Lady Death the queen of Bad Girl comics was created by Brian Pulido and first appeared in Eternity Comics’ Evil Ernie #1 in 1991 before appearing in her own solo title in 1992 and she is set to reappear in 2015.
Lady Death has had an erratic publishing history with Avatar owning the rights since 2005 and recently relaunching the title under their Boundless imprint before it disappeared. Now creator Pulido the former head of Chaos! Comics (most characters are now owned by Dynamite) is planning on bringing Lady Death back via his new Coffin Comics venture after reaching an agreement with Avatar. The character will be the focus of a new supernatural universe and will have a revamped look as shown in new art by Paolo Pantalena and Ula Mos.
The news was announced at NYCC with Pulido stating
“The future looks bright for my dark diva. I’m excited to reveal the next chapter in her undead life.”
The character, arguably the progenitor of the whole Bad Girl comics subgenre in the 90’s, has built a cult following over the years being popular with cosplayers and being the subject of an animated film released in 2004.
We had the distinct Honour of talking to Mike Heald of Fully Illustrated, and Creative Director of Wulver Blade. An Old School type Beatem up, set in Ancient Britain, at the time of the Roman occupation.
” It’s 120AD and the Roman army have seized control of the south of Britannia. Their goal, to march north and conquer the rest of the island with brutal and bloody efficiency. The 5000 strong 9th Legion are preparing for war, but little do they know what lies in wait for them. Caradoc, a guardian of the northern tribes has rallied the war bands and is ready to bring the war to the Romans. Caradoc bares a gift that even he is not aware of. And soon, the Ninth Legion will discover its true power.”
Having made it no secret that I’m a sucker for The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, (I mean c’mon, Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy in the same film? What’s not to love?!) when presented with the opportunity to sit down with director Ned Benson and producer Cassandra Kulukundis at this year’s London Film Festival, naturally I jumped at the chance. Despite being fresh off the plane and suffering from jet lag, if not for the coffee Ned was nursing, you wouldn’t have been able to tell. It was all smiles and laughter as I was ushered in to meet with two of the most wonderful and down to Earth people I’ve ever had the privilege of interviewing.
Did you have any favourite scenes in the movie?
N: I think, my favourite scenes that we shot is tricky, because the film that’s playing today is the third one, out of the other two. I think my favourite scene is one we shot twice, and it winds up with them in the apartment at the end of the film. And I really loved just working with the actors during those two versions of that same scene because there was a lot of synchronicity between the actors, the cinematographer and the crew. And it was just a really great moment for us to see the most emotional moment of the entire film come together in a beautiful way. That was definitely one of them.
Are you working on any more shorts?
N: Shorts? No. When I have time, I’d love to, but you know…
C: You have the one you haven’t quite finished..
N: Oh, well, yeah. There’s a short we shot before we shot the film, that I haven’t quite finished yet, but I have to sort of polish that when I have time and do all the finishing touches on it when I have the time.But mostly we’re just putting together a new feature together.
Can you tell me anything about that? Or is it all secret hush-hush, cloak and dagger?
N: No. We’ve been talking about it. It’s sort of set in Los Angeles in the 90’s, on the music scene about people who go to Los Angeles to construct an identity and what that does to them, whether they fail or succeed or both. So we’re finishing up the script and putting that together pretty soon.
Who are your cinematic influences? And do you have any favourite films?
N: Oh god. I have so many favourite films and so many cinematic influences! I love Robert Altman, I love Paul Thomas Anderson.Ah, it kind of depends on the day really! Agnés Varda is amazing. And y’know as far as films go, I love a good popcorn movie. I saw Back to the Future like eight times when it came out. I don’t know, I think Network is pretty close to one of my favourites. It’s a perfect script, great movie, it really depends on the week or the day or the mood you’re in and what type of film you want to see. There’s so many great movies and that’s what’s great about cinema.
Is there anyone you’d like to work with in the future?
N: I mean, so many great people. Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, I mean there’s so many great actors I’d want to work with. Erm, Michael Fassbender, Matt Damon, y’know, so many. That’s such a hard question! There’s tonnes, literally the list goes on and on and on.
C: We haven’t worked with enough for that question to even qualify yet.
N: Yeah, we made one movie! Daniel Day Lewis would be like, a dream.
