50,000 signatures have now been gathered to save FilmStruck. Directors such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan, Sofia Coppola, Alfonso Cuaron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Edgar Wright and many more have tried to appeal to Warner Bros Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich to save FilmStruck, their argument, and it is right the one, is that it would be a vital loss for film culture.
Read moreJames Cameron Says ‘Avatar’ Sequels Have Wrapped Production; Rumored to Be in Glasses-Free 3D
James Cameron has announced, via Twitter video message, that the "Avatar" sequels have completed all principal photography involving main cast members. "Avatar 2" and "Avatar 3" have been filming since September of 2017.
“Hi, James Cameron here and today I’m coming to you from the set of the Avatar sequels — and behind me you can see our performance-capture stage. Today we’re capturing some stunt scenes filming some stunt scenes but our principal cast are all wrapped: Sam [Worthington], Zoe [Saldana], Sigourney [Weaver], Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet.”
Read moreAcademy Members Say Netflix Theatrical Released to Garner Best Picture Nom Is Nothing But A “Big Con” & “Fake”
This year Netflix decided to jump into the Oscar game head-on by selecting a few films for exclusive theatrical releases, before hitting the streaming service. I love the idea, and most cinephiles will tell you it's the right thing to do, but an exclusive THR exposee has members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences thinking that Netflix is playing a big fat con game on us.
Read moreBradley Cooper wanted Jack White to play the lead in ‘A Star Is Born'
Bradley Cooper revealed in an interview with Variety that he didn't plan on playing the lead role in "A Star is Born" and that he was eyeing an actual musician: “I saw this other person that I wanted to do this, who is an actual musician,” he said before adding: “But [the studio] wouldn’t make the movie with him.”
Read moreHayao Miyazaki Goes from Retired to Un-Retired in Behind-The-Scenes Doc
Hayao Miyazaki’s next animated film is officially titled “Boro the Caterpillar” and will be ready in 2 years.
Where many animators might overtly simplify the visual elements of their animated movies, Miyazaki has always adhered to a painstakingly difficult process.
Read moreDP Matthew Libatique is safe for Oscar contention; he only clobbered a Polish medical worker and a couple of cops
Reports are claiming that DP extraordinaire Matty Libatique had an altercation last night in Poland. The "Star is Born" cinematographer seems to have an alcohol problem, but I won't fault him for that, it's a fairly pronounced issue, not just in the industry but universally as well. There isn't really a way to step in and save a person that is an alcoholic, only they can change their own habits. I stopped drinking more than three years ago.
Read moreDirector Steve McQueen Says Some Positive “Widows" Reviews Are Sexist and Racist; He's Right.
Steve McQueen's “Widows” begins with the wondrously set-up image of Viola Davis and Liam Neeson in bed together and passionately kissing. Some of the audience I saw the film with actually gasped at the scene. Was it because Davis is an African-American woman and Liam Neeson is pure Irish white? Quite possibly. The reaction was telling; it showcased how some people are still in total denial that an interracial couple can have a passionate on-screen romance.
Read moreSimon Pegg says “The Last Jedi” made him “miss” George Lucas
Simon Pegg is a movie geek. There's no about about it. Which is why he's never shy giving his own two cents on what he likes and doesn't like on-screen. So it shouldn't be a surprise whenever he decides to praise or criticize at his own risk. And so, in a new interview on the Adam Buxton Podcast, he spoke about a controversial topic in Hollywood these days: the state of Kathleen Kennedy's "Star Wars" enterprise.
Read moreBest Picture: It's 'Star is Born' vs 'Green Book'
With the AFI screening of Mimi Leder's underwhelming RBG biopic "On the Basis of Sex" upon us, we don't have that many players left to screen as far as this year's Oscar race goes. All that's left is the Dick Cheney biopic "Vice," Clint Eastwood's "The Mule," and Josie Rourke's "Mary Queen of Scots" starring Saoirse Ronan, the latter of which is said to be a non-starter.
Read moreThe Beautiful, Delicately Rendered Frames of Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma'
Playboy Admits Ennio Morricone Interview Was Fabricated, Apologizes to Composer
Playboy Germany is finally admitting that some of the quotes from that controversial interview with Ennio Morricone — in which the Italian composer had allegedly described Quentin Tarantino as a “cretin” — have been “reproduced incorrectly.” There was a back and forth between whether the statements were accurate or not, but the journalist has been caught as a sham. Bad news for him, especially since the magazine had initially stood by the article. Gulp.
