Adrianne Palicki in Action As Wonder Woman With New Costume Design!

Last week the first official photo of actress Adrianne Palicki in costume as Diana Prince AKA Wonder Woman for NBC’s new Wonder Woman reboot was realest via Entertainment Weekly and it wasn’t long before the pic went viral. Well the results wasn’t exactly pleasant as a great many of the fan base wasn’t too please about the revamping of the amazonian princess’s battle attire (honestly though can it really be considered clothing of any sort when in factuality it‘s just a blue panty a red corset and a pair of boots?) the main argument about the change of look mainly dealt with the shiny bright blue latex looking pants and the changing of the boots from traditional red to matching blue.

Well it seems that someone high up must have been checking in on the forms regularly because they’ve immediately fixed what was already being considered disastrous for the reboot which is already being said by some for having one foot in the grave already. But when the production team was spotted out and about on the streets of Los Angeles this week onlookers got their first crack at seeing Adrianne in costume running up and down cars in the intersection while they filmed what I presume is a action sequence for the pilot. What caught most onlookers attention was the change in costume appearance… Well sort of that is, check out below and judge for yourself if you like the changes done…

Admittedly I wasn’t too keen about this project because the choice of actress and choice of costume design resulted in what looked like something that would have fit perfectly in a porn parody rather then a prime time slot on NBC. But after looking at this new pic I’m actually feeling kind of optimistic about the project now.

Side Note: Is it just me or does Adrianne Palicki look a little like Katy Perry in this new pic?

A Tribute To Elizabeth Taylor!

Someone once asked me; what was the definition of a true cinematic class act? To which my replay was; look no further than Elizabeth Taylor, a woman who always strived big and never failed in her goals and managed to make it look all too easy before our very eyes.

I won’t dare go into reporting what the entire world already knows, that cinematic enthusiast’s everywhere lost a great star the Hollywood skies will never see the likes of again. Instead why not celebrate the life that once was and how her triumphs both onscreen and off influenced the lives of millions all over. Most people remember her for her most memorable cinematic roles or by her personal life off screen which was always plagued with controversy. But not everyone knew that Taylor appeared in her very first motion picture at the age of nine in the 1942 black and white Universal Pictures film “There's One Born Every Minute” alongside Little Rascals’ star, Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer, the film would prove to be her only film by Universal Pictures before a falling-out which lead to allegations of rumored differences with the studio that lead to her sinning with MGM, but make no mistake “There‘s One Born Every Minute” stands as the stepping stone to her greater career. A year later she’d return to the spotlight co-starring in a small role in “Lassie Come Home” a film that would prove to be a blockbuster success of it’s time, she would later appear with her fellow Lassie Come Home Co-star Donald Crisp in the film “National Velvet” a film that also starred a young Mickey Rooney and Angela Lansbury. Afterward she’d return to the Lassie franchise in a entirely new role but this time as the leading human star in “Courage of Lassie”.

Taylor would continue her path to stardom with a slew of classic films in which some she’d play the lead and others the co-star. Then in 1950 she’d go on to shine in the classic comedy “Father of the Bride” a film that would prove to be so successful that a sequel was immediately spawn the following year called “Father's Little Dividend”. by this time she had rose to being a name to be reckoned with in the business and had gone on to appear in a array of films following the years, but in 1963 she would go on to playing her biggest role yet. She went on to play the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt in “Cleopatra” alongside some memorable classics which included her then soon to be husband, Richard Burton, and actor Martin Landau and Roddy McDowall. Many will also remember her for being a captain of industry having invested in multiple jewelry and perfume lines and having developed a line of jewelry and perfumes of her own.

Taylor’s career was filled with a great many achievements, but those achievements didn’t come without it’s fair share of baggage. She had a troublesome road of rocky marriages over the years that drove the press into a crazed feeding frenzy of gossip and rumors that soon captivated folks everywhere, but like a true star she’d always bounce back without skipping a beat because that was the type of elegance and grace she commanded in both show business and her personal life. People who knew her personally have said over the years that she was the type of person who carried the kind of attitude towards people that if she liked you, then she was your friend and there was no ifs or buts about it. You where stuck with her friendship no matter what firestorm would hit you because that was the type of loyalty she had for those she called friend, after developing a close friendship with singer Michael Jackson she proved her loyalty by being one of the very few stars who stood by his side during his trials of child abuse allegations to which Jackson was found not guilty on all accounts. Later she attended Michael Jackson's private funeral on September 3, 2009. remaining a true friend to him in the end. But her biggest attributes was none other then her devotion to her causes.

