Ghostbusters Take Over Waterloo

Who you gonna call? Because I don’t think TFL can help with this one…

Commuters were absolutely delighted this week with a spooky take-over of Waterloo Station in London to celebrate the release of the new Ghostbusters in UK cinemas, created by a beautiful partnership between Sony Pictures UK and Forbidden Planet.

Waterloo Station was complete with slime oozing down the CCTV, big screens showing the news of supernatural activity within the city, and of course, a giant Stay Puft Marshmellow Man breaking his way through the floor.

On top of this ginormous and impressive display, complete with decorated barriers and massive posters, there is a pop-up shop in the heart of Waterloo Station, where you can pick up all kinds of goodies, including T-Shirts, Funko Figurines, and even Limited Edition Odeon tickets to the film.

If you head underground via the peak-time link tunnel, you can also find the “Ghostbusters immersion zone”, featuring walls wrapped in New York vinyl and audio to complete the atmosphere.

If you ain’t afraid of no ghost, head to Waterloo quick, because the take over is going to be back under control by the 24th July.

Ghostbusters, directed by Paul Feig, and starring Kristen Wiig (The Martian, Bridesmaids, Zoolander 2), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Gilmore Girls),  Kate McKinnon (The Big Gay Sketch Show, Ted 2, Finding Dory) and Leslie Jones (Something Like Business, Workaholics, Trainwreck)as the four leading roles, and Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Rush, In the Heart of the Sea) as receptionist Kevin, is now out in UK cinema’s nationwide. Our writer Sean Bassett had plenty of great things to say about it himself, so I’d trust his judgement and get on down to your local cinema ASAP.

Daredevil SN1 EP8 – ‘ Shadows in the Glass ‘

After a few high-octane, high-stakes episodes, Daredevil was due for a slower episode. It’s just good-storytelling. Pretending for a second Daredevil season 1 were a 13-hour action movie, people need a break from action. Even in movies like Die Hard and Speed, there are breaks in the action. This episode is largely an origin story for Wilson Fisk. Kingpin has proven to be such an engaging, dynamic character that he can carry an episode that’s a little lighter on action.

We learn about Fisk’s past in this episode. His father was a wannabe politician who was also abusive toward his son and his wife. The scenes of the abuse are uncomfortable, but in a way that works. After all, this is a touchy subject so if it were anything but uncomfortable, the people behind the scenes wouldn’t be doing their jobs. The scenes with the young Fisk are effective in explaining Fisk’s psychology. His dad was violent but had a unique honor system – he was running for mayor because he wanted to do what was right for the city, he wants his son to stand up for himself. However, he takes his ideals a little too far in the wrong direction. He even goes out of his way to rough up someone for bullying his son. And that is fascinating because that is the kind of man Wilson Fisk grew up to be. He wants to save Hell’s Kitchen, but he does so with violence. After all, the young Wilson had to overcome his father’s violence WITH violence.

The psychology in the episode is also fascinating because in most other media, someone who stood up to an abusive father and overcame them would be a hero. And that’s part of the brilliance – Fisk finally comes out to the open and presents himself as the hero. He presents himself as a hero who is trying to save the city from the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. We already know how dangerous and violent Kingpin is, but this adds an extra layer to the character – he does these things but now has the trust of the city. Vincent D’Onofrio’s acting is brilliant as he plays someone still coping with the mental scars of his past. Even though he is not the focus, Murcock/The Devil still has a role in this episode. His scenes are exciting, but Kingpin is the real star of this episode.

Overall, despite being a little slower and light on action, this is an engaging episode from a psychological perspective. We delve deeper into the biggest villain of the series, learn a little more about why he is the way he is and just how much power he has.

Pedro Pascal Reveals Harry Hart’s Return for “Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle”

Given the very very big hint posted on Taron Egerton‘s (Eddie the Eagle, Legend, The Smoke) Twitter back in April 2016, we’re not sure if we should really consider Pedro Pascal‘s (Game of Thrones, Narcos, Bloodsucking Bastards) latest Instragram post a spoiler.

 

Hide behind Harry. #SafePlace #Kingsman2 #TheGoldenCircle

Regardless, Kingsman fans can now be delighted as the return of Harry Hart, played by Colin Firth (The Kings Speech, Love Actually, Kingsman: The Secret Service) to Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Firth’s character was originally murdered rather brutally on-screen by movie villain Valentine, played by Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Avengers: Assemble, The Hateful Eight) by being shot point blank in the head. Surely, a death no one can return from, right?

