Keanu Brings the Cuteness but Forgets the Laughs [Guest Poster: Julia]

When I heard that Comedy Central kings Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele were going to be writing and starring in their first feature film together, I thought that we would be blessed with comedy gold. Best known for their viral sketches, Key and Peele are masters of comedy, so making the switch from TV to film seemed like a smart move. When I heard that their film would be about a kitten, I immediately thought that they could be making a terrible mistake. Upon watching the trailer, I knew Keanu wasn’t going to be the best start for the duo. Unfortunately, the film turned out to be super cute, but it didn’t bring the laugh-out-loud humor we are used to seeing from Key and Peele.

CUTENES OVERLOAD 

The story for Keanu is quite ridiculous, as two cousins attempt to act like gangsters to get an adorable kitten back. One morning, Rell (Peele) opens his door to find a tiny kitten sitting on his porch. He immediately adopts the kitten and spoils him. Two weeks later, his house is mistakenly broken into, and the robbers take Keanu. Rell is heartbroken and turns to his cousin Clarence (Key) for help. The pair learns that a local gang has taken Keanu, so they pose as the city’s toughest killers to join the ranks and win Keanu back.

In such a ridiculous story, something had to give to make it reasonable. Thankfully, Keanu was the solution. I’m sure everyone agrees that the tiny kitten is beyond adorable and is certainly the highlight of the film. The poor kitten is slightly tortured when Rell decides to make a calendar of photos with Keanu dressed up and acting out scenes from famous films. Anytime Keanu was dressed up, I couldn’t help myself from saying, “Aww!” The kitten’s antics and outfits are by far the funniest, and cutest, parts of the film.

MINIMAL COMEDY 

It’s great that the film had a cuteness component, but for a comedy, where were the laughs? The tempo was all over the place, which brought down the overall enjoyment level. There were three scenes that were extremely funny, which all dealt with some great cameos. When Key and Peele were on the screen together or with the gang, they had a hard time keeping the natural laughs going. They were trying to force poorly written jokes on the audience, which I didn’t think was successful, but when they took a step back and allowed themselves to act normally, the comedy flowed.

That’s my problem with Keanu: Key and Peele both tried too hard to make jokes. They are naturally very funny men, so they need to relax and be themselves more on the screen. It can be hard for sketch comedians to make the leap from TV to film, so it’s not surprising that they are off to a bad start. There have been plenty of Saturday Night Live cast members that have failed to make the transition. To be successful in filmmaking, Key and Peele are going to need to create a much better concept, story, and humor to showcase their talent. Otherwise, studios won’t fund their projects, and people will stop wanting to watch. I think that they will eventually strike entertainment gold again, but it may be awhile.

NUMBERS DON'T LIE 

Interestingly enough, audiences and critics have very similar approval ratings for Keanu. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 77% certified fresh rating. In total, 89 of 115 submitted critic reviews said that the film was fresh, which is extremely surprising to me. Professional critics typically tear a film like Keanu, and any comedy for that matter, to shreds. They usually don’t like dumb, meaningless humor, which is all Keanu provides.

Usually, the audience score is a lot higher than critics’ scores for comedies, but that isn’t the case here. Out of 14,051 Rotten Tomatoes users that rated Keanu, only 67% liked the film. The film also scored 7.1 stars out of 10 from 3,667 IMDb users. Audience approval usually matches high marks from critics, so this is an interesting case study. Critical praise couldn’t save Keanu at the box office either, as the film only grossed $9.4 million in its first weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.

Keanu opened on Friday, April 29, one week ahead of Captain America; Civil War. A large second weekend drop was expected, but the 65.2% drop that it experienced was massive. As of May 10, Keanu has grossed $16 million domestically. The film hasn’t had a full international release yet, so the film has potential to still make back its cost. Keanu is estimated to have cost $15 million to make, but once you add in the marketing and promotional costs, the film is not yet profitable.

With these lackluster numbers, the audience has spoken, and the words aren’t very pretty. With a huge second weekend drop, my best guess is that the word of mouth has been poor. Even though it faced stiff competition, one would think that Keanu could generate more than $3.2 million in its second weekend. Key and Peele have a tough journey ahead of them if they want to pursue careers in film. Hopefully, their next live-action film will be much better than Keanu.

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Once Upon A Time 5x21 Review: “Last Rites” (Sacrifice) [Guest Poster: Julia Siegel]

“Last Rites” 

Original Airdate: May 8, 2016

The penultimate episode before the Once Upon A Time season finale went further than expected. As our heroes, and villains, have made their way back to Storybrooke, chaos was bound to ensue. It’s a race to find Hades’ weakness before he starts his plan of total takeover. With old friends reuniting and rivalries burning, who will make it to finale night?

WELCOME HOME 

Last week’s episode was very eventful, as everyone made it home to Storybrooke, except Hook. With Hades turning on the heroes and tricking Zelena, it was obvious that a major showdown was bound to happen. Upon arriving in Storybrooke, Zelena gives her daughter to Hades so she can go search for Regina. Out of nowhere, King Arthur comes out of the woods in handcuffs and begs Hades to help him escape. Not knowing who he was conversing with, Arthur makes the mistake of staying in Hades’ presence for too long and is quickly sent to the Underworld.

Meanwhile, Robin and Regina return and find Zelena. In a pretty useless attempt, they try to explain to Zelena that Hades hasn’t changed. Zelena, as stubborn as usual, wants to hear none of what they are saying and is beyond upset at their apparent betrayal. Regina warns Zelena that she isn’t safe with Hades and that they will all do whatever they have to in order to save Storybrooke from Hades.

On the other side of town, David, Emma, and Henry make it back home to Snow and baby Neal. Snow tries (unsuccessfully) to comfort her daughter, and tries to get her to realize that defeating Hades is the revenge she is looking for. The crew hooks up with Merida to try and figure out a way to destroy Hades, which doesn’t go quite as originally planned.

BROMANCE 

Upon his arrival to the Underworld, Arthur is greeted by none other than our favorite pirate. Hook learns that Arthur was killed by Hades, which he had feared, and the two team up in an effort to find Hades’ weakness in the missing pages from the storybook. Both men know that Storybrooke will perish if they don’t do anything, so they go to Hades’ lair to search. Arthur finds the missing pages in a secret compartment in Hades’ throne. As he looks over the pages, Hook sees that the only thing that can kill Hades is the Olympian Crystal, which — unbeknownst to him — is in Hades’ possession in Storybrooke.

The next part of Hook’s plan involves trying to get the new information to Emma. Since the magic phone booth was destroyed by Cruella de Vil, Hook and Arthur shake the location of the storybook out of her. Located deep in the Underworld and down the River of Lost Souls, the storybook seems impossible to get, but that won’t stop them from trying. Hook and Arthur take a boat down the river until they see the book at the end of the way. A small fight breaks out when lost souls try to drag Arthur away with them and attempt to take the book. Luckily, Hook catches the book right before it hits the water. He puts the pages back in the book, hoping that they will cross dimensions and appear in the version that exists in Storybrooke.

SACRIFICES 

After spending hours looking through books in the library, Emma gets a nice surprise when the storybook flies open and flips to the new pages that Hook inserted. Not believing what she is seeing, Emma tears out the pages and runs to the town hall building, where Zelena and Hades are cooped up.

At the same time, Regina and Robin are already at the building and trying to find a way in, since a protection spell has been placed around it. Regina takes Robin through the underground tunnels to get inside to carry out their plan of rescuing his daughter. As they try to figure out a way to distract Hades and Zelena to grab the baby, Emma arrives and starts to strike the barrier with her magic. They both go to deal with Emma and see who else is coming for them. Zelena goes for Emma first and sees the pages from the storybook. Still not believing that Hades is planning on taking over Storybrooke, Zelena lashes out at Emma and goes back to find Hades, who has circled back to find Regina and Robin with the baby.

In typical villain fashion, Hades unveils his whole plan to Regina and Robin, while they plead with him to not go through with the destruction. Hades is unfazed by their plea and decides that his first strike of power will be to use the newly fixed Olympian Crystal to kill both of them. Not only does the Olympian Crystal have the power to kill anyone, but it takes the person out of existence altogether. Regina tells Hades that if he kills her, then he will lose Zelena forever. To no one’s surprise, Hades isn’t too affected by this news and decides to kill Regina first. As he strikes up the magic and throws a bolt at Regina, Robin makes the ultimate sacrifice and jumps in front of her to take the blow.

Robin’s death isn’t too surprising. I thought he was an expendable character from day one, especially because he had a part in fixing Regina. The ongoing storyline of Regina’s internal struggle of good or evil will last the entirety of the series’ run. It seemed like an easy choice to revisit Regina’s morals by putting her on the edge once again. After having a full season of being good, Regina will now face the toughest test in the season finale. What will Robin's death do to her and the progress she's made? I personally think that Regina is destined to return to the darkness and turn back into the Evil Queen.

Right after Robin is murdered, Zelena comes in to see Robin dead, Regina crying, and Hades ready to strike again. Regina and Hades give Zelena two different sides of the story, leaving her to decide the truth. Regina goes off on a long monologue to tell her sister that she is being blinded by love and that true love means making sacrifices, like Robin did. Zelena finally sees what has been going on and shoves the Olympian Crystal through Hades’ chest, turning him into a pile of dust. The two sisters are devastated by their unthinkable losses, as both have lost their true loves due to the ultimate sacrifice.

