Luc Besson Hates on Superhero Movies and Says 'Captain America' is 'Propaganda'

Luc Besson's filmography is fairly impressive for a director that's never really received support from critics. He directed "Nikita," "Leon," and "The Fifth Element" back to back to back between 1990-1997. Fine. Those three films alone have allowed him enough creative freedom to direct whatever he wanted after those. The problem is the ensuing films weren't very good ("The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc," "Angel-A," "Arthur and the Invisibles," "The Family). He made somewhat of a comeback in 2014 with the underrated "Lucy," The Recently released "Valerian" was one of the most frustrating and dazzling movies I can remember, but what worked, those incredible visuals, was just spectacular and sucked you into its original world. It also was some of the best use of 3D I've ever seen. Of course, it tanked. Nobody came to see it. Its $200M budget has given a headache to the distributors and producers tied to the project.

Besson has been doing the interview rounds in the U.K, which has given him a chance to throw a few darts at the superhero genre. That's too bad, because I could have totally seen him tackle the genre, his visual prowess has always been his strength and that blends well with Marvel and DCEU films He has, more or less, taken a stab at comic book culture in an interview he did with Bleeding Cool:

"It’s very hard for me to identify with a superhero because he has a superpower, and I don’t have a superpower, all I can see is his power and say ‘oh, thank you so much for saving my life, me, poor little human being.’ I don’t like this relationship. I cant identify with the guy, I’m not like him.”

Now Comic Book Movie has the director saying even nastier words about Marvel/DC film, especially "Captain America":

"Totally tired of it," the French director said when the subject of these movies came up. It was great 10 years ago when we see the first Spider-Man and Iron Man. But now, it’s like number five, six, seven; the superhero is working with another superhero, but it’s not the same family. I’m lost."

"But what bothers me most is it’s always here to show the supremacy of America and how they are great. I mean, which country in the world would have the guts to call a film ‘Captain Brazil’ or ‘Captain France?’ I mean, no one! We would be like so ashamed and say, ‘No, no, come on, we can’t do that.’ They can. They can call it ‘Captain America,’ and everybody think it normal. I’m not here for propaganda, I’m here to tell a story." That seems a little harsh, don't you think? Either way, we can now pretty much guarantee that Besson won't be working with Marvel Studios in the near future!

Yikes. Can this bitterness stem from the fact Besson tried making his own superhero movie, Valerian was an adaptation of a popular French comic book, but that it was met with a resounding yawn at the box-office? Whatever the case may be, don't expect Marvel or DC to come knocking at his door anytime soon with an offer to direct.

Jon Woo back in the action genre for 'Manhunt'

John Woo‘s career has had so many ups and downs that we’ve lost track where he stands at the moment.

But seriously, the man is a legend just for the Hong-Kong streak he had going between 1986-1992 ( “A Better Tomorrow,” “The Killer,” “Once a Thief,” “Bullet in the Head,” and “Hard Boiled“). Then, of course, Hollywood came knocking at the door and his journey within the American big studio system could be described as tumultuous, at best. Although he gave us 1997’s phenomenal “Face/Off” which had John Travolta and Nicolas Cage legendarily chewing up the scenery, the list of duds he made otherwise in Hollywood (“Hard Target,” “Broken Arrow,”Mission: Impossible 2,” “Windtalkers,” “Paycheck“) couldn’t even come close to the peaks of his Hong Kong releases. Woo, unsurprisingly, decided to go back to his roots by making the well-received period-piece martial arts epic “Red Cliff” in 2009.

It has been eight years since “Red Cliff,” but Woo is back and this time around he’s tackling the genre that made him famous in the first place. “Manhunt” will have Woo tackle the story of a wrongly convicted man, framed for robbery, murder, and rape, who sets out to find the actual culprits with the police hot on his trail.

The film is a remake of a 1976 Japanese movie and returns Woo to the genre that made him famous back in the late ’80s and early ’90s. It will be exciting to see him back in familiar territory after years of Hollywood blockbusters, does he still have to chops to shoot breathless action sequences? Well, the Venice Film Festival seems to think so since they just announced that “Manhunt” will world premiere out of competition for their 74th edition. This is very exciting news and could very well mean we will see it in Toronto as well.

