Rumor: Fantastic Four Going to Marvel?

After the fantastic flop of Fox's "Fantastic Four," we have some fantastic news! (is that little too fantastic?) Fantastic Four's film rights might go back to Marvel, and another Fantastic Four reboot would release on one of Marvel's unnamed 2010 release dates. According to the rumor, the deal would involve Marvel allowing Fox to create an X-Men TV series in exchange for the rights to Fantastic Four. 

If this is true, not only will Marvel obtain the rights to the F4 team, Marvel will own one of the most powerful and important beings in the Marvel universe: Galactus. You might remember Galactus as a purple gas cloud in the second Fantastic Four film, and that portrayal is right there with Deadpool in X-Men: Origins for being one of the worst comic book character adaptations in the modern era. However, after Thanos in the MCU, Galactus and Skrull are two obvious choices for the next big Marvel villain, both of which are owned by Fox. If the rumor proves to be true, look for a post explaining the larger impact the F4 in the MCU might have on the franchise as a whole. Until then, please comment below and click here to read my Horror Movie Survival Guide!

Source: IGN.com

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Horror Movie Survival Guide

On a dark and stormy night, the armies of the undead rise to attack! What are you to do? How can you possibly survive this horror movie scenario? Well, today, I will be telling you everything that you need to survive any horror movie setting, whether it be zombies, vampires, werewolves ect. This guide will make sure that you are prepared for whatever might try to kill you.

Today’s Horror Movie Survival Guide is thanks to an idea from the great people at Man Crates for their Scary Movie Survival Kit campaign. Man Crates is a new gifting company who deliver cool gifts for men in custom crates (you'll need a crowbar to open it!), and they recently asked me: “If you were in a horror movie, what would you want or need in a crate to survive through to the end credits?” By combining weapons, equipment, and other things from reality and horror fiction, I bring to you my ultimate guide for surviving any horror movie's ending.

Garlic, Silver, and Holy Water ammo

Actual pure silver bullets are almost impossible to fire straight in reality due to the metal being far too soft for real world use, so instead, bullets with a silver core, similar to Alucard's bullets from Hellsing, for fighting werewolves and vampires would be the most effective. In addition, shotgun shells with garlic and holy water are a must when combating vampires. 

Remington 870 Tactical

You can never go wrong with a shotgun, and there is none more reliable than the Remington 870, specifically the Tactical variety. It uses 12 gauge shells, which are the most common, thus finding ammunition is easier in a pinch. The Remington would be used in close-quarters against zombies and werewolves thanks to its wide bullet spread.

AK47

The most widely used assault rifle in the world, the AK47 is a tried and true killing machine that would be perfect against the armies of the undead. Unlike the M16, the AK47's 7.62×39mm rounds are larger and thus create a sizable exit hole for maximum stopping power, which would be crucial against various undead creatures.

9mm Glock 19 with silencer

The Glock is widely known as one of the most effective pistols on the market today. Able to hold 15 9mm bullets, the Glock has a distinct advantage over other pistols, and 9mm rounds are some of the most readily available. Add a silencer and it becomes the perfect weapon to use when you do not want to be detected. When you are in a pinch, there is no better handgun to have at your side than a Glock. 

Crossbow

Anyone who has seen The Walking Dead knows how effective a crossbow can be. It is silent and the ammo is reusable. If you use special wooden stakes and silver bolt tips, it doubles as a vampire slaying weapon, as well as a tool for hunting animals in the woods.

Blade's Sword

Wielded by Marvel's half-vampire vampire slayer, Blade's sword is a "specially tempered titanium, acid etched, with a soft steel core, according to the Makuri Forging technique." Perfectly suited for slaying vampires and other undead creatures, Blade's sword is the perfect all-purpose sword, which a real silver sword is effective in reality.

Dragonslayer (Berserk)

Assuming I had the strength to wield such a massive weapon, Guts' massive sword from the Berserk comic book series, which is my all-time favorite, is the most effective weapon against demons and all forms of the undead. Due to its use in slaying evil spirits, the sword exists simultaneously in the Astral and physical realms. Therefore, it can damage beings that reside purely in the Astral layer, as well as the physical. Basically, this means that it can even slay ghosts, as well as having bulk to kill just about anything else imaginable.

