By George Robbins
Among the many films that are set to release this year, there is one that many people have been excited to see and that is the monster smack-down that is ‘Godzilla vs. Kong.’ The movie was teased almost immediately after the release of the ‘Godzilla’ 2014 and ‘Kong: Skull Island’ films. After the release of the 2014 film, it was decided that there would be a MonsterVerse with these characters to maintain a continuity for the universe they inhabit. After ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters,’ fans became eager for the next release where the titular title of king would be up for grabs moving into the next movie. It seems as though we are going to have to wait a little longer for that match-up to happen.
There are a number of reasons why the movie would end up getting delayed at this point due to the coronavirus. The virus is responsible for numerous delays, forcing back dates for other movies by up to several months or maybe even longer. The virus has caused numerous events to be postponed or even canceled already, and movies are anything but an exception. There are a few movies that have been an exception that, instead of waiting, were released straight to VOD, such as ‘Trolls World Tour.’ There are few exceptions however, and the remainder of films will have delayed release dates extending into later this year to even next year.
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ was one of the films believed to be a part of the films that would keep their original release dates. This is due to the fact that its original release date was set for November 20th, 2020, but it seems this is no longer viable. With the movie theater climate being so volatile right now, there is no telling how things will end up turning out by the time the film is meant to release. No one really saw this change coming though, since they just got its rating and got an early synopsis up and running. Though this does actually make some kind of sense because many movies have actually moved their dates to around the same time frame. This makes that season much less viable for them if they want to make any money during the theatrical release.
On top of the film having a date surrounded by many other top billed films, it is unknown how theaters will be operating by then. Movie theaters aren’t doing so well right now and with what seems to be a second wave of the virus coming around, it seems they won’t be doing well moving forward. Theaters are in financial decline right now due to having their doors being shut to the public and not having any means of income. Despite receiving the green light to reopen their doors to the public in some places, they still have plenty of restrictions in place that limit the amount of tickets they can sell. Without selling tickets, theaters are really in trouble and this is why production companies aren’t sure when to release their films.
Hopefully, by the time ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ releases, theaters will have their plans properly laid out and they will be more successful than right now. Without any new films to show, they have a lot going against them and we could see many going into bankruptcy. The new release for the film is set for May 21st, 2021 and by then we will have a better idea of how the industry is set up to handle things moving forward. The next year or so is going to be rough, but knowing that we have a film like this to look forward to makes it just a little easier. After the end of ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters,’ many fans were just waiting for this movie to release, but hopefully we can keep it together long enough for the film to come out.
By George Robbins
The coronavirus pandemic has placed a lot of strain on the economy, but mostly on the entertainment business over the past few months. While there are a lot of companies who are able to reopen their doors to at least a limited capacity now, there are some that simply can’t function properly without a lot of people. These are things that involve a lot of people gathering together in one place for any number of reasons. Included in this list of business prospects that can’t function normally due to people not being able to gather are conventions. Among those conventions that cannot be held normally are the Comic Con conventions; which as of now the San Diego Comic Con is in fact on.
San Diego Comic Con is one of the biggest convention events of the year and it was unknown for the longest time just when they would have it or even if they would have it. Though it seems as though they finally decided that they want to hold the event after all. As of now the dates for the digital “at-home” edition of the convention have been set from July 22-26 and will have plenty to give fans. It seems like they might have even had a spark of idea from the Star Wars May the 4th convention. There will be no limit to the attendance and no entry fee required for people to enjoy the convention and will have a lot for people to do. Between virtual activities and an online virtual Exhibit Hall for companies to offer specials and promotions, the organizers are doing their best to help people feel better during these times.
This convention is a way for people to be interactive from home and still feel like they are being a part of the community that they love so much. There are, of course, downsides to the entire convention being hosted online such as the modification or complete cancellation of events. Not to mention the fact that people won’t be able to have the experience alongside fellow fans like they originally hoped they would. This is something to be expected given the current global situation, but at the very least, the convention won’t actually end up having to be canceled. There is no telling if other conventions will follow in these footsteps, but we can still appreciate the efforts that are being gone through for this one convention to actually happen.