We’ll just put it out there and see if they take the hint!
N: Yeah, exactly!
C: Please call!
Ned Benson & Cassandra Kulukundis with Jessica Chastain
Is there anything playing at the festival that you’d quite like to see?
N: If we had time…I really wanted to see Mr.Turner, Mike Leigh’s film. I’m trying to think, that was a big one, I’d like to see Rosewater, Jon Stewart’s film that’s here, definitely haven’t seen The Imitation Game yet, so that one, is there anything you’d recommend?
Tokyo Tribe probably, which is a bit more out there than most. I’ll be really honest, your film is the one I came to see. So I was so smug when I got tickets to the premiere tonight and have dragged half of my friends along with me.
N: Oh, that’s so nice to hear! I hope you get chance to see the two part version since that’s what we’re most proud of as filmmakers. We just came out in the States last weekend with that version of it, and this version was just a little over a month ago. I also wanted to see Mommy, I haven’t had a chance to see that yet.
Are there any on set anecdotes that you can reel off for us that were particularly memorable?
N: Lots! The go to story has always been a firefly theme throughout the film. And like years ago, when I started writing the film script and we were talking about making this movie, at the beginning I was in Central Park and I saw these fireflies fluttering and it was so inspiring. So I wrote that as the opening scene of the movie, where this couple runs into Tompkins Square Park and sees fireflies. And that was like ten years ago, cut to like eight years later when we’re going to shoot the actual scene, and like it’s pretty rare, it’s East Village and pretty grimy, you’re in a park and you don’t expect fireflies to be there. We’d been shooting in and around the area and we walked in with the Park Ranger that day and nobody had really seen any fireflies and we thought we were going to have to do them in Post. And we like walk into the park, and it was crazy because there were thousands of fireflies fluttering, and the crew was sort of baffled, and the Park Ranger was like ‘This doesn’t happen’, and it sort of infused the scene with a real sort of beauty. We still used special effects to enhance that, but it made the night really special and we were able to sort of sue that as a composite to make other fireflies.
C: And there are some real ones, because if you look really closely you can see one that looks like it comes out of Jessica’s butt. And we would never put that one in purposefully but that as a real one that came out as a blinder, and I kind of really love that hero firefly!
N: There’s a whole shot of just the fireflies themselves on the B-roll while we were shooting so that was pretty special. There were just so many memories, but that was a really good one.
What got you started in film?
N: I just love movies! I’ve been into movies and making movies, or at least trying to, since I was a kid. And we’ve known each other since we were five.
C: And we made terrible family films, you know?
N: Whether it was on VHS or stuff like that. I think I didn’t know what I wanted to do within film, whether it was acting or production or directing or writing. I didn’t know how it’d fit, and I think once I was in college we met up again and sat down and talked. I went off and directed my first short after college and I was like: I really love this. I mean I’m not that good at it, but I want to learn how to do it better. So y’know, that was one of those things you’re never sure you can actually do until you do it, because it seems like a dream. So then I started writing and we basically started making movies together. Well, trying to make movies together and this is the one, the impossible one that somehow came together first
MCM London is back! Can you believe it’s that time of year already? Returning once more to the Excel centre this weekend (that’s the 24th – 26th October, kids) you can rest assured you’re in for a typical pop-culture dosage to assail your need for geekness,if you pop on over and check it out.
So what’s on offer this time around? Aside from the usual swathes of cosplayers who never disappoint and enough stalls to make you rue the day you ever had bills to pay (or a lack of pocket money)there are also various panels and events taking place throughout the weekend with some surprising names and guests.
Take Friday for example. That sees Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame making an appearance to promote his latest film ‘Horns’ based on the book by Joe Hill’s novel of the same name.
Or how about just dropping in to meet the staples of your childhood, the Power Rangers! Uniting once more for London Comic Con, stars of the original ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’ series will be in attendance:- That means David Yost, Austin St. John, Walter Jones and Karan Ashley are there to help bring back the memories and keep the evil Rita Repulsa at bay!
Other names you might be aware of, include actor Shane West (The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Nikita, ER) who’s attending to promote his work on ‘Salem’, a historical fantasy drama set during the Salem Witch Trials.Or perhaps you’re more inclined towards Arden Cho and Dylan Sprayberry as they rope is once again into the world of Teen Wolf with an exciting panel discussion over the course of the weekend.
