Guillermo Del Toro Ranks His Favorite Del Toro Films, But Says “I Would Die For Each Of My 10 Movies”

Guillermo Del Toro's had quite the year, The Shape of Water won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in early September and Oscar buzz is at a very high level for this masterful film. It also led all Critics’ Choice Awards with 14 nominations, as well as leading the Golden Globes with 7 nominations. 

In a fascinating conversation about the 10 films he's made thus far in his illustrious career, del Toro spoke about his 25-year span making movies and The Shape of Water turns out to be his favorite movie. He only ranks five of them, his ultimate favorites,  and speaks about other nifty career moves he's made.  His ranking is as follows.

1. The Shape of Water
2. The Devil's Backbone
3. Pan's Labyrinth
4. Crimson Peak
5. Pacific Rim / Hellboy II: The Golden Army
6. to 10. N/A, but I'm gonna assume Mimic is last

It's quite surprising that he'd rank "Shape" before "Pan's Labyrinth," which is regarded by all accounts as one of the very best movies of the 21st century.

Stan Lee: X-Men & Fantastic Four Joining MCU is 'Great Piece of News'

"A truly great piece of news!" Marvel legend Stan Lee briefly told Newsarama Thursday afternoon. "Now characters such as the X-Men and the Fantastic Four can come home to the place where they belong. It’s vitally important to have the Marvel characters under one roof. And now, as great as they were before, I can’t wait to see the wonders that will unfold!”

[Newsrama]

Mark Hamill Thinks Star Wars Prequels Were More Original Than Force Awakens

Mark Hamill's interviews for "The Last Jedi" have been incredibly fascinating to watch. The 66-year-old-actor seems somewhat bitter or, should I say, troubled by the way Luke Skywalker has been treated in Episode IX. He's said "if people are expecting me to come out and weigh in with what I think about it, they're going to be disappointed because it takes me a long time.  At times, I'd say to Rian [Johnson], 'We gotta think of what the audience wants,'" Hamill said. "And he'd say, 'No, we've gotta think of what we want.' Which is a learning process for me." 

The way Disney changed the trajectory of the Skywalker saga away from Lucas' vision is something that Mark Hamill revealed he wished they hadn't done: “What I wish is that they had been more accepting of his guidance and advice," Hamill told Metro. "Because he had an outline for [Episodes] VII, VIII, and IX. And it is vastly different to what they have done. But then again, I don’t want to be an old stick in the mud," Hamill confessed. "There were the originals. There are the prequels. But that’s all George. And now we have the next generation. And as far as I can see they are more popular than ever.”

Entertainment Weekly interviewed Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy last year and she explained that Lucas was "Not really” involved in any of the creative input of the new trilogy, but she added, “But he’ll whisper in my ear every now and then. Usually, it’s something specific or important to him about Jedi training. Things like that.”

“I think he’s starting to settle into this and just be a fan,” she added. “It’s taken a while. It’s hard to let go, after 40 years. That’s a lot of expectation and things he thought a lot about. Suddenly that next generation, that whole thematic idea he came up with, is in process.”

Hamill has now admitted to Metro  that he thought Lucas' "Star Wars" prequels were more original than "The Force Awakens":

“What I thought was great about the prequels was the different technology that I had never seen before. All that CGI. And the fact that [George Lucas] wasn’t trying to do the same experience all over again.”

According to Hamill, George Lucas’ trajectory with the “Star Wars” prequels at least took the films down a brand new terrain, while J.J. Abrams’ “The Force Awakens” instead tried to tap into what made the original films so popular.

“I thought ‘The Force Awakens’ did that more than the early ones, because it had that the girl from a different planet, the death star, the Cantina sequence.”

When I asked Hamill whether that was Abrams’ intention, he responded, “Of course! He was trying to figure out what was it about the original movies that everybody loved. And that’s a different thought process than what George would have done. Because he would go, ‘I had a beginning, middle, and an end’.”

Nine Foreign Language Films Advance in Oscar Race - Angelina Jolie, BPM Snubbed

Chile, “A Fantastic Woman,” Sebastián Lelio, director;

Germany, “In the Fade,” Fatih Akin, director;

Hungary, “On Body and Soul,” Ildikó Enyedi, director;

Israel, “Foxtrot,” Samuel Maoz, director;

Lebanon, “The Insult,” Ziad Doueiri, director;

Russia, “Loveless,” Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;

Senegal, “Félicité,” Alain Gomis, director;

South Africa, “The Wound,” John Trengove, director;

Sweden, “The Square,” Ruben Östlund, director.