By George Robbins
While most of us are stuck at home, we have had very little to do with most forms of entertainment shut down for us. That has made it easier for companies with VOD, or Video On Demand, capabilities to sell their wares to people online who are looking for something to do. Recently, HBO Max was launched which is HBO’s premium streaming service with thousands of hours worth of content on it. This content varies wildly from newer movies that have left theaters within the past year to older classic movies that can date all the way back to the time when movies like ‘Gone With the Wind’ were initially released. However, there was a petition recently in the wake of the death of George Floyd that called for the removal of the movie from the service and it succeeded.
As a result of the film being taken off the service and the coverage that the removal received, many people went and watched the film on Amazon. ‘Gone With the Wind‘ is a film based on a novel of the same name that shows the life of a young woman as she grows up in the South during and after the Civil War. Many people took up arms with the film due to the portrayal of the racist themes and plot elements present throughout the film. As such, the film ended up being removed from HBO Max since the film itself is considered by those who wished it to be removed as offensive. There is no doubt that it isn’t offensive, but the film has been recognized as being culturally significant.
The petition to take it down off of the HBO Max service brought plenty of attention to the movie and in order to see just what it was people were upset about, the film ended up jumping up the Best Sellers chart. There is nothing that says that the movie isn’t offensive, but removing the film for that reason is the same as saying that those prejudices never existed. This was the statement made by HBO recently when they said they would be returning the film to the service. It is a statement that will be implanted into the film to make sure people understand that it is a part of our history, and even though many may not like it, it happened and it is something we should try to avoid doing in the future. The existence of this film is one of many portrayals of social issues of the time and shouldn’t be ignored, but should be paid attention to.
By George Robbins
With all that is currently going on with the protests nation wide, it is important that we take a look at our past which has led up to this point. People have been fighting against hatred for years and that fight continues even to today with all of the protests that we are seeing break out all over. Racism has been a leading factor for hatred spreading all over and it won’t be until people are considered equals to one another in each others’ eyes that this can change. This was first brought up at a time that is being compared to the protests now, the Civil Rights Movement. Many people were involved with the original movement, and it shaped an entire generation of thinkers moving forward.
While there is still veiled racism and even blatant racism today, there were many underlying issues that were changed which allowed for more opportunities moving forward. That movement had a number of excellent leaders with varying viewpoints that worked hard simply for the fact they knew their people were being mistreated. One such activist is the legendary John Lewis, a Democratic Representative from Georgia. Lewis’ social activism and legislative action have been an ongoing fight for over 60 years on the topics of civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration. Even today Lewis is going strong in his fight to help others and it can be seen on a still regular basis.
‘John Lewis: Good Trouble’ is an upcoming documentary that follows the titular Civil Rights activist from when he first started his endeavors back in the original movement. From the time he was young he went from someone who had never experienced racism to finding a world full of it just a little ways down the road. He grew up in Troy, Alabama which gave him a look at how his world functioned and after taking a trip to Buffalo, NY realized just how segregated his home community was. This would end up inspiring him to meet those who were involved with the Civil Rights Movement including Rosa Parks at the age of 17 and Martin Luther King Jr. at 18 years of age. Ever since then, he has been an activist who wishes to help his community and that is what the film represents.
The upcoming film ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble’ is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter and takes a look into the life of the man in question. She uses present-day interviews with Lewis to explore his childhood experiences growing up in Alabama to the moment he has his fateful meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957. Porter does not stop at interviewing Lewis and his family and carries on interviewing others for the film. This includes political leaders, Congressional colleagues, and other people who figure prominently in his life. For anyone interested in learning about this man, production company Magnolia Pictures has the films release date set to July 3rd, 2020.
By George Robbins
Amusement parks have been shut down just as long as all other forms of public businesses, but will remain shut longer than most. At the start of the pandemic, one of the biggest concerns was that places with a lot more foot traffic would end up being the biggest source of infectious spread. This is how the spread of diseases, especially ones like the coronavirus, actually happens and so far places like those are reopening and creating more risk than necessary. Cases are even beginning to spike again following memorial day, and the US is currently the worst in the world in number of cases. This is why it is surprising that there is now an opening date for Disneyland in California.
