyn Beard (Jeanie Stangle), Sam Richardson (Eric), Mary Holland (Becky) and Stephen Root (Burt Stangle)
Mike and Dave (Zac Efron) are young, adventurous, fun-loving brothers who tend to get out of control at family gatherings. When their sister Jeanie reveals her Hawaiian wedding plans, the rest of the Stangles insist that the brothers bring respectable dates. After placing an ad on Craigslist, the siblings decide to pick Tatiana and Alice, two charming and seemingly normal women. Once they arrive on the island, however, Mike and Dave realize that their companions are ready to get wild and party.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Monday, June 27, 2016
On the latest edition of the Movie Trailer Reactions podcast for Fanboys Anonymous, host Tony Mango gives his live response and overall thoughts about the latest trailer for Star Trek Beyond released earlier today. Make sure to subscribe and tell us in the comments what you think of the trailer!
OFFICIAL TRAILER:
TRAILER REACTION:
Stranded on a hostile planet, Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the Enterprise crew face an alien threat.
Star Trek Beyond will be released in theaters July 22, 2016.
Directed by: Justin Lin
Written by: Simon Pegg, Doug Jung, Roberto Orci (uncredited), Patrick McKay (uncredited), John D. Payne (uncredited)
Starring: Chris Pine (Kirk), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Idris Elba (Krall), Sofia Boutella (Jaylah), Karl Urban (Bones), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), Simon Pegg (Scotty), John Cho (Sulu), and Shohreh Aghdashloo (High Command of the Federation)
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Wednesday, June 15, 2016
The 18th season of Big Brother is set to start on June 22, 2016 where another new group of houseguests from all sorts of different backgrounds and different personalities will compete for a chance to win $500,000. For the past few years, I've been making it a point to give my initial perspective on the cast members before the season has officially started, as well as my predictions for what's to come.
 |
| Meet the cast of Big Brother 18 - #BB18 2016 |
Keep in mind that I'm usually terrible about this, as it revolves around the most basic information out there, and the show revolves around twists that can change the game up at any time. Even when it comes to my favorites and those who I dislike, I tend to change my mind at different points when they prove me wrong one way or the other. Definitely don't place any bets in Las Vegas on what is down below—even when it comes to who I think the jerks and the people I'd be rooting for will end up being!
Bridgette Dunning
Age: 24
Hometown: Fresno, CA
Current city: Ventura, CA
Occupation: Traveling nurse
Three adjectives that describe you: Optimistic, energetic, and awesome.
Favorite activities: I love to practice yoga, run, bake, read sci-fi books, go out with friends, and go to comedy shows.
My life's motto is... Follow your heart.
Bronte D'Acquisto
Age: 26
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Current city: Denver, CO
Occupation: Student
Three adjectives that describe you: Capable, willing, and determined.
Favorite activities: I love to solve math problems consisting of calculus, statistics, and probability. I also run, look at adoptable dogs, stretch, and walk to the mall to purchase more hair accessories.
My life's motto is... Be willing to do what it takes.
Corey Brooks
Age: 25
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Current city: Dallas, TX
Occupation: Baseball coach
Three adjectives that describe you: Extraordinary, passionate, and lovable.
Favorite activities: I love to travel. Recently, I went to San Francisco to watch my best friend, Ross Stripling, make his MLB debut for the L.A. Dodgers. I like sightseeing, hiking, getting sick bro pics, playing sports, going out and meeting people, trying out new restaurants, playing PS4, and just being active, in general.
My life's motto is... Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get!
Glenn Garcia
Age: 50
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Current city: Bronx, NY
Occupation: Dog groomer/former police detective
Three adjectives that describe you: Small, big, and great.
Favorite activities: Playing with my daughter, deep-sea fishing, and traveling.
My life's motto is... Live every day like it's your last because, one day, it will be.
Jozea Flores
Age: 25
Hometown: Bridgeton, NJ
Current city: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Make-up artist
Three adjectives that describe you: Funny, outgoing, creative strategist, and a visual genius.
Favorite activities: Gym, hiking, and yoga.
My life's motto is... If you can trust the ground you live on and take all the risks in the world there is to take, you should have no problem achieving your goals.
Michelle Meyer
Age: 23
Hometown: Washington Township, MI
Current city: Washington Township, MI
Occupation: Nutritionist
Three adjectives that describe you: Quirky, bubbly, and curious.
Favorite activities: Cooking, reading, going on Reddit, watching Live Feeds, researching nutrition-related topics, photography, working out, and selling stuff on eBay.
My life's motto is... "Be underestimated." I want to be smarter than people think I am, stronger than people think I am, etc. It gives you the upper hand!
