It was with great sadness that I heard the news today of stand-up comedian Brody Stevens’ apparent suicide at his L.A. residence.
Read moreSurprise, Surprise: Marvel's “Black Widow" Will Not Be Rated R
The chances of a Disney MCU movie being rated R are next-to-nada. The Mouse House’s bottom line has always been about making money first and then, buried much lower down its list of priorities, artistic merit. Sorry Fanboys, that’s just the way it is, we could have gotten better versions of the “Iron Man,” Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Captain America” movies if it were not for the constraints that come in attaining that ever-so-box-office-cushiony-PG-13 rating. So, no, contrary to what many thought would happen, I knew all along that “Black Widow” was not going to be blessed with an R.
Read moreWoody Allen Set to Shoot New Film in Spain This Summer
Woody Allen will begin shooting his next film this July likely in San Sebastian. The film will be financed by the Spanish production company MediaPro [El Diario Vasco reports]
Read moreMedia Claims Captain Marvel Is Being Review Bombed By Trolls/Fanboys, Even Though There Are No Reviews
I’ll admit it, I was one of the journalists suckered by the rumor that Captain Marvel, the upcoming blockbuster from Marvel Studios, was being review bombed by fanboys. I should have known better.
Read moreEx-Paramount CEO: Hollywood is now irrelevant because of Netflix and Disney Monopoly.
The elite Hollywood directors that have clamoring about the demise of the “theatrical experience” need to man-up and accept the concessions being made by Netflix. Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, and Christopher Nolan have to accept that this is where cinema is headed and that Netflix has become a Godsend in terms of being a place where viable adult entertainment is now made. You know, the mid-tier budgeted movie ($ 40-50 million) that most people say Hollywood just does churn out anymore because, well, they are monetary risks. And so, Netflix to the rescue!
Read moreJussie Smollett Has Been Indicted By A Grand Jury
Investigators are tightening their grip of evidence against Jussie Smollett, the scam artist/actor of “Empire,” to the point where he is now officially convicted of a crime .
Read moreThe First Tweet Reactions to “Captain Marvel" are Positive; What? Did You Really Think Critics Would Be Negative?
Well, consider me completely shocked by the overwhelmingly positive first reaction tweets for Marvel’s upcoming “Captain Marvel.” SHOCKED! I’m being sarcastic, of course, but name me another MCU movie that hasn’t had a positive overall tweet reaction? It’s pathetic how critics just stoop down and try to find the best combination of words to get those likes/retweets. Even a few of the critics seem to not be completely on-board have decided to just post whatever positives they saw, X-off the negatives. This isn’t film criticism, sorry. It’s just tweeting.
Read moreSpielberg says “Green Book" is his favorite buddy movie since “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
I get asked practically every day “what movie should I watch?” by normal moviegoers, It’s become such a mundane question, given that you have to figure out what kind of movie tastes the person asking you has; Do they like drama? arthouse? Token Hollywood-ist conventionality? It’s very hard to just blurt out “Roma!” to every single person that asks me the question because, truth be told, “Roma” is not as easily accessible a movie as say “Green Book.” However, I’ve been just saying “Green Book” to everyone ever since November. It’s such an easy choice to make. A sure-fire crowd-pleaser that has an A+ CinemaScore and an impressive 8.3 rating on IMDB. You’d be hard pressed to find a Joe or Jane popcorn moviegoer that didn’t like Peter Farrelly’s oscar-nominated film. I sure as hell haven’t. Everybody I’ve recommended it to came back to me raving about it.
Read moreBret Easton Ellis: “If talent and merit are replaced by representation [then] we’re not living in a world that cares about movies anymore"
Easton Ellis and I tend to align with the same jam of thoughts when it comes to the hysterical, over-the-top, attempt by Hollywood to force inclusivity in movies down our throats instead of letting progress takes its form, shape into an organic, effortless movement, which is, by all means, what was happening before #OscarsSoWhite showed up and then the #TimesUp movement was used as an agenda in the industry as well. Don’t get me wrong, the African-American cinematic movement happening currently is invigorating and excitingly fresh, ditto the amount of great female directors we have had emerge the past few years, but, at the end of the day, a good movie is a good movie is a good movie, as they say.
