Daily Spider-Mini-Bomb! Catching Up Is Hard To Do!

I was all excited to return to the old format before that last round of comments came in...

Listen to that!  Spider-Man's ineffectuality is common knowledge among NYC's crooks.

Hero or Landfill?  Is Peter Parker so low on society's ladder the best his corpse can expect is a mass grave filled with garbage?

The hidden movie within The Simpsons

When stung together all of the McBain movie clips on The Simpsons form a mini-movie!

The Mysterious Story Of Elisa Lam To Get The Horror Movie Makeover Treatment

From cinemablend, Last Halloween a truly bizarre video went viral. The clip showed the last known moments in the life of Elisa Lam, a 21-year-old Canadian college student whose mysterious death became the focus of countless conspiracy theories. We suggestedthis unnerving tale could be the source of a truly terrifying horror movie, and it turns out Hollywood agrees. 

Deadline reports Sony Pictures and Matt Tolmach Productions have snatched up a spec script by Brandon and Philip Murphy called The Bringing, a horror-thriller inspired by the curious and creepy case of Elisa Lam. 

In case you somehow managed to avoid this unsolved mystery, here are the basics: Lam was a Canadian college student who went missing on January 31st, 2013. Before her disappearance, she was last seen in Los Angeles' Cecil Hotel, where she was caught on elevator surveillance footage behaving very strangely. 

Some have argued that Lam is clearly hiding from someone (or something) in the clip, and that she exits the elevator to speak to them. But as there's no sound, it's impossible to know what--if anything--was said. Some have speculated that there's something supernatural going on here, between the elevator's refusal to close the door and go to the floors Lam's pressed buttons for, and the jarring way she moves her hands after she's left the elevator. Skeptics have insisted Lam must be emotionally disturbed or on drugs here, but the coroner's report didn't find any evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system.

Things just get stranger. Her body was ultimately discovered weeks later at the Cecil... in the hotel's rooftop water tanks. A maintenance worker found her when investigating claims from guests about the tap water tasting odd.

Stranger still, Lam's death is just one of the stain's on the hotel's history. In 1985, a serial killer known as "The Nightstalker" took up residence in the Cecil's top floor, and used the place as a hunting ground, killing 13 women. A copycat killer followed in his footsteps, murdering three sex workers. Then there's the draw the hotel has had for suicides, as people visited the hotel throughout the 1950s and '60s to leap out of its windows to their deaths.

It's unknown what portions of the Cecil Hotel's ghastly history Murphy and Murphy will spotlight in The Bringing, but the title seems to imply evil spirits will be involved. As some of cinema's most disturbing horror thrillers found their inspiration in true and terrifying tales--from The Conjuring and The Amityville Horror to The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho--The Bringing is in good company. But it will be interesting to see if it can meet the high bar of these aforementioned films, or if it will be a disappointment like The Haunting in Connecticut. 

Daily Spider-Bomb! Week 17: And lo the spectre of Horrorthon 2013 finally recedes, for I have caught up.

Spike:  But Manny, this thing goes 35 miles and hour and is impossible to hide.  How does this getaway car... you know, get away?

Manny and Spike, Jo and Jack -- did we stumble into the Spider-Man musical somehow?

I think there's nothing dorkier than "Good thing I turned on the local news!" but then I'm proved wrong two panels later when I realize there's nothing dorkier than that walk and then he proves me wrong again with "boy photog."

"Now that I think of it, the destruction of our police car was totally avoidable!"

Hey, J. Jonah J.!  You can't stand around in the air doing nothing!  Didn't you see the last episode of Seinfeld?

And we're caught up!  Tomorrow Daily Spider-Man resumes!  Cheers!

Daily Spider-Bomb! Week 16: J. Jonah flies around all week!

Well, thanks to some bad perspective in that last panel it looks like you've unleashed a tiny flying man toy.

I want the 787 guy to be all like "Really, lady?  A frickin' pigeon?  Do you know what pigeons look like?"

"Since I'm not being evil enough just now, let me sideswipe this bald eagle I spotted flying over New York City."

See?  A real super-powered individual would know that sign's an invite to knock down the whole damn building, not just dislodge a few measly bricks.

I love the look on the face of the guy in the window.  It's that familiar first moment of unguarded bewilderment before you realize that robot you just saw flying through your house beheaded your grandmother as she sat in her favorite spot in the corner.

I don't know MJ, a whole penny?  See if you can talk him down.

"Spike Baby?"  Now that's an interesting name.

So long, Egon

[Via geekology]

Marvel Will Film 60 Hour-Long Netflix Episodes In New York

From marvel [excerpt] Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, The Walt Disney Company, Marvel and Netflix Inc. today announced that Marvel’s landmark live-action television series, which will bring Marvel’s ‘flawed heroes of Hell’s Kitchen’ characters to Netflix, the world’s leading Internet TV network, will principally film in New York State. Produced by Marvel Television, in association with ABC Television Studios, this groundbreaking series is Marvel’s most ambitious foray yet into live-action television storytelling and represents the largest film or television production project commitment in New York State history.