Natalie Negrotti
Age: 26
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela, South America
Current city: Franklin Park, NJ
Occupation: Event coordinator
Three adjectives that describe you: Altruistic, athletic, and beautiful.
Favorite activities: I love painting, cooking, baking, eating, napping, shopping, online shopping, doing makeup, doing hair, tanning, pageants, dancing, going on dates, playing with puppies, looking at puppy videos on Instagram and online, party planning, decorating, having tea time, getting dressed-up, doing my nails, and bargain shopping!
My life's motto is... Work hard and play harder!
Paul Abrahamian
Age: 23
Hometown: Tarzana, CA
Current city: Tarzana, CA
Occupation: Clothing designer
Three adjectives that describe you: Honest, spontaneous, and energetic.
Favorite activities: I love to play music, so a jam session is always good. I love going to shows and concerts for the crowd surfing, mosh pits, stage diving, [and] all the fun stuff.
Traveling, hiking and sightseeing are definitely solid activities. I enjoy the outdoors, like the woods and mountains. I'm a thrill seeker, so [I like] essentially anything that can fuel that. I do enjoy a good night out with friends at a fun speakeasy bar in L.A., like Davey Wayne's and No Vacancy.
My life's motto is… To live my life in such a fulfilling way that when I'm on my deathbed, there's nothing left for me to experience.
Paulie Calafiore
Age: 27
Hometown: Howell, NJ
Current city: Howell, NJ
Occupation: DJ
Three adjectives that describe you: Driven, passionate, and quick-witted.
Favorite activities: I love various martial arts, exercise, and instruments. I like Krav Maga the most on the martial arts side and playing the guitar on the instrument side.
My life's motto is... A comfort zone is a wonderful place, but nothing ever grows there.
Tiffany Rousso
Age: 32
Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Current city: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Occupation: High school teacher
Three adjectives that describe you: Passionate, smart, and sincere.
Favorite activities: Playing basketball, wakeboarding, paddle boarding, painting, singing, and playing guitar.
My life's motto is... Live with urgency.
Victor Arroyo
Age: 25
Hometown: Slidell, LA
Current city: Slidell, LA
Occupation: Gym manager
Three adjectives that describe you: Smart, sexy, and fit.
Favorite activities: Working out, playing soccer, and [taking] trips with my friends. Those are the things I love to do, but more than that, I love women. I'm always looking for the next girl to talk to and I'm never satisfied with what I have; I'm always wanting more.
My life's motto is... Get my money, develop my body, and get women.
Zakiyah Everette
Age: 24
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Current city: Charlotte, NC
Occupation: Preschool teacher
Three adjectives that describe you: Charming, bouncy, and ambitious.
Favorite activities: Dancing, modeling, cooking, eating, any form of designing or creating.
My life's motto is... You only live once!
MY THOUGHTS / PREDICTIONS
My Favorites = Glenn, Paul, Paulie and Zakiyah
The Lovable One = I can see Paul being the fan favorite if he's as weird as he claims he is
The Villain = There's something about Michelle that makes me think she's going to piss viewers off, but I can't put my finger on it, particularly as she doesn't annoy me like that (yet?)
Biggest Physical Threats = Victor and Tiffany
Biggest Mental Threat = Michelle
Most Attractive = Natalie, Tiffany and Zakiyah (for my personal preferences)
The Showmance = Corey/Bronte, Natalie/Paulie, Zakiyah/Victor.
The Bromance = Paulie and Jozea
Most Annoying = Bronte
The Confrontational One = Natalie is going to get in her own way and create arguments even if she isn't necessarily acting like a diva like many others in the past, although that might happen as well.
The Crybaby = Bridgette
The Dumb Jock = Victor
The Weakest Link = Bronte or Bridgette for the overall game, but Glenn is going to do the worst in physical challenges
Winner Potentials = Jozea or Michelle
What throws this all even more for a loop is that there are four returning houseguests that have yet to be revealed. If they're big players like Vanessa (who I hope doesn't come back, but I fully expect her to) then that could be the biggest unknown. If they're more along the entertaining side of things like Zach Rance (who I do hope returns) then this could just be a fun ride.
Throughout the season, you can hit me up on Twitter @ToeKneeManGo to get my thoughts on Big Brother as it is happening and as I'm watching the live feeds.
What are your first impressions of this group?
Who would you like to see win?
Tell us in the comments below!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Sunday, June 5, 2016
On episode 32 of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, the hits and misses of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows are broken down as host Tony Mango looks at the follow-up to the 2014 reboot for our favorite heroes in a half-shell.