She’d been a major activist and humanitarian towards the fight against HIV and AIDS. Her advocacy efforts and funding to HIV and AIDS-related projects and charities proved to be inspiring, she was also one of the very first celebrities who stood up as a champion for those with the disease long before anyone in the business wanted to associate themselves with it, she spent decades holding fund raisers to get proper funding and confront the discrimination of those with the disease and fought to expand research, treatment access, much proper education on the disease, and government funding to find a cure.

In hindsight Elizabeth Taylor is a true class act who’s legacy will no doubt stands the test of time as a legends in the industry and in life and will serve as inspiration to young women all over that no matter what some might think of you, or what they might say you can or cannot do, as long as you stand your ground and remain true to yourself and those around you anything is possible… the skies the limits.

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor

February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011
R.I.P.

Entertainment Weekly Unveils New Wonder Woman!

The 70’s was a time for women’s empowerment, women everywhere were rebelling from past old traditions and rising up for themselves and no longer hiding behind the shadows of men. One of the greatest things to help the movement pave that way for women to feel in power but remain as sexy as ever was television. Women were in the lead everywhere and showing they were not fragile as some would think. Shows like Charlie’s Angles, and The Bionic Women would no doubt show as a shinning example to these accomplishments. But for some it was seeing the talented and beautiful donning the battle armor of the legendary Amazonian princess! Yes folks I speak of none other then WONDER WOMAN! For years many have attempted to revive the character in the live action medium and with that a slew of actresses have tried to lasso themselves the title role, and many have come close to doing just that, but it would seem that the role was cursed since Lynda Carter’s popular portrayal of the DC comic’s heroine. Even legendary Buffy The Vampire Slayer Creator, Joss Whedon had been at one point in time attached to birthing the character back onto the big screen but nothing successful had arise from it.

That is until NBC decided to step up and take the series away from the silver screen and back to it’s original fame and glory days of television with the reboot of the classic 1970s series. No word as of yet as to when the series will premier other then sometime in the fall of 2011. At the current moment there isn’t much to follow on about the show other then it’s cast which includes some notable good talents and Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) portraying Diana Prince AKA Wonder Woman! But wait! There’s more!!! Entertainment Weekly landed themselves a sweet exclusive on the upcoming project in the form of a the first exclusive picture of the young starlet in the official outfit!



The show is being helmed by “The Event” Creator Jeffrey Reiner and written by “Harry's Law” writer David E. Kelley. And will star Adrianne Palicki, Cary Elwes, Tracie Thoms, Elizabeth Hurley, Pedro Pascal Brett Tucker. According to EW “NBC promises the project, if picked up to series, will offer a serious, non-campy take on the DC Comics” theirs is no word as to what the plot will follow or if any other notable characters from the comic will make an appearing in the project as of yet but if this show does get picked up for the fall line up I’m sure more news regarding this will suffice. To read more on this news read the article on EW.com to read up more on this.

Side Note: I don’t mean to be a cynic here, I really don’t because I’m just as big a fan of superhero shows as the next guy but, is it just me or does NBC have too bad of a track record with superhero shows for this to have any chance in being successful? That. On top of the fact that this first Wonder Woman image makes her look like a porn star auditioning for her latest hit.

Red Dawn Remake Get's a China to North Korea Villain shift!

As a fan of the original I can tell you now that the RED DOWN remake is on the very bottom of my list because it’s completely and utterly unwarranted and unwanted. (And anyone who disagrees can suck it) I don’t care what anyone says, there isn’t a single person on the damn planet that can fill the shoes of Patrick Swayze, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey and Charlie “Duh, Winning!” Sheen. They just were the perfect cast for the perfect setting. The 80’s were indeed no doubt a high tide moment for the cold war which is what made the film’s setting work, this remake’s modern day setting with China being the occupiers over the US just sounds ridiculously cheesy (No I am not under China‘s payroll for saying that, I’m just stating a fact here how ridiculous that sounds, I mean why would they invade/occupy the US when they already own much of our debt to begin with?).

