The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 54: Squabble Ad Infinitum -or- How I learned to love a mad Titan

What's up, 'Combies! The time has come. A moment 10 years in the making. Avengers: Infinity War has arrived and it wasn't a subtle entrance. It was loud and boisterous, all the while breaking records and hearts. This movie is most definitely a cinematic event and it has left a major impression on everyone that's seen it. So because of that, ya' boys are going to need a little help to unpack so we called in a friend to help us out with that. So come on down, kick back, and join in the group therapy as we deal with the monumental film that just happened to all of us.

(Reminder: This is an 18+ podcast. If you ain't over 18, FIND YO' MAMMY AND TURN THIS OFF!!)

Download this episode (right click and save)

And feel free to hit up your boys on the social media!

Joe: Twitter and Instagram

Drew: Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch

Paul the Engineer: Twitter and Instagram

The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 50: This is FAR from The Last Jedi, Internet!!

Alright, 'Combies! Welcome to 2018! Not even a month in and things are all too "interesting" already. But, for our 50th episode, we're tackling something exceptionally divisive within the geek community and doesn't appear to be dying down anytime soon. With the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, there's been a wave of love and outrage over this movie that hasn't been seen since the Prequels as the fanbase is virtually split down the middle over it. (Star Wars: Civil War? Nah! Too redundant.) So now, your boys are diving into the film with a full review and in-depth discussion of it. So come on down, find out how The Last Jedi made us feel, and our take on the internet's reaction to the movie. It's gonna be a trip, y'all!

Download this episode (right click and save)

Oh and for those that actually are interested in the oddity that is the "Ugandan Knuckles" meme... ::sighs:: ...here.

And feel free to hit up your boys on the social media!

Joe: Twitter and Instagram

Drew: Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch

Paul the Engineer: Twitter and Instagram

The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 49 Part 2: Ragnarok the League!

And, here we have Part 2! That's right, you had your veggies, you finished your meat, now you get your dessert! And we've got quite the treat for you this week in the form of a pair of movie reviews! We're going to be diving into the latest entries of the big two of comic book companies' film universes; Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League! Your SPOILER WARNING has been issued, so no complainin' after we start! So come on, take a load off with ya' boys as we dive into the big 2's latest offering.  ;)

Download this episode (right click and save)

Oh, and Drew's Twitch channel? BOOM! Check it out!!

And feel free to hit up your boys on the social media!

Joe: Twitter and Instagram

Drew: Twitter and Instagram

Paul the Engineer: Twitter and Instagram

Imaginos Movie Review of "Kingsman: The Secret Service"

From the first trailer, this movie set some pretty high expectations and with a cast sporting the likes of Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Caine, one could surely see why.

“Kingsman” centers on a secret intelligence organization devoted to maintaining the world’s peace and security without the bureaucracy that hinders and tarnishes the priorities of the rest of the world’s security organizations. A new threat arises and forces the Kingsmen to enact a recruitment drive to bolster their ranks. This results in the recruitment of one of the protagonists, the rough around the edges Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) by Harry Hart (Colin Firth), one of Kingsman’s top agents. But the trick comes about in the form of the billionaire philanthropist Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) and his mysterious plan to “save the world”.

                         

Based on the comic book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, this is certainly not your traditional comic book movie. But anyone that has seen any of the previous film adaptations of Mark Millar’s comics can safely expect a number of things from them; wit, cultural commentary and ludicrous amounts of violence. And while I haven’t read the comics to be able to compare it to its source material, this film does not dissappoint when stacked against its predecessors.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Director on “Kick-Ass” and “X-Men: First Class” and Co-Producer on “Kick-Ass 2”) and co-written by himself and frequent collaborator Jane Goldsman (Co-Writer on “Kick-Ass” and “X-Men: First Class”), the film has that secondary production familiarity to it as well as being another Mark Millar property. However, it’s not just a fun, funny and raucous romp meant to recapture the fun and absurdity of the classic spy films of old, there’s also a surprising humanity to it as well, on the sides of both the protagonists and the antagonists. And couple that with plot twists and turns galore, it’s sure to be a fun day at the movies for everyone that goes to see it. (I’ve seen it twice!  :D) But remember that it is R-rated, so don’t expect this to be a comic book movie that you can take the kids to go see.

