Last year, Variety had confirmed that Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Dicaprio's sixth collaboration together "Killers of the Flower Moon" would start production this summer. However, with Scorsese still putting the finishing touches on “The Irishman,” it does look like this coming fall is a better bet. No matter, the movie is definitely happening, especially with today’s news that Paramount has picked it up for distribution.
Read moreChristopher Nolan’s new film ‘Tenet’ has a budget of nearly $250 million
Star Wars 9 Had to Be Edited On Set Due to Tight Schedule
J.J. Abrams is indeed back behind the camera for "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," but details on the final installment of the Skywalker saga have been kept scarce. There was a teaser trailer and an Vanity Fair cover story with never-beore-seen photos. Otherwise, we will likely have to wait a few more weeks, maybe months, before we see a proper full-length trailer being released.
Read moreFilm University Removes ‘Birth of A Nation' Star Lillian Gish's Name From Its Theater
Our social justice warrior and “woke” atmospheres have all but destroyed the reputation of a few classics such as “Gone With The Wind” and D.W. Griffith‘s “The Birth of A Nation.” And so, not surprising at all to hear that there is now an attempt to cleanse fromour collective memory silent star Lillian Gish, the lead actress of “Birth of a Natio:n as well as arguably the greatest actress of her era.
Read more‘Joker' Officially Rated R
This unique DC adaptation, due in theaters this October, has indeed gotten an R rating from the MPAA. Phillips isn’t known for his superhero chops, in fact, he’s more famous as the guy that did “Old School” and “The Hangover.” Regardless, he pitched a gritty, 70s-set Joker movie in the vein of Taxi Driver and got his wish granted by the WB to make the movie.
Read moreOfficial Image Revealed of Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Remake
71-year-old Steven Spielberg has a stacked few years ahead of him. Before he enters the world of DC comic books with "Blackhawk,” not to mention the fifth Indiana Jones movie, with a 75-year-old Harrison Ford to boot, oh, and his long-delayed, but now in pre-production, adaptation of David I. Kertzer's "The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara," he will release the Tony Kushner-penned remake of the classic musical “West Side Story.” Oh, boy. What a risk.
Read moreSummer Sequel Slump Continues As ‘MIB: International' and ‘Shaft' Underperform at Box-Office
As if the Hollywood’s Box-Office numbers this summer couldn’t get any worse comes the news that the slumping sequels of the last few months can add two more casualties: Sony’s “MIB: International” and Warner Bros.’ “Shaft.” Both are set to open way below tracker expectations and will consequentially join other Summer box-office bombs such as “Dark Phoenix” “The Secret Life of Pets 2” “Rocketman" and “Godzilla,”
Read moreComedian Hannah Gadsby Calls Louis C.K. an ‘Angry and Bitter Joke'
Hannah Gadsby has decided to slam Louis C.K. in a new Los Angeles Times interview [via Source] C.K. — whose career got derailed last year after it was revealed that he was a chronic public serial masturbator -- has been trying to mount a comeback by performing stand-up at NYC's legendary Comedy Cellar club.
Read moreReport: Roman Polanski and Woody Allen set to Premiere New Movies at Venice Film Festival
According to reliable sources, the heads of the Venice Film Festival are very close to nabbing both Woody Allen’s “A Rainy Day in New York” and Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” as part of their upcoming lineup, set to unfold from August 28th to September 9th on the Lido. This could turn out to be a much-talked about event for the movie world, as Allen and Polanski have both been, by all accounts, blacklisted in Hollywood due to decade-old allegations of sexual misconduct resurfacing in the #MeToo era.
Read moreChristopher Nolan Unveils His 30 Favorite Movies; List Includes ‘2001,' ‘Thin Red Line,' ‘First Man,' and ‘Superman'
Christopher Nolan has decided to partner with IndieWire and name his 30 favorite movies of all-time. The list isn’t half-bad at all. I’m especially approving of his Terrence Malick inclusions (“The Thin Red Line” and “The Tree of Life“). However, as it is with all lists, one must wonder why a few films appear on his list. “First Man”? Really? I loved Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash” and “La La Land,” but “First Man” seemed like a step back for me. Also, 1978’s “Superman” is not and never will be as good as Richard Donner’s director’s cut of “Superman II” and yet the former appears in Nolan’s picks and the latter doesn’t.
Read moreBest Movies From Greece
Apologies for the lack of posts yesterday, I am currently staying in the Greek islands and the wifi is absolutely atrocious here at the airbnb or, really, just in the entire island of Milos in general.uffice to say, whenever I do find a signal I pounce and try to write something. Anyway, just like Spain, the best Greek movies I have ever seen. What I did notice was that, on the international scene, ever since the untimely death of Theo Angelopoulos, we haven’t really seen much Greek representation. Of course the exception is Yorgos Lanthimos who has just taken over the country’s film scene, but it seems like he may stay in the states, especially after the success of his 2018 masterclass “The Favourite."
