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Dark Comedy Has A New Hero in “The Art of Self Defense”

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Take what you know about dark comedies, put it in a blender with a twisted version o in the Karate kid and add in an amazingly accurate portrayal of the wrong kind of dojo and you’ve got The art of Self Defense.

This film portrays Casey (played by Jesse Eisenberg marvelously well), a man filled with fear, a man whose life is defined by his complete lack of assertiveness. He is, in essence, a jellyfish. This however is just the beginning. Casey is on a journey. That journey is one of self discovery, pain, betrayal, and finally the gaining of self respect. Now before you get all teary eyed don’t forget I did say this was the hero of dark comedies. There is some SERIOUSLY jacked up stuff that happens over the course of this film!
It starts out establishing how hopelessly inept Casey is at dealing with any kind of life situation, but after an altercation with a local biker gang, which leaves him brutally injured and hospitalized, Casey starts to reevaluate his life. At first he is more terrified than ever. He holds himself in his house refusing to go out except for work.
The beating not only crushed his body, but also obliterated what little esteem he could have possibly mustered to face the world. To this end, and for the purpose of protecting himself he turns to the most logical option, that is, the buying of a gun, but this comes with a lengthy waiting period and Casey is out for revenge, immediate revenge. Unable to complete this task Casey dejected wanders through his life until he stumbles upon a very humble dojo nestled in the bad part of town where he lives. There is no flash, or fanfare, with this building or with the interior thereof. Everything about this dojo speaks to the humility of the art.
Casey makes a decision to take up karate where he hopes he can overcome this innate fear…of everything! Casey really begins to take off under the tutelage of his sensei. He is rushed into the ranks and given an advancement faster than anyone else. That advancement come in the form of only a yellow belt however.
This kind of karate class is a bit different however. Where most karate classes will teach defense and self-preservation this class is more like a Spartan onslaught where the students are taught a very aggressive. This strikes a chord with Casey as his personality begins to change and he begins to grow a backbone, a backbone that causes him, at one point, to punch his boss in the throat. He quickly becomes kind of an apex, alpha male commanding the attention and respect of his co-workers. As I mentioned, however, this film is not without its twists!
The story line moves seamlessly through its different chapters each one progressing to a darker level, but at the same time increasing its comedic accents. In addition to that the story running is flawless, the cinematography is nothing short of exquisite, and the acting is top-notch!
I think I’ve been waiting for a film of this caliber for quite some time! It brings a refreshing, and rather dark, perspective to the screen. In fact,  there are several scenes in the film which are quite shocking but played out so magnificently that you don’t feel removed from what’s going on in the scene.
There are things that occur in this film which definitely take it to a different plane. It shifts seamlessly between comedy and drama, with intense moments of action. Characters progress, change, evolve, and get twisted around leaving us, as an audience, in the rubble of this quiet, and subtle, yet brash and explosive emo-coaster of delight!
I honestly could not recommend this film more highly, and I’m looking forward to seeing it again!
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Paramount+ Reveals Official Main Title Sequence for the Upcoming Series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

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During the TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES panel earlier today at San Diego Comic Con, Paramount+ revealed the official main title sequence for the series. The sequence is composed by EMMY® nominee, Matt Mahaffey, known for his work on Sanjay and Craig, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie and much more. 

From the studios of the Mutant Mayhem film, the all-new Paramount+ original series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES explores the adventures of everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes as they emerge from the sewers onto the streets of NYC. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are faced with new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows of the Big Apple. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Point Grey Pictures.

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is executive produced by Chris Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok) and Alan Wan (Blue Eye Samurai, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2012 Series]). Production is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, Senior Vice President, TV Series Animation, Nickelodeon, and Nikki Price, Director of Development and Executive in Charge of Production.

In addition to the upcoming new series, stream all things Turtles on Paramount+.

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Comic-Con 2024: Those About to Die Activation

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DISNEY+ CASTS DANIEL DIEMER AS FAN-FAVORITE ‘TYSON’IN SEASON TWO OF “PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS”

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 in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, Rick Riordan and Disney+ revealed that Daniel Diemer (“Under the Bridge”) will star as fan-favorite cyclops “Tyson” in the epic adventure series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Diemer joins Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase) and Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood) as a series regular. The Disney+ Original series from Disney Branded Television and 20th Television will start filming its second season next week in Vancouver.

Season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is based on the second installment of Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series titled “The Sea of Monsters” by award-winning author Rick Riordan. In the new season, Percy Jackson returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down. His friendship with Annabeth is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover has gone missing, and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.

Diemer stars as Tyson – a young Cyclops who grew up all alone on the streets, and finds it difficult to survive in the human world.  Shy and awkward, with a heart almost as big as he is, Tyson soon discovers that Poseidon is his father, which means Percy Jackson is his half-brother… and that Tyson may have finally found a home. 

Diemer recently starred in the Hulu limited series “Under the Bridge” based off the critically acclaimed book of the same name and a tragic true story of a missing teen girl in Vancouver in 1997. He will next star in the indie “Thug” opposite Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman for director Hans Petter Moland. Daniel was recently seen as the lead in the indie “Supercell” opposite Alec Baldwin and Skeet Ulrich and the lead in the film “Little Brother” opposite Phil Ettinger and JK Simmons. Daniel can also be seen in the Netflix series “The Midnight Club” and recently starred as the male lead in the breakout hit Netflix feature “The Half Of It” from producer Anthony Bregman and director Alice Wu. He is a graduate of Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts in Vancouver.

Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Craig Silverstein, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Albert Kim, Jason Ensler and Sarah Watson.

The first season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is available on Disney+

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