Joss Whedon‘s extensive reshoots on “Justice League” no doubt clashed with Zack Snyder‘s original vision. Among the changes, Jesse Eisenberg‘s return as Lex Luthor was reportedly axed, and Gal Gadot‘s Wonder Woman is said to have received more scenes and screentime. It’s not just the characters, the overall mood was rumored to get a lighter makeover with Whedon deviating away from Snyder’s darker palettes for a more colorful tone. “Justice League,” in short, was the mix of two visions and you could see that while watching the film. Sure there’s Zack Snyder’s use of ultra slow-mo, the dark interiors and exteriors he so loves to use, and his penchant for the camera zooming in and out of action sequences, but Whedon crashed the party by pulling back on some of that, so much so that as you’re watching the movie you can tell exactly who shot what. The work of these two titan directors that couldn’t be more different, resulted in the “Justice League” that we got.
Read moreViggo Mortensen Says Accusations of Racism are ‘Unfair’ and ‘Dangerous’
Viggo Mortensen spoke to France 24 [video interview] to promote his Oscar-contender “Green Book.” Of course, the conversation had to turn to the actor’s recent use of the N-word. If you remember, Mortensen used the derogatory word during a November post-screening Q&A. Mortensen has always maintained that his intention behind using the word was to explain the inherent core of what racism is about.
Read moreFilm Columnist Claims Sundance Rejected His Press Pass Due to Past Criticism of the Festival's Programming
The name Jeffrey Wells started trending late yesterday on Twitter. If you don't know who that is he is the *ahem* outspoken writer of Hollywood Elsewhere, a film column site which is the very opposite of politically correct. I am friends with Wells. We tend to share guest houses at whichever film fest we go to. He's an all-around good guy, to me at least, but I do know that he's irked his fair share of people over the years and I do know that he has accumulated a herd of haters in the process.
Read moreKevin Hart steps down as Oscar host; Joy Reid, Alec Baldwin and Jimmy Kimmel still have a job.
Kevin Hart has stepped down as the host for the upcoming 91st annual Academy Awards.
“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscars,” he wrote on Twitter. “This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past. I’m sorry that I hurt people. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love and appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.”
Read moreAcademy Asks Kevin Hart to Apologize For Past Homophobic Tweets; Oscar Host Refuses, Says He Won't “Reward Internet Trolls"
James Gray says the Cannes Film Festival is “stuck in 1968" and “protectors of the status quo"
Maybe we can scratch off James Gray's films being selected in the future for the Cannes Film Festival.
The writer-director of "Two Lovers" recently told Variety “The critical establishment [of Cannes] is stuck in 1968. (…) They are protectors of the status quo.” And yet, Gray had the luxury of premiering his 2013 film “The Immigrant” during the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Read moreGolden Globes: Snubs & Surprises
It seems as if Marielle Heller‘s "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" has become the disappointment of awards season thus far. Not only did the film and Melissa McCarthy's performance get snubbed by the Independent Spirit Awards a few weeks back, but now the Golden Globes have completely snubbed the film in favor of "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Read moreRoger Deakins Will Not Re-team With Denis Villeneuve for the Upcoming “Dune"
Roger Deakins. A legendary cinematographer that finally won an Oscar this past March, after 14 times being nominated, for his eye-popping work in "Blade Runner 2049."
Read moreFilm Professor Celebrates Death of FilmStruck; Claims Film History “Doesn't Need Seeing" Because of “Male Gaze"
Katherine Groo, a professor of film and media studies at Lafayette College, wrote an — *ahem*, shall we say problematic — assessment of FilmStruck's demise (titled "FilmStruck wasn’t that good for movies. Don’t mourn its demise"). She believes it to be a good thing that the Criterion streaming service shut down last week. Her reasoning for the anti-FilmStruck analysis stems from the first 100 years of cinema being too patriarchal for her tastes.
Read moreAfter Being Named 2019 Oscars Host, Kevin Hart Called Out for Homophobic Joke He Made in 2009
I mean, are you surprised?
As soon as Kevin Hart was announced to host the 2019 Academy Awards, which is set to have a record-number of LGBTQ-nominated films and actors, an old “joke” the comedic actor made — about not wanting his son to be gay — started making the rounds all over the net.
Read moreComedian Kevin Hart Will Host 91st Academy Awards
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed that Kevin Hart will host the 91st Oscars. [via The Hollywood Reporter].