Disney CEO Confirms X-Men, Deadpool & Fantastic Four Will Join MCU

Hours after announcing its acquired 21st Century Fox, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced, via Deadline, that X-Men, Deadpool and Fantastic Four will all join the MCU:

“We have the opportunity to expand iconic franchises for new generations of fans just as we have done with Marvel and Star Wars. The obvious example is Avatar, which is still the single highest-grossing film in history. We’ve already worked with James Cameron to span the storytelling into a spectacular new land called Pandora: The World of Avatar, which opened in Orlando earlier this year and we’re very excited to continue that relationship, especially related to the series of Avatar films he’s currently working on. We’re also looking forward to expanding the Marvel cinematic universe to include X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool and reuniting all of the Star Wars movies ever made under one roof, which opens new opportunities for that franchise."

Disney acquired 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion. As far as I'm concerned, this is a direct threat to creatives everywhere. Disney can now add the X-Men, “Alien,” and “Avatar” franchises at their disposal, amongst many others, which adds a significant artillery of films to their upcoming streaming service, set to debut in 2019.

This new deal might make Disney more powerful than all of Hollywood. This much media controlled by one company is a dangerous affair but we'll see if Disney uses it responsibly, which I doubt, by the way, they want to make as much money as possible from this.

In a statement, The Writers Guild of America has slammed the Disney-Fox Deal as the “relentless drive to eliminate competition.”

“Kick-Ass” and “Kingsman” creator Mark Millar is wondering about the ramifications, though he does think that X-Men getting a fresh life at Disney is probably the best thing for the franchise:

X-Men/ Wolvie hit-rate very good at Fox, 6 out of 9 working well. But they're tired now & need a recharge. This is one area Disney could help as it's a fresh start. https://t.co/S2uCvrsgpq

— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) December 14, 2017

"Ocean's 8" poster

We still don't really know anything about the movie. What we do know is that it's a spinoff rather than a remake, or reboot, and that the cast is great. I'm praying this gets a decent script. Don't fuck it up Warner Bros. We don't need another "Ghostbusters" debacle.

Because humor is, in a way, subjective with the "Ocean's" films, this stands a much better chance at being successful as compared to "Ghosbusters" which had to rely heavily on humor. Also look at the great cast they have assembled here: Blanchett, Bullock, Hathaway and Carter are some of the best actresses of their generations, but Rihanna? I'm skeptical about that casting choice but I presume she won't get too much screen time either.

The date for "Ocean's 8," hey that's a nice little rhyme, is set for Summer of 2018. In a way, those mediocre sequels that followed Soderbergh's original 2001 "Ocean's Eleven" are definitely going to help make the case for this all-female version. Soderbergh's version is a heist classic, a pop masterpiece if you will.

For the time being I'll leave you with this relevant line from comedian John Mulaney. This was said way before there was any talk of this even happening.

"A heist film can't work with women. You couldn't do Ocean's 11 with women. It won't work because 2 of them would always be breaking off to talk shit about the other 9." - John Mulaney

The film will be directed by Gary Ross and set for release June 8th, 2018

Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock reveals personal history of allegations of sexual misconduct against him, stating that as someone “who has built a career on finding the truth” that he is “part of the problem.”

Morgan Spurlock went to Twitter on Wednesday to confess about his own stories of sexual misconduct, saying that as he watches "hero, man after man, fall at the realization of their past indiscretions, I don’t sit by and wonder 'who will be next?' I wonder, 'when will they come for me?'" The fear of being next prompted Spurlock to admit:

• A sexual experience in college which had his partner claiming he raped her.
• using terms like "hot pants" and "sex pants" at the workplace and then paying the victim a settlement after she quit.
• He's been unfaithful to every wife and girlfriend he's ever had.
• He's an alcoholic and started drinking at the age 13 and has not been sober "for more than a week in 30 years."

He also mentions that he "built a career on finding the truth," but his "Super Size Me" was filled with lies and manipulated events that, no, just no, Spurlock shouldn't claim that.

His preemptive strategy is quite fascinating, will it start a chain reaction of other men admitting their own "mistakes" before they anything is actually made public? His motives for doing this are still very blurry, what does he want this to result in? The demise of his own career? Forgiveness from the public?

