Ghost Rider just celebrated its 50th anniversary. As a way to commemorate the date, Marvel Comics released a brand new on-going series from Benjamin Percy (responsible for works including Wolverine and X-Force) and artist Cory Smith (who has worked on Captain Marvel and Conan the Barbarian comics). The first installment of there series is now available for purchase as of February 23, 2022.
The date also coincides closely with the 15th anniversary and 10th anniversary of the theatrical releases of Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance both played by actor Nicolas Cage.
The first page insert of the comic teases “When innocent blood is spilled, a spirit of vengeance is born and JOHNNY BLAZE finds himself transformed!” An official trailer previewing the comic was also released for readers that includes plenty of violence, twisted demons and raring flames:
There have been rumors that the main character, Johnny Blaze, would make his MCU debut in the upcoming sequel of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Time will tell, as it is slated for a theatrical release in May 2022.
Digital vs. Post-Apocalyptic, the Matrix Resurrections latest trailer continues with mystery and confusion
The new preview hints at repeating loops (deja vu) and even scenes from previous films from the trilogy.
The foundations of the Matrix movies always played with the question of what is reality, and that it can be both artificially created and manipulated.
In a world of two realities – everyday life and what lies behind it – Thomas Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more,” reads the movie’s official synopsis. “Choice, while an illusion, is still the only way in or out of the Matrix, which is stronger, more secure, and more dangerous than ever before.”
Fans gets to see Jada Pinkett Smith’s character Niobe with a drastic transformation. In addition it appears that Jonathan Groff’s character is playing Agent Smith.
There’s a hint that something special is lurking beneath the entertaining endless action sequences
Both Neo, looking, just like Keanu a lifetime removed and yet the same, and Trinity appear to be aiding the cause by bringing a kind of effortless perfection to the cast – No need to mention John Wick or any intervening saga, this is a continuation, or more aptly, a resurrection of what was so amazing in the time, place spirit of that original film.
A thread like an unbroken through line, connecting the 1999 moment anew, yet absorbing the intervening changes to the fictional worlds of artifice within the films and to a third, that we, the audience, have grown with bringing us to December 22, 2021.
Naturally, some images produce more curiosity and questions than they answer, even when a still frame is isolated and studied. There is a particularly interesting interaction with the rooftop crowd in this case (above) and the image begs the question: will Neo lead uprisings both within the Matrix and the revolutions in the “real” world?
What kinds of mental challenges and trickery will a more mature Neo encounter while in the Matrix? This shot also produces mystery and begs for speculation regarding the script and how the various logical and illogical pathways will be traversed.
Multiple flash frames do confirm that a romantic adventure and escape will extend the story of Neo & Trinity, and that, while perfectly fitting, also appears to be something that could add more interest on a level above the intervening sequels (2 & 3). For all these reasons and many more, it does look like the buzz and building anticipation will start here and just keep growing until we all have a chance to experience the film in its entirety. On December 22, 2021 either in the Theater (best!) or on HBO Max for subscribers.
If anything, it feels like there is a depth and poignancy to the characters, the images and the implied story that extends and deepens the original, as a great sequel should do. For once it’s as if the maturity of the main stars in the cast is not an obstacle to manage or navigate but a built in feature.
As per W.B. press kit: The film also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Candyman,” the “Aquaman” franchise) Jessica Henwick (TV’s “Iron Fist,” “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”), Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” TV’s “Mindhunter”), Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico,”), Christina Ricci (TV’s “Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story,” “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”), Telma Hopkins (TV’s “Dead to Me,”), Eréndira Ibarra (series “Sense8,” “Ingobernable”), Toby Onwumere (TV’s “Empire”), Max Riemelt (series “Sense8”), Brian J. Smith (series “Sense8,” “Treadstone”), and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”).
Lana Wachowski directed from a screenplay by Wachowski & David Mitchell & Aleksander Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis. The film was produced by Grant Hill, James McTeigue and Lana Wachowski. The executive producers were Garrett Grant, Terry Needham, Michael Salven, Jesse Ehrman and Bruce Berman.