Filming is set to begin in the Summer 2014 and will create at least three thousand jobs in New York State including up to 400 full time jobs. The project will include nearly 60 one-hour episodes focused on the 4 Defenders characters: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

“New York is where the entertainment industry started, and this unprecedented commitment from Disney and Marvel is further evidence that we’re bringing it back bigger and better than ever before,” said Governor Cuomo. “And when the entertainment industry thrives, it fuels dozens of other industries and businesses. The competition for these projects is fierce and Disney could have chosen to film these shows anywhere, but they knew that shooting in New York means getting to work with the best in world.  These shows bring New York’s superheroes home where they belong – along with hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in new business.”

“Since 2008 Disney has directly contributed almost half a billion dollars to New York’s economy through television and film production, along with approximately 9,000 jobs for New Yorkers,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “The Governor’s policies make this great state a more affordable and attractive location, opening the door for even greater economic investment and job creation for New Yorkers. Our Marvel series for Netflix will inject millions directly into the local economy and create hundreds of new jobs.”

“We thank the Governor and the great state of New York for helping us create the ultimate backdrop to this epic series. Setting our production in New York City truly underscores the authenticity and excitement we plan to bring to The Defenders and their ‘flawed heroes of Hell’s Kitchen’ stories,” said Alan Fine, President, Marvel Entertainment.

Last November, Disney and Netflix announced an unprecedented deal for Marvel TV to bring multiple original series of live-action adventures of four of Marvel's most popular characters exclusively to the world's leading Internet TV Network beginning in 2015. This pioneering agreement calls for Marvel to develop four serialized programs totaling 52 one-hour episodes culminating in a four to eight episode mini-series programming event. Led by a series focused on "Daredevil," followed by "Jessica Jones," "Iron Fist" and "Luke Cage," the epic will unfold over multiple years of original programming, taking viewers deep into the gritty world of heroes and villains of Hell's Kitchen, New York. Netflix has committed to a minimum of four, thirteen episodes series and a mini-series event in which the Marvel characters from the first four series team up as "The Defenders," much like “The Avengers.”

This new original TV deal follows last year's landmark movie distribution deal through which, beginning with 2016 theatrically released feature films, Netflix will be the exclusive U.S. subscription television service for first-run, live-action and animated movies from the Walt Disney Studios, including titles from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Disneynature and Lucasfilm.

"The Defenders are classic New York characters; smart, resourceful and tough enough to always stand up for what's right," said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. "We're delighted they're coming to life on their home turf thanks to Governor Cuomo and his team."

Daily Spider Bomb! Week 15: J. Jonah suits up!

But have you really begun Spider-Man's downfall yet?  And check out Mary Jane's bra strap!

My spider-sabbatical sense is acting up!

It's fun to pretend Peter's face actually looks like that, especially because you can imagine it's true in the first panel, too.

I'm not sure what's going on here with his face, but I don't think New York City needs a super-powered robot man with an electified Hitler mustache.

A sexy strip for Valentine's Day!  Mary Jane goes airborne with lust, Peter responds with a shameless grin, and Jameson trots out his new porno name.

Brody suddenly transforms into Martha Washinton!

The Parkers brace for another day of sex while Jonah uses his new super powers to commit petty vandalism.

Godzilla trailer!

Latest Star Wars VII rumors

From marketsaw [via darkhorizons], [Cast so far includes] Ian McDiarmid, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Warwick Davies, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Oldman. I believe Cumberbatch and Oldman were pursued for the same role, but I don't know how that will work out with the script changes, but I'm told they are both involved.

Regarding Harrison Ford, two more Indiana Jones features are in the negotiation stages as per Ford's contract clause on Star Wars, which is the primary reason he didn't 'publicly' or 'privately' commit, or so I'm told.

Many Star Wars pre-production issues, an 'inadequate' central story which nobody would stamp off on, a problematic initial release date and an 'indecisive' director (J.J. Abrams) with the hardest gig in the industry. It's not going to be a cakewalk, but it will be a product shipping with the majority of its original parts.

Ultimately it's about twins, and which will take a path towards darkness and which will follow in their fathers footsteps, or at least that is what it used to be, that may come later as I think changes are being undertaken to bring the original cast into the forefront of the story leading to ramifications that lead up to the next generation of Skywalkers."

Daily Spider Bomb! Week 14: Most boring threesome ever!

"Because, Hap, if any of my employees can't call me, they can send me an email that I'll be sure to see before they can complete hours of difficult technical work.  Barring that, they could consult Pepper or any of the many, many Stark employees that work at my multi-billion dollar corporation.  It's not like it's just you, me and a guy in a van."

The newspaper strip format affords such little space or time for any kind of rich visual or narrative texture, and so I find myself transfixed by the Parkers' decor in panel two.  The gold pitcher/bowl combo on the table, the tall, thin painting of squiggly lines -- were they gifts?  Are they mementos from a special shop they found together?  Did they find them in the trash?  I mean, who are these people?

"I called Tony Stark and he's gonna lend us another robot, see..."

"Wait, maybe I could be his psychiatrist!  Do psychiatrists take pictures of Spider-Man?  I'm really good at taking pictures of Spider-Man."

"That's too bad, lady.  By the way it's J. Jonah Jameson.  Three Js.  Jonah is actually his middle name, so it's J. Jonah Jameson like I said.  It stands for John."

And not the insufferable sociopath he loves!

Jameson holds Manbot more tenderly than he's held his wife in twenty years.  Manbot's eye slits stare back, dark and empty.