LIFE AND DEATH 

The two deaths actually occur pretty quickly in a very predictable scene, which was surprising. To the tune of predictability, we go back to see Hook and Arthur in the Underworld. By some weird magic, Hook feels that Emma and crew have succeeded in defeating Hades and realizes that his unfinished business has been completed. Through Hades’ defeat, Hook is free to move on from the Underworld. He asks Arthur to come with him, but the King declines and decides to stay in the Underworld to fix it from its current shambled state. Arthur feels that his unfinished business is to rule a kingdom, and realizes that Camelot was never meant to be ruled by him.

Hook walks into the ominous light and is greeted by Zeus, who is extremely happy that his brother has been defeated. Zeus is so delighted by Hook’s work in helping to defeat Hades, and his apparent character redemption, that he wants to thank him by guiding him to where he belongs. When Hook meets Zeus, it’s very clear what would happen next, and it all goes down in a very cheesy manner.

Back in Storybrooke, the town comes together for Robin’s funeral. Regina tells Zelena that she wishes that Robin could have named his child. Unsurprisingly, Zelena feels the most appropriate name for her daughter is Robin, which Regina extremely appreciates. Everyone gives Robin Hood a hero’s goodbye, and Emma stays behind to say her own goodbyes. She is still very emotional over leaving her true love behind in the Underworld, and wishes that she was able to have the chance for a proper goodbye. Her wish comes true when out of nowhere, Hook is sent back home and appears right behind her. The two embrace lovingly, with Emma not being able to hold back tears of pure joy. It seems like happily ever after might come true for Emma. At least for now.

Once again, this episode wasn’t surprising on any level. Hook was destined to come back to the world of the living at some point, or else why wasn’t he killed for good in the midseason finale? He is too central to the show at this point for him to be written off. I’m extremely happy to see Hook back, even though the scene could have been written much better. But Hook complements Emma so well and is her equal in every way. I can’t wait to see what the writers have in store for the couple next season.

The two-hour season finale looks like it won’t be disappointing. There is also a chance that someone won’t survive the finale, as Rumple finds a tiny piece of the Olympian Crystal in Hades’ ashes. The big question is: how will the season conclude? Will another hero make the ultimate sacrifice? Will Zelena have to save Regina from herself? What’s Rumple’s big plan, and is he going to be able to wake Belle from her sleeping curse? Hopefully, all this and more is answered next week.

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Once Upon A Time 5x20 Review: “Firebird” (Armor) [Guest Poster: Julia]

“Firebird”

Original Airdate: May 1, 2016

As the season is starting to wrap up, it’s getting extra hot in the Underworld. The storylines get more tangled, as usual, as the fight to get back to Storybrooke hits its peak. This week’s adventure is full of true love, hope, lies, and betrayal – leaving me to wonder who will survive the season finale.

IT'S ABOUT TIME!

In typical OUAT fashion, “Firebird” gives us an inside look at stories from the past, which deal with Emma this time. Speaking of fashion, these wonderful flashbacks finally answer the question that everyone’s been thinking for the past five years: where did Emma’s red leather jacket come from? It’s quite the unusual tale, but winds up making some sort of sense by the end of the episode.

We are first flashed back to find Emma meeting her bounty hunter mentor, Cleo Fox, who hunted her down to collect bounty for bringing Emma to jail. “Delinquent Emma” doesn’t appear to be any different than the Emma we are used to watching, so don’t worry about that. Cleo helps Emma try to track down where she came from after Emma realizes that they both have a lot in common.

The two quickly become best buds, and Cleo decides she can’t turn Emma in. She basically mentors her on bounty hunting and how to not show any emotion, which is how we find Emma at the beginning of the series. The trick is Cleo’s armor, aka her brown leather jacket. Shortly thereafter, the police are on to Cleo and Emma’s whereabouts and try to capture them. Upon trying to escape from a run-down hotel, Cleo is magically impaled by a piece of glass from the window they escape through and is killed off.

A few years down the road in 2010, Emma is a newly appointed bounty hunter and has tracked down Cleo’s daughter, who works in a clothing store. Emma gives her all the files on Cleo she tracked down over the years, to help Cleo’s daughter understand where she came from. As she’s about to leave, Emma decides to make a purchase that lets her emulate her mentor even further. And voila, there’s that red leather jacket that she practically never takes off, more than likely due to its ability to be armor.

I NEED A HERO 

Back in the Underworld, there are multiple storylines that need a hero! First, and most importantly, “Firebird” starts with Hades wielding a deal with our band of heroes. Out of options, Hades reluctantly asks for their help to get Zelena back, who was previously kidnapped by Rumple and Peter Pan. Rumple has demanded that Hades tear up their contract if he wants to see Zelena again. In a lackluster way to end the whole contract negotiation storyline, the showdown happens at the diner, where Hades bids adieu to his hopes of owning Rumple and Belle’s child. Emma sneaks in to give Hades a hand, and Rumple and Pan poof off, leaving Zelena behind.

The moment we have all been waiting for finally arrives as Zelena and Hades reunite and share their first kiss. As if tonight’s episode wasn’t getting any more obvious at this point, they share true love’s kiss, which restarts Hades’ heart. With Hades no longer tied to the Underworld, a portal that will lead to Storybrooke begins to open, leaving everyone ready to run back home. Hades wipes the names of the heroes off the tombstones as a thank you for their help, so it appears everyone is set to go. But – not so fast, as I’m sure the writers evilly thought when writing this script – Regina splits Emma’s heart to bring Hook back to life, but he has been dead for too long for the trick to work. Hades offers up a last ditch effort, as he is now a “changed man,” but more on this later.

If that wasn’t complicated enough, Rumple decides to play hero for an episode. After returning to his shop, Rumple decides to test out true love’s kiss on sleeping Belle. To no one’s surprise, it doesn’t work. Conveniently, Pan shows up and tells Rumple that he can transport Belle to Storybrooke in Pandora’s Box if Rumple holds up his end of the deal and gets a living heart into Pan. Rumple steals Robin Hood’s heart, which appears to be going to Pan.

Rumple did a good job of hiding his plan until the very end. Pan is eager to get his new heart and is proud of his son for following through. Rumple shoves the heart into Pan, but it turns out it wasn’t Robin’s heart. Knowing that Pan would be watching him, Rumple stole Robin’s heart, then gave it back when Pan was distracted. Rumple essentially makes a water balloon filled with some River of Lost Souls water and shoves it into his father’s chest. Rumple tells his father that villains never get happy endings and maliciously wanted to be sure Pan never got his. As Pan melts down to a soul, Rumple has become a hero for the day. He sucks Belle up in Pandora’s Box and takes her home.

AMBROSIA 

Emma and Hook depart down the elevator in the library to find a magical room that contains the food of the gods, ambrosia, which Hades says can bring Hook back to life. For anyone who saw this episode, wasn’t Hades a little too nice and helpful throughout the whole thing? True love comes into question again as Emma’s heart is put to the test to gain entrance into the room. She is faced with a tough choice of saving her dying heart or Hook, who was set on fire. Emma jumps to save Hook, proving that they are each other’s true love, which once again, it’s about time.

As they enter the room full of hope, they quickly realize that they have been set up. The ambrosia tree has been chopped down and turned to ash, leaving no escape for Hook. Accepting his reality, Hook wants Emma to go back home and say goodbye to him. She urges him to find another way or to let her stay with him, as she finally admits her own feelings in a tear-filled scene. This was one of the best parts of the episode because we finally got to see some raw emotion from Jennifer Morrison. She has been lacking a bit lately in the emotion department, so I was glad that she finally made up for it.

Emma knows she has no other choice and leaves Hook behind. She asks him to move on to a better place instead of waiting around for her. We don’t get to see what happens to Hook, so I doubt this will be the last we see of him. Honestly, if they were going to kill him off, it would have happened back in Camelot. There wouldn’t have been a reason to reunite them and declare their true love just to kill him off for real. If this was Hook’s write-off, then it was not what he deserved. Hook is too essential to the story and the survival of the show at this point to kill him off.

DEPARTURE 

As Emma and Hook face their tribulation, the rest of the gang decides to try to accomplish as much of Operation Firebird as they can. Henry decides to write down as many of the unfinished businesses as he can for the people waiting to move on from the Underworld. Hades’ master plan unfurls more during this time as he traps the heroes in the library and seals them in with a spell. This, of course, is after the heroes have given Zelena her baby back. As we all thought, Hades never wanted any of them to leave the Underworld. When the portal opens, Hades, Zelena, and the baby go through to Storybrooke without waiting for the others.

When Emma goes back up the elevator, she is told by everyone that they are trapped. Of course, they aren’t trapped for long – Regina and Emma combine their magic to blast the doors off the library. Everyone makes it through the portal right before it closes. David practically drags Emma through because she tries to escape to go back to Hook.

With everyone, besides Hook, back in Storybrooke, the last two episodes of the season are going to be awesome. The teaser for next week promises some chaos with Hades in town. We will also get the reunion with Snow, and maybe even Belle’s curse will be broken. However, the not-so-shocking news is that one of the main characters will die before the end of the season. Whether it’s next week or the finale, it will be tough to say goodbye to someone. Since OUAT has been doing split seasons, it’s extremely likely that the Hades storyline will wrap up with him being defeated in some form.

