cultureinject - Tumblr blog

[cultureinject]

Hollywood & The World React To Wendy Williams "Fainting" On Live TV | An...

[cultureinject]

WE LOVE YOU JOSS WHEDON. NOBODY IS PERFECT, AND YOU HAVE NEVER CLAIMED TO BE. IMPERFECTION DOES NOT TAKE AWAY ONES ABILITY, WANT OR BELIEF IN THE NEED TO SPEAK UP FOR EQUALITY OR FEMALE EMPOWERMENT. BEING UNFAITHFUL DOES NOT STRIP ONE OF THEIR RIGHT TO CALL (AND BE) A FEMINIST. HAVING WEAKNESSES IS TO BE HUMAN. YOU ARE A WILDLY TALENTED WRITER AND DIRECTOR AND NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE THAT.

[cultureinject]

In honor of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday teaming up again to contribute an all-new story celebrating the legend and the legacy of Captain America: Sam Wilson #7, we’re revisiting their AMAZING run together on X-Men.

This article is worth a re-visit; enjoy re-living what made Whedon’s X-Men so fantastic and if you haven’t read it, you need to purchase your copy now. It sets that bar for what every comic should be.

[cultureinject]

New Q & A with Joss Whedon!

On November 9th 2015 Joss Whedon visited Oxford Union and had a sit down for a Q&A session. The hour plus video is now available for viewing on the Oxford Union’s YouTube web site. 

If you’re interested in hearing what he’s working on and other tid-bits, click here to watch now.

[cultureinject]

Finally! Joss Whedon’s WONDER WOMAN is here!

Have you ever wondered what Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman script was like? I know that I have!  Searching high and low, far and wide, I searched and searched and searched before finally somewhat coming to accept that I would never experiencing Joss’ take on the Amazonian Princess.

Well thank goodness for my stubbornness because it’s lead me to the good people at The Comic Bug and Drinking With Comics who've gotten their hands on the aforementioned Whedon script and have take it upon themselves to do a read-through.....and film it....and post it online!

Gag!!

Click here to watch the full reading of Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman.

Merry Christmas everyone! :-)

[cultureinject]

That epic scene *-*

[cultureinject]

SoundWorks Collection: The Sound of the Avengers: Age of Ultron from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

[cultureinject]

DONE.

The Vision is my fave.

End of.

This took far longer than I expected

[cultureinject]

Avengers: Age of Ultron is great!

Oh, man. Joss Whedon has done it again.

Avengers: Age of Ultron was recently released here in parts of Europe (sorry North America) and the anticipation for this film was palpable. The showing I attended was very nearly sold out (it was the very first showing at 16:10). The anticipation for the film was high and and the excitement was contagious.

The film delivers. Joss Whedon delivers.

Right out the gate, Avengers: Age of Ultron is better than the first Avengers. Much better. Now, of course, that is my personal opinion and as with all forms of entertainment, films are subjective. However, I can not understand how one can enjoy the first Avengers and not come out of Age of Ultron loving it. This film, I feel, embodies everything that the masses enjoyed about the first film but with depth and layers. 

Alright, enough of that. I am not giving away any spoilers here; you deserve to go into this film as spoiler-free as you can; you’ll enjoy the film more that way. I do need to share some of my initial thoughts on the film though. 

I came out of ‘Age of Ultron’ resolute of it’s supremacy over it’s predecessor, and after a nights sleep, I must say that I’m certain of this. In contrast to the first film, this is for a more mature audience, though it can be thoroughly enjoyed by all. Avengers: Age of Ultron is fun, action-packed, emotional and intense, and there’s lots of humour throughout. The fight scenes are very impressive; they’re very well choreographed and some of the sequences are unlike anything we've seen before. What’s more, the film is simply beautiful. The way in which some scenes are framed and lit are just gorgeous and a work of art - truly. Joss has certainly upped his game with this sequel and cinematographer Ben Davis did an excellent job and complimented Joss’ vision perfectly. 

Did I mention that there’s loads of action in this film? It’s non-stop (for the most part) and I love it.

My only wish for the film? Ultron being even more menacing, more ruthless, violent and unrelenting. However, as I said in a tweet, I don’t think Joss could get away with that in a Disney/Marvel film. Oh well, it’s still a dark but fun ride. My other wish for the film was that this was in it. It been omitted and for the life of me I can’t understand why! It truly made me sad. That is one of the most beautifully, iconic superhero-film images that we would have been treated to. I fell in love with it when I saw this in the first teaser trailer. It’s a strong image.