And don't forget that Imaginos Plus is available for digital download at DriveThru Comics for just 99 cents!
Imaginos Plus is here!!

Imaginos Movie Review: "Snowpiercer"

Though the movie came out in 2013, I only just recently got the chance to partake of the film "Snowpiercer." I'm not normally the type of person to just buy a movie without having seen it first, but honestly, hearing the plot of the movie and the way so many of my friends spoke so highly of it (and these are opinions that I actually trust, mind you), I took the leap and bought it. And now, after having finally seen it, I don't regret the purchase in the slightest.  :)

"Snowpiercer," despite its majority English-speaking and American cast, is actually a Korean Science-Fiction film that is actually based on the French graphic novel series "Le Transperceneige." Now, based on that kind of lineage, you can imagine that the film either diverts heavily from American cinema sensibilities or ends up heavily catering to American sensibilities due to other nation's public perception of viewing films more highly as an art form. In this case, if you bet on the latter, then you'd actually lose.

For those that haven't heard of it, the film takes place in a future where the planet has frozen over due to a failed attempt to offset global warming, and an eccentric industrialist's fantasy project of a globe-spanning train system becomes humanity's only hope of avoiding extinction. The last remnants of humanity have been living on the train "Snowpiercer" for over 17 years and the story focuses on a specific event in the lives of the survivors in the rear of the train as they suffer the eventuality of an oppressive class system.

The most interesting part about the movie is that rather than focusing on creating a wide and varied view of life on the train, it actually keeps its focus purely on the group at the back and allows you to discover the real "diversity" of life on the train along with them. With a surprising cast with names like Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton and Ed Harris, the characters aboard the train range drastically and aren't as clear cut as you might expect as life on the train has had surprising effects on them all. And its non-blockbuster approach to telling this story truly sets it apart from other post-apocalyptic/disaster films.

The only unfortunate part of this movie is that it did so poorly in the box office. This might be due to the fact that it's not your traditional sci-fi movie, like I've previously mentioned. So if you're interested in an incredible film that bucks a significant number of traditional tropes in American cinema and thus produces a movie that is easily set to be a cult classic for movie loving audiences, check out "Snowpiercer"!

-Joe Cain

Imaginos Movie Review: "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Review by Joseph Young

            Guardians of the Galaxy was amazing.  I’d love to just leave it at that and call it a day, but I can’t in good conscience do that to you guys.  This movie left very little to be desired and those are only nit picks on my part, one of which is that I wish it was just a bit longer. "Guardians" had me laughing and overall completely engaged, but when the backstories came out for the individual characters, things got serious.  It's hard to pull off that kind of blend in a movie and another to bounce back and forth with it and still make you feel like your not missing a thing, and this movie kills it in that regard, but in a good way.

            The characters were on point too; Star Lord was funny as hell he always had a one liner or some remark to make, even when the dude is being heroic and does something right, he has to pop off a joke or something.  The guy is all about the 80s, I was sitting there in the theater and I was actually able to count off the number of references at one point.  All that said, Star Lord is easily the most fleshed out character in the movie, it starts with him and we do see a lot of growth in him threw out the movie.

Gamora…wow, this chick should have her own movie. I mean, every character gets screen time and they all get a backstory and all get treated fair in that regard, but there are some characters that I wanted to see more of, problem being that a single movie would not allow for that.  Rocket, yes the raccoon with the gun, this guy was a scene stealer throughout the whole movie. Every scene he was in, it was either funny as hell or emotional, and that's really a tough call because Peter Quill (Star Lord) was exactly the same way. But Rocket stole the show for me, I walked out of the theater a Big fan of that raccoon.

 

            This movie was very much "Avengers" meets "Firefly". You have an ensemble crew that shouldn’t work well together but does oh so well, you have a space ship and a galaxy to go and make trouble in, and there's even a point in the trailer where you get the feeling that while these guys are the good guys, they aren’t against taking the odd or slightly illegal job to keep on doing what they do.  My one gripe is that the movie ended too soon and that I wanted to see more of the characters and the world they are in and that's how a movie is supposed to be done.