As for who else won’t be back for next season, there are a few easy options. My best guess is that Zelena, Robin, or Henry will perish. They seem to be the most dispensable characters at this point, even though it wouldn’t be too hard to kill off Belle. It will have to be someone that will impact Regina greatly, as she continues her battle to be good. I don’t see the writers getting rid of any of the big characters, though it would be a huge shock if they did. A short clip of the teaser appears to show Emma crying at what looks like a funeral, so is someone in her family in danger? It’s too hard to say at this point, but don’t expect it to be obvious during the episode. The writers love to throw a curveball right at the end. Also, will Hook be back at all in this season or the next? With a lot of unanswered questions, we are in for a rough final two weeks.

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The Boss Was a Huge Flop, and Here's Why [Guest Poster: Julia]

It’s a rarity that a Melissa McCarthy movie isn’t hilarious or doesn’t perform well in the box office. Unfortunately, The Boss qualifies for both of these unsavory labels. With limited comedy that wasn’t previously shown, a thin script, and poor critic reviews, The Boss may be McCarthy’s lowest grossing wide-release.

TOO MUCH PROMOTION 

Who thought too much promotion could be a bad thing? After seeing the trailer prior to every film I saw for two straight months, The Boss lost its humor, since most of the comical parts were shown in the trailers. A few other “good” scenes were shown ahead of time in the TV commercials, which were frequently all over every channel. Seeing so much of the film ahead of time ruined the story for me, as well as the jokes.

I never usually think that a lot of promotion is a bad thing. Typically, the more a company advertises, a greater number of people can be reached. This, in turn, can lead to more people wanting to buy a product, or in this case, go see a particular film. For about two months, I couldn’t escape the promotions for The Boss. I got tired of seeing the trailer and commercials, even though I wanted to see the film. Maybe I see too many movies and/or watch too much TV, but it was overkill to watch the same scene being advertised continually.

When I saw The Boss, there were very few scenes that I actually thought were entertaining. Anything that was supposed to be funny was no longer amusing to me. Only two scenes in the entire film were hilarious, with one being the 20-minute end sequence. When comedy is spoiled ahead of time, there isn’t much of a point to actually see the end result, which is exactly what went wrong for The Boss.

THIN CHARACTERS AND SCRIPT 

An even larger problem with the film is that the story and characters weren’t written well. The story drags for a while and never really gets its footing. The characters were hard to become emotionally attached to, leading to lackluster performances. I can’t say anything bad about McCarthy’s acting because she is always good, even when the film as a whole isn’t. She brings her obscene humor and charm to her character and still manages to give a decent performance.

I was disappointed in two of the other top actors, Kristen Bell and Peter Dinklage. In my original article, “5 Upcoming Films That Feature Your Favorite Television Stars,” I had hoped that The Boss could help launch a better film career for Bell. Her performance wasn’t what I expected, as she simply didn’t act very well. Her character was a bit whiny and didn’t have a character arch. As much as I wanted to like her character, I couldn’t get past the shallowness of the writing. This was the true disappointment of the film because Bell, like McCarthy, is a good actress and deserves more credit for her work. She should have a more successful film career, but it hasn’t quite taken off for her yet. However, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she will give a better performance in the summer comedy Bad Moms.

Dinklage also gave a poor performance as the antagonist of The Boss. His stoic acting didn’t add anything to the overall story. His character was pretty much worthless until the end of the film. Dinklage is another good actor that I expect more from, but he hasn’t been particularly stellar in his last two film roles (Pixels and The Boss).

THE CRITICS STRIKE AGAIN! 

Some people question whether critics’ opinions actually influence the public’s thoughts on films before they are released. I think the critics’ reviews do still matter, which is definitely a reason why The Jungle Book did so well. If you are a skeptic, then take a look at the ratings of all McCarthy’s films on Rotten Tomatoes: the only two films that have very poor reviews, in which McCarthy played the lead role in a wide-release, were Tammy (23%) and The Boss (19%). These also happen to be the two films that have done significantly worse than her other break-through comedies, according to Box Office Mojo.

The Boss had a successful first weekend release of $23.58 million and a number one finish at the box office. Its second weekend dipped 57.8% to $9.95 million, giving it a third place finish. That’s a pretty steep drop, which was probably due to poor critic reviews and word of mouth. The film has grossed $42.68 million, as of April 20, which is probably a lot less than Universal hoped it would make.

There’s a slim possibility that The Boss could turn itself around and perform better considering that there aren’t any R-rated comedies being released until May 20. However, it’s not very likely considering the user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB are right around average, as of April 22. Out of 17,695 Rotten Tomatoes user ratings, only 48% of viewers liked the film. Similar results are in at IMDB, where 3,200 user ratings averaged 5.2 stars out of 10 stars.

Don’t expect a huge turn-around for The Boss, but at least we have Ghostbusters to look forward to! Let me know what you thought of The Boss in the comments section below.

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Once Upon A Time 5x19 Review “Sisters” (Siblings) [Guest Poster: Julia]

“Sisters”

Original airdate: April 24, 2016

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Zelena, Regina, and Cora all came together in the Underworld? If so, then the newest episode of Once Upon A Time is for you! As siblings reunite and meet for the first time, numerous relationships are explored. This week, hope and love finally win out in one of the most touching episodes of the season.

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER 

“Sisters” kicks off with Hades and Zelena enjoying a picnic with a hidden agenda. Hades asks Zelena to help him restart his heart to allow him to go back to the real Storybrooke with her. However, if Hades leaves the Underworld, then the heroes will be trapped there. Zelena is troubled by the proposal and isn’t sure what action to take. By saying yes, she would be forced to embrace the wickedness inside her and become Hades’ evil henchwoman/wife. By saying no, she would be turning over a new leaf, like Regina wants her to, but gain an enormous enemy in the process. For the time being, she decides not to give Hades a solid answer.

As cunning as ever, Regina has watched these events unfold through a magic hand mirror. She confronts Zelena in her home to ask what she is going to do with Hades’ proposal. Zelena reveals her love for Hades and her hope of changing him for the better. Regina doesn’t believe that she can change the god’s ways, since he has been stuck in the Underworld for centuries. Regina feels that the only way to stop her sister is to use the one thing Zelena can’t resist: their mother.

Through some intriguing flashbacks, we are reminded of how evil Cora was, which Zelena definitely inherited. Cora’s wickedness allowed her to call upon the daughter she abandoned to save the daughter she loves from a sleeping spell. Long story short, Regina and Zelena met as children, found out they were sisters, and had their memories erased by Cora to destroy the hope and love. The separation more than likely propelled Zelena over the edge to use her magic for evil instead of good.

Back in the Underworld, Cora and Zelena meet for the “first” time face-to-face, and the meeting transitions from heartfelt apologies to twisted agendas. Cora wants to use magic water on Zelena to get her to forget Hades, which is the only possible solution she can come up with for Regina’s problem. Maybe Cora should have thought that through a bit more because Zelena saw right through her act. Cora manages to save the day by telling her daughters the truth, which was a big shocker considering her character.

As Regina and Zelena are given back the memories, they realize, in a heartwarming moment, that they never should have doubted the power of family. Zelena makes a choice in that moment to be with her family and be the good person she always wanted to be. As a fan of the hope the show provides, I was very happy to see Zelena’s character arc take a major turn. She has almost completed her arc, since she has now accepted change in her life. The only thing left for her is to accept love. Cora saw her character arc come full circle, as she was finally able to move on to a better place. Before doing so, Cora showed that love can change a person, even the most wicked of people.

TWIN POWER 

Let’s not forget about our other siblings; anyone remember the twins? The fateful meeting of David and James finally occurs, and it goes pretty much as expected. James’ jealousy persuades him to lock David up to enable his master plan of impersonation. Surprisingly, Emma doesn’t see through James’ farce and puts her full trust in him, thinking he is David.

Emma and “David” go to meet up with Robin and the baby, when everything turns south. James unveils his deceit as Cruella De Vil joins the party to reveal the grand scheme of stealing Robin’s baby in order to have leverage on Hades. Cruella wants to use the baby to force Hades to bring her back to life. Their plan is almost successful — until the evil duo tries to throw Emma and Robin off the pier into the River of Lost Souls. Hook and David show up in time to save the day. David and James have their long awaited showdown, leading to James being thrown into the river to endure an eternity of suffering.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON 

At the end of the day, hope has come back to the Underworld in fashion. Everyone showed their commitment to the mission and to each other. Rumple decides to show this in his own, twisted way. Early in the episode, Rumple talks to the sleeping Belle and tells her that he has to use dark magic to solve their contractual problem. He appears for a minute at the beginning of the episode and then disappears. Halfway through the episode, I wondered why Rumple was shown if he didn’t have any impact on this week’s main story or even the sub-story. My question was answered at the very last minute, when Rumple mysteriously appears.

Zelena has been prompted by Regina to accept Hades’ love to try and change his ways. Zelena goes to meet Hades at the diner to profess her love, when she is stopped outside by Rumple, who takes advantage of the situation like Zelena did to Belle in the last episode. Rumple throws a major curveball into the equation when Peter Pan steps out and announces they are teaming up. With ruthless, despicable father and son reunited, anything can happen. Rumple and Pan kidnap Zelena as the scene fades out.

