Sour Grapes? “Valerian” (@ValerianMovie) Director, Luc Besson (@lucbesson), Calls Captain America Propaganda

We are here for the superheroes, especially for the films! One European director is not, and he has targeted one superhero in particular as propaganda.

Valerian and The City of a Thousand Plants director, Luc Besson, has called Captain America and his movies propaganda!

via Screenrant.com

Luc Besson thinks Captain America is “propaganda.” This isn’t the first time that he has railed against superhero movies, previously saying that he finds protagonists with superpowers hard to relate to, and stating his preference for more normal, flawed heroes. Besson is of course far from the first filmmaker – or moviegoer for that matter – to express fatigue with the now constant onslaught of superhero-based pop culture, as it sometimes seems like nearly every possible superhero is now getting a film or TV show made about them.

For reference, in 2017 alone, Marvel has released or will soon release Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok, while DC’s 2017 docket includes Wonder Womanand Justice League. Over on Netflix, Marvel already released Iron Fist season 1 this year, with The Defenders and The Punisher soon to follow. The CW continues to be dominated by DC heroes, FOX has Gotham, and ABC continues to air more than one Marvel show. 2018 won’t ease up the pace either, with the arrival of the mammoth Avengers: Infinity War on the horizon.

“What bothers me most is it’s always here to show the supremacy of America and how they are great. I mean, which country in the world would have the guts to call a film Captain Brazil or Captain France? I mean, no one! We would be like so ashamed and say, ‘No, no, come on, we can’t do that.’ They can. They can call it Captain America and everybody think it’s normal. I’m not here for propaganda, I’m here to tell a story.”

We can respect Besson’s opinion but we have to wonder if his rant and assessments of Cap are sour grapes. It is no secret that Valerian was an epic fail at the box office, despite being the most expensive independent film ever made. Luc might want to let this argument go clearly superhero films aren’t going anywhere and Captain America is well over 70 years in the works we doubt he’s losing any popularity or momentum anytime soon.

Written By: Michael “Hey Mikey” Fanning

Follow me on Twitter/IG @HeyMikeyATL

[PHOTOS/TRAILER] TV One’s (@tvone) WHEN LOVE KILLS: THE FALICIA BLAKELY STORY Atlanta Red Carpet Screening and Q&A

Celebrities and local influencers attended a Red Carpet Screening and Q&A of TV ONE’S WHEN LOVE KILLS: THE FALICIA BLAKELY STORY at Regal Atlantic Station in Atlanta on Wednesday, August 9^th with Director Tasha Smith, and film stars Niatia “Lil Mama” Kirkland, Lance Gross and Tami Roman. 

The event was attended by celebrities including: Trina Braxton, Irv Gotti, Demetria McKinney, Terri Vaughn, Clifton Powell, and many more.

Summer of ’67! “Detroit” Movie (@DetroitMovie) is Real & Relevant!

The Summer of 1967 gave rise to one of the most violent incidents in American History. The place was Detroit at a time when race relations, albeit progressing, were as tense as ever.

The movie, Detroit, reveals what really happened on that fateful summer that cost the life of men and women and brought a city to its knees!

The new ground-breaking film, Detroit starts out with the expansion of African Americans into the North known as the Great Migration. We are shown the struggles of social acceptance and poverty that African Americans have to face on an everyday basis. Riots began to ‘insinuate’ in Detroit, which sparked a revolution toward the injustice that consumed the Detroit Police force. The city of Detroit turned into a war zone, police saw every person of color as a threat and tragically destroyed innocent lives. These race riots lead to the fateful event at the Algiers Motel, a mile away from where the riots began. This section of the film displayed the true terror of systematic racism, as Detroit Police strike fear into young, innocent victims based off their corrupt and perhaps racists attitudes and assumptions of guilt toward people of color.

[VIDEO/REVIEW] “Red Carpet, Hashtags, & Heartbreaks”–The Ingredients for Atlanta’s Newest Indie Hit!

The Atlanta film scene is poppin’ if you have not heard. Currently the city reigns in billions of dollars from the television series and movies alone.

You would think this only applies to mainstream success, but there are a few indie films that have garnered quite the buzz all over the net and last night we were amazed and privileged to see one, Red Carpet, Hashtags, & Heartbreaks!

Davien Harlis at movie premiere of Red Carpet, Hashtags, & Heartbreak

Directed, co-written, and starring, Davien Harlis; the film centers on Dylan Smith, a leading actor and beloved star by his fans and friends. Dylan seems to have it all–except romance–something he is not too keen of and actually seems to avoid. His “sexcapades” with Courtney (Denerick Lindsey; he has us curious about peanut butter) result in a scandal so big and unforeseen it almost costs him his career. Just when all seems lost, Dylan meets Instagram star, Marcus (Thomas Mackey), who has his own plans and ideas about love and what it means to be with THE Dylan Smith.