There's several stand out moments in this film; I'm interested in hearing what some of yours are once it’s released world-wide.

Age of Ultron is not perfect but nevertheless it. is. awesome and a definite step-up from the first Avengers film (for me); I enjoyed it so much more. It's a bit more mature than the first film and I suspect that's why some feel as though it's not as "fun", but it IS fun. Lot's of fun! This movie is great and I can't wait for the rest of the world to see it too.

Now, if I may, I'd like to leave you all with this:

Scarlet Witch

The Vision

The Vision, Thor and Iron Man vs Ultron.

That is all. =)

[cultureinject]

'You can’t do the same thing, only smaller, not as cool.'

[cultureinject]

undefined

                                Amanda Cole | Sia | Chandelier

                                                  Cover Song

This singer blows my mind every. single. time. Her name is Amanda Cole and she's a YouTuber who’s gained many followers for her mind-blowing covers of hit songs. 

She's a vocal beast; an absolute powerhouse songstress. If you haven't seen any of her videos, you must go now. You'll be more than just a little impressed by her skills and professionalism as a singer. But be forewarned: once you've heard her cover of some of your favourite hits, you may not feel the same about the original. :)

[cultureinject]

Fantastic Four Trailer | Thoughts?

Trailer here!

From the off, Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four has been a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. And today’s enigmatic, elliptical teaser trailer continues that tradition, establishing the tone of Trank’s world, but giving very little away in terms of the larger plot. When Empire spoke to Trank and his writer/producer Simon Kinberg ahead of the teaser’s debut, they told us that’s exactly how they want it.

“We live in a time where there’s a required instant gratification from audiences,” says Trank, talking exclusively to Empire. “That’s a fun challenge in terms of putting together this teaser, picking and choosing how much you’re actually giving away.”

Kinberg nods in agreement. “What we’re doing is quite different, and we want people to get a sense of it. There is a mystery, and the slow immersion into that is part of the experience of what will ultimately be the movie. We wanted it to feel different and represent what’s unique about the film. It has a little more restraint, maybe, than some other trailers these days.”

Neither man would be drawn on rumours that the rebooted and resuited Fantastic Four won’t don costumes during this first film (a sequel is already being prepped for 2017), nor that we won’t hear the teams’s lurid codenames – Mr Fantastic! The Invisible Woman! The Human Torch! The Thing! – this time around, either. “We want some of that to be a surprise,” says Kinberg. “It is in many ways an origin story, but it’s also about how they react to this transformation, and the ways the world does or doesn’t react to them, which is different, I would say, than all other superhero films.”

In the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby iteration of the FF, the team gains their powers by travelling into space, where they’re bombarded with DNA-altering cosmic rays. But Trank’s film draws more heavily on the Ultimate Fantastic Four, which abandoned space flight in favour of inter-dimensional travel. It seems fairly clear from shots in the teaser that this is a journey that Reed Richards and his pals also make. “Well, I can say this – our characters go to another dimension,” confirms Kinberg. “It was something we discussed from our earliest conversations.”

This change in emphasis appears to tally with Trank’s determination to root the film, and its science, in a grounded world, and to present the travails of the FF as if they were really happening, to real people. “You can’t have the word ‘fantasy’ or ‘fantastical’ without a contrast,” explains Trank. “It has to stem from a grounded experience. You can’t have bad without good, you can’t have right without wrong, you can’t have fantastic without mundane. You need to experience all that to really earn the title of the film, ‘Fantastic Four’.”

With the film’s August release just six months away, there had been speculation that the lack of imagery from the movie was indicative of a troubled production, and a movie with an unclear direction. And while Kinberg and Trank spoke to Empire during a lunch break on additional shooting for the movie (par for the course on movies like this – Avengers: Age Of Ultron is also going back in front of the cameras around this time), they say that the delay has as much to do with Trank’s desire for secrecy as anything else. Oh, and there is one other, fairly major reason. “We wanted the visual effects to be as complete as possible,” says Kinberg. “We know this movie is going to have a little more scrutiny than most, and we wanted to make sure the visuals represented what Josh really pictured for the film. Creating a fully CGI Thing is no easy task!”

[cultureinject]

EMPIRE | Avengers: Age of Ultron issue

The March issue of Empire is on sale January 29. It's a good-vs-evil affair, proudly sporting Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on news-stands and experiencing a full-on Ultron takeover on subscriber covers. Today, Empire; tomorrow, the galaxy...