No North American release date has been announced yet for “Manhunt,” but, suffice to say, we will be keeping a close eye on this movie.

Tommy Wiseau “99.9% Approves” Of ‘The Disaster Artist’

“The Room,” a film funded by “entrepreneur” Tommy Wiseau for $6 million, was supposed to be his artist statement. But what turned out instead was what many consider one of the very worst movies of all time.

Wiseau wrote, directed and financed “The Room” back in 2003. However, the result was so bad that it has transcended genres and is now known as a cult disaster comedy. The film was so fascinatingly inept that it seemed too good to be true. Were Wiseau’s intentions genuine? Did he really set out to make a good movie? The answer, we found out, was, quite certainly, yes. And that added to the allure and charm of the picture.

It was assumed Wiseau would never want to make another film after his first catastrophic effort, but if there is anything that sets him apart from the rest it’s his undying and relentless passion for moviemaking. Wiseau is about to release another film entitled “Best F(r)iends” in the coming months.

Meanwhile, we have “The Disaster Artist” making the festival rounds this fall, which could become a cult classic itself as it is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 abomination. The film stars James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Zach Efron, Sharon Stone, Melanie Griffith and, yes, Bryan Cranston as himself. The film was met with positive reviews at SXSW this past March and is about to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Wiseau has been fairly quiet about the film, but today he’s more or less given his stamp of approval to the whole thing, at least according to James Franco, who spoke to EW about Wiseau’s post-screening reaction.

“He didn’t see it until SXSW, and we were unsure of what he was going to think, especially because he said, [mimicking Wiseau’s accent] ‘Greg book only 40 percent true,’” recalls Franco. “It was like, well, that’s what we based it on, so what are you going to think about our movie? And that screening was so successful, it was like a rock concert. That and the ‘Spring Breakers‘ screening at SXSW [in 2013] would be the two greatest screenings of my life, I imagine. I was like, ‘So, Tommy, what did you think of the movie?’ And he said, ‘I approve 99.9 percent.’ And we were like, ‘What was the 0.1 percent? He said, ‘I think the lighting, in the beginning, a little off.’ [Laughs] I told Brandon [Trost, ‘The Disaster Artist’ cinematographer]. He was like, Yeah, maybe we should watch ‘The Room,’ get some lighting pointers!”

This whole project reeks of cinematic passion, a valentine to movies, an ode to the stinkers which we love and can’t live without. In many ways, “The Disaster Artist” bears similarities to Tim Burton‘s best movie, “Ed Wood,” which also dealt with terrible filmmaking, but ended up being such a sweet, heartfelt love letter to the movies.

“The Disaster Artist” opens on December 1st in limited release and goes wide on December 8th.

The Dark Knight Premiere Reactions: "Its like a slash guitar solo, on top of mt everest, while eating a nacho chalupa, while getting a** from your friends hot mom"

FX CEO Says Doesn't Know If Noah Hawley Will Pitch Season 4 Of ‘Fargo’

We all had our doubts when we first heard that Joel and Ethan Coen‘s masterpiece “Fargo” was going to get adapted for the small screen, courtesy of FX, but after the first episode of creator Noah Hawley‘ brilliant series adaptation, we were converted.

If you’ve yet to catch up to the FX show that bears the same name and style of dramedy as the Coen’s 1996 film noir masterpiece, then you are quite possibly missing out on the best show on TV. The first season was a home run, the second season was a near-miracle of multiple moving parts, maybe the best season of television since Season 4 of “Breaking Bad, and finally the third season might not have satisfied every fan with its multitudes of ambiguities and unlikeable characters, but it had its fair share of brilliant moments that cemented Hawley as a world-class storyteller.  The ambition and sheer scope of the series have been nothing short of groundbreaking.

Given the show’s popularity, and the rave reviews that have greeted it over the last three seasons, you would think Hawley would be all for a fourth season happening, but his reluctance has been showing more and more ever since the final episode of season three aired more than 2 months ago. It’s not like FX isn’t ready for it either. They too want more “Fargo,” and FX CEO John Landgraf is waiting for a pitch.

