Tony Schaab – Senior Editor – ScienceFiction.com

Movie Review: ‘Civil War’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 16:40:28 +0000

What if. It’s a question that has intrigued storytellers and audiences alike for generations. The desire to take something known and twist it ever so slightly, to the point where elements and pieces are not immediately recognizable – or worse, things are chillingly recognizable and seemingly appropriate in their darker state. The thought of “yes, I could see something like this happening” is perhaps one of the scariest story premises out there – especially when what we’re being presented with is dark and dangerous. Such is the case with ‘Civil War,’ the new film from director Alex Garland and production studio A24. Taking place in the indeterminately-near future, the political and socio-economical divide in the United States of America has grown to the point where the country has fractured, with several states deciding to try their own hand at self-governance. A few maps shown early in the film indicate that close to 20 states may be trying to secede in various ways. Factions such as the “Florida Alliance” and the “New People’s Army” have arisen, but the two largest proponents have joined forces to create the “Western Forces,” and in a large-yet-subtle twist, it’s California and Texas, of all the […]

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Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ Season 2 Is Coming To Disney+ In December

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 20:17:36 +0000

We’ve known for a while now that the first season of the animated Disney+ show, Marvel’s “What If…?,” was getting a follow-up season. Today, Disney and Marvel have confirmed the new season’s release date, along with some additional fun information about the release schedule of the individual episodes. Read on for more info! Starting its life in comic-book form back in 1977, Marvel’s series told alternate-reality tales about heroes and characters that readers knew well. The first issue was titled “What if… Spider-Man Joined the Fantastic Four?” and it set the precedent that readers would be seeing, essentially, the early stages of what would eventually become known as The Multiverse. Now that the stories have shifted onto the television screen with the first season of “What If…?,” the tales being told are directly connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its version of classic Marvel characters. The nine episodes in the inaugural season revolved around tales of alternate versions of The Avengers, Black Panther, Ultron, Doctor Strange, zombies, and more! While the complete list of episodes for Season 2 hasn’t been officially released yet, several leaks claim to outline the entire season. Items that have been confirmed by Disney include […]

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Prepare Yourself For The Next Great Spy Thriller Movie: ‘Tetris?’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 14:00:27 +0000

There are certain video games that have a natural path that can be traced in terms of what a move about that game would be about. Assassin’s Creed and time-travel undercover ops. Uncharted and a treasure-hunting mystery. Sonic the Hedgehog and a fast blue animal with rings. Super Mario Bros and plumbing. And the like. So, when the news came down about an upcoming film called ‘Tetris,’ it makes one’s brain start to think of the possibilities: will this be a movie along the same lines as Hasbro’s now-scuttled plans for turning its games into film properties? Will it be a tale about giant blocky alien ships invading Earth, and the only way for us to defeat them is to get them lined up next to each other so our missiles can make them “disappear?” (I’d watch that, probably.) Could it be a horror movie based on an ancient puzzle, and when the pieces align just so, it sends the user into a shadowy nether-realm? (I’d definitely watch that.) Well, no, that’s all wrong – and probably the furthest thing from our mind is actually the correct answer: ‘Tetris’ will be an espionage-style thriller, telling the true(ish) story of how the game […]

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Movie Review: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 21:30:18 +0000

New beginnings bring new excitement, but also new challenges. Such is the takeaway vibe I got from our advance screening of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ the kickoff for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let’s be clear from the get-go: Marvel has been giving us entertaining, high-quality films for a long time now. Almost 25 years, across dozens of television series, along with short films and literature tie-ins… this juggernaut is no slouch. Unfortunately, every entry into the series can’t be a home run – and that’s where we need to have some “real talk” about ‘Quantumania.’ The story itself is right in line with what viewers have been given across the over-arching MCU narrative to date: things on Earth appear to be “settling in” a bit post-Blip (although, frustratingly, ‘Quantumania’ still does not reference anything to do with the giant stone Eternal that is now sticking out of the Earth, half-stuck, as shown in the climax of ‘The Eternals,’ with this new film believed to be the 11th property to take place in the MCU timeline set after those events with absolutely zero remarks or tie-ins to it). The story does reference The Blip, of course, as […]

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Go Big Or Go Home With The New ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Trailer

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 18:36:08 +0000

Marvel has made plenty of waves this year with both their newly-released MCU content (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk) and key announcements for the forthcoming Phases of film & TV. One of the most anticipated upcoming films easily has to be ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.’ After the first Ant-Man film was a pleasant surprise to both fans and critics alike, and its follow-up ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ continued to build on that success – not to mention casually dropping one of the most impactful pre-‘Endgame’ mid-credit scenes of all MCU time – fans now know that Marvel isn’t afraid to load this part of the MCU franchise with big reveals and important info. With that, today brings us the first trailer for the film that’s dropping in theaters in just a few short months. It gives us a better look at the newest big-bad of the Marvel on-screen universe, Kang the Conqueror, along with some very tantalizing tidbits about what secrets the Quantum Realm is holding – and how long Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) has truly known about these secrets. Take a good look for yourself: […]