Ham Radio

A Ham Radio, also known as an Amateur radio, is a must in any survival situation. Chances are, if you have seen an apocalypse film, you have seen someone use a ham radio. In the event of an apocalypse, cell phones will go down, but the radio waves will always be open. Since it operates over various frequencies, under the right conditions, you can communicate with people around the world.

Fire Starting Kit

Another apocalypse must-have, a fire starting kit would come in handy when trying to survive a zombie apocalypse or if the undead beast that you are fighting is vulnerable to fire. 

Water Filtration Kit

Yet another survival must, a water filtration kit will prevent you from dying of any natural diseases in the event of zombie apocalypse. Seriously, how anticlimactic would it be if you died of dysentery before the movie ends!?

A Sibling

Last but not least, the most important thing is to be in company of someone when surviving a horror movie: a silbing, or more specifically, my brother. Sure, some people might want a fat guy or a dumb jock that can die first, but nope, not I. I would need my brother. We always have each other's back, and, in the end, when survival is most important, that's what matters the most. Plus, he likes guns. And unlike the brothers Daryl and Merle from The Walking Dead, we don't hate each other.

Zombie Annihilation Man Crate

As a special bonus, if you are looking to hack and slash your through a horde of zombies, can you always go with the all-in-one Zombie Annihilation kit from Man Crates. You have all the essentials from a high-carbon steel machete to ultimate utility in any situation: Duct Tape! 

How would you survive a horror movie? What do you think of my choices? Please comments below and let me know!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

One Million Page Views!

One Million Page Views! Yes, that's right; J and J Productions has now reached 1,000,000 pageviews! And it is all thanks to y'all, the readers, and the various guest authors over the years! Without everyone's comments and support, I could have never achieved 1,000,000 pageviews!

Honestly, I am not entirely sure what to do to celebrate this achievement. A giveaway might be in the future if everything falls into place, but other than that, I am not sure. However, I realiz that I have not made J and J Pro as good as it can and should be. I am now back to replying to comments regularly, and I hope to continue to deliver high quality content that y'all can enjoy!

Oddly enough, I actually checked Blogger by complete happenstance and noticed that I reached the one million mark, so I took a screencap for posterity's sake. If you have any suggestions for what I should do to celebrate, let know in the comments! So, in the meantime, here are some celebratory gifs, and be sure to check back tomorrow for my special "Horror Movie Survival Guide" that will tell you everything that you need to survive against monsters of all kinds!

 A special shoutout to the guest authors throughout the years (alphabetically): Ashley Tara, Hamlette, Jamie, Jordan, JT, Maegen, Lights on Location, and Rebecca.

Party Time! 

I raise my glass to you, the reader. Thanks again! Here's to another million views!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Movie Music and More #30: "Ben-Hur" (1959)

I (Hamlette) have had an incredibly hard time writing this post.  Well, not writing it so much as choosing which tracks to showcase.  This is the most majestic score I have ever heard, and I have many favorite themes which get featured in many different tracks.  Miklos Rozsa 100% earned that Oscar, my friends.

So I consulted my friend DKoren, and with her help, I narrowed down which tracks to highlight here.  But if you like these at all, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing on YouTube.  Then if you love it, buy the CDs, the big, long, full score, because it is completely worth it.  I do not tire of this music.  Because it's a long movie and a massive score, I'm going to break my usual tradition of sharing two or three songs and share... five.

I'll begin with "The Prelude" because it's what opens the film, and because it has bits of most of the major themes in it, so if you're only going to listen to one track, this one gives you an excellent taste of the style and overall sound of this soundtrack.  And yet it manages to meld so many disparate themes into a cohesive whole -- remarkable achievement, really. 

"Friendship" is a lyrical song, but with a masculine sensibility.  The title refers to the bond of friendship between the main character, a Jewish noble named Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), and Messala (Stephen Boyd), a Roman soldier.  The destruction of their friendship sets the story in motion, as a beautiful childhood relationship dissolves under the weight of adult loyalties.

