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16 Feb

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Review – Marvel Goes Big in Phase 5 Kick-Off

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With Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe now in the rearview mirror, Marvel Studios has chosen its arguably most peripheral sub-franchise to officially launch its next big supervillain and overarching storyline. The two previous Ant-Man movies have told smaller, localized stories—basically comedic heist thrillers set in San Francisco—with hints at larger mysteries lurking in the subatomic universe known as the Quantum Realm. Honestly, they were refreshing breaks from the MCU’s usual world-threatening narratives. All that is out the window with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the third entry in the series and the first to kick off an MCU…

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15 Feb

Shazam: Fury of the Gods – Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler Are DC’s New, Formidable Villains

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Crafting brand new villains for a superhero movie extravaganza like Shazam: Fury of the Gods is no easy feat. But in the highly-anticipated sequel, director David F. Sandberg enlisted three Hollywood icons to bring these original antagonists to life. Looking to the mythological origins of the hero Shazam, Sandberg and writers Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan introduce the Daughters of Atlas; Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler), who are less than happy to have seen their father’s powers stolen by the titular superhero. For Sandberg, it was a logical choice. “It was just such a cool…

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15 Feb

Lord of the Rings Movie Moments That Didn’t Happen in the Books

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The massive success of The Rings of Power and the undying popularity of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy are proof of the longevity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium. But while Jackson’s extended editions have been pored over by fans for years, there are those who might have enjoyed the movies but have never read the books. The latter group might be surprised to learn that there are actually quite a few scenes in the films that you’ll never find in the books. Because they never happened on the page at all. There is always a specific reason as…

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15 Feb

Cocaine Bear Is Not Just About a Killer “Coked-Up” Bear, It’s Also an “Underdog Story”

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This article appears in the next issue of DEN OF GEEK magazine. Get your copy here. On September 11, 1985, a former police officer-turned-drug smuggler named Andrew Thornton II dropped himself and around 75 pounds of cocaine out of his private plane over the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia. But something went wrong: Thornton—who might have hit his head on the way out the door—was found dead in a driveway in Knoxville, Tennessee, his parachute not opening in time, while his plane crashed around 60 miles away. As for the cocaine, Thornton’s crew on the ground never retrieved it, but two…

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15 Feb

Scream 6 Directors Tease Wednesday Easter Egg

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One of the fun things about the Scream franchise is it’s a series of horror films that are aware they’re horror films. Ever since the original Scream began with Drew Barrymore saying the first Nightmare on Elm Street was scary “but the rest sucked,” even as she was being directed by the first Nightmare’s creator, Wes Craven, these movies have known how to wink at you. Scream 6 (styled Scream VI in marketing) continues the trend, right down to its very first teaser revealing the sequel is set on Halloween night in New York City. In other words, there will…

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15 Feb

Can a DCU The Authority Movie Actually Work?

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After much anticipation, the new James Gunn and Peter Safran-led DC Studios has finally announced their upcoming film and TV slate. The goal is to create a giant connected shared story spread out across movies, TV, and even gaming. Characters will move fluidly in and out of animation and into live action, and there’s a special DC Elseworlds label to distinguish standalone efforts and visions (such as Todd Phillips’ R-rated Joker movies).But within the actual DCU shared universe, there are some surprises. Amongst familiar faced l ike Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and even Supergirl, there’s shockers like a Wonder Woman…

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15 Feb

Michael Douglas Movies Ranked by How Great His Hair Is

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This article contains minor spoilers for various Michael Douglas movies A vintage nepo baby whose Hollywood career first began in the mid-1960s, Michael Douglas has starred in many hit movies over the decades, but today we are bold enough to argue that the real star of those films was not Douglas himself but his impressive hair, so we’re here to run down the absolute, official, and definitive ranking of performances by the actor’s mane during its decades in the industry. Not all of Douglas’ films are listed here, to be completely transparent. We have focused on the big ones, nixing…

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14 Feb

Star Trek is Finally Getting Romance Right

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Spoiler warning for all of Star Trek! All through the second season of Star Trek: Picard, one burning question was left unasked and unanswered – what happened (or didn’t happen) between Jean-Luc Picard and Beverley Crusher? One of the major themes of the season was Picard’s romantic history and his difficulty building and maintaining a romantic relationship with anyone. But despite their history as a possible couple, explored in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (“Attached”) in which they confronted their unspoken feelings for each other, not to mention the alternate future in which they were divorced (“All…

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13 Feb

Shazam Star Zachary Levi Wants a DC Kingdom Come Movie

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This article contains some spoilers for DC’s Kingdom Come. Read our in-depth Shazam! Fury of the Gods cover story in the new issue of our magazine. Alex Ross and Mark Waid’s Kingdom Come is nothing short of a DC Comics classic. The dark alt-universe Elseworlds tale imagines an Earth where superheroes have become mad with power, as violent and dangerous as the criminals they’ve committed to stop. Ross’ gorgeous gouache-painted pages and a dynamic storyline that pits the Justice League against a new generation of ultra-violent caped crusaders means that Kingdom Come has garnered a loyal fanbase, one that constantly…

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13 Feb

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Will Tackle a Next Generation Storyline the Movies Ignored

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Look, everyone knows that it’s lonely work being a Starfleet captain. Seeking out new life and new civilizations doesn’t leave a lot of room for romance (or if you’re Kirk, Riker, or Trip Tucker, lots of room for romance, but nothing long-term). Benjamin Sisko found a way to make it work with Kasidy Yates, despite the Dominion War and the will of the Prophets, but for most captains, their ship is their one true love. Of course, the creators of Star Trek: The Next Generation did hold out the possibility of love for Captain Jean-Luc Picard, tracing across the series…