Now, there are so many directions this storyline can go. Since both Rumple and Pan dabble with dark arts, it’s easy to think that they will torture Zelena in order to force Hades to do their bidding. I doubt that Rumple will just use Zelena as a simple threat to get Hades to rip up their contract. The worst case scenario is that Pan goes rogue again and tries to use Zelena for his own twisted purposes. I doubt that Rumple can trust his father, so who knows what will happen. No matter what, family has been the core of the second half of the season on Once Upon A Time, and will definitely be the deciding factor of how the season concludes.

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Once Upon A Time 5x18 Review: “Ruby Slippers” (Welcome Back to Oz) [Guest Poster: Julia]

“Ruby Slippers”

Original airdate: April 17, 2016

This week’s episode of Once Upon A Time brings the return of Red Riding Hood, Mulan, Dorothy, and the land of Oz. Plenty of twists and turns make this episode intriguing and disappointing at the same time. It’s very rare that the show is anything less than fantastic, and “Ruby Slippers” misses on many fronts — the writing, characters, and CGI all managed to culminate in one giant, 40-minute mess.

RETURNING TO OZ

Dorothy’s introduction to the OUAT universe two weeks ago made me less than enthusiastic about the land of Oz. Unfortunately, this episode focuses heavily on Dorothy and her new acquaintances — Mulan and Red — who arrived in Oz to hunt down Red’s pack, as she wants to reunite with her own kind. Upon their arrival, they quickly meet Dorothy and see the return of Zelena to Oz after she is banished there by Regina. In case you forgot what had previously happened, there was a quick clip in the introduction sequence of the episode.

The rest of the flashbacks to Oz show Red and Dorothy awkwardly sharing screentime as they try to save Toto from Zelena. In exchange for Toto, Zelena wants the magic slippers back; she feels that they’re the only way she can get back to her baby daughter. The actresses who play Red and Dorothy didn’t have good chemistry, and every scene felt very uncomfortable. It didn’t help that the actress who plays Dorothy doesn’t portray her well — Dorothy’s attitude makes her unlikable, and that makes her scenes hard to watch.

Dorothy decides to take on Zelena by herself and is tricked into getting her finger pricked with an enchanted needle, which enacts the same sleeping curse that Snow White and Princess Aurora had previously been inflicted with. When Dorothy disappears, Red makes it her mission to hunt down Zelena to get revenge, leading her to the Underworld.

RED’S NOT DEAD!

Great news, Oncers! After a big scare at the end of last week’s episode, we learned that Red is NOT dead and just happened to go to the Underworld without knowing where she was headed. Red uses the slippers to track down Zelena, who we know is still in the Underworld. Our heroes reunite with Red, which leads Regina to find out the truth about Dorothy from Zelena. As far as sleeping curses, there is only one way to break them: true love’s kiss.

The search is on for Dorothy’s true love, which Red believes is her beloved, deceased Auntie Em. When Hades learns that the heroes plan to bottle a kiss from Aunt Em to awaken Dorothy, he quickly gets rid of her by slyly putting some water from the River of Lost Souls in her soup. Auntie Em is turned into a pile of liquid soul, which was Hades’ way to show Zelena that he wants her arch-nemesis to suffer for eternity and to suck more hope out of his kingdom.

SLEEPING CURSES & TRUE LOVE

After some more awkward flashbacks, Red reveals that she thinks that she could be Dorothy’s true love. Regina convinces Zelena to give up the slippers to help correct her mistake of hurting Dorothy. Zelena proves that she is trying to change as she helps both Regina and Belle, but more on that later. Regina gives the slippers to Red to help her get back to Oz.

At the same time, Hades has ruined more hope by having the telephone booths used for hauntings ripped out. This causes Snow White and Prince Charming to worry more about baby Neal. Snow wants Charming to go home to Storybrooke to watch over the infant, but in the ultimate sacrifice, Charming has Hook cross out Snow’s name on her tombstone to replace her soul with his. Remember: Snow, Emma, and Regina are all stuck in the Underworld because Hades put their names on tombstones. The names can’t be removed, but Hook finds a loophole that allows them to change the names. Snow reluctantly goes with Red to Oz and then makes her way back to Storybrooke. This was a great way to possibly write Snow off for a few episodes, as she isn’t needed currently. It has been harder for the costumes to hide actress Ginnifer Goodwin’s baby bump, so this was a great decision by the writers.

Back in Oz, Red finds Dorothy and awakens her with true love’s kiss. The storybook ending is complete as true love conquers all once again. Hopefully, this is the end of the Oz arc because it has been done poorly and is not needed. The CGI during the Oz scenes is terrible, and the show in general needs to put more money into the CGI weekly. I’m not sure where else the writers can go with Dorothy and Oz, so now would be a good time to retire those stories.

In great OUAT fashion, the episode wouldn’t be complete without one last twist. Early in the episode, Belle pays a visit to Zelena to ask for her help in dealing with Hades. Belle wanted Zelena to convince Hades to rip up the contract that gives Belle and Rumple’s baby to him. Belle gets freaked out when she realizes that she may not have all the time she felt she had, as Zelena reminds her that Hades can take the baby whenever he wants by speeding up her pregnancy. In typical Belle fashion, she decides to be super radical and steals the enchanted needle from Zelena.

At the end of the episode, Belle reveals her concerns to Rumple, who shrugs her off, as usual. Belle decides that the best course of action is to freeze herself in time with the sleeping curse. She and Rumple both know that Rumple can’t awaken her with true love’s kiss, since he won’t be the man instead of the beast. Belle begs Rumple to destroy Hades and to get her back to her father after the contract is nullified. Rumple is clearly distressed as Belle pricks her finger and is consumed by the curse. This is another great write-off because actress Emilie de Ravin was also pregnant during filming. Even though her character is pregnant on the show, it was probably easier for her to have some time off, so this was a clever solution.

The final episodes of the season should be very interesting as far as true love is concerned. Rumple will have to decide whether to embrace the man or the beast, and if he wants his child or Belle more. His struggle should unfold nicely, leading to more character depth (fingers crossed!) Zelena and Hades’ relationship heats up at the end as well, which led me to wonder if she took Belle’s advice and is playing him. Hades is truly enamored by Zelena, which could easily turn into his downfall if Zelena decides to become a hero. If not, Zelena will have her happy ending with Hades and the two will destroy the heroes, which... is pretty unlikely given the show has been renewed for a sixth season.

Something big is going to have to happen at the end of the season to keep the show rolling, and will most likely mean the death of at least one major character. Assuming that the Underworld storyline ends at the conclusion of the season, presumably, someone will have to make the sacrifice of staying for the others to leave. Will someone die? Who knows! But next week’s episode may give us some hints at what’s to come.

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Series: This Week's TV MVPs - Week 35

Much like Taylor Swift in the GIF above, around here, we are dancing too — because the TV MVP Series is back at it again this week! And many thanks to Rae for filling in while I was at the beach last weekend. As we begin to approach sweeps and finale dates and descriptions are being released, performers are bringing their A-games to their shows, whether comedy or drama. And this week, we have some fantastic performers to highlight. Let's kick it off, then!

Joining me are:

• Amir (our newest male writer!)
• Julia
• Jon
• Jen W.
• Megan

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Natural Born Pranksters Delivers Some Laughs, But Fails in Production Quality [Guest Poster: Julia]

Everyone loves a good prank video, right? Sometimes it’s nice to sit down and watch a bunch of pointless pranks online as free entertainment. Ever wonder what would happen if some of the Internet’s most popular pranksters decided to take their jokes to the next level by making a movie? If you answered yes, then Natural Born Pranksters is the movie for you.

PRANKS GONE WRONG

Three of YouTube’s most viral pranksters, Roman Atwood, Dennis Roady, and Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, teamed up to create what they thought would be an epic prank movie. The new collection of pranks crosses the line several times as they target innocent people with harmful tricks. For example, the guys set up a young African American woman to believe that she is being arrested for a fake robbery during a fake film shoot. The situation is set up at a convenience store, where the woman meets the “film crew,” who are played by the pranksters. They proceed to explain her role and what she has to do. When they yell action, she goes through with the fake robbery, thinking she’s being recorded for a movie. The guys run out of the store to hide as they send in two fake cops. The woman is beside herself as she is “arrested” for a fake crime. She gets extremely worked up as she tries to explain to the police that the robbery was fake and part of a movie. With the crew nowhere in sight, the cops handcuff her and bring her outside. Right before they put her in the police car, the pranksters jump out of hiding and tell her she was being pranked.

This prank should have ended way before it actually did. The poor woman was clearly in emotional distress over the situation. It was wrong to keep it going when they could see that the reaction was not quite as expected. Or, maybe the joke was to get her to believe she was going to be arrested. If the latter is the case, then the pranksters are very cruel people.

The constant of the film was that almost every prank was malicious. As a viewer, I thought that the pranks were created to emotionally and mentally harm the victims. Some of the victims were clearly innocent bystanders that happened to be in the wrong place and the right time. Others were obviously set up by friends, which was not very transparent or clarified at any point in the film. The reactions to the pranks did seem genuine, so I don’t believe the pranks were fake. It’s good that it appeared to not be fake, but it would have been good to see some more behind the scenes footage to confirm how authentic the film actually is.