You can check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
DIRECTED BY
Dave Green
WRITTEN BY
Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec
STARRING:
Megan Fox (April O'Neil), Will Arnett (Vernon Fenwick), Laura Linney (Chief Vincent), Stephen Amell (Casey Jones), Alan Ritchson (Raphael), Noel Fisher (Michelangelo), Jeremy Howard (Donatello), Pete Ploszek (Leonardo), Brian Tee (Shredder), Sheamus (Rocksteady), Gary Anthony Williams (Bebop), Peter D. Badalementi and Tony Shalhoub (Splinter), Tyler Perry (Baxter Stockman), and Brad Garrett (Krang)
The turtles face a new challenge when Shredder escapes from custody and joins forces with Baxter Stockman, a mad scientist who plans to use a serum to take over the world. Along for the ride are Bebop and Rocksteady, two dimwitted henchmen who provide plenty of muscle. Luckily, the turtles have their own allies in April O'Neil, Vernon Fenwick and Casey Jones, a hockey-masked vigilante. As the pizza-loving heroes prepare for battle, the notorious Krang also emerges to pose an even greater threat.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Saturday, June 4, 2016
On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, the 2016 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is given as full of a 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 the movie!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
DIRECTED BY
Dave Green
WRITTEN BY
Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec
STARRING:
Megan Fox (April O'Neil), Will Arnett (Vernon Fenwick), Laura Linney (Chief Vincent), Stephen Amell (Casey Jones), Alan Ritchson (Raphael), Noel Fisher (Michelangelo), Jeremy Howard (Donatello), Pete Ploszek (Leonardo), Brian Tee (Shredder), Sheamus (Rocksteady), Gary Anthony Williams (Bebop), Peter D. Badalementi and Tony Shalhoub (Splinter), Tyler Perry (Baxter Stockman), and Brad Garrett (Krang)
The turtles face a new challenge when Shredder escapes from custody and joins forces with Baxter Stockman, a mad scientist who plans to use a serum to take over the world. Along for the ride are Bebop and Rocksteady, two dimwitted henchmen who provide plenty of muscle. Luckily, the turtles have their own allies in April O'Neil, Vernon Fenwick and Casey Jones, a hockey-masked vigilante. As the pizza-loving heroes prepare for battle, the notorious Krang also emerges to pose an even greater threat.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, June 3, 2016
With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows now out in theaters, we're coming out of our shells and displaying some T-U-R-T-L-E power reminiscing about Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, so Fanboys Anonymous is providing you with another edition of the FanTracks podcast, this time for the original film from our childhood which introduced us to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1990.
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.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Release Date: March 30, 1990
Directed by Steve Barron
Written by Bobby Herbeck (screenplay and story), Todd W. Langen (screenplay), Kevin Eastman (characters) and Peter Laird (characters)
Starring Judith Hoag (April O'Neil), Elias Koteas (Casey Jones), Corey Feldman (Donatello), Josh Pais (Raphael), Brian Tochi (Leonardo), Robbie Rist (Michaelangelo), Kevin Clash (Splinter), James Saito and David McCharen (The Shredder), Toshishiro Obata and Michael McConnohie (Tatsu), Michael Turney (Danny Pennington), Jay Patterson (Charles Pennington) and Sam Rockwell (Head Thug)
FanTracks Episode 19 hosted by Tony Mango along with Jay Albright and Josephh Stahlman.
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
- Wednesday, June 1, 2016
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 that 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 June 2016?
RELEASE DATE: June 3, 2016
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Synopsis: The Turtles return to save the city from a dangerous threat.
Will I watch? = Yes
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Synopsis: When it becomes clear that his solo album is a failure, a former boy band member does everything in his power to maintain his celebrity status.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Me Before You
Synopsis: A girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she's taking care of.
Will I watch? = No
The Fits
Synopsis: While training at the gym 11-year-old tomboy Toni becomes entranced with a dance troupe. As she struggles to fit in she finds herself caught up in danger as the group begins to suffer from fainting spells and other violent fits.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: June 10, 2016
The Conjuring 2
Synopsis: Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
Will I watch? = No
Now You See Me 2
Synopsis: The Four Horsemen resurface and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Warcraft
Synopsis: The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Diary of a Chambermaid
Synopsis: A scheming servant works for a wealthy couple in France during the late 19th century.
Will I watch? = No
From Afar
Synopsis: Armando, a 50-year-old man, seeks young men in Caracas and pays them just for company. One day he meets Elder, a 17-year-old boy who is the leader of a criminal gang, and that meeting changes their lives forever.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2016
Finding Dory
Synopsis: The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish reunites with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.
Will I watch? = Yes
Central Intelligence
Synopsis: After he reunites with an old pal through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant is lured into the world of international espionage.
Will I watch? = Yes
Swiss Army Man
Synopsis: A hopeless man stranded in the wilderness befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Clown
Synopsis: A loving father finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize that it is not a suit at all.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: June 24, 2016
Independence Day: Resurgence
Synopsis: Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind's new space defenses be enough?
