By Kurt Balingit
Kevin Hart has been casted along side Cate Blanchett to star in “Borderlands” a movie adaptation of the popular video game with the same name.
As of now, the plot details for the motion picture have not been revealed to the public, but it is safe to say it will be loosely based on the Borderlands’ main storyline. The video game takes place in the fictional planet Pandora in the year 2864. It follows a group of treasure hunters who attempt to find and unlock an ancient alien vault carved on the side of a mountain left behind by the planet’s previous inhabitants. The Vault is said to contain vast stores of alien technology and secrets, making those who possess it the most powerful people in Pandora.
Hart will play Roland a soldier turned mercenary who seeks to open the vault with his team of treasure hunters. Cate Blanchett will play Lilith, a siren and one of the most powerful women in the galaxy. Roland and Lilith are two of the four playable characters in the first of the Borderlands video games.
Released in 2009, Borderlands is one of the world’s best-selling video game franchises of all time and Lionsgate Motion Pictures is looking to capitalize on this fanbase and deliver blockbuster film. Adding a star like Kevin Hart to the cast will surely intensify the hype surrounding the upcoming movie.
Director Eli Roth stated “I’m thrilled to be working with Kevin, ‘Borderlands’ is a different kind of role for him, and we are excited to thrill audiences with a side of Kevin they’ve never seen before. He’s going to be an amazing Roland.” Fans of the franchise can only watch in excitement as more details of the movie are to revealed in due time.
by Emily Nagle
[usr 4.5]
Jojo Rabbit (2019), directed by Taika Waititi, follows 10-year-old Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) who’s growing up during World War 2. Young Jojo is thrilled to be part of the Hitler Youth along with his peers, but doesn’t quite understand what it means to be a Nazi. He’s mostly just enamored with Swastikas and the idea of being a Nazi, so much so that he even has Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi) as his imaginary friend. It’s a childish version of Hitler who’s somewhat of a father figure to Jojo, but the fact that he’s even there shows Jojo’s dedication to the idea of being a Nazi. One of Jojo’s first tests at the Hitler Youth training camp comes when he is called on to murder a rabbit with his bare hands, and refuses. It’s at this moment that he first questions whether the Nazi life is truly for him, as he doesn’t want to harm an innocent creature. Jojo ends up leaving the training camp early due to his injuries, and is shocked to discover that his mother is hiding Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), a Jewish girl, in their attic. There’s no safe way out of this situation for Jojo; if he tells on his mother, then she’ll get executed. Adolf pushes Jojo to maintain what seems at first glance to be a patriotic view, causing Jojo problems with his single mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), who is opposed to the Nazi party and the war. Over the course of the film, Jojo figures out what it really means to be a Nazi, and has to decide where he stands on WW2.
One of my favorite aspects of this film is its cinematography. It almost reminded me of a graphic novel. There were so many unique shots, for example when Jojo is rushed to the hospital after a grenade explodes at his feet. At this point it switches to a first-person perspective, showing us the world through Jojo’s eyes. Things appear blurry and dreamlike as he’s loaded into an ambulance and Adolf chases after him as he’s wheeled into the operating room on a stretcher. The cinematographer is Mihai Mălaimare Jr., who revealed in a Deadline interview that the distinctive camera shots were inspired by the film taking place in the world of a 10-year-old boy. Mălaimare recalls, “most of the time, [Waititi and I] talked about the fact that it’s really interesting to just go lower, and look [at] how the world or the set looks from Jojo’s height.”
My only issue with this film was that there wasn’t a lot of context for Jojo’s family situation. We know that he lives with his single mother, but it’s not explicitly mentioned where his father went. I didn’t know whether he was dead, supporting the war effort, or something else. It is also revealed that Jojo had an older sister, Inge, who died shortly before the events of the film, and Elsa pretends to be her when the Gestapo show up so that she doesn’t get taken away. However, we aren’t told a whole lot about the relationship that Jojo had with his sister, and we only see pictures of her. I realize that the lack of context about Jojo’s family was most likely intentional, but I was still a little confused at times.