The Imaginos Movie Review: 47 Ronin (Potentially Spoiler-ish)

 Written by Joseph Young

 Edited by J. Albert Cain

A few weeks ago, I went to go see "47 Ronin" in theaters with a fellow imaginos member and thought this movie is sweet as hell,. 2 thumbs up! Then I went to go read the 313 year old true story that the movie was based off of.  I can honestly say that the movie held to its roots very well, though it did make some choices that ...let's say "color" the story a bit.  Because the story is true or mostly true in this case, there are few plot holes, if any, that I can find, though the changes that were made are something to talk about.

::Editor's Note: This is actually a hella spoiler-ific review. So yeah, beware if you want to see this movie in the near future and care about spoilers.::

The Imaginos Double Feature (Spoiler-Free Movie Reviews): "The Wolverine" and "The World's End"

Well, the summer movie season's come to an end but that doesn't mean that there aren't still some flicks worth seeing (depending on your perspective). This time around, we'll be looking at two highly anticipated "sequels" and we'll go into the "whys" of that as well.

First up is the latest "sequel" to Fox's X-Men franchise, "The Wolverine". Now, after the utter disaster that was "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (this is my personal opinion, but I've met people that actually liked it... somehow), Fox decided to change directions, so after doing "X-Men: First Class" (and to maintain their license on the X-Men property), they went back to Logan for another solo romp inspired by some of the character's most popular stories. This time, they took him to Japan in a story inspired by the character's history with the country and culture but placed timeline-wise after the events of X-Men 3.

The story centers on Logan as he's returned to seclusion while still reeling for the death of Jean Grey in X-Men 3. He's sought out by an associate of someone from his days in World War II; a dying soldier whose life that he saved has sought him out, wishing to return the favor. Unfortunately, things get even more complicated as the soldier's granddaughter is targeted for death and the mysteries continue to build as Logan's healing factor inexplicably starts to fail.

Now, considering how much I hated the first Wolverine solo film, my expectations were extremely low when I heard about this one. Even when I started to see the cool trailers, I still can't say I was "excited" to go see it; the biggest of my "lukewarm" desires for it was "I just hope it's not as bad as the last one". And honestly... it wasn't. Like all the X-Men films, comics continuity means absolute jack, so don't go into it hoping for that. Some comics fans will recognize many of the characters, but trust me, don't go see it for that. But just as a story/film, it was actually quite good. The action was exciting and well done, there's significant character development (there could've been more, in my opinion, but oh well) and there was a more honest sense of continuity. For action lovers and fans of the X-Men films, this definitely is not a film to miss! For the more casual movie-goer, it's not a terrible way to spend an afternoon.

 

Now, this is definitely one of the films that I personally was looking forward to all summer! As a fan of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, I've been anxiously awaiting the finale to the trio's "Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy" and I'll go ahead and say it now... it did not disappoint.  :D

As the trailers imply, Gary (Simon Pegg) attempts to pull his more successful and responsible childhood friends (played by Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Martin Freeman and Paddy Considine) back together for an epic, 12 pub crawl (dubbed the "Golden Mile") in their hometown that they failed to finish in their youth. And despite the inherent difficulties in gaining momentum, things start to escalate as their homecoming goes from odd to weird to, in the ever-repeated words of Oliver (Martin Freeman's character), W-T-F.

The boys did their diligence with this film as it's chock full of actors that have appeared in the previous two films "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" in various roles. This film actually has a little bit of everything; cameos, drinking, fighting, drinking, interpersonal conflict, drinking, character development in various forms, drinking, plot twists galore... did I mention drinking?

If you're a fan of anyone that was involved in this movie, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not seeing it. This is definitely a must-see for serious and casual movie-goers alike!

-Joe  

The Imaginos Double Feature (Spoiler-Free Movie Reviews): "This is the End" and "R.I.P.D."

Alright, gang! The summer movie season has born fruit and we're gonna let you know just how they taste! (Hey, the analogy sounded like it worked in my head, so I'm going with it.)

"This Is The End"

With the entire cast playing exaggeratedly douchey versions of themselves, the film follows Seth Rogen, Jay Barouchel, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill and Danny McBride as the attempt to whether the apocalypse. Now, as yet another entry in the Apocalypse movie craze from last year, it'd be easy to write this one off. Not to mention that this film had nothing but hilarious trailers during its initial press hype, so that automatically makes a lot of us weary as that sometimes means that all of the funniest stuff was in the trailer. Surprisingly enough, that wasn't the case.