“I hope so, I haven’t heard. We haven’t heard the idea from Noah for what the fourth season would be. I think what we’ve encouraged Noah to do is think about it and make sure he has something he’s really excited about and has something to believe in. There’s a possibility he won’t have that idea for some time. There’s also the possibility because Noah’s been fertile and productive, that we’ll hear that idea soon,” he said.

Hawley isn’t going to force anything, and he’ll let the creative juices start rolling for “Fargo” when they’re ready to. We wouldn’t want it any other way and should we get a fourth season, it’ll be more than worth that wait.

In the meantime, Hawley has been busy, Landgraf says, “working actively on the second season of ‘Legion.’ ”  There’s also talk that Hawley will make a “Doctor Doom“ movie. No wonder “Fargo” is being relegated to the back-end for now – Hawley is turning into one hot commodity. [/Film]

Jack Black Attempts To Sing Korean Pop Songs While Korean Guys Attempt To Guess The Song

Early Cut Of Justice League Deemed "Unwatchable," Substantial Changes Being Made

It seems like Henry Cavill's mustache is the least of the DCU's worries these days concerning their upcoming fall juggernaut "Justice League." Yesterday's rumor was that Warner Bros was apparently, unhappy with the cut they saw of "Justice League." The tone – which they felt was too dark – seemed to be the issue, but so was, as has been reported by many sources, the portrayal of Cyborg. Batman-On-Film has added to this negative barrage today by telling We Got This Covered that the situation is actually far worse than the aforementioned rumors. Here’s what they had to say:
"These reshoots – which are still taking place – are not standard pick-ups/additional photography. Why? Apparently, an early cut of the film was deemed “unwatchable.” Thus, substantial changes to the film were ordered."

Unwatchable? I mean, it takes a lot for a film to go to that point. There has to be a messy incoherence for unwatchability to occur. But when you take into consideration that Zack Snyder shot most of the film and then left the project to have Joss Whedon take over and reshoot a considerably hefty amount of Snyder's own footage, then you might risk having two different visions of "Justice League" clashing with each other.

This latest rumor contradicts what Ben Affleck said earlier today when he mentioned that DC was finally on the right track: “This is a really nice time to work in DC. They’re hitting their stride. They’re getting it right. It’s starting to feel like it’s really working.” He also tried to put a positive spin on the fact that there were two directors working on "Justice League" by telling EW “[It’s] an interesting product of two directors, both with kind of unique visions, both with really strong takes. I’ve never had that experience before making a movie. I have to say, I really love working with Zack, and I really love the stuff we’ve done with Joss.”

Two directors, two unique visions? Isn't that contradictory? How can that actually work in making a film coherent? The reshoots have reportedly cost the WB upwards of $25M, with Joss Whedon, who took over Zack Snyder's leave of absence, overseeing them. The saga behind the making of "Justice League" doesn't seem to be ending, we're still 4 months away from it being released, but, with all these negative rumors adding up, the WB will have to find a way to find a believable narrative for damage control.

Studio Ghibli Officially Reopens For New Hayao Miyazaki Movie "Boro the Caterpillar"

Originally posted on The Playlist

James Cameron on the lack of imagination in 'The Force Awakens,' how 'Alien: Covenant' was great and why Zack Snyder inspires him

Okay, lets be honest here. James Cameron is a visual director. Of course, he's going to admire Zack Snyder and George Lucas. Cameron broke box office records twice, with "Titanic" and "Avatar," not through the story but through path-breaking visuals. Take for example his take on Snyder:

“Directors that continue to inspire me…Ridley Scott. I mean, I’ll go to any Ridley Scott movie, even the ones that bomb, to me, are great, because the fabric of the filmmaking, you know, just the way he sees, and the way he places the camera…Zack Snyder and Robert Rodriguez, guys that were just creating their own cinematic language… A friend of mine, who was a visual effects guy just directed Deadpool, and I went to see Deadpool. And the opening credits sequence, I was like, ‘Damn, nobody ever thought of that. Do a fake credit sequence!’ How brilliant is it?” 

