by Stone Marshall | Dec 24, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
We regret to inform you that musical supervillain Mr. Worldwide has now extended his domain to the very bottom of our planet’s oceans, as Warner Bros. unleashed the soundtrack for next week’s soaked superhero flick Aquaman onto the internet last night. Despite competition from crooner Skylar Grey and the film’s composer, Rupert Gregson-Williams, one track has quickly risen (possibly stomach-side up) to the top of the pile: Pitbull’s “Ocean To Ocean.” Or, as it will now always be known, “The one where Pitbull raps over ‘Africa’ by Toto.”
At two entries, “Least essential ‘Africa’ cover of 2018” turned out to be a staggeringly packed field this year, but we’ll be damned if the Miami unpleasant sound machine doesn’t just kind of go for it, rapping generically about his role as a modern Great Gatsby, a sentiment that has an impressively equal amount of nothing to do with Aquaman and “Africa.” Truly, we are all boats beating on against the current, borne back ceaselessly into a past where we had not yet heard Pitbull scream “Ayooooo!” over the hook of the best Toto song that doesn’t happen to be “Rosanna.” (Don’t at us.)
Here’s the most annoying thing, though: It’s still fucking catchy, because “Africa” is an extremely catchy song. (Also, Rhea does a perfectly fine job of singing the chorus.) And unlike, say, Weezer’s bafflingly popular cover of the song, which was inspired by a tweet, and sounded like it, Pitbull does at least make the song his own, in much the same way that a tidal wave might whilst approaching a small, undefended coastal town.
by Stone Marshall | Dec 23, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Next week, the Aquaman live-action film may complete one of the most remarkable pop culture comebacks since the late ’80s. Jason Momoa stars as Aquaman, and the movie is tracking to be one of the year’s biggest superhero adventures at the box office. Momoa’s Aquaman has the capacity for comedy, but the title character is no longer the butt of the joke in his own adaptations. It only took the better part of eight decades to happen.
To comic book readers, Aquaman’s an original member of the Justice League and one of the top DC heroes. But, for decades, the King of Atlantis was considered to be pathetic. He wasn’t super or mighty, he was just the guy who talks to fish!
Casual fans may not realize it, but Aquaman has been around since 1941. When he was created by Mort Weisinger and artist Paul Norris, Aquaman wasn’t intended to be a joke or even comedic. As we recently noted, the early Aquaman was so personality-free that he didn’t even have his mythology in place until several years later.
How did Aquaman’s reputation sink so far? The blame lies largely in television. While Aquaman’s comic stories of the ’50s and ’60s were fairly lighthearted, they also fleshed out Aquaman and his supporting cast. That created enough material for The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure in 1967. That show was actually a pretty good take on Aquaman that was true to that era. Unfortunately, Aquaman was then prominently featured in Super Friends, starting in 1973. From there, his legacy began to suffer.
Aquaman Seahorse
It’s not too unusual for comic book adaptations to influence the source material for years to come. The Batman TV series starring Adam West created such a big impression on the general public that for two decades it was the most indelible portrayal of the character for people who had never read the comics. Even when the Batman comics returned to a more serious style in the late ’60s and early ’70s, it still took Tim Burton’s Batman movie to really convince the public that the Caped Crusader wasn’t the kitschy “Biff! Pow!” guy anymore.
Aquaman wasn’t as lucky, and the stench of Super Friends’ ineffectual portrayal stuck with him for decades. Super Friends turned all of DC’s biggest heroes into sappy-go-lucky stiffs. That helped the show make the characters kid-friendly, but it had the side effect of making Aquaman look like a fool, and it cemented his unearned reputation as a weaker hero. The creative team behind the show may not have intended it, but their version of Aquaman became the most commonly accepted. That’s why even decades after Super Friends ended, Cartoon Network couldn’t resist making Aquaman the butt of the joke in this PowerPuff Girls crossover short.
That’s pretty much how it went for years. The intriguing thing is that the Aquaman comics had already course corrected decades earlier. But there was still the occasional backslide, like the infamous Justice League Detroit era. That was the time that Aquaman insisted that the Justice League drop any members who couldn’t commit to the team full time. Instead of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, we got these losers.
Justice League Detroit
In the ’90s, DC was ready to be a little bit more radical with their take on Aquaman. Longtime Hulk scribe Peter David revitalized Aquaman by making him much tougher than before. He ditched the clean-cut look for a beard and long hair, and he replaced his left hand with a freakin’ harpoon. More than anything else, it’s David’s take on Aquaman that helped shape the hero’s portrayal in the upcoming movie.
A Crash of Symbols 5
Aquaman’s next cartoon appearance came in Superman: The Animated Series, which kept the classic look but added his ’90s attitude. When Justice League followed a few years later, it went for a version of Aquaman who even more of a barbarian than his comic incarnation. This was a hero so badass that he actually cut off his own hand so he could save his son.