The most comprehensive Avengers: Age Of Ultron coverage to be found anywhere in the nine realms (well, the Midgard part of them, anyway). Featuring interviews with Joss Whedon and his Avengers, watch the movie come together and piece together the puzzle of how to surpass the most successful superhero movie of all time. 

[cultureinject]

Culture Inject's Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2015

2015 is here and with it a new batch of forthcoming films for us to salivate over. There's no shortage of geekily satisfying, testosterone driven and thought provoking films to keep us satisfied in the year ahead. However, today, here and now, we're going to take the time to share the top 5 most anticipated films of 2015 as seen by cultureinject.

Owning the number one spot on the list is...

1. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

JJ Abrams and Star Wars? Yes, thank you. I don't think there's been a more apt marriage in recent movie history. The 88 seconds teaser that preimiered in November of last year was all that was needed to convince me that this will indeed be the blockbuster I'm expecting.

Can JJ Abrams do wrong? Of course not.

Okay, so I may be a little bias. Felicity was one of the defining television shows of the 90's for me (that and Buffy The Vampire Slayer). I was never interested in the Star Wars franchise, but J.J has proven that he knows how to direct films on a grand scale. Just look at Mission: Impossible III and 2009's Star Trek and it's sequel. He knows action, he knows spectacle and he knows how to pace a film well. I have no doubt that this is going to be the Star Wars film everyone has long been hoping for. I've loved just about everything that this man has done and I know that Star Wars: Episode VII will be no exception.

2. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Where do I even begin? Joss Whedon changed my world with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and that show is the standard by which I rate all other shows and film. Joss' writing and directing on that show was incredible and I've been a fan ever since. Firefly, Astonishing X-Men, Joss was born to make superhero films. I didn't like Avengers (shock horror!) but I'm super excited for Age of Ultron. Why? Because of the main villain and because of the additions to the franchise. It's going to be exciting to see the introduction of 'miracles' and the idea of magic introduced into this world. The force that is Ultron is impressive by itself. Add to it The Vision, Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver and you have a mind-blowing movie going experience. This sequel already sounds exponentially more interesting and epic than it's successor and who better than Joss "the boss" Whedon to write / direct these characters. I hope Joss Whedon will hit this out of the ballpark. 

3. Spectre

'Skyfall' was better than most was expecting and who could blame them. After the mistake that was 'Quantum of Solace', not much could have been expected from its forbearer. But 'Skyfall' was awesome! It was the action-driven, thriller film that we've come to expect from the Bond franchise. Sam Mendes did a really good job of directing the film and we can certainly expect more of the same from his follow up.

4. Tomorrowland

I love Sci-Fi and I can appreciate fantasy, and looky here; we have both in one film! The teaser trailer for 'Tomorrowland' was better than anything that I was expecting. I had very little to no interest in the film (only Damon Lindelof's involvement peaked my interest) until I watched that teaser. It was fun and different! I found it to be intriguing and exciting on a grand scale (see above picture). I can't wait to see what else the film has in store. Judging by the synopsis, it's going to be a fun adventure film.

5. Jupiter Ascending

Don't judge me.

This was not a film that I was the slightest bit interested in. Really. Truly. That is until I saw the trailer for it for the first time on the big screen in front of 'The Hobbit: Battle of The Five Armies'. This is definitely a film that needs to be seen on the big screen, and although I'm not expecting too much from the movie (writing / story wise), one has to admit that the Wachowski's deliver some interesting and captivating imagery and directing in their films. I also appreciate that this is an original sci-fi story. I would have seen the film regardless as I'm a huge Michael Giacchino fan and I'm very interested in hearing his score for such a fantasy film (sidebar: he's also scoring my number four submission. Skeeeee!), but I must say that it was Eddie Redmayne's performance in the trailer that sold the movie for me. It's good to see him in such a different role from the ones we're accustomed to, and he really sells the evil baddy - at least in the few seconds we see of him.

So that's it; my top 5 most anticipated films of 2015. Below are my honourable mentions in no particular order and any of which could easily swap places with Jupiter Ascending:

Ex Machina, The Fantastic Four, Hateful Eight, In The Heart of The Sea, Mission Impossible 5, Chappie and Jurassic World (see above re: not judging me - plus, michael giacchino again, so...)

[cultureinject]

Christophe Beck To Score New MARVEL Film

Well it's not the Marvel that we wanted for him, but Christophe Beck will be scoring ANT-MAN starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Corey Stoll.