Other than this, I found Jojo Rabbit to be a beautiful film that was quirky and creative! It’s sweet and funny at times, but also emotional. The relationship that formed between Elsa and Jojo was sweet, and I got a kick out of the fictionalized version of Hitler that lived inside Jojo’s imagination, eating unicorn meat and cheering for Jojo. It was also sad, because as the film progresses, Jojo is seen to realize what it really means to be a Nazi, and that it’s not all swastikas and “Heil Hitlers”. We witness him grow up and start to think for himself, with this epiphany being signified at the end when Jojo says to Hitler, “Fuck off, Hitler” and kicks him out of his bedroom window.
by Emily Nagle
John Reilly, a veteran soap opera actor, has died of a heart attack at the age of 86.
Reilly’s death was announced by his daughter Caitlin in a heartfelt Instagram post on January 10th, 2021, with a caption reading, “John Henry Matthew Reilly AKA Jack. The brightest light in the world has gone out. Imagine the best person in the world. Now imagine that person being your dad. I’m so grateful he was mine. I’m so grateful I got to love him. I’m so grateful I made it in time to hold him and say goodbye. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do, but I know he’ll be with me. I love you forever Daddy.”
Hailing from Chicago, IL, Reilly began his 30+ year acting career in the mid-1960s, obtaining minor roles in Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, and Apple’s Way. One of his most notable roles was on General Hospital, playing the part of Sean Donely from 1984-1994, reappearing in 2008 and 2013. He also had a recurring role in Beverly Hills, 90210 as Kelly Taylor’s father Bill, and played Alistair Crane on NBC’s Passions from 2005 to 2008.
The official General Hospital Twitter account posted a tribute to Reilly in response to his death, stating, “The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken to hear of John Reilly’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones. Rest in peace.” Reilly is survived by his wife Liz, five daughters, and two grandchildren.
HBO is reportedly working on ANOTHER prequel to their hit series ‘Game of Thrones‘. The TV network is moving forward from the original series with their new prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ currently in production and set to be on TVs in 2022. ‘House of the Dragon’ is set 300 years before the original ‘GoT’ series following the downfall of House Targaryen. So when it was reported by Variety, that Tales of Dunk & Egg, another prequel show of GoT, was in early development Thrones fans were ecstatic to know that potentially more stories from Westeros will be coming in the following years.
“The Tales of Dunk and Egg” is planned to be a buddy dramedy following the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and a young Aegon V Targaryen (Egg) set 100 years before the original GoT. The events in the Dunk and Egg tales are based off of George R.R Martin’s books “The Hedge Knight” (1998), “The Sworn Sword” (2009) and “The Mystery Knight” (2010). These 3 books were later published together as “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” in 2015. It is noted that just because the show is in early development, it does not guarantee a show will be produced.
By Kurt Balingit
Dearon Thompson, better known as Deezer D, passed away on January 7th, 2021. The actor and songwriter was found unresponsive at his Los Angeles home Thursday morning. There is no official cause of death, but family and those close to him believe he suffered a heart attack as he previously underwent heart surgery in 2009.
Deezer D was best known for his comic relief role of Nurse Malik McGrath on the long-running drama television series “ER” where he appeared on almost 200 episodes. Earlier in his career the actor appeared in rap based movies “Fear of Black Hat” and “CB4” in 1993. Thompson also had a role in the 2003 comedy “Bringing Down The House“.
Off the camera, Thompson was active in the Los Angeles underground rap and christian communities even hosting a christian radio show. He will surely be missed.
By Kurt Balingit
This month, we lost an icon in the live entertainment industry. It was announced by his publicist Dave Kirvin, that Siegfried Fischbacher had passed away on January 13th, 2021 at the age of 81 from pancreatic cancer. Fischbacher was best known as half of the electrifying duo “Siegfried & Roy”. The duo became a staple in the Las Vegas entertainment industry with their live performances involving exotic big cats, most notably white tigers & lions. Siegfried & Roy ran shows in Las Vegas 6 days a week, 44 weeks a year. The two ran these shows for decades, until their untimely retirement in 2003 after an on stage nearly fatal accident left Roy Horn partially paralyzed.
The duo also made a cameo in Las Vegas centered movies Ocean’s 11 & Vegas Vacation. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak described Siegfried Fischbacher “a ‘Master of the Impossible’ and an exemplary Nevadan whose contributions, alongside the late great Roy Horn, helped shine a bright spotlight on Las Vegas’s entertainment industry to the world.”
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