Will I watch? = Yes
The Shallows
Synopsis: A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.
Will I watch? = No
Free State of Jones
Synopsis: As civil war divides the nation, a poor farmer from Mississippi leads a group of rebels against the Confederate army.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Synopsis: An in-depth look at the life and work of avant-garde musician Frank Zappa.
Will I watch? = No
Wiener-Dog
Synopsis: Chronicles the life of a dog as it travels around the country, spreading comfort and joy.
Will I watch? = No
6 FLICKS PICKS
Which films make the cut?
Honorable Mentions: For many people, Warcraft is not only at the top of their list for this month, but the entire year. I'm not a fan of the video games, though, and I actually am not too fond of the fantasy genre in general, so nothing much appeals to me about that film. If it weren't tied to an existing intellectual property, it wouldn't even be on my radar, similar to how Gods of Egypt just popped up out of nowhere and then stopped existing. I'm also just on the fence with Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping as I love the show Brooklyn Nine-Nine and a few Lonely Island bits, but there are other things I didn't like. I never bothered with Hot Rod, for instance. If this has good word of mouth, then I'll check it out, but not in theaters. When it comes to Now You See Me 2, I never saw the first one even though it looked interesting to me, so I have to watch that first before I consider watching this.
6. Free State of Jones — Could this be Oscar bait? Of course. Could it also be seriously fucking fantastic? It sure looks like it. When I read the synopsis, I was going to pass, but I watched the trailer and it sold me. I definitely expect at least one nomination for the Academy Awards, even if it's production design or costumes, but it could very well be another Oscar for Matthew McConaughey in a few months.
5. Independence Day: Resurgence — Admittedly, I don't love Independence Day as much as most people that grew up with it. It's been well over a decade since I've seen it, and if I watch it again to prepare for this, I might be more pumped, but right now I'm more on the fence than most people about this. It should be good popcorn material, though.
4. Swiss Army Man — This movie looks weird as all hell, but the trailer had me interested from start to finish. It could very well end up being one of those films which is weird and quirky just for the sake of it, and actually has no depth or heart other than appealing to a hipster mindset, but it doesn't quite strike me as that yet, so I'm going to give it a shot.
3. Central Intelligence — Every trailer I've seen of this so far has made me laugh, and normally I'm hesitant to see buddy cop or oddball-pairing scenarios as they're very much hit or miss, but this seems like it could work.
2. Finding Dory — Finding Nemo is a cute film and Pixar normally knocks it out of the park. Of course I'm seeing this, even if I find Ellen DeGeneres and the Dory character to be something that works best in small increments rather than being the primary focal point.
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows — I had my fair share of problems with the reboot film that precedes this, but I grew up loving the series in general, so nostalgia wins out. They have Casey Jones, Bebop and Rocksteady, and even Krang in this movie, for fuck's sake. Way to go straight to my childhood and convince me to shell out $15–$20 on this film when I know full well that it could be garbage. Also, I don't plan on watching the television series Arrow anymore after their decision to kill off Laurel Lance and the steady decline from season 3 and season 4, but I still like Stephen Amell, so I think he'll do a good job.
WHICH MOVIES ARE YOU INTERESTED IN CHECKING OUT?
TELL US IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Saturday, May 28, 2016
Episode 31 of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast reviews the latest entry in the film series documenting that pesky mutant problem: X-Men: Apocalypse.
Hosted by Tony Mango joined by Sam Lascio
You can check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe!
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Directed by Bryan Singer
Written by Simon Kinberg (screenplay), Bryan Singer (story), Michael Dougherty (story), Dan Harris (story)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence (Raven / Mystique), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lensherr / Magneto), James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Oscar Isaac (En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse), Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy / Beast), Evan Peters (Quicksilver), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Tye Sheridan (Scott Summers / Cyclops), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler), Lucas Till (Alex Summers / Havok), Olivia Munn (Betsy Braddock / Psylocke) and Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert)
Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshiped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, May 26, 2016
On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, X-Men: Apocalypse is given a full review in under 60 seconds.
Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe and leave your comments on what you thought of X-Men: Apocalypse!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Saturday, May 21, 2016
With the upcoming release of X-Men: Apocalypse approaching soon on May 27th, Fanboys Anonymous is providing you with another edition of the FanTracks podcast, this time for the "Rogue Cut" of X-Men: Days of Future Past.
