pandemic

15 Sep

Host Director’s Dashcam Takes Pandemic Horror to Scarier Place

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Creating an interesting protagonist in a horror movie is a difficult thing. Conventional wisdom suggests they should be blandly appealing, and thereby a surrogate for any viewer to insert themselves into the nightmare. More often than not though, they are treated as disposable. Interchangeable faces who eventually become pieces of meat, lambs to the slaughter. Whether by fluke or design, the “heroes” of entire popular movements in the genre—slasher flicks in the ‘80s, torture porn in the 2000s—eventually devolved into figures of ridicule: victims who the audience would root against, sometimes uncomfortably so. All of which is a long way…

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21 Apr

The Pandemic in Pop Culture Trends

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The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was both a universal and incredibly personal experience. While not everyone’s life in the first year of the pandemic looked the same, there have been some common joys, struggles, and tragedies. And there have been stories that have helped get us through the first year of pandemic. The global COVID-19 pandemic is not over, but it has hopefully reached a turning point. Multiple vaccines protecting against the worst of the virus have been developed and have begun to be (unevenly) distributed around the world, with Israel, the U.K., Chile, and the U.S. currently…

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15 Apr

Mythic Quest: Everlight Ushers in the Post-Pandemic TV Era

New DVD releaseeverlight, mythic, pandemic, quest, ushers

The pandemic is still here, regardless of what the headlines (including the one above) would have you believe. Masks, social distancing, and a devastating combination of fear and illness remain a reality for now.  But thankfully, nearly a quarter of the American population is vaccinated, and a return to something that suspiciously resembles normalcy appears to be on the horizon. After producing the first bit of great pandemic television with the standalone episode “Quarantine” last May, Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest is now aiming to conjure up some great post-pandemic TV as well.  “We wanted to put the entire pandemic behind…

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22 Mar

Link Tank: Video Game Developers on How the Pandemic Reshaped the Industry

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Video game developers reveal how the pandemic has reshaped not just gaming, but the gaming industry. “It’s not just personal gaming habits that have changed during the pandemic — making games has drastically changed too. Studios have been forced into remote development for the past year, which has been a pain point for the industry. That’s led to a string of high-profile game delays as developers struggle to wrangle giant projects together from afar.” Read more Inverse. The hype around the Justice League Snyder Cut has some people buzzing jokingly (or not?) about an NC-17 cut of Robin William’s Mrs.…

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15 Mar

Link Tank: Gaming Habits That Changed During the Pandemic

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How have our gaming habits changed during the pandemic? Check out the three big trends Inverse’s survey revealed. “As more people focused on indoor activities to pass the time during a year-long pandemic that’s still not over, a lot of them turned to gaming to pass the time. But how exactly did 2020 reshape the way we play video games? We asked, and more than 2,900 Inverse readers responded.” Read more at Inverse. For fans of Nickelodeon’s golden age shows, here are some fun facts about this kids’ TV channel in the ’80s and ’90s. “Whether you preferred the drama of…

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15 Feb

The Happening Revisited Through the Lens of a Pandemic

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When the pandemic hit it was Steven Soderberg’s Contagion rather than M Night Shyamalan’s The Happening that people wanted to revisit. Perhaps Mark Wahlberg running away from the wind wasn’t the vibe people were looking for. Revisiting this much maligned but secretly wonderful curio in light of where we are in the world now, though, throws up some interesting parallels. The big difference between the way the characters in The Happening dealt with their pandemic and what’s going on in the world now is lockdown. What the characters battling the airborne infection in The Happening should have done is self…

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11 Jan

How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Got its Own Pandemic from the Blip

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been besieged by supervillains, bombarded by extraterrestrial invaders and—in a deed so dastardly it’s unlikely to be topped—saw half the population of its entire universe dusted away. However, one thing that the continuity will not have to endure is the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, that is not to say that that the MCU won’t be defined by the aftermath of a worldwide-affected tragedy going into its Phase Four slate of films and television shows. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige reveals to Variety that parallels to the pandemic are, coincidentally, planned to permeate throughout the MCU by…

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07 Oct

How Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 Changed Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic

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Back in February, I visited the set of Fear the Walking Dead in Austin, TX as the cast and crew were filming season 6, which is set to premiere on Oct. 11 on AMC. Nobody on set that cold, wet day had any idea that, just a few weeks later, the entire production would be shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking to Den of Geek on a Zoom call ahead of the Fear the Walking Dead season 6 premiere, the show’s cast reflected on how the production changed in midst of the pandemic and how this new, real-world…

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02 Oct

South Park Pandemic Special Brings the Show’s Highest Ratings in Seven Years

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With the year 2020 feeling like an interminable torrent of tumult, viewers were widely ready to reach for a familiar, long-missing satirical salve with the South Park Pandemic Special on its Wednesday night premiere. Such a notion was validated with the extended episode’s performance, which yielded Comedy Central record ratings. Comedy Central is touting monumental metric accolades from the South Park Pandemic Special, which was the highest-rated episode of the long-running animated staple in the past seven years with 2.06, yielding a total of 4.05 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic for the premiere. The return was up by…

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01 Oct

South Park Pandemic Special: What Does The Return of Death Mean?