The return of the Matrix, and in particular Neo and Trinity, Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, respectively, is looking like more than a resurrection, and that’s already a lot. The teaser for the upcoming full trailer (tomorrow at 6am PDT if you want to set your alarm) is clearly in the full spirit and classic vision of the original hit. Lana Wachowski at the helm, solo this time, appears to have brought the 4th edition of the franchise into total sync with the debut, by far the best of the series.
Photo credit: Warner Bros. / screengrab
And both Neo, looking, just like Keanu a lifetime removed and yet the same, and Trinity appear to be aiding the cause by bringing a kind of effortless perfection to the cast – No need to mention John Wick or any intervening saga, this is a continuation, or more aptly, a resurrection of what was so amazing in the time, place spirit of that original film.
Photo credit: Warner Bros. / screengrab
And, if you are old enough to have seen ‘The Matrix” in a theater in 1999, perhaps in Hollywood, CA, you would be involuntarily reflecting on how much more like the Matrix the world has become in the intervening 22 years. Today we have Elon Musk musing openly about the likelihood that the universe is a simulation of AI (sound like the Matrix to you?)
And the Metaverse is being hailed as just around the corner, and if that’s the case can our own Matrix be far behind? Perhaps we are already there?
“The strongest argument for us being in a simulation, probably being in a simulation, is the following: 40 years ago, we had Pong, two rectangles and a dot…That is what games were. Now, 40 years later, we have photorealistic 3D simulations with millions of people playing simultaneously, and it’s getting better every year. And soon we’ll have virtual reality, augmented reality. If you assume any rate of improvement at all, the games will become indistinguishable from reality.” –Elon Musk
Photo credit: Warner Bros. / screengrab
And then there’s “Dead Internet Theory” which posits that the internet “died” in around 2017 and what’s left are the skeletal remains of what was and nothing of what could have been. Sounds like a cause to fight against and escape from a la Neo and Trinity? And what is more romantic than the idea of a reunion, thanks to resurrections, of that duo back in the mix, fighting what appears to be a similar and yet further evolved battle of fake real vs real dystopia and lost innocence? Familiar?
If the teaser campaign to promote the trailer which is itself to promote the film says anything it says, with effortless simplicity that there is a fidelity to the original and a progression in time, clear from the protagonists physical instruments, that is fully absorbed into the update.
A thread like an unbroken through line, connecting the 1999 moment anew, yet absorbing the intervening changes to the fictional worlds of artifice within the films and to a third, that we, the audience, have grown with bringing us to December 22, 2021.
The BLUE PILL:
The blue pill leads to a very different series of flashed images, depicting, presumable, the journey of Neo in the Matrix simulation world it self, as in the original. While the story is known and some of this, like the Dojo scenes below, are very beautiful, classic recreations of the original training sequences with Lawrence Fishburne, the similarity only serves to pique our curiosity all the more regarding the resurrection story and how it differs this time around.
Once more the set, while perhaps not 100% identical, and, of course, likely to befit from advances in digital filmmaking, evokes so perfectly the spirit of the original that the experience, best case in a live movie theater (!) of vicariously “being there” is already a tantalizing proposition.
And Neo / Keanu, appears to have everything he displayed as a man 22 years younger in his physical presence and that alone tells a story within the story.
Naturally, some images produce more curiosity and questions than they answer, even when a still frame is isolated and studied. There is a particularly interesting interaction with the rooftop crowd in this case (above) and the image begs the question: will Neo lead uprisings both within the Matrix and the revolutions in the “real” world?
What kinds of mental challenges and trickery will a more mature Neo encounter while in the Matrix? This shot also produces mystery and begs for speculation regarding the script and how the various logical and illogical pathways will be traversed.
Multiple flash frames do confirm that a romantic adventure and escape will extend the story of Neo & Trinity, and that, while perfectly fitting, also appears to be something that could add more interest on a level above the intervening sequels (2 & 3). For all these reasons and many more, it does look like the buzz and building anticipation will start here and just keep growing until we all have a chance to experience the film in its entirety. On December 22, 2021 either in the Theater (best!) or on HBO Max for subscribers.