The full transcript:

I am Part of the Problem

As I sit around watching hero after hero, man after man, fall at the realization of their past indiscretions, I don’t sit by and wonder “who will be next?” I wonder, “when will they come for me?”

You see, I’ve come to understand after months of these revelations, that I am not some innocent bystander, I am also a part of the problem.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this thought, but I can’t blindly act as though I didn’t somehow play a part in this, and if I’m going truly represent myself as someone who has built a career on finding the truth, then it’s time for me to be truthful as well.

I am part of the problem.

Over my life, there have been many instances that parallel what we see everyday in the news. When I was in college, a girl who I hooked up with on a one night stand accused me of rape. Not outright. There were no charges or investigations, but she wrote about the instance in a short story writing class and called me by name. A female friend who was in the class told be about it afterwards. 

I was floored. 

“That’s not what happened!” I told her. This wasn’t how I remembered it at all. In my mind, we’d been drinking all night and went back to my room. We began fooling around, she pushed me off, then we laid in the bed and talked and laughed some more, and then began fooling around again. We took off our clothes. She said she didn’t want to have sex, so we laid together, and talked, and kissed, and laughed, and then we started having sex.

“Light Bright,” she said.

“What?”

“Light bright. That kids toy, that’s all I can see and think about,” she said … and then she started to cry. I didn’t know what to do. We stopped having sex and I rolled beside her. I tried to comfort her. To make her feel better. I thought I was doing ok, I believed she was feeling better. She believed she was raped.

That’s why I’m part of the problem.

Then there was the time I settled a sexual harassment allegation at my office. This was around 8 years ago, and it wasn’t a gropy feely harassment. It was verbal, and it was just as bad.

I would call my female assistant “hot pants” or “sex pants” when I was yelling to her from the other side of the office. Something I thought was funny at the time, but then realized I had completely demeaned and belittled her to a place of non-existence.

So, when she decided to quit, she came to me and said if I didn’t pay her a settlement, she would tell everyone. Being who I was, it was the last thing I wanted, so of course, I paid. I paid for peace of mind. I paid for her silence and cooperation. Most of all, I paid so I could remain who I was.

I am part of the problem.

And then there’s the infidelity. I have been unfaithful to every wife and girlfriend I have ever had. Over the years, I would look each of them in the eye and proclaim my love and then have sex with other people behind their backs. 

I hurt them. And I hate it. But it didn’t make me stop. The worst part is, I’m someone who consistently hurts those closest to me. From my wife, to my friends, to my family, to my partners & co-workers. I have helped create a world of disrespect through my own actions. 

And I am part of the problem. 

But why? What caused me to act this way? Is it all ego? Or was it the sexual abuse I suffered as a boy and as a young man in my teens? Abuse that I only ever told to my first wife, for fear of being seen as weak or less than a man?

Is it because my father left my mother when I was child? Or that she believed he never respected her, so that disrespect carried over into their son? 

Or is it because I’ve consistently been drinking since the age of 13? I haven’t been sober for more than a week in 30 years, something our society doesn’t shun or condemn but which only served to fill the emotional hole inside me and the daily depression I coped with. Depression we can’t talk about, because its wrong and makes you less of a person. 

And the sexual daliances? Were they meaningful? Or did they only serve to try to make a weak man feel stronger. 

I don’t know. None of these things matter when you chip away at someone and consistently make them feel like less of a person.

I am part of the problem. We all are.

But I am also part of the solution. By recognizing and openly admitting what I’ve done to further this terrible situation, I hope to empower the change within myself. We should all find the courage to admit we’re at fault. 

More than anything, I’m hopeful that I can start to rebuild the trust and the respect of those I love most. I'm not sure I deserve it, but I will work everyday to earn it back.

I will do better. I will be better. I believe we all can.

The only individual I have control over is me. So starting today, I’m going to be more honest with you and myself. I’m going to lay it all out in the open. Maybe that will be a start. Who knows. But I do know I've talked enough in my life ... I'm finally ready to listen

Disney-Fox Deal Official: Disney to Buy 21st Century Fox Assets for $52.4 Billion

The Simpsons predicted this would happen in 1998

You can say goodbye to old-school Hollywood.

Disney has officially acquired 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion. As far as I'm concerned, this is a direct threat to creatives everywhere.Disney now has new franchises X-Men, “Alien,” and “Avatar” at their disposal, which adds a significant amount of films to their upcoming streaming service, set to debut in 2019.