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.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (Rogue Cut)
Release Date: May 23, 2014
Directed by Bryan Singer
Written by Simon Kinberg (screenplay and story), Jane Goldman (story), Matthew Vaughn
Starring Hugh Jackman (Logan / Wolverine), James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Raven / Mystique), Nicholas Hault (Hank McCoy / Beast), Anna Paquin (Rogue), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Shawn Ashmore (Bobby Drake / Iceman), Omar Sy (Bishop), Evan Peters (Peter Maximoff / Quicksilver), Josh Helman (William Stryker), Daniel Cudmore (Colossus), Peter Dinklage (Dr. Bolivar Trask), Halle Berry (Storm), Ian McKellen (Magneto) and Patrick Stewart (Professor X)
FanTracks Episode #18 hosted by Tony Mango along with Jay Albright and Josephh Stahlman.
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, May 20, 2016
What do we know for sure will happen with Spider-Man: Homecoming? Tony Stark will make an appearance, Vulture is the rumored villain, and Tom Holland and Marisa Tomei will return as Peter Parker and Aunt May.
That's not much to go on, but that shouldn't stop us from speculating on some plot elements, right?
After watching Captain America: Civil War, I have been mulling over a few ideas that stood out to me:
The Sokovia Accords and the "Menace"
We never saw Spider-Man sign the necessary papers to make him an official government operative. This seems like a gross oversight and completely against what Tony Stark was hoping to achieve, particularly since he had such a bad reaction to finding out that a young kid had died from the actions of Ultron. Why would he recruit another kid, put him in danger, and let him stay off the government list?
Well, we saw that Peter looks up to both Stark and Captain America. The latter is rumored to also have an appearance in the movie, so what if Spider-Man is playing both sides, in a way? What if he's not signing up for the government, and Stark is protecting him from this responsibility because he's under 18 and Stark kind of sees more of Cap's side now?
One person who would have a problem with this is J. Jonah Jameson, who would be quick to refer to Spider-Man in typical form as a menace and a vigilante who works outside of the law in the wrong way and so on and so forth.
Stark Industries vs. Oscorp
Tony Stark should also have an influence on the plot when it comes to the tech world that Spider-Man frequently battles. Of course, Oscorp needs to be at the center of the conflict, and I think that company works best as an alternative to Stark Industries. I can definitely see a scenario where Norman Osborn has taken over a lot of the military contracts that Stark no longer is interested in, but he also wants to focus more on biological manipulation rather than trying to build more suits. Iron Man already corners the market on the armored concept, right? The Vulture suit could be based somewhat off Stark's designs, but Osborn could be against putting too many resources into another suit. Basically, this puts Osborn between Adrian Toombs and Spider-Man, all the while getting closer to unlocking the secrets within Peter's DNA.
The Supporting Cast of Characters
I do in fact think that the homecoming dance will play a part in the story, and it's not just thrown into the title to be cutesy about coming back home to Marvel control. Since high school should be involved, I'm really hoping to see Peter's classmates fleshed out quite a bit. His best friend needs to be Harry Osborn, and I'd love for Charlie Rowe to be cast in that role. Flash Thompson and Kenny "Kong" McFarlane would be great bullies. Give me Randy Robertson dating Glory Grant (his date for the homecoming dance) as well as some Liz Allan. Maybe Peter has a few options for the dance that include not just Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy but also Carlie Cooper and Indira Daimonji? What if Harry is dating Lily Hollister? That would be pretty sweet, I think. There are so many background classmates who could have cameos that would be great; for example Flash could be picking on a couple of fat kids who are Angelina Brancale and Arnie Gunderson.
No More Hope for Certain Opportunities
For a long while, I had a few ideas that I thought could really be neat, but I no longer think there's any chance that they'll be happening. The biggest of these was that Kraven would be the primary villain, with Scorpion serving as the secondary one. Kraven could approach Peter as a father figure and want to train him, giving the audience a chance to learn about his backstory (through Peter trusting Kraven and telling him about Uncle Ben and how he got his powers) while also allowing Peter to gain more control over his abilities. Kraven could be on the hunt for "the ultimate game," Scorpion, who is created through Oscorp using the same science connected to Peter. Also, Kraven could be seeking the Oz formula for himself and would somewhat hunt Spider-Man as well, because they would have conflicting ideologies with regard to how to handle Scorpion. Peter doesn't kill and Kraven exclusively does.
Another hope that's been dashed is the possibility that Kingpin will crossover in some fashion as Peter searches for the man who killed Uncle Ben, who could end up being an associate of Wilson Fisk's past (or present). Admittedly, I really just wanted to see the TV shows appear in some fashion in the movies, and since Daredevil and Spider-Man have worked together so much in the past, that would have been a great opportunity that I think is going to be completely missed.
