by Larry Keane from www.TheTruthAboutGuns.com
March is Women’s History Month and there’s no better opportunity to celebrate the contributions American women make to the firearm and ammunition industry – past, present and future.
Women have accounted for 40 percent of firearm sales over the past two years.
by Eric Eisenberg from https://www.cinemablend.com
With each new Mission: Impossible movie there is a raised expectation for bigger and better stunts, and that’s because with each sequel Tom Cruise has managed to successfully raise the bar with his performances. The franchise has become a kind of testing ground for the star to push the limits of practical action on the big screen, and the things we’ve seen him do over the years is just mind-bending. That’s a tradition that unsurprisingly will continue in the upcoming Mission: Impossible 7 – but audiences may not be totally prepared for what they are going to witness, as what Cruise, director Christopher McQuarrie, and the crew of the film have in store is simply next level and unbelievable.
Paramount Pictures held their big studio presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this morning, and the event kicked off with a special behind the scenes look at the next chapter in the Mission: Impossible series that provided an early glimpse at what is said to be the biggest stunt in the film. It’s something that you should really start emotionally preparing for now, because the blockbuster shot a sequence that features Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off of a cliff, leaping off the bike, and then turning the fall into a base jump. And what makes it even more amazing is that he not only had to do a crazy amount of preparation for the sequence, but also performed the actual thing on set six times.
The presentation featured an extended behind-the-scenes featurette detailing all of the work that went into the creation of the stunt, and watching it all unfold was just unreal. In order to ensure that everything would work absolutely perfectly when production started, Tom Cruise practiced the different elements of the jump several times, including doing 13,000 motocross jumps off of a ramp, and 500 skydives (breaking it down, it was noted that he was doing 30 tumbles out of a helicopter per day during pre-production). The crew did digital tracking for each of the practice runs, reading a GPS put on Cruise’s back and calculating for wind and different variables that could impact the insane feat, and they used the data to figure out the best way to shoot the sequence with drone-mounted cameras.
As noted in the featurette, all kinds of things could have gone horribly wrong. The bike didn’t have a speedometer, so Tom Cruise had to rely on feel alone to ensure he was getting to the right speed in order to hit the correct jump trajectory. It was an elevated ramp, so a mistake resulting in falling to either side would have resulted in serious injury. And a change in the wind while he was parachuting down could have seen the Mission: Impossible star crash into the rocky side of the cliff regardless of how well things went on the motorbike. The production schedule had the stunt being filmed on the very first day of principal photography (presumably because the crew knew that if anything went wrong the movie wouldn’t move forward), but fortunately everything worked out, and audiences will be able to experience the insanity on the big screen next year.
Having wrapped production this past week, Mission: Impossible 7 is being prepared as one of the biggest blockbuster events of next year, and is set to be released on May 27, 2022. It will be followed by Mission: Impossible 8, presently dated for July 7, 2023, and it’s pretty insane to imagine the production coming up with something that is even more insane than what Tom Cruise is doing in the next chapter. Hopefully it won’t be too long before a first look at the movie arrives online, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed it will give us at least a brief glimpse at the finished version of the motorcycle base jump.
by Jeremy Mathai from https://www.slashfilm.com
‘The Flash’ movie Production Halted Following Accident on Set.
The long, arduous journey to get The Flash into development and finally begin production has unfortunately met another setback, this time interrupting the actual filming of the movie. Reports out of the UK indicate that an accident has occurred on the set of The Flash while shooting on location in Glasgow, causing the apparent hospitalization of a member of the camera crew.
Glasgow Live is reporting that a camera operator was involved in a collision with a stunt man in full Batman garb who was riding atop the Batcycle in the Andy Muschietti-directed production. Eyewitnesses claim that the cameraman, on a motorcycle of his own, accidentally collided with the Batcycle from the rear while racing down one of the city streets in an attempt to capture the action up close. There has been no official word from Warner Bros. just yet, but filming immediately paused while the crew member had to be extricated from underneath the vehicle and subsequently received medical attention. All indications are that the injured party was then treated at a local hospital, while an ambulance was seen leaving the site. However, no other details or updates are known at this time.
We recently reported on pictures taken from the UK set that showed off the newly-redesigned Batcycle that will appear in the multiverse-spanning crossover film, with the stuntman’s Batman outfit pointing towards an appearance by Ben Affleck‘s costumed crime-fighter. Michael Keaton is also set to make his grand return to the DC universe, having seemingly hung up the cowl for good in Batman Returns nearly 30 years ago.
Somewhere in the middle of all this action, presumably, will be Ezra Miller‘s Barry Allen. The Flashpoint-inspired film will recount the complications that spring up as a result of some serious timeline shenanigans on Barry’s part. In the famous comic series, the Flash travels back in time to prevent the death of his mother, but these actions only create another splintered universe and alternate timeline.
As of yet, it is unknown just how much of a setback this will cause production. Obviously, the health and safety of the injured crewmember are of paramount importance and we can only hope for his full recovery. Blockbuster film sets are notoriously dangerous places to work, which is why the director and producers work overtime with all involved parties on multiple levels of production to ensure a safe working environment. We’ll provide more updates as they come in.
by Sean O’grady For Mailonline from https://www.dailymail.co.uk
Batman body double drives motorcycle through streets of Glasgow during filming with both Ben Affleck AND Michael Keaton taking on the role of Caped Crusader.
A Batman body double drove the Batcycle through the street’s of Glasgow as filming of The Flash got underway on Monday.
The film, which also shot in London last month, stars Ezra Miller in the lead role while both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are reprising their roles as the Caped Crusader.
