Super-villains, commissioners, and rock stars, oh my!

The year of 2015 has been a promising year for movies, television, and documentaries. And because summer is fast approaching, what more do we need than to plop ourselves down on the couch and settle in for endless picture shows?

This year we have been treated to the likes of the first fully authorized Kurt Cobain documentary, the first live action Suicide Squad film, and the finale of Gotham. But what do these pieces of cinematic art have in common? Not much really, other than the fact that they are insanely popular.

When it comes to super-villains being hired to carry out dangerous missions for the government, who better to call than the Suicide Squad? While only the first image of the cast in full costume and makeup has been released. The details about this movie are enough to make anyone excited.

Suicide Squad stars Will Smith, Jared Leto, Cara Delevingne, Margo Robbie, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, and list goes on and on. The comic book series turned film is being directed and written by David Ayer. Ayer is known for Fury, End of Watch, and The Fast and the Furious.

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo: David Ayer’s Twitter)

One of the biggest fans of Suicide Squad is Joel Mashburn, a junior biology major at Colorado Mesa University. “I completely geeked out when I found out they were doing a movie,” Mashburn exclaimed.

A self-proclaimed “super fan,” Mashburn has read the comic books since 2007. When it comes to the casting, he was hesitant at first. “I wasn’t sure how I felt about the cast, but after looking at some set pictures I think it will be amazing.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leto as the Joker (Photo: screenrant.com)

Suicide Squad is set to come out in 2016. The film is currently in production and filming in Toronto, Ontario.

Another villain and hero story that’s gained a lot of attention is FOX’s Gotham. The show just wrapped up its first season to the highest ratings of any scripted series.

Gotham is about what happens before Batman enters the picture. The show follows Commissioner James Gordon as he rises to a well-known public figure. The show stars Ben McKenzie as Gordon, Donal Logue, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

 

 

 

 

(Photo: flickeringmyth.com)

Mike Mylar, a collection agent in Grand Junction, CO has followed the show since its debut in September 2014.

“The show is interesting because there is not a Batman yet, he’s not the star of this show,” Mylar explained when asked what drew him to the show.

Gotham not only explores the perils of Gordon’s life, but we get to see the origins of some of the most iconic Batman villains, like the Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman.

The show doesn’t have a set release date for season 2, but one can assume that we will see more villains come to Gotham and more of young Bruce Wayne.

A documentary that has nothing to do with villains or heroes, depending on how you spin it, has graced the airwaves. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the first authorized Kurt Cobain rock doc premiered on HBO on May 4.

The documentary shows Cobain’s troubled life through the use of private journal entries, home videos, and concert footage. The rock star passed away 21 years ago in April, but his legend still lives on.

“Kurt Cobain is so important to me, and the documentary really did him justice,” Elisabeth Wallock, a senior at CSU said.

Montage of Heck was directed and produced by Brett Morgen, who had the full go ahead from Cobain’s family; including his wife Courtney Love, his daughter Frances Bean, and his mother and sister.

 

 

 

 

(Photo: variety.com)

The roc doc opened to rave reviews, including Wallock’s. “Montage of Heck didn’t glorify him, it made him real and personable, which I think is what made it great,” she said.

Check out a clip from Montage of Heck below:

Whether you’re into super-villains, commissioners, or rock stars, movies and television shows definitely delivered the best content this year. Here’s to whatever 2016 holds for us in the entertainment world.

‘Montage of Heck’ reveals Kurt Cobain’s life story

Fans of the 90s grunge music movement rejoice. A true and accurate Kurt Cobain documentary is coming our way. Montage of Heck, directed by Brett Morgen, dives deep into the secret and personal life of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.

The documentary was made over the span of eight years by Morgen with contributions from Nirvana band members, Cobain’s wife Courtney Love, and is executive produced by the pair’s 22 year-old daughter, Frances Bean Cobain.

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo: wikipedia.com)

Montage of Heck is the first fully authorized documentary on Cobain. Morgen was given access to thousands of Cobain’s personal belongings. Morgen found more than 200 hours of unreleased music, 4,000 pages of writing, art projects, and home movies that the public has never seen util now.