Another example of the fantastic potential of re-uniting the Director / Writer with much of the cast and perhaps even crew and locations. This still (above) looks interestingly like the rooftop where the famous bullet-time sequence was made. Perhaps the same location or just digitally re-created, still the spirit of the original already can be seen shining through even in the set design and location management.
If anything, it feels like there is a depth and poignancy to the characters, the images and the implied story that extends and deepens the original, as a great sequel should do. For once it’s as if the maturity of the main stars in the cast is not an obstacle to manage or navigate but a built in feature.
The images will be extended no doubt, with tomorrow’s full trailer and, perhaps take the already building anticipation to the next level.
Thank you to Warner Bros. for the still frames and for not minding that we penned this love letter to the series, it’s cast, crew, director and producers.
The Teaser of the teaser has your brain in the Matrix x 180,000
Photo credit: Warner Bros. / screengrab
The return of the Matrix, and in particular Neo and Trinity, Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, respectively, is looking like more than a resurrection, and that’s already a lot. The teaser for the upcoming full trailer (tomorrow at 6am PDT if you want to set your alarm) is clearly in the full spirit and classic vision of the original hit. Lana Wachowski at the helm, solo this time, appears to have brought the 4th edition of the franchise into total sync with the debut, by far the best of the series.
Photo credit: Warner Bros. / screengrab
And both Neo, looking, just like Keanu a lifetime removed and yet the same, and Trinity appear to be aiding the cause by bringing a kind of effortless perfection to the cast – No need to mention John Wick or any intervening saga, this is a continuation, or more aptly, a resurrection of what was so amazing in the time, place spirit of that original film.
Photo credit: Warner Bros. / screengrab
And, if you are old enough to have seen ‘The Matrix” in a theater in 1999, perhaps in Hollywood, CA, you would be involuntarily reflecting on how much more like the Matrix the world has become in the intervening 22 years. Today we have Elon Musk musing openly about the likelihood that the universe is a simulation of AI (sound like the Matrix to you?)
And the Metaverse is being hailed as just around the corner, and if that’s the case can our own Matrix be far behind? Perhaps we are already there?
“The strongest argument for us being in a simulation, probably being in a simulation, is the following: 40 years ago, we had Pong, two rectangles and a dot…That is what games were. Now, 40 years later, we have photorealistic 3D simulations with millions of people playing simultaneously, and it’s getting better every year. And soon we’ll have virtual reality, augmented reality. If you assume any rate of improvement at all, the games will become indistinguishable from reality.” –Elon Musk
Photo credit: Warner Bros. / screengrab
And then there’s “Dead Internet Theory” which posits that the internet “died” in around 2017 and what’s left are the skeletal remains of what was and nothing of what could have been. Sounds like a cause to fight against and escape from a la Neo and Trinity? And what is more romantic than the idea of a reunion, thanks to resurrections, of that duo back in the mix, fighting what appears to be a similar and yet further evolved battle of fake real vs real dystopia and lost innocence? Familiar?
If the teaser campaign to promote the trailer which is itself to promote the film says anything it says, with effortless simplicity that there is a fidelity to the original and a progression in time, clear from the protagonists physical instruments, that is fully absorbed into the update.
A thread like an unbroken through line, connecting the 1999 moment anew, yet absorbing the intervening changes to the fictional worlds of artifice within the films and to a third, that we, the audience, have grown with bringing us to December 22, 2021.
The BLUE PILL:
The blue pill leads to a very different series of flashed images, depicting, presumable, the journey of Neo in the Matrix simulation world it self, as in the original. While the story is known and some of this, like the Dojo scenes below, are very beautiful, classic recreations of the original training sequences with Lawrence Fishburne, the similarity only serves to pique our curiosity all the more regarding the resurrection story and how it differs this time around.