[VIDEO] In Case You Missed It! Check Out New Trailer for “Thor: Ragnarok!”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand faster than ever! This summer Spider-Man returned to the Big Screen and now it is time we see what is up with the god of thunder himself, Thor!

When we last saw Thor in Avengers:  Age of Ultron  he was headed back to Asgard to gather more information on the Infinity Stones. What we thought would be a turn around trip for him has now been years, with both he and Hulk missing in action. In Thor: Ragnarok we finally find out what the Thunderer and Green Goliath have been up to! Check out the new trailer below!

via Press Release

Imprisoned, the mighty Tor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful help from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization.

This trailer is beyond EPIC! Thor is literally going to have to fight for his life and off this strange, alien world to save Asgard from complete destruction at the hands of Hela (Cate Blanchett), Asgardian goddess of death. In the comics she is one of Thor’s most powerful enemies, not to mention the daughter of his adoptive brother, Loki–YIKES! What we love most about this film is the fight between and team up of Thor and Hulk! They are the Avengers biggest guns and we need them to survive this ordeal and get back to Earth ASAP! As you may already know, Thanos is approaching Earth and the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will need the mightiest heroes among them to help take him down and save humanity in Avengers: Infinity War–which debuts May 2018. In the meantime we can settle for the unlikely team up of Thor, Hulk, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Loki!

Written By: Michael “Hey Mikey” Fanning

[VIDEO] In Case You Missed It! Avengers: Infinity War Trailer Leaks at San Diego Comic-Con!

It is no secret that we at HeyMikeyATL LOVE our superheroes! San Diego Comic-Con happens to be the best place to debut it–well at least that’s what Disney and Marvel were hoping for.

Apparently, the full trailer for Avengers: Infinity War has been leaked onto the internet much to the two companies’ chagrin. Although they are steadily snatching it off line we managed to find, albeit, bootleg and somewhat gritty on Comicbookmovie.com. Check it out below!

We know it is a bit hard to see, but from what we can tell it is EPIC! Thanos is coming and from the looks of it The Guardians of The Galaxy will have to team up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to take him down–or at the very least–survive the power he seeks to wield buy acquiring the famed Infinity Stones that have appeared in previous Marvel films. From appearances alone we can tell Iron Man, Gamora, Groot, Nebula, The Scarlet Witch, Falcon, The Winter Soldier,  Drax The Destroyer, Star-Lord, Mantis, War Machine, Doctor Strange, Captain America,  Spider-Man, Vision, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Black Panther and The Dora Milaje are all battling the Mad Titan.

[TRAILER] We Are Here For It! Taraji P. Henson (@TherealTaraji) Plays Kick-Ass Assassin in “Proud Mary! (@ProudMaryMovie)”

There is so much more to Taraji P. Henson than just “Cookie Lyon.” This woman is one of the best actresses on the planet, time and again showing us she has what it takes to be Hollywood’s Top Leading Ladies.

Well it looks like Taraji is showcasing that in a role like we have never seen her in before, that of an assassin, in the trailer of the upcoming film, Proud Mary!

Check out the trailer below!

via W:

The trailer, which is soundtracked to the classic Tina Turner version of the song from which it takes its name, opens with Henson’s Mary getting ready for her day with some exercise, a shower, and putting on some makeup. At that point, her character could just be preparing for a normal day. For all we know she could be a lawyer, a teacher, a SoulCycle instructor… We just don’t know until she casually starts zipping and buttoning herself into some head-to-toe black leather and goes into her closet to select her gun for the day. Turns out, her character is an elite contract killer for the Boston mob.

Then we get a montage of shoot outs, fast cars, explosions, a wig change, and quick shot of Hennessy. As one would expect from Iranian-Swedish film director Babak Najafi, perhaps best known for directing high octane action thriller London Has Fallen.

The plot seems to take a twist away from your standard “bang! bang! shoot ’em up!” when Mary encounters a young boy. The log line indicates he may be the person who gets Mary to reconsider her life as an assassin for hire.

We are here for this Taraji, this movie, its trailer, and this plot! This film will undoubtedly open Taraji to a whole new genre–action films–something we have never really seen her in before. All we can say is Black Widow eat your heart out Mary is on the scene!

