We put our weekly round-up of the new theatrical releases of note on hiatus for a bit because, frankly, there wasn’t much to report; the first weeks of the year are notoriously awful for movies, since all the distributors tend to plan an end-of-year onslaught of prestige pictures and holiday hit hopefuls. But the gears are beginning to grind again – we’ve got three wide releases this week (two of which are actually good!), plus a couple of terrific limited releases. The week’s presumed hit is Fifty Shades Darker, simply because the #branding is strong; the movie, unfortunately, is lousy. If you’re one of the many unfortunate souls who has to suffer through it this weekend, watch this space Monday; we do a little rotating feature that day called Bad Movie Night, and Fifty Shades gave us plenty to work with. If, on the other hand, you’re a grown-up who likes good things, may we suggest John Wick: Chapter 2? It’s got pretty much everything you’re looking for in a sequel to the 2014 sleeper action hit: a sense of humor, graceful (borderline balletic, in fact) fights, and Keanu Reeves shooting lots and lots of people in the face.
If your weekend movie outing is a little more family-oriented – or you’re not in the right mood for mass carnage – you might be surprise by the great time to be offered at The LEGO Batman Movie. Like the 2014 LEGO Movie, it’s a terrible-sounding idea that’s somehow executed with wit and intelligence, this time by taking the opportunity to do a full-on satire of the entire Bat canon (but particularly its more recent, rainy-emo iteration). Our review is here. In limited release, we have Amma Asante’s Belle follow-up, A United Kingdom, the true story of Botswanan Prince Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo), his courtship and marriage to a white Brit, Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), and their struggle for acceptance in his homeland. It’s grand and sweepingly dramatic in the frankly formulaic based-on-a-true-story ways, but worth seeking out for the considerable chemistry and strength of the two remarkable leads. Here’s what we wrote about it at the Toronto Film Festival.
And finally, there’s KEDi, which is a fascinating observational documentary about modern life in Istanbul – as seen through the eyes of the street cats who everyone treats as neighbors and mutual responsibilities. So it’s a lovely little anthropological snapshot; it’s also, like, a really charming 90 minute cat video, so feel fee to enjoy it on that level as well. More in this month’s indie guide. Crime has a new/old/adorable enemy when The LEGO Batman Movie soars into theaters next year. And we’ve got the film’s first official poster for you in today’s Movie Morsels. Plus, the latest on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Indiana Jones 5, and more! The LEGO Batman Movie Although Bruce Wayne hits the screen in this week’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I’m personally far more interested in seeing next year’s The LEGO Batman Movie. Starring the voices of Will Arnett (reprising his role at the Caped Crusader from The LEGO Movie), Ralph Fiennes, Rosario Dawson, Michael Cera, Zach Galifianakis, and Mariah Carey, the film hits theaters February 10, 2017.
Photos arrived online yesterday, and now we have the movie’s poster, in which Gotham City is rendered within the Bat Symbol… Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice And speaking of Batman v Superman… Two new featurettes have landed, one focusing on the film’s IMAX release and the other on that former champion of the oppressed, now bringer of darkness, despair, and misery: Superman. Snyder’s latest stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Gal Gadot. And speaking of Gal Gadot… Word on the streets is that her Wonder Woman shows promise in Batman v Superman, but doesn’t get enough time to showcase the breadth of her powers or character. So I’m hoping director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman solo film will finally do the Amazonian princess justice when it debuts on June 23, 2017. Hot Toys has just unveiled images of its new figure based on Gadot’s Wondy, offering perhaps our most detailed look yet at her costume in the DC Extended Universe…
Why did Harrison Ford agree to do an Indiana Jones 5 after Crystal Skull was so poorly received? It’s not like he needs or even appears interested in the money. The answer says, Ford, is Steven Spielberg. Here’s what the actor had to say about his decision when he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday night…Though Olympic figure skater Tony Harding’s story helped inspire the new screen comedy The Bronze (starring The Big Bang Theory‘s Melissa Rauch), the infamous athlete is getting the proper biopic treatment in I, Tonya. The film is set to star none other than Hollywood’s new golden girl Margot Robbie, last seen making a cameo in The Big Short and soon to appear as the one and only Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. No director has been announced yet, but a script has been written by Steven Rogers. (No, not that Steve Rogers!) What do you think of today’s top stories? Let us know below!One of the smaller sets for the initial wave of The LEGO Batman Movie set is the Catwoman Catcycle Chase (70902).
