Sam Mendes Wins 2020 DGA Award for “1917”

By Creative Media Times

Universal Pictures

The Directors Guild of America has weighed in on the race for best director, and giving 1917’s Sam Mendes the top honor for best feature film.

“I was fortunate enough to win this award two decades ago,” Mendes recalling his DGA Awards win for “American Beauty” in 2000. “And I think if I’m honest with myself, I didn’t feel ultimately like I really knew what I was doing. I feel a little bit more like I do now.”

The win is Mendes’ second major guild win of the awards season, making him a solid frontrunner for best director at next month’s Academy Awards. The DGA Awards are often a strong bellwether for the Academy Awards: since DGA started handing out trophies in 1949, the winner has only lost seven times at the Oscars. Additionally, Mendes won best director at the Golden Globes earlier this month.

Other nominees for feature film were Bong Joon Ho for Parasite, Martin Scorsese for The Irishman, Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Taika Waititi for Jojo Rabbit.

See below for the full list of winners:

Film

Feature Film
Sam Mendes – 1917

Documentaries
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert – American Factory

First-Time Feature Film
Alma Har’el – Honey Boy
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Kurt Busiek’s Marvels Snapshots Continues In April With Captain America And X-Men

When MARVELS SNAPSHOTS begins in March, fans will get to see Marvel’s greatest characters from the Golden Age to today, in new legendary tales told through the eyes of ordinary people! As curator of this landmark series, Kurt Busiek has handpicked the creative teams for each standalone, double-sized issue and he’s put together an amazing assemblage of talent to tackle April’s issues focusing on Captain America and the X-Men.

First up, Eisner nominated writer Mark Russell will revisit Jack Kirby’s classic Madbomb storyline from his 1970s run on CAPTAIN AMERICA.

“Some people, when they call, you gotta pick up the phone. And Kurt Busiek is one of those people,” says Russell. “I was pretty instantly sold on the project once he started describing it to me— stories about the human cost of these famous conflicts in the Marvel Universe. I truly enjoyed working on this with him.”

Known for his work on books like Second Coming and Wonder Twins, Russell says MARVELS SNAPSHOT: CAPTAIN AMERICA will focus on “the Madbomb’s impact in the South Bronx, a community which had already been effectively abandoned by the rest of the nation, that community’s struggle for survival, and of the search for heroes of its own.” He will be joined by acclaimed artist Ramón Pérez(ALL-NEW HAWKEYE).
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Dark Sky Films Set “Killer Weekend” Digital Release

The comedy thriller about a guys’ getaway gone bad is set for release to digital platforms and dvd on February 18, 2020.

Co-starring in Ben Kent’s adrenaline-fueled debut feature are Mark Heap (Upstart Crow), Danny Kirrane (Don’t Forget the Driver) and Ewen MacIntosh (Shed of the Dead).

Critic Anton Bitel, writing at SciFi Now, said, “Pitched somewhere between television’s The Inbetweeners and David Bruckner’s The Ritual, this is an epic weekender comedy of boys hoping to become men, and men hoping forever to stay boys.”Pip Ellwood-Hughes of Entertainment Focus said KILLER WEEKEND is “packed with laugh-out-loud moments, plenty of surprises and a stellar ensemble.” “Part Tucker and Dale Vs Evil, part Severance, KILLER WEEKEND is really entertaining and deserves to sit alongside the British horror comedies,”said Nerdly’s Alain Elliott.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
A groom-to-be and his buddies go on a paintball battle that turns horribly, and hilariously, wrong in KILLER WEEKEND. The zombie horror comedy arrives on digital platforms and on DVD February 18, 2020.

When Sam (Sean Verey, The Hot Potato, EastEnders) discovers that his stag weekend not only is a mock zombie survival experience, but that his disapproving father-in-law-to-be has also been invited, he couldn’t be more annoyed. But when the bachelor party arrives to find the “zombies” are in fact a bunch of psychotic ex-soldiers, their fantasy weekend quickly starts to look like a nightmare.

After a series of unfortunate mishaps finds the group trapped in a disused nuclear bunker besieged by the bloodthirsty troops, Sam must ask himself: Is it all still just a game, or is it actually game over?

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Lauv Announces “How I’m Feeling World Tour”

PLATINUM-certified independent singer, songwriter, producer and pop visionary Lauv announces dates for his “~how i’m feeling world tour~” today! The 65+ date world tour will mark Lauv’s largest U.S. shows of his career. The North American leg is produced by Live Nation* and will hit iconic venues in the U.S. such as Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY, Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, CO and The Greek Theaterin Los Angeles, CA. Artists Maisie Peters, Charlotte Lawrence, Role Model and Alexander 23 are set to join as support in select cities. See full routing below and click HERE for more info!

Tickets for the North American dates go on sale to the general public starting Friday, January 31st at 10am local time at LiveNation.com.

