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Cover page image: The Walking Dead, Season 6 Fox International Channels Norway Other images in this issue: Discovery Network‍ //Viasat //TV 2 //AMC //The Walt Disney Company Nordic //Universal Studios //MCF // UPI Media POPCULTURE MAGAZINE ENTERTAINMENT IN ENGLISH, FIRST TIME IN SCANDINAVIA! SUITED FOR EXPATS. Published monthly

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AND MORE: MUSIC ROCKS? SWEDENMORE: WHY AND LOIS LANE

KELSEN WHY MUSIC ROCKS?NDINAVIA MADS MIK N SWEDEN SSO ZARA LARMADS DS LARSSON BEST S-TRAIN FALL FOR SCA ZARA N FALL REA LANE & EVENT INFO LOIS RAIREADS MUSIC MIKKELSEN BEST S-T A, EM CIN TV, BUILDING A HERO O HERCINEMA, MUSIC & EVENT INFO FOR SCANDINAVIA LDING ATV, BUI

Founder & Editor-in-chief MARIN MILOSAVLJEVIC Art Director GORDANA BAKIC Proof reading TANJA MILOSAVLJEVIC Cover Story DANILO OBRADOVIC Contributing writers LAZAR KOVACEVIC KRISTINA ZIC //MICHEL PETKOVIC //MILJAN TANIC JØRGEN MAGNUS

Issue 01, October 2015.

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PopCulture Magazine is digital only magazine and no part of it can’t be reproduced in any form without the written permission by the publisher.

All the articles in this publication are intellectual property of their authors and publisher cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information included.

#EditorWord IT’S NOT EASY TO LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY, PEOPLE AND HABITS THAT MAKE YOUR LIFE. It is true that this adventure is the subject of everyone's wishes.

There is no person that did not wake up one morning with a thought, "If only I had the chance for a new beginning". White paper on which we will print our life again seems so wonderfully tempting until we get it in the hands, and then we are faced with a series of dramatic moments, from extremely serious to completely banal ones.

If you belong to a group of people which I belong to, the ones whose leisure time in the country which they are coming from was filled with premieres of films, new seasons of TV series, anticipation of new translations of books by appreciated authors, collections of comics as well as happiness because of the performance of your favorite music artists, then moving to another country, where they speak the language you do not understand at all, or at least you do not speak well, will be an experience that you will not easily forget.

My first months in Copenhagen were marked as clumsy attempts of translating everything I came upon. Google Translate this, Google Translate that. It seems simple, but actually it is not, and it is even less fun. Getting around cinema repertoires in an unknown language, searching your favorite TV and streaming content in a new country, finding bookstores that sell books and comic books in English and obtaining information where there is good music this weekend ...

All this can be very frustrating when you’ve just recently become an expat, and there is no need to be like that!

PopCulture digital magazine is created with an idea to get the said type of activity back on the track. From the cover story of the magazine that brings an exclusive article about a new season of The Walking Dead, through the interview with Måns Zelmerlöw, to free e-books for all readers, the brilliant novel Reconstructed by Tasha Black, the first issue is full of content that will improve the day of any fan of popular culture in Scandinavia.

Enjoy the Scandinavian autumn & find your favorite source of entertainment in a new city. See you next month, Marin Milosavljevic Editor in Chief

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44 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT Captain America: Civil War

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PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

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ZARA LARSOON

And 9 more series Singing has always that have revived been part of Zara’s their story by skip- life. ping parts of plot!

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AVENGERS LOIS LANE: FALLOUT CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS MAD MIKKELSEN FEAR THE WALKING DEAD MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS

MÅNS ZELMERLÖW

Do not miss Måns's concert in Copenhagen this October!

76 COMIC CON MALMÖ 78 SWEDISH MUSIC ROCKS 82 BUILDING A HERO:

Reconstructed 86 TOP 10: Most unlucky TV characters 90 BEST S-TRAIN FALL READS 92 MILLENNIUM

96 UNFORGETTABLE SERIES FINALES

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THE WALKING DEAD We know little about the Wolves except for the fact they are total psychopaths.

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CHECK PAGE FOR LIMITED TIME E-BOOK DOWNLOAD

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by: Marin M.

#H

marin_m@popculture.dk

IMAGE: Courtesy of Discovery Networks

ARR VS T F 88

hile the Danish audience have just seen Season three of Arrow TV show and currently is watcing Season one of The Flash, USA people already have finales of this seasons behind them. The heroes of the DC Universe rule the screens with souvereignty, and The CW production neatly shows that it

HOT START

ROW THE FLASH is well ahead of its bubble gum beginnings. The first one is already a TV senior which knows exactly what can be done for the sake of achieving good share and what cannot, while the second one still searches but also easily wins extra points on its freshness. However, which one has provided us with more hours of entertainment this year?

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ACTION When we talk about superhero TV series, including movies, one seasoning is unavoidable in a good recipe: action scenes. Both series unquestionably dominate in that respect and if we are to be honest, we cannot complain about not getting the desired. On one hand we have Barry Allen who runs at the speed of light around Central City and literally circulates around the bad guys, and on the other we have Oliver Queen, whose arrows skillfully hit those who have betrayed

Sterling City - both guys undeniably gave their maximums. Still, I give a slight advantage to Arrow, which has skillfully maneuvered the entire superhero team this year. Black Canary is finally in his right, comic element (I still get goose flesh when I remember the scene with “canary cry”). We were able to see how the team worked when Oliver was not in range (John Diggle under the hood ... whew!).

Winner: Arrow

PLOT When it comes to the plot, Arrow has let down its fans a bit in this season. Oliver, as a brief remider, changed color and beliefs several times this year and he did not end the season logically but in the simplest way for the screenwriters. A bit far-fetched, quite predictable and at times quite illogical action made me experience the last few weeks of the series as amusing rather than as a high-quality one, which was not supposed to happen. Barry Allen, on the other hand, easily walked in

his new superhero boots and gave us much more than we had hoped for in the beginning. The central theme carefully balanced between the main and secondary characters,while sporadic plots were there to spice up the story and give it a base for development. All this has contributed to The Flash’s having a better year than Arrow, but also to being one of the best series of the season.

Winner: The Flash

IMAGE: Courtesy of Discovery Networks

BAD GUYS

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Oliver Queen was his own biggest enemy this year, so to speak. Although the terrible Ras al Gul was the cornerstone of all of this year’s problems, he could not manage to come to the fore from Oliver. The Flash already offered Reverse Flash in the first season, one of the major

villains from the original comic story, while the series had many other dangerous and entertaining characters besides him, and it is no surprise that this series is an absolute winner in the bad boy category.

Winner: The Flash

“If Oliver decides to let go, the object of his affection would be Felicity’’ once said Amell.

and MORE...

Three weeks ago, Amell was apparently filming scenes with Matt Ryan, the British actor who will be reviving the title character from the canceled Constantine TV show and bringing him over to the Arrow-verse Season four. “I’ve been filming scenes all week long with Matt Ryan,” Amell said with a smile. “He is such a treat. And a trip.”

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ROMANCE There is no good superhero story if it is not mixed with a love drama. Superman without Lois Lane is only a guy who wears pants with Hulahop, and if it hadn’t been for an agent Carter, Steve Rogers would have remembered WWII as an ordinary shooting. Likewise, The Flash and Arrow carefully balance action and love, and seldom throw the emphasis on the other, whether needed or not. Barry Allen has Iris, his best friend who will be his wife one day according to the newspaper from the future and my own intuition. They are both are aware of that, because the energy they have is much greater than the energy of friendship and the internal struggle that accompanies their mutual denial of emotions can hurt from the bottom of the soul, sometimes several times per episode. This makes the situation worse because Eddie, Iris’ current boyfriend, is a really great guy and a viewer can do nothing to blame him, no matter how diligently he tries. Oliver can have every girl he points his finger at - his abdominal muscles have parallel life and deserve their own

series, that being the attitude of the entire Internet community. Hardly any female character in the series remained immune to Mr. Queen, hooded or not. However, Felicity patiently waited for her moment and grasped it. Their act of love, which we finally attended, represented a perfect catharsis, on screen and in front of it, while their attempt of escape into a happier life at the end of the season was just what we had wanted for them. Still, it’s hard to escape the impression that Felicity is at moments a typically stupid woman persistently having a crash on a tough guy who spins her around his finger as he wants, and this falls hard to a viewer, because she is, in all other situations, perfectly strong and intelligent female character.

Winer: unresolved

IMAGE: Courtesy of Discovery Networks

CONNECTION WITH COMIC BOOK

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Neither of these two series is not quite true to the comic book on which it is based, but does that really matter? The CW production never promised absolute credibility and previous practice both in terms of TV production and blockbusters did not mean literally tracing the comics to the screen. Even though Arrow increasingly reminds of the Green Arrow comic book (and there are signs that this will be the name of the hero in the next season), closer connection is still thin. The Flash has a much stronger connection to the comic universe from which it originated, although particle accelerator which is the main impetus to action in the first episode represents a new momentum. All in all, slight advantage is given to the guy in red.

Winer: The Flash

ATTENTION!!

Watch The Flash in Denmark on Kanal 5, every Sunday at 21:00.

RESULT Mathematics is clear - The Flash is the choice of my heart this year. It certainly does not mean that I disliked the third season of the series Arrow, it only means I expected I would like it more. After the second, truly incredible season, Arrow fell into its own trap of always bringing something new. When will the TV productions understand that there is no need for that? Just give me what you captivated me with at the beginning and just let it flow. I’m a simple man with simple needs. And how will this picture look like next fall, when viewership tables are filled with the third superhero series of The CW production, Legends of Tomorrow? Entertainment will certainly not lack.

Winer: The Flash 13

#HOT START by: Miljan T.

miljan_t@popculture.dk

Aaron Schoenke BAT IN THE SUN PRODUCTIONS

IMAGE: Courtesy of Bat in the Sun Production

Communication with your fans is important!

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IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR FANS!

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AVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHO WOULD WIN IN A FIGHT – BATMAN OR DARTH VADER, THE GREEN RANGER OR RYU FROM STREET FIGHTER?

ductions, which is run by father and son – Sean and Aaron Schoenke. The channel has nearly 2 million subscribers and almost 136 million views, as well as about 400.000 fans on Facebook and 12.000 followers on Twitter, with an ever-growing fan base. Their most popular show is the Super PowOr what Captain America, Wolverine er Beatdown, where various movieand Spider-Man would talk about in and comicbook-characters are put a waiting room? Or maybe what a against one another, and the audiday in the adventurous life of Jason ence decides who wins. Their films David Frank (Green/White Ranger) and music videos have been featured looks like? Well, the answer to all on USA Today, MTV, The Wall Street those questions and more is just one Journal and the Huffington Post, and click away – on the YouTube channel we sat (virtually) down with Aaron to “batinthesun” by Bat in the Sun Pro- talk about their work.

Q: How did you get the idea for the name “Bat in the Sun”?

A: We all know that bats come out at night, but there are actually a few bats that come out first at dusk, these are the brave bats, making sure its safe for the rest of them – these are bats in the sun.

Q: How did it all get started?

A: Me and my father started over ten years ago, making movies, telling short stories, and over time and lots of experience – we are here now!

Q: How would you describe “Bat in the Sun” to someone who’s never heard of it?

A: It’s a film production company that has created fun, artistic entertainment for people around the world to enjoy, and intern we’ re grateful for it!

Q: I see you have big love for Deadpool, are you excited about the upcoming movie and what do you expect?

A: Oh yeah, it really looks great, fun, action packed, funny, true to the character, I’ve heard so many great things about that project!

Q: What do you think about comicbook-movies in general?

A: They are so much fun and entertaining, audience from all ages love them!

My favorite being the original 1989 Batman, I am very excited to see Ben Affleck’s Batman, it will be the most true to character version we’ve had!

A: It’s our effects wizard, Nikolay Zamkovoy, he is SUPER talented, he has such a wide talent for effects, you can ask literally anything of him and he will deliver it perfectly!

Q: What do you think

I am very excited to see Ben Affleck’s Batman, it will be the most true to character version we’ve had!

Q: How long does it take to plan, shoot and post a video, what does the process look like?

A: It takes between 3 to 6 months to make a beat down, depending on the epic scale of the beat down!

the future of independent YouTube-based (or generally internet-based) production is? Is it going to be the big thing or just stay what it is (i.e. “on the margins”)?

A: It’s great, giving artists all around the world a voice, it’s here and its only getting bigger!

Q: How do you achieve better looking SFX than in some very popular TVshows, being on a much lower budget?

Q: What is it like to work with people who are famous in the fandom, like Jason David Frank?

A: Jason is great, he really

loves his fan base and goes out of his way to make them happy. It’s so important to have that open communication with your fans! We try and do that as well, always asking them what they would like to see next, who would they like cast, stuff like that.