Read more‘Rocketman’ Banned in Samoa Over Gay Scenes; Censors Claim Film “Not Suitable With Country’s Christian Values"
If worldwide distribution for the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” has proven anything it’s that there is still rampant homophobia all over the world. After most of its scenes depicting gay relations were censored in Russia just a week ago, the American-British produced musical has now been completely banned in the island nation of Samoa, all because of the tiny bit of homosexuality ‘Rocketman’ depicts onscreen.
Read more‘Gladiator 2’ Producer Confirms the Sequel Will Be Set 25 Years After the Original
Late last year, THR had reported that Ridley Scott was returning to the world of "Gladiator" for a planned sequel. It read like one of those kooky satirical writeups from The Onion, but it was actually true. The Oscar-winning director was indeed moving forward on a followup to his 2001 Best Picture winner. This one would follow Lucius (son of Lucilla and the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix's villainous Commodus). If you remember, Maximus saved the boy from his uncle in the 2000 film.
Read more‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix' Expected to Lose $100M
Deadline has released a report claiming that “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” is projected to lose upwards of $100M for Disney (Although, I do wonder how much of the production costs were already paid for by Fox). The report quotes sources and analysts, they predict “Dark Phoenix” will probably take in approximately $325 million worldwide at the box office, making it a major bomb if that’s the case. But a sub-$300 million intake is also not out of the question, which would render its losses at much higher than $100M. What a disaster.
Sex Disappearing From Big Screen?
Ann Hornaday's insightful piece on the lack of sex in today's movies felt like an oasis to me. I've been seeing the decline of eroticism and sexuality for a few years now at the movies. The mid-budget movie has all but transferred on to television, where sex is very much present. It’s not just that, the #MeToo movement has brought about a ton of pressure on directors, in terms of how to depict sex in a non-offensive ways.
Read moreRob Reiner Released Six Classics in 8 Years, Then He Became One of the Worst Directors in Hollywood
Was there a hotter studio director in the mid-80s to early 90s than Rob Reiner? His rise-and-fall is a mystery that many cinephiles have conversed about over the years, but why did this once celebrated director become so badly attuned to modern-day filmmaking?
Read moreX-Men Producer Disavows ‘Dark Phoenix,' ‘Apocalypse' & ‘New Mutants'
Lauren Shuler Donner, a producer and longtime mentor of Kevin Feige’s, has been part of the Fox’s X-men Franchise since the very beginning in 2000. However, don’t ask her about the last three films because, In a now since deleted tweet, she wants nothing to do with them.
Read moreA Date With Brian De Palma's ’Domino' Is Being Scheduled
If David Fincher has been channeling Hitchcock for the last two decades, Brian De Palma has been doing it for the last five decades. De Palma has referenced Hitch by constantly casting blondes as leading ladies, using Hitchcock regular Bernard Hermann’s scores and – more importantly – copying camera techniques of such classics as "Vertigo," "Rear Window" and "Psycho." Of course De Palma has still managed to infuse his own auteur voice into his films; he’s one of the very best filmmakers for the long take/tracking shot and his constant use of the split screen has been nothing short of revolutionary. His familiar obsessions still linger inside him as he continues making movies decade after decade, but there’s mistaking the fact that he’s been in an obvious funk these last 20 or so years.
Read moreTerrence Malick Already Shooting Next Movie, Titled ‘The Last Planet’; Will Be About Jesus Christ
Terrence Malick premiered his World War II era drama A Hidden Life at Cannes Film Festival, after three years of production, I thought it was a messy return to narrative storytelling for the legendary writer-director. Regardless, the film was picked up by Fox Searchlight and will be released later this fall for Oscar contention.
Read moreJordan Peele Raves About Ari Aster's ‘Midsommar'
I do wonder how I missed the Fangoria q & a between Jordan Peele and “Midsommar” director Ari Aster. The quote most outlets are using is Peele’s rave of Aster’s film, which is said to play heavily on pagan cult horror, much like “The Wicker Man.” No surprise then that, given Peele was on-stage with Aster, the “Get Out” director had over-the-top praise for Aster’s upcoming movie: “I think you’ve made the most idyllic horror film of all time. You’ve taken Stepford Wives and shattered the attractiveness of that movie with this one. That alone is a feat. This movie is just so unique. This hasn’t existed yet, and anything after Midsommar is going to have to contend with it. I mean, this usurps The Wicker Man as the most iconic pagan movie to be referenced.
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