Player 2

Try not to cry....

The Willow Maid - Erutan

'The Willow Maid' - original song © 2009 Erutan/Kate Covington. From her debut album, "Raindancer". Song inspired by the tree sprites of Celtic Mythology.

Animated Short: "Nobody Nose Cleopatra"

Nobody Nose Cleopatra

Queen Cleopatra has a problem. Nobody can draw her nose to her satisfaction. Ahmes, an apprentice painter used to menial chores, is asked to take the master’s painting to the queen. At the palace, his troubles begin. The corridors resound with the screams of those who have disappointed Cleopatra in the past! This animated short film was completed while at Graduation Film School: ISART DIGITAL, the Video Game and 3D Animation/VFX School.

Trailer for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

KING ARTHUR: LEGEND of the SWORD

Charlie Hunnam stars in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, directed by Guy Ritchie - in theaters May 12, 2017.

Acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to the epic fantasy action adventure “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.” Starring Charlie Hunnam in the title role, the film is an iconoclastic take on the classic Excalibur myth, tracing Arthur’s journey from the streets to the throne.

When the child Arthur’s father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur’s uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy…whether he likes it or not.

Trailer for 'Deadpool 2'

D E A D P O O L   2

The unorthodox trailer for “Deadpool 2” has our somewhat indifferent superhero taking too long to change into his superhero garb to help thwart a mugging and ends with a comedic fine print summary of Ernest Hemingway’s classic, “The Old Man and the Sea”…

Return to Middle-earth to bash more orcs!

Bash orcs and even a Balrog!

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Presenting the official announcement trailer for Middle-earth: Shadow of War, available August 22, 2017.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War™ is the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor™, winner of more than 50 industry awards, including 2015 Game Developers Choice Awards’ Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming at the 2015 D.I.C.E. Awards and the BAFTA for Game Design. In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, players wield a new Ring of Power and confront the deadliest of enemies, including Sauron and his Nazgul, in a monumental battle for Middle-earth. The open-world RPG is brought to life through the expansion of the award-winning Nemesis System. The robust personalization from the first game is now applied to the entire world where the environments and characters are all shaped by player actions and decisions, creating a personal world unique to every gameplay experience.

http://www.shadowofwar.com

First Look at Disney XD’s New ‘DuckTales’

Disney's DuckTales

Here’s a first look at the all-new DuckTales series premiering this summer on Disney XD. The series stars David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck; Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan as the voices of Huey, Dewey and Louie, respectively; Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack; Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack and Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley, and will follow the epic family of ducks on their high-flying adventures around the world.

Anime trailer for "Mary and the Witch's Flower"

Mary and the Witch's Flower

This is an upcoming Japanese anime fantasy film directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and produced by Studio Ponoc, based on The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart. This is Studio Ponoc's first feature film. The film tells a story of a young girl named Mary who discovers that she has a mysterious power to become a witch which lasts for one night only.
Release Date: 7/8/2017 (Saturday). 
Roadshow Official Site:http://www.maryflower.jp 
(C) "Mary and the Witch's Flower" Production Committe.

Learn X-23's origin before you see 'Logan'

The Secret Origin of X-23

A top-secret program is tasked to replicate the original Weapon X experiment that bonded adamantium to the skeleton of Wolverine. The project is taken in a new direction: Dr. Martin Sutter recruits renowned mutant geneticist Dr. Sarah Kinney to develop a clone of Wolverine. Also on the team is Sutter's protege, Dr. Zander Rice, who was raised by Sutter after his father was killed by the original Weapon X.

Since the only genetic sample from Weapon X is damaged, Kinney is unable to salvage the Y chromosome. Kinney proposes the creation of a female genetic twin. Her request is denied; Rice is opposed to the idea. After 22 failed attempts at reconstituting the DNA using a duplicate X chromosome, the 23rd sample yields a viable sample to combine with an embryo. Although Kinney is allowed to proceed, Rice exacts revenge for her insubordination by forcing her to act as the surrogate mother of the specimen. For nine months, Kinney's every move is monitored. Finally, she gives birth to "X-23".

After seven years, Rice subjects X-23 to radiation poisoning in order to activate her mutant gene. He extracts her claws, coats them with adamantium, and reinserts them back into her hands and feet – a procedure performed without affording the child any anesthetic. Rice creates a "trigger scent" that drives X-23 into a murderous rage when she detects it. X-23 is then trained to be a hired assassin, ordered to kill "anyone ... everyone ... for a price."

