Movies That Have Everything: Ghost in the Shell STARTS TODAY!!!

Happy Friday everyone! The spring movie season continues with Ghost In the Shell starting TODAY!!!

In this live action adaptation of the 1995 animated feature (which was an adaptation of the Seinen Manga series) that takes place in the near future, with main character Major (Scarlett Johansson) being the first of her kind: a human who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people's minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that she has been lied to, and her life was not saved. Instead, it was stolen. 

Directed by Rupert Sanders the cast includes Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara, and Tawanda Manyimo. Check out the trailer below!

Ghost in the Shell (2017 Trailer / Paramount Pictures)

Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow (1989)

The original Ghost in the Shell (aka Mobile Armored Riot Police) was written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow and was first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle 'Ghost in the Shell' that eventually spawned two more books 'Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface' and 
'Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor'.

Ghost in the Shell (1995 Trailer / Production I.G.)

The saga didn't stop there as Animation studio Production I.G (who produced the first Ghost in the Shell animated movie in 1995) continued with a television series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex in 2005 telling an alternate story from the manga and first film, featuring Section 9's investigations of government corruption in the Laughing Man and Individual Eleven incidents.

2013 saw the start of the Ghost in the Shell: Arise original video animation series, consisting of four parts through mid-2014. The series was recompiled in early 2015 as a television series titled Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture, airing with an additional two episodes (one part). An animated feature film produced by most of the Arise staff, titled Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, was released on June 20, 2015.

The history of this long loved saga continues today with this latest live action installment as Ghost in the Shell starts TODAY at your local theater.

Comics To Rot Your Brain: Bernie Wrightson R.I.P.

Bernie Wrightson 

R.I.P. 1948 - 2017

It’s with a heavy heart that we announce that Bernie Wrightson, the prolific horror comic book artist, died on Sunday after a long battle with brain cancer, his wife announced on his official website. He was 68.

Swamp Thing by Bernie Wrightson

Wrightson is best known for co-creating the DC Comics monster Swamp Thing with Len Wein in 1971. The character would go on to be the subject of Wes Craven’s 1982 cult horror classic.

The illustrator began his career as a freelance artist for the Baltimore Sun at the age of 18. He joined DC Comics two years later, going by “Berni” in his early professional work.

Creepshow / Father's Day by Bernie Wrightson

Wrightson’s many other projects include a 1983 version of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” released by Marvel and comprised of 50 ink illustrations. He also illustrated the comic book adaptation of the Stephen King-written horror film “Creepshow.” He worked as a conceptual artist on movies such as “Galaxy Quest,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Land of the Dead.”

Frankenstein by Bernie Wrightson

Wrightson was known for his vivid attention to detail, and took on the works of such authors as Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. He released his own interpretations of other famous superheros, including Spider-Man and Batman.

Mr. Wrightson was one of our favorite comic book illustrators here at Pittsburgh Underground and will be sorely missed. Our condolences to his wife and family. Godspeed Mr. Wrightson.

Movies That Have Everything: Kong: Skull Island STARTS TODAY!!!

The wintery-spring movie season comes to a roar this March 10th with the premiere of Kong: Skull Island.

In this latest version it's 1971 and a team of explorers with a company of soldiers are following myth and legend in the Pacific amidst rumors of an island where creatures both prehistoric and monstrous are supposed to live. Soon they come across Skull Island, the very island of lore and legend. The creatures they soon come across make the soldiers and explorers running for their very lives. Soon Kong shows up to let all know that he is the King of Skull Island and top of the food chain. Will they survive to tell their story? Will beauty win the heart of the beast? Check out the trailer below!

Kong: Skull Island / Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures / Tencent Pictures

(2017 Trailer)

Starring Tom Hiddleston, Sam Jackson, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, and John Goodman, this original story as been moved from studio to studio until Universal Pictures announced that it would let Legendary Pictures move the flick to Warner Bros. so they could eventually do a King Kong / Godzilla crossover film slated for 2020. 

Kong: Skull Island Promo Poster / 2016 San Diego Comicon 

(Under Normal Lighting)

It appears that there is some truth to the rumor as promotional posters with the phrase 'Bring the Truth to Light' were handed out at last year's San Diego Comicon. When exposed to black light the poster changes completely, showing that Skull Island actually rests on the bones of a massive, ancient monster. A Monarch insignia is also revealed at the top-left of the poster, Monarch being the project which, in 'Godzilla", initially unearthed the bones of a massive creature in the Philippines. 

Kong: Skull Island Promo Poster / 2016 San Diego Comicon 

(Under Black Light)

So grab your gear and join in on the expedition to Kong: Skull Island at your local theater this weekend!

Movies That Have Everything: Logan STARTS TODAY!!!

Greetings true believers! Well the Pittsburgh Underground movie season has started early this year with Logan hitting theaters today!

In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces. Check out the preview below:

Logan (2017 Trailer) / Marvel Studios / 20th Century Fox

This is the final time (or so we've been told) that Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine which makes this outing bitter sweet for fans as he’s played the character in nine movies starting with 2000’s X-Men, be it as a star or in a cameo role. 

In seventeen years he only thought about walking away from Wolverine one time before, around the release of 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand. “I was worried it was getting limited for me, and directors I wanted to work with were not so interested” in hiring him for non-superhero acting roles, Jackman says, though his fears were quelled when Woody Allen and Darren Aronofsky approached him — for Scoop and The Fountain respectively — and not the other way around. Since then, “every time I came back to it, it really felt fun and fresh.”

Old Man Logan / Marvel Comics

(Mark Millar and Steve McNiven)

Jackman is joined once again with Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier taking inspiration from the comic book Old Man Logan by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven , as the team bands together to protect Laura Kinney aka X-23 (played by Dafne Keen), the cloned daughter of Wolverine. 

Wolverine's swan song, Logan, claws it's way into theaters and IMAX today.