The film is surprisingly well written and it actually has a lot of surprises to its credit. The first 20 minutes of the film alone took me by surprise, despite knowing what the movie was about. And the number of cameos by other stars of the core cast's level and above took me by surprise as well; Aziz Ansari, David Krumholtz, Paul Rudd, Emma Watson, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Channing Tatum to name a few  and you all will likely be able to name even more after watching it (Emma Watson makes some interesting appearances and let's just say I'll never be able to look at Michael Cera the same way again after this).

It's pretty clear that everyone involved was pretty cool with each other outside of the film and that everyone was very enthusiastic about and while filming it. And in my opinion, it definitely adds to the fun of the film. I'd say that if you're a fan of any of the core cast in any fashion, this movie is definitely worth checking out. I laughed my ass off and "Oh shit!"-ed on more than a few occasions. This movie is definitely more than it seems and is worth at least one viewing. Hey, an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes must count for something, right?

P.S.: If you're Catholic or another form of Christian but can't deal with humor in relation to your beliefs, this movie might not be for you. Just a warning.


"R.I.P.D. (Rest In Peace Department)"

Now, this is definitely one of those movies that is exactly what you think it is. But the thing of it is, this movie's strengths don't lie in its premise (though it's definitely high-concept and cool in its execution), it's strengths lie in the characters.

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Mary-Louise Parker and Kevin Bacon (he was a surprise for me because I never saw him in ANY of the trailers or promotions for this movie), the film centers of Reynolds and Bridges' characters (Reynolds playing a recently deceased cop and Bridges a sheriff that lived during the days of the Old West) who, in exchange for a little padding on their records when it comes time for their final "Judgement", agree to protect the world of the living from souls that slipped through the cracks. Now, there are the standard tropes to endure due to it being entrenched in the buddy-cup genre (but I'll avoid listing them off for the sake of "spoilers"), but all in all, they don't hurt the film as it makes fun of them as well.

While this film was based off of a Dark Horse comic series, I can't speak on how faithful it was because I never read the series (or heard of it, for that matter, but that's another topic for another time). But I will say that the movie was absolutely entertaining and I think that it was all thanks to the characters. And as a fan of high-concept films populated by interesting characters, I enjoyed a great deal more than I expected. "R.I.P.D." is definitely the kind of movie that fans of films like "Ghostbusters", "Men In Black" and buddy-cop comedies in general will love.


-Joe

Pacific Rim Brings The Pain......(Oh So Much Lovely Pain)

OK, myself and the Imaginos Gang went on an excursion to see Guillermo Del Torro's Mecha vs Kaiju romper-stomper Pacific Rim. As a student of Robert McKee, I found that the film did have its holes and certain pieces we could see a mile away. However, the film was very enjoyable.

It managed to transport me back to the days of Ultraman, Giant Robo and the week-long Godzilla  and Gamera marathons, particularly the venerable Godzilla dust-up DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Pacific Rim manages to keep the best of the Kaiju movie traits without giving in to the the foibles that plague the genre, such as hyper non-believability and camp. Though Del Torro decidedly based the Kaiju on the old men in rubber suits creatures of the genre, the 3D special effects more than create monsters that are scary and at times absolutely frightening. 

What I really loved about the film was the believable relationships between the various characters. The protagonists  Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) are both scarred by traumatic incidents in their lives and over time grow sympathetically close because of it. There is a father and son team of Jaeger Pilots who we get to see grow through the adversity they face. The most compelling character is by far Marshall Stacker Pentecost, portrayed by Idris Elba. Behind his focus and hard as nails demeanor is a truly compassionate soldier who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his people.  

I can relate to Del Torro's needing to make this movie. He remained true to his (and my) childhood fascination with all things Kaiju and managed to create a film that makes me not feel so bad for still getting a little bit excited at seeing and loving new Kaiju movies like the Gamera: Gaurdian of the Universe series and Godzilla: Final Wars. Pacific Rim is a thrill ride and you feel truly happy for the protagonists when all is said and done. If you haven't seen it DO SO ASAP!!!

Mark

Can't forget about the cool exec with the heart of steel! Iron Man 3 Review

With the summer movie season already kicked into high-gear and Nik's awesome review of Man of Steel, it occurred to me that we neglected to do a review of the comic book movie that kicked off this summer's blockbusters: Iron Man 3!