What do you think will end up going down with Spider-Man: Homecoming? Are you excited for the reboot now that we've had our first taste of Tom Holland as Peter Parker, or are you nervous that even Marvel can't bring the character back on track? Tell us your ideas and predictions in the comments below!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, May 19, 2016
On the latest edition of the Movie Trailer Reactions podcast for Fanboys Anonymous, host Tony Mango gives his live response and overall thoughts about the latest trailer for Ghostbusters released earlier today. Make sure to subscribe and tell us in the comments what you think of the trailer!
OFFICIAL TRAILER:
TRAILER REACTION:
A paranormal researcher (Melissa McCarthy), a physicist (Kristen Wiig), a nuclear engineer (Kate McKinnon), and a subway worker (Leslie Jones) try to rid New York of ghosts that can possess humans.
Ghostbusters will be released in theaters July 15, 2016.
Directed by: Paul Feig
Written by: Katie Dippold, Paul Feig
Starring: Kristen Wiig (Erin Gilbert), Melissa McCarthy (Abby Yates), Kate McKinnon (Jillian Holtzmann), Leslie Jones (Patty Tolan), Chris Hemsworth (Kevin)
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Wednesday, May 18, 2016
After having some time to digest Captain America: Civil War, I found myself specifically wanting the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to head in a few directions after Phase 3 concludes with Avengers: Infinity War. The second part of that film is still a few years away, so there's plenty of time for curve balls to be thrown with the movies that are set to come out next year and so forth, but I think I have a pretty decent idea of where things will end up. The only question is where things will branch off afterward with Phase 4, as we're left completely in the dark regarding which films are on the schedule and so forth.
Allow me to think out loud and pitch some ideas of what I'd like to see going forward with the MCU. Keep in mind that this is all speculation and some fan fiction rather than any kind of factual news reporting, so if you have any other ideas in mind, pitch them in the comments below!
Sokovia Accords Fallout
Since Anthony and Joe Russo said they would be changing Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Part 2 to new title(s), I think one of those that is pretty obvious is Secret Avengers, where Captain America will lead his separate squad as an underground force of justice while Tony Stark heads up the other branch. This schism will allow for Thanos to take control much more easily until our factions rejoin and save the day.
The Sokovia Accords won't be entirely eradicated, but I'm sure there will still be supporters. One person in particular who I feel is going to remain on that side is General Ross. It seems far too coincidental to me that they would use his character to represent this initiative and put them in a position in the film as the antagonists (so to speak) while he's taken part in something similar in the past.
The Thunderbolts
Disney still doesn't have full control over the rights to distribute a standalone Hulk film, which is part of the reason why he's tagging up with Thor and hasn't had a movie like The Indestructible Hulk or something. How do they get around this? Pair him up with Ross and the Thunderbolts.
One of the only villains left who can battle Hulk is Red Hulk (Ross), and this movie can introduce/reintroduce a couple other characters as well. We haven't seen Betty Ross in a while, She-Hulk can be on Hulk's side along with Rick Jones, and some adversaries could be a returning Abomination as well as Zzzax and The Leader as well as a series of Hulkbusters. Maybe Skaar makes an appearance following Thor: Ragnarok if it resembles Planet Hulk in enough capacity?
The Mighty Thor
It would seem like an odd universe if Thor just stopped having adventures after dealing with Thanos, right? Chris Hemsworth can't seem to get his acting career to thrive outside of Marvel, so he probably won't be itching to leave as much as some other folk.
We're already seeing a distancing from Jane Foster with Natalie Portman not returning for Thor: Ragnarok, so why not go with Sif as the love interest going forward and do a story where those two team up against Amora the Enchantress and Skurge the Executioner? Since there's also a concerned effort to take the series away from hinging on Earth too much, let's spend some time in Muspelheim dealing with Surtur, or go to Nornheim so Thor can fight Ulik the troll. If he comes back to Earth, he can fight The Wrecking Crew as supporting characters to another villain. Balder needs to make an appearance, for sure, but if we're sticking with villains, the Dark Gods seem like guaranteed foes whom Thor would need to deal with as the new king (assuming Odin kicks the bucket either from Loki or Thanos.)
Otherworldly Expansion
On the topic of traveling to other planets and realms, we have so many options of other things we can tackle.
The Secret Invasion is, of course, one of the biggest overall arcs that could be told for Phase 4 or 5, provided Disney gets the rights to the Fantastic 4 characters. If that's the case, I think we'll see the Fantastic 4 themselves used as a framing device for exploration. After all, that's what their series pretty much consisted of back in the day. They consistently discovered new uncharted areas and introduced more and more characters.
This includes Silver Surfer and Galactus, the Inhumans, and even the possibility that they work for S.W.O.R.D. when they travel in space and get their powers to begin with. We've yet to see Dr. Doom in any movies deal with anything in the mystic arts, but with Doctor Strange in the universe, there's plenty of room for crossover there, and so many worlds can be opened if you tap into that side of the MCU.