And if that wasn’t enough, it wouldn’t be an MCM Comic Con without an exclusive of some description and this time around it’s the cast and crew behind Monsters: Dark Continent that are set to dazzle us. Tom Green, together with stars Johnny Harris (This Is England ’86 & ’88, London To Brighton) and Joe Dempsie (Game Of Thrones, Skins), will be hosting a panel on the film at 12:00pm on Saturday 25 October. In addition, Monsters: Dark Continent will have a stand in the South Hall throughout Comic Con. Head over to Stand 2153 for more information on the film, trailers and free giveaways – plus an exclusive chance to win a signed prop from the movie!
So what are you waiting for? Head on down to London’s Excel Centre this weekend for a glimpse into the nerdy Valhalla that is Comic Con – I can guarantee once you soldier through the crowds, you won’t be disappointed!
If the key to survival horror is in state of the art visuals and immersion then clearly nobody has every informed indie developer Jasper Byrne of that. While the likes of The Last of Us, The Evil Within and Alien Isolation use the newest gaming hardware to keep you on the edge of your seat, Lone Survivor attempts to appear creepy using only PSOne-quality 2D sprites and some slightly disturbing dialogue.
After originally launching on the PC in 2012 and on PS3 and Vita this year, Lone Survivor has finally made it’s way to Sony’s most advanced platform yet the port remains almost entirely identical to it’s older brothers. The lead protagonist roams the halls of the near-abandoned apartment complex with the same disturbing surgical mask on his face and the obviously Silent Hill-inspired monstrosities look much the same as they always did.
For those newcomers among you, Lone Survivor is an side-scrolling horror show that follows one man’s quest for survival and descent into madness after a plague has turned his home-town into aggressive mutants with attractions to light and rotting flesh. The player inhabits a lonely world where food, sleep and self-defence act as the only means to survive. The creatures that plague the apartment building in which most of the game takes place cannot be reasoned with and thus the only way to live is either to use your wits and avoid them or take them down by force using whatever limited supplies are at your disposal.
In a time when most indie survival horror falls into the Amnesia-style, defenceless first person category, Lone Survivor can be quite a refreshing experience. It makes clever use of visual distortion and sound to disorient you and creates an atmosphere that is generally creepy. I use creepy in the loosest possible sense as Lone Survivor does fail to scare and in all honesty I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to these things. We’re now at a stage where Resident Evil is nearly 20 years old and sadly I just don’t think it’s possible for crude retro-sprites to put the fear of God into us any more.
This is not to say that Lone Survivor is a poorly animated game, as it isn’t however unfortunately the same cannot be said about certain aspects of the design which can turn a play through into a deeply unpleasant experience. Jasper Byrne has obviously tried to incorporate a challenging puzzle system however many of the puzzles are slow and nonsensical and the lead character’s requirement for food and sleep soon loses it’s charm. Likewise, the map can only be viewed when the game wants you to see it and I actually found myself having to retrace my steps on many occasions before eventually resorting to Google Image Search.
All in all, if your thirst for indie on the PS4 hasn’t already been satisfied by the offerings of PlayStation Plus or you’re looking for a more simple survival horror to entertain you this Halloween then you could do worse than this game. However with a publisher-enforced exclusion from the PlayStation Cross-Buy system and an asking price of £7.99, Lone Survivor is hard to recommend. Those who have played any of the previous versions will not find anything new here and even in the currently shallow pool of the PS4 downloadable market, most players will be able to find a better investment for their money.
The Martian by Andy Weir is probably one of the big publishing hits of 2014. A story about a man trapped alone on a Mars colony long after the idea of such a thing has become quite dull, and the trials he faces in surviving until a rescue mission from Earth can arrive, it is critically-acclaimed and much loved by readers.
As a result, it was always going to be turned into a movie, and Ridley Scott is a pretty damn good choice for the director of such a film. Much of the cast has already been set, with Matt Damon playing the Martian and other heavyweights such as Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Jessica Chastain, and Kristen Wiig already signed on to the project.
Wait, what’s a spaceship?
Well, in news that will delight our glorious leader more than anyone else, Sean Bean has now signed up to star in The Martian. His role will be the NASA flight director involved in getting Damon home. So he won’t really be in space, but screw it, because, frankly, this makes a great cast even better, and I truly cannot wait to watch this film, set for a release in 2016.