This new deal might make Disney more powerful than all of Hollywood. This much media controlled by one company is a dangerous affair but we'll see if Disney uses it responsibly, which I doubt by the way, they want to make as much money as possible from this.

“The acquisition of this stellar collection of businesses from 21st Century Fox reflects the increasing consumer demand for a rich diversity of entertainment experiences that are more compelling, accessible and convenient than ever before,” Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger blandly said in a statement. Incidentally, he has also extended his contract through 2021, so you can rule out any whispers of a political campaign for 2020.

[Variety]

Gary Oldman smoked $20,000 worth of cigars while filming Darkest Hour & experienced serious nicotine poisoning

Gary Oldman played Winston Churchill in the "Darkest Hour" in the most towering of ways. Oldman is spellbinding, you don't feel like you're watching an actor act, you feel like you're watching Churchill. The enveloping nature of his performance is, of course, unsurprising for fans, such as me, of this highly underrated thespian of an actor, whom, by the way, was never nominated for his work in "Leon," "True Romance," and "Sid & Nancy."  Unsurprisingly, the 59-year-old actor, that most pundits are predicting to win the Best Actor Oscar come next March, is very method.  He's supposedly burnt up close to $20,000 worth of cigars to depict the chain-smoking Churchill. Even worse? He suffered from nicotine poisoning in the process.

The Hollywood Reporter:

"Still, there was one aspect of playing Churchill that made Oldman sick to his stomach: the cigars. During the production, he puffed so many of Churchill's beloved Romeo y Julieta Cubans (at least 400 of them, at $50 a pop, with $20,000 of the film's $30 million budget literally going up in smoke) that he was all but turning green under the prosthetics. "I got serious nicotine poisoning," says Oldman. "You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar — we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene. As far as Wright's concerned, though, the poisoning was a small sacrifice to make for the greater good. "It's Winston Churchill," he says. "You can't have Winston Churchill without a cigar."

Yes, Churchill was an overweight cigar-chomping kind of person, but couldn't Oldman just use stunt cigars?

First Poster for A24's Drama 'Lean On Pete' - Starring Charlie Plummer, Steve Buscemi, and Chloë Sevigny

I saw this lovely movie at TIFF. 

Andrew Haigh’s “Lean on Pete” is a sprawling, unsentimental coming-of-age drama that is quite devious in its opening moments. You expect a cliched slice of Americana at the film's start. Charley (Charlie Plummer), living in the middle of nowhere with his sadsack, boozing and womanizing dad Ray (Travis Fimmel) in a shotgun shack, is the main protagonist. Then, a twist happens and then another and then another.  Whenever you think you know where the film is going, Haigh ("Weekend," "45 Years") pulls the rug from under you and slaps you sideways.
Adapted from the Willy Vlautin novel of the same name, the shift in Charley's life comes when he catches the attention of horse trainer Del Montgomery (an excellent Steve Buscemi), who offers to pay him for some help at local races. Is Del trustworthy? We can't really tell, but there's humanism there, he's taken the kid under his wings. However, Dale's tradeoff is still to make money. He makes it through his minor-league jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny), who warns Charley not to grow too close to any of the horses. Why? Del tends to sell them to Mexican slaughterhouses when they slow down and are no good for races anymore. Enter Lean on Pete, a stalwart at the aces, but Charley makes the mistake of taking in this five-year-old horse as his own. This leads to a downfall of epic proportions for our young protagonist, most of which I won't reveal here because the beauty of Haigh's film resides in going through the meandering, episodic nature and finding poignancy, depth if you will, in its beautifully constructed cracks.

Charley's episodic adventure has no soundtrack and is only enhanced by Haigh's still camera shots. It becomes painfully heartbreaking to watch, as every decision our main protagonist seems to be making is cringe-inducingly bad, no break is caught, and as nights turn into days, his survival starts to become questioned.

The film's power comes in the accumulation of the episodes Charley has to endure, some of which are very Steinbeck-esque. It works because of Haigh's risks and Plummer's every so magnetic screen presence which feels as authentic as the mountainous Montana alps so beautifully captured here by cinematographer Magnus Joenk. An actor as young as Plummer must be willing to go along with the risk-taking the part entails, there is no self-pity to this performance and the 18-year-old gives us a restrained and harrowing rendition. 