Kinney's niece Megan is abducted by a serial killer; she smuggles X-23 out of the facility to rescue her. X-23 tracks the abductor to his apartment, kills him, and frees Megan. Kinney is fired when she returns and is escorted off the base. Shortly thereafter, Rice assigns X-23 to eliminate Sutter and his family. He orders her to keep it secret. X-23 reveals to Sarah that Rice is responsible for the murders. Before Kinney leaves, Rice reveals a chamber containing the incubation pods for subjects X-24 through X-50.

Kinney drafts a letter to her daughter, assigning her a final mission: destroy the pods and kill Rice. X-23 succeeds and meets her mother, and they prepare to flee. However, prior to his death, Rice exposed Kinney to the trigger scent. X-23 goes into a murderous frenzy and kills her mother. As she lies dying, Kinney tells X-23 that her name is Laura and that she loves her, and hands her the letter and pictures of Charles Xavier, Wolverine, and the Xavier Institute.

Alien: Covenant - "The Last Supper"

ALIEN: COVENANT

The official prologue to Alien: Covenant introduces the crew of the mission as they gather for a final meal before entering cryosleep.

Set aboard the Covenant, a colonization ship on its way to a remote planet to form a new human settlement, the main crew (all couples) and their android, Walter, enjoy their final meal together before cryosleep.
Conceived by Ridley Scott and 3AM, directed by Luke Scott, and produced by RSA Films.

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with ALIEN: COVENANT, a new chapter in his groundbreaking ALIEN franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

In Theaters - May 19, 2017

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby

Genndy Tartakovsky on returning 12 years later...

Samurai Jack's Darker Season 5

[Source: Yahoo!News] Jack is a haunted man. He hides beneath abandoned ruins, cowering from the pelting rain as enemies search to claim his head. An apparition in the guise of his former self taunts, “How long can you keep this up?… There’s no way home, there’s nothing to fight for.” It’s a stark contrast to the flamboyant villain he faces in a previous episode, frolicking around and saying “babe” too many times.

“That’s my sensibility,” Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky tells EW, laughing. “I walk the line, you know, Bug’s Bunny and film noir.”

Jack is indeed back in Samurai Jack season 5, premiering next month — and it’s been a long, torturous wait for fans. More than 12 years ago, the vivid cartoon series about a noble time-displaced samurai warrior and his fight with the shapeshifting demon Aku abruptly capped four seasons with an open-ended finale.

“I didn’t know if I should finish it,” Tartakovsky reflects. “Nobody told me if I should finish it. I didn’t know if we were gonna do more. I was burnt out to a crisp, and the whole crew was. It’s a very grueling show. As much as we all loved it, it was challenging, and on top of everything, we just got Star Wars: The Clone Wars to do. So I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m gonna bust out a giant finale and end Jack’s story however way it’s gonna end, figure all that out, and do Clone Wars on top of that.'”

Tartakovsky served as director and executive producer on the Star Wars animated series, but he hoped to revisit Samurai Jack six months or so after the fact. Pretty soon everything changed as Cartoon Network revamped its programming blocks, and that plan was no longer a reality. 

“Cartoon Network, they loved the show, but maybe it was ahead of its time a little bit?” he says. “They didn’t know what to do with it exactly, and also they were still figuring themselves out as a network back then. They were going through their first big transition and they always moved it around — we never felt like we got the audience that we could’ve had.”

It wasn’t until Samurai Jack left the air for good that the show developed a cult following, especially among artists inspired by its bold, picturesque animation. “It took me a little by surprise, to this day,” Tartakovsky says. “You know, I don’t sense it because we [as animators] are pretty sequestered.”

Over the years, Tartakovsky would go on to direct the Hotel Transylvania films and work on shows like Sym-Bionic Titan, but there was hope for Samurai Jack to return as a film. “Jack will come back,” he promised in 2006. The following year, a film was announced with the launch of the indie film production company Frederator Films. The project didn’t come to fruition by 2012, but Tartakowsky said he would keep “trying so hard every year” to make it happen.

Meanwhile, the adventures of Jack were continuing in comic book form, but Tartakovsky confirms they are not canon. “The comics, I really didn’t want them to go into a territory where they were gonna finish the story their way. I think that was wrong of them to do that,” he remarks. “So, it’s not canon, it’s not part of my Jack universe — and I know some people like them, but the show is the show and that should be, that’s what the truth is.”

Because of all the hangups with the film, the creator got the idea to finish out the story where it all began: on television. As he said in a featurette for season 5, he shot an email to Mike Lazzo, vice president of programming at Cartoon Network, and the project was finally green-lit.