Last week, Lauv dropped his newest single “Tattoos Together.” In conjunction, he also released the music video that was all filmed in one shot, directed by Declan Whitebloom (Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, One Direction). “Tattoos Together” is the latest release off the artist’s 21-track debut album, ~how i’m feeling~, set for release on March 6, 2020. Click HERE to view!

Over the past few months, Lauv has released his much anticipated collaboration “Mean It” with LANY (HERE), his surprise 2020 track “Changes,” in addition to the video for album track “Sims.” The video was directed by Phillip Lopez (Kygo, Selena Gomez, Liam Payne), which serves as the proper visual introduction of the “Little Lauv” characters that adorn his debut album artwork for ~how i’m feeling~ and make up Lauv’s “one man boyband.” Click HERE to view!

In October, Lauv was also notably featured on the radio version of powerhouse K-Pop group BTS’ “Make It Right (feat. Lauv)” which can be heard HERE!

Lauv’s last single “fuck, i’m lonely” with Anne-Marie has surpassed over 250 million streams to date and peaked at #30 at Top 40 US radio. The pair performed the song on Late Night With Seth Meyers (HERE). In addition, the track was also included on the current 3rd season of the popular Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, as well as this seasons soundtrack.

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“Miss Americana”: Trailer for Taylor Swift Netflix Documentary Released

By Creative Media Times

“It’s been a long time coming,” Taylor Swift posted on Twitter, along with the official trailer for her upcoming Netflix documentary film, “Miss Americana”.

The streaming service describes Miss Americana as a revealing documentary, wherein Swift “embraces her role as a songwriter and performer — and as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice.”

The trailer shows plenty of private footage of the superstar, talking about her life as an artist in the public eye, clips from her tours and red carpets, and a brief glimpse of her backstage hugging boyfriend actor Joe Alwyn.

“I became the person everyone wanted me to be,” Swift says in the trailer. “I had to deconstruct an entire belief system, toss it out and reject it.”

Directed by Emmy-winning director Lana Wilson, “Miss Americana” is set to debut today, Thursday at the Sundance Film Festival.

It is currently set for release on Netflix and select theaters on January 31.

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Afro Samurai Creator Takashi Okazaki Makes His Marvel Debut With Werewolf By Night Cover

This April, you’ll be able to see the work of acclaimed Japanese artist, Takashi Okazaki, on the cover of the brand new series, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT! Known for creating the hit manga series Afro Samurai, which went on to inspire both an anime series and an Emmy-nominated television film, Okazaki now brings his incredible talent to Marvel Comics.

Written by Taboo and Ben Jackendoff with art by Scot Eaton, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1 will introduce an all-new Werewolf by Night, a young man who must deal with a family curse while trying to protect his community from a deadly threat. For this exciting new series, Okazaki captures the new hero’s internal struggle in beautiful detail with a special variant cover to mark his Marvel debut.

“I’ve wanted to bring Takashi to Marvel ever since we first met during production of Afro Samurai, and we’re thrilled he’s finally found some time in his schedule,” says Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski. “The way he illustrates characters to kinetically leap out of his art reminds me of so many of Marvel’s masters, and I knew he’d be perfect for covers here, as this Werewolf by Night image perfectly shows!”

“Takashi Okazaki is a master whose style and sense of design have a lot of fans at Marvel,” Editor Jake Thomas added. “We were so honored to have WEREWOLF BY NIGHT be his first work with Marvel, but it is sure to only be the beginning. His character work and evocation of mood is unparalleled, so it was a real thrill to have him help premiere our new Werewolf By Night. And what an incredible job he did!” See Okazaki’s cover below and howl along with the new Werewolf by Night when it hits store in April! For more information about the series, visit marvel.com.

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Mondo and Death Waltz Recording Company Get “Freaked” With The Release of the Soundtrack on Vinyl

The vinyl release marks the first time the soundtrack for the cult film will be available in any format.

Death Waltz Recording Company brings both the score and the songs featured in Alex Winter and Tom Stern’s FREAKED. Available for the first time in any format, this 2XLP set features all new artwork from David Daniels. Inventor of Strata-Cut clay animation, Daniels did the original, mind-melting opening credit sequence for the film.

Disc One features songs from the movie from the likes of Butthole Surfers, Blind Idiot God, Henry Rollins, Axiom Funk, Iggy Pop, and more. Disc Two features Kevin Kiner’s original score, which so good that it could easily rival any number of Amblin’s films from the 1980s. Kiner’s music is incredibly nuanced, yet playful and bombastic (in a good way). It is a revelation to listen to the score independent of the film.