The double sported the eye-catching Batman costume as he filmed the Hollywood blockbuster on the streets of Glasgow which has been transformed into a US city.
Members of the production crew were seen trying to push the giant bike along the street with the double at the wheel.
The Flash, due for release in November 2022, is reportedly filming in George Square while Cochrane Street and George Street are also being used, according to Glasgow Times.
Large sections of the street were blocked off to pedestrians with several cars and trucks parked nearby.
The Flash is the latest film to be shot in Glasgow after the city was recently transformed into 1960s New York for filming of Indiana Jones 5 where Harrison Ford’s body double was seen earlier this month.
Michael Keaton has already been spotted filming in London but has yet to be seen sporting his Batman costume, implying he may only be returning as alter ego Bruce Wayne.
Ben, who played Batman more recently, has yet to be seen on set.
The film sees The Flash travel back in time to prevent the murder of his mother, triggering a string of unexpected consequences in the process, including meeting Batman in a parallel dimension.
The Flash was originally scheduled for release in 2018, although it was later pushed back due to its troubled development process.
Director Andy Muschietti was brought on to helm the feature. It was rescheduled for a June 2022 debut and was eventually pushed back to November 4th of that year as a response to the onset of the global pandemic.
Earlier in June, Muschietti, shared a photo of Michael’s bloody Batman costume to his Instagram account.
The actor was announced to be taking up the helm of the Caped Crusader in the much-awaited film this past April, although he was first speculated to have been involved with the project in June of last year.
Muschietti’s photo showed Batman’s iconic insignia that is typically placed on the center of the character’s costume.
A few drops of what appeared to be blood were notably spattered across its front.
The image seemed to signal that Keaton would be returning to his former role in the forthcoming superhero film.
The Birdman star’s first time portraying the character was in 1989’s Batman, which was directed by Tim Burton.
The feature was well-received by critics upon its release, with many reviewers pointing to the actor’s performance as especially strong.
Michael went on to portray the character in the film’s sequel, Batman Returns, which was also helmed by Burton and released in 1992.
After the Ed Wood director stepped down from a planned third sequel, the Beetlejuice actor also left the series, and the two were replaced by Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer, respectively.
Other actors who have taken up the helm of the Dark Knight since then include George Clooney and Christian Bale, among others.
Ben went on to portray Batman in the 2016 feature Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and played the character in several other features.
The 48-year-old actor was initially supposed to direct, write and star in the upcoming feature The Batman, although he later left the production and was replaced by Robert Pattinson.
Both Ben and Michael are set to portray younger and older versions of Bruce Wayne in The Flash.
A film based on the DC Comics character had been in development for several decades, with several aborted attempts to create a movie about the superhero occurring over a period of roughly thirty years.
The feature went through several prospective directors, including Rick Famuyiwa and Seth Grahame-Smith, before Muschietti stepped in to helm the flick.
The Barry Allen version of The Flash will be portrayed by Ezra Miller, who first played the speedster in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
Other performers who will appear in the long-awaited movie include Kiersey Clemons, Sasha Calle and Ron Livingston.
The feature will follow the titular character as he travels back in time in order to prevent the untimely death of his mother, which causes consequences to occur in his own timeline.
Meanwhile, filming of the untitled fifth film in the Indiana Jones franchise has been going on for several weeks with parts of the Scottish city transformed into 1960s Manhattan.
Harrison himself has been forced to take a break from filming for three months as he recovers from a shoulder injury sustained on set.
During filming this month, Harrison’s stunt double charged through a crowded parade celebrating Apollo 11’s landing in 1969 on horseback.
Bolting down a city centre street in a grey suit, the action-packed scene saw a lookalike for 79-year-old Harrison rip through a banner as cheerleaders performed in the street and crowds waving American flags looked on in surprise.
A Twin Peaks shooting survivor says he trying to rebuild his reputation after he was one of the bikers arrested at the Waco restaurant in 2015.
Friday marks four years since the deadly shootout at the Waco Twin Peaks.
“This was a scheduled meeting,” said Paul Landers.
Landers said he got to the restaurant early that day to set up for a meeting about biker profiling, recent biker legislation and their rights on the road. “That day was different because there were people there that never participated at all in what we do,” he said.
He said he was hanging a banner when he heard the first shots. “Some automatic fire broke out, obviously not small arms fire broke out,” he said.
Nine people were killed and at least 20 were critically injured. If you were there as a biker, chances are you were arrested by Waco Police.
Landers was one of them. “That incident happened 12:30, one o’clock. We were on the hot concrete in 97-degree weather until five that evening. People (were) looking for a restroom. It was total chaos. You don’t know what’s going on, who’s involved. Then we sat on the bus until midnight. I was in handcuff until midnight, plastic cuffs,” he said.
Landers said he spent the next 23 day in jail. He along with 177 others faced felony charges — engaging in organized criminal activity, resulting in murder and aggravated assault.
Charges for Landers were dropped three years after his arrest. In early April, the remaining charges were dropped after a new DA took office.
Landers said his life still hasn’t been the same since his arrest. “I’m not a criminal,” he said.
Before the shooting, Landers said he worked for a well-paying company but was terminated within a week after his arrest. He said the reputation he built as an advocate for biker safety with policy makers at the state Capitol started to diminish. “If you want to single out the bad deed of a couple, but don’t indict the whole group on the actions of few,” he said.
Landers is now part of a civil suit suing the former McLennan County District Attorney, Waco Police and the detective that signed off on the affidavit. He said he’s not suing for financial gain but to prevent bikers from being profiled like he feels they were on May 17, 2015 in Waco.
“Never let this happen again,” he said.
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