Once more the set, while perhaps not 100% identical, and, of course, likely to befit from advances in digital filmmaking, evokes so perfectly the spirit of the original that the experience, best case in a live movie theater (!) of vicariously “being there” is already a tantalizing proposition.
And Neo / Keanu, appears to have everything he displayed as a man 22 years younger in his physical presence and that alone tells a story within the story.
Naturally, some images produce more curiosity and questions than they answer, even when a still frame is isolated and studied. There is a particularly interesting interaction with the rooftop crowd in this case (above) and the image begs the question: will Neo lead uprisings both within the Matrix and the revolutions in the “real” world?
What kinds of mental challenges and trickery will a more mature Neo encounter while in the Matrix? This shot also produces mystery and begs for speculation regarding the script and how the various logical and illogical pathways will be traversed.
Multiple flash frames do confirm that a romantic adventure and escape will extend the story of Neo & Trinity, and that, while perfectly fitting, also appears to be something that could add more interest on a level above the intervening sequels (2 & 3). For all these reasons and many more, it does look like the buzz and building anticipation will start here and just keep growing until we all have a chance to experience the film in its entirety. On December 22, 2021 either in the Theater (best!) or on HBO Max for subscribers.
Another example of the fantastic potential of re-uniting the Director / Writer with much of the cast and perhaps even crew and locations. This still (above) looks interestingly like the rooftop where the famous bullet-time sequence was made. Perhaps the same location or just digitally re-created, still the spirit of the original already can be seen shining through even in the set design and location management.
If anything, it feels like there is a depth and poignancy to the characters, the images and the implied story that extends and deepens the original, as a great sequel should do. For once it’s as if the maturity of the main stars in the cast is not an obstacle to manage or navigate but a built in feature.
The images will be extended no doubt, with tomorrow’s full trailer and, perhaps take the already building anticipation to the next level.
Thank you to Warner Bros. for the still frames and for not minding that we penned this love letter to the series, it’s cast, crew, director and producers.
Keanu is back, but will he be the One this time around?
During CinemaCon last night, Warner Bros. gave attendees a first look, as well as announcing the official title for the 4th installment, get ready for “The Matrix: Resurrections”.
A trailer was debuted at the event, however it has yet to be shared openly to the public. According to reporters on the scene, this is what we know so far: Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will return to their iconic roles as Neo and Trinity. It has been said that Laurence Fishburne will not return as Morpheus, however there “may” be his character in a younger form.
We don’t know the plot. We do know from those that got a sneak at the first footage is there is a man named Thomas (played by Keanu Reeves) is at a psychiatrist and is having problems and takes his blue pills each day. He clearly doesn’t remember he is Neo nor of the Matrix. Later Thomas walks past Trinity at a coffee shop, again they both don’t recognize each other. An unknown character played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, reminiscent Morpheus offers Thomas a red pill…
New cast members will join in on the film including: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra, Christina Ricci, and Jessica Henwick. Since very little is still known about the film, their roles/characters have yet to be disclosed.
“The Matrix Resurrections” will be released as the WB 2021 lineup has this year both in theaters and HBO Max (for 31 days) on December 22, 2021.
The new film mimics real life (sans 5 years or so) bringing the characters and actors together again after 30 years to reprise their excellent roles and adventures. Alex Winters and Keanu Reeves are back as Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted “Theodore” Logan to revisit the plot twists and add a few more 30 years older and still très excellent.
As is to be expected and adored, challenges abound and hilarity ensues, with the trailer already tinged with a sweet comic potency due to the aged dynamic duo faithfully playing their younger selves with no held back pride or shame at exposing themselves in decrepitude of the physical form due simply to the years gone by.
With no hard fast release date due to the uncertainty of the level safety that a theatrical celebration of such excellence would enjoy, summer is at least promised and that would be a righteous chance to party on to the new historical phase of in-theater celebration of celluloid for the next generation.
We hope in all certitude that the original date for release, which was August 23rd, can be help or at least will be in the vicinity of the actual theatrical one. Orion Pictures Release with distribution by Warner Brothers.