 

 

 

(Photo: left to right, Frances Bean Cobain, Courtney Love, Brett Morgen at the Montage of Heck premier, billboard.com)

The documentary is part live-action part animation. Cobain’s drawings and art works were turned into mini animated movies to show how the late rock star’s mind worked.

Montage of Heck premiers on HBO on May 4.

Queens come screaming to TV

Ryan Murphy, the co-creator of Glee and American Horror Story is giving us another delightful treat. Murphy has created a new show titled Scream Queens. The show will premier on Fox this September and stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, and former Glee star, Lea Michele.

Scream Queens is a tribute to the slasher movies from the 80s. The show centers around a college sorority that is being stalked by a mysterious killer. Murphy says the show is a “Heathers meets Friday the 13th” horror/comedy series.

Murphy sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss what Scream Queens has in store for us. He created the show because many viewers of American Horror Story couldn’t watch the show because it was “too scary.”

Murphy said, “It [Scream Queens] doesn’t have the gore of American Horror Story, but it certainly still has the scares.”

Curtis, the famed original “scream queen,” plays Dean Cathy Munsch. Roberts plays Chanel, the president of Kappa Sorority. Other cast members include Keke Palmer, Abigail Breslin, Ariana Grande, and Nick Jonas.

Scream Queens comes to our televisions this fall. Check out cast photos and the teaser trailer below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of ew.com, left to right: Roberts as Chanel, Curtis as Munsch, Jonas, and Breslin, Skylar Samuels, and Palmer.

The Barden Bellas are back

If you were one of the millions of people who laughed so hard they cried while watching an all-girl acapella group fail its way to success, get excited because a sequel is on its way.

Pitch Perfect 2 is singing its way into theaters this May. The film features the same cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks, and Skylar Astin, to name a few, and also features some bright new faces like Hailee Steinfeld.

The sequel comes after the 2012 box office smash that follows Beca, played by Kendrick, into the world of collegiate acapella competitions. Beca starts off as a loner who doesn’t really care about school or singing. But with the help of some wacky characters, joins the Barden Bellas and wins the ultimate acapella competition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo: wikipedia)

Pitch Perfect 2 takes the same characters across the world to up their competition. The Bellas enter a worldwide championship and go up against other groups that have much more talent and experience.

The film comes out May 15.

Classic slasher franchise makes it way to television

The ultimate slasher/comedy flick, Scream, is becoming a television series. The 1996 movie followed teenager Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, as her town is savagely terrorized by a mass murderer dressed in a “ghost face” costume.

The film generated so much success that three other movies were made, with the last one, Scream 4, premiering in 2011.

Rumors have been running wild on the Internet over whether or not the Scream franchise would get green lit for a television show. Well now we can rest easy. MTV has filmed the first season of Scream and it’s set to premiere June 30, 2015.

 

 

 

 

(Photo: MTV.com)

While there is not much known about the show’s plot, executive producer Harvey Weinstein assures that there are moments reminiscent of the original film.

The Scream trailer shows that the killers may not be carrying on the tradition of the “ghost face” mask. The iconic costume from the films may have been cut from the series, but time will tell.

Check out the trailer below:

 

Orange Is the New Black returns for season 3

The beloved and hilarious Netflix original series about a woman living out a drug sentence in prison is returning this summer for its third season.

Orange is the New Black welcomes the return of Piper Chapman, Alex Vause, Crazy Eyes, and badass Red in the new season.

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo: eonline.com)

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, here’s the rundown:

Piper Chapman was once in a lesbian relationship with Alex Vause who was also into drug smuggling. Piper gets caught up in the drug smuggling and when Alex eventually gets caught, she sells Piper out. This leads to not only Alex’s sentence, but Piper receiving one as well.

The pair are shipped off to Litchfield Correctional Institution where they encounter a bunch of other wacky characters.

Orange is the New Black is based on a real-life story “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison” written by Piper Kerman. The show follows Piper’s tribulations through prison.