Read moreNadav Lapid's Scathingly Original “Synonyms" Wins Berlin
I had written this on the Awards Watch forums a few days before Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms” was about to screen at the Berlin Film Festival, where it ended up winning the Golden Bear this past weekend.
Read moreWriters Guild Awards 2019 Winners: ‘Eighth Grade' and ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?' win Original and Adapted Screenplay
I have to give my sincerest congratulations to Bo Burnham (“Eighth Grade”) for winning the WGA’s Original Screenplay award, which goes against the entire narrative the academy tried to write for this years awards season. “To the other nominees in the category, have fun at the Oscars, losers!’” Burnham said at the podium. As you can imagine, Burnham wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, but who cares, right?
Read moreJussie Smollett’s drama is further proof that we have a journalism problem in this country.
The Jussie Smollett story should be used as a cautionary tale by anyone that practices journalism.
Read moreBruno Ganz, Known for “Downfall” and “Wings of Desire," Dead at 77
Bruno Ganz has passed on at the age 77.
Wim Wenders kickstarted Ganz’ career with the critically acclaimed “The American Friend” in 1977 and then solidified that inimitable German ennui with “Wings of Desire” in 1987. However, millennials will forever recognize him as the guy that played Adolf Hitler in Oliver Hirschbiegel‘s “Downfall,” which will live in infamy on YouTube because of those thousands of mock videos. But it also is the definitive cinematic portrayal of Adolf Hitler. No doubt about it. Oh, and how about his turn in Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu the Vampyre”? The guy was a sheer delight to behold.
He most recently appeared in Lars von Trier’s “The House that Jack Built.” Other credits of his include “The Reader” and “Unknown” Ganz is costarring in Terrence Malick‘s “Radegund,” which may or may not be released this year. Who knows.
‘Long Shot’ Trailer: Seth Rogen & Charlize Theron Are An Unlikely Match
Quality comedy is scant these days, but “Long Shot” (formerly known as “Flarsky”), starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, looks decent.
Read moreJ.J. Abrams Wraps ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Filming, Posts Emotional Cast Photo
J.J. Abrams has announced, via Twitter, that “Star Wars: Episode IX” has wrapped up its principal photography. He also went on to post an emotional cast photo with members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac hugging on set.
Read moreBen Affleck Confirms He's Retiring Batman: “I tried to direct a version of it, but couldn’t crack it"
Director Matt Reeves is putting finishing touches on his ‘Batman’ film, finalizing pre-production before shooting begins later this month. Titled, “The Batman,” or at least for now as Reeves said earlier last week, the DC Film is set to be released on June 25th, 2021 release. We also know that Ben Affleck will not be back to play the caped crusader, tweeting back on January 30th, “ Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life.”
Read moreAs if Villeneuve's “Dune" wasn't already stacked with talent ...
Enter Jason Momoa who has been confirmed to join the cast of Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s bestselling novel. Momoa joins an already impressive cast which includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin.
Pigtails notwithstanding, Momoa adds to the testosterone-heavy allure Villeneuve’s film seems to have in abundance.
Chaos at the DCEU: Jared Leto’s Joker Movies Cancelled at DC Films
Jared Leto‘s short-lived time as the Joker is nearing its end, according to Forbes.
James Gunn’s upcoming “Suicide Squad” is rumored to not have Jared Leto’s Joker. Not just that, the unofficially tilted ‘Mad Love’-type Joker and Harley Quinn film has also been cancelled, again according to Forbes. That film looked promising considering Glenn Ficarra and John Requa were the writer/directing team behind it.
Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” will be keeping Will Smith and Jai Courtney, but no one else, including Harley Quinn. Call it a soft-rebooting, with most of the old squad nixed.
The Leto Joker spin-off movie not happening is unsurprising, especially considering that Todd Phillips‘ “The Joker” with Joaquin Phoenix will be released this October and hype surrounding it couldn’t be higher than it is.
The DCEU is in the midst of major change, Henry Cavill is done as Superman. Ben Affleck is certainly done as Batman. The whole thing is a charade, with plenty of questions left unanswered. There doesn’t seem to be a clear path in what they want as an organization, this is what we like to call a shitshow, my friends.
NAACP President Criticizes ‘Green Book’ for ‘False Storyline' & ‘Negative Stereotype’
“Green Book” is a major frontrunner to win the Oscar for Best Picture, but the amount of controversy surrounding the film seems to not be stopping.
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