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It’s understandable for any series, let alone one like South Park, to develop a level of cynicism when it’s been on for over two decades. South Park has turned out numerous episodes like “Cancelled,” “You’re Getting Old,” and “Unfulfilled” that have all looked at the growing pains of not just South Park, but also its creators. There have been a handful of episodes that exhibit such self-criticism that it’s sometimes easy to wonder if Trey Parker and Matt Stone are still truly in love with the series or just going through the motions.  “The Pandemic Special” looks at a lot…

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01 Oct

South Park Pandemic Special Review: Tegridy Is No Cure

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Quick back-of-the-napkin math on major headlines since last season’s South Park finale aired on Dec. 11 2019: the impeachment trial of the sitting president, a drone strike on Iran, the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, the Democratic primaries and presidential election cycle, Brexit (well, for real this time), wildfires engulfing the west coast, police brutality protests and rioting across America, continued forgien election interference, and 200,000+ people dead from COVID-19 in the United States, with a curve nowhere near flattened, and over 1 million dead worldwide.  In a year that gets bleaker with each passing day, one can be forgiven…

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15 Sep

South Park Season 24 To Premiere with a Pandemic Special

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At this point nothing can slow down South Park, not even a global pandemic. Comedy Central announced that the long-running animated series will return for season 24 on September 30th with an hour-long “Pandemic Special.” The special airs at 8:00 p.m. ET.  For those who have been following the show in recent seasons, the title means one citizen of South Park will try to cash in on this collective nightmare: Randy Marsh. Here’s the episode description via Comedy Central:  “Randy comes to terms with his role in the COVID-19 outbreak as the on-going pandemic presents continued challenges to the citizens…

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05 Aug

Link Tank: How the Pandemic Will Change Zombie Stories

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Zombie horror has always adhered to certain tropes, but here’s why these tropes are going to have to change. “At the core of every book, video game, television series, or movie involving a zombie apocalypse is an idea about humanity’s drive to consume, or how easy it would be for civilizations to crumble in the midst of an unforeseen disaster. Like, for instance, the sudden spread of a deadly virus that swept its way across the entire globe within a matter of weeks.” Read more at Gizmodo. Andrew Lincoln, star of The Walking Dead, still has not watched The Walking…

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03 Aug

Double World Review: Kung Fu Eye Candy for Pandemic Comfort Food

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Like so many 2020 films, Double World was slated for a major theatrical release this summer. But due to the pandemic, it has become one of the first big films to jump online in some hopes of recouping its costs. It’s a shame because Double World is the kind of film that was made for the big screen. It opens a spectacular new fantasy world, brimming with ravishing visuals. Haven’t heard of it?  Don’t feel bad. It’s from China. Had 2020 gone as planned, Double World might have had a limited North American theatrical release at best, but now we…

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14 Jul

Evel Knievel Series with Milo Ventimiglia Scrapped by USA Network due to Pandemic

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The gravity-abused life of iconic stuntman Evel Knievel (1938-2007) was set to be chronicled by USA Network, which last year ordered a limited series, titled Evel, with Milo Ventimiglia tapped to star as the iconic daredevil. However, the world has obviously experienced significant changes since those plans were first spun, and it seems that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused Evel to wipe out from the cable channel’s production slate. USA Network has scrapped Evel, according to THR. The project, which was picked up to series in September 2019, saw its New Mexico production—which was finishing location prep and was on…

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02 Apr

HBO to Stream Dozens of Free TV Series and Movies Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

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During the coronavirus pandemic, everyone has to do their duty by staying inside and watching a ludicrous amount of television and movies. Now HBO has provided the quarantined with an important tool in this mission.  Today HBO announced that it is making nearly 500 hours of original programming and some WarnerMedia-branded movies available for free to all for a limited time. Subscriptions to HBO via cable with HBO Go or via streaming with HBO Now usually cost $15 per month. But starting Friday, April 3, anyone with Internet access will be able to access nine original HBO series and a…

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27 Mar

Contagion Cast Offers PSAs Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

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It’s okay if you feel a bit anxious about the news. Yesterday the U.S. passed China for the most confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in the world, and social distancing has quickly become a fact of life. It’s understandable then that folks have turned to entertainment to contextualize their anxiety, if not fully distract from it. Indeed, Steven Soderbergh and Scott Z. Burns’ Contagion has become one of the most digitally rented and streamed films of the last several months. In February alone, it shot up from Warner Brothers’ 270th most rented movie to their second most. A cold and…

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12 Mar

F9 Delayed a Year Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

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The Fast and Furious movies like to say they’re all about “family,” which might be why it’s a prudent move for Universal Pictures to protect its family of fans during a global crisis. Hence Universal made the extraordinary step Thursday to delay Fast & Furious 9, or F9, almost a full 11 months past its original May 22 global launch. The film is now slated to open on April 2, 2021 in both the U.S. and UK. The move follows in the footsteps of multiple high-profile blockbuster films that have been delayed, one indefinitely. The first indication that Hollywood would…

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