Since it is still in theaters and some people may still have not gotten around to seeing it, this review will be spoilers-free.

Now, after the unfortunate let-down (story-wise) of Iron Man 2, it was going to take a hell of a move on Marvel's part to get the hardcore fanbase back behind shellhead's solo films. Even the excellent casting of Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine only bolstered it slightly. Then came The Avengers and every fanboy, fangirl and casual fan alike collectively splooged themselves over Marvel Studios' franchise culmination. But then comes the inevitable question: what next?

With Marvel announcing their film production dockets in "Phases" and "Phase 2" on the way, you have to ask, "what are they going to follow The Avengers up with?" Thus, Iron Man 3 was announced and as much as the character soared in The Avengers, there wasn't quite as much excitement for a new solo adventure starring Tony Stark. So, knowing how much they were going to have to step up their game for this capper to the solo franchise that originally gave Marvel Studios a future, they not only stepped it up, but they changed it in the same swoop.

Taking on narrative more in tune with an espionage thriller/mystery, Iron Man 3 definitely stepped up with guns blazing. As Tony Stark deals with some unexpected aftershocks from what is simply being referred to as "New York" (the final battle of the The Avengers), some faces from his past and mysterious new menaces turn his world upside-down and may potentially even render Iron Man and his creator obsolete in the process.

To be honest, I was extremely hesitant about this film when it was first announced because of the bad aftertaste of Iron Man 2. But as I heard more and more about it, including the story line being inspired by the comics, I started to loosen up and get a bit more excited for it. And when I finally saw it in the theater, I was not disappointed. It was a suspenseful, emotional and action-packed thrill ride that kept you wondering from scene to scene. The characters remained engaging as each went on their own emotional journey and the action kept you at the edge of your seat. If you were to compare it to The Avengers, what Iron Man 3 lacked in scope and scale, it made up for in emotional content and suspense with just as much action. Any fan of Marvel Studios' productions will not be disappointed by the opening salvo of their "Phase 2."

And just so that I get to geek out a little (and this is actually not a spoiler because it was released months before the film as promotional material), and regardless of the clowning I'll get from the guys for this, one of my favorite armors made a significant appearance in the film. And by that I mean, the armor that Stark wore when I first started collecting Iron Man comics: the Silver Centurion! Yep, it wasn't quite on par with the nerdgasm that was the first appearance of Helicarrier and the first assembly of the team in The Avengers, but it was damn close!

Enjoy the movie, y'all! And be sure to post your comments (sans-spoilers) about it. Liked it? Disliked it? Share it in the comments!  :)

P.S.: And just so we're clear, I was actually completely okay with the so-called "twist." I thought it was damn clever and really well executed.

-Joe

Jay Anthony White's PAWN. The Joseph Cain Review.

At one point Michigan (and hopefully again soon) was an incredibly fertile ground for the film industry. Between the various films and television series that have been filmed here, the metro Detroit area has been getting a lot of great exposure, and a film was just released by a local talent that might help increase it even more.

Pawn, written by Michigan-born writer and friend of Imaginos Workshop Jay Anthony White, is a suspenseful crime drama centering on a diner robbery that escalates into an intense hostage situation. With an involving plot and an impressive list of stars (Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta and Michael Chiklis, who also produced the film), the film definitely sneaks up on you in surprising ways.

The plot is very involving and filled with interesting story-telling techniques to both establish the world and keep the audience on their toes. As is necessary from any suspense drama, there are plot twists and turns throughout the film that will keep you guessing for the majority of it. But there is also a relatable quality to the plot that will make you wonder what you would do in the given situation.

As it was the actual Red Carpet Premiere myself and Mark were able to attend at the Royal Oak Emagine theater, there were numerous local talents in attendance, as well as news coverage. It was a new experience for me and Mark, but a good one, as it was obvious that making sure this film got a Detroit premiere was very important to everyone involved.

Pawn was most definitely an entertaining film and it was also a great bonus to have been written by a local talent, so I was happy to be able to support it. As entertaining as it was, I got the impression that it didn't get a very wide release, so I’m anxious to see how it will do on DVD (because of the nature of the film, I predict it will do VERY well). If you get the chance, whether it be in theaters or on DVD, give Pawn a viewing. If you are a fan of crime dramas/thrillers, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

-Joe