“We love cinema!” — Jokershorts Pop Culture roundup: 22 May 2019
The news and talking points that become long-reads @ Jokerside
Jokershorts’ mix of news and reviews across 10 realms of pop culture…
In this Jokershorts:
An open letter from Tarantino, a standing ovation for Hollywood, a film ambition for PlayStation, a reevalutation for Tin Machine… Is still a way off, Batman’s identity remains a secret, we go red band trailer happy, Spawn hits a milestone, we reveal our season rating for the End of Thrones and… True Lies isn’t available in high definition? Huh.
The Jokershorts’ Classic theme
As you’ll see at number 10 on this list, we were fully invested in Game of Thrones and its conclusion. Like it, hate it, or recently signed a petition, it is a significant moment in popular culture. Surely everybody can agree that a consistent star of Season Eight (not only!) has been Ramin Djawadi’s incredible score. We had to introduce this Jokershorts with the main theme to Game of Thrones.
Check out the full playlist of Jokershorts themes and Join the conversation about all pop-culture on Twitter & Facebook.
Trailer of the Now! The Dead Don’t Die (Red band)
Red band means #NSFW but what else do you want from Jim Jarmusch’s arrival to the zombie genre?
Looks great, out in the UK in July.
Extra feature: With Doom Patrol’s first season concluded and NO SIGN OF IT IN THE UK YET (deep breath), we only have good thoughts for the DCU’s trip to the Southern States and Swamp Thing a week before its premiere.
1. Film: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood enjoys a six-minute standing ovation at Cannes
The reviews are pinging around today and there appears to be a consensus that Tarantino’s latest is pretty, pretty good… Even if its treatment of history, and an ending that prompted an open letter from the director appealing for secrecy, apparently isn’t for everyone. Supposedly QT’s penultimate film as director (sadly, he promised 10), we cannot wait for the film Peter Bradshaw awarded five stars in the Guardian, declaring it “redemptive”. Oddly, the spoiler-free plead that preceded the film earned boos. Journalists, huh!? On the left, the red band trailer.
2. Music Month of the Bowie fest — Tin Machine roars back
It’s a ‘Month of Bowie’ like few others. Last week saw the 40th anniversary of his extraordinary Lodger album — the LP that closed his 1970s, the Berlin trilogy and we still don’t think the world is quite ready for. This Friday is the 45th anniversary of his dystopian epic Diamond Dogs — the closest he ever got to a rock opera concept album — if only George Orwell’s widow had granted him the rights to 1984.
But that all fades into insignificance compared to today’s 30th anniversary of Tin Machine. It’s what everybody wants. Parlophone marked the occasion by announcing an official release for Julien Temple’s promo medley. Brace yourself. Could the band’s two albums be heading to a boxset this winter?
3. Film: There’s a new Batman in Gotham — or is there?
An odd weekend for Batman, as Robert Pattinson swept in from nowhere to be declared the new Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ (surely) ‘90s set Batman. Except he didn’t. No official confirmation came and a shortlist was revealed that still had Nicholas Hoult in the running. Arriving at Cannes in the last couple of days, RPatz has managed to laugh about the rumours while keeping miraculously tight-lipped. There was a backlash to the idea of course — there always is — but it looks definite that the new Batman will be British once again and probable that it’ll be Pattinson. We hope so. We’ve really swung round to the idea of this versatile and constantly improving actor donning the cowl.
4. Streaming: New Dark Crystal arrives in August
Hmm… Late summer. Curious timing that has us a little bit worried. The new lease of life afforded Henson and Oz’ Dark Crystal by Netflix will materialise on the streaming network at the end of August. It’s glorious to see the promo shots wheeled out for Age of Resistance, with its studded cast and utterly authentic look. We may well wait to watch it at Christmas though…
5. Gaming & Film: Playstation Productions looks to the Big Screen
On the back of the astounding news that long-term foes Microsoft and Sony were teaming up to fight the streaming ambitions of Apple Arcade and Google Stadia, Playstation made an undeniable statement in favour of big screen video-game adaptations. We wonder if the announcement was kept a sensible distance from Paramount’s Sonic trailer?
It’s a move that makes some kind of sense. Playstation Productions will focus the console’s proprietary IPs into cinemas through one cohesive strategy. The BBC led on the news with the curse of videogames.
666. Film: Whannell’s Invisible Man will arrive in 2020
Oh, we’ll all see him. Leigh Whannell’s adaptation of the HG Wells co-opted horror is big news. It’s the next stage for Universal horror after the messy dissolution (or valiant retreat) of their Dark Universe project, it’s part of a slew of Horror resurrections Whannell and the ever-ambitious Blumhouse have on their plates… And it’s earned a punchy release window. The ‘modestly budgeted’ feature will be up against a tent-pole film from Legendary’s Monsterverse, Godzilla vs Kong in March 2020.
7. Streaming: McG plots a small screen True Lies series
There’s just might be a Terminator 6 trailer arriving tomorrow (there is), as Tim Miller and James Cameron’s attempt to re-route the course of T-101 history draws closer. It’s all going a bit Cameron at the moment (is he ever far away?), after Disney’s double-down on the billions of Avatar release dates they have lined up for the next decade. Then came the news that McG has plans to turn Cameron’s 1994 action spectacular True Lies into a series for Disney+ streaming. Sounds obvious, right? Well no. As Screenrant shockingly reminds us, True Lies hasn’t even earned an HD release. Sorry for mentioning Terminator and McG in the same paragraph.
8. Comics: Spawn 300 scores big guns
Todd McFarlane and his Hellspawn creation are building to what’s likely to be their biggest year. He’s eeking out details of Spawn’s 300th issue, a landmark issue that will set a record for a creator-owned title, before taking the helm, rather bravely, for the film iteration. The oversized Spawn #300 will nod to McFarlane’s history, particularly his legendary work on Spider-Man, as well as bringing back Greg Capullo to interior art, and welcoming contributions from Jim Lee, Scott Snyder and more.
9. Film: Buy this Home Media!
The arrival of phoney VHS packaging was one thing, but Universal’s classic quotes covers for its illustrious back-catalogue have gone down like a smaller boat meeting an unstoppable Great White.
That Fletch cover though…
10. On the Jokerside — End of Thrones!
It happened. Winter Came and the TV phenomenon of our age found an ending after a difficult final season that brought everything from HBO records to coffee cups to naming-your-daughter-Khaleesi regret. In one of our regularly irregular review series, we were there every episode of Game of Thrones’ Season Eight. You can catch the individual reviews on Medium, but here’s the season overview and that much anticipated SEASON RATING…
That’s it for this Jokershorts, fill in the gap to the next one by joining the conversation on Twitter & Facebook and by digging through Pop-Culture at Jokerside.com.
One last thing…
“Hush, Batman. Hush.”
Following last Jokershort’s look back at Loeb and Lee’s Hush, the trailer for the new DCAU adaptation popped up. Looks like they’ve addressed some of our reservations, but can they retain the mystery of Hush himself?