Apparently, wrong. Given Firth’s appearances on set, Taron’s tweet, and this final nail in the coffin (so to speak…) from Pascal, it looks like we will be seeing our most distinguished, sarcastic, dog-stuffing spy back on our screens for Kingsman: The Golden Circle. 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle will focus on an American version of the Kingsman agency, with several big names lined up for parts in the sequel to the surprise Box Office Hit, Kingsman: The Secret Service.

The film is currently in production and on schedule for release on June 16th, 2017.

San Diego Comic Con 2016 Funko Pop Exclusives! All Of Them!

Let’s face it, everyone loves Funko Pops, they are this generations version of the Beanie Babies. They are cute, collectible and there seems to be no end to them. I started collecting them forSkatronixxx Jr but stopped after realising that I’d never be able to collect them all. Would I still continue collecting them? Sure if I had the money, but alas I have temporarily put my Funko Pop collection on hold, it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy looking at them though!

There are however hardcore Funko fans out there and  the company knows this, that’s why they are aiming to bombard those lucky people who are going to San Diego Comic Con or SDCC with at least nine waves of exclusive figures.

What’s more having the ‘Funko Limited Edition 2016 Comic Con‘ sticker is a prize possesion for any serious collector and a cool trinket for the causal fan.

On Skatronixxx.com I’ll be bringing you updates about the Funko Pop, with all the exclusives released, I thought I’d treat you to a slideshow of all the Funko Pops on offer 🙂

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Independence Day: Resurgence Review

Much like the aliens featured in Independence Day: Resurgence, Roland Emmerich returns to exact vengeance on this beloved franchise. I’m glad Will Smith got out when he could.

Suicide Squad Tracking For A 125 million+ Opening Weekend.

Multiple sources have revealed that Warner Bros. anti-hero action flick is tracking for a gigantic 125+million opening weekend. This would put the film miles ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy which opened back in 2014 with $94.3 million. It would also be the biggest opening for an August release. Should the film receive stellar reviews, it can easily surpass Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opening, which opened to a hefty $166million+ back in March but was given a cold shoulder by fans and critics. Though the DC film Universe is in full swing and has been a commercial success, it has yet to offer a critically acclaimed epic, and with Suicide Squad coming out, things could change for the better. Superhero fans will be hoping that the movie does well and shifts the genre in a new direction, with possibly more studios taking risks as the Warners have been.

It feels good to be bad…Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

From Writer and Director David Ayer, Suicide Squad stars Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as the Joker, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Ben Affleck is set to reprise his role as Gotham’s watchful protector, the Batman, in what seems to be more than a cameo.

Based on characters by DC comics, the film also stars Jai Courtney (Insurgent), Cara Delevingne ( Paper Towns), Scott eastwood ( Fury), Karen Fukuhara in her feature film debut, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) , Adam Beach ( Cowboys and Aliens), and Jay Hernandez (Takers). Charles Roven, Richard Chuckle will produce the epic, with Deborah and Zack Snyder, Colin Wilson and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.

Tickets are on sale as of today. The film will roll in theaters on August 5 2016.

Check out the previous trailer released for the film.

SPOILERS: Ghostbusters Post-Credits Sequence – what could it mean?

One of the things I wanted to talk about in the review was the Ghostbusters post-credits sequence, however I didn’t feel it would be right to spoil it for those who have yet to see the movie. So instead I have decided to explore it in a separate article. If you have yet to see the Ghostbusters reboot and are planning to avoid spoilers, then stop reading now.

In the post-credits sequence, we see Patty listening to a tape in their new firehouse headquarters when she turns to the others and asks ‘Who is Zuul?’. For those who don’t know, Zuul – also known as ‘The Gatekeeper’ – is a demigod from the 1984 Ghostbusters who appears in the fridge at Dana Barrett’s apartment. She is subsequently possessed by the demonic entity and later his real form is revealed as that of a ‘Terror Dog’ (gargoyle-like figures who bear a vague resemblance to dogs).

So what could the Zuul tease mean?

Well, here are a few possibilities…

Gozer returns

Another thing about Zuul is that she was the servant to the God of Destruction, Gozer the Gozerian. Could we therefore see a Gozer return in a Ghostbusters (2016) sequel?

Given that the reboot features the likes of Slimer and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (as a parade balloon), I’d say there is a pretty good chance. Featuring Gozer in the first film would have been a mistake considering that Gozer was the main antagonist of the 1984 original. The second Ghostbusters film on the other hand didn’t feature Gozer, so there is less chance it would be seen as staying too close to the original if a sequel to the 2016 film were to feature her as the main antagonist. I doubt they would bring Zuul back alone as the demigod wouldn’t have as much of a purpose without Gozer also making an appearance; the only thing that makes me question the idea is that in the 1984 film she asks the Ghostbusters to choose what form their ‘destructor’ will take. This has already been done with Rowan’s Ghost taking on the appearance of the Ghostbusters logo and I doubt they would want to do it again. Making their sequel appear as little more than a rehash of their first film would be a bad idea as it would suggest writer Kate Dippold has a limited imagination (which I am sure is not the case).