That’s arguably more hardcore than our current live-action Aquaman. And even that wasn’t quite enough to shake the Super Friends Aquaman among the general public. Justice League was popular, but it didn’t quite have the reach of Super Friends.
Strangely enough, HBO’s Entourage series also dealt with Aquaman’s bad rep. In the second season, the show’s movie star, Vinnie Chase, was approached to headline an Aquaman movie directed by James Cameron (who appeared as himself). Within the world of the show, Aquaman became an even bigger hit than the first Spider-Man film. However, the show only shared a small clip from the actual “movie.”
Unfortunately, there was a slight setback for Aquaman’s pop culture comeback as a “cool” character. The Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series cast John DiMaggio as perhaps the goofiest Aquaman to date. He wasn’t an ineffectual hero, but he was a lovable buffoon.
That’s actually pretty funny, but for fans of a more serious Aquaman, that was kind of the problem. Brave and the Bold essentially him into a joke again.
For a while, Aquaman was somewhat radioactive in the comic book world. DC essentially gave up on Arthur Curry, and killed him off in Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis. His replacement was a younger hero who had a similar name. However, this take on the concept didn’t last long. In 2011, Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis relaunched Aquaman as part of the New 52 reboot. Johns even integrated Aquaman’s reputation as a joke into the comic, so Aquaman could confront it head on and demonstrate why he was on the same level as the rest of the Justice League.
The Trench 2
Johns’ portrayal of Aquaman went a long way towards repairing the damage that had been done with the character. It was also used in part as the basis for the live-action interpretation of Aquaman played by Momoa. The DC live-action films may have their flaws, but Momoa’s Aquaman came off very well in Justice League. It certainly helped that Momoa’s Game of Thrones experience gave him solid geek cred as Aquaman. But the most important thing is that the movie didn’t treat him like a joke. It also allowed Momoa’s natural charisma to shine through and make him a formidable hero.
Truthfully, Aquaman’s future rests in the hands of moviegoers. If Aquaman becomes a blockbuster, it’s going to spawn at least one sequel, if not more. It’s also going to be the new “definitive” take on Aquaman, as far as the general public is concerned. And we may finally be able to put all of those Super Friends Aquaman jokes behind us.
by Stone Marshall | Dec 23, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
First off, Aquaman earned $19.7 million in its first two days in (non-China) overseas markets. The Jason Momoa/Amber Heard superhero flick earned $1.3m in both Russia and Brazil while earning $1.4m in Mexico. They have seven more markets opening today (including India) as they enter the weekend in 43 overseas territories. While it doesn’t open in North America until next week, WB is hosting an Atom Tickets/Amazon Prime-sponsored sneak preview nationwide tomorrow night. We’ll have a clearer idea of where the film stands overseas by Sunday, but it’s already showing incredible legs in China.
The film earned another $12.51 million in China on its second Friday, dropping a stunningly small (for a big Hollywood movie playing in China) 48% from its $24.5m opening day. That gives the film a $147.94m eight-day cume and puts it on a path for a possible $53m (-44%) second weekend and a $188m ten-day cume. If that comes to pass, it’ll be a smaller second-weekend dip than Venom (-53%), Wonder Woman (-64%), Captain America: Civil War (-67%), Justice League ($69%), Avengers: Infinity War (-73%) and Batman v Superman (-78%). So, yeah, folks over there like it and are telling their friends.
Its potential $188 million cume will also be above the $180m final cume of Civil War, making Aquaman the fourth-biggest Hollywood superhero movie of all time. It’ll be behind only Avengers: Age of Ultron ($240m in 2015), Venom ($267m in 2018) and Avengers: Infinity War ($360m in 2018). So, barring a fluke in either direction, it’s surely going to pass Age of Ultron and will probably end up between Venom and Infinity War. We’ve had two solo superhero flicks that have, just this season, done so much better than the conventional $90m-$120m normal.
This is evidence that either Chinese audiences are embracing the comic book superhero movie or that Aquaman and Venom are weird enough and fantastical enough to appeal to fantasy fans with a less inherent interest in superheroes. Either way, this means that Aquaman will enter is overseas global launch (China Film Group went a week early) with around $168 million ($148m in China and $19m overseas) and should be over $200m worldwide by the end of the day. No, I’m not answering the “Will Aquaman cross $1 billion worldwide?!” question quite yet, if only because I don’t think that should be the bar for success.
