It's been 4 years since George Miller gave us "Mad Max: Fury Road," we all expected his next film to be the sequel, "Mad Max: Wasteland," alas that project has had so many delays, due in part to legal issues, that its future is now in severe doubt. So what's old Georgie boy to do in the meantime? How about create a whole other world on-screen. Deadline is reporting that Miller will helm "Three Thousand Years of Longing" which will star Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. Miller has penned the script and will direct as well. Plot details have been kept secret, but sources say it will be epic in scope and is a fantasy-romance revolving around a genie. Suffice to say, the chances of 'Wasteland' actually happening are becoming slimmer by the day.
Scorsese regrets not directing every episode of his cancelled HBO series 'Vinyl'
TV shows tend to rarely have the same director directing every episode. Even the very best shows we've had, like "Breaking Bad," have had dozens of filmmakers take a crack at episodes.
Speaking at the Rome Film Festival (via THR), Martin Scorsese showed regret in not directing every episode of his misbegotten HBO series “Vinyl."
Read moreWoody Allen says he is still writing screenplays
What will happen to Woody Allen's "Rainy Day in New York"? With Amazon having taken hostage his latest film, due to the smear campaign concocted by Ronan and Mia Farrow, 2018 will be the first year that Allen won't release a new film since 1982. And, despite the backlash, Allen, speaking to the New York Post's PageSix columnist Cindy Adams, said he is continuing to write screenplays. The 82-year-old filmmaker confessed “I’m a writer. It’s what I am,” he said. “What I do. What I always will be. I’ll write. Since I continually have ideas it’ll be new ideas and I’ll write new things,” he added.
HBO Hires On-Set 'Intimacy Coordinator' to Overlook All Sex Scenes in Their Shows
HBO wants to make sex scenes safe and more comfortable for its actors. After all, the cable network has been known to push the boundaries when it comes to graphic nudity on-screen. I don't need to name the shows, you know the culprits. However, we do need to mention "Game of Thrones" due to the last few seasons having, err, expanded on the show's graphic sex scenes and brought it to damn-near pornographic-levels. Of course, a backlash happened for the way 'Thrones' depicted the gratuitous sex and nudity, most of which involved women.
Read moreRobert Durst DVD commentary for 'All the Good Things' may have contained admission of guilt
Accused-of-murder Robert Durst, the subject of HBO's "The Jinx," gave DVD commentary for “All Good Things.” Now prosecutors are asking for his comments and, at times, his silence during the DVD commentary to be used as evidence to constitute a tacit admission of guilt. Cinema saves the day, again!
“All Good Things” starred Gosling as David Marks, and Kirsten Dunst as Katie McCarthy, David’s wife who goes missing. The film’s screenplay was based on the relationship between Durst and Kathleen McCormack. That film's director, Andrew Jarecki, gave us a more in-depth and fascinating docu-series released by HBO, entitled “The Jinx,” which chronicled Durst and ended with him confessing to murder. If you haven't seen that show WATCH. IT. NOW. One of the very best TV shows of the decade.
Wachowskis closing down production company premises due to "no new projects scheduled".
I am being told that the Wachowskis, who made "The Matrix" trilogy, "Bound," "V for Vendetta" and "Speed Racer," and "Cloud Atlas" are closing their Ravenswood Avenue office, which they have operated out of for more than a decade.
Lilly and Lana Wachowski hit rock bottom after their Netflix series "Sense 8" was cancelled despite having ended with a cliffhanger in expectation of a third season, then under negotiation. Netflix did eventually produced a two-and-a-half-hour series finale, released on June 8, 2018.
Read moreScorsese and DiCaprio will shoot "Killers of the Flower Moon" late next year
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have two projects in the works, “The Devil in the White City” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The latter is officially going into production after Scorsese is done editing his upcoming gangster drama "The Irishman," with long-time collaborator/editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
"Killers of the Flower Moon" is a "crime drama set in 1920s Oklahoma, where the Osage Nation discover oil under their land, only to find themselves being murdered, one by one. As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI takes up the case and unravels a chilling conspiracy and one of the most monstrous crimes in American history."
Read more‘Incredibles 2’ & ‘Isle Of Dogs’ Among 24 Best Animated Features For Oscar Shortlist
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just announced the films that qualified for the Animated Oscar this year. Five nominees will be selected.
The front-runners currently are: “Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Early Man,” “Smallfoot,” and “Mirai.”
Read moreMelissa McCarthy Says ‘Ghostbusters’ Hate Happened Because “People Are Afraid Of Women”
When the announcement hit that Paul Feig remake was going to helm a “Ghostbusters” reboot and that the all-male cast of the original was going to be replaced by an all-female ensemble, the internet freaked. On one side of the aisle was definite praise for a step forward in Hollywood’s never-ending battle with gender equality, but on the other side of the spectrum there was the massive backlash from fans of the original. The latter didn’t want to believe that some of their most beloved movie characters were about to replaced by, shock, women!
Read more‘Winter Soldier’ Actor Frank Grillo Says Next Captain America Could Be Person Of Color
Speaking to Larry King on “Larry King Now,” actor Frank Grillo mentioned that next Captain America could be a woman or a Person of Color. Although not entirely sure what Marvel Studios has planned for the Cap. he did manage to sneak some insider info saying “there have been rumors that Captain America could be African American. It could be a woman. You know? So, they’re looking.”
