Director Susan Bier's “Bird Box,” has turned into a monster smash hit for Netflix. Nobody expected that to happen, but the Sandra Bullock thriller has been religiously memed ever since its release last month (not to mention breaking records for Netflix having been viewed 45M times in its first week). It has turned, by all accounts, into a cultural phenomenon. So much so, that Netflix had to go out of their way today and warn people not to celebrate their love of “Bird Box” in extreme ways.
Read morePundits: Rami Malek is Front-Runner to Win Best Actor Golden Globe
It quite honestly looks like the Best Actor Oscar is currently Rami Malek's to lose. For the longest stretch I thought Bradley Cooper's performance in "A Star Is Born" was the one-to-beat, but Malek has been picking up considerable steam the last few weeks and 'Star' has been on the downslide.
Read moreVariety Critic: Obama’s 2018 Film Picks Much Like His Presidency, He Just Got With the Program
When Barack Obama posted his list of the best films of 2018 I wrote this on Facebook: "Consider me impressed by most of his list. I don't know if his backers just used an algorithm to select these films, or if these are genuinely his top picks but, suffice to say, "film twitter" is going gaga today over this list. Job well done."
Read more‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Actor Bob Einstein Dies at 76
It was disheartening to hear the news that Bob Einstein, the two-time Emmy winning “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor died at the young age of 76.
His brother, fellow comedian and actor Albert Brooks, tweeted the news on Wednesday: "R.I.P. My dear brother Bob Einstein. A great brother, father and husband. A brilliantly funny man. You will be missed forever."
Read moreLouis C.K. Criticized as “Alt-Right” By Media for Comedy Set Which Included Jokes About Trans Youth and Parkland Victims
American comedian Louis C.K. performed a controversial stand-up act earlier this year and the internet has not taken well to it after it leaked earlier today. In the stand-up routine, performed in New York, C.K. jokes about the survivors of the 2018 Parkland Shooting, but also individuals who identify as non-binary.
Read moreGuillermo del Toro’s top movies this year
Kevin Spacey Delivers Pizza to Paparazzi Wearing “Retired Since 2017” Baseball Cap
After pulling off a disappearing act for close to two years, Kevin Spacey re-emerged into the spotlight last Thursday. The 59-year-old actor managed to break his silence by releasing a video titled “Let Me Be Frank,” which laid down his defense in the character of Frank Underwood, the U.S. President he played on “House Of Cards.”
Read moreDespite backlash, can ‘Green Book’ still win Best Picture?
At this point, with backlash after backlash having happened, it's going to be a tough road ahead for "Green Book" and its desire to snag that best picture Oscar. Peter Farelly‘s film did not make my ten best list this year, but I can’t tell you how great it would be if this film actually pulled off the Oscar upset. SJW heads would roll, tempter tantrums would unfurl, it’d be a wonderful sight to see. Owen Gleiberman puts it quite nicely in his latest Variety column, titled “What Each Possible 2018 Best Picture Winner Would Mean,“ he believes that "Green Book" winning best picture would no doubt be "a nice, big, friendly “kiss our collective ass” message to the woke thugs in the film critic community." [Thanks, Jeff]:
Read moreCarrie Fisher’s brother: Leia’s role in Star Wars: Episode IX feels “like it was shot yesterday”
We know that the late Carrie Fisher will posthumously appear, for the final time, as Leia Organa in next year's J.J. Abrams-directed Star Wars: Episode IX.
Her role is said to consist of mostly unused footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi and according to Fisher’s brother, Todd Fisher, Lucasfilm has a lot of leftover material to work with:
Read moreOver 45 Million People Watched ‘Bird Box’ In First Week; Best First 7 Days Ever For A Netflix Movie.
A record-breaking 45 million accounts watched Netflix's "Bird Box," the best first week for a Netflix movie in the streaming giant's history.
Netflix tweeted the news by saying "Took off my blindfold this morning to discover that 45,037,125 Netflix accounts have already watched Bird Box — best first 7 days ever for a Netflix film!" The movie stars Sandra Bullock as a mother fighting a supernatural force that kills you if you see it.