Season 5, which began production at the tail end of 2015, was initially planned for a fall 2016 premiere, but Tartakovsky said a mixture of “bookkeeping” and scheduling issues pushed the date a few months. “I was really nervous because we were going too fast and I didn’t think we were gonna be able to hit those dates,” he recalls. “Initially they talked about showing five [episodes] and then waiting two months and showing another five.”

That brings us up to date, where fans are less than a month away from Samurai Jack‘s return, with the first of 10 new episodes kicking off on Adult Swim March 11 at 11:00 p.m. ET. It’s been 50 years since the season 4 finale, and Jack is still trapped in the future. He can’t age and, as glimpsed in the trailer, he’s plagued with memories of the family he can’t return to.

“The biggest thing that we were able to take advantage of is more of a mature style of storytelling, [though] Jack never pandered to really tiny kids anyway,” Tartakovsky explains of the “darker tone” of the story. “But at the same time the most exciting things [are] we get to dive into the madness of Jack right now and where he’s at and that he’s really lost hope and he’s just miserable and that kind of psychosis.”

There’s a lot of blood, new villains, a new motorcycle and armor for Jack, and more surprises Tartakovsky doesn’t want to get into before the premiere. But the show’s mastermind teases, “It’s something that I wanted to do in animation and I don’t think it’s ever been done to this level or the level that I’m hoping that we’re doing it.”

More importantly, Jack has a conclusion — 12 years in the making. “This is it. This is the definitive end, and it’s a great end,” Tartakovsky says. “I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve storyboarded it, and I think it’s super satisfying, and it should close the door for me for Samurai Jack.

However, he wouldn’t object if someone wanted to fill in the gaps. “Now, look, there’s 50 years between season 4 and season 5,” says Tartakovsky, “and if somebody wanted to jump in and do some stories in between, but for me this is the end.”

And the Academy Award goes to...

Best Animated Short
Bling Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
WINNER: Piper


Best Animated Feature
Kubo and The Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
WINNER: Zootopia

Bill Paxton dies at age 61

BILL PAXTON

 (May 17, 1955 - February 25, 2017)

[Source: Yahoo!News] Actor Bill Paxton died due to complications from surgery, PEOPLE confirms.

“It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery,” a family representative said in a statement. “A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker. Bill’s passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable. We ask to please respect the family’s wish for privacy as they mourn the loss of their adored husband and father.”

The Texas native, who was nominated for an Emmy for his work in the TV mini-series Hatfields and McCoys, began acting in the 1970s. His earliest acting credits include minor roles in blockbusters such as Terminator (1984) and Aliens (1986).

Paxton’s fame rose in the 1990s thanks to roles such as Morgan Earp in Tombstone (1993), Fred Haise in Apollo 13 (1995), the lead role in the 1996 hit Twister and as treasure hunter Brock Lovett in Titanic (1997).

His television credits include a lead role in HBO’s Big Love, for which he earned three Golden Globe nominations, as well as Hatfields and McCoys.

Paxton’s final big-screen role will be in the thriller The Circle, which is currently in post-production, alongside Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. Paxton said in a 2007 interview with PEOPLE that he and Hanks kept in touch after costarring in Apollo 13 — and Hanks was an executive producer of Big Love.

“We write each other letters,” said Paxton. “I love that I’m working for Tom again. forged an alliance.”

The actor is survived by his two children, James and Lydia Paxton, and his wife of 30 years Louise Newbury.

Paxton’s son was recently tapped to join the actor in his new CBS drama.

“I was thrilled to have my son guest-star on the eighth episode of Training Day,” Paxton told PEOPLE earlier this month. “He plays the son in a father-son robbery team, and my character, whose dad was also a criminal, tells him, ‘We’re both our father’s sons, but that doesn’t have to define us.’ It was surreal saying that to him.”

Paxton was starring with Justin Cornwell in the new cop drama Training Day, which picks up 15 years after the 2001 Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke film of the same name.

Paxton also spoke with PEOPLE about his latest TV obsession.

“I loved watching Stranger Things with my daughter ,” he said. “But I had surgery last spring and binge-watched all of Downton Abbey while I was recuperating. I got so engrossed in it, I was devastated when I got to the end.”

At 8 years old, Paxton witnessed a speech given by President John F. Kennedy the morning of his assassination. During the 2007 AFI Dallas International Film Festival, the actor shared recently discovered photos of himself as a young boy perched on the shoulders of a man who offered him a lift so he could see the president speak n the parking lot of the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth.

Celebrity pals such as Rob Lowe, who starred alongside Paxton in the 1995 film Frank and Jesse, took to social media to mourn the loss of the veteran actor.