I'm betting the farm that, if they do go this route, Anthony Mackie will be sought to play Captain America. He currently plays Sam Wilson, aka Falcon and has starred in two previous ‘Captain America’ films, as well as “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” Sam Wilson has been Captain America in the comic books, recently taking over for Steve Rogers after the character stepped down. Suffice to say, odds are with Mackie to garner the much-coveted role at the moment.
#MeToo Has Led Us to More Female-Oriented Films in 2018
Judging from a film writer's perspective, the past year I have seen the industry adapt to more female-led viewpoints . Have there been enough of these kinds of films? Of course not. But Rome wasn't built in a day either. I can only see more positives coming in the near future. Also, as I was starting to put together my 2018 ten best list, I noticed how so many of the year's best films have come from either female filmmakers or a woman's perspective ("The Tale," "Cold War," "Leave No Trace," "Hereditary" 'A Quiet Place," "The Hate U Give," "Eighth Grade," "The Wife," "Widows," "Tully," "The Kindergarten Teacher" "Can You Ever Forgive Me" and, of course, "Roma.")
Read moreRoman Polanski’s Name Not Found in Paramount’s Marketing for ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ 50th Anniversary Re-Release
I named Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” as the 4th greatest horror movie of all-time. It is, by all accounts, a masterpiece of the genre, but very much driven by its director's style and voice. However, don't expect to find Polanski's name anywhere near Paramount’s marketing for the movie’s 50th anniversary re-release. There's an official trailer, with no Polanski, a synopsis, with no Polanski, and a poster, with no Polanski. Blasphemous? You betcha. Out of the ordinary? Well, given the current times we live in, I have to sadly be inclined to answer, of course not.
Read moreJean-Marc Vallée to Direct John Lennon Bio-Pic
Jean-Marc Vallée is so busy these days that one tends to forget he hasn't directed an actual movie in 4 years, that would be 2015's "Demolition." His success in Hollywood with “Dallas Buyers Club,” and “Wild,” has led to two popular HBO shows: “Big Little Lies” and “Sharp Objects.” So what's next for him? How about tackling the John Lennon and Yoko Ono story.
According to Deadline, Vallée will direct the Ono/Lennon biopic for Universal. In fact, he wanted to make the film so badly that he took himself out of the running for "Bond 25" for which he was put on the shortlist by Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.
Guillermo del Toro Directing ‘Pinocchio’ for Netflix
Guillermo del Toro has no doubt been given free reign to do whatever he'd like after his follow-up to the Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water.”
According to THR, del Toro has signed on with Netflix to write, direct, and produce a stop-motion version of his long-time passion project, “Pinocchio.”
Read more'Wonder Woman 1984' moved from Nov 1, 2019 to June 5, 2020
The release date of Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman 1984" has been delayed by seven months. In an Instagram post, star Gal Gadot revealed that the much-anticipated sequel will now hit theaters in the summer of 2020 rather than the original release date which was slated for November of next year: “Super excited to announce that, thanks to the changing landscape, we are able to put Wonder Woman back to its rightful home,” she wrote. “June 5, 2020. Be there or be square!!!"
Read more'Halloween' Success Awakens Slasher Genre From the Dead; Lebron James to Produce ‘Friday The 13th’ Reboot
I pointed out in my 10.16.18 review of David Gordon Green's "Halloween" that I feared the success of the film would re-energize and wake up the 'slasher' genre, which has been dead since the early aughts. I wrote, "Let's hope the success of "Halloween" at the box-office doesn't have Hollywood re-energizing a dead genre."
Read moreSarah Silverman: Louis C.K. Masturbated in Front of Me With My Consent
Sarah Silverman shocked many today by defending Louis C.K. in the strangest way imaginable.
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.
Silverman appeared on today's episode of Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show and was asked about C.K., whom she's known for many years and who is a good friend of hers. Silverman told Stern that C.K. masturbated in front of her, but that it was totally with her consent.
Read moreClaire Denis' “High Life" will infuriate many moviegoers [Trailer]
Claire Denis‘ "High Life" had an underwhelming world premiere at the Roy Thomson Hall during the Toronto Film Festival, for which I attended. Around half the audience had already left the theater by the time the film ended, you could just tell nobody was into it. And this is coming from a fest that prides itself in having the best audience in the world. Even Toronto audiences couldn't deal with the metaphorical artsy ambitions that were unfurling on the screen. And I don't mean that as a detraction of Denis' mad ambitions in "High Life," which, by all accounts, warrants a repeat viewing on my part.
Read moreOliver Stone: Don't praise President Bush just because you hate Donald Trump. Bush is far worse.
Oliver Stone's "W" is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year, but by all accounts, Stone's film about George W. Bush has all but been forgotten in today's rapid-paced, socio-political and cultural world. This is not to say that the film was bad by any stretch of the imagination. The 2008 film, a sort of political indictment that was also a comedy, about Dubya's life up until he was about to invade Iraq, received mixed reviews and all but bombed at the box-office. However, there were real delights in the film.
Read moreFremaux: Cannes and Netflix May Settle Their Feud; Not Sure If Scorsese's "The Irishman" Will Be Finished On Time For Cannes 2019
Interviewed by French outlet Le Point, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux discussed the next steps in the Cannes/Netflix debate.
The topic of Alfonso Cuaron's incredible film "Roma" came at the forefront of the conversation:
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