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13 Feb

Ant-Man 3’s WandaVision Link Confirmed Ahead of Release

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This article contains WandaVision, Loki, and Hawkeye spoilers We all know that when a character is killed offscreen, or presumed dead, it leaves the door open for their surprise return later on. But when you’re telling a multiverse tale, endless doors are already open. Such is the sandpit that Marvel Studios are playing with in their post-Avengers: Endgame Multiverse Saga. We may have been left to assume that Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) was murdered at the hands of Echo (Alaqua Cox) at the end of the Clint Barton MCU spinoff series Hawkeye, but we already know for sure that he’ll be…

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13 Feb

How Peyton Reed’s Fantastic Four Movie Became Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

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When watching Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, one notices two things immediately: first, the movie leaves behind San Francisco, the setting of the earlier Ant-Man adventures, pretty quickly for an extended voyage into the mysteries and wonders of the Quantum Realm; and second, the main cast of characters—Scott Lang / Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Hope Van Dyne / the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton)—have solidified into nothing less than a genuine family of superheroes. Even so, they’re not Marvel’s First Family. That honor, of course, goes to the Fantastic…

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13 Feb

Why is Batman in The Flash Movie and More Trailer Questions Answered

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The Flash movie…ah, what else is there to say after all this time? First announced before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was even released, a movie that became a hot potato of scripts and directors even before Ezra Miller became a media sensation for all the wrong reasons. A flick that boasts the impressive Andy Muschietti in the director’s chair with a script by Christina Hodson. A film that just released its first trailer mere weeks after Warner Bros. announced the new DCU plan from DC Studios, a plan which was studiously and diplomatically ambiguous about the status of…

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12 Feb

Is Toy Story 5 a Good Idea?

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Toy Story 4 grossed a cool $1 billion during the summer of 2019. This was achieved after a nearly decade-long hiatus following the previous film in the Buzz and Woody franchise, Toy Story 3 (2010), which also earned $1 billion. The lack of box office fall-off between installments was remarkable. So this week’s news from rechristened Disney CEO Bob Iger wasn’t exactly a shock: Toy Story 5 is on the way. Apparently with both Tom Hanks’ Woody and Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear, if Allen’s social media posts are anything to go by. Still… Is this a good thing? In what…

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11 Feb

How Ant-Man 3 Became the Most Important Marvel Movie Since Endgame

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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an enigma—a wild swing from Marvel Studios that has put an almost inordinate amount of pressure on director Peyton Reed’s shoulders. Not only has the filmmaker been tasked with delivering a serious, tone-changing sequel to two of the MCU’s funniest (and arguably most overlooked) movies, but also launching the next phase in the Multiverse Saga by introducing a new Thanos-level threat to mass audiences. Considering how much is on the line, it’s no exaggeration to call Quantumania the most important Marvel movie since Avengers: Endgame. Not bad for the little guy… If you’ve not…

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11 Feb

Horror Movies That Make You Glad You’re Single

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It’s a rough time of year out there. Despite what commercials, candy companies, and even the occasionally cagey internet listicle tells you, February isn’t the most romantic month of the year. In fact, for many folks, it’s just a cold, short 28 days with a Singles Awareness celebration wedged smack dab in the middle. Of course that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. There are many reasons why being single is the ideal lifestyle for some; and to others, a respite after things went wrong. And the horror movie genre is nothing if not deluged with stories about how…

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11 Feb

New Dick Tracy Movie Once Again Teased by Warren Beatty in Bizarre Fashion

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Warren Beatty’s 1990 Dick Tracy movie holds a special, nostalgic place in many a fan’s heart. Released the summer after Tim Burton’s Batman kicked off a new wave of Batmania, a level of pop cultural superhero obsession not seen since the original Batmania that followed the 1966 TV series, Dick Tracy was supposed to be the next big franchise giant, with its all-star cast, larger-than-life villains in grotesque, over-the-top makeup, and a production design meant to recall nothing less than the comic strips that first brought the world’s most famous (non-costumed) detective to life. Hell, it even answered Batman’s Prince…

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10 Feb

DC Boss Addresses Snyderverse Netflix Campaign

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For the most part, fans have reacted positively to the establishment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as heads of the new DC Studios. But there’s one group of people who look with disappointment at Gunn’s announcement of the upcoming DC Studios slate: fans of the Snyderverse. Although his DC Comics adaptations have been unquestionably divisive, Zack Snyder has garnered a devoted contingent of supporters who have never given up hoping and believing that the Snyderverse would be restored. Since Gunn revealed the latest for DC Studios, Snyder fans have turned away from Warner Brothers and looked to Netflix, that…

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10 Feb

How Magic Mike Became the Unlikely Feel-Good Trilogy of Our Times

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When Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike was released in 2012, it’s doubtful that anyone knew entirely what to expect. A film about male strippers that was loosely based on the star of the film, Channing Tatum, and his own experiences in the world of stripping seemed unlikely to spawn a sprawling and vocal fanbase—much less the Magic Mike Cinematic Universe (or MMCU for short). But that’s exactly what it did.  From the opening speech and the now famous line of “I think I see some lawbreakers in here,” drawled enticingly by the club’s compere Dallas (Matthew McConaughey), it was pretty clear…

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10 Feb

The Best Romantic Comedies of the 21st Century

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There are people out there who will tell you they don’t like romantic comedies. These same folks may as well confess that they’re dead inside, with a frozen void replacing where their heart once beat. You shouldn’t be their friend. Romantic comedies are as old as the movies themselves. Generation after generation, audiences have sought out stories about the universal appeal (or agony) of love. And they’ve often wanted to laugh at it. When two characters—typically as photogenic as a camera lens demands—can generate real heat onscreen, and often channel that into knowing humor for the viewer, it’s more tangible…

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