Q: What can we expect from Bat in the Sun in the near future?

A: More Beat Downs, more Waiting Rooms and some original projects!

Stay tuned!

Q: And what kind of advice can you give people starting out in producing their own videos?

A: Get out there and do it! Grab an iPhone and film a video, so much is available today, just keep making them, learn from what you’ve done and apply it to the next project.

Work hard, think smart!

Geeking out about this?

Find out more on facebook.com/ batinthesun page!

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

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A

IS NO MORE

The series Pretty Little Liars has finally managed to answer the burning questions that have plagued the fans of the lying quintet with this year’s summer finale. However, that is not all. In the final episode, in addition to a large amount of information about who lied to whom earlier and why, there was a turnover in

the last minutes. It was only a matter of time before the teen saga that will surely “step” into the seventh season skip some part of the plot and move the characters into the (near) future that raises new questions and brings challenges for the female protagonists. Is this a good time for such a move? First things first …

pretty little liars

by: Lazar K.

lazar_k@popculture.dk

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

TIME DOES (NOT) HEAL The series that has plagued us for years with the question of who “A” is. It deceived us a few times when it put the favorite characters in an awkward position to wear a black robe.

However, after several attempts to find out who the persecutor of the nicely dressed up liars is, the producers finally agreed that Charles or CeCe or Charlotte should be the main wicked person. To make things even juicier, Charles, CeCe and Charlotte are one person. Long story about the transformation of a woman which could have been further explained in the previous years was squeezed into 45-minute finale that caused us headache, nor really because of the brilliant story but because of our bitter regret that we have been loyal to this series all these years. Presentation of transgender people and other marginalized groups on ABC Family Channel is not a surprise. It was already done very well in the series The Fosters and Switched at Birth. However, unlike them, Pretty Little Liars introduced a transgender person in a big way and presented it as disturbed. Fans are generally unhappy and disappointed with such a move. Of course, the producers did not equalize transgender person with disordered one, but it rather made society responsible for that. The producers kind of knew what the reaction would be so

Maybe we do not like that transgender turnover in the plot, but interest in the first episode after the break is great. they immediately conceived how to redirect thoughts from the bad reaction to the fiveyear long series. It was decided to skip torturing viewers with a hooker style of dressing at college, addressing the new “A” case during the lectures, running around the halls in a black uniform - and treat viewers with a refreshed storyline that follows five friends in their lives after the famous A or Charlotte.

What happened to the protagonists, where is A lurking and who killed Mrs. DiLaurentis these are just some of the questions that the viewers will find answers to in the episodes to come. As time went by, the problems of our heroines did not lessen but received a new form, and viewers - although disappointed at the finale - now eagerly await the updated story the only thing of which we know is that some liars will have their guys, while Alison will be married to a mysterious doctor. Maybe we do not like that transgender turnover in the plot, but interest in the first episode after the break is great. This is precisely the aim of skipping certain periods of time primarily in the series that are drawn into the sixth season of broadcasting.

Although it was better to do something like this before, in the case of Pretty Little Liars –late is better than never.

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

THEY DID IT BEFORE PLL:

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9 SERIES THAT HAVE REVIVED THEIR STORY BY SKIPPING PARTS OF PLOT!

and MORE...

#1 GREY’S ANATOMY Derek made a mess

After Derek’s death, just before the end of the eleventh season, this medical drama underwent a one-year jump. The change was necessary because of Meredith, as it would make viewers so sad to see their heroine suffer again after the loss of her mother, her child and friends. Although Shonda Rheims did not reveal much what was going on during that year, the story was continued normally and viewers did not feel that change.

#2 GHOST WHISPERER

Melinda’s baby as the reason for change

Since the producers decided that Melinda Gordon should get pregnant and give birth to a baby before the end of the fourth season and since shooting the scenes with the baby was a nightmare for them, the only logical solution was to skip one period of time. Therefore, it was decided that the fifth season should start five years later so viewers could meet a five-year old Melinda’s son with much stronger powers than hers.

#3 BREAKING BAD

Disheveled Walter as a bait for viewers

Although the producers did not necessarily have to make up additional ways to have viewers riveted to their television sets as Walter White and the rest of the phenomenal characters were a sufficient guarantee for great viewership, they still wanted to intrigue us a little more. With occasional flashbacks of the main character that looks disheveled in a hut, viewers are forced to wait eagerly for the next episode and a new short jump into the near future.

#4 TRUE BLOOD

the heroes lived during high school and college.

Changes occurred and the series got its new life.

The new story attracted new viewers - the ones that were waiting for the series to rise to a level higher than a teenage saga.

If any series needed a changes in the form of a jump into the future, then it is True Blood. The producers came up with the idea in the finale of the sixth season.

However, this is a poor and illogical implementation of changes - just because they wanted to change something was not enough to satisfy the fans who abandoned them in large numbers, at least when it comes to watching episodes live - or during prime time. They did not easily accept the fact that Bill is a writer, Sam a mayor and that Sookie and Alcide are together…

#8 DOWNTON ABBEY

Necessary, but poorly implemented change

#5 PARKS AND RECREATIONS When a change does not hurt…

Brilliantly done refreshment in the form of a jump into the future was seen in the final season of this sitcom.

After three years, there were no excessive shocks but something the fans wanted and what was logical to see - a new job, a baby and unbroken friendships. The series thus avoided already seen scenario and continued the plot with new challenges.

#6 HOMELAND

The last straw to grasp

Although many have predicted the finale of this award-winning series after its second season, it has remained until today. After the murder of Brody, Homeland experienced a new birth. The beginning of the fifth season is followed by another - two and a half years later when Kerry is in Germany on a new mission. If it survives this season, we can expect more drastic changes in this series.

The Crowleys used to travel through time

The story of the Crowley family is showed through different periods of human history – from the sinking of the Titanic, First World War, the emergence of Spanish flu, etc. The series begins from the year 1912 and ends with the year 1925. Therefore, skipping periods of time is at the core of this series and viewers are, apart from the great team, always refreshed with new stories that are in accordance with a given change.

#9 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Tornado of changes hit Wisteria Lane

The fourth season ended with a short spoiler for the next season - five years later nothing was the same for the desperate housewives from Wisteria Lane. The fact that Gabi is a mother, that Lynette’s kids are delinquents, and that Susan has a husband who is not Mike – was something to discuss until the beginning of the fifth season. That was the moment of its revival and it got publicity it was missing after the first hit season and its numerous awards.

#7 ONE TREE HILL

Without college drama please

This teen series has managed to avoid drama that surrounds college. Just like Pretty Little Liars, One Tree Hill also did not want to deal with exams but it immediately put the heroes up to a challenge - how to manage after exiting the protected bubble in which

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and MORE... by: Michel P.

michel_p@popculture.dk

MYSTERIOUS DENMARK + WINTER They are new, very mysterious pop creators on the Danish indie scene. All we can say is that, listening to their music, we can hear a classically beautiful voice as well as beautiful, exotic Nordic indie rhythms reminiscent of our beloved Icelanders, Of Monsters and Men. Thanks to their debut single “You Are Here”, which they uploaded on Soundcloud, Denmark + Winter attracted the attention of a wider audience and their typical Nordic electro sound mixed with alternative rhythms is a real hit.

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hey were unknown to many until their music was heard in the popular American TV series, thanks to which a large fan base was created around the world. We could also hear them in the series Stalker (CBS) Hannibal (NBC), and guilty pleasure, Pretty Little Liars (ABC original production, Denmark audience follows the series on Kanal5), did not stay immune, so we could also hear their cover of an old school classic “Every Breath You Take” by The Police in this series as well.

Simply, they presented us a legendary hit from the 80s in a quite unexpected package - a memorable and intoxicating remix which is brilliant and perfectly fits the series. Their brilliant cover of the legendary Culture Club hit “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” was used as a soundtrack in the same series - Boy George and his team

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would probably be very proud of are yet to heard because they this remix! announced their new album “Re: Imagined - Vol. 2” on social netThey covered the famous Depeche works and that is a logical continMode - the legendary hit “Enjoy uation of the debut album, which the Silence” which we had the should be released later this year. opportunity to hear in the scenes This time there will not be any covof the series Bates Motel (A&E). ers, but, as they say, their original Of course, at a mere mention of songs. We can not wait to hear ...

Depeche Mode, we immediately Stay tuned! know that it is a masterpiece of pop music. This is just a sample They presented of what can currently be heard on the American television networks, us a legendary hit all these covers are taken from their album titled “Re: Imagined” from the 80s in a (De Novo Music Group, 2015) in quite unexpected which there are a few more covers of classic hits, like “Wild World” package - a (Cat Stevens) and “Shout” (Tears memorable and For Fears) and they are all available on their Soundcloud page.

The identity of these artists is still mysterious, like their music, but we are confident that they they

intoxicating remix which is brilliant

AVENGERS

1 subject, 2 news about…

#1

YOU DIDN’T MISS THIS, DID YOU?

This September MARVEL’S AVENGERS ASSEMBLE returned with all-new episodes! Did you have a chance to see a brand new episode on Sunday, September 13th? PopCulture digital magazine iz bringing you exclusive sneak peek into it!

BIG HEROES! BIG VILLAINS! AND BIGGER ADVENTURES!

PLAY THIS!

#2

REFORGED, RETOOLED & RECHARGED!

Coming to comic shops and digital devices on October 7th, AVENGERS #0 is kicking-off the all-new Avengers line of titles – featuring new stories setting the stage for six new ongoing series!

IMAGE: Courtesy of Marvel Comics

Someone is watching, carefully studying the movements of the Avengers and those in their orbit.

Marvel’s Avengers Assemble: New Frontier When an alien race begs the Avengers to save them from mysterious invaders, the team discovers the newly escaped Thanos and his generals are plundering the planet. Meanwhile, with the current success of the Avengers, Tony is convinced it’s time to seek out new challenges - but Cap believes they need to get their feet on the ground in an all-new MARVEL’S AVENGERS ASSEMBLE aired Sunday, September 13 at 8:30am/7:30c in the Marvel Universe on Disney XD.

But are they friend, or foe?! Find out in this exciting launch issue featuring new stories of ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS, SQUADRON SUPREME, A-FORCE, NEW AVENGERS, ULTIMATES and UNCANNY AVENGERS. Featuring allstar talents from across the comic industry, be there for the genesis of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for a new era in AVENGERS #0!

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#HOT START

TOTALLY AWESOME HULK:

IMAGE: Courtesy of Marvel Comics

Marvel's First Korean-American Hulk!

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On September 4th, Marvel Comics fans finally meet Totally Awesome Hulk, the one and only Amadeus Cho! It’s a all-new Jade Giant for an all-different Marvel Universe and he’s coming this December in TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1! Legendary and storied Hulk scribe Greg Pak (Planet Hulk) returns to the fan-favorite character he created as he powers up to become the newest green goliath. And he’s bringing blockbuster artist Frank Cho (Mighty Avengers, Savage Wolverine) along for the ride!

The mystery behind the new Hulk’s identity has been revealed! But what has happened to the original Hulk, Bruce Banner in the previous eight months? All will be revealed – and the answers will surprise you! But one thing is for certain – Amadeus Cho is a completely different kind of Hulk. Not tormented, not conflicted. Just a giant green wrecking machine who loves being the Hulk! What could possibly go wrong?

“Come December, the one true Hulk will be a 19-year-old Korean-America “Boy Genius” who is going to carry the burden of being the Hulk like it weighs a feather,” says Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso. “He’s going to love every minute of it. In this new series, we are going to lean hard into the fantasy aspects of being the Hulk. It can’t be all bad, can it?”

ATTENTION! TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1, on sale in December!

Written by Greg Pak, art & cover by Frank Cho, variant cover by Frank Cho.

and MORE...

IS PUNISHER NEXT?

Since Frank Castle is absent from Marvel’s announced plans for ALLNEW ALL-DIFFERENT MARVEL this fall, and we have recent trend towards replacing famous characters including Captain America, Thor, Wolverine and the Hulk, maybe Punisher is the next?

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by: Kristina Ĺ˝. kristina_z@popculture.dk

#HOT START

Lois Lane: Fall out

A rebel with a good reason Gwenda Bond is not a new name in the field of young adult fiction. This young writer has already published a number of works such as Girl on a Wire, The Woken Gods and Blackwood intended for younger readership, while in her latest novel she relies on the current trend of superheroes from a slightly different aspect.

The story titled Lois Lane: Fallout follows the adventures of young Lois Lane who does not need a mask or a red cape to save the world.

In this incarnation Lois Lane is sixteen years old and she is a rebellious child of a general who cannot fit the strict rules imposed by her environment. The story begins with her arrival to a new high school in Metropolis where her family has just moved.