The video evidence can be found HERE



I think he's talking about the visual experience, not the story. And Snyder's visuals are amazing - anyone who denies that is nailed to a cross. But this praise is not surprising at all. Whether or not you like Snyder's stories, his visuals, if not realistic, always look gorgeous. It is a great validation of his visuals, but that's something we already know."

Batman v Superman felt artificial. Which doesn't mean Snyder doesn't have a unique visual style. I mean he's original enough that most people could automatically tell it's a Zack Snyder film from the opening frame. I just haven't really liked any of his films. Not my style and feels almost cartoonish.

With all that being said it is still not a surprise that James Cameron thinks "Alien: Covenant" is a "great" movie. After all, earlier this year, Cameron praised Zack Snyder for "creating a new cinematic language" and mentioned the "Batman vs. Superman" director inspires his own work. That's fair enough, I can see why he would see that in Snyder. Now, he's praising "Alien: Covenant," which feels a little closer to home for him since he directed what many consider to be the last great movie of the franchise, the 1986 classic "Aliens." In a Facebook Live interview, the director had these kind words to say about Scott's film:

“I thought that "Alien: Covenant" was a great ride. It was beautiful. I love Ridley’s films and I love his film making, I love the beauty of the photography, I love the visceral sense that you’re there, that you’re present."

However, he did go on to elaborate that it wouldn't have been the kind of movie he would have done:

"It’s not a film that I would have made. I don’t like films where you invest in a character and they get destroyed at the end. I would not have made that film. I can’t comment on where Ridley is going with it but I think he is obviously trying to create a greater universe around it and more backstory with the Engineers and so on. I’ll show up for the next one, absolutely.”



Now, say what you will about Ridley Scott's "Prometheus," but, at least, that movie had balls. Here was a big budget Hollywood movie with ideas, a philosophical brain if you will, and, yet,  Scott gave in recently and admitted that he regretted the way he made the film and that he "got it wrong." He should have stuck to his guns, "Prometheus" will age well in time whereas "Alien: Covenant" ... "Alien: Covenant" was a disappointment. The way it went back to the narrative structure and survival games of the first two movies were too easy and uninspired. Scott decided to feed the masses and give them what they wanted, a sort of "greatest hits" compilation of the first two films, but it fell flat.  Scott always had a flair for staging atmosphere and thrills, but in "Alien: Covenant" the thrills feel empty, just for the sake of entertainment, nothing wrong with that, but we deserved better. Some of the movie did work, Michael Fassbender's brilliant dual performance as David and Walter brought frightening perception to artificial humans. The fireworks that sparked between the two robots, in the few scenes they were together,  were the clear-cut highlights of the film and something Scott should have expanded on in his narrative.



Cameron's outspokenness isn't anything new. He doesn't mince words when talking about current cinema, you will always receive a clear-cut, honest, passionate response from him. Last year he even said "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" lacked imagination and that he preferred George Lucas' prequels to the JJ Abrams film. 

“Well, George Lucas is a friend of mine,” he prefaced. “I don’t want to say too much about the film because I also have a lot of respect for J.J. Abrams and I want to see where they’re taking it next." “I have to say that I felt that George’s group of six films had more innovative visual imagination, and this film was more of a retrenchment to things you had seen before and characters you had seen before, and it took a few baby steps forward with new characters,” Cameron said. “So for me, the jury’s out.”

Whether you agree or disagree with him, it's refreshing to hear an iconic director's opinion on his comrades that isn't watered-down or playing nice to the crowd. Hopefully, he can back up all this talk with a great movie of his own, more specifically when his much-delayed sequel to "Avatar" hits theaters in the near future, whenever that may be.

Do you agree with James Cameron on "The Force Awakens," "Alien: Covenant" and "Zack Snyder? Let us know in the comment section below!

'Ready Player One' First Look Image: Olivia Cooke is Art3mis

'Logan Lucky'

“Logan Lucky” is Steven Soderbergh’s first film out of his so-called retirement, which always seemed like an extension of Soderbergh performance art.  In the meantime,  he’s been concentrating on television, most notably his excellent FX show “The Knick,” Now that it’s been, frustratingly, cancelled, Soderbergh is back and ready to add more to an impressive filmography which includes “Traffic,” “The Limey,” “Out of Sight,” Sex, Lies and Videotape,” “Erin Brockvich,” and “Ocean’s Eleven.” 