It consists of only 139 pieces and retails for $19.99. The contents of the box include two numbered bags, loose 6×12 gray plate, a small sticker sheet, and the instructions. For a fairly small set, it’s surprising to see three minifigures included. She is the same minifigure that is in The Joker Notorious Lowrider (70906). She has a purple and yellow outfit that is detailed on both sides of the torso, legs, as well as on the sides of the legs for the boots. She also has one of the new utility belt pieces that Batman has. The cape that Batgirl wears is a newer one that has a sheen on one side. She has a double-sided head with a normal expression on one side and an angry look on the other. The cowl piece is a new one with a peg in the back for her ponytail hair piece. Her accessories are a couple of yellow Batarangs. Robin is one of the newer minifigures that I haven’t reviewed yet. He wears his signature red, green, and yellow outfit which the trailer explains Batman naming it the Reggae Man suit.
The torso has printing for his yellow belt and the Robin logo. He has a shorter yellow cape that has the same sheen as Batgirl. The legs piece show off his bare legs with red boots as he ripped the pants off. Robin also has a double-sided head with a very happy expression on one side and a sort of a confused look on the other. The hairpiece is also combined with his large glasses which will make for some interesting minifigure creations. Finally, we have Catwoman who dons a new outfit. In The LEGO Batman Movie, she wears a purple outfit which also inclues a purple utility belt piece as well. Her suit has a zipper that goes down the torso with a cat at the top. The arms also has some printing of the suit for her elbowpads. The back is very detailed and it seems to appear to be some armor. She has a double-sided head with a normal look on one side and an angry look on the other. There’s also printing of her green goggles as well. The helmet that she wears has a very cat-like appearance with some molding for the goggles.
Her accessory is her signature whip. The first part of the build is the Catwoman’s Catcycle which has the more recently used lowrider style of bikes that’s been used in some Nexo Knights sets as well as the Spider-Man: Ghost Rider Team-up (76058). The bike chassis is built starting from just a 2×4 plate and uses a lot of Technic parts to give the overall look of it. Towards the back, there are a couple of Technic Pin 1/2 with 2L Bar Extension used as the Catcycle’s exhaust. There is some purple parts scatterer throughout to distinguish that it’s Catwoman’s vehicle such as the wheels, the printed sloped dash, and the rear brake light. The dash has some details for the speedometer with some cat ears and some purple flames. Some more printed pieces include the metallic silver curved tiles which represent the engine’s cylinder heads. The other part of the build is a small jewelry store with a sidewalk. The bottom layer of the store is made out of some nougat masonry bricks.
Over the the door is a small awning using some white and dark green cheese slopes. Above the window is a store sign that uses a sticker. Notice that the sign logo shows some diamonds shaped as a cat. On the alley side of the store, there’s a green trash can and above that is a missing cat poster that’s also a sticker. Finally, on the corner of the jewelry store is a lamppost on a hinge. Overall, The LEGO Batman Movie Catwoman Catcycle Chase (70902) is a fairly underwhelming set. The three minifigures are the main draw for me since Catwoman is exclusive to this set while this is the cheapest way to get Batgirl and Robin in their respective outfits. The Catcycle itself is pretty small but the build is welcomed considering that Catwoman is usually packaged in cycle sets that have the molded piece that goes over the chassis. The jewelry store also is somewhat a little disappointing but they fit well into some of the other smaller sets that have buildings. The Brick Fan Scoring SummaryDesign Playability Value