At the very beginning we see that this Lois Lane does not deviate in character from what we have already known through the comic books, films and series. She is bold, brash, insightful and persistent and she stands confidently despite being in an unfamiliar environment. Although she has promised herself not to be expelled from this school because of her mischief, injustice she faces in the corridors of the school drags her into

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the world of shadows, fraud and secret military experiments.

The group of school bullies called Warheads psychologically intimidate the shy Anavi and that harassment does not only end in the real world, but it moves into a virtual reality in which they play a computer game Worlds War Three. For Lois Lane, this is an unknown territory but with the help of a mysterious online friend, known only as SmallvilleGuy (which is a direct reference to her future faithful partner Superman), she unmasks the organization that experiments on their young minds.

The trick to seeing things other people missed was to look for them.

The pace of this novel is fast and it is read in one breath. However, it is obvious that the reader will repeatedly think, “How convenient�. The truth is that a large part of the story is based on a series of amazing coincidences. Even before her lessons start, Lois gets a job as a journalist at the Daily Scoop; SmallvilleGuy has unexpected acquaintances who is close to the companies doing experiments. The end of the novel is predictable and it becomes clear already at half, but we are not dealing with a psychological thriller, but a readable story intended for young fans of comic book heroes. All this does not diminish the curiosity or desire of a reader to see how the story will end.

Despite the fact that the action takes place in the modern times, following current technological trends, this novel has the charm of an old of cheap science fiction novels of the eighties that offered us an insight into possible future times that await humanity. This is certainly not a weak point of this novel, but it makes it a little refreshment with its continuation soon.

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by: Kristina Ž.

and MORE...

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

kristina_z@popculture.dk

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L ALTHOUGH SHE WAS PRIMARILY PRESENTED AS A FAITHFUL PARTNER OF SUPERMAN, IN HER COMIC BOOK “CAREER”, SHE ALSO HAD HER OWN SPINOFFS

AN OLD LADY IN GOOD SHAPE

Lois Lane IS IT A BIRD, IS IT A PLANE …?

NEITHER. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FEMALE SUPERHEROS WHOSE POWERS ARE ONLY PERSEVERANCE, COURAGE AND FLAIR FOR EXCLUSIVE NEWS.

Lois Lane appeared for the first time in the comic book by DC Comics in 1938 and did not changed too much throughout the history of her appereance.

She changed hair color, height, age, her dress style but all the authors, screenwriters and directors remained true to her original character and job as a journalist in the Daily Star (renamed the Daily Planet in 1940).

in her comic book “career”, she also had her own spinoffs titled Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane, which was published from the late fifties through the mid-seventies.

During all these decades of their joint appearance, her relationship with Clark Kent/Superman was always a mandatory topic, and, depending on the universe in which they were located, it ranged from rivalry in the newsroom, wedding and marriage (The Superman Family: 19741982) to numerous memory erasures and starting from scratch.

She doesn’t need a red cape, which doesn’t mean she never wore one. Lois Lane was presented as Superwoman in several editions, for the first time in 1943, and for the last time in an animated film All-Star Superman from 2011.

Although she was presented as a “damsel in distress”, in some incarnations, she is the prototype of an independent, strong and insightful woman who is able to cope with adversities. Although she was primarily presented as As Superman’s popularity grew, a faithful partner of Superman Lois Lane became more and

more interesting, and her character appeared in musicals, radio broadcasts, books, animated and feature films and series, and even in computer games.

The actresses who portrayed Lois Lane are Amy Adams, Erica Durance, Kate Bosworth and the famous Margot Kidder, by whom older generations remember the Superman films of the eighties.

Erica Durance portrayed her in the cult series Smallville (20012011), while in the last film achievements of this heroic duo, Man of Steel, she was por­ trayed by Amy Adams.

The novel about Lois Lane published this year is also relevant: Fallout by Gwenda Bond, which begins the story of a sixteen-year- old Lois whose adventures are just beginning.

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#HOT START

CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #1

IMAGE: Courtesy of Marvel Comics

Let the Games Begin!

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THIS COULD SOUND STRANGE TO YOU, BUT THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THERE WERE NO VIDEO GAMES. MARVEL COMICS WAS FOUNDED IN THAT TIMES: YEAR 1939. NOW, 76 YEARS LATER, THE MARVEL COMICS IS LAUNCHING ITS FIRST COMIC INSPIRED BY VIDEO GAME.

C

ompany, owned by Walt Disney, is launching new comic-book series this October, based on Contest of Champions, a video game co-created with San Francisco-based Kabam. What happens when our favourite superheroes, like Iron Man, Captain America and Spider-Man are being kidnapped and forced to fight by a mysterious figure known as the Collector? The Secret Wars may be over, but the battle is just beginning!

Written by Al Ewing with art

by Paco Medina – enter the Battlerealm, a broken section of space-time where cosmic beings gamble for the ultimate power. Where unwilling pawns from across the Marvel Universe do battle for their very lives, locked in combat with friends, foes and everything in between. Even those long dead are not immune to the Contest.

As heroes and villains from various universes are mysteriously transported to Battlerealm, the war is about to begin.

To the winners go the ultimate prize – their continued existence. The same cannot be said for the losers. We will find out this October who is capable to survive the Contest of Champions.

The mobile game Contest of Champions, which is free to play, allows players to choose and collect a number of Marvel Comics’ biggest heroes, and pit them against each other in great combat. It was launched in December 2014 and has been downloaded almost 34 million times since then!

“ON THE COMIC BOOK SIDE, THIS BOOK HAS TO BE AS GOOD AND BAR-SHATTERING AS THE GAME,” SAID BILL ROSEMANN, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT MARVEL’S GAMES GROUP. “WE HAVE TO DEFINE WHAT A COMIC IS BASED ON A GAME.”

THE SECRET WARS MAY BE OVER, BUT THE BATTLE IS JUST BEGINNING!

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all eyes on him!

MADS MIKKELSEN 22.11.1965.

Danish actor

ABOUT HANNIBAL THE CANNIBAL If you’re playing the bad guy, you have to find what you like about them. And once you do one bad guy, usually all you get offered is bad guys.

ABOUT CHILDHOOD I was a very focused kid. I always had this crazy lifestyle... billions of jobs, two hours of gymnastics every day, handball, anything with a ball, really. I must have had ADHD or something. I was very energetic, and very small. I didn’t start growing until the last year of high school.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Discovery Networks

ABOUT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PICTURE AND FRAME Sometimes we misunderstand what films can do. We just throw a whole book in there, with people just talking, talking, and talking.

The picture can tell, the frame can tell.

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ABOUT GOALS I’m not looking for a challenge, necessarily.

I’m looking to make a really great film. Also, I come from a culture where you don’t divide it up to what you can do on TV and what you can do on film.

ABOUT BRYAN FULLER I choose work with the people I like to work with.

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(FINAL) SHELTER?

O

IMAGE: Courtesy of AMC

nly in the last season, our team of survivors rushed through a few “safe” locations. There was the Terminus, a railway station under the rule of cultlike cannibals. After a clash with them, we met with ex-cops who ran Grady Memorial hospital in Atlanta. They were more convincing than the cannibal sect which treated people like cattle, because they showed us how former protectors of the weak, slowly but surely became bullies and oppressors. It was a far more human story about the banality of human fear and malice and it resonated better than the story of Terminus where its matriarch, after one orgy of torture and plunder, decided it was time to kill and eat people, i.e., “either you’re the butcher, or the cattle.”

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Bob, Tyrese, Noah, Beth, the entire congregation of father Gabriel, a few inhabitants of Alexandria and who knows who else are proof enough that there is no perfect shelter in a post-apocalyptic

Georgia. In fact, it is a great miracle that Alexandria has managed to survive until now. A bunch of unprepared, untrained and often incompetent residents who accidentally found themselves near freshly constructed houses in the suburbs. That was in itself a great bit of disbelief they asked us to suspend. In addition, they managed to build a solid wall that was high enough to protect them from hordes of walkers, lest we forget that Alexandria is close to once densely populated cities, Washington and Baltimore.

Perhaps the funniest thing of all is that the people of Alexandria, notwithstanding their inexperience and unpreparedness, have managed to survive so far with relatively minor losses. The real trouble began when the battle-hardened Rick and his veterans walked into the city. An opinion shared among the residents of Alexandria. During the last five seasons, Rick did not foster a democratic tradition while leading his group. You could say that he practices a kind of pragmatic

authoritarianism. However, safety was his motive in most cases.

After Shane, Lori, the prison, the Governor and Terminus, his faith in human kindness and honesty is at an end. For the uninformed and outsider, he is a methodical and cruel manipulator. That is something the inhabitants of Alexandria will rebel against, considering they are cowards who barely faced any zombies, but hid behind their walls while the world imploded.

Anyway, in the sixth season, internal conflict will shake an idyllic Alexandria, a series of coups and countercoups, while the external threat will be an omnipresent herd of walkers and the Wolves.

THE REAL TROUBLE BEGAN WHEN THE BATTLE-HARDENED RICK AND HIS VETERANS WALKED INTO THE CITY – IT’S AN OPINION SHARED AMONG THE RESIDENTS OF ALEXANDRIA. 39

IMAGE: Courtesy of AMC

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WE KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THE WOLVES EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THEY ARE TOTAL PSYCHOPATHS.

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EET THE WOLVES

THE WOLVES ARE ANTAGONISTS OF ALEXANDRIA IN THE SIXTH SEASON. IN THE LAST FINALE WE WERE ABLE TO PERSONALLY MEET THEM, ALBEIT ONLY TWO OF THEIR MEMBERS. TWO VERY DISTURBED, VERY CREEPY MEMBERS. However, we were able to see indications of the Wolves throughout the entire 5th season.

And the indications were not just graffiti on cars and walls, but also slight hints in comic books, dialogues, strange corpses with Ws carved on their foreheads and the not so subtle Little Red Riding Hood whom Darryl and Aaron spotted in the finale (who, unfortunately, tragically perished).

According to one of the Wolves with a vacant stare, former Indian tribes that inhabited Georgia, believed that all people are descendants of wolves and the time would come when everything would go back to the way it was. What we do know is that the inspiration for them came from various places, most notably The Scavengers from Kirkman’s comic book that were an unimpressive group of 6 to 7 members. The Wolves will likely be a lot more dangerous, because they are not content with just taking away people’s possessions and valuables, but they want the peo-

ple as well (whom they then hang on a tree or close in the freezer for some reason). And now they also know of Alexandria.

We know little about the Wolves except for the fact they are total psychopaths. How many of them are there, what do they really want, what weapons do they possess? However, the question is how dangerous can they really be considering how easily Morgan defeated those two. He had a long stick, and they had a knife and an empty gun. What threat can they actually present for a well armed group such as Rick’s?

It would not surprise me to see them quickly defeated, like the Terminus cannibals during one great action episode. On the other hand, the Wolves may hide their true strength.

Anyway, we will see. If they don’t rise up to the task, there is always a new villain waiting for them in the next episode. The Governor taught us this.

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MORGAN IS BACK! L

ennie James is a very sought after actor. So they say. Although I do not remember seeing him in many films, the fact is that this Englishman is one of those actors who can adapt to any role. We know his face, but can hardly remember his name.

IMAGE: Courtesy of AMC

Since the first season, the director’s plan was to give a greater role to Morgan.

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maritan, saves people from walkers, but refuses to shed blood. The stick helps him substantially; he has become quite skilled with it.

Since Morgan has already secured a flashback episode in season 6, we won’t have to wait for long to find out what happened to him, how he escaped, as well as answers to some other questions. We will see what happened after they left him, how he came to his senses and, perhaps, why he started his search for Rick. If we are to believe the fantastic trailer for the sixth season (if we learned anything so far, it is that trailers should not be trusted), Morgan’s Zen approach to the post-apocalyptic world will come into conflict with Rick’s harsh pragmatism. The two of them might be cut from the same cloth and that is exactly why both of them will not be able to give in.

Unfortunately, commitments were piling up, and Morgan’s return was delayed. His last few projects came to naught; good for us, although not so much for Lennie James.

His cop drama, Low Winter Sun, where he was a lead, was canceled, and an upcomming British SF where he was to play the protagonist did not get a green light. As a We can only hope that Lennie will not get result, Morgan will be able to appear as a another gig and leave us again. Even worse, that we will have to attend Morgan’s funeral regular part of TWD’s cast. due to that, because one thing is certain But what will be his role? The little we saw of we will see a lot of deaths of the residents of him in the previous season was a far cry from Alexandria in the sixth season due to zomthe paranoid Morgan from the third season, bies and Wolves, as well as internal conflict. when he completely lost his mind after the Morgan, father Gabriel, Abraham’s group loss of his wife and son. Morgan now walks and residents of Alexandria are cannon fodlike a hermit, a monk, some would even say der for the series (and its author) that likes a saint. He only has his stick and, like the Sa- to emulate HBO’s Game of Thrones.