Written By: Michael “Hey Mikey” Fanning

[TRAILER] Wonder Woman’s Real Origins! Meet “Professor Marston & The Wonder Women!”

Just when you think film trailers can’t get any better, they hit you with another one! (DJ Khaled voice)

Annapurna Pictures has released the official trailer for the upcoming biopic Professor Marston & The Wonder Women, about Harvard psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston and how his unconventional relationship inspired the creation of DC’s iconic Amazonian princess in 1941.

The film, starring Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, Bella Heathcote, and Connie Britton, will bow in theaters October 27.

via Deadline

Written and directed by Angela Robinson, the pic recounts the life of Marston who, while his feminist superhero was criticized by censors for her ‘sexual perversity’, was keeping a secret that could have destroyed him. Marston’s muses for the Wonder Woman character were his wife Elizabeth Marston (Hall), a fellow psychologist and inventor, and their lover Olive Byrne (Heathcote).

Personally, I had never heard of William Marston before today so as usual I had to do my own little bit of research so that I could formulate my own thoughts and opinions and with the help of Google and Wikipedia I have done just that. Check out some of the things I found out during my research after you’ve viewed the film trailer.

*In a 1943 issue of  “The American Scholar”, Marston wrote: “Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don’t want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women’s strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.”

*Marston’s character was a native of an all-female utopia of Amazons who became a crime-fighting U.S. government agent, using her superhuman strength and agility, and her ability to force villains to submit and tell the truth by binding them with her magic lasso. Her appearance was based somewhat on Olive Byrne, and her heavy bronze bracelets (which she used to deflect bullets) were inspired by the jewelry bracelets worn by Olive Byrne.

*After her name “Suprema” was replaced with “Wonder Woman”, which was a popular term at the time that described women who were exceptionally gifted, the character made her debut in ‘All Star Comics #8 in December 1941.

*In 1985, Marston was posthumously named as one of the honorees by DC Comics in the company’s 50th anniversary publication ‘Fifty Who Made DC Great’.

[TRAILER] Lakeith Stanfield (@stanfield_keith) to Star in “Crown Heights” film About A Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for Murder for 20+ Years!

Major congrats are in order for Lakeith Stanfield!

He is one actor who knows how to not let one role define him. For many, the first time they saw Lakeith Stanfield act was in the Jordan Peele critically acclaimed film “Get Out” and for others, they know him for his role as Darius in the FX network show “Atlanta”. Now they can get ready to see Lakeith star as Colin Warner, a man wrongfully imprisoned for over 20 years for a murder he didn’t commit, which is based on a true story.

“Crown Heights” still starring actor Lakeith Stanfield

via Deadline.com

Based on a podcast titled This American Life, the pic is set spring of 1980, where a teenager is gunned down in the streets of Flatbush, Brooklyn. The police pressure a child witness to identify a suspect. As a result, Colin Warner, an 18-year-old kid from nearby Crown Heights, is wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Colin’s childhood friend Carl ‘KC’ King devotes his life to fighting for Colin’s freedom. He works on appeals, takes loans for lawyer fees and becomes a legal courier to learn the court system.

Many will read this and think this film comes on the heels of the many racial injustices we’ve face in the last few years but the story of Colin Warner is in fact true. Warner’s conviction was overturned in 201 with the help of his friend Carl King (who will be portrayed by former NFL cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha). The Ringer poses a very intricate question in the write-up of the film’s trailer; The more compelling question is whether writer-director Matt Ruskin can illustrate the immense human cost of discriminatory practices thoughtlessly signed into law.

I decided to do my own research on the background of this case and I can honestly say that I will be going to see this film. What about you loves? Check out the trailer below and sound off below because we’re long overdue for #OpinionHour.

Written By: Monique C. Tillman

@moniquechanae

Valerian Movie (@ValerianMovie) Premiere Brings out the Stars!

Last night the ‘Valerian’ premiere took place in Los Angeles.

Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets could possibly be the summer’s most anticipated movie. With such stars as Rihanna, Cara Delevigne, Clive Owen, and Ethan Hawke, who wouldn’t line up in droves? After months of promotion for the sci-fi action flick, it all came to a head as stars arrived to the premiere. Many of the stars used the movie as inspiration for their futuristic and out of this world costumes.

Style icon Rihanna was mesmerizing in this pale pink Giambattista Valli haute couture gown. Giambattista Valli is a favorite of Rihanna as she also famously donned the designer at the 2015 Grammy’s, where she broke the internet with that voluminous bright pink gown.  The ‘Work’ singer, stars as Bubbles, who is a shape shifting singer in the fictional city of Alpha in the 28th century.