Perhaps most importantly, this would mean Kang the Conqueror could be utilized as a primary villain. In my mind, it would be killer if the end of Avengers: Infinity War is a tease that Kang is looking back into the past to see that the results from saving the universe had some other kind of an effect that he wants to alter in some way.
Another aspect of taking things off Earth is with Captain Marvel. At some point, there will just be too many characters to keep having their own films, and I don't think we'll have Captain Marvel 2 and Captain Marvel 3 focusing entirely on Carol Danvers. This is not because it's a female-driven entity, but more so because her character doesn't work as well on her own. She doesn't have a long rogues gallery, and she's more of a supporting player in other series. To counteract that, I think we'll see her in a Nova Corps movie, working with that cast of characters.
Sequels and Spinoffs and So On
Some characters can continue with another movie or more, and I think a lot of where Marvel goes depends on how they want to utilize them. Supposedly, they do in fact want to do a Black Widow solo film, but what would the story be? Does she have her own film, but it still involves Hawkeye? Maybe they can explore a romance between the two if his family gets killed (sorry Clint), or Natasha will shack up with Bucky Barnes when they thaw out The Winter Soldier and restore his memories.
I don't think we'll get a Serpent Society film about Captain America, but we could definitely get a return of Red Skull as well as a film about current politics with Flag Smasher as the villain, even if Cap takes up more of a leadership role and doesn't do his own thing as much. For that matter, what if Tony Stark is the new head of S.H.I.E.L.D. to replace a dead Nick Fury—as I'm convinced that he's going to be the sacrificial lamb of Infinity War—meaning we have a culmination of his character from an outsider to his role in Civil War being expanded. He did take on this job in the comics, so maybe he has to suit back up to fight the real Mandarin and the Ten Rings organization.
There's definitely going to be more than one Spider-Man film. Rest assured. That series isn't going to just be Spider-Man: Homecoming and then guest spots in other movies. Obviously, we will get a third Guardians of the Galaxy movie and possibly more sequels to Black Panther and Doctor Strange, but I also wouldn't be shocked if T'challa only gets one standalone film.
The Missing Players
It will be weird if we go all the way through Phase 4 and we don't see Namor, Sentry, Amadeus Cho, and MODOK, just to name a few. I also would be looking out for some kind of a shared series in the style of The Defenders on Netflix that deals with the darker stuff like Blade, Morbius, Ghost Rider, and maybe Moon Knight, although I'm still holding out a little hope that they will just tie into Daredevil with Elektra and The Hand already as is.
One Thing is For Sure…
All of the above could be true, or none of it can come to pass, but if there's one thing that I can bet money on, it's that we will not see the X-Men crossing over. That series has too much of a foothold as its own separate universe, and Fox isn't going to be giving up the rights anywhere near as easily as they would be willing to part with the Fantastic 4 characters.
I'm still 100% convinced that the Infinity Gauntlet will somehow be used to make changes to the continuity, allowing for recasting and some retconning to a certain extent, but clearly there won't be a hard reboot where they get rid of all the actors and such while allowing room to include the mutants. It's too soon, with Phase 3 ending in 2019 and Fox talking about having lots of X-Men films on the horizon.
No matter what happens, though, I'm excited for the future. Although there have been some missteps along the way, the MCU has been a massive success and nearly everything just keeps getting cooler and cooler, so whatever Phase 4 and onward has in store for us, I'm sure Disney will be getting my money.
What would you like to see be planned out, though? Let us know in the comments below!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Monday, May 16, 2016
Welcome to the fourth edition of Fanboys Fix It, where instead of just complaining about what we don't like about something, we try to figure out how we can make it better. The previous three editions have been movies that were packed with flaws, the second of which was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. While that film goes down in history as one of the most problematic, the target for this edition is responsible for ushering in the initial beginning of the superhero craze in an era where nobody would touch the subject. With the upcoming release of X-Men: Apocalypse, it seemed fitting to go back in time to talk about Bryan Singer's premiere crack at the franchise with the 2000 film X-Men.
Upon rewatching this for the first time in years, I actually found myself liking it more than ever. In fact, there aren't a lot of things to complain about. Fundamentally, this is a pretty solid movie, but there are still some things that can be improved upon.
Here is a list of what I feel are the errors of the film, and how I would have fixed them if I had been on the creative team in some fashion.
Core Problem #1: Toad
What a stupid character. Out of all the villains to choose from, why was he the fourth member of The Brotherhood? Magneto, Mystique and Sabretooth are all classics, but Toad?? Obviously, the next best choice was Juggernaut, but even someone like Avalanche would have made more sense. For that matter, why has Avalanche still not been in a movie after 9 of these being made?