California has been one of the states that has been holding out the longest in terms of reopening businesses. They have been strictly trying to keep the number of new cases from going back up, but also trying to keep up with the reopening of businesses to keep their economy from failing. This made it possible for a number of businesses to reopen their doors to the public, including theaters as of June 12th. This doesn’t change the fact that the virus is still a real threat and that it is now starting to make a strong resurgence. With that in mind, will things like amusement parks really even be able to reopen after all, or is it way too risky to open them back up amidst the chaos.
With the country full of protests at the moment, there is a dangerous amount of risk involving new cases cropping up. There is now telling how the next month or so will end up going, and we could even possibly see the pandemic ending up even worse than when it first began. If things get worse, we could only end up stuck where we are with no hope of things being better in the near future. All of the plans that have been in place to keep the infection from spreading during reopenings are going to soon become worthless. This means that businesses that have been allowed to reopen will not be able to stay opened for too much longer. The only way they were being allowed to stay opened recently was because of the drop in new cases.
Ultimately, places like Disneyland that wish to reopen within the next month may end up losing their chance to do so. The increase in positive cases could have states rescinding their original orders and people could end up in a worse off position than before. Disneyland in California has plans to reopen on July 17th to the public following guidelines similar to other parks regarding the virus. This plan for reopening their park is tenuous at best though since it will be up to the government to approve of the official plans to open up the gates to guests. So with the way things are currently going, we may just end up not seeing the park reopen anytime soon.
By George Robbins
For many years now the ‘Evil Dead‘ franchise has entertained an untold number of fans who love the blend of horror and tongue-in-cheek humor it is known for. Over the years the fanbase for the movie has managed to increase since the original movie became a sort of cult classic. Though it hasn’t been the only film of the series to gain popularity, since the other two films Sam Raimi worked on, the follow-up sequels to the original film, were equally beloved. ‘Evil Dead,’ ‘Evil Dead 2’, and ‘Army of Darkness’ are all great in their own way, even if they ended up as one giant trip down the rabbit hole. The love of these films gives the perfect opportunity for someone to make a new film for the franchise, but don’t expect Sam Raimi.
There was an attempt made in 2013 to satiate the appetites of ‘Evil Dead’ fans by giving them a remake of the original film. Directed by Fede Alvarez, the 2013 rendition of the film was, in its own right, a pretty good film, but for fans it wasn’t much of an ‘Evil Dead’ film, so to speak. The original films did something that wasn’t seen in the newest film where they brought out a pretty good blend of horror and comedy that made people fall in love with them. Now, with the announcement of an ‘Evil Dead 4’ fans are getting another opportunity to see a film that could possibly inhabit the spirit of the original films. The director that has been decided for the newest film, which has been titled ‘Evil Dead Now,’ is one Lee Cronin.
Cronin is not at all a household name when it comes to directors because this upcoming ‘Evil Dead’ film will potentially be his first big feature film theatrical release. He has had a film of his enter the spotlight on the film festival circuit which was called ‘The Hole in the Ground.’ That movie was a full length horror film, so he has some experience directing feature length horror films. While being relatively green when it comes to the release of feature length films, he has an already established universe to work with. That being said, the story for the newest film will be new and not based off the story following ‘Army of Darkness.’ Other than that, not much else is known about how the film will go down story-wise and whether it will be what fans expect.
What fans will be most disappointed by is the fact that the movie will not star Bruce Campbell and will instead star a different female protagonist. Campbell starred as the main protagonist Ash Williams in all of the original films and the TV series that continued the characters adventures. As stated by Campbell, the movies are supposed to be about ordinary people in situations beyond their control and so it is time for a new set of characters. This does, however present the perfect opportunity to put in entirely new characters to fit into a new time period because the time may have come for things to move forward. Here is to hoping that Cronin will be able to make the film that fans have been hoping for and it will scratch the itch fans have had for years at this point.
Get Some Strange!