The pranks weren’t very funny because they were meant to harm people. There were only two or three pranks that I thought were worth laughing at over the course of the 90 minute film, and I think the cruel intentions were very off-putting. Even though the pranksters were trying to get a good laugh out of everyone, they didn’t seem to care about right or wrong. They couldn’t seem to tell when a prank had gone too far and should have been stopped, which also stunted the humor.

POOR FILMMAKING 

The most disappointing part of Natural Born Pranksters is the terrible filmmaking. I can’t even point to any positives in the production — everything was poorly done, including the structure of the film, layout of the footage, and the setup of each prank. The structure of the film didn’t make sense, as each scene was so independent of the others that there was no flow between setups. There was no introduction to each premise or transitions between pranks, making it hard to watch and follow, as nothing was explained.

Occasionally, there would be a short YouTube clip of a prank that previously went viral to separate scenes. This was a poor decision for two reasons; first, there was no transparency in telling the audience that the clips were not new material and were previously posted online. I figured it out during the second of these clips by catching a glimpse of a faint watermark on the corner of the screen of the prankster’s YouTube channel logo. The watermarks were so hard to see that they could easily have been missed, and I’m sure that some viewers thought these were new pranks when they were probably fillers due to lack of new material.

The editing was also very choppy throughout the film, leading to a rough layout. Some of the pranks were shot on several cameras to get multiple angles, which were not put together well in the final product. Also, the audience is not always clued into what will happen with each prank ahead of time – we don’t even know what the goals of the pranks are, which makes most of the pranks useless and not funny. Part of the fun of watching pranks is being in on the joke ahead of time. It’s funnier when you are anticipating what’s about to happen. Some of the pranks were introduced and gave some background, while others weren’t. The inconsistency truly brought this film down quite a bit.

NATUAL BORN PRANKSTERS VS. JACKA**

It’s hard to not compare Natural Born Pranksters to the infamous Jack*** series. Natural Born Pranksters appears to try and emulate the same formula, but doesn’t have the same success. Jack*** worked well for many years because the cast focused their pranks and jokes on each other more than on innocent people. The intent of their jokes was to make each other laugh by one-upping the last person’s prank, and they generally harmed themselves rather than others. They were also the stars of their show and movies. Each cast member had a great personality that played out well on screen, allowing the viewers get to know each person and their prank styles.

Natural Born Pranksters is the opposite. They hardly prank themselves and choose to prey on unsuspecting bystanders. The biggest problem is that the pranksters aren’t the stars of the movie. They don’t have nearly as much screen time as their pranking victims, and by making random people the butt of the joke, they become the stars instead of the pranksters. There isn’t a ton of footage of the pranksters together either. Without seeing them interact, it was hard to tell how well the team worked together.

Jack*** is also superior due to its format: every prank was introduced and given a name before it was committed. This helped the audience keep track of everything that was happening. The cast would also tell the audience what would happen ahead of time to increase anticipation, while Natural Born Pranksters doesn’t do either of these things.

AUDIENCE REACTION 

Unfortunately, professional critics have yet to publish their official reports on Natural Born Pranksters — more than likely due to the film not having a traditional theater release. The film was in select theaters for one day on April 1, 2016, and also went directly to digital download and DVD the same day. It is digitally available for rental and purchase on iTunes, Amazon, VUDU, Google Play, CinemaNow, Fandango Now, Playstation Network, Shopify, Verizon Fios, and XBOX Live.

However, there are many sites that have audience reviews of the film. As of April 15, 1,671 combined IMDB user ratings had rated Natural Born Pranksters 3.8 out of 10 stars. Fan ratings on Fandango show that 74 combined ratings totaled 4.5 out of 5 stars. Google Play currently has the most user reviews out of the traditional websites (not including iTunes). They combined 2,574 ratings for a 4.6 out of 5 stars. The VUDU Community gave the film 3.8 out of 5 stars, but the site doesn’t specify how many users had rated the film.

At the end of its first weekend in digital release, the film had soared to the second-most rented movie on iTunes, finishing behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It was also the No. 1 comedy on iTunes for its first week. Now in its second week on the charts, Natural Born Pranksters has fallen all the way down to No. 40 on the iTunes charts. However, it does have positive customer reviews: it is currently rated 4.6 out of 5 stars by 7,045 combined user ratings.

It’s interesting that most of the user reviews are positive considering how bad the film actually is. I’m absolutely certain that the critic reviews won’t be as nice, and it will also be interesting to track how well the film sells considering it hasn’t taken the traditional route. The numbers for digital, DVD, and in-theater sales were not publicly available as of April 15. Check back soon for the results!

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Once Upon A Time 5x17 Review: “Her Handsome Hero” (My What a Guy, That Gaston!) [Guest Poster: Julia]

“Her Handsome Hero”

Original Airdate: April 10, 2016

The classic villain Gaston from Beauty and the Beast lives again as this week’s episode of Once Upon A Time is all about the hunk we want to like. A new story of Gaston and Belle’s meeting is played out over the course of the episode, which ends similarly to the tale as old as time that we are all familiar with. As a love triangle re-emerges, the stakes are set even higher and end in a somewhat surprising twist.

GASTON

Gaston and Belle’s history is now a little different than you might remember. OUAT’s version of the story was first depicted in season one, when Rumpelstiltskin murdered Gaston by turning him into the fateful rose. Belle and Gaston were previously engaged when Rumple took Belle as his servant. As Gaston went to storm the castle and be the hero, Rumple turns him into a rose to get rid of him, all of which went unnoticed by Belle.

Through new flashbacks, we learn the story of Gaston and Belle’s arranged meeting. Belle’s father sets them up as a possible merger of their two kingdoms in case of the Ogre War coming their way. Belle’s disgust in the plan quickly changes as she is charmed by Gaston. The two go out for a walk and happen upon a young ogre who is stuck in a deep hole in the ground. Belle convinces Gaston not to kill the youngling and shows him a page in the hero handbook in the process.

Belle finds a special mirror that will depict whether someone is innocent or lying. Upon bringing it back to where she left Gaston, Belle finds him hurt in the woods. Gaston says he was attacked, leading to a chase to find the ogre. When they catch up to it, Belle wants to use the mirror to see the true intentions of the ogre. The mirror shows the truth: Gaston is the liar and never intended to help the ogre (which really shouldn’t have been a surprise. There was no way Gaston was going to majorly change as a character between his movie and TV versions).

So, Belle naturally distrusts Gaston for his lying, but her father still has other plans. He blames Belle for the ogres beginning to invade their kingdom and convinces her that the only way to fix the problem is for their kingdom and Gaston’s to unite to fight the monsters. Belle decides that the only option is to marry Gaston and accepts his hand.

In present day, Hades seeks out Gaston in the Underworld to give him an opportunity to get his revenge on Rumple, providing him with arrows dipped in the River of Lost Souls. This leads to the inevitable encounter of Belle, Rumple, and Gaston. Belle, shocked to see Gaston in the Underworld, learns the truth of his death, which she is not happy with. Belle decides that she doesn’t want to hurt Gaston anymore and would rather help him pass on to a better place.

In the meantime, Hades visits Belle to try and strike a deal. He agrees to not take her baby if she allows Gaston and Rumple to fight, and one of them has to be tossed into the River of Lost Souls to spend an eternity suffering. Belle is wary of the deal, knowing that she could lose Rumple forever, and doesn’t agree. The best part of the episode is when Belle’s nightmare comes true. She finds Rumple choking Gaston at the pier and tries to keep him from killing Gaston again. Rumple is forced to stop when Belle takes his dagger and commands him to, and Gaston takes the opportunity to shoot an arrow at Rumple. Belle, in a moment of pure impulse, lunges at Gaston and knocks him into the River of Lost Souls. She is horrified at herself upon realizing what she did. To make matters worse, Hades reappears to tell Rumple and Belle that he still owns their child because Belle knocked Gaston into the River instead of Rumple.

HOPE CURES ALL 

The theme of the night was hope, which is also the theme of the entire series, in my opinion. The Underworld is mysteriously being affected by this from the living guests. Their consistent hope is making daisies grow across the Underworld, where things are only supposed to decay, not grow. This especially freaks out Hades because the life is a threat to his kingdom. He uses Gaston to try to destroy some of the hope, which works, as we see a daisy decay after Hades gives the news of the deal not going through.

Hope is displayed by Belle throughout the episode. First, she decides that she wants Rumple to only use light magic to defeat Hades. She feels that this is the best way to win and make Rumple the man that she wants him to be. Belle’s second plan is to weaken Hades through getting souls to pass to a better place by solving unfinished business. As the last few episodes of the season unfold, it will be interesting to see how far Belle will go to beat Hades. She has some massive opportunities to step up and be the hero she has always wanted to be. Belle’s plans are pretty solid and definitely have some merit, so hopefully she doesn’t take a backseat approach and settle for everyone else’s plans like she typically does.

The other blossom of hope was Regina’s meeting with Zelena. Regina decides to try to get some intel on Hades by talking with Zelena, who reveals her past romance with the god. Regina is surprised to hear that Zelena loves Hades and tries to use that to find out his weaknesses. Zelena is unsure of how to hurt Hades, but feels that she is his only weakness. You could see the wheels turning in Regina’s mind as she learned this, which should lead to an interesting showdown in the future. The problem with this possible future scenario will be Zelena’s compliance — will she stand with her sister to defeat Hades, or will her love for him force her to turn against Regina yet again?