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Fiction Review: ‘Signal Moon’ (2022)

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 16:39:22 +0000

Amazon has been kind enough lately to grace readers with advance copies of select forthcoming titles, and I was lucky to grab a copy of Signal Moon by Kate Quinn, which is releasing wide in August from the streaming giant. This novella-sized tale will be available in eBook only, but it packs a pretty decent punch into a relatively bite-sized story. In 1943, at the height of World War II, Lily Baines works for her country as a “Wren,” the Y-Station listeners of the British Royal Naval Service tasked with intercepting, relaying, and sometimes deciphering the enemy transmissions they hear over the airwaves. Armed with receivers, headphones, and their skill to transcribe as quickly as possible, Lily is but one of a team of women stationed at Withernsea on the English shoreline, working daily to do their part for the cause. Imagine her surprise, then, when she intercepts a truly curious transmission: one coming from a United States Naval officer originating 80 years later, in 2023. This is the main premise the drives this short story from the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Quinn. The author is intimately familiar with the 1940s Y-Station setting, having previously penned […]

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The New ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Trailer Delivers Twice The Thor – And The First Look At The Film’s Villain

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Tue, 24 May 2022 03:08:53 +0000

It will almost assuredly be a trivia question years from now: who was the first character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get a fourth solo film? The answer, of course, will be Thor Odinson, and the film will be the movie that’s next headed to cinemas for audiences to enjoy: ‘Thor: Love and Thunder.’ The impending superhero film comes with a few twists and “extras,” however. The story will see not only Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as the iconic God of Thunder, but Natalie Portman also returns to the franchise – not just as mild-mannered human scientist and Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster, but ALSO as The Might Thor, wielding the reconstructed Mjolnir hammer and sporting some serious superhero(ine) cred of her own. Oh, and the fan-favorite Guardians of the Galaxy also feature in the film. There should be a lot to take in from this one! Speaking of the Guardians team, however – it’s hard to tell how heavily they will feature in the film, as not only is this not “their story,” but the newest trailer that just dropped really seems to minimize their involvement in the main plot of the film. This is a stark […]

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Thor Puts The Hammer Down (Literally) In Teaser Trailer For ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 18:22:57 +0000

Marvel’s Phase 4 is officially off and running here in 2022. One of the biggest questions on fans’ minds – besides what the heck we’re in for in the upcoming ‘Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’ film set to hit theaters next month – is “what changes are in for one of the last-standing original Avengers, Thor?” Answers to that question and others are undoubtedly forthcoming with the impending release of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the fourth feature film in the Norse Gods’ franchise and the first on-screen sighting of Thor since his characters’ wild evolutionary ride in the MCU Infinity War/Endgame saga. Today, Marvel has given us a teaser trailer of the upcoming movie – one that, thankfully, doesn’t give away too much of the film plot-wise but absolutely sets the tone for what we’ll be getting on screen this Summer. Here’s the “official” description directly from Marvel: Here it is. ❤️ + ⚡ Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder arrives only in theaters July 8. The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr […]

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Feast on the New ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ Trailer

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:58:17 +0000

Feast on the New ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ Trailer After having to briefly pause shooting for two weeks in October 2021 due to a mild COVID outbreak on set, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ is ready to be released upon the world, drawing what many hope will be a fitting conclusion to the ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy of films and likely, if the marketing is to be believed, putting a cap on the “Jurassic Era” of films altogether. From the descriptions to the teaser trailers to the full-blown trailer we’ve been given today, it has felt like the inevitable conclusion to this saga is upon us. After 5 films of keeping the genetically-recreated dinos (mostly) confined to an island or two, it’s clear that time may very well be up for humans as the dominant species on our planet – but only seeing the film will give us the answers for sure! Check out the new trailer, which is chock-full of excitement and nostalgia from newer and classic franchise characters alike: From the ridiculously in-depth description over at Universal Pictures UK: Genre: Epic Action-Adventure Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, BD Wong, Omar Sy, […]

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JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Returns To Netflix This Year With ‘Stone Ocean’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 14:28:02 +0000

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most well-known Japanese manga series of all time. Since its inception in 1987 as as serialized story in Japan’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine, the series has grown to an impressive array of adaptations that include video games, spin-off mangas, light novels, several animated TV series, and even a live-action film. Netflix has revealed that the newest iteration of the series, ‘Stone Ocean,’ will be premiering globally on the streaming service this coming December. Check out the official series description and first teaser trailer: Florida, U.S.A, 2011 — After an accident while on a drive with her sweetheart, Jolyne Cujoh falls into a trap and is sentenced to fifteen years at the state-run maximum-security correctional facility Green Dolphin Street Prison—AKA “the Aquarium.” On the verge of despair, she receives a pendant from her father that causes a mysterious power to awaken inside of her. “There are things in this world that are more terrifying than death, and what’s happening in this prison is definitely one of them.” A message from a mysterious boy who appears before Jolyne, inexplicable events that occur one after another, the horrifying truth told to her by her father when […]

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Scarlet Witch Unleashes The Magic Of The Darkhold On The Marvel Universe