MORGAN’S ZEN APPROACH TO THE POST-APOCALYPTIC WORLD WILL COME INTO CONFLICT WITH RICK’S HARSH PRAGMATISM.

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IMAGE: Courtesy of AMC

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IF ANYTHING, THE ORIGINAL GROUP IS SAFE, AT LEAST FOR A WHILE‌

CAROL Carol is a representative example of a fighter in the post-apocalyptic world. She survived the death of her daughter and (not so nonviolent) husband. She collected herself and became a productive member of the team. Carol is loyal, ruthless when necessary, rational and efficient. She is not going anywhere.

THE GRIMES FAMILY Although in much of the first, second and third (and possibly fourth) season we hoped for Carl’s sweet, sweet death by a hand of a bony walker, Grimes Jr. has finally grown up, ceased getting lost when trouble starts and accepted the role of big Rick’s successor.

Rick, on the other hand, walks a line between a leader and a villain and I doubt that the producers are willing to get rid of him now. Little Judith is little Judith. So far, they have had dozens of chances to get rid of her.

DARYL AMC bought two bikes for Daryl (for the series), and they were not cheap. This very practical argument as well as his popularity among the viewers is reason enough to keep Daryl in the lineup. However, our renegade has lately had inner struggles trying to find his place in Alexandria, so it is possible that he will not manage – ARE YOU INSANE, IF YOU AS MUCH AS LAY A FINGER ON DARYL I’M GONNA BREAK YOUR FUC-

NOTE: All this should be taken with a grain of salt. Our editorial staff does not affect the outcome of the series and holds no responsibility for any incurred mental anguish.

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FEAR THE WALKING DEAD PILOT Let’s just say we have high expectations from Fear the Walking Dead.

The announcement of the sister series to our favorite zombie action (also the most watched cable series) was met with a standing ovation, but also with plenty a cynical and abstained comment.

IMAGE: Courtesy of AMC

It is understandable, because spinoffs, sister series and similar projects rarely live up to expectations and get another season. At least we are safe in that respect; Fear The Walking Dead had been renewed even before the pilot was aired.

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FTWD or Fear (which will be the official moniker of the series) is taking place in Los Angeles at the beginning of the epidemic. It’s all there:: fear, ignorance, insecurity, the beginnings of a panic, vague crimes and even more obscure YouTube videos. Due to the “flu”, fewer and fewer people show up for work and fewer children attend school. The Internet is full of stories about cover-ups, an incurable disease and walking corpses.

In the midst of all this, we have the Clarke family (mother Madison, daughter Alicia and Nick, the drug addict) and their stepfather Travis.

If this were any other series, Travis and Madison would be police officers or agents of some big agency (CDC, CIA, FBI, etc.), but this is The Walking Dead so the two of them work in a high school (he is a teacher and she is an adviser). They are blissfully unprepared for what is to come and have no idea that their world is going to hell. Although, they do suspect something.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD HAD BEEN RENEWED EVEN BEFORE THE PILOT WAS AIRED.

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IMAGE: Courtesy of AMC

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THE PILOT DID A GOOD JOB SETTING UP THE CHARACTERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT INTO UNCERTAIN TIMES. DURING THE ENTIRE EPISODE, ONE CAN FEEL UNEASE AND ANXIETY.

FEAR HAS NOTHING TO HIDE We all know what is going to happen and that this is just a prelude to the greatest cataclysm of human kind. Therefore, the series pays more attention to human stories and the way the community tries to cope with the changes. Of course, this means that FTWD contains more family and teenage drama than the original, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The original Walking Dead raised some criticism for being too “dramatic�, not because everybody wanted more action and less whining (although those arguments were raised), but because they did not fit into the atmosphere and the theme of the series. When you are in the woods of Georgia, surrounded by hundreds of walkers who want to chew your face off, it might not be the best time to discuss family issues. Unlike Los Angeles and FTWD where people are slowly starting to realize the seriousness of their situation and see what is to come. When you are on the brink of apocalypse, a little bit of drama does not hurt.

The pilot did a good job setting up the characters and the environment into uncertain times. During the entire episode, one can feel unease and anxiety. This can be seen in empty school corridors, the look on doctors and nurses, strange staggering silhouettes in parks and alleyways. All this, of course, relies on our knowledge of The Walking Dead, which is a privilege of every spin-off.

In the end, we should point out the silence in Fear where the horror, worry, pain and powerlessness of our characters is best seen. I hope that we will experience more silence in the sequel and less dialogue, because this is where the original TWD is at its best.

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IMAGE: Courtesy of AMC

FTWD VS TWD:

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BECAUSE COMPARISONS ARE UNAVOIDABLE

FTWD takes place at the beginning of the epidemic in Los Angeles which was still an actual city with a police force, military, firefighters, drug dealers and drug addicts. It might be slowly drifting into madness, but it’s still far from run-down houses and bands of looters.

Waking of the dead and the apocalypse can provide an interesting viewpoint to observe the decay of a community. While Rick, after waking from a coma, faced an already destroyed social system and a world in which only the strongest survive, in FTWD we can observe how it all happened.

With regards to the beginning of the epidemic, zombies i.e. walkers in FTWD are far more fresh than those with whom Rick and his group used to face. They are not fresh enough to run (this we will not see with Kirkman), but they resemble people too much, which is perhaps even more dangerous. This is the period when everyone thought they are dealing with a curable disease.

That these are reanimated corpses, hungry for human flesh still didn’t occur to anyone.

Like I said, in FTWD, you can expect more family/teenage drama. This is to some extent justified (of course, it depends how far AMC will push it), but it means that this will deter a good part of the audience that threatened to bite its own elbow at a mere mention of a family drama in the original TWD.

㄀㈀⸀㄀ ⸀㄀㔀 吀䠀䔀 圀䄀䰀䬀䤀一䜀 䐀䔀䄀䐀 匀䔀䄀匀伀一 㘀 倀刀䔀䴀䤀䔀刀䔀

伀䌀吀伀䈀䔀刀 ㄀㈀琀栀Ⰰ ㈀㄀㨀㔀㔀 圀圀圀⸀䘀伀堀吀嘀⸀一伀

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#BIGones by: Michel P.

michel_p@popculture.dk

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

44 things you must know about

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Captain America: Civil War

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN GREAT FOR MAR­ VEL STUDIO AND HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO TWO GLOBAL HIT FILMS – AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON AND ANT-MAN. HOW­ EVER, THEY ARE PREPARING US SOME­ THING EQUALLY EXCITING FOR THE NEXT ONE TOO. THE THIRD FILM ABOUT CAP­ TAIN ROGERS GOT THE FULL NAME OF CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, AND IT WILL BE FULL OF MARVEL’S COSTUMED SUPERHEROES. A NEW SEQUEL WILL BE A VERY COMPLEX BLOCKBUSTER FILLED WITH ACTION. ESPECIALLY FOR THIS OCCASION, WE HAVE CREATED A USEFUL GUIDE THAT WILL HELP YOU KEEP TRACK OF ALL THE DETAILS RELATED TO CAP­TAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, BASED ON WHAT MARVEL HAS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED AND WHAT IS DISUCUSSED ON FO­ RUMS AND SOCIAL NETWORKS . WHAT DO WE KNOW SO FAR? READ BELOW!

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IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

1

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An ensemble cast!

Exactly! There are Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson.

We will have the opportunity to see the new Spider-Man played by Tom Holland. William Hurt is back as General “Thunderbolt” Ross.

Also we will see Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) on the big screen for the first time. Daniel Bruhl will play the villain Baron Helmut Zema. Paul Bettany also returns as The Vision, while Paul Rudd is Ant-Man. And there are many others...

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WHAT'S THE STORY?

Like the first two films, Captain America 3 will be based on a screenplay written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley, and it will be an adaptation of one of Marvel’s biggest crossover events, Mark Millar’s “civil war”. Plot of the film will start after the events in the film Avengers: Age of Ultron and also the completion of the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will be one of Marvel’s greatest film assembly until today.

3

Sounds like many things will change

Sure! The previous film, Winter Soldier, was the basis for the creation of a TV series Agents of SHIELD, and we assume that the third sequel of the Civil War will have a huge impact on future Marvel’s projects.

4

Who's the director?

Although they started the previous film adventure Captain America: The Winter Soldier with zero blockbuster directorial experience, the brothers Joe and Anthony Russo absolutely smashed the audience in 2014 with their first Marvel film, so it was no surprise when the news spread that Marvel Studio wanted them again for Capetain America 3.

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5

Captain America

Given the events of the new film Captain America: Civil War it is not hard to see why Captain America a.k.a. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) may have a problem with something like Superhero Registration Act. That’s because the last time he put his trust in the state authority which was, by the way, completely rotten and corrupt at its core, and therefore it should have been destroyed. This is the attitude – to be completely opposite of Tony Stark. In the comic book version of the Civil War, Captain America goes into hiding, and in the eyes of Iron Man and SHIELD he was seen as a fugitive because of his resistance to new regulations.

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Black Panther

When Marvel Studio officially announced Captain America: Civil War in October 2014, Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man was not the only superhero to be the “guest” part of this grandiose project.

The studio also confirmed that Chadwick Boseman would play in Marvel heroes a.k.a Black Panther T’Challa, and that the mentioned would play the key role in the upcoming film.

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IRON MAN

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat; The Walt Disney Company Nordic

Given the events of the new film Captain America: Civil War it is not hard to see why Captain America a.k.a. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) may have a problem with something like Superhero Registration Act. That’s because the last time he put his trust in the state authority which was, by the way, completely rotten and corrupt at its core, and therefore it should have been destroyed. This is the attitude – to be completely opposite of Tony Stark. In the comic book version of the Civil War, Captain America goes into hiding, and in the eyes of Iron Man and SHIELD he was seen as a fugitive because of his resistance to new regulations.

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8 FALCON Wilson a.k.a Falcon moved a long way since we first met him jogging around Washington, but that will happen when he becomes best friend with Captain America. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, was the moment we first learned that Wilson had used a specially designed jetpack for rescue missions when being in the army, but now he used that same technology in the battle with a completely different outfit (The Avengers). In addition to his position in the Avengers, Falcon will also play a key role in one very important aspect of Captain America: Civil War – continuation of the search for the Winter soldier.

9

Black Widow

With her “grayscale” morality she perfectly fits the title of hero with several mixed ideas of good and evil, Black Widow a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is simply one of the best parts of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the good news is that she will return in the next sequel.

Her decisions which team to join, the pro-registration or anti-registration, will certainly be one of the most exciting aspects of Captain America: Civil War. She has had a wild spirit all her life and she also has a very close relationship with Captain America and Iron Manor. Which side will she choose? We will have to wait until 2016.

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The Winter Soldier

Nobody expected that Marvel would leave the story of Bucky Barnes - Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) hanging after the events in the previous film, Captain America, and until it sounded like it had its place in the Avengers, Sebastian confirmed that he would have an important part in the new Captain America in which he will would have a serious conflict with Iron Manor. Bucky Barnes definitely fits the new film!

11VISION Paul Bettany’s view of the Vision is surely one of the best elements in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, perfectly integrated characted from the comic book and the film version of “chaos vs. order”. Being a member of the Avengers together with Captain America with regard to the the plot of the film Captain America: Civil War, it obviously makes sense that the Vision is included, as it is officially confirmed.

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12

Scarlet Witch

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye tells Scarlet Witch that she will become the Avenger as soon as she joins the battle against an army of robots in Sokovia. It turns out that this statement is very true, because the end of the film reveals that she is a completely new member of the superhero team. While that sounds like Scarlet Witch and the rest of her team could be a part of a major international incident associated with the famous Superhero Registration Act, the way she will fit in this entirely new Civil War story, remains a secret for now.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat; The Walt Disney Company Nordic

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war machine

Don Cheadle is War Machine a.k.a James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes not only because he has finally got a little retalition action with a small role in the Age of Ultron, this guy is actually a full Avenger now. Now that Tony Stark has left the team, the organization was apparently in need of a guy in a metal suit, who will certainly fit in well. We are going to watch him in Captain America: Civil War. Although it hasn’t been officially announced what role he will play in the film, it is pretty easy to predict what side Rhodey will choose when it comes to the conflict regarding Superhero Registration Act. Um, can we expect Iron Man and War Machine to be friends and fight shoulder-to-shoulder?

14 SPIDER - MAN It seemed it would never happen but the dream have come true: Spider-Man will soon weawe his spi­der’s web in a new film achievement of Marvel. Before it starts swinging around the streets of New York in his solo film in 2017, this popular comic book hero will have its debut in Captain America: Civil War, after an agreement between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. The question is how great the role of Spider-Man in Captain America 3 is...