SEEING THE FUTURE

The coolest and weirdest part of the episode is Emma’s nightmare-turned-reality sequence. Emma starts the episode off with having a seemingly harmless dream. As the episode unfolds, the entire dream starts to slowly become reality. Afraid for Snow White’s safety, Emma tries to persuade her out of going to the graveyard. When Emma can’t convince Snow White to stay behind, it freaks her out even more. They avoid the monster that appears in the dream by hiding in Regina’s vault.

The freaky part of this adventure is Emma seeing the future. Was this a one-time occurrence or is this going happen frequently over the rest of the season? This could be an ability that haunts Emma and ruins her sanity. Or, it could be the crew’s saving grace. The first glimpse of this possible ability leads to the biggest surprise of the season so far: at the very end of the episode, Snow White, Emma, Regina, and Hook confront the monster that Emma had feared. The monster is a wolf, which Snow recognizes instantly and throws a familiar red cloak over it. None other than Ruby/Red Riding Hood regains her human form, leaving me with way too many questions.

We previously didn’t know Red was dead, which will (hopefully) be next week’s storyline. Red could be the missing piece of the puzzle they need to defeat Hades, or she could be just another pawn to distract us from yet another twist.

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Should DC Combine Their Cinematic and TV Universes? [Guest Poster: Julia]

As the enormous disappointment of wasting two and a half hours of my time to watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (from here on out abbreviated as "BvS") wears off, I have been wondering how Warner Brothers and DC could save their infant franchise from total decimation. It was obviously going to be tough to get fans to buy into a new Batman when Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece The Dark Knight trilogy is still fresh in our brains. With fans and critics alike trashing BvS for its poor story, continuity problems, plot holes, shallow characters, and more, can the series stay alive and profitable with a possible downhill spiral looming? The following is my attempt at determining what DC’s course of action should be.

WHY ZACK SNYDER SHOULD NOT HELM THE JUSTICE LEAGUE 

The first thing to examine is how DC got into their current mess with fans. Like most people, I blame director Zack Snyder along with his writer David S. Goyer. This duo brought the latest Superman film, Man of Steel, to the silver screen in 2013. Both Man of Steel and BvS have very similar set-ups and story structure. Both films have long backstories that drag out most of the film, in spite of the fact that BvS is not an origin story. It is safe to say that most people who have seen either film know the backstories of Superman and Batman, both of which do not constantly need to be retold.

Both films also end with long fight sequences, which are unarguably the best parts of either film. But with equally too long running times, it takes forever to get to them. This makes most of each film a bore to watch. With too much thinned-out story rehashing and not enough character development, both films wind up not sitting as well with critics or fans. Snyder’s DC films have also had a bad habit of including too many artsy shots that have no relative meaning to the rest of the film. For instance, was it necessary to show a slow motion, 30-second, close-up of a bullet falling to the ground in BvS? No, no it was not. There are plenty of useless time wasters like this throughout each film, which agonizingly make the films longer.

Interestingly enough, Man of Steel sat much better with critics than BvS. On Rotten Tomatoes, Man of Steel scored a 56%, out of 100%, while BvS currently sits at a 29%.

Some people are also critical of Snyder’s darker approach to the characters. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there needs to be some way to lighten the mood at points instead of the entire film being gloomy. The lack of any comic relief, besides scenes that are so bad that they’re funny, makes it hard to watch.

With all that considered, Snyder should not be back to direct The Justice League because he could ruin both those films before they are even released. The trailers of BvS revealed way too much of the “plot” and gave away the only decent parts of the film. If they had kept Wonder Woman a secret, for instance, she could have been a surprising bonus to viewers. This lack of thoughtfulness has led a decent amount of fans to want Snyder off the creative team. Recently there was not one, but two separate fan petitions set up on change.org urging Warner Brothers and DC to remove Snyder as the director of The Justice League films. Since those two initial petitions were created, many more pro-firing Snyder petitions have been created plus a few that support him. It says a lot when the fans can’t even stand his work.

All in all, Snyder’s approach has led to many unhappy fans and critics. The bad word of mouth for BvS could cause it to fail in the long run. The bad impressions by Snyder’s first two DC films may turn people away from seeing either The Justice League films because they are bound to be the same format if the same director and writer work together. If The Justice League fails, DC will never accomplish their goal of setting up an expansive cinematic universe.

WHY DC SHOULD KEEP THE TV AND CINEMATIC UNIVERSES SEPARATE 

I could not think of any reasons to keep Snyder as the head of The Justice League, so I am going to skip to debating whether the TV and cinematic universes should be linked, like Marvel, or kept separate. DC has said numerous times over the past few years that they would like to keep both worlds separate to create a “multiverse.” This is an intriguing idea that will keep them unique enough so many may not directly compare them to Marvel, the opposition. But the biggest issue in creating a multiverse is getting fans to accept that all the characters are in separate dimensions, universes, time periods, or however they want to phrase it.

The best example of the multiverse working in DC’s favor currently is the slew of popular DC-based TV shows. The craze for the DC shows started when Arrow debuted on The CW in 2012. The network has since expanded their little DC universe to include spin-off series The Flash (2014) and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (2016). All three CW shows take place in the same universe, which has led to successful cross-over episodes. Fans have their own little universe they can enjoy three nights a week. CBS recently got into the DC multiverse with the new series Supergirl, which debuted in the fall. And recently, Supergirl welcomed The Flash as a special guest, which confirms that Supergirl is somehow within the realm of The CW universe as well. This could actually save Supergirl because the potential for crossover episodes brings more viewers and higher ratings.

The odd ball in the popular DC shows is FOX’s Gotham. With Gotham presumably taking place decades before The CW universe and the cinematic universe, it does not fit in with the rest of the series. Gotham is its own, standalone universe for now, but most certainly makes the most of it with the numerous characters/villains that it showcases. The world of Batman is expansive, which gives Gotham a lot to work with even though it is a prequel to the Batman stories we all know.

Another differently-timed prequel show is Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans, which ran initially from 2003-2007 and now transformed into Teen Titans Go! (2013-present). Some may simply say this show cannot exist with the others because it is animated. But it really is the timeline that sets Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go! apart from the other shows, like Gotham. With multiple timelines being explored in the TV universes, it makes sense for DC to keep everything separated. It is not possible for all these shows to take place at the same time and also correlate with the films.

DC can also cover all its bases by keeping TV and films in separate universes. It allows different shows or films to cover specific topics or time periods that may not make sense in the long run if everything was combined. DC also started on its expansive multiverse with TV when Smallville premiered in 2001. Trying to go from TV to film is very difficult, which is why Marvel presumably started with films and built TV shows around the films. Also, Batman and Superman are not allowed on TV shows anymore. DC will not explicitly say why this is the case, but without the two major kingpins of the universe on TV, there really is no potential to have one flowing universe.

The biggest reason to keep each universe separate is the different character styles. Some of the shows have darker stories, like Gotham, while others are lighter, like The Flash. With such an array of attitudes and stylistic differences on the shows, they would never exist in one world seamlessly. However, this does not mean that Stephen Amell’s darker turn on Oliver Queen/Green Arrow would not work well with Snyder’s darker spin on his The Justice League characters. So, there is potential for some characters to cross over eventually, but it remains highly unlikely.

WHY DC SHOULD STICK TO ONE UNIVERSE 

There are plenty of reasons as to why DC should stick to one, comprehensive universe like Marvel. First, DC has already dug a deep hole by constantly repeating the Batman and Superman franchises, and they’ll have to climb out it eventually if they want to succeed. Why continually reboot the franchises if events from previous films are thrown away and the stories start anew? Why not just continue with the story instead of starting over? Fans do not need to see the same origin story over and over again. It’s a waste of money for Warner Brothers to make the same film repeatedly. After a while, who wants to see that? If DC had smartly stuck to one, continuous line of action from the beginning, they would be much better off.

The continual confusion of which Batman or Superman is in each film can stump fans. For instance, which Batman will young Bruce Wayne grow up to be in Gotham? It has to make life harder to reinvent the characters every few years. This is actually one of the reasons why composer Hans Zimmer has left the franchise after composing the scores for The Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel, and BvS. He could not use the same themes for Batman in BvS because it’s not the same character, which led him to dislike the new feel of the films and leave the franchise.

Also, DC throwing all their characters into one film just to play catch-up with Marvel — and then creating individual films — will cause even more confusion in the timeline. Will each film be specific as to when it takes place? If not, how are audiences supposed to follow the jumpy storylines? The biggest question is will each solo film take place before or after the events of The Justice League? There are too many questions surrounding DC’s process, which they have gone at all wrong. Even if they don’t want to completely emulate Marvel’s winning formula, they should take a page out of the Marvel handbook and do some solo films first, for the sake of backstory. Otherwise, Justice League Part 1 will inevitably be loaded with backstory and no action. How else do you explain who the characters are and where they came from? The safer approach would be to give the characters their rightful dues first before mashing them all together.

The biggest reason to stick to one universe is to make one big, happy DC family. The popularity of the DC TV shows proves that fans want more of this universe. If you have a bunch of popular shows, isn’t it a no-brainer to include those characters in the films? Apparently, the answer is no.