Read moreNetflix Turned Down Offer To Buy ‘Holmes & Watson’ From Sony
"Holmes and Watson" currently sits at 7% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has been demolished by critics. They refused to screen it here in Boston for press. Just an overall toxic vibe has followed this film for a week or so now. So is it much of a surprise that the latest reports are saying that Sony was hoping to sell it to Netflix earlier this year? According to Deadline, Sony was worried that the movie would bomb at the box office because of terrible reactions from test audiences. They thought Netflix could just swoop in and buy distribution rights to the film. Netflix turned them down.
Read moreMacaulay Culkin legally changes his middle name to .... Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin, now 38, has announced on Twitter that he will legally change his middle name in 2019. The decision comes after polling his followers to vote on what his middle name should be…and the winner? “Macaulay Culkin.” Yes, that makes his full name Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin.
Read moreBarack Obama’s favorite movies of the year include ‘Eighth Grade’, ‘Roma’ and ‘Shoplifters’
Consider me surprised by former President Barack Obama's taste in movies. His film list, posted on Twitter, shows a man that has refined cinematic tastes.
Here’s the full list of his favorite films of 2018:
Read moreDennis Quaid writes and records song against Political Correctness: “Our whole culture has become intolerant”
Actor, now musician, Dennis Quaid and his backing band, The Sharks, have decided to record a song for the upcoming docudrama, “No Safe Spaces,” an anti-PC film about political correctness at college universities. The song “Out of the Box” describes how Americans have gotten too closed-minded, he told the New York Post. “It’s not just Hollywood. Our whole culture has become intolerant,” Quaid, 64, said. The lyrics in “Out of the Box” stress the importance of “being open to other points of view and not mindlessly giving yourself over to an ‘ism,’” he added.
Read more“Teen Spirit” Trailer: Elle Fanning Goes For the Win in Music Competition Drama
I saw Max Minghella's "Teen Spirit" back in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film, set to open on 4.5.19 (Bleecker Street and LD Entertainment ) now has a trailer.
Read moreMr. Rogers biopic starring Tom Hanks officially titled “A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood”
Tom Hanks' Mr. Rogers movie is now officially titled "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." The film was originally called "You Are My Friend?" but Variety‘s Matt Donnelly is reporting on this new title.
The film will be directed by Marielle Heller ("Diary of a Teenager Girl," "Can You Ever Forgive Me?") with Universal in charge of releasing it on 10.18.19. I do wonder how this will go down as far as the dramatic potential a film about such a benign man could bring. Did Rogers have any actual drama happen in his life? He was, by all accounts, a safe, liberal-minded do-gooder that didn't have controversy surround him in his 40+ years on the air. The film will most likely tackle his fight to push for diversity and inclusivity in his show.
Oscar Watch: “A Star Is Born” is still the front-runner
With every movie now screened, we can safely assess that Bradley Cooper‘s “A Star is Born” is officially in the driver’s seat when it comes to winning the Oscar for best picture.
Read moreArt House Film ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ Breaking Box-Office Records In China
Consider me shocked by the surprising success Bi-Gan's “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” is having at the Chinese box-office. The film, which I raved about earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, is as artsy as they come. Even some of the highest-browed critics I know have admitted how hard the film is to fully appreciate. However, don't say that to Chinese audiences who have made Bi Gan's film a record-breaking success in box office pre-sales. No doubt, this has to do with the film switching midway into an incredible, 59-minute one take sequence, in 3D no less. The plot is overtly-complicated, I'm still not sure what it's fully about, but the craft is beyond exceptional.
“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” has earned $15 million and counting in ticket sales, and it doesn't even open in China until December 31. It's set to open in U.S. theaters sometime next year.
Guillermo del Toro Says Spielberg’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’ is the Most Underrated Movie Ever Made.
The first time I saw Steven Spielberg’s cat-and-mouse flick "Catch Me If You Can," I knew it was destined to become a classic. Of course, over the years, when you talk about Spielberg's best films you will have people name-checking the usuals, such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List,” "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and "Minority Report." But “Catch Me If You Can”? Almost never mentioned.
Read moreDominic West Thinks Transgender Actor/Soldier Hannah Gaf Should Be Next James Bond
British actor Dominic West told The Sunday Times that James Bond should be played by high-ranking transgender soldier Hannah Gaf.
Daniel Craig is set to play Bond for the final time in Cary Fukunaga’s upcoming Bond 25, but we have yet to learn who might replace him afterwards. Rumored to be in contention are British actors Tom Hardy and Idris Elba.
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