2019 has been a big year for Keanu Reeves. With a reprised leading performance in “John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum,” a voice acting role in “Toy Story 4,” and a plethora of social media attention through interviews and memes, the fifty-five year old actor has found himself back in the spotlight for the first time in about fifteen years. Fans have affectionately dubbed this resurgent stage in his career, “The Keanussance.”
Happily, the Keanu Reeves fun will not stop anytime soon. Recent announcements from Warner Brothers and Lionsgate respectively reveal that “The Matrix 4” and “John Wick 4” will be released on the same date—May 21, 2021, a day that the Internet is already starting to declare “Keanu Reeves Day.”
Neither of these upcoming films have revealed their plots yet, as “The Matrix 4” is merely in pre-production and “John Wick 4” remains in development. All we really know is that they are each the fourth installments in their franchises, and that Keanu Reeves has been casted in both of them.
The last Matrix film, “Matrix Revolutions” came out in 2003. “Revolutions” wrapped up the science-fiction, reality-bending narrative, and left Neo—the main protagonist played by Reeves—dead. Thus, we are all very curious to see how Reeves returns in “The Matrix 4.” Likewise, it will be interesting to find out what Warner Brothers does with the story given the conclusive nature of “Revolutions.”
Warner Brothers has actually stated that Neo will not be the main character in “The Matrix 4,” and that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II of “Watchmen,” “Aquaman,” and “Black Mirror,” will play the new protagonist. Nevertheless, Reeves will somehow still be reprising his role in the film, as will “Revolutions” co-star Carrie-Anne Moss. Additionally, Lana Wachowski will be back behind the camera, directing a script from Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell.
Compared to the nineteen-year gap between “The Matrix: Revolutions” and “The Matrix 4,” “John Wick 4,” is a much quicker turnaround from the third film in its franchise. Once again, all we know for sure is that Reeves will be back as the titular character. Given the John Wick series so far, the fourth film will likely follow the same James Bond style, action-packed storyline as the last three movies. We can expect lots of gun, knife, and fist fights to happen and for Keanu to give yet another performance that can only be described as “badass.”
Furthermore, although it has not formally been asserted yet, we can reasonably anticipate the return of director Chad Stahelski for “John Wick 4”, as the stuntman-turned-filmmaker has directed all of the Wick movies so far.
Whoever he ends up fighting in the two films, Keanu Reeves will ultimately be going up against himself at the box office that fateful weekend in 2021. Both films are bound to be summer blockbusters, but which movie will fare better commercially is anyone’s pick. “The Matrix 4” is coming off of a classic franchise that redefined the sci-fi genre in 1999. However, the source material is admittedly a little dated, and The Matrix sequels tended to diminish in quality as the series continued. “John Wick 4,” on the other hand, is young and fresh, but it lacks the same longevity and cinematic prestige as The Matrix.
It’s impossible to tell which movie will end up triumphant on Keanu Reeves Day. Most fans will probably end up seeing both, but a lot can happen in the next year and a half. Until then, we can look forward to the dual release and enjoy the Keanussance throughout 2020, as Reeves will appear in movies such as “The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run,” “Bill & Ted Face The Music,” and “Fast & Furious 9.”
First is was the FaceApp that added years to your face with its app filter, in the FaceApp Challenge – with questionable issues regarding the origins (Russia) and terms of service agreement.
Now, from a more reassuring source, namely researchers in the US, including some from the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, we have the opportunity to see our selfies (and celebrity snaps) transformed into pseudo-classical portrait styles.
The web site upload system, currently down due to massive demand, uses GAN (Generative Adversarial Network) results from 45,000 images in the art history archives to create a new photo based on the original plus the relevant data instructions from the scan.
“With AI Portraits Ars anyone is able to use GAN models to generate a new painting, where facial lines are completely redesigned.
The model decides for itself which style to use for the portrait. Details of the face and background contribute to direct the model towards a style.