Also, given Bean’s role, he’s pretty unlikely to die. But you never know…
Square Enix have announced the first expansion to the hugely popular Final Fantasy MMO, Final Fantasy XIV.
Game Director Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P to the community) announced the new expansion during his keynote speech at their first Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest in Las Vegas (18-19 October 2014), giving fans small glimpses into what will be included. As well as kicking off the 3.0 update to the game, it will take players to Ishgard and beyond, increase the amount of dungeons and raids significantly, as well as raising the level cap to from 50 to 60. A new playable race will be included, although no hints have been given and, to top it all off, new jobs to enjoy and new Primals to fight against. Given that Ifrit, Titan, Garuda, Ramuh and Shiva (in the upcoming 2.4 patch) are there at the moment, one can only imagine what Primals will next cause rage quits around the world.
Players will also be able to create airships to explore both Ishgard and whatever lies beyond that, and the expansion will primarily focus on the Dragonsong War, a thousand year conflict between Ishgard and Dravania, which I’m sure we’ll have some part in fighting in. More details will be announced at the London Fanfest, taking place this coming weekend (25-26 October 2014).
What do you think of this? Most of my fellow Free Company (Guild) members have stopped playing, as have I, but I’m sure this expansion and the 2.4 patch will draw us back in. Will it do the same to you? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s not everyday that I come out of the cinema wondering what on Earth I’ve just watched, but at this year’s BFI London Film Festival, Peter Strickland’s The Duke of Burgundy did precisely that – and not in a bad way. It’s hard to really put into words the influx of emotions and bonkers thoughts it brought with it, as I’d really consider the film to be more of an experience than a simple watch it and walk away movie.
Focusing on a happy couple’s relationship, the film charts the ups and downs that accompany the incorporation of S&M into the mix. Initially at first, it looks like you’re genuinely watching an abusive relationship unfold, when it comes from harsh words, constant disapproval and even a case of urination as a means of punishment. It’s easy to sit and think ‘what the hell am I watching?’ but as the plot expands it fleshes out some of the motives and reasoning behind the actions. There’s a sort of nuanced eroticism to it that plays well into the art of romance as much as it does the unorthodox.
The woman initially perceived to be the abusive party, is actually more of a victim of her own lover’s masochism, as her partner is the one pulling the strings in every scenario, even down to writing instruction cards for what to do and say to achieve the end result she wants. It’s a very surreal and personal experience to be watching because it helps to show some of the finer points of an unconventional relationship but also the struggles of trying to bend to the whims of your partner without losing yourself in the process.
I’m not going to lie, it is a stylistically rich, kink-fest of a film and certainly not something you’d want to drag your mother to, but it is engaging in itself. It’s unique, but also different enough to get you thinking about the dynamics of what your watching and to begin delving deeper beneath the surface to find the meanings beyond the obvious. I still think it’s bizarre, but it’s stayed with me since I first saw it – which is the mark of a good film.
If you can walk out of the cinema with questions in your mind, it’s served it’s purpose. Whether you love it or hate it, you’ve engaged enough with it to be paying attention and to be allowing yourself to keep thinking about it even after the film’s finished rolling.
I still haven’t answered half of my own questions, but I do think there’s something majestic about the story and styling choices, which become apparent from the first few minutes of the film’s opening titles. It does after all, make a point of telling the audience who supplied the perfume and lingerie for the duration of the film. Which I suppose in essence is to give you a better and all rounded view of the grandiose and lavish backdrop Strickland wanted to set the story to.
As far as films goes, it’s definitely a film festival film and more at home on a niche stage than it is in the mainstream cinema, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable or interesting to watch. It’s essentially a marmite film, so make up your mind for yourself by checking it out and letting us know: do you love it or hate it?
If you were to say to me a month ago, let’s watch a film about Guantanamo Bay, I can safely say that it would not have been at the top of my list for things to skip off to the cinema for. As a subject, it’s something so seeped in negativity and politics, that to even approach it from a cinematic perspective seems painfully intrusive. Would it be fair to both the staff and the inmates? Would it have any grand political bias designed to skew the public perspective in ways that even the news can’t?
