Kevin Smith is about to make everyone’s greatest desire a reality. Well, as long as that desire is to see Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers finally take on the World Crime League. Yes, the promise that was made to all of us in 1984 will finally be fulfilled: Buckaroo Banzai is returning!
Superheroes are raking in ticket sales at the box office and ruling the small screen. So it comes as no surprise that Amazon, a rising powerhouse in the original programming game, has latched onto a superhero to add to their already impressive list of shows available via their streaming service. That superhero is none other than everyone’s favorite arachnid crime-fighter – no, it’s not that spider guy – it’s The Tick!
Most Muppet fans have already heard the good news: after a lengthy hiatus, the Muppets are returning to television in a new series, aptly titled The Muppets.
While most Americans are getting ready for the impending Thanksgiving feast, Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans have a little something extra to look forward to: Turkey Day! Yes, the MST3K Turkey Day Marathon is back and six classic MST3K episodes will be streamed live on the official MST3K YouTube channel beginning at 9 AM PST/12 PM EST on Thanksgiving Day.
Although the masterminds at Pixar handled the ending of their Toy Story trilogy in a perfect way (and in a manner that could make even Ron Swanson choke back tears), I still want to see more of the toys that I first fell in love with back in 1995. After following their lives over the course of 15 years, I would love to get a glimpse at how Woody and Buzz are handling their change in ownership. This Halloween, Pixar makes that happen with a 22-minute TV special: Toy Story of Terror.
This is Pixar’s first special made for the small-screen. With its light-hearted humor and witty use of toys for gags (did you see the PEZ dispenser scene?), Toy Story of Terror feels like a return to the original Toy Story films despite the change in screen size. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, and Joan Cusack have all returned to voice their iconic characters. A new toy, Combat Carl, joins the gang and is fittingly voiced by Carl Weathers (of Rocky and Predator fame).
The short starts out with the toys embarking on a road trip with their new family. As they take a detour and stop at a creepy roadside motel for the night, the terror implied in the title begins. Toys start disappearing one-by-one throughout the night and unless they can solve the mystery, Woody, Buzz, and our other favorite toys will suffer the same fate. I can’t wait to see how Rex reacts to this situation.
Grab some candy corn and get ready for Halloween with Pixar. Toy Story of Terror airs October 16 on ABC.
Director Guillermo del Toro ran into a bit of a snag recently with his upcoming thriller Crimson Peak. His leading man dropped out of the film to take the lead in another project. This in itself seems like a huge setback – but when you realize that leading man was Benedict Cumberbatch, it becomes an enormous setback. Cumberbatch, who left Crimson Peak in order to take the lead role in James Gray’s Lost City of Z adaptation, is still fresh on everyone’s mind thanks to his portrayal of John Harrison/Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. How do you top the in-demand Cumberbatch? You replace him with a god: Tom Hiddleston, Loki himself.
According to Screen Crush, The Avengers actor will join Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain, and Mia Wasikowska in del Toro’s gothic film. Other details about Crimson Peak, which is scheduled to begin filming in early 2014, have been trickling out. The story will center around young author Edith Cushing as she discovers that her new husband isn’t the charming man he appeared to be. Del Toro has described the thriller, which takes place at the turn of the century, as a “gothic romance with ghosts” and “dark and stormy and wind-swept.”
Seeing Hiddleston in a film with a darker tone will be an interesting departure from his recent family-friendly Marvel Universe appearances (including reprising his role as Loki in Thor: The Dark World). His upcoming roles also seem to have him sticking to his sweet and charming side. Before we see him in Crimson Peak, we will hear Hiddleston as the voice behind Captain Hook in Disney’s animated Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy and he will appear in Muppets Most Wanted, both set to be released in 2014. On the opposite side of the spectrum, del Toro has promised that Crimson Peak will include “very visceral, physical violence.” Let’s see how Loki can handle it.
We already know that Joss Whedon has stated Loki isn’t part of his plan for the highly anticipated Avengers sequel, but does that rule out an appearance by the God of Mischief entirely? A recent interview via MTV.com with Tom Hiddleston hints at the possibility. “I do feel like there’s some unfinished business between Loki and the Hulk,” Hiddleston said. “I feel like he didn’t get a fair fight.” The Hulk’s brutal bruising of Loki is one of the most memorable scenes from The Avengers and a fan favorite. And surely even Joss Whedon can’t deny a god’s demand for a rematch.
With or without an appearance in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, we are going to see plenty of Hiddleston’s Loki soon. In Thor: The Dark World, a movie that Hiddleston says is “a sequel to Avengers as much as it is to Thor,” Loki has a prominent role in the story alongside Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. “Loki has a very complicated relationship with Thor. He is an agent of chaos without equal in the world he inhabits. He knows his true nature. He knows he doesn’t belong in the family of Asgard, and he’s locked away in the beginning of the film in the deepest, darkest recesses of the dungeon as public enemy number one.” Loki doesn’t stay locked up for long, however. Hiddleston playfully joked, “Lo and behold, Asgard needs his help. That’s going to be a very complicated allegiance.”
Once Thor: The Dark World is released on November 8, we may know more about Loki’s future in the Marvel Universe. When asked about when we can expect the trickster’s next appearance, Hiddleston answered, “Who knows. You’ll have to see what happens in The Dark World to find out where Loki finishes up.”
I think we’re ready for a Loki-centric movie, don’t you?