Let’s take a minute and look at the popularity of the TV shows. In the key demographic of ages 18-49, DC shows do very well. Supergirl averages a 1.72 rating (the percentage of all households with a TV watching the show as it airs) and 7.858 million viewers per episode in its freshman season. Both Supergirl and Gotham air in the same 8 PM timeslot on Monday nights. Gotham, in its second season, is averaging a 1.47 rating and 3.603 million viewers per episode. Gotham’s rating is down 32.78% from last season and the viewership is down 30.5%, which is no surprise since it airs against Supergirl. If one of these shows changed timeslots, both could potentially bring in better numbers.

The CW’s three series are also faring well. Arrow has an average 0.99 rating in its fourth season and 2.617 million viewers in its Wednesday 8 PM timeslot. These numbers are down 1.68% and 5.2% respectively from last season. The Flash boasts the best average rating of 1.4 and 3.603 million viewers in its second season. It has not dropped much either, only 2.76% and 6.18%, respectively. It airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has the lowest numbers. In its first season, the show averages a 0.94 rating and 2.479 million viewers, airing on Thursday nights at 8 PM.

If the TV shows were combined with the cinematic universe, DC would be able to practice a full-circle approach for their entire franchise, with the shows acting as the backstory and extended origins for most of the characters. That way, it wouldn’t be confusing when they appeared in a film. The combined universe would also allow for the same story to always be told. DC is going to have trouble with introducing a new version of The Flash to the films because both the films and TV show will reportedly have Barry Allen as The Flash. It would make more sense for Grant Gustin, who plays The Flash on TV, to be the film The Flash. Or, alternatively, the new film Flash should be one of the other countless Flashes from the past. This way, DC could keep an open mind and possibly combine both down the road.

Fans could also enjoy the DC universe much more if it was combined because it would all make sense. The shows could supplement the films, like Marvel currently does with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. How hard would it have been to have David Mazouz, who plays young Bruce Wayne on Gotham, portray young Bruce Wayne for a few minutes in BvS instead of someone random? This simple idea would have made more people happy by at least acknowledging the existence of the TV universe. Also, it is quite reasonable to assume that by adding popular TV characters into the films, like Stephen Amell’s Green Arrow, the films would subsequently gross more at the box office. The TV fans would, presumably, flock to theaters to see their favorite small screen heroes team up with the big guns. There is no way that this would end badly for DC, so why not give it a try?

DC is clearly looking for ways to solve their fastest growing problem since they’re re-shooting scenes from this summer’s feature Suicide Squad to give it a lighter, more fun feel. DC and Warner Brothers are starting to see the poor impact BvS is having on their universe, so why stop with the Suicide Squad re-shoots? Now is the time to start thinking about integrating TV and film characters together in order to reach the level of success DC is dreaming of. In the infamous words of The Joker, all I have to say about the DC cinematic universe is “Why so serious?”

Overall, DC should really start considering transforming their multiverse into a single universe. The DC cinematic universe is in real trouble if it continues down its current path. With tons of films lined up, Warner Brothers has a lot to gain or lose. Taking the safest route possible appears to be the best choice for now. DC should use its very popular TV shows to its advantage to set up the next stages of its large storylines, continue the crossovers, and then transpose this to the films. Even taking baby steps by changing Ezra Miller’s film version of The Flash into someone other than Barry Allen would be a step in the right direction, then maybe have Stephen Amell make a cameo appearance as Green Arrow in The Justice League to get more fans excited for future films. It will be interesting to see how the multiverse plays out over the next several years, but will DC actually become the film behemoth they want to be?

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Once Upon A Time 5x16 Review: “Our Decay” (True or False?) [Guest Poster: Julia]

“Our Decay”

Original Airdate: April 3, 2016

In typical Once Upon A Time fashion, this week’s episode doesn’t focus on one timeline. “Our Decay” bounces back and forth between Zelena’s past in Oz to the present in the Underworld, as well as the present in Storybrooke. The writers don’t always make it easy to follow along the multiple storylines, but as always, somehow it winds up making sense by the end. This week’s story focuses on Zelena and Hades’ past. As we get closer to the end of the season, the big question is: what is Hades really up to?

THE LAND OF OZ

Our story begins in the familiar land of Oz with the return of Zelena and brings us some backstory. Zelena is hatching an evil plot to concoct a time-travel spell to get her revenge once and for all on her sister, Regina. A CGI flying monkey drops a freaky looking Scarecrow into her throne room. Zelena, like all great villains, spews out her diabolical plot in monologue fashion to Scarecrow, whose brain is needed to represent the intelligence component in her spell. Seemingly out of nowhere, Dorothy Gale magically appears with her sidekick, Toto, to save Scarecrow... for now.

The whole scene is ruined by a few factors. First, Scarecrow is beyond creepy as a poorly done CGI character. Once Upon A Time does not usually showcase great CGI, but this was for sure the worst I can remember. If any kids were watching, I’m sure that this Scarecrow would haunt their dreams. Also, Dorothy was totally off. She appeared too old and was outfitted in a weird dress. The overall appearance and attitude Dorothy displayed isn’t the same Dorothy I remember. The writers usually get their character adaptations beyond spot-on, so it was surprising that this aged Dorothy wasn’t the same. The casting seemed totally off, and I don’t see a bright future for this Dorothy in the show.

WHAT OUR HEROES WERE UP TO

Even though the episode wasn’t centered on our favorite heroes, they still made their appearances. For the first time, we got to see Henry’s author powers (sort of) at work. Henry’s writing skills seem to be awakened immediately following any event that happens. He appears to not be in control of this power, as he practically sleep-writes without remembering writing anything. Henry’s authorship has been teased many times over the past season, so it will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Hopefully, this is a way to get Henry larger roles in episodes because he is a great addition to the show. He never has enough screen time and could contribute a lot to the overall story.

Henry’s skills were helpful to see what Snow White and Prince Charming were up to in the Underworld, which was sort of crazy. The proud parents decided that they wanted baby Neal — who never seems to be in any episode no matter where it takes place — to hear their voices in the real world. So, they decide to haunt their baby by using a mystical phone booth. I found this the weirdest part of the episode because why would anyone want to haunt their baby? According to Henry, Neal hears their voices, so I guess it was worth it? This seemed like a totally unnecessary part of the episode that could easily have been cut out.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The Underworld also had three new arrivals during the episode after a spell by Hades and Rumpelstiltskin doesn’t go quite as planned. A portal meant to bring Zelena and Robin Hood’s baby to the Underworld winds up bringing Belle, Zelena, and the baby with it. With pretty much every character now in the Underworld, things can get back to being even more complicated!

For all the “Rumbelle” fans, Rumple and Belle have their long-awaited reunion. In a brief moment of memory lapse, Rumple finds himself exposing his two biggest secrets to Belle. With the Dark One and baby contract/pregnancy secrets out in the open, the couple finds themselves at a crossroads. Rumple still wants to figure out a way to keep their baby, but does Belle still want him? After a short confrontation, Rumple basically threatens Belle and tells her to wake up and realize the truth. He wants her to understand that she loves him, both the man and the beast, because they will always be the one and the same. Belle, being her usual emotional self, can’t handle hearing the truth she has always denied and storms off. So, is this the end of Rumbelle or will they eventually make up again after Rumple solves his problem?

ZELENA AND HADES

Finally, our core story, loaded with lots of incredible points made by the writers! Oddly enough, Zelena and Hades’ backstories are pretty similar. Both are wicked, unloved, want revenge on siblings, and were abandoned in a way. Hades appears in the past Oz to help Zelena with her time travel spell. As always, Hades has purely selfish motivations, as he plans to take the spell for himself and use it to get revenge on Zeus. (On a side note, I totally hope we get a Zeus and Hades showdown by the end of the season because that would be really cool.)

Zelena is originally fooled by Hades’ charm and wit, and quickly falls in line with his plot. But she mistakes Hades' feelings of love for him playing her — which leads Zelena to break Hades’ heart. Zelena finds herself in denial of Hades’ supposed true intentions twice, both in the past and in the present. This is another great full-circle moment, as the past always comes back to relive itself in the present in Once Upon A Time. Zelena makes the same choice twice, which leads me to wonder if her instincts are correct. On the one hand, Hades did seem sincere in his admiration and desire for Zelena, who is not very lovable. However, that is also a part of Hades’ charm that he typically uses to get himself ahead of everyone else. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is only looking for revenge and using Zelena.

Interestingly, I found myself feeling bad for Zelena twice — when she gave up her baby to Robin and when she denied love. Zelena appeared to try to listen to the other characters for the first time in her existence on the show. She showed some character growth, so there was hope that maybe she would change a little.

With Zelena in the Underworld, it will be interesting to see how her and Hades’ story plays out. After a few weeks of the Underworld storyline, I still can’t figure out what Hades’ end goal is. Does he want to rule all dimensions? Does he only want revenge on those who have wronged him? What is his beef with each of the main characters? Hopefully, all these questions will be answered before the end of the season. For now, I’ll have to keep them simmering on the back burner until next week.