These are the questions I had in my mind as I sat, waiting on baited breath for the opening credits of Camp X-Ray to roll at this year’s BFI London Film Festival with the bare minimum of enthusiasm. I had my doubts about it’s sensitivity, along with it’s motive, but I have to say, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the tact and execution of something so understandably raw and loaded.
The film itself focuses on the latest batch of military recruits to work at Guantanamo, and one in particular Amy Cole played by Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame. It’s a story of her adaptation to life within the role of jailer, and her relationship with one particular detainee Ali Amir (Payman Maadi). There’s a clear evolution of her character in the role, as she goes from blindly following orders to soon questioning the humanity behind some of them in a way that endears the viewer to her plight.
Eager to make the distinction between prisoners (who have rights) and detainees (who have none) the trials and tribulations experiences by the detainees are reflected somewhat in their captors. From the isolation to pity, perhaps even touching on guilt you can see the kind of dichotomy and internal struggle that comes with doing something unjust at the order of someone else.
Whilst the film is well rounded and does follow through in a thematic and engaging way, I couldn’t bring myself to like the film as much as I tried to, because I can’t personally escape the politics of it. It’s well acted and written, beautifully shot even, but it does carry with it that slight bias of ‘I thought it was wrong, but did it anyway.’ As if that somehow is an excuse for the way the United States has flouted basic human rights, because the people doing it felt bad in doing so.
To the film’s credit I would say Stewart does consistently and without fail, connect with the audience and showcases a deep empathy with her charges, but I wouldn’t have said it was as unbiased as I would’ve liked. It comes with the territory of the narrative and I doubt very much it would’ve been as effective if shot from the perspective of the detainees, but it would’ve been nice to see more of Ali’s input and reaction to the situation he found himself in, rather than focusing so diligently on one woman’s guilt and rising discomfort with doing something that is ethically and morally questionable.
All in all though, it’s worth a watch, even if only to see Kristen Stewart in an emotionally rich and intriguing role and make up your own mind as to whether or not you can connect with her plight, or sympathise moreso with the detainees themselves.
Although no stranger to the festival circuit, one of my favourite films of the year so far has to be Ned Benson’s offering of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them which premièred in London on Friday night as part of the line-up for this year’s BFI London Film Festival.
Originally designed as two separate films, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is a story of loss, love and grief and showcases a very humanised depiction of what it means to fall in and out of love and to overcome the obstacles and issues surrounding the dissolution of a marriage and the loss of a child. Unique in it’s design, the film was shot from two perspectives, one focusing on Conor (James McAvoy) under the title Him and the other following Jessica Chastain’s journey as the title character Eleanor Rigby in the film Her.
Following the success of both films at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, director Ned Benson opted to open out the appeal to a wider audience and created a third film entitled Them which serves as a composite of both perspectives and helps to carry over the narrative that was put on screen so beautifully by McAvoy and Chastain’s characterisation.
Interspersed with some happier scenes, the film plot charts Eleanor Rigby’s desire to withdraw from her relationship with Connor, following the death of their child and Connor’s struggle to cope with this. It sounds like a really heavy going offering and at times there are some emotional scenes, but there’s enough of an upbeat undertone to it, that shows the highs and lows of a relationship. It makes the entire scenario so humanising and relatable on a level that, as James McAvoy pointed out in the Q&A after the screening, is a very basic human thing. It’s a story that you don’t need to have lost a child or experienced loss to empathise with, as it just has a raw sort of value to it that strikes home and resonates no matter your background or experiences to date.
Despite the fine acting talent of McAvoy and Chastain, the film is also supported by a fine and formidable cast feature Ciaran Hinds, Bill Hader and Viola Davis to name but a few. They paint an entire picture of how grief impacts upon a family, showing the ripples in the water that are far reaching but often ignored in a way that I found to be both sensitive and refreshing. It’s an easy subject matter to do a disservice to, but both the writing and execution really do give it the sensitivity and respect such a heartbreaking issue deserves.
Although it does indeed serve as an enjoyable and easy to follow film, it does at times seem slightly disjointed and lacking the greater depth that would be achieved by watching both films in their entirety. For purists, that would be my recommendation by far, but for the average cinema goer, being able to watch a succinct 123 minute film is a little easier to digest and doesn’t disappoint in it’s delivery of a poignant but entertaining story that stays with you long after you’ve walked away from the cinema.
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