15CROSSBONES

Crossbones a.k.a Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo) remains in seriously bad shape until the end of the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but he has recovered and and is on his feet, so that he is awaiting the shooting of the film. According to new rumours that have been circulating on the Internet recently, Brock Rumlow whom we met in last year’s spectacle Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is not only going to fulfill his comic book-inspired destiny of becoming a villain covered with skulls, known as Crossbones, but it seems that his actions may spark the entire plot of the film.

16 Baron Zemo We still have no idea where the Red Skull’s position in Marvel’s universe is after being teleported to whoknows-where at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, but we know that Captain America: Civil War will see another Captain’s enemy on the big screen.

Far back in November 2011, it was known that the actor Daniel Bruhl (Inglourious Basterds) would join the cast of this blockbuster. While his role in the film has not been announced yet, it is still confirmed that he will play a dangerous Baron Zema in a purple costume.

17 Hawkeye

Hawkeye a.k.a Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) was, unfortunately, deprived of utter fun and action in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but he will appear in Captain America: Civil War. Renner has been firing up the fans for months about a possible supporting role in the film which will appear in 2016 only to confirm in the meantime that he will be part of the Civil War film. How exactly he will enter the battle is unclear at this point, given the fact that he retired and became a family man at the end of the film Avengers: Age of Ultron.

18 Agent 13 And, what would the seque be without Agent 13 ...

With Captain America, Falcon, Winter Soldier and Black Widow who return to their roles, you thought that Captain America: Civil War forgot about Sharon Carter a.k.a Agent 13? Of course she’s part of the team. Emily VanCamp portrayed this Marvel’ heroine who had its first performance in the previous Captain America film and it has been confirmed that she is going to be back in 2016’s sequel. With regard to the final scene in Winter Soldier, it is quite possible that Captain America could end up in a romantic relationship with Sharon in the upcoming sequel.

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General Thaddeus E E. "Thunderbolt" Ross

William Hurt, who portrayed the antagonist General Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross in the film Hulk, is back in the film by Russo. At this point, there is no real information on the role that Ross will play in Captain America: Civil War, but it is not difficult to guess how he could fit in. After all, he is closely connected with the government, and has a microchip implanted in his shoulders, which further disturbs the super-powerful people in the shadows.

20 ANT-MAN Without a scheduled sequel to Ant-Man (AntMan 2) as part of the third phase of Marvel long-term plan, many were concerned that Paul Rudd’s character Scott Lang would not appear again on the big screen, until his appereance in the film The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1. It turned out that he was actually one of the few Marvel’s heroes who appeared in two Marvel Studios films in a row. Now that Ant-Man is confirmed to be part of Captain America: Civil War, it will certainly be interesting to see how events will unfold regarding the sequel of Ant-Man at the end of the year.

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Everett Ross

Martin Freeman, known for his roles in geek-friendly titles such as Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, The Hobbit and mega popular Sherlock, was predicted for this role. He will allegedly play a government agent working for the State Department who is best known as a liaison with the secret African nation of Wakanda. The confirmation is not received yet but the British actor has recently been very active on social networks regarding this film

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Will anyone die?

We can only speculate ... we were absolutely sure that Age of Ultron will kill the protagonist but nothing happened. With the exception of Quicksilver. However, in the cult comic book Civil War, several characters will end their careers.

23The first shots

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

Marvel Studio has still not released the official trailer, but it showed the first phase of filming of Captain America: Civil War to Disney fans at a recent D23 Expo event. The producer and Marvel Studio manager Kevin Feige joined the members of the cast Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie on stage, who promoted a future superhero epic story.

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Will Nick Fury / Samuel L. Jackson appear in the film?

Surprisingly, the rumour has it that he will not appear in the film. No one knows for sure why, but who can say that he will not appear anywhere, at least for a moment?

Anything can happen by the end of filming.

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What do rumours say?

Rumours primarily refers to online rumours that appear on well-informed film portals. One interesting online rumour indicates how the story will develop.. Supposedly, it will be revealed that Winter Soldier killed Tony Stark’s parents, which led to their split.

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What can be seen in the first recordings?

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Is there anything epochal in the recording?

The video shows Captain America, Black Widow and Falcon trying to defeat Crossbones who wants to blow up a truck. During the fight, Crossbones throws magnetic explosives to Captain’s shield, but our hero throws it into the air, so that the explosion avoided the crowds sourrounding them.

Well ... Crossbones takes off his mask and reveals his scarred face, turning to the Captain saying: “You know, he thought of you. Your little buddy Bucky.”

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Who else appears in the first exclusive recording?

We can see General Ross (William Hurt reprises his role from Hulk) who tells the Captain that the state owes him very much, but that for some of them he is not only a hero but an Avenger too. Besides the Captain, we can also see Ant-Man.

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Captain's heroic words

The recording also shows us fast action scenes of our hero who gave us some epic quotes. We see the Black Panther for a short time but there is no sign of Spider-Man. For now...

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How does the recording end?

The recording ends with a scene where Hawkeye openes a van and reveals Ant-Man. He is absolutely fascinated by the Captain. He is always shaking when he sees him and he is nervous when greeting.

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Unavoidable epic battle of two famous heroes

There is this invisible dynamics of watching two famous superheroes fighting. It is a kind of fiction related to nerds who each support their favorite characters. Supporting as in who will win the fight - Godzilla or King Kong, Batman or Superman, James Bond or Jason Bourne?

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And, with Captain America? Will we see something similar?

Oh, yes ... The film Captain America: Civil War counts on this dynamic turnover. The recording that was recently shown at the D23 Expo shows us that the same kind of determination and fierce aesthetics is retained in the film Winter Soldier; but it seems that the action here is much clearer than in the previous film.

Civil War was so heartbreaking, because some of Marvel’s major teams were divided, creating a similar “brother against brother” situation, as seen in the real American Civil War in the 19th century. What we can expect in the film, remains to be seen ...

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New characters?

Daniel Brühl, who shared the screen with Chris “Thor” Hemsworth in the film Rush is also booked for the role of some unknown villain.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat; The Walt Disney Company Nordic

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Will there be divisions among superheroes?

No secret identities

One of the main themes of the Civil War is the value of a secret identity. Heroes debate whether it is worth discovering who they are in public and how to become registered national heroes. Otherwise, one of the most polarizing moments in the comic occurs when Spider-Man takes off the mask at a press conference in support of the Superhero Registration Act.

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Thor is alive!

According to the story before the civil war in the comic book, Thor died, so imagine the surprise when Thor appears in the first conflict between opposing fractions of superheroes. Thor is still alive in the film so we are wondering how this will look on the screen?

Never enough superheroes!

In the same spirit as in the previous point, the superheroes are simply not enough to transform a civil war into a “war”. Let’s count how many we have. Thor and Hulk are out of this – we assume they will not be part of this conflict. The Captain’s team at the end of the film Age of Ultron has six members, let’s add Iron Man, Ant-Man, Daredevil, Black Panther, and Spider-Man, so we still have “only” eleven heroes.

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Never enough villains!

We know that in the comic book Iron Man’s Party, which supports the regis­ tration of a superhero (pro-registration), they went too far when they engaged a group of super villains to help them take down Captain America and his allies. In fact, the team of “reformed” bad guys known as Thunderbolts were called in to help, thus demonstrating how desperate Iron Man was. However, in the Marvel film universe MCU, the villains are simply not that great to have this turnover.

Most MCU villains are considered to be dead - Iron Monger, Whiplash, Aldrich Killian, etc. - so they leave only a few behind such as Abomination and Brock Rumlow a.k.a Crossbones. However, it will not be a surprise if they revive another villain for the film.

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Without negative zones

One of the disturbing deeds from the comic book Civil War is when Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic create “Prison 42.” It’s a secret prison in another dimension called the “negative zone”. It is created in order to keep the superheroes as prisoners. Let’s hope we won’t see it in the film.

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Spider-Man has to fulfill his original

Although the main conflict of the Civil War lies in the battle of ideas between Captain America and Iron Man, the real heart of the story comes from the Spider-Man. He is the first to support the Iron Man to enjoy their benefits of being registered heroes.

However, the whole story is out of control and secret identity was revealed in the media. Only after Goliath’s death and learning that Iron Man’s unsuitable superheroes were sent to detention for an indefinite period, Spidey realized that he fought on the wrong side. He joins the Captain and his secret Avengers but it costs him a lot of pain.

41 New gadgets

Of course... The stars of the film Civil War Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie announced to their loyal fans at the D23 event that the new sequel will show a lot of new and interesting hi-tech novelties and gadgets.

We cannot wait to see them in action!

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

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When is the premiere?

Civil War will be the first film in Marvel’s “Phase Three” and it is scheduled to be released in Great Britain on April 29, 2016 followed by the premiere in the US a week later, on May 6.

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Location of shooting

The main part of the filming started in Atlanta, Georgia, at the end of August and shootings are also planned in Germany, Iceland and Puerto Rico

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The point of the story

The point of the story is based on how much power the Avengers have and how to avoid division.

CAPTAIN AMERICA:

THE FIRST AVENGER AMONG SUPERHEROES! MARVEL’S UNIVERSE IS CHANGING. AT THE DAWN OF THE GREAT TRAGEDIES, CAPITOL HILL PROPOSES THE SUPERHERO REGISTRATION ACT, WHICH REQUIRES THAT ALL COSTUMED HEROES SHOULD TAKE OFF THEIR MASK AND REVEAL THEIR IDENTITY TO THE GOVERNMENT. DIVIDED, THE GREATEST HEROES WILL HAVE TO DECIDE HOW TO REACT – TO MAKE A DECISION THAT WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON...?

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he premiere of the new film sequel of Captain America is scheduled for 2016 and excitement of Marvel’s fans is growing every day. For a moment, let’s forget about the film franchise, and let’s deal with the series of Marvel’s books which were published nearly a decade ago. Marvel’s universe is just like a real universe: we can freely say it is infinite.

Namely, whenever and wherever you enter that superhero world, it is difficult to say precisely whether that is the right starting point. And, at the same time, most of them are, which is especially the case due to recent frequent launching of the series “from the beginning “.

Civil War is a crossover story written by Mark Millar and drawn by Steve McNiven Leandro Fernandez. Marvel Comics published this limited series of seven books in 2006.

This series of comic books tells us the story of introducing a new legal act in America, Super-Human Registration Act (General list of superheroes) and its effects on Marvel’ superheroes.

The act requires that any person possessing supernatural powers or wearing a mask to protect the citizenry from ordinary or super criminals must disclose their identity to the authorities for the sake of government con­trol upon their activities.

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uperheroes are then divided into two groups: those who accept because of their beliefs, or in exchange for the amnesty (in the case of super villains), and those who refuse, believing that it is a violation of their freedom and lives of their loved ones.

Each of them stands behind the charismatic superhero: those who accept are with Iron Man, and those who are against are with Captain America. This series of comic books shows us the conflict between these two groups, indicating their point of view. It ends up with the titanic struggle on the streets of New York, making this comic book very real due to its dynamics and despite the SF details that are an integral part of superhero comic books.

Warmly recommended!

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#BIGones by: Lazar K.

lazar_k@popculture.dk

IMAGE: Courtesy of MCF

MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS

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ARE YOU READY FOR (ANOTHER) SPRINT?

If you have ever wondered what the series Lost and the film The Hunger Games have in common, then the answer is in front of you - the movie Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. It is based on the book written by James Dashner, with very visible elements of the film with Jennifer Lawrence and the series that celebrated Evangeline Lilly and Matthew Fox .

Even the author of the trilogy does not deny the similarities with the aforementioned book.

What makes this film different?

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here are a lot of elements that should be praised. The choice of the main actor - Dylan O’Brien, the hero of the series Teen Wolf, thrilled teenagers. He is not only a muscular young guy who can run (very well) but is indeed a very talented young man who proved himself in the mentioned series. The mixture of charisma, good looks and solid acting brought this guy a role in a film that inspires young people from different countries. The director of the film Wess Ball called him a young Tom Hanks. His good shape served him for the action scenes that were filmed without stand-ins, which further creates a more realistic picture when watching the film.

SOME SCENES EVEN HAVE ELEMENTS OF HORROR THAT ARE WELL INTEGRATED INTO THIS DARK STORY.

It is worth to mention the rest of the team: Will Porter, Thomas Brodie, Kaya Scodelario, Blake Cooper ... – all being the beginners in the acting world who captivated viewers with their energy.

The mysterious adventure through a labyrinth offers us a sufficient amount of tension because we do not know what is lurking behind the corner. Some scenes even have elements of horror that are well integrated into this dark story.