“Logan Lucky” is a highly entertaining heist movie, set in the NASCAR world, starring Daniel Craig, Adam Driver and Channing Tatum. This is Ocean's 7/11, set in the world of Nascar, but, instead of Danny Ocean's slick Hollywood types, we have The Logans, a family living on the hills of West Virginia known for its bad luck which has spanned nearly 90 years. Tatum plays Jimmy Logan whom, after being fired from his job for an uninsured limp, decides its time to turn the family's luck around by employing Redneck Robbers, as he plans to steal $14 million from the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

I love how Soderbergh refuses to make fun of these yokels, which adds humanity to their eccentric southernly-charmed traits. They are likable and humane characters that happen to be uneducated, but do have the street smarts to go through life in smart and measured ways.  The usual narrative tropes are used for Jimmy to gather up his crew, but it's still a kick to watch it happen, ditto the heist iself, which is expertly crafted stuff. there may be one too many cons in the finale, but "Logan Lucky" is thoroughly entertaining stuff. Even as you watch it combust onscreen the giddy joy remains. Welcome back, Steven.

Disney pulls its movies from Netflix and says it will have its own streaming service in 2019

It was just last week that reports surfaced that Netflix was $20.54 billion in debt — yes, billion — which didn’t seem to bother its investors all that much as they concluded that to make money, you gotta spend money. Ok, so no reason to be alarmed, right?

In news that has rocked the industry to its core, Disney has announced that it will be pulling its movies from Netflix and starting a new streaming service solely composed of the Disney content — past, present, and future — which actually is pretty gigantic and could easily fill any streaming service. The goal is to launch the branded streaming service in 2019, which will be home for all their feature films and TV shows. It’s a huge move, but one that’s also inevitable.

Last year, Disney acquired BAMTech, a marketing and streaming company, and so it only makes sense that they’d eventually utilize those tools. As audience consumption continues to change, it’s natural that Disney — who have a portfolio of major branded properties (“Star Wars,” Marvel) and a deep library — would want to control of the streaming destiny of their product.

And while Netflix and Disney have long been partners — it’s why you’ve seen “The Avengers,” “Ant-Man,” and other movies pop up on the service — it seems like Disney is ready to strike out on their own. And the news can’t have been too much of a surprise for Netflix, who just this week acquired Millarworld, the home of Mark Millar’s various comic properties. Perhaps they are already preparing for when Marvel’s movies will leave the service (for now, the TV shows are staying put).

There are no details yet on price points or plans, but it does seem like for now, Disney’s streaming service will be in the U.S. only (which may mean their partnership with Netflix in other territories, such as Canada, may continue until the various rights issues are untangled). However, we may get some insight into how it all works when Disney launches their separate, ESPN-branded sports streaming service next year.

Disney has brand appeal and, as mentioned before, their catalog is enormous. There is already an incredible amount of devoted fans who will no doubt pay a reasonable monthly cost to have access to their favorite properties. There’s also the Disney Channel, which has enormous appeal for family viewing and has a wide range of shows at its disposal. This is a no-brainer decision for the Mouse House.

Nowadays, everyone wants to jump into the future and start their own streaming service, but it’s not the easiest thing to do. However, Disney has the content to back it up. The times are certainly changing, and it looks like the dream of cord cutting to save on cable costs is becoming slightly warped. If people started purchasing multiple streaming subscriptions, those costs add up, and it would be no different than paying for cable. Is it inevitable that we will all soon ditch cable and just subscribe to multiple streaming services? The possibility is there. [CNN]

First image of a Porg in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

Major STAR WARS 8 Revelations: Mark Hamill 'Struggled' With Luke Wanting To End The Jedi, Rey Will Solve the Mystery of Luke's Exile, Luke Thought Kylo Was The Chosen One and more

As part of EW’s new cover story, the cast and crew of "The Last Jedi" have teased what fans can expect. Director Rian Johnson's biggest task was to find a backstory as to what happened to Luke after "Return of the Jedi."