“FREAKED is a film that absolutely more people should know, a mix of The Three Stores and extreme body horror. It’s truly gonzo, funny as all hell, has an incredible cast, absolutely killer practical FX, and a soundtrack that features everyone from Henry Rollins to George Clinton along with Kevin Kiner’s beautiful orchestral score! We are thrilled to be releasing FREAKED for the first time on vinyl, three years in the making and worth every minute spent on it. If you haven’t seen FREAKED head to Amazon Prime right now where it is available and revel in this true Hollywood oddity,” said Spencer Hickman, Mondo & Death Waltz Recording Company Head of Music. FREAKED – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 2XLP is available for sale now at MondoTees.com

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BTS Announces Highly Anticipated Return To North America And Europe With Map Of The Soul Tour

Today global superstars BTS announce their return to the U.S. and Europe with their MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR. The outing follows last year’s massive BTS WORLD TOUR ‘LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF’ which sold out 6 stadium shows in the U.S. in minutes.

MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR will be their biggest North American tour ever and kicks off on April 25th in Santa Clara. The outing will also travel to Los Angeles, Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Toronto before wrapping on June 6th in Chicago. Please see full itinerary below.

Tickets can be purchased through the Ticketmaster Verified Fan® platform. BTS GLOBAL OFFICIAL FANCLUB ARMY MEMBERSHIP users will have the first chance to participate in the GLOBAL OFFICIAL FANCLUB ARMY MEMBERSHIP VERIFIED FAN PRESALE beginning at 3pm local time on Wednesday, February 5th through 11pm local time on Thursday, February 6th. The General Verified Fan presale (for non-fan club members) will begin at 3pm local time on Thursday, February 6th through 11pm local time that same day.

Fans can register for the Verified Fan presale now through Sunday, February 2nd at 10pm EST by signing up HERE. Registered fans who receive an invitation code will have the opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public on sale. Ticketmaster Verified Fan does not guarantee that everyone who is verified and receives an invitation code will get a ticket. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, February 7th at 3pm local time at LiveNation.com. BTS GLOBAL OFFICIAL FANCLUB ARMY MEMBER PRESALE and General Verified Fan registration are open now through Sunday, February 2nd at 10pm ET. For more information about the presale, please visit our FAQ page.

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Black Widow Faces Her Worst Enemy In New Series By Kelly Thompson

Announced this morning in an exclusive interview with IGN, Eisner-nominated writer Kelly Thompson (Captain Marvel) will be launching a new Black Widow ongoing series this April! Drawn by rising star artist Elena Casagrande (Catwoman), BLACK WIDOW #1 will feature a deadly mystery that only the Marvel Universe’s greatest spy can solve.

Beyond San Francisco’s Golden Gate, Natasha’s entire world will be upended as she finds herself up against some of her most formidable villains. But what happens when they’ve found a way to take her out – even more permanent than death? Readers can expect all the intrigue and heart-pounding exploits that Natasha Ramonoff is known for as well as appearances by characters like Red Guardian and Yelena Belova! With this new series, 2020 will be Black Widow’s greatest adventure yet.

“I think Black Widow is an incredibly rich character in that she works well in a lot of different genres, but that can also make her a little tricky – if you try to do too much with her instead of committing to a clear vision I think you can run into trouble,” Thompson told IGN.

I’m very interested in the duality of Natash… so look for that to be a recurring theme in this first arc as she struggles against that and leans into it. We have some high profile guest stars (and of course some impressive villains) but this story has to stand on its own for a lot of reasons that will become clear immediately in issue one… which starts off feeling like a classic Natasha story and then quickly becomes quite unlike any story we’ve ever seen for her before.” Continue reading

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Taboo Of The Black Eyed Peas And Benjamin Jackendoff Introduce A New Werewolf By Night To The Marvel Universe

Announced today in an exclusive interview with Comicbook.com, Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas will be co-writing a new Marvel comic series this April with Benjamin Jackendoff.

The pair previously worked together on a story for MARVEL COMICS 1000 that focused on Red Wolf and will now be teaming up with acclaimed comic artist Scott Eaton on WEREWOLF BY NIGHT. The series will introduce a brand-new Werewolf by Night character to the Marvel Universe in a story set in Arizona. The new Werewolf by Night will be a young man named Jake who will be dealing with the effects of a family curse while trying to protect his people. The events of the story will also be driven by the outcome of March’s OUTLAWED one-shot.

“We’re going through a Native lens because of my Native American heritage,” Taboo told Comicbook.com. “I always liked storytelling from a native perspective. Although I was born in the city of Los Angeles, recently I’ve been really connected to the Indian country or to native communities to be able to be a service and help native youth, inspire them, especially when it comes to health and wellness, and arts and music. So we built our partnership knowing that when we create, we create through a native lens…”

“I think Werewolf by Night is such an interesting character, a cool character. His mythology is really dope, and it was such an exciting opportunity to be able to revamp a new mythology and tie it into Native American storytelling,” Jackendoff added. “That’s really what got us excited because they were like, ‘All right, cool. We can take the Werewolf by Night brand and stay true to the genre of it all, the creatures, the monsters, the big stuff, all that, but tie it into Native American storytelling, into a Native American background and palette, but still make it a fun adventure story about a kid.’” For the full interview, visit Comicbook.com.

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