As icing on the cake – no one has ever come out alive from the labyrinth. Since this is a trilogy, a spoiler is immediately present – the main character Thomas will not die, but the question is who else will not survive. Therefore, our eyes are fixed on the rest of the team.

The team is made up of different characters forced to work together because that is the only way to defeat lurking creatures. Everyone who thought to be smarter than the group was killed. This is also a kind of film in which a group is always a better option than solo variants.

formation of the story is a major downside. This rather represents criticism of the author of the book and not the creators of the film, because the film was made exactly by the book. The film is impeccably made in terms of special effects, its action scenes are realistic, tension is at its peak and the actors on top of the task.

MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS FOLLOWS THE HERO THOMAS AND HIS FELLOW GLADERS FACING THEIR GREATEST CHALLENGE YET

While the first film gives us an introductory story about the heroes of the Glade and we constantly ask the question “why”, the second installment will give us the answers. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials follows the hero Thomas and his fellow Gladers facing their greatest challenge yet – the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their searching for clues about WCKD takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD’s vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all. According to this scenario, we can expect a lot of action, but not something epochally different. Great reinforcement in the form of phenomenal Giancarlo Esposito (the series Breaking Bad, Once Upon a Time, Fight for survival in the labyrinth re- Revolution) whom we will watch in the minds us of The Hunger Games and third part if everything has been done the question why all of them are in the by the books. glades reminds us of the characters in the series Lost who also did not know We are excited about the second movie. why they were chosen to be on a desert Are you? island. This dose of noncreativity in the

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#BIGones by: Miljan T.

miljan_t@popculture.dk

PITCH PERFE

IMAGE: Courtesy of UPI media

THE MUSIC IS NO JOKE HERE AND HAS BEEN TAKEN UP A NOTCH

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ECT 2

LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW SEQUEL

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he movie starts off several years after the first one and the Bellas are three-times national champions. Acca-Awesome! And they get to perform at the Kennedy Center in front of none other than President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, in honor of the President’s birthday. But then Fat Amy has to have a very specific wardrobe malfunction and a committee decides to suspend them from any competitions and

takes away their victory tour, giving it over to the reigning European champions – the German group “Das Sound Machine”. The only way for the Bellas to be reinstated is to win the World Championship – which is held in Copenhagen, by the way. And what happens next… well you have to go to the cinema to see. Or wait for the BluRay/DVD.

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IMAGE: Courtesy of UPI media; Universal pictures

IT WAS MOSTLY PRAISED BY CRITICS AND GROSSED NEARLY $285 MILLION AT THE BOX OFFICE WORLD WIDE

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hat I especially like about this movie is that it doesn’t take itself very seriously. While many purists would cry foul over this joke or the other (RACISM! AGEISM! XENOPHOBIA! LGBT RIGHTS! Or “OMG they’re so stupid they don’t know where Copenhagen is!”), there is absolutely no need to get upset at all, because it’s very clear from the get go that everything is a joke. Except for the music. The music is no joke here and has been taken up a notch, too, especially since Becca gets an internship at a record label and goes on to produce what will eventually become Jessie J’s “Flashlight” (penned among others by Sia and Sam Smith).

And the cameos – I don’t think we have enough room to even come close to a full list of cameos in this movie – from archive footage of the President and First Lady, to the casts of various TV-shows like GMA, the Voice, Jimmy Kimmel live and The View, The Green Bay Packers,

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ATTENTION! Soon on Blu-ray and DVD: October 5th in Sweden, Norway and Finland & December 11th in Denmark

Snoop Dogg, the now world-famous a capella group Pentatonix and many, many more. I actually don’t remember the last movie I saw with so many cameos. And they all fit in, nothing makes you think “well this is too much now”.

The movie marks the feature directorial debut for Elizabeth Banks (who herself plays in both movies and who produced the first one), and since it was mostly praised by critics and grossed nearly $285 million at the box office world wide, rumour has it that she is in talks to direct Red Queen, the first movie in a young adult fantasy franchise by The Universal/Comcast corp.

Although all the Bellas graduate at the end of the movie and leave the group’s future in the hands of the new girl, Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), who’s mother once also had been a Bella (and is played by non other than the fabulous Katey Sagal), a sequel was officially confirmed on june 10.

We already saw in this movie how characters who already graduate can come back into the mix, so by July 28 Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow have been confirmed to reprise their respective roles. Kay Cannon will once again write the script. The movie is slated for a July 21, 2017 release, but as of yet it is still unknown whether Elizabeth Banks will direct again or release the film’s helm to someone else.’

MÅNS ZELM

by: Marin M.

marin_m@popculture.dk

PERFECTLY DAMAGED HERO Q: I know you’ve heard this so many times, but I’ve never had the chance to say it - congratulations on winning the Eurovision and thank you for taking time for this interview. Tell me, the sound of victory, what’s it like?

A: I’ve never felt that before.

People were in love with the performance and the song…

It feels incredible, it sounds incredible!

MAKING ME HAPPY IS NOT REALLY COMPLICATED.

Q: The song Heroes was a great bust for international fame - music competitions are something that you participated in the past, but did you believe that the Eurovision Song Contest would be the one that will make you a “hero” of pop music?

A: I really couldn’t anticipate the victory! I did think that Heroes is a great song for Eurovision SC, but I tried not to focus on winning as much as on participating. Yet, it happened.

Q: Heroes is not only a great song, but it is also visually powerful, positive energy-filled performance. How did that come out?

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A: The creators of performance are Fredrik Rydman and David Nordström. I came to them asking for a new effect, something that hadn’t been seen before.

After telling the guys some stories of my life, they liked one in particular. Actually, I am the stick-man from that performance. In school, I was bullied by the guy in my group of friends. From being part of something, at the end I was left out. But during a summer break, I started playing tennis with a new guy and we became friends.

The next semester, he started in my class and he made my friends come back to me.

The number is about that.

Q: The album you released after winning definitely brings the sounds of Heroes song, but we also recognize the influence of the music you’ve previously created. How would you describe the album Perfectly Damaged?

A: Album is a mix of organic musicianship of the Barcelona sessions with electronic influence of Heroes. I hope that my music fans before winning the Eurovision Song Contest are not disappoint-

MERLÖW ed as well as those who started listening to me after Eurovision Song Contest. I believe they like the album.

Q: If I am well informed, these days you’re making a video for the song Should’ve gone home. When can we expect it and what can we expect from it?

A: Pretty soon – about two weeks from now, which probably means immediately after the publishing of your magazine. The video is great!

Crazy! I sang some part of the song in reverse, which was s real challenge and quite exhausting. I am sure my fans will like it!

Q: Your popularity in Sweden is somethingl logical, but your strong connection with international fans seems incredible!

A: (laugh) I don’t know, it simply happened. I try to keep in touch with them in any way I can and I am honest in that. I think they feel it.

Q: Your tour through Europe starts In September - London, Paris, Copenhagen, Prague are only some of the cities where you will perform. The schedule looks very exhausting, sometimes you change countries in which you perform day by day. How do you prepare?

A: I don’t see going from a city to a city as such a big problem as keeping my voice during the tour. That’s why I’m trying not to yell or scream as much as possible these days. (laugh) Q: What is the set list for the upcoming tour - the focus is on the new album, but are you also going to sing your older songs?

A: Yes, there will be old songs. The

new album is in the center of attention, but there will be old songs too, possibly in the form of mixes. We are considering the possibility of having one special song from city to city. It would be interesting.

Q: You are also the chairman of Zelmerlöw & Björkman Foundation. Tell me more about that, please.

A: Zelmerlöw&Björkman Foundation is working for a better world for vulnerable children and young people.

We want to create opportunities for children and young people to develop their inner drive. I spent a lot of time in Africa and every time I come back...the energy I get from working in this foundation is unique.

Q: So, with music and humanitarian work you make others happy, but where does Måns find happiness these days?

A: I am pleased very often. (laugh) Making me happy is not really complicated. Walking a dog, spending occasional moments alone... All that feels so good at the moment.

Q: I hear that your daily habits include five-minute shower each morning. So, is cold shower your recipe for success?

A: It is very difficult for me to wake up in the morning! This is where this urban legend with a five-minute shower comes from (laughs). As for the recipe for success ... I’m not sure I have it. We just need to do things from our heart!

Q: Thank you very much, Måns, and I look forward to your Copenhagen performance in October!

A: Looking forward to seeing you all there!

#DoNotSkip DANISH PAGES

September 21 Europe @ 20:00 Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark WHAT:

September 22 Sóley @ 20:00 Bremen Teater, Copenhagen, Denmark WHAT:

September 24 Klovn forever @ different times Nordisk Film cinemas, Copenhagen, Denmark WHAT:

October 5 Nickelback – No Fixed Address Tour 2015 @ 20:00 Jyske Bank BOXEN, Herning, Denmark WHAT:

October 15-17 GEEKcore @ all day Valby Kulturhus, Copenhagen, Denmark WHAT:

ATTENTION! Do not miss Måns’s concert in Copenhagen, October 26 at 19:00, Store Vega.

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ZOMBOCALYPSE IS COMING BACK TO SCANDINAVIA! WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE SEASON 6 PREMIERE OF THE WALKING DEAD TV SHOW. THE NEW SEASON COMES TO FOX CHANNEL IN NORWAY THIS OCTOBER.

IMAGE: Courtesy of FOX International Channels Norway

PLAY THIS!

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#DoNotSkip NORWAY PAGES

So, what can fans expect from the upcoming season?

As the show’s trailer suggests: everything is possible.

What we do know is Rick will assume a leadership role at the Alexandria Safe-Zone. But he’ll have to face several adversaries, both inside and outside of the community’s walls.

As Robert Kirkman has already said, the show is going to follow the events from Volume 13 of his comic book. So, we’re going to see lots of walkers, lost of blood and the some re-appearance of the Wolves.

The Walking Dead is coming back to Norway, but also all over the world: read more about it in this issue #CoverStory.

September 21 The Odd Couple @ 23:10 Season 1 premiere, TV 2, Norway WHAT:

September 22 The Motown Experience @ 20:00 Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo, Norway WHAT:

September 24 Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity @ 20:00 Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo, Norway WHAT:

October 9 Danko Jones @ 20.00 Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo, Norway WHAT:

October 28 Da Vinci’s Demons @ 21:55 Season 3 premiere, Fox, Norway WHAT:

ATTENTION! The Walking Dead premieres on Fox in Norway, Monday, October 12 at 21:55.

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COMIC CON M THE FIRST & MAGNIFICENT!

IMAGE: Courtesy of Comic Con Malmรถ

IT HAPPENED: THE FIRST COMIC CON MALMร WAS HELD ON SEPTEMBER 12 AND 13 THIS YEAR, AND PHOTOS IN FRONT OF YOU TESTIFY ABOUT SUCCESSFULNESS OF THE EVENT, DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN HELD IN THIS CITY BEFORE.

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ans of contents close to the world of comic books and films, superheroes, science fiction and popular culture in general struggled to make a choice: which pc stand to approach first, which workshop to visit, which line for an autograph to stand in first ...?

The star of the first event of this sort in Malmรถ was primarily Liam Cunningham, who plays the role of Davos in the global hit of HBO, TV series Game of Thrones. Clearly in good mood, smiling, kind and full of interesting responses to all sorts of questions from his fans, Cunningham held two workshops, between which he patiently took pictures with visitors and signed autographs.

However, he was not the only star of the event: Jessica Parker, known to the fans of TV genre from the series Black Sails and Secret Circle, also received thunderous applause, while Arild Mithun caused no less enthusiasm either, being one of the most famous and most productive artists of the famous Donald

MALMÖ

#DoNotSkip SWEDEN PAGES

September 18 Johnny Cash Roadshow @ 19:30 Conventum Club 700, Örebro, Sweden WHAT:

September 19 Lund Culture Night @ night City centre, Lund, Sweden WHAT:

Duck, so beloved in Scandinavia.

Apart from them, in a special workshop, A Date with Hollywood, interested visitors were able to hear a lecture of recognized names from Hollywood and get to know them personally. Casting Director Jeanne McCarthy, among others, also attended the workshop, together with the actor Christopher Gorham, primarily known for his roles in the series Ugly Betty and Covert Affairs, as well as the charismatic Christian Magda, one of the most popular Swedish actors, whose interview you will read in the next edition of PopCulture magazine.

Current cinema blockbusters

are ahead of us, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, as well as announced blockbusters Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Deadpool had special promotion stands full of interactive content for visitors. „Comic Con is a global phenomenon that takes fans’ breath away across the globe – from San Diego, through London, to Stokholm. We are more than happy to have an opportunity to give one more chance for gathering and fun to gamers, cosplayers, comic book collectors and sci-fi fans in Scandinavia,“ said Marika Metsola Renström, Press Officer Comic Con Malmö for PopCulture magazine.

