The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now the biggest and best selling franchise there is in the world. We got to see a lot of well known heroes represented well in cinematic format. There has never been such a well done comic adaptation before the first ‘Iron Man’ film’s release. After the first few films established the heroes most people know, Marvel Studios started development on hero films that every day people don’t know much about. These films would go on to be ‘Doctor Strange,’ ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ and ‘Ant-Man.’
We ended up getting some incredibly well done movies that gave credence to those characters for every day people. Those who went to see the movies without knowing much about the characters got stories that explain them all pretty well. Marvel Studios’ storylines for those films are unique in plot, but stay somewhat true to source material. So with all of this is mind, people could go and enjoy superhero movies without having to worry about knowing the comics. Meanwhile, those who read the comics got plenty of new stories and references to the comics they loved to read.
‘Ant-Man’ was a unique story due to the decision by the writers to make the main character the second iteration instead of the first. This creates a backstory for the character that isn’t really explained on screen too much, but it doesn’t confuse the audience. People who have read the comics understand the backstory, or at least what it is supposed to be, a bit more, but it doesn’t really matter. They introduced a character that was important to the world they were trying to build and they did it well. Both the first movie and its sequel, ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,’ did very well upon release and gave us interesting characters.
It should be of no surprise that Marvel is coming up with plans for their next installment to the franchise following the Infinity War arc. Actor Michael Douglas who plays Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, in the movies has recently taken to social media to tease the public at large about new details for the third film to come soon. He said during a Q&A session that fans should “hang tight” and that new news about the movie might be coming soon. If this is the case, then hopefully it will not be too long from now when it actually happens. Until then, we can only speculate as to what we will get from the third ‘Ant-Man’ film.
The summer season is a time in which many people like to go out and enjoy themselves more than usual. Production companies know this fact very well and usually try to have their bigger films release during this season in order to make a killing at the box office. Films with big name directors attached to them usually find their places in these spots, and the new movie ‘Tenet’ was no exception to that rule. ‘Tenet’ is a new film from director Christopher Nolan with a premise that people don’t really know about. This mysterious, yet seemingly interesting movie was meant to release over the summer, but now there is no telling when it will release.
As we all know by now, movie productions have been completely stunted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Production companies have had to stop working on films and films that have already been finished and were ready for theaters have mostly been delayed. Now that we are getting closer to the summer, movies that have managed to stay on the release schedule may have to be delayed. Even if theater chains do manage to reopen when they say they will, theaters will still have massive restrictions on them. So it is now up to Warner Bros. as to whether it is a good idea to keep the release date for ‘Tenet’ as July 17th.
If they do decide to keep the movie scheduled for a July 17th release date in theaters, there is a good chance that the film will make far less than if they decide to release it later. Timing is everything for a theatrical release and with this pandemic, all time schedules need to be looked at differently. Now thought needs to go into exactly how many people they could possibly get to see their movie and statistically how many can physically go and see it. If it doesn’t seem likely that they will sell out whatever seats will be available at that time, given the restrictions, then the best move would be to delay the film’s release.
Christopher Nolan himself believes that ‘Tenet’ is the movie that could possibly revitalize the movie theater economy since, if it keeps its current date, it will be the first major release this year. Yet again, it is a matter of whether or not things are going to keep being the way that they are or we will be seeing a better outlook to this pandemic in the near future. In the meantime, Warner Bros. is expected to make a decision in the very near future about whether they will be pushing back the release date on this film or not. There are good arguments for both sides of a possible delay for the film, so now it is a question about which side has the best arguments going for it.
There are many horror movies out there in the world today, with many trying to scare people with fear of the unknown such as ghosts or demons. Slasher films fulfill the fear of the unknown in a completely different, yet equally terrifying way. These films show us a horror in which people are being killed but no one, audience included, know who it is. Horror movies thrive on this fear of the unknown and the mystery is what makes people want to keep watching the film. There is one slasher franchise that has had a strong following for years which is ‘Scream.’
‘Scream’ was made as a fresh new take on the slasher that was released in the 90’s with numerous sequels. The movie was an original design from horror master Wes Craven who created a new type of killer for horror aficionados to love. The ghostface killer is now a timeless villain in media and the slasher film genre as a whole. From the moment the first film released in 1996, even up to the modern day, it became a franchise that is beloved and is far from forgotten. Craven designed this film as a sort of parody of his own films; blending irony, horror, and comedy in just the right way as to make the film a strong piece of media.
The late Wes Craven left behind a strong legacy in the horror genre, and the ‘Scream’ franchise is a big part of it. In total, from 1996-2011, there were 4 ‘Scream’ movies made that followed a young woman and her numerous encounters with a killer that exists only through a terrifying legacy. Neve Campbell plays Sidney Prescott, a young woman who has multiple encounters with the ghostface killer over the years. She has become a staple to the franchise as a whole and has played the main role of the heroine in every one of the films. So it should be no surprise that after ‘Scream 5’ was confirmed there were talks to have her reprise her role.
Campbell explained that when she heard the film was in development, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to return to the film. To her, without Wes Craven around, she didn’t know if she wanted to be a part of a new film in the franchise. However, when she heard ‘Scream 5’ directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett were inspired by Craven’s work she decided to work on the film. The hopeful return of Campbell to the franchise is one that people hope will bring people back to the franchise.