“Devastated by the sudden loss of my close friend and one of the finest actors in the business, Bill Paxton. Renaissance man, raconteur and uniquely American national treasure,” Lowe wrote in a series of tweets. “His filmography speaks for itself. His friendship was a blessing. My love to Bunny, James and Lydia.”

He continued, “In his memory, on this Oscar Sunday, watch ‘One False Move’ or ‘A Simple Plan’ to see this lovely leading man, at his finest.”

Every Best Animated Feature Winner Ever.

The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first handed out in 2001. Here is a look back at all the winners so far, and this year’s nominees.

ZOOTOPIA parodies the Other Oscar Nominees

OSCAR NOMINEE PARODIES

[Source: nerdist] Academy Awards hype is real with the buzz reaching all the way to… Zootopia? Even the animal kingdom can’t wait to see the latest film nominees. Everyone from elephants to emu are packing the theaters to see hits like Fantastic Cheetahs and Where to Find them, Hogsaw Ridge, you know, the big ones.

Disney’s Zootopia fans like me couldn’t wait to get their hands on the movie so that they could pause the film at the exact moment when Duke Weaselton was hawking hot DVDs on the street corner. It meant that we could get a closer look at parody bootleg movies like Wreck-It Rhino and Pig Hero 6.

Luckily, the creators are just as fanatical about Disney parodies and just released 7 posters parodying the Oscars. Who wouldn’t want to see La La Lamb? A musical set amongst the wilds of Zootopia where Ryan Foxling and Emu Stone fall in love? I wonder if there’s a part for John Lemming in this movie?

The Hollywood Reporter debuted these with directors Rich Moore and Byron Howard, and screenwriter Jared Bush, who created the awesome homages for Oh My Disney. The team continually enjoys creating a world for the Zootopia characters even a year after the movie’s initial release. Fans feel the same way, with Zootopia cosplay and fanart being stronger than ever.

It’s the attention to detail that made Zootopia great and these posters are no exception. They’ve not only included funny tongue-in-cheek taglines for each poster but also thought up creative animalized versions of the actors’ names. I think Meryl Squeek and Shrew Grant would agree thatall of these parodies are movies we’d actually want to see.

Check out the rest of the Zootopia parody posters in the gallery below.

KATSUCON 2017 COSPLAY

Check out the talented cosplayers at KATSUCON 2017.

'Young Han Solo' Cast Photo

HAN SOLO PREQUEL

[Source: SyfyWire] Work is officially underway on Disney's new Han Solo prequel, and we have a shot of the cast hanging out in the Millennium Falcon to prove it.

The spinoff project will focus on the early days of Han and Chewbacca in the years before Star Wars: A New Hope, and will also feature their early meetings with Han's pal Lando Calrissian.

Little is known about the plot, though Woody Harrelson will apparently be playing Han's mentor, while Emilia Clarke will be the female lead (possibly a love interest) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge might be playing a female droid. Story-wise, they've kept it all under wraps for now.

The first pic from the set shows clockwise from bottom left: co-director Christopher Miller, stars Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo), Emilia Clarke, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, co-director Phil Lord and Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian).

Glover and Ehrenreich are talented guys, but they also have some big shoes to fill. It'll be interesting to see how this comes together.

The Han Solo film is currently scheduled for May 25, 2018.

Belle sings from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast'

Beauty and the Beast

Meet Belle in this new clip form Disney's Beauty and the Beast, in theatres in 3D March 17!

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)

TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT

Christina Ricci, Miguel Ferrer, Taissa Farmiga, and Jake T. Austin voice this upcoming DC animated film. Led by Starfire, the Teen Titans – Beast Boy, Raven, Blue Beetle, Robin and the just-returned Nightwing – have built a cohesive team in their never-ending battle against evil but their newest teammate, the mysterious, and powerful, Terra, may be altering that dynamic. Meanwhile, an ancient evil – Brother Blood – has awakened, and familiar foe Deathstroke is lurking in the shadows, both waiting to pounce. Ultimately, the Teen Titans will need to battle their enemies and their own internal doubts to come together and overcome the malicious forces around them in this twisting tale of intrigue, adventure and deception.

"The Present" Short Animation by Jacob Frey

T H E   P R E S E N T

CBS Sunday Morning presented this exceptional short animation film on 5/8/16. Its approximately 3:30 and so well worth watch. I don't want to give anything away but get your Kleen-X ready at the end. Jacob Frey is a German film maker who recently received a job with Disney. If this animation short is an indication of his talent, he'd better dust off his mantle for his first Oscar award.