September 26 House of Lords @ 20:00 Rockland, Silvergruvan Sala, Sala, Sweden WHAT:

October 5 Bob Dylan @ 20:00 Stockholm Waterfront, Stockholm, Sweden WHAT:

October 30 Comic Con Gamex @ 10:00 Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden WHAT:

ATTENTION!

For more information about this year’s and future Comic Con Malmö, please visit: www.mcmcomiccon.com/malmo

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#RATEthis by: Michel P.

michel_p@popculture.dk

WHY THE SWEDISH MUSIC ROCKS? EVERYTHING STARTED WITH ABBA THE WHOLE STORY CAN TURN TO THE INDIE SCENE, SINCE THERE IS ALSO A HANDFUL OF GOOD MATERIAL THERE WHICH THEY HAVE MANAGED TO SELL TO ANGLOPHONE MUSIC MAJORITY.

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weden a real treasury of pop music in all its genres and subgenres.

Over the past decade we have seen and listened to the Swedish pop, rock, metal, punk ... Quality has not deacreased all these years so the Swedes have become recognized for their good bands, and at the global level, pop music has become a part of their cultural identity.

Since the British and American music industry is very strong and all the media space is given to the bands from these areas, some bands from smaller markets can have only a fraction of glory and this is almost a mission impossible for those that do not belong to the English-speaking world. This is where Sweden is positioned very high, because it has become the third exporter of pop music in the world, immediately after the United States and Great Britain. One of the reasons for such a good export of Swedish pop music is digitization of the entire music industry. Music online streaming services Spotify and Soundcloud are Swedish inventions.

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good part of the story begins in the 70’s with the legendary group ABBA, which proved that Swedish artists can be equal to their international competitors. The artists such as Europe, Roxette, Neneh Cherry and The Cardigans followed in their footsteps in the 80’s and 90’s. The whole story can turn to the indie scene, since there is also a handful of good material there which they have managed to sell to anglophone music majority. Some bands were thereby able to make a great career, while some other remained hidden gems.

When we take indie history since 2000, we first remember the bands The White Stripes, The Strokes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Vines, The Libertines, The Hives ...

The Hives had a key role in indie rock revival at the beginning of the last decade with their garage approach to punk rock. Yes, they are the Swedes.

YOUR #ONTHEGO SWEDISH POP PLAYLIST! 01. URBAN CONE COME BACK TO ME FT. TOVE LO 02. ZARA LARSSON LUSH LIFE 03. VIGILAND SHOTS & SQUATS FT. THAM SWAY 04. EMIL BERG DU SWIPA HÖGER 05. SAKARIAS ATLANTEN ADG - TA AV DIG LUVAN 06. AVICII WAITING FOR LOVE 07. IDA LAFONTAINE SHUT UP AND KISS ME 08. ICONA POP EMERGENCY 09. ADG TA AV DIG LUVAN 10. LORENTZ & SAKARIAS GARBO, ASTRID & TAUBE

NEW INDIE POP GENERATION

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s time went by, the bands such as Caesars, Mando Diao, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Peter Bjorn and John appeared (people still sing when they hear the hit ’Young Folks’), Shout Out Louds, Friska Viljor, The Sounds, The Concretes, Loney, Dear, Dungen, I’m from Barce-

lona and of course The Soundtrack of Our Lives, who already had several albums or Lykke Li, who captivated us all with her exotic voice and mystical chillout sounds.

We have to mention the representatives of a new generation of Swedish pop who now rule the world on the top lists ... Zara Larsson, pop songwriter and winner of the Swedish talent show Talang (Swedish version of Got Talent), Vigiland, DJ and producer who became popular with the single “UFO” Urban Cone, an indie pop band with their debut album “Our Youth” made a major break-

through in America, then Ida LaFontaine, a new favourite of MTV or Lorentz & Sakarias hip-hop duo from Stockholm.

There are more bands here, but these are certainly the strongest links in the Swedish pop scene since the beginning of the new millennium untill now. From all this, we bring you a playlist with 10 most popular and most played Swedish artists at the moment.

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#RATEthis

ZARA

by: Michel P.

michel_p@popculture.dk

MTV PUSH PERFORMER IN SEPTEMBER! ZARA LARSSON IS ONE MORE NAME ON THE SCANDINAVIAN MUSIC SKY TO WHICH YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION. IMAGE: TEN Music Group

PLAY THIS!

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LARSSON: THIS TALENTED SWEDE CHOSE NO ONE ELSE BUT BEYONCE TO BE HER IDOL This 17-year-old Swede drew attention to herself for the first time in 2008 when she won the competition “Talang”, the local version of “I Got Talent” show. Zara was only ten years old at that time, and her performance of the song “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion in the final episode gathered over 16 million views on YouTube since then. That was also her debut single, and two years later she had her first professional musical contract with the Swedish label TEN Music Group. In January 2013 she released her first EP “Introducing”, and the single “Uncover” was the most famous and it topped the charts in Sweden and Norway, reaching nearly 40 million views on YouTube.

You will recognize Zara by her widely famous Scandinavian beauty while her powerful vocal reminiscent of Rihanna will further amaze you. Although she is called the successor of her colleague from Barbados, which she certainly likes, this talented Swede chose no one else but Beyonce to be her idol. Singing has always been part Zara’s life. Ever since she was a child, she had a makeshift stage in a corner of her living room where she used to perform after dinner.

When not dealing with music, she likes to fill her time doing funny things such as horse riding and dancing or simply sleeping. She has published one studio album so far, three EPs, six singles, and received the honor of being elected as a global MTV Push artist with her single “Lush Life”.

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#RATEthis by: Marin M.

marin_m@popculture.dk

BUILDING A HERO:BOOK ONE

RECONSTRUCTED THIS IS AN ERA OF SUPERHEROES, THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THINGS IN POPULAR CULTURE HAVE CHANGED. HOWEVER, THAT SEEMS TO BE BOTH GREAT AND VERY BAD FOR POTENTIAL AUTHORS OF THIS GENRE. ON ONE HAND, THE SKY IS A LIMIT WHEN IT COMES TO SUPERHERO UNIVERSE THESE DAYS; HOWEVER, ON THE OTHER HAND, IT IS DIFFICULT TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING NEW WHEN IT SEEMS THAT EVERY STORY IS ALREADY TOLD.

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T

asha Black somehow managed to do that. Reconstructed, the first novel in the announced Building a Hero series, skillfully combines superhero adventure with elements of romance novel, thus completing a picture of an imaginary, dark city where a lot of things have gone wrong. Drawing a parallel with the atmosphere of Gotham City or Starling City is inevitable here and not necessarily bad – when we select the next superhero whom we will worship, we seek something we love in others.

OF COURSE WESTLEY WORTHINGTON IS THE STUBBORN, ARROGANT MILLIONAIRE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY.

As expected, he is a womanizer of a brilliant physical appearance and, seemingly, his father’s son who does all the wrong things with his money. Yet this novel, which rapidly unwinds before us, will reveal a completely different side of the coin after only a few pages. “Some heroes aren’t born... they’re built,” says the promotion of the novel and it turns out that this sentence is absolutely correct.

defined direction, but it is still only a hint of everything we can expect from this hero.

Black carefully creates her hero’s environment, combining the world of ultra-modern technology with genetic research, thus creating, in addition to the main character, the potential hero of the series – Edward Dalton, Westley’s driver, bodyguard and moral support. Spin-off on the rise? Very possible, and – why not?

It is very easy to imagine the main actor as Oliver Queen who once turned the wrong corner. His days are a combination of business obligations and perverted fun, and a silent witness to such a lifestyle is a relatively new office assistant, Cordelia Cross, who will become one of the most entertaining recent sidekicks, as the action progresses.

Colourful villains, created in such a way that they can easily become an integral part of future sequels of this series, are just another indication that the author created this story with precision and a clear plan of what she wants from it, before she started writing it.

It is important to bear in mind that this is the first novel in the series Building a Hero – it has a rounded action that goes in a very precisely

It is worth waiting for the continuation of adventures not only of Mr. Worthington but his entire team and we should certainly not be surprised if this literary series will serve as a script for a new TV series in the near future.

BLACK CAREFULLY CREATES HER HERO’S ENVIRONMENT, COMBINING THE WORLD OF ULTRA-MODERN TECHNOLOGY WITH GENETIC RESEARCH

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MOST UNLUCKY TV CHARACTERS

They are known for being unlucky in life.

Murphy is not favorable to them, and not even screenwriters.

These TV characters had so many accidents that one cannot help wondering whether they would survive at least half of these in their real life. If you think that you’re not luckiest person in the world, chill up: we introduce you your favourite unlucky TV characters!

KENNY MCCORMICK SOUTH PARK If we say that some people know how to live, we can definitely say that Kenny knows how to die. Fans can argue about the exact numbers, but it is estimated that he died over a hundred times. He was even “dead” for almost a year, and after the sixth season he received mercy and died only occasionally. This is called bad luck.

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DEBRA MORGAN DEXTER

She is the sister of the biggest serial killer and she was not lucky in love even before she realized she was in love with her adopted brother. Sounds crazy? There is also a continuation. Her ex-boyfriend was also a serial killer who tried to kill her. Quite appropriately, he turned out to be related by blood with her adopted brother. Knowing the truth was quite enough to drive Deb completely crazy and destroy her career and life.

LYNETTE SCAVO DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

MEREDITH GREY GREY’S ANATOMY

ATTENTION! After very sad episode on 21. September at 21:00, watch the Grey’s Anatomy allday marathon in Denmark on Kanal 4, on 27. September from 10:20 to 18:00.

Despite being a talented surgeon, she specializes in failed relationships, which she had more than she can remember - until she met Derek Shepherd. Some would say that her hard work paid off, but Derek was wounded in the shooting, which he barely survived. Her mother died of Alzheimer’s and her sister died in an air crash. Now that she has her life seemingly settled, there is a strong possibility that she inherited the gene for Alzheimer’s disease. She’s a bad luck and knows it well, because she tried to commit suicide in the series – of course, that failed as well.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat, Discovery Networks

In this lucid soap opera, everyone had their own portion of bad luck, but Lynette bore the brunt of it. She is the most desperate housewife. In addition to being the oldest, unlike her neighbours she raises four impossible children, has a childish husband, and she is diagnosed with cancer on top of all. At the moment she recovered from the disease, her husband decided to seek happiness elsewhere because Lynette was not exactly a talisman.

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KELLY TAYLOR BEVERLY HILLS 90210 Kelly is a beautiful rich woman from Beverly Hills. Everyone would envy her for her lucky star, but this girl, in fact, became a synonym for sufferer thanks to a set of unlucky circumstances.

She even has her own successor, Peyton Sawyer (One Tree Hill). Her mother was an alcoholic, she was raped in the first year of high school, and then he went through a cocaine addiction, overdose of pills, recruiting in a satanic cult, abortion, injuries in the parking lot, as well as through the charges for the murder of her rapist. And they call Beverly Hills a teen soap opera after that ...

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat, Discovery Networks,

Fox International, AMC

ALISON PARKER MELROSE PLACE

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Those who remember the marathon counterpart to Beverly Hills also remember the sad stories of blue-eyed Alison who was a real magnet for bad luck. In addition to constant struggle with alcoholism, she got pregnant and lost her baby, and when she wanted to adopt another, they refused her because they caught her drinking of course.

Then she was fired and had to fly to Hong Kong.

She managed to get married but her husband disappeared on their honeymoon. And that’s not all - in the end, namely, she went blind in a fire.

And no, we didn’t just make it up.

ANDY SIPOVIC NYPD BLUE This detective is so unlucky that it was a miracle he survived. He was shot six times, once in his big bottom, while his racism and big mouth brought him so much beating that it is unknown whether his kidneys suffered more (from kicks) or liver (from hectoliters of alcohol he had drunk). His two close friends were murdered, his second wife died, and when he finally became close with his estranged son he had to face with his violent death. On top of all that, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He must be forgiven for being grumpy.

JESSE PINKMAN BREAKING BAD Jesse’s life was so terrible that it was difficult at times to watch what he was going through, even though the the majority of the problems were his own fault. He was such a jinx that death would have been a better alternative in many cases. He was a drug addict who was blackmailed to make crystal meth and was kidnapped and nearly killed by drug dealers and then he fell through the roof of the building, discovered the corpse of his girlfriend, suffered brutal police slapping and was forced to live in drug lair and kill an innocent man and watch the murder of a child. This figure is more tragic than unlucky, but it is the same thing.

JACK BAUER 24 HOURS Fans of this adrenaline series are well aware that there is no episode in which the protagonist Jack Bauer does not suffer and struggle with quilt, addiction or pain. He developed a heroin addiction on a secret mission because of which he was expelled, captured and held in prison even in China only to find out at one point that his own father was a terrorist.