Anyway, it’s no secret that China is displeased with the choice of villains in the film and who wouldn’t when they’re being depicted as villains before an entire movie going audience (Let‘s face it, even the Russians weren’t too keen with the original for the way they were depicted onscreen, but it‘s okay because we won the cold war… right? Right?) Well I’m not insinuating anything but perhaps some high ups realized that demonizing China might alienating their upcoming multi million dollar film from most of the Asian market and has since then changed the main villains from China to, get this… North Korea! Yeah you read right, and I’m sure somewhere in Pyongyang an ailing Kim Jong Il is reading news of this and jumping up an down thinking this means the rest of the world will take him more seriously. But I digress, it seems that Ain't It Cool News received an email by the project’s producer Tripp Vinson whom explains why the sudden villain shift which ultimately shifted the film itself.

“I know there is a lot of interest and questions as to the changes announced regarding ‘Red Dawn.’

This movie has been rebooted because the filmmakers all love the original movie. The experience of seeing Red Dawn as a young boy in the middle of a Cold War, was life changing for me and a generation. I assure you that everyone involved with the reboot is keenly aware of the responsibility of delivering a movie that can stand eye to eye with the original.

The changes made to ‘Red Dawn’ in the last few weeks were made in consultation with military think tanks and people that specialize in game theory. Really smart people that spend their days constructing doomsday scenarios for our military and government. The type of people that know the limitations of the North Korean military. The type of people that can project a series of events that could lead to some very scary things happening to our Country. I can assure you, we listened well to those people, especially with regards to the capability of the North Korean military.

‘Red Dawn’ isn’t for everyone. So, if you are interested in seeing a movie filled with preachy political discussions – ‘Red Dawn’ ain’t for you. If you love movies in which Americans are the bad guys – Red Dawn ain’t for you. If you get emotional watching daytime television – ‘Red Dawn’ ain’t for you. If you’re a vegetarian – ‘Red Dawn’ probably ain’t for you.

But! If you like meat with your potatoes, muscle cares that roar, tanks, guns and things blowing the fuck up by American’s kicking some Commie ass – the we have something special coming your way.

WOLVERINES!

Tripp Vinson”

As many already know MGM went bankrupt recently which forced the remake to be shelved which completely knocked it off of it’s original release date so will these changes take the film off the shelf and back on the block or will they do nothing to save the film from remaining on the back burner?

To read more about this head on over to AICN

Side Note: personally I don’t think changing the villains is a bold move for a project this late in the game it only makes things look bad for the production.

Review: The Absent (2011) [Reviewed By Kelsey Zukowski]

Starring: Bryan Kirkwood, Denny Kirkwood, Sam Ball, Damon Abdallah
Directed By: Sage Bannick
Written By: Sage Bannick, Damon Abdallah, Ari Bernstein
Grade: D-

The best part of The Absent is the very beginning, which is more of a backstory than anything else. It shows two greedy parents who conspire to kill their own son so they can benefit off the insurance money. This sounds crazy enough, but watching them put this plan in to action is pretty entertaining. Even better, their son is no dummy. He knows what they’re doing.

Imagining what it would be like to be that age and for your parents, those who are supposed to care for you and love you unconditionally, to try to kill you is pretty hard to wrap your mind around. Luckily, this kid is smart and he decides to turn the tables on his murderous parents, leading up to their final bloody fall and Oscar’s jail sentence.

I’m not saying the beginning was anything great, but it was enjoyable enough just to watch everything unfold. Honestly, I think it would have been better as a short film just dealing with this subject matter. Instead, the film fast forwards to Oscar as an adult, getting out of jail. This already exposes two flaws: he would not have been in jail until he was nearing middle age, for a crime he committed at that young of an age, and it is not even clear if he was released or escaped from jail. The Absent is full of plot roles though, such as there only being one sheriff in the town and the only one investigating a string of grisly murders, leading back to a serial killer. So in retrospect these are some of the more minor offenders, the worst comes at the end, where the whole film falls flat and any merits that it did have being shattered.

Oscar comes back to find his brother, Vincent, having a relationship with one of his students. Without making his presence known Oscar sets out to help his brother keep his dirty little secret by killing off anyone who might be suspicious or have knowledge about the affair. One by one he kills off Vincent’s students, marked absent from there on out.

The acting wasn’t all that good, especially the parts with the sheriff, which were all in all just atrocious. They were cheesy, horribly overacted, and ridiculous. Some actors can bring out the best in those they work with, giving them something good to work off of. Sam Ball is the opposite. Anyone he was in a scene with he seemed to make worse, almost as if his bad acting was contagious.