"Parade of the Charioteers" is all barely-contained energy and mounting adrenaline.  Even if you don't know there's going to be a famous, fantastic chariot race happening next, this music would cue you in that something awesome and exciting is about to take place.

And now for something completely different:  the "Love Theme."  It's tender, pensive, yearning.  An oasis of quiet gentleness among all the spectacle.  But at the same time, not remotely boring.

If you want a little more, "The Overture" is also fantastic, and it covers even more of the main themes than "The Prelude."  Yes, Ben-Hur is such a colossal movie, it has an overture, and then a prelude.  And an intermission.  And it deserves them.

Okay, I'll stop here :-)

Doctor Who: "Before the Flood" Review

"Before the Flood" wraps up the second two-parter of the season in an unexpected way.

*Spoilers Ahead*

To open the episode, the Doctor explains the "bootstrap principle" to, presumably, the audience in an almost fourth-wall breaking fashion. My first thought is that the explanation was for O'Donnell and Bennett, but either way, it introduced a fascinating concept to explore.

The "bootstrap principle," also known as the causal loop, is defined as "a paradox of time travel that occurs when a later (future) event is the cause of an earlier (past) event, through some sort of time travel. The past event is then partly or entirely the cause of the future event, which is the past event's cause." (wikipedia.com) And to find that out, I did exactly as the Doctor said, "Google it."

In sci-fi, the exploration of scientific concepts and ideas is one of my favorite aspects of the genre. It gives the creators the freedom to test hypothetical concepts to see how the writers interpret them. Of course, since "bootstrap principle" is a paradox, it is logically impossible to make work, and thus the writers must create what the outcome of the paradox would fit within the context of their fictional universe. 

Making concepts such as this work is incredibly difficult. You must make the audience believe what is happening, and to a degree, "Before the Flood" accomplished this feat. With that said, the explanation lacked a few keys points of explanation. By the end, everything happened, and while it was entertaining, something felt like it was missing.  In many ways, the episode is similar to the paradox where the Doctor was "killed" by River Song in the "Impossible Astronaut." Other than the lack of explanation, using the real hypothesis gave the episode a solid base from which to build upon, even if the result was less than perfect.

In non-plot related aspects, the cast from the previous episode continue to impress with strong performances, particularly Arsher Ali as Bennett. Morven Christie as O'Donnell plays the fangirl surprisingly well, as her "fangirl" moment of exuberant exclamation felt genuine. Paul Kaye as the alien, Prentis, injects some much needed humor into the episode. The other supporting cast members do a fine job as well with the supporting cast being some of the most memorable and well developed in quite a long time.

Capaldi continues to be excellent at what he is given. However, he seems as though he is doing everything the creators want from him without much personal input. There is nothing wrong with his performance, but he rarely is given the opportunity to go off the hinges and do something out-of-the-box. But again, he is definitely very good, just not a standout. 

Jenna Coleman is given some strong material during the scene where she implies that the Doctor and his adventures is the thing that gives her life purpose after Danny's death. One of the best moments is towards the end with Ali's character Bennett since their situations are similar.

In terms of production, Daniel O'Hara's direction loses the creepy atmospheric tone of the previous episode in favor of a more straightforward tone. It certainly works, but without Gold's unique score or a creepy setting, the episode felt a tad bland in the sensory department. However, the special effects for the Fisher King are quite solid, albeit a little too much like cosplay rather than a living creature.

Combined, "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood" is a strong Doctor Who adventure. With that said, the series continues to lack the indescribable special ingredient that makes the franchise standout as one of the best on television. Nothing is particularly wrong, but it lacks the sense of awe that previous seasons capture so well at times.

Overall: 8.5/10- Less atmospheric and more scientific, "Before the Flood" explores a fascinating concept, delves into Clara's character, and wraps up the two-part story in an entertaining, albeit not perfect, fashion. 

Episode Reviews:

• "Under the Lake"
• "The Witch's Familiar"
• "The Magician's Apprentice"

Other Reviews:

• Child of the 70s Review

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.