The last two Oscar telecasts were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. However, the consistent downfall in viewership, with a record-low 26.5 million viewers tuning in for last March’s broadcast, meant something had to change. The fact of the matter is this: Awards shows have become a prehistoric thing of the past, and millennials don't care for it, which is why the coveted 18-49 demographic has been atrocious for them these past few years. The Academy has promised that the show won’t run for over three hours, a common complaint made by the ceremony's detractors, by announcing that not all 24 Oscar categories would be revealed live.
‘Avengers 4’ Director Joe Russo: The Two-Hour Movie Is Dying
AFI Awards: Top 10 Films of 2018 include “Black Panther," “A Star is Born" and “Mary Poppins"
The American Film Institute’s annual list of the the top 10 movies of the year sets the stage for the major Oscar contenders to come. However, do keep in mind that because of its foreign-language status, Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” could only nab a Special Award from the AFI film jury. The list celebrates the best of American cinema.
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Black Panther”
“Eighth Grade”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“The Favourite”
“First Reformed”
“Green Book”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“A Quiet Place”
“A Star Is Born”
Netflix’ ‘Christmas Chronicles’ Starring Kurt Russell as Santa Claus Breaks 20 Million Streams in a Week
You know, I really do overestimate the intelligence, the wants and needs, of the average moviegoer. At the end of the day, the box-office is mostly composed of Marvel, DC, Sequels, Reboots and Animated flicks. Which is not to say all of these films are bad, far from it, but when you see even an audience-friendly movie like "Green Book" failing at the box-office, it does make you have to think twice about what constitutes a "successful" movie by today's standards at the box-office. You will nary find an original statement in the top 25 grossing movies of the year.
Read more‘Captain Marvel’ Trailer 2: Another Look At Brie Larson's Superheroine
Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman" set in motion the possibility of a movie like "Captain Marvel" existing. Before that, having a female-led superhero movie was deemed "box-office poison" by the powers-that-be, whoever the hell those people are-- especially since 2005’sJennifer Garner-starring “Elektra," was a box-office bomb and seemed to reinforce that point to many. The success of "Wonder Woman" proved nay in terms of the mainstream not accepting a female superhero. They did. Jenkins' movie made $821M worldwide.
Read more“The Mule" has suspiciously been kept from critics; Being released in 11 days time.
Clint Eastwood‘s "The Mule" was supposed to be the last Oscar contender to be screened for critics this year. It opens in 11 days (on 12.13), but you wouldn't know that based on Warner Bros. refusing to screen it for any critics groups.
Read moreRobert De Niro Actually Called Out for Not Working With Enough Female Directors
Robert De Niro was actually called out at a press conference for the lack of female directors he's worked with over his 50+ year career.
French actress-turned-director Maiwenn asked De Niro that question during a recent masterclass at the Marrakech Film Festival (via Variety), the actor replied with a simple “I don’t know,” only adding, “I don’t have a problem working with a woman. If it’s a good script I’d do it.”
De Niro has worked with three female filmmakers in his career: Penny Marshall("Awakenings"), Agnes Varda ("One Hundred and One Nights"), and Nancy Meyers ("The Intern").
Cahiers du Cinema's Best Movies of 2018
Timeless and legendary French movie magazine Cahiers du Cinéma released its list of the 10 best films of 2018. This is the bees knees as far as I'm concerned. Of course, I don't agree with all of these choices -"The Post," really?- but the group choosing Bertrand Mandico's “The Wild Boys,” is a very out-of-left-field choice. Love it. Now I have to watch Mandico’s feature directorial debut which is about five young boys — all played by women — who rebel against their captain on a sailboat.
Read moreDirector Scott Derrickson Claims Critics Are Attacking Him on Twitter for Defending “Bohemian Rhapsody"
"Doctor Strange" director Scott Derrickson is yet again throwing darts at film critics. If you remember, last month Derrickson went on Twitter to voice his frustration with critics bashing "Bohemian Rhapsody", stating “I really enjoyed ‘Bohemian Rhapsody. Most criticisms I’ve read about the film say it could’ve been something more. But I refuse to judge a film by [what] I wanted it to be, I receive it for what it is.”
Read moreJohn Waters Reveals His Ever-So-Glorious Top Ten Films of 2018
It's that time of the year again, and once again eccentric filmmaker John Waters has shared his 10 favorite films of the year [via Artforum]. It's become a tradition for cinephiles to acknowledge the release of his list every year, not sure why, maybe it's the fact that he has such eclectic taste and that there is bound to be a film on his list that you feel deserves to be mentioned despite falling through the cracks . I particularly like this year's inclusion Xavier Legrand's "Custody," a must-see that will definitely make list, which should be published later this week, and Brian Taylor's "Mom and Dad" which features a BONKERS performance from Nic Cage.
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