The original Ghostbusters still exist

Admittedly this is the most far-fetched of the theories given how contradictory it would be to Paul Feig’s vision but what if the original Ghostbusters do exist in the same universe after all?

Could it be that the tape Patty is listening to was left behind by the previous occupiers of the firehouse and the previous occupiers were Peter Venkman and co?

It would be one massive coincidence that a Ghostbusting business would set up shop in a firehouse that was previously used for a Ghostbusting business. Then there’s the issue that Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver all cameo as different characters in the movie. But what if there’s a reason behind all this?

A popular theory on the internet is that Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson are taking on different jobs and identities in order to hide from their past lives as paranormal investigators. We find out in the movie that the government has covered up past supernatural incidents, so maybe they were labelled as hoaxers – just like the female Ghostbusters?

Peter Venkman changed his name to Martin Heiss and pretended to be a sceptic so nobody would work out his true identity, Ray Stantz became a taxi driver (explaining how he knows what class two vapours and class four apparitions are) and Winston Zeddemore started a funeral service. Annie Potts’ hotel receptionist isn’t named so she could easily be Janine from the original Ghostbusters. As for Sigourney Weaver, maybe Rebecca Gorin is Dana Barrett’s sister and they share a familial resemblance?

Could it also be that the firehouse’s rent is so astronomically high as to prevent a new business moving in and accidentally releasing the ghosts from the containment unit housed inside, inadvertently creating mass hysteria?

There is one major plot hole with that theory: if the containment unit still existed inside the firehouse, then why didn’t Rowan use it to free the already-contained ghosts instead of creating his own machine to release them?

It would however explain how Slimer happens to exist in this universe; maybe somebody accidentally let him out of the firehouse and that’s what prompted the firehouse’s rent to increase?

There is one thing that supports this theory – in Columbia University there is a bust of Egon Spengler in shot as Erin leaves after being fired from her job as professor.

 

The original Ghostbusters return…in a multiverse

There has been talk for a while of a Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe and Gozer is an entity from another dimension, so could it be the character of Gozer who links the 1984 and 2016 Ghostbusters universes together?

Zuul and Gozer both had to travel outside their dimensions to terrorise Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston, therefore if they were to return it is possible that some form of dimensional travel would be established in order to allow various Ghostbusting teams to team up.  Paul Feig has previously expressed interest in the multiverse concept and when asked about the shared universe Ivan Reitman recently stated in an interview ‘I do think some kind of continuity and some kind of relationship should be created, and we’re working on that’ so it is possible that with the female Ghostbusters’ origin story out of the way they may decide to cross them over with the original Ghostbusters.

The reboot has already seen the likes of portals to another world and the original Ghostbusters themselves travel to another dimension in the 2009 videogame. It is a direction that already has precedent for taking place and is perhaps more likely than the cameo characters being revealed as Peter and his team all along. The multiverse concept would make them parallel versions of their characters in the 1984 universe; an idea that already makes a lot of sense given Bill Murray’s role as a skeptic. It would be fun to see a sequel that explores who Abby, Jillian, Erin and Patty are in the other universe – would they still be a group of extremely knowledgable women or would they be little more than secretaries similar to Janine in the 1984 Ghostbusters?

A multiverse would also allow them to bring in live-action takes on the cartoons – 1986’s The Real Ghostbusters, 1997’s The Extreme Ghostbusters and the upcoming animated series Ecto-Force. Imagine a blond Egon meeting Jillian Holtzmann (who shares a very similar look to him)? Or Ray Stantz commenting on his more ginger counterpart? There would be huge potential for comedic moments and would help draw more interest to other areas of the Ghostbusters brand.

It’s just a cool reference

Another possibility is that the scene was merely filmed as a fun reference to the 1984 Ghostbusters. During the credits there are numerous scenes that play which were clearly in the film at some point but for some reason or another were cut from the main narrative. This could be another one of those scenes; after all, the film is full of references to the 1984 original it is based on. Mentioning Zuul may be no different to Slimer eating food from a hot dog cart or Ray Parker Jnr’s Ghostbusters playing after the opening sequence of the film.