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5 Upcoming Films That Feature Your Favorite Television Stars [Guest Poster: Julia]

Many TV stars have, in the past, been able to launch themselves into the realm of film easily and with great reward. These days, however, it does not appear to be as simple with hit TV stars equaling box office gold. Actors on television are constantly changing their images to accommodate the film industry. As a TV and film buff, there is nothing I like to see more than my favorite TV actors making a successful jump to film. This spring and summer will have many TV actors vying for the all-important box office smash hit that leaps them from small, relatively unknown actor to household name. These are the top five films that have the best chances of launching TV stars to film stars.



1. The Boss
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell
In theaters: April 8th

Since 2010, Melissa McCarthy has brought us at least one comedy film per year. Most of her films have been absolutely hilarious, which is giving her an ever-growing fan base. However, she does not always hit it out of the park. (And yes, I am talking about Tammy.) Her first feature of the year is The Boss, which is about a disgraced executive trying to make a new name for herself after serving jail time for insider trading.

Everyone always forgets that McCarthy got her break in 2000 with the hit TV show Gilmore Girls. She starred in all but one episode of the seven year run of the show. McCarthy then went on to star as the co-lead in CBS’s long running sitcom Mike and Molly (2010-2016), which is set to conclude at the end of the current season. McCarthy has been able to turn a strong TV career into an incredibly accomplished film career. Her eleven films, in which she plays a lead or major supporting role, have grossed $1.6 billion worldwide. Considering this impressive number, The Boss will probably do very well in theaters.

McCarthy is the epitome of a successful transition from TV to film star. Her co-star, Kristen Bell, has been looking for the same success. Some may say that Bell has already found box office glory with Disney’s smash hit Frozen (2014). Bell has been a star of many cult classic TV shows, including Veronica Mars (2004-2007), Heroes (2007-2008), and Gossip Girl (2007-2012). She currently stars opposite of Don Cheadle on Showtime’s smash hit House of Lies (2012-present). With an impressive TV resume, it seems like a no-brainer that Bell would have triumphed in the film industry. But her only truly lucrative film was Frozen. She has had other lead roles over the years, but cannot seem to gross more than $100 million at the global box office. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) was the only film she starred in to reach the $100 million mark besides Frozen and Couple’s Retreat (2009), in which she had a supporting role.

The reason why I do not think Bell has gained box office success yet in film is because Frozen is an animated feature and the longevity of a film actor should be based on their live action work, not voice work. My prediction is that Bell gets the extra push she needs with The Boss. The film will draw a crowd due to the star power of McCarthy. I think Bell needs The Boss to have a solid box office run in order for her to make a better name for herself in the film industry. To me, having one mega-hit will not make us all remember Bell’s film work. For now, she is known for her TV characters, but this is likely to change if The Boss is deemed profitable.



2. Keanu
Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Will Forte, Luis Guzman.
In theaters: April 29th 

The second film on this list is definitely the riskiest film. Keanu is the first lead role in a feature film for both Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, both of Comedy Central fame from their hit TV show Key and Peele (2012-2015). Both Key and Peele are known as being a comedy duo that produce countless viral videos. Their TV and Internet followers give them a good chance to succeed in film. However, their first film seems to be just as outlandish as they are.

Keanu centers on a kitten that two friends lose and are determined to get back by posing as drug dealers in a local street gang. While the trailer looks quite ridiculous, this film could actually be the biggest surprise or failure in the near future. It could turn out to be as hilarious as their shows are, or it will be a disaster that tries too hard to get a laugh from the audience. The comedy may have a chance to cancel out the absurd plot, but only time will tell which direction this film is headed in.

Unfortunately for Key and Peele, if Keanu flops, they will more than likely have trouble landing lead roles in upcoming films. Key has done many minor supporting roles in films, but has not really had any memorable performances. Peele has not made much progress in film yet, though he does have a voice role lined up for next summer’s animated feature Captain Underpants (2017).  My guess is that both actors will be lost to voice roles and minor film roles if Keanu does not sit well with the audience. They will both definitely have long TV lives since they have proved successful in that venture.

On the other side of things, Keanu could help Key and Peele start a good film run due to the other two stars of the film. Both Will Forte and Luis Guzman have made jumps back and forth from TV to film. Forte goes back and forth quite frequently, but is generally known for his TV roles. He was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 2002-2012, leading him to many other lead TV roles including his current series Last Man on Earth (2015-present). In the film world, Forte is best known for his work in the Academy Award nominated Nebraska (2013).

Guzman, meanwhile, mainly does films, but has spent a decent part of the last year on two TV shows: Narcos (2015) and Code Black (2015-2016). Key and Peele are likely to learn something from the success of their co-stars. My prediction is that Keanu will not be well received, but Key and Peele will eventually make their comedy come to life on the silver screen.



3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Starring: Will Arnett, Megan Fox, Stephen Amell
In theaters: June 3rd. 

One of today’s most popular TV stars is making his film debut in Michael Bay’s hotly anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel. It’s about time that Arrow star Stephen Amell finally landed a film role. Amell had many small TV guest roles from 2004 until 2012 when he was cast as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on CW’s very popular Arrow. His four years on the show have resulted in an ever-growing fan base and appearances on spin-off shows. He is undoubtedly, if not the most, a highly popular TV superhero character. With all the praise he gets for his performances, it is surprising that he has yet to make his film debut.

Amell will be playing vigilante Casey Jones, also from comic book fame. Since Green Arrow is also a vigilante, this role should suit Amell perfectly. The exposure for this film should be excellent considering the first film made $493 million worldwide in 2014. TMNT: Out of the Shadows should make more than its predecessor based on the fact that the new trailer looks better than the first film.

Amell can count on box office victory due to an extremely recognizable brand, well-known director, and popular co-stars. Will Arnett and Megan Fox return to lead the live-action cast. Arnett is, of course, of TV fame from Arrested Development (2003-2013). Fox is widely known for her numerous film roles, including the first two Transformers (2007; 2009) films, which Bay also directed. After starring in three blockbusters, Fox will likely have another hit on her hands.

Overall, fans have a lot to be excited for with the new TMNT film. June will be off with a bang, and so should Amell’s film career. Maybe this film could even convince director Zack Snyder to cast Amell in the upcoming Justice League films (2017; 2019) as the Green Arrow.



4. Ghostbusters
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Chris Hemsworth. 
In theaters: July 15th. 

Reboot + awesome cast + director Paul Feig = comedy gold in the new Ghostbusters film. Over the past several years, Feig has directed some of the funniest comedies, all starring McCarthy. This will be their fourth film together, so the bar is set high. After the success of Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), and Spy (2015), Ghostbusters should follow suit. It is hard to imagine that Ghostbusters will fail due to the popularity of the original. Thirty years later, everyone still knows who you gonna call.

Obviously, some A-list heavy hitters were casted. McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Chris Hemsworth are all household names, even though Hemsworth is not known for comedy. Funny enough, all three actors made their acting debuts on TV, with Hemsworth starting in Australian TV, and then jumped to film. This is the goal for the other two stars of the film, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.

Both McKinnon and Jones are of Saturday Night Live fame, just like Wiig. SNL has graduated many of its cast members to large film careers. With McKinnon and Jones being casted in one of the largest blockbusters of the summer, they are in a good position to kick-start promising film careers. Jones had supporting roles in many films before landing on SNL in 2014, and McKinnon has had a few supporting film roles since her SNL debut in 2012. Both actors have yet to make an impact in the film industry. Ghostbusters will likely be the continuation of their comedy, but in film as well as TV.



5. Natural Born Pranksters
Starring: YouTube stars Roman Atwood, Vitaly Z, and Dennis Roady. 
In theaters, DVD, and available via digital download: April 1st. 

The final film on my list is in time for April Fool’s Day. All the other films were in chronological order, but I saved this one for last because of the unique cast. While the stars are not on traditional TV, they are some of the most followed and viewed YouTube stars. YouTube is the world’s leading new media content provider, behind social media sites. (We can argue whether YouTube is a social media site another time.) YouTube content creators use the platform to showcase standard short videos, their own TV shows, and their own films. As YouTube continues to grow, companies are looking for ways to incorporate new stars into traditional media sources. For example, the current season of CBS’s reality competition series The Amazing Race features teams consisting of popular, new media stars.

To me, it is no surprise that Lionsgate is taking a chance on YouTube’s most followed pranksters. Roman Atwood, Vitaly Z, and Dennis Roady have amassed over three billion views for their prank videos. Their new film appears to be set up like the Jackass films where they pull off ostentatious pranks in front of unsuspecting people. Interestingly, Lionsgate is not doing a formal theatrical release for Natural Born Pranksters. The film will be in limited released on April 1st, and some theaters will only show it for one day. Lionsgate decided that the film would be most profitable if it was released across many platforms at the same time. Since the fame of the pranksters is online, the film will be released as a digital download on April 1st. It will also be released on DVD to cover the traditional ways of marketing a film.

My prediction is that Natural Born Pranksters will be the most profitable on the digital download front. With their following being online, it would make sense that the exposure will be greater through instant downloads. If the film is downloaded and seen enough, I think we will be seeing a lot more new media stars hitting the big screen. The film industry needs to keep re-innovating its content to stay fresh and attract younger audiences. Maybe YouTube stars are the key to success. For now, it will be interesting to see the response to Natural Born Pranksters and if people really enjoy them enough to purchase a download.

There are a lot of great films to look forward to in the near future. Hopefully, all the above films will do well enough to push our favorite TV actors to the next level. Keep checking back for updates on how each film and its actors are doing!

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