But it does now stand a shot at displacing Venom ($853 million-and-counting) to be the biggest “under-$1 billion” earner of the year. Considering the extent to which audiences, in China and elsewhere, are embracing unapologetic weirdness in their IP-specific entertainments, Colin Trevorrow might want to rethink that “no dino attacks in the big city” promise in regards to Jurassic World 3. Audiences can and will embrace insane dino carnage even if the dinos don’t wield machine guns. Oh, and if Aquaman 2 can give me my dolphin fight, that would be super!
I’ve studied the film industry, both academically and informally, and with an emphasis in box office analysis, for 28 years. I have extensively written about all of said subjects for the last ten years. My outlets for film criticism, box office commentary, and film-skewing s… MORE
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by Stone Marshall | Dec 22, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
While some actors dream of playing a superhero, that wasn’t the case for the cast of “Aquaman.”
“I knew nothing about this,” Amber Heard, who plays Mera in the James Wan-directed action film, told Variety at the movie’s Los Angeles premiere. “I knew nothing about comic books in general. I didn’t know anything about this world. What a way to be introduced, huh?”
It sure is. The $350 million movie stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Nicole Kidman as his mom. Patrick Wilson co-stars as Aquaman’s half-brother and archnemesis King Orm. Rounding out the cast are Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Michael Beach, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Temuera Morrison.
Momoa admits he “wasn’t a fan” until comic book writer Geoff Johns “kind of created this role for me.”
Kidman was convinced to jump on board because of Wan. “I knew James Wan was going to do something really interesting and really fun and I’ve wanted to work with him since he started out in Australia in low-budget horror, and I’ve followed his career,” the Oscar winner said. “I do this with directors, I follow certain directors. So I’ve been following James. And then he showed me some of the drawings [he was] doing, and he said, ‘See this is why you have to be in the movie, because I’ve drawn her to look like you.’”
For Wilson, the movie brought back memories from his childhood when he had an Aquaman action figure. He laughed, “I had many baths with Aquaman.”
“Aquaman” hits theaters on Dec. 21.
by Stone Marshall | Dec 22, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
In today’s film news roundup, “Aquaman” has already grossed more than $150 million outside the U.S., Michael Masini joins “Birds of Prey,” and Freestyle buys the documentary “Shamanic Trekker.”
BOX OFFICE
Warner Bros.’ tentpole “Aquaman” has taken in $152 million overseas in 36 markets, with $135 million of that from China, where it opened on Dec. 7.
The Jason Momoa vehicle has become the highest China grosser in the DC Universe and surpassed the lifetime grosses of “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Black Panther” in the Middle Kingdom. Mexico debuted with $1.4 million on Thursday on 3,517 screens while Russia and Brazil each took in $1.3 million.
Indonesia has taken in $2.2 million in two days and the U.K. generated $1.8 million in two days of previews. Taiwan’s two-day total is $1.4 million and the Philippines generated $1.1 million. In the U.S., Amazon Prime is holding advance screenings of “Aquaman” on Dec. 15 amid expectations of a $65 million opening weekend in North America on Dec. 21-23.
CASTING
Michael Masini (“Modern Family”) will join Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor in the Warner Bros. Harley Quinn spinoff film “Birds of Prey.”
The film will be directed by Cathy Yan and begins filming in January. The studio has dated the project, a spinoff from 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” for Feb. 7, 2020.
Sue Kroll, Robbie, and Bryan Unkeless are producing. Robbie announced last month that the title will be “Birds of Prey: (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).” Masini’s credits include “Blue Bloods” and “NCIS.”
ACQUISITION
Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to the documentary “Shamanic Trekker” for release on Jan. 8.
The film focuses on the Q’uero tribe of the High Andes and the sacred rituals and ceremonies of the indigenous shamans. The Q’uero are potato farmers, weavers, and alpaca herders living in stone houses without electricity, running water, and plumbing.
“Shamanic Trekker” is directed by Emmanuel Itier and Kristen White, written by Kristen Schwab, and produced by Kristen Schwab & John Schwab.
“The shamanic descendants of Machu Picchu are alive today and have something powerful to share in modern media,” said White. “We are grateful to the team at Freestyle Digital Media for making it possible to share this powerful message.”
AWARD
Thee US-Ireland Alliance will honor Aidan Gillen at the 14th Annual Oscar Wilde Awards, which will be held at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot in Santa Monica, Calif., on Feb. 21.
Gillen’s credits include “Game of Thrones and “The Wire.” He is currently in production the BBC/Netflix series “Peaky Blinders” and is about to star in the Robert Zemeckis-produced History series “Project Blue Book.” On the big screen, Gillen recently appeared in A24’s “The Lovers” and “Maze Runner: Death Cure” and currently appears in Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Trina Vargo, founder of the US-Ireland Alliance, said: “Aidan’s body of work is rich with a range of diverse and memorable roles that span television, theater and film. While his career his taken him to London, Los Angeles and beyond, he has remained loyal to working Ireland as well.”