                     This isn't the first time that director Peyton Reed has worked with Beck. The two collaborated on 2000's 'Bring It On', the directors first major film hit.

cultureinject had been lobbying for Christophe Beck to score Avengers: Age of Ultron for some time last year. The scoring duties eventually went to Marvel Studios fave Brian Tyler. Beck will also be scoring this summer's Terminator Genisys

ANT-MAN is set for release on July 17th.

[cultureinject]

The Prince of Egypt - REVIEW

            The Prince of Egypt. A 1998 Dreamworks Production. 

                                     Action. Adventure. Drama. 

Because I love (good) storytelling, I decided to watch 'The Prince of Egypt' for the first time again in well over a decade.  Having somehow stumbled upon a clip of the movie on YouTube (Moses parting the Red Sea), I immediately knew that I had to watch this film again.

I'm so glad that I did.

I say without hyperbole that this is one of the best films ever made. Take a walk with me....

I am not big on animated movies. With that being said, I really liked this movie when I first saw it in the cinema in 1998, and again after I bought it on VHS. Having watched it now, however, I can uncategorically say that I love and appreciate this film for what it is; a magnum opus.

Simply put: 'The Prince of Egypt' is a masterpiece. It is awesome. There are too few films that hit all the right beats at the right time, but when one does, you sit up and take notice. This is one of those films. There is so much to be amazed by. The first thing that jumped out and impressed me was how incredibly well the film has held up after nearly twenty years. It doesn't look dated at all. AT. ALL. I was equally amazed by how much more I enjoyed and respect the narrative and epicness of the film this time around - and I had already loved it! This is now one of my favourite movies of all time and one of the best sprawling action/adventure movies ever. 

Some will have a difficult time believing and accepting this as they're unable to get pass the fact that this is an animated film. This is unfortunate because it's so much more than an animated film. It's awe-inspiring. It's moving. It's epic! It's so epic! It's not really a kids film. Yes, it's an incredibly well drawn - animated film (the combination of hand drawn animation fused with just the right amount of computer generated animation is top notch), but it's an excellent, all-encompassing film for every age range. Your parents can enjoy it as much as your teen sibling can enjoy it.

The scope of the film is also impressive. It ranges from small, intimate scenes between characters to whopping landscapes and spectacle. The way in which certain scenes are framed is superb. There are so many breathtaking set pieces throughout that the viewer is constantly rubbing away an onslaught of goosebumps (i.e. the wall of water with the silhouetted marine mammals. Hashtag: IJustDied). My hat, scarf, jacket, gloves and loafers off to directors Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner and Simon Wells as well as writers Philip LaZebnik and Nicholas Meyer for perfectly crafting an emotionally charged, action/adventure film.

It is indeed a very emotional movie with first class writing. The emotional beats get you on every level. They did an excellent job building up the relationship between Moses and Ramses and pulling the viewer in and making us feel the deep rooted emotional friendship and brotherhood the two shared, and making us feel the sorrow of their collapsing relationship as the two eventually face off.

And the movie serves as a learning aid! I now know the story of Passover - thanks to this film! I was like: Hey! HEY! Did they just....They did! That scene just, very clearly and cleverly, explained to me what Passover is! How about that?! It was very interesting.

One can't help but feel as though the studio wanted to do another non animated - live action film based on Moses, but knew that they could accomplish so much more (for far less money) by making it an animated film. If you enjoy action adventure a la 'Gladiator' 'Troy' 'Alexander' 'Pirates of The Caribbean' 'Lord of The Rings' or any other mega - type action film, and you were disappointed with 'Exodus: Gods and Kings', you will thoroughly enjoy 'The Prince of Egypt'. 

Lastly, a huge applause to Hans Zimmer on his scoring of the film. It's easy to overlook the ability of a score to elevate a film and add texture, layer and quality to a film when done right. Zimmer effortlessly captures the grandeur of such a film and seamlessly fuses his sound perfectly with Egyptian influences. This is easily one of his best soundtracks to date and I'm sure he would agree.

Thinking back on the film, I contemplated whether I felt as though there was anything to be improved upon. Honestly, there is nothing. This film hit all the right notes at the right time and....just watch the movie. There are no complaints to be found here.

'The Prince of Egypt' is an excellent excellent film. Exciting, inspirational, educational, well-rounded and just plain entertaining, this is the crowning achievement in the history of Dreamworks Studios and one to be revisited. Do yourselves a favour and rent it, stream it, buy it. Just see it. 

10/10.

</rant>  

[cultureinject]

Thoughts? Concerns?

Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Tom Hardy, Jai Courtney, Jared Leto, and Cara Delevingne set for Suicide Squad!