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 20:19:58 +0000

The Darkhold has a long and storied history in the Marvel Universe – both in the comics, where it was first introduced back in June 1972 in the pages of Marvel Spotlight #4, and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where it has appeared canonically in ‘WandaVision’ and as well as the tangential TV series ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and ‘Runaways.’ Before we see the book next on-screen – likely in next year’s ‘Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’ – this Fall, Marvel Comics will feature the dark tome in a series of one-shot special-issue stories, featuring characters from across the pages of the company’s various titles. Written by long-time comics writer Steve Orlando, the tale will start with the self-titled Darkhold Alpha #1 before moving from character to character via their own special issues. Details of the story are being kept mostly under wraps, but Marvel does tell us that both the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom will try (and apparently fail to some degree) to contain the Darkhold from wreaking it’s magical destruction across the Marvel Universe. The company was kind enough to share the covers to two of the upcoming special issues, Darkhold: Iron Man #1 and Darkhold: Blade #1, as well […]

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Sony Has Given Us A Second Trailer For ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 15:15:20 +0000

The sequel to 2018’s Tom Hardy-ed ‘Venom,’ titled ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage,’ is heading to theaters sometime later this year – Sony’s official press releases say “this Fall,’ but a precise date remains surprisingly unannounced. Nevertheless, the fine folks at the studio have graced us with a second trailer to view, following up on the first trailer released earlier this year. The first film grossed $856 million at the worldwide box office, making it’s profit estimated around $247 million and being one of the better financial successes of the 2018 theatrical releases. Of course, here in 2021 we find ourselves in a slightly different world in terms of theater-going and in-person entertainment, so it remains to be seen how this sequel will fare on the big screens – and this uncertainly could possibly be part of what is holding Sony back from announcing an official release date for the film. Regardless, the movie itself seems ready to rock, and if the new trailer is any indication, Woody Harrelson is ready to wreak some havoc in the sub-titular role of Carnage, aka Cletus Kasady Gone seems to be the curly-red wig Cletus donned in the credits scene of ‘Venom,’ […]

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Disney Chooses To Bring ‘Black Widow’ To Digital Release Early, Adds 9 Deleted Scenes

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 14:31:07 +0000

‘Black Widow’ marked the triumphant return to theaters for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the film has seen its box office take decline sharply in the weeks since its opening. Possibly as a result of this, Disney today has announced that they are bumping up the digital release of the films across the various platforms; this, of course, is not to be confused with the “Premiere Early Access” that Disney+ subscribers can pay for to have access to the film via their account already. The digital release is now coming in just a few weeks, on August 10th. The film’s physical release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD will follow on September 14th. Both digital and physical releases will feature a large amount of extra content, including a blooper reel, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and nine deleted scenes for fans to enjoy. Check out Disney’s official press release below, along with the trailer for the film. “Black Widow” stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz as Melina, David Harbour as Alexei/Red Guardian, Ray Winstone as Dreykov, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, and William Hurt as Secretary Ross. Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” arrives early on all major digital platforms on Aug. […]

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Check Out The New Trailer And Poster For Marvel’s ‘The Eternals’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:50:15 +0000

After the strangeness of 2020 and its impact on movies and the entertainment world in general, the release slate for the second half of this year is, to put it mildly, jam-packed. Several films that were meant to make their cinematic debut last year were bumped back – in some cases several times – and in 2021, movie-goers will finally get to see many of these delayed offerings. It makes for a very busy time, and for franchises, it means that many releases are coming to audiences much closer together on the calendar than they normally would. The perfect example of this is with the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe; between the scheduled US openings of ‘Black Widow’ on July 9 of this year and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ on July 8, 2022, there are a whopping 7 MCU films coming to the big screens, averaging out to a new Marvel movie less than every other month. (And that doesn’t even count the 4 MCU TV series coming to Disney+ during that time as well!) Smack-dab in the middle of all this is the scheduled release of Marvel’s ‘The Eternals,’ coming to US theaters on November 5th. Today, the powers-that-be at […]

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Throwback Thursday: ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker’ (1974)

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 13 May 2021 20:30:10 +0000

Have you ever stumbled across, as an adult, a TV series or movie you used to watch as a kid? Sometimes it fills you with a sense of nostalgia to re-connect with the scenes you remember seeing while you were growing up, but sometimes the experience can also be a rude awakening: can you believe that this sort of thing actually used to entertain you? What were you thinking? There’s always a chance your experience will end negatively instead of positively when re-discovering something from your past that you used to know and love. Recently, I was able to catch up, via the magic of online streaming, with a TV show I watched on the SciFi (now SyFy) Channel during my impressionable years as a young teenager, ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker’ (streaming for free on the NBC app; available for purchase on the Amazon, Apple+, and Google Play apps). To be clear: when I watched the show in my youth, I was watching it in syndication; the show enjoyed its original short-lived run from 1974-1975, building off the success of two made-for-TV movies about the titular character, Carl Kolchak, a reporter with a penchant for investigating stories of the strange […]

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