In style transfer, there is usually a strong alteration of colors, but the features of the photo remain unchanged. AI Portraits Ars creates new forms, beyond altering the style of an existing photo.”
AI Portraits Ars Web Site
As can be seen from the montage above (and the version with names added below) the results are often flattering in an odd ancient sort of way. Also, some, such a Keanu Reeves, are obvious (?) whereas others you might never guess!
So below the results and thanks for playing!
The AI Portraits web site should be back up shortly, assuming the rush to try it out eventually slows!
Ali Wong Takes the Leap from Stand-Up To Feature Film Star
Ali Wong and Netflix have produced two successful endeavors together; the hilarious “Hard Knock Wife” and “Baby Cobra“. Both stand-up specials were met with great acclaim. As an artist best known for her behind the scenes work as writer and producer for the TV series ‘Fresh Off The Boat‘, surprisingly, critics immediately lauded her stand-up specials and praised her in the same breath as Sarah Silverman and Chris Rock (who is also Wong’s “Mentor”).
The San Francisco native’s often “blue” and absurd look at the human experience was particularly disarming because the comic was visibly pregnant in both of her specials.
Photo / Netflix
Those specials now bear fruit as the Vietnamese-Chinese American stand-up comic is graduating to feature-film star status in the new Netflix produced Rom-Com “Always Be My Maybe”.
The film tells a story about a man and woman with a “When Harry Met Sally”-feel. The two life long friends haven’t seen each other in years. Sasha (Wong) and Marcus (played by comedian Randall Park) reconnect as adults. Their lives have taken two different routes; Sasha is a successful celeb chef and recovering from a failed engagement, at the same time Marcus is a struggling musician working a day job.
And, just as it seems the long-time friends appear on the verge of a romantic connection – enter Keanu Reeves as Sasha’s new rebound beau (who actually looks hilarious with his iconic “John Wick” character giving us all a mental disconnect). Triangle dram-edy ensues.
Photo / Netflix
“Always Be My Maybe” doesn’t just star Fresh Off The Boat’s Randall Park, but also features Nahnatchka Khan as director. Khan was the creator and served as Executive Producer, and occasional director on the show, which is based on Taiwanese-American restaurateur Eddie Huang’s autobiography.
Ali Wong has also written a compilation of essays entitled Dear Girls—a series of stories about Wong’s wild youth. She is dedicating the book to her young daughters.
“Always Be My Maybe” stars Ali Wong, Randall Park, and Keanu Reeves, and is directed by Nahnatchka Khan.
The film will be available to stream starting May 31st, on Netflix
The world of John Wick is a dark, violent, fast and slippery place. The rapid fire franchise on Wick, a retired hitman seeking vengeance, has resulted in hit after hit at the box office. The movie’s rabid fanbase is fed with a near seamless story, the second movie picks up 4 days after the first, and the third chapter continues right after the second.
Photo / LionsGate
After killing D’Antonio, an Italian Mafia boss, on the grounds of the Continental Hotel known for its neutral, no-kill territory, a contract is placed on Wick. John finds himself fighting for his life (again) with the $14 million dollar bounty for his head. The hit results in the flooding of all the greatest assassins around the world to come for him. Once again, the odds are super stacked against the now “excommunicado” Wick.
Photo / LionsGate
The John Wick movies are known for their bruising, fast paced sequences, gunplay, realistic fight scenes and dark tone. All three films have been directed by Chad Stahelski, who broke into the film business as a stunt coordinator. Stahelski doubled for the late great Brandon Lee after his fatal accident on the set of The Crow.
Brandon Lee was vocal about the lack of realism and craft in fight choreography. This commitment to fantastic realism follows the family line, his father Bruce Lee reinvented the Martial Arts and action film genre. It is also no coincidence that Keanu Reeves studies Martial Arts and performs a lot of his own stunts in the film.
Photo / LionsGate
Keanu Reeves stars as John Wick alongside Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Anjelica Huston, and Ian McShane.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum crashes into theaters May 17th, 2019
