Yeah, Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider and David Jonsson as Black Panther Sounds Cool

Yesterday I was discussing how Marvel's comics are struggling and I don't see much of note with their cinematic slate besides the immense hope that, "Avengers: Doomsday," is a hit. Well, Marvel did hold an event today in the fabled Hall H of Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con and whilst it occurred, Ryan Reynolds appeared in a gray Deadpool suit (like from, "Uncanny X-Force,") and that was fun, but two other announcements really perked my ears up. Ryan Gosling will be the new Ghost Rider in the MCU and David Jonsson is set to be the grown-up son of T'Challa (who was portrayed by the sadly deceased Chadwick Boseman) and become Black Panther. 

Gosling is fantastic in a variety of productions, having excelled as an operator of motor vehicles before in the surrealist, "Drive." Jonsson was spectacular as a synthetic human named Andy in, "Alien: Romulus," where he pretty much played multiple roles due to a computer chip drastically altering his character's personality mid-film. Shawn Levy (who directed, "Deadpool and Wolverine,") will be directing the Ghost Rider flick and Ryan Coogler will return as Director yet again for, "Black Panther 3." Both movies are set to arrive in 2028. So yes, fine, Marvel has me feeling a twinge of excitement for their movies again. Still no update on a new, "X-Men," film, though.

Film Friday on a Saturday: “Alien: Romulus,” is a Satisfying Return to Horror for the Franchise

I'm a day later than I intended with this review, but I just saw the flick yesterday and needed a bit to gather my thoughts, but here we go! Anyway, the latest alien movie is an interesting beast for a variety of reasons. It’s both a sequel and a prequel that slots into a specific part of the, "Alien," timeline. The continuity of it takes place smack-dab between the first, "Alien," movie and, "Aliens" with it incorporating some continuity from the prequels that were made more recently such as, "Prometheus," and, "Alien: Covenant," as well. Yeah, it’s a messy timeline. Another fact of note is that this takes the series back to the scary vibe of the original 1979 movie, especially going all-in on the body horror of the Xenomorphs. There is some extremely disturbing imagery that will make you think of vulvas and phalluses--but in a creepy way. Amping up the scary aspects of the Xenomorphs works pretty well, with, "Alien: Romulus,"  being quite an entertaining time.

One thing I have noticed in positive and negative reviews would be agreement that this is an absolutely gorgeous flick. The cinematography is impressive! Early scenes set in a space colony have a barren and wide-open feel that gets countered wonderfully when the action shifts to a cramped, tight spaceship. I also must compliment how this World definitely feels lived-in. Everything has the grime and futuristic yet low-tech feel of the original, "Alien," movie that the prequels weirdly lacked with the clean sheen of the professional spaceships piloted by scientists and investors. The focus here is on miners trying to eke out some form of survival on a rock-covered and sunless planet, with visuals to match.

The plot itself is mostly straightforward with these miners noticing an abandoned Spaceship/base in orbit that they can, "Borrow," enough cryostasis fuel from so as to escape their dreary existence with a flight to a much better planet. Of course, What they encounter on the station turns out to be another example of why you never try to contain or study the Xenomorphs. Speaking of strange things on the ship, if I may go into spoiler territory for a minute I will discuss how there has been some controversy. It stems from the appearance of Ash (now called Rook as it is a different character, kinda) from the original, "Alien," movie. Ash was revealed to actually be a synthetic/robot in the original, "Alien," and was left in pretty bad shape by Ripley and friends. In, "Romulus," this model has had a rather nasty encounter with the Xenomorphs and is mostly wrecked. However, even in damaged condition it still is clearly that character which is complicated by the fact that the man who played him died in 2020.

 Yes, Sir Ian Holm has been dead in real life for nearly half a decade. Director Fede Alvarez has stated Holm's family was enthusiastic about the idea by all accounts (I read somewhere Ridley Scott possibly even suggested the inclusion) and one would assume the aforementioned family received proper financial compensation for the use of Holm's likeness. Still, it has made reviewers and fans uncomfortable to witness this use of technology to bring someone who is truly dead back to life for a movie. I, personally, don’t have a big issue with this as long as everyone involved signs off on it, But this definitely is a bit of a genie that cannot be put back in the bottle when it comes to technology being used in this manner for everything from bringing back dead actors to potential deepfakes in our everyday life. 

Reviews have been mixed for, "Romulus," as I mentioned. While everyone loves the imagery some reviews have complained that Romulus seems more focused on bringing all the various pieces of alien continuity together and engaging in nostalgic throwbacks than it does on telling its own standalone story. I enjoyed it and feel it’s a solid entry to the franchise, but I do see where those more critical are coming from. I would conclude that, "Alien: Romulus," is not as good as the original, "Alien," its sequel, "Aliens," but it is without a doubt better than, "Alien 3," "Alien: Resurrection," and a bit more fun than "Prometheus," or, "Alien: Covenant," thanks to how scary it is--and I'm saying that as someone who really dug, "Covenant," mind you! I had a good time and based on how well it’s done at the box office I’m sure we’ll be getting more even alien movies before too long. Where they will slot into the messy lore will be the big question!

4.5 out of 5 Stars.

Film Friday: "Alien: Romulus," and, "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice," Are Bringing the Retro Back!

"Alien," was released to theaters in 1979. "Beetlejuice," came out in 1988. The former has had many sequels and tie-ins, the latter has had some random tie-in properties (like an animated children's television show) but never a true sequel. In 2024, they're both bringing the retro back with, "Alien: Romulus," and, "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice."

The first, "Alien," movie is without question a horror film that happens to have a space creature instead of the usual monsters. Later flicks moved in a much more action ("Aliens," or science-fiction-heavy direction, but that first, "Alien," is horror through-and-through in a sci-fi setting. There are many opinions out there regarding, "Prometheus," and, "Alien Covenant," which function as prequels to the rest of the franchise--and I like both (especially, "Covenant," to be honest). The upcoming, "Alien: Romulus," takes place between the debut, "Alien," and, "Aliens," with what seems to be a heavy horror vibe, and I'm all for it. Films in the franchise such as, "Alien: Ressurection," showed you could get a little too complex and over the top. Just throw some people in a run-down spaceship with face-huggers/Xenomorphs and let shit go crazy, is what some people would tell you to do, and, "Alien: Romulus," looks like it plans to do just that. Here is the trailer:

Then we've got the late-80's classic, "Beetlejuice. A comedy film with a lot of horrific trappings (I mean, it was a Tim Burton film) it is darkly hilarious with a stellar ensemble including a then very young Winona Ryder, the always amazing Catherine O'Hara, and Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice stealing the show (among other solid cast members). I loved that movie as a kid (a lot of the more raunchy jokes went over my head until I got older) and a sequel seemed to be in development Hell for years. However, Burton is back directing, a lot of the previous cast has returned, and yes, that means Keaton is back. This seems like it won't just be a lazy cash-grab for nostalgia based on all the old talent returning and some new great additions (Jena Ortega, for example). There is a teaser you can see below:

"Alien: Romulus," is due in theaters this August 16th and, "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice," will be hitting the silver screen come September 5th. What's old is new again, while still managing to be pleasantly retro. Here's hoping both flicks are as fun as it appears they very well could be.