The show received 12 Emmy Award nominations last summer and has the chops to nab even more next year.

Orange is the New Black premieres on Netflix June 6.

Mental Illness Brings on the Jokes and the Emotions

The Road Within explores the complexities of mental illness in the new indie dramedy. The film is a remake of Vincent Wants to Sea. A German film directed by Ralf Huettner.

The film stars Irish actor Robert Sheehan, Zoe Kravitz, daughter of Lenny, and Dev Patel. The three stars depict twentysomethings who are dealing with various mental illnesses. Sheehan suffers from Tourettes, Kravitz deals with anorexia, and Patel as an obsessive-compulsive germaphobe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo: nylon.com)

“The Road Within” is the directorial debut of Gren Wells, a producer/actress/writer. Wells goes for the nitty gritty in this film and focuses on the ever-changing personalities of the characters.

The film also hit close to home for one of the actors. Kravitz told Complex,“You could see my rib cage. I was just trying to lose more weight for the film but I couldn’t see: You’re there. Stop. It was scary.”

Kravitz also explained,”[Now] I feel like something has left my body, like some part of me is gone now, something that was making me so insecure. And it feels amazing.”

The film’s release date is set for April 17, 2015. Check out the trailer below.

Jon Stewart’s replacement has been named

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart has found the replacement to fill Stewart’s absence. That replacement is 31-year-old Trevor Noah. Noah is a comedian that hails from South Africa who speaks six different languages and is bi-racial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo: nytimes.com)

This isn’t the first time Noah has been on The Daily Show. He has appeared on the show three times in the past as a correspondent. Stewart has nothing but kind words for Noah. “I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor. He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with,” Stewart said in a statement.

Comedy Central president, Michele Ganeless, said in an interview, “You don’t hope to find the next Jon Stewart – there is no next Jon Stewart. So, our goal was to find someone who brings something really exciting and new and different.”

Noah’s new promotion on The Daily Show is unexpected because of his lack of visibility in the states. However, his comedic stand-up shows proves that he has the chops to make it on Comedy Central.

Zoolander makes a comeback on the Paris runway

Derek Zoolander and Hansel, played by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, stormed the catwalk at the Valentino Spring/Summer 2015 showcase. The stunt caused a ruckus around the world as the duo announced that Zoolander would indeed be getting a sequel.

Zoolander is about a male model who is brainwashed by a powerful fashion designer, played by Will Ferrell, to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Sounds stupid? Sure. But is it funny? Hell yes.

Zoolander is a parody on the entertainment world as it portrays models as daft and brainless, designers as evil, and journalists as money hungry. The film is a comedy that keeps the ball rolling.

All we know so far is that the film while see Stiller and Wilson reprise their roles, Stiller will direct again, and the script is being written Justin Theroux.

The film, which was released in 2001, was written, directed, and starred in by Bent Stiller. 15 years later, we are all seeing our dreams turn into reality. Zoolander 2 just began production and is set to come out for a 2016 release date.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams team up for ‘Southpaw’

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the movie Southpaw as a boxer whose life falls apart in a matter of seconds. Gyllenhall plays Billy “The Great” Hope who is married to McAdams. In a tragic turn of events, his wife is gunned down and the state is fighting for custody over their young daughter.

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo: usmagazine.com)

Southpaw is directed by Antoine Fuqua, known for his work on movies like Training Day, Olympus Has Fallen, and Shooter. The film also stars Curtis Jackson, better known as rapper 50 Cent.

Jackson has begun to make a name for himself in the film industry. He has roles in films like Twelve as a drug dealer, a football player who is diagnosed with cancer in All Things Fall Apart and Freelancers opposite Robert de Niro and Forest Whitaker.

Southpaw gives a gripping look into the life of a boxer struggling to cope with the murder of his wife while losing his only child to the government. The screenplay was written by Kurt Sutter who has credits like Sons of Anarchy and The Shield under his belt.

The film is being written, produced, directed, and acted by some of the best in the industry. Southpaw is set to come out later this year.