Read moreDouglas Rain, voice of HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey, has passed away
Canadian actor Douglas Rain, whose mellow-toned voice work as HAL in "2001: A Space Odyssey," has died at the age of 90. Rain’s performance as HAL, the homicidal, method-driven, programmed computer, was the heart and soul of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece. Hell, there are many that claim that, quite ironically, Hal was the only character in the film that showed any real emotions. He was terrified of death, so much so that when he finds out that his creators are about to, gulp, pull the plug on him he tries every conceivable, immoral manoeuvre to stop them. I remember watching the remastered 70mm print of "2001" at this year's Cannes Film Festival and feeling newfound admiration for Rain's voicework, especially his final few minutes on-screen when he starts singing “Daisy.” As HE's Jeff Wells mentioned today, "HAL’s a capella farewell is something we’ll all experience sooner or later, in one form or another."
Stan Lee Dies at 95
Stan Lee has died at age 95, according to THR.
Lee was the legendary writer who got his start in the comic book industry with Jack Kirby. They would end up creating the superheroes that now dominate American moviemaking and, really, just pop culture in general. Lee is responsible for co-creating Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Black Panther, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and many, many more.
Read more‘Vice’ Director Adam McKay Says Dick Cheney ‘Way Worse’ Than Trump
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd interviewed Adam McKay, director of the upcoming Dick Cheney biopic, "Vice."
The NYT reporter has seen "Vice" and had this to say about the movie:
Read moreEnnio Morricone Denies Trashing Quentin Tarantino, Threatens to Sue Over “False” and 'Fabricated' Interview
The drama that unfolded this weekend between legendary film composer Ennio Morricone and Quentin Tarantino was hilarious, to me at least. Morricone accused Tarantino of being a 'Cretin' and 'Stealing from others', which caused a bit of a firestorm. The gist of the controversy came from a Playboy Germany interview that Morricone had given. However, Morricone denied that he ever said those things, and now, interviewed by Italian media outlet Repubblica, Morricone is now saying that he never did the interview and that the Playboy Germany journalist made it all up…
Read more‘Toy Story 4’ Teaser Trailer: New Character Forky is Introduced
Most people will tell you that, as far as conclusions to a trilogy go, you couldn't make a better series-capping entity than "Toy Story 3." The 2010 film had everything that was necessary to end on a high note; emotions, excitement, thrills and the kind of forward-looking nostalgia, I know, a contradiction, that made it wholly unique as far as sequels went. Why make a fourth film? You better have a good idea for it and, well that's at least what I've gathered from recent interviews with Tim Allen and Tom Hanks who revealed just how emotional it was to voice Buzz and Woody for the final time, especially in the final scene.
Read moreShane Carruth shelves “The Modern Ocean.” Says It’s not gonna happen anytime soon.
Director Shane Carruth will not sellout to any Hollywood studios; despite being heralded to the heavens for his 2004 sci-fi experiment "Primer" and his 2013 masterwork "Upstream Color," the filmmaker can't seem to get funding going for his next project "The Modern Ocean."
Read moreGeorge Romero’s Unseen ‘The Amusement Park’ Said to be a ‘Savage Masterwork,’ Restorations for Potential Release Underway
With Orson Welles' "The Other Side of the Wind" having finally been released, I think it's safe to say that now George Romero's “The Amusement Park” may have taken its spot as the "best movie never released."
Read more‘Stranger Things’ Is the Top Show in Streaming With Close to 35M Views in the Last 3 Months
Since Netflix refuses to release its data, we can only guess what are the most-watched shows on the streaming service. Ditto most of its other competitors such as Hulu and Amazon Prime. And so, whenever a Parrot Analytics proprietary comes out with its own data and estimates, attention must be paid because, quite frankly, it's the only source we have. However, here's a surprise: a "Demand Expressions" metric shows that the Netflix hit "Stranger Things" was the most watched series on streaming in the last 90 days. The show is proving to be a monster. [via IndieWire].
Read moreEnnio Morricone Trashes Tarantino: “The man is a cretin. He just steals from others"
Ennio Morricone has composed some of the most iconic scores in movie history: “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “Once Upon a Time in the West,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” "The Untouchables," “Cinema Paradiso,” “The Battle of Algiers,” John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” “Days of Heaven.” And yet, he only finally won an Oscar in 2015 for his work in Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight." That was actually his second Oscar, if you count a previous honorary Academy Award he had earnestly received.
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