Maybe I am simply over-analysing and the scene means nothing other than ‘Hey, remember the 1984 Ghostbusters?’. It is fun to speculate however and I like to think that somewhere out there Paul Feig is sitting in a basement laughing deviously as he plots Gozer’s return.

There is no Feig, only Zuul….

 

Marvel-ous TV at SDCC

Marvel TV will be kicking off their panels with a marvellous signing event at the Marvel Booth #2329 on Thursday July 21, beginning with the Marvel/Netflix joint effort Marvel’s Luke Cage at 3:15 pm.  The executive producers Cheo Hodari Coker and Jeph Loeb will be joined by cast members Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Alfre Woodard (Mariah Dillard), Mahershala Ali (Cornell Stokes), Theo Rossi (Alvarez), Frank Whaley (Detective Scarfe) and Simone Missick (Misty Knight).

T’s Summer Binge-Watch Guide: Highlander

Obviously, I’m talking about the tv series not the movies.  However, the first movie is really worth watching as well (the others … with the exception of Endgame?  Not so much).  The pilot episode “The Gathering” is a great passing of the torch from movie hero Connor MacLeod to television hero Duncan MacLeod.  They explain things quite nicely.  Over the course of 6 seasons they had several different openings, but they kept the same awesome theme song…. Princes of the Universe by Queen, which was the theme song of the movies as well.

As you can tell, I couldn’t pick my favorite of the openings… that’s why I included all the different ones in the article.  This show was and still is highly underrated!  I watched it when it was on television and truth be told I was a little in love with Adrian Paul/Duncan MacLeod. (I even follow Adrian on twitter…. don’t judge me.)  Some of my favorite episodes were the ones with Fitz (played by The Who’s Roger Daltrey), an immortal friend of Duncan’s and the ones with Amanda, another immortal friend/lover.  When the show was on television, I watched all the way til the season finale of Season 5… then I refused to watch the last season out of pure stubbornness, mostly because I was pissed off.  So, I recently binged this one to see how things ended.

Premise of the show:  Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod is an immortal (and he’s not the only one) who can only die if you cut off his head, but since he’s kind of attached to it, you won’t take it without a fight.  Each episode usually sees an evil immortal coming after Duncan, which has basically been the way of things for 400 years.  Oh?  Did I forget to mention that Duncan is over 400 years old?  Hmmm.  I’m sure I mentioned that.

Primary Cast:

Adrian Paul … Duncan MacLeod

Stan Kirsch … Richie Ryan

Jim Byrnes … Joe Dawson

Alexandra Vandernoot … Tessa Noel

Peter Wingfield … Adam Pierson/Methos

Elizabeth Gracen … Amanda

Pros:  Um…. Adrian Paul is HAWT.  Also, there’s a lot of great sword fights and action, good vs evil, even some romance.  There’s great flashback period pieces that show how Duncan has spent the last 400 years.  AND, let’s not forget the great music by Queen.

Cons:  The only con I can think of is the one that made me quit watching when it was on television… but that involves a huge spoiler and I don’t want to ruin it for all of you.  You’ll know it when you see it.

The show spawned a spin off, Highlander: The Raven (about Amanda) and two movies.  In fact, the show is part of a huge franchise that includes the 3 original movies, the television show, an animated series, the Amanda spin off, and the final two movies.

There were 119 episodes total, and you can watch them on Hulu or on Youtube.

Some trivia about the show…  Elizabeth Gracen is a former Miss Arkansas & Miss America.  Also, Christopher Lambert (Connor MacLeod from the original movies) was originally offered $50,000 to appear in the pilot episode, but French investors weren’t happy with the amount so they had him written out.  However, that ticked off some German investors who threatened to scrap the whole project if Lambert wasn’t in the episode.  So, they went back to the original script.  But, all the hassle pissed of Lambert, who then demanded $500,000 …. for just 3 days work.

Let me know what you thought of this show in the comments!

The Expanse SN1 EP2 – ‘The Big Empty’

‘The Big Empty’ opens with a flashback to the moment Holden meets Adè (pronounced AH-DAY), the new navigator of The Cant. In Episode 1, she’s the woman Holden is in a casual relationship with. The flashback quickly ends with Adè whispering,

“There’s something you should know…”

before we burst back into the action as Holden and the small shuttle crew are attempting to escape the debris field caused by the destruction of The Cant.

After a few moments of tense action where the shuttle is hit by debris and the crew tossed about, things finally calm down when the pilot Alex manages to get them through the field.

Afterward, Holden immediately causes an argument by ordering Alex to follow the mysterious ship. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew does not want to follow and they no longer feel that Holden is the ranking officer given the new circumstances.

Frustrated, Holden storms off.