Getting rid of Toad also gets rid of one of the most ridiculous things in the movie: Storm's dialogue about toads being struck by lightning. It's an awful line that people make fun of all the time.
Ray Park is cool and all, having brought Darth Maul to life in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, but Toad just felt like a studio executive's note rather than something for the story. "Hey, this martial artist did some cool pole stuff on that movie, so why not have a character do the same thing here? Maybe he can be like, a frog guy too?"
Core Problem #2: Fight Choreography
This is something that would improve as the series went on, but it's terrible in the first entry. There are far too many moments where people are being thrown across a room in ridiculous fashion that I've seriously lost count at how many times it happens in the movie. Once or twice is okay, but only when the context fits it, too. For example, when Magneto launches Wolverine, it's because he has control over the metal in his body. That makes sense. Why, on the other hand, does Sabretooth fly backward when struck by lightning, or do people get kicked or punched and just sort of flip around?
That type of choreography is unrealistic to a point where audiences laugh at it and scoff at the idea that it's supposed to be believable, as it clearly is amped up to a level that's supposed to make you feel it's over the top and more like a comic book. Nowadays, the superhero film genre is succeeding because it's being treated in a more earnest fashion as if things were real, rather than trying to stylize it to give you the feel of watching a more campy comic book cinematic experience.
Core Problem #3: Missing Characters
There's only a limited amount of space in this movie, so the number of characters needed to be cut down to just a few in comparison to the vast amount from the comics. I understand fully well that there may not have been any room for some more characters to be added to the mix, but it was still disappointing going to the theaters to see this and not come across a few of my favorites from when I was a kid, watching the animated series.
For example, it floored me that Beast wasn't involved. In retrospect, I can look at the decision to keep him out and replace some of his character aspects with Jean Grey, making her a doctor to give her something more to do in the script, as a good call. However, part of me was just sad that Hank McCoy wasn't a big part of the school like he should have been. Later films would retcon this, and I'm happy about that.
How cool would it have been, though, to see Forge working in the garage on Cyclops' car for a split second or something like that?
Core Problem #4: The Costumes
Again, this was a different era for film, so I can forgive them to a degree. The uniforms in this movie never looked bad to me, but they still got under a lot of peoples' skin for not being more reminiscent of the comics. I think there could have been a way to incorporate more of the designs from the comic book counterparts while still maintaining a level of realism with the leather outfits. Later movies would try to do this, and I don't see why that couldn't have been done from the start. Magneto's look, for example, is close enough that people didn't really complain, and you buy it being something that he could actually be wearing. I'm not expecting yellow spandex, but maybe some yellow and blue piping on the leather outfits could have gone a long way.
Miscellaneous Extra Flaws & Nitpicking
Basically, those big problems above are the things that would have saved these movies and made them better as a whole, but there are smaller things that could have been changed as well. I'm obviously not going to nitpick every little detail, but a few things that stand out to me are as follows:
- Storm's Accent – Either do it, or don't. Halle Berry fluctuates throughout the movie and it's terrible when she does it, so she should have either had a better dialect coach or the first time she tried it, they should have realized it wouldn't work and kept her natural speaking voice like they did in future movies.
- Mr. Guyrich Has Been Dead for Some Time – Why? He was such an important figurehead of the anti-mutant agenda and could have been used in future movies! Mistake.
- Rogue Casting – While I don't think this severely hurts the film, I do think someone else could have fit the role of Rogue better than Anna Paquin. I love the idea that Christina Ricci almost had the part, and I think she could have killed it.
Well, there you have it—some insight into how I would have changed things in hindsight if Marvel and Fox magically gave me the ability to do so. Thankfully, despite the bumps in the road along the way, the overall grand picture of the franchise has been a positive one, and I'm hoping this continues with X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27th.
What do you think of the changes that I would have made?
Do they make the movies better or worse?
What changes would you make?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, May 12, 2016
On the latest edition of the Movie Trailer Reactions podcast for Fanboys Anonymous, host Tony Mango gives his live response and overall thoughts about the first trailer for Assassin's Creed released earlier today. Make sure to subscribe and tell us in the comments what you think of the trailer!
OFFICIAL TRAILER:
TRAILER REACTION:
Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender), a descendant of the mysterious secret society the Assassins, must use his deadly skills to battle the powerful Templar organization.
Assassin's Creed will be released in theaters December 21, 2016.
Directed by: Justin Kurzel
Written by: Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Michael Lesslie
Starring: Michael Fassbender (Callum Lynch / Aguilar), Mario Cotillard (Sophia Rikkin), Jeremy Irons (Alan Rikkin), Michael Kenneth Williams (Moussa) and Brendan Gleeson (Joseph)