“The very first step in the writing of this was figuring out why he’s on that island. We know that he is not a coward. He’s not just hiding because he’s scared. But we also know that he must know his friends are in danger. He must know the galaxy needs him. And he’s sitting on this island in the middle of nowhere. There had to be an answer. It had to be something where Luke Skywalker believes he’s doing the right thing – and the process of figuring out what that is and unpacking it is the journey for Rey.”

Hamill does admit he was a little bit surprised by how Luke is portrayed in "The Last Jedi":

“The fact that Luke says, ‘I only know one truth. It’s time for the Jedi to end…’ I mean, that’s a pretty amazing statement for someone who was the symbol of hope and optimism in the original films. When I first read it, my jaw dropped. What would make someone that alienated from his original convictions? That’s not something that you can just make up in an afternoon, and I really struggled with this thing.”

So, "The Last Jedi" will be Rey trying to convince Luke to make a comeback, and, I guess, Luke will eventually train her. But, Luke, is still haunted by the last mistake he made training Kylo:

“[Luke] made a huge mistake in thinking that his nephew was the chosen one, so he invested everything he had in Kylo, much like Obi-Wan did with my character,” Hamill says. “And he is betrayed, with tragic consequences. Luke feels responsible for that. That’s the primary obstacle he has to rejoining the world and his place in the Jedi hierarchy, you know? It’s that guilt, that feeling that it’s his fault, that he didn’t detect the darkness in him until it was too late.”

As for the backstory ..

“There’s massive amounts of backstory that is left to your imagination and I couldn’t do my job without figuring out what that was. Since it’s not really important to the main story as a whole a lot of it is just for my own process. I talked with Rian about it and went into this elaborate scenario of what happened to Luke after the end of the Return of the Jedi.”

Donald Glover Opens Up About Han Solo Movie Director switch

“Ron is such a legend, and he knows exactly what the vision for what he is doing is … [but Phil and Chris] hired us, so you sort of feel like, ‘I know I’m not your first choice …’ And you worry about that,” Glover, who plays Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo origin film, told The Hollywood Reporter in its latest cover story. “To be honest, I don’t know exactly what happened. I feel like I was the baby in the divorce, or the youngest child. The oldest child is like, ‘We know what’s happening, but we are keeping you out of it.’ And I’m just like, [Glover’s voice rises several octaves] ‘Was that scene good? How did you feel?'”

[EW]

"Blade Runner: 2049" just received an "R" rating from the MPAA/CARA for "violence, some sexuality, nudity & language."

"Blade Runner" came out in 1982, just before the PG-13 era began in 1984 with "Red Dawn." If it were to come out today, with some relatively insignificant cuts, it would have most likely garnered a PG-13 rating. There weren't any overtly violent sequences nor was there really any drug use or nudity. And, yet, here we are in 2017, director Denis Villeneuve and Hampton Fancher, who wrote the original's screenplay, have made a sequel, "Blade Runner 2049," that has just been given an R.

The MPAA has released its list of upcoming film ratings and "Blade Runner 2049" has been listed as  "Rated R for "violence, some sexuality, nudity & language. This comes as no surprise as Villeneuve had hinted just a few months ago to Screen Daily that the rating was all, but confirmed:

“My producers are finding it fun to remind me that it will be one of the most expensive R-rated independent feature films ever made.”

I'm glad this is getting an R, but that wasn't really an issue, to begin with. Whether the film was PG-13 or R, it wouldn't have deterred from the story, which is more about existential mystery and suspense than any kind of outright violence. Although, it seems like Villeneuve is upping the ante in regards to the violence with this sequel.

The official synopsis reads like this:

"Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society in chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years."

“Blade Runner 2049” will be released on October 6th.

New 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Images RELEASED

[EW]

The original Dracula - Bela Lugosi. Diabolical and terrifying.

Another new picture of jacked James Brolin as Cable in 'Deadpool 2'

mother! Official Trailer

Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence seem like a total mismatch as a married couple. It also feels like old school horror. Movies like "Rosemary’s Baby," "Repulsion" and "The Shining" come to mind. Sort of weak, timid women with masculine, brutish men who are nearly double their age. This feels sort of like the modernization of that classic horror trope.