When Holden has calmed down, he and the rest discuss what their next move is going to be. They’re trapped in a small vessel and far away from any help. To top it all off, they’ve found a breach in the shuttle’s hull.

After the initial panic of the discovery, Holden and Burton head outside to fix the breach. They find that things may be worse than they thought. While outside, Holden and Burton enter a tense understanding of each other. Burton’s motivations become clearer. He explains a bit about himself and why he’s so loyal to Naomi.

Inside the shuttle, Naomi, Alex, and Shed (the medic) have had to shut off the oxygen supply and put on their space suits. Alex’s suit oxygen begins to get dangerously low. With the crew in danger of losing their only pilot, Shed has to spring into action and solve the problem. Eventually, he stabilizes Alex’s suit by sharing his oxygen while Holden and Burton manage to fix the hull breach.

They rush back in and pressurize the cabin just in time to revive Shed who’d passed out from lack of oxygen.

Getting through this tough situation together brings the members of the shuttle crew closer together.

With problem one fixed, they turn to overcoming problem 2: no radio service. Naomi speculates she can repair the radio with spare parts.

Still low on air, the crew gets to dismantling any unnecessary components.

While working, the crew discovers that the shuttle is actually a top grade Martian ship which has been disguised. They begin to believe The Cant was attacked by the Martians who were using stealth technology. Possibly to recover the shuttle.

Eventually, they get the radio working and send out a distress signal.

With oxygen getting lower and lower, their distress signal is finally picked up. But the rescue ship is further away than hoped, meaning the stranded crew will be extremely low on air by the time their rescuers arrive.

It also turns out the rescue ship is The Donnager, the flagship of the Martian navy.

Back on Ceres Station. The Belt.

We pick up with Miller who’s still in the beginning phase of his investigation into the disappearance of Julie Mao. He heads to Mao’s apartment to see what he can find. Using his do-it-all future phone he’s able to gain entry and change his voice to unlock Julie’s security system.

He replays her last message which is from her father. We find out a bit more about Julie through the message. She’s apparently from a well-to-do family. Her father is unhappy with her for leaving home to take up with less affluent friends. He threatens to cut her off.

From Julie’s response to her father, she does not get along with him. She’s decided she doesn’t need him or his money.

Miller continues to explore the apartment. Before leaving he notices a hamster running on a wheel. It doesn’t occur to him that, mysteriously, the hamster is not in a cage and that it has blood red eyes.

Later, Miller and his new partner, Havelock, are called to the nicer part of Ceres Station to answer a complaint about the water supply being tapped into.

To investigate, the two of them head to the level where the water supply pipes are situated. While there, they find a bunch of punk kids who have tapped into the pipes and are siphoning water away for themselves.

Miller and Havelock scuffle with the kids before capturing one. Miller questions the kid and soon takes pity on him and lets him go. It seems Miller comes from a similar background.

During this short conversation we first hear mention of the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA). The OPA is either a pro-belter social movement or a terrorist group, depending on who you’re talking to.

The United Nations. Earth.

We’re now introduced to Sadavir Errinwright (Shawn Doyle) the UN Undersecretary General who’s grilling Chrisjen Avarasala for torturing the belter, Heikki Sobong, who they captured in EP 1. Errinwright commands Avarasala to put Heikki Sobong in a water tank where he’ll feel lighter and closer to the gravity he’s used to in the belt.

She does so, then continues to question Sobong now that he’s more willing to talk. She’s still curious to know what he was doing and why. He refuses to cooperate and Avarasal finds out nothing.

Neither does the audience. The circumstances of the prisoner’s capture are not yet clear. It’s possible he was smuggling stealth technology.

Avarasala decides to send Sobong away for further questioning. Unfortunately, Sobong kills himself on the shuttle by escaping from his restraints and letting the g-force crush him.

What’s Next?

The episode concludes as we see Havelock slink back to the brothel he and Miller were called to in the first episode to investigate a murder. He’s meeting with the same prostitute who they questioned.

Meanwhile, Miller heads to the docks where Julie Mao worked to see if he can get any more information on her. He’s told she was pretty tough and that she was stationed on The Scopuli.

Back at his apartment, Miller researches Julie Mao’s dating profile to find out who she may have been with before she disappeared. He doesn’t get anywhere, but in a photo he notices a scar on her face which he thinks may be a an important clue.

Before the five stranded shuttle members are picked up, Holden causes another controversy by recording a message telling what has happened to The Cant. In the message, he names the Martians as the attackers. To the rest of the survivors dismay, he sends the message.

Shortly after, they are boarded by the Martians and taken prisoner.