Among the first places to shut down to the public for the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus were amusement parks. Disney Parks have had to shut down world wide as the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in order to curb infection rates from the virus. Disneyland Shanghai and Hong Kong were the first parks to shut down in January when the virus started spreading in China. Following their closing, Disneyland Tokyo shut down in February while the U.S. parks and Disneyland Paris shut down in mid-March after the declaration of the pandemic.
Disneyland Shanghai, being one of the first parks to close, is the first of the Disney Parks that is meant to reopen. On May 11th, the park will have its official reopening, but don’t expect it to be the same way it was when it closed. The point of closing it in the first place was to stop the coronavirus from spreading, so in order to keep it from doing so, steps must be taken. The plans that are being put into place here in the U.S. for reopening public businesses is expected to be implemented all over the world to a similar degree. For an amusement parks, these sorts of things will kind of create issues for people, but it is the only way this will work.
Due to the unexpected and virulent nature of the coronavirus, steps must be taken to ensure that the rate of new infections doesn’t increase again. These steps include things such as setting up temperature reading checkpoints, allowing much fewer people onto the premises, those who are in the park will have to keep their distance from one another and the employees, and the park must stay as clean as possible. The last one on the list is kind of difficult, since all it takes is someone making contact with a handrail that an infected person touched to contract the virus. Following the reopening, the staff will have to do their best to help people while also keeping themselves safe.
While the Disneyland Shanghai park has an official reopening date with its restrictions for park-goers in place, the rest of the parks don’t have an opening date. Many are starting to think that they may not even have a chance to reopen this year. However, some are hopeful that the parks will be able to reopen sooner, but the reality is that there is no telling when everything will be back to normal. We don’t know for just how long the world, and the restrictions in place, will stay the way that it is. With this in mind, there is no telling when other Disney Parks will reopen.
The coronavirus pandemic has been a threat to all countries worldwide and has been the cause of concern for every nation. Easily spread among the populace, the coronavirus would have proliferated even more than it already has if public places weren’t essentially shut down. So places like restaurants, bars, theaters, etc. all had to be shut down worldwide to keep the virus from spreading. Now, businesses are starting to slowly reopen with restrictions all over the place. Theaters are beginning to slowly reopen worldwide and the UK seems to have decided upon a time frame in which they would like to reopen their theaters.
Here in the United States, a few states have started to reopen some businesses that had to close down when the pandemic began. Restaurants, bars, and theaters are now beginning to reopen slowly state by state with heavy restrictions to keep the spread of infection minimal if not completely contained. Theater chains such as AMC and Regal have decided to stay closed until around the summer season, but other theaters have started reopening where they can. The ones that have reopened must take temperatures, have people where masks and gloves, groups must be limited in size, people must stay seated apart from one another, and everything must constantly be sanitized.
Cinemas in the United Kingdom are planning on reopening their doors some time in mid-June. When the theater chains AMC, Cinemark, and Regal shut their doors in mid-March other nation’s theaters followed in their footsteps. It only makes sense that they would follow in their footsteps in their plans to reopen. They will still need to have the same plans in place there that we have here in order to prevent a resurgence of the virus. So things there will not be the same way they used to be just like in the rest of the world.
Some people believe that businesses reopening, such as theaters, means that everything will be back to the way it was before we know it. That is not at all what is going to happen because the threat of the virus is still looming with no real way to treat it. As such, we need to start preparing ourselves mentally to deal the aftermath of all of this pandemic business and how we will have to adjust to the world around us. The only hope for us at this point to allow things to go back to the way they were before is a vaccine for the virus. Anything less than the inoculation against the virus will not help the world as a whole, and there are people all over the world who are against this life-saving measure.
George Orwell was, and still is, a well known novelist due to his lucid prose, biting social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism. Many of his novels are cornerstone books that many in society view as important material. Scholars are the ones who mostly look at his works and believe that his words should be read, and they should be read as a warning. The stories that Orwell wrote gave a very descriptive look into his worlds that he wrote, and how easily they could become reality. Almost none are as well known as his novel 1984 which eventually was adapted into a motion picture.
‘1984’ is a movie that shows an alternate dystopian reality in which the world the people live in is governed by a repressive regime. In this society, there are laws against nearly everything that has to do with liberalism and democracy. Everyone has had their most basic freedoms taken away and no one can speak out in fear of retaliation by the government or people indoctrinated by them. There is absolutely no privacy in that society as anybody that speaks out, even in their own home, will then have Big Brother listen in and come for them.
Now, we recently found out that one of the writers for the new 2021 film ‘The Batman,’ Mattson Tomlin, is working on a so called “spiritual sister” to Orwell’s ‘1984.’ Tomlin is a new name on the scene, but has managed to find his way into writing for ‘The Batman,’ an untitled Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt film, and now ‘2084.’ They are managing to keep plot details in short order with no one in the outside world knowing what it is about. All we know is that besides Tomlin writing for the film, there is producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura who has worked on other films such as ‘Transfromers,’ ‘The Matrix,’ and ‘Infinite,’ a new Mark Wahlberg movie.
It is sort of assumed at this point that the new ‘2084’ will be an action-filled take on the original source film ‘1984.’ The story of totalitarianism is one that always shows us a dystopian future of our current society. So the idea is to try and show a world similar to the one we live in, but with absolutely no civil liberties whatsoever. I feel as though it won’t be difficult to come up with a world like that, but deciding on what level to take it to and the level of technology available in that world will truly be interesting to see. All I know is that this is certain to be an interesting film to some degree and it will more than likely be worth a watch.
Get Some Strange!