He was happy in love until both of his girlfriends died, while he was often forced to torture and kill people himself. Torturer and martyr, all in one.

JOHN LOCKE LOST This TV character was unlucky from birth when he was abandoned by his fifteen-yearold mother; then he was tricked by his father to donate his kidney to him only to be pushed through the window afterwards, which made John paralyzed from the waist down. With such a pedigree, it’s no wonder he ended up on a desert island, being shot and left to die in a mass grave. When he learned that the love of his life had died, he tried to commit suicide, but was rescued only to end his life even worse - he was killed in cold blood. Start is the same as end.

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BEST S-TRAIN FALL READS

Whether you work, study or just travel as a tourist in Denmark, using the S-train on a daily basis is a necessity – even a very pleasant one, bearing in mind that this is one of better organized public transport systems which the the author of the text had opporunities to use, and he was in many places. Maybe you drive only two stations, from home to the gym, and perhaps you are one of those “lucky ones” who live and work in two different parts of the city, but you surely get on the S-train pretty often.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat

Anyway, they say that there is no long drive with a good book and there is hardly any saying I could agree more. If you love to read (and of course you do, otherwise your reading thoguth the PopCulture magazine stopped at a completely wrong place), then our list of fall recommendations will be of great help to you these days, when filling in your e-book reader or backpack.

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DARK PLACES

BY GILLIAN FLYNN Pick up a copy of Dark Places before the film comes out this year! It is coming from the globally popular author of Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn and many readers say that they just might like this one better than the last one.

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

BY PAULA HAWKINS A mystery that has been described as a psychological thriller, The Girl on the Train, looks as a must-read this fall.

Hawkins’ debut novel is the kind of book that keeps you up all night until you finish it, especially if you’re a fan of very popular genre these days – family thriller.

THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES

BY CASSANDRA CLARE If you missed this one, now it’s the last chance to read it before it becomes ABC Family series! It is focuses on a girl who learns that she’s originally from a magical world that is invisible to normal people and her destiny lies in demon-hunting. There are six books in the series, so plenty of meat for several TV seasons.

ARROW - VENGEANCE

BY OSCAR BALDERRAMA & LAUREN CERTO

Arrow novel? Oh dear God, please yes! This is the first novel based on the hit Warner Bros TV show Arrow, whose 4th season we are currently waiting to be aired. If the book is to be judged by its cover, we are going to read an Arrow vs Slade Wiilson adventure this October.

and MORE...

EIGHT BOOKS & TEN COMIC BOOKS DEXTER IS DEAD

BY JEFF LINDSAY Before Michael C. Hall became the visual representation of Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter, the character came to life in Jeff Lindsay’s book series of the same name.

And while Dexter lives on in the finale of Showtime series, a final book is (maybe) set to put the nail in his coffin.

Among the TOP 5 of fall recommendations is Dexter is Dead, by Jeff Lindsay, the last book in the series about a soft-hearted killer. However, if you have not met Dexter in a different form than the the central figure of the popular (and infamously finished) TV series, it is good to know: there are eight books about this guy and two graphic series of five notebooks, all from the pen of Lindsay. Give a chance to the book from which it all began, Darkly Dreaming Dexter and see why Dexter Morgan has become one of the most favorite serial killers ever.

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MILL

by: Jørgen M.

jorgen_m@popculture.dk

THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY BROUGHT US A RANGE OF CRIME SERIES, WITH THE MAIN FOCUS ON ANALYZING CRIMES IN THE STYLE OF MODERNIZED HERCULE POIROT. LABORATORY FINDINGS, DNA, WHOLE TEAMS OF SPECIAL FORCES WHO DEDICATED THEIR EVERY WAKING MOMENT TO DISCOVERING CRIMINALS AND BRINGING THEM TO JUSTICE. CERTAIN CHARACTERS IN THIS SERIES, LIKE HORATIO CAINE FROM CSI: MIAMI, HAVE GAINED THE STATUS OF AN ICON THANKS TO THE INTERNET COMMUNITY. 92 92

LENNIUM H

owever, during the nineties crime series had that special factor of serious personality disorders or supernatural events that the government covered up. Every passionate series fan recalls The X-Files and Profiler with a smile. The marriage of two genres in the aforementioned hit-series put the viewers in front of the eerie adventures of the former FBI profiler with an unusual gift to see into the mind of a killer.

During the seventh season of the stylized mysteries of The X-Files, the author Chris Carter decided that the famous duo, Scully and Mulder, should visit Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), a brilliant profiler that can help them track down the source of supernatural phenomena within the Millennium Group.

The episode had an impressive viewership - more than 15 million - and despite the mixed reactions of the critics it served as a springboard for Carter’s new brainchild.

UNLIKE THE X-FILES, MILLENNIUM PRODUCTION DID NOT RECEIVE AUTHORIZATION OR SUPPORT OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

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MARK SNOW, AUTHOR OF THE TITLE TRACK, WAS INSPIRED BY “CONFIDE IN ME”, KYLIE MINOGUE’S INTERNATIONAL POP HIT. THE KILLER’S MIND

Frank Black used to live a separate life after leaving the FBI when the mysterious group called Millennium approached him with a new business offer. Thanks to the already tried and tested tricks, Carter easily introduces viewers to the story. During three seasons full of adrenaline charge, we can discern here and there the background of Frank’s decision and the life he used to have before.

The fantastic gift of this dark protagonist gives him the ability to see the world through the eyes of a criminal and thus reconstruct every detail of the crime he is facing. This is also what separates the Millennium from science fiction and makes it similar to horror in terms of genre. The atmosphere of the series is onerous and the viewer creates a sense of unease, as if someone was watching him. The disturbing scenes are presented with surgical meticulousness, borrowing the enthroned style of the masterpiece Silence of the Lambs.

Despite the fact that it has very few original elements, Millennium is breathtaking. The first season imposes apocalyptic tones dealing with the secret behind the project of the millennium bug, the famous conspiracy theory from the end of the last century.

TWO LIVES, TWO FAMILIES

Outside the criminal Millennium Group, Frank is a family man who tries to deal with his own demons and find peace with his family - his wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher) and his intelligent daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady).

Having full appreciation for Frank’s responsibilities, Catherine and Jordan are also a great basis for founding of fear. As it is often the

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case with the protagonists who have had a dramatic past, immediate family being the most visible part of life is in constant danger.

Playing with elements of drama, the writers have ensured that multimillion audiences feel Frank’s constant discomfort.

Soon the series developed its own peculiar form, representing members of the Millennium Group in the introduction of each episode and unusual consultations about the crimes.

Especially prominent, somewhat militant and professionally cold Peter Watts (Teri O’Quinn) is the closest to the concept of brother to a man like Frank. This great duo of horror veterans quickly gained the much needed element of almost familial closeness and concern for the welfare of their associates and friends.

SYMBOLISM

The deep significance of the millennium bug project and fear of technical apocalypse is reflected in the overall artistic approach to the series, through an extremely intelligent scenario-based content, as well as through the graphic identity. The symbol of the Millennium Group which dominates the series is

Uroboros. The snake-like dragon devouring its own tail forming a circle represents constant renewal, eternal life and eternity. Apart from Uroboros, the series is dominated by disturbing messages such as: “Does anyone care?” or Biblical references from the Book of Revelation: “The time has come!”

The title of the series is spelled with two capital letters M, referring to the year of 2000 (the year of the expected impact of the millennium bug) with Roman numeral MM.

MILLENNIUM SHINE

Like musicians who release an album from time to time and it does not meet critical attitudes of current audience but it “matures” over time, Millennium experienced a renaissance after its cancellation. Despite the general attitude of imitation of The X-Files, this series bridged the gap between films and television taboos pushing the limits of what is allowed and playing on the edge of a razor criticism. Being disturbing and shocking, it is now considered a forgotten jewel of TV horror production , which every fan happily returns to.

PRODUCTION WAS INTERESTED IN ONE OF THE KING’S MUSES, WILLIAM HURT, FOR THE ROLE OF FRANK BLACK, BUT CARTER INSISTED ON HENRIKSEN, DESCRIBING HIM AS THE ONLY CAPABLE ACTOR FOR THIS ROLE.

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UNFORGETTABLE SERIES FINALES

IMAGE: Courtesy of Viasat, Discovery Networks

POPCULTURE MAGAZINE REMINDS YOU ON SOME OF THE EPISODES THAT ENTERED THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION WITH THEIR ORIGINALITY AND UNEXPECTED DENOUEMENT!

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Last continuation of a series, its finale respectively, is often just one episode by which we remember the whole series. The finale will often “go astray” in a completely different direction compared to the previous season, return to its original setting or give us further insight into the future of the characters whose destinies we patiently followed. Whichever method is chosen by writers, series finale often remains forever in the memory of viewers.

10. THE SOPRANOS (2007)

After one of the most well-commented and most analysed series finales, many fans of the Soprano crime family stayed with a question mark above their head. Showrunner David Chase decided to bring his crime drama to an end by rapid fading out during Tony’s dinner with his family in the restaurant and jukebox playing hits of Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The above scene sparked numerous debates, criticism, analyses and parodies.

09. THE SHIELD (2008)

Despite everything he had done, a large number of fans of this police drama still wanted to see Mackey flee from justice one more time. From watching the main character sitting at the table and writing reports under the supervision of the FBI, it appears that he will pay for his sins with a much worse punishment than prison.

08. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (2003)

In the final episode of the seventh season of the popular series, Sunnydale disappeared in the crater, Angel disappeared in darkness from which he came, and Spike gave his own life for redemption. Buffy and survivors will continue their fight another day, at a new location. Joss Whedon said he did not want to answer all the questions because life does not work that way. He rather wanted to leave the door open for other things.

07. LOST (2010)

This finale also divided its fans by simultaneously introducing one last turnover we did not hope for. The two-hour episode is full of emotions and re-encounter as a result of finding out that all the scenes of the sixth season outside the island took place in a kind of purgatory, and that, therefore, all the characters are dead. The last moments of the series, in which Jack died on the island, directly related to one of the first scenes shown.

04. ST. ELSEWHERE (1988)

Long before the Emergency Room and Gray’s Anatomy, medical drama St. Elsewhere ruled TV screens, bringing together the elements of realistic drama and black comedy. Young David Morse, Mark Harmon and Denzel Washington made their roles in it. In the final scene we observe the autistic son of Dr. Westphalia (Ed Flanders) watching a snow globe lost in his thoughts. As the camera draws closer, we find that the sphere contains a replica of the hospital building, insinuating that all six seasons of the series took place in the boy’s imagination.

06. M*A*S*H (1983)

02. THE FUGITIVE (1967)

After eleven years, the comedy located in the environment of the Korean War ended with a two-hour finale, broadcast on February 28, still remaining the most watched final episode in the USA (watched by 106 million Americans, with that being 60 per cent of households). The final episode brought the end of the war, and the staff from mobile hospital said their final goodbye shedding tears. The most emotional moment was left to the very end, when Hawkeye (Alan Alda) took off in his helicopter while the camera slowly revealed the word “goodbye” written by stones, dedicated to his best friend B.J. (Mike Farrell).

05. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (1977)

Popular series of the seventies and one of the most praised television programs of all times had its finale after seven successful years at CBS. The new owner of the television station WJM decided to let the whole news department, except for the always stupid Ted Baxter (Ted Knight). With many tears, the team said goodbye to the now legendary group hug, after which Mary Tyler Moore nominated seven major actors as the best crew of all times.

The Fugitive is another television record holder based on which the same name film was produced 30 years after its premiere. More than 30 million Americans waited for a moment when Dr. Richard Kimble finally caught the “one-armed killer,” and took off to clear his own name

01. NEWHEART (1990)

03. CHEERS (1993)

Visitors and workers at Cheers entertained us for eleven years, and in the final episode Sam (Ted Danson) decided to leave the coffee shop and move to Los Angeles with his never forgotten Diane (Shelley Long). However, at the last moment he realized the mistake and returned to his true love – the cafe and friends he could never leave. The finale of Cheers holds second place on the list of the most watched finales having 84 million viewers.

Although the finale of “all was a dream,” is typical of soap operas, this is exactly how the Newheart series ended in 1990, with the finale titled “The Last Newheart”. It became one of the most memorable finales of television series. Dick Loudon (Bob Newheart) and his wife Joanne (Mary Fran) entertained numerous viwers for eight years, having an inn Vermont, in which they often accomodated all sorts of eccentric characters. After the couple went to sleep in the final episode, Dick woke up as a psychologist Robert Hartley next to his wife. Robert and Emily are characters from previous Newheart’s series The Bob Newhart Show, with the entire series being just a dream.

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