I don’t know how much of the running time consisted of random landscape shots that didn’t appear to have anything to do what was going on in the film. It really just felt like filler. If it just looked beautiful then at least it would have been something pretty to look at, but the shots and scenery were nothing all that notable, for some reason though the cinematographer was clearly obsessed with them. There is even a horribly random cut to a wolf after a scene with Vincent and his student, then after a second or so cuts to another completely different scene.
I try to keep an open mind about a film until it’s over, even if my opinion is clearly being steered in one direction. I did this with The Absent, but it ruined anything it had going for it with the ending. If it was just a bad or pointless ending, that would be unfortunate, but even worse it tries to pull the twist ending that is so contrived and artificial; if it were true than nothing else we say in the film would be. I’ve seen this before and it’s one of my biggest pet peeves with films. Sure some can do the split personality, blurring the lines of internal and external manifestation like Fight Club, but most films that try this are kidding themselves if they think there is any real merit in what they’re doing aside from trying to trick the audience and shock them in to having the film stick with them.

WHAT THEY SAY: An Inside Look On A Upcoming Indie Drama!

They say that darkness lurks within us all, and all it takes is the right moment to nudge that darkness out from us and into the world. The question is; once the darkness is out, how can you contain it, how can you lock it away again?

The self mutilation practice, commonly referred to as; ‘Cutting’, has become an epidemic of sorts, with many of today’s young people doing such a dangerous act as self-inflicted cuts unto themselves. For some it’s to have the sense of release from the peer pressure that comes with the every day to day routine. For others it’s that sense of adrenalin that reminds them they’re still alive. And for others, it’s just to feel something, or anything at all other then the complete and unsettling depth of darkness that renders them utterly numb inside.

A chilling new indie project is in the works by Fathead Films, the same people who’ve helmed the new indie vampire horror “Afraid of Sunrise” is now working on a new indie short that focuses on the thought provoking subject of cutting with the new indie film “What They Say”, a compelling indie film that’s based off of a story written by and will also star Writer/Actress Heather Dorff and was recently adapted into script by friend and co-star Kelsey Zukowski. Both Heather and Kelsey are no strangers to working with each other as the two have worked with each other in the past on various projects including the indie vampire horror “Afraid of Sunrise” and a indie short earlier this year called “The Social Media Massacre: I’m Streaming Death”. Now the pair is at it again with the project, What They Say, which is a dark psychological drama that takes you inside the mind of an anguished and tortured young women. Her struggle to control her urges and an inability to trust anyone send her spiraling out of control and into total chaos.

The film’s writer and star, Heather Dorff said the whole idea behind the story came to her one day while she was going to work during a dark time in her life. “It reminds me of how far I've come emotionally and in life in general since I wrote the short. It's a story very close to my heart as I really love and cherish the dark tone of the story. I had never written anything similar to the short before then, and since I realized it could be made into a film and started pre-production it has become that much more important to me” Said Dorff while describing the film’s dark themes and the importance of having this story made into a reality for her. Heather then went on to describe the motives behind her character and what drives the character into chaos. “She's damaged. Broken. I don't think she knows how to piece herself back together anymore. I don't think she wants to”.

Friend and Co-star, Kelsey Zukowski adapted Heather’s short story in to the script. “As soon as Heather told me about it I was immediately drawn to it and knew it was something I wanted to be involved with. It takes your average suicidal demise story and makes it much more visceral and raw; that dark urge inside hungering for more. There‘s a great questioning of whether there‘s still hope or if it defeating this girl is inevitable”, says Zukowski describing her getting involved with the project.

If that was enough to wet your whistle into wanting to see this film, TCWReviews managed to snag an exclusive first look at the film’s new Teaser Poster that just spews out an eerie atmosphere tone that is darkly compelling. Take a look below to see for yourself!



What They Say will be filmed in Chicago this spring and be directed by Justin R. Romine of Fathead Films. Co-founder of Fathead Films, Keith Romine, is a producer of the project as well. Fathead Films recently wrapped up their short Chicago-based vampire film, Afraid of Sunrise, starring Heather Dorff and Andy Schatner. What They Say also stars Tina Renee as the “the best friend” and horror queen, Kitsie Duncan.

To learn more About this project visit the Official website. To learn more about how you can contribute to this project check out it’s Indiegogo page and it’s Rockethub page and also make sure to “Like” them on the Official FB Fan Page.

Side Note: The premise sounds very promising and I’m sure you’ll all be very much looking forward to hearing more on this as it develop. Anyhow, Thanks to TCWReviews’ very own Kelsey Zukowski for providing us with this inside scoop.