“Lean on Pete” doesn't aspire to be the next great American epic, but, then again, neither did "The Grapes of Wrath." No, this is a small gem that in focusing such an abundance of territory in its 120-minute running time does end up honoring the downtrodden of this country, the folks that American forgot many years ago.

Mark Hamill Thinks Star Wars Prequels Were More Original Than Force Awakens

Mark Hamill's interviews for "The Last Jedi" have been incredibly fascinating to watch. The 66-year-old-actor seems somewhat bitter or, should I say, troubled by the way Luke Skywalker has been treated in Episode IX. He's said "if people are expecting me to come out and weigh in with what I think about it, they're going to be disappointed because it takes me a long time.  At times, I'd say to Rian [Johnson], 'We gotta think of what the audience wants,'" Hamill said. "And he'd say, 'No, we've gotta think of what we want.' Which is a learning process for me." 

The way Disney changed the trajectory of the Skywalker saga away from Lucas' vision is something that Mark Hamill revealed he wished they hadn't done: “What I wish is that they had been more accepting of his guidance and advice," Hamill told Metro. "Because he had an outline for [Episodes] VII, VIII, and IX. And it is vastly different to what they have done. But then again, I don’t want to be an old stick in the mud," Hamill confessed. "There were the originals. There are the prequels. But that’s all George. And now we have the next generation. And as far as I can see they are more popular than ever.”

Entertainment Weekly interviewed Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy last year and she explained that Lucas was "Not really” involved in any of the creative input of the new trilogy, but she added, “But he’ll whisper in my ear every now and then. Usually, it’s something specific or important to him about Jedi training. Things like that.”

“I think he’s starting to settle into this and just be a fan,” she added. “It’s taken a while. It’s hard to let go, after 40 years. That’s a lot of expectation and things he thought a lot about. Suddenly that next generation, that whole thematic idea he came up with, is in process.”

Hamill has now admitted to Metro  that he thought Lucas' "Star Wars" prequels were more original than "The Force Awakens":

“What I thought was great about the prequels was the different technology that I had never seen before. All that CGI. And the fact that [George Lucas] wasn’t trying to do the same experience all over again.”

According to Hamill, George Lucas’ trajectory with the “Star Wars” prequels at least took the films down a brand new terrain, while J.J. Abrams’ “The Force Awakens” instead tried to tap into what made the original films so popular.

“I thought ‘The Force Awakens’ did that more than the early ones, because it had that the girl from a different planet, the death star, the Cantina sequence.”

When I asked Hamill whether that was Abrams’ intention, he responded, “Of course! He was trying to figure out what was it about the original movies that everybody loved. And that’s a different thought process than what George would have done. Because he would go, ‘I had a beginning, middle, and an end’.”

Rian Johnson's Star Wars Trilogy Pitch Didn't Include a Story

Earlier this month, Lucasfilm gave us the surprising news that Rian Johnson, director of the forthcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” would be starting a brand new “Star Wars” trilogy from scratch and that it wouldn’t be related to the original Skywalker story. Details are being kept hush-hush at the moment, we don’t know necessarily where this latest trilogy would take place nor do we know if any familiar characters would be jumping into this latest vision of the franchise.


Well, it seems like neither does Johnson. His pitch to Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy had no story:

"It came about because we were getting to the end of making this and again, I knew I wasn’t doing the next one.  And I had had a really good time not just making this movie, but working with Kathy and also working with Disney, working with Bob Iger, Alan Horn, and Alan Berg.  And we just had just a really good experience.  And we were all…it was like last week of senior year.  We were cleaning out our lockers.  And all getting kind of sad.  And saying, how do we keep working together?  And that I threw out, I said, the most interesting thing to me would be a new trilogy, one story told over three movies.  Go new places, meet new folks, come up with a new story to tell in the Star Wars universe.  The sky’s the limit.  That sounds thrilling.  And they really responded to that.  So we’re off, yeah."

Johnson was originally rumored to be Lucasfilm’s top choice to direct ‘Episode IX,’ after Colin Trevorrow left the project earlier in the year (J.J. Abrams took over the gig). It did make sense that Johnson would be in contention, as it appears that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has been very happy with how “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” turned out. Johnson has also suggested in the past that he’d love to take on another “Star Wars” film — but a whole trilogy? We didn’t see that coming.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” opens on December 15th.

[/Film]

Clint Eastwood's "The 15:17 to Paris" casts real-life heroes that stopped a terrorist attack

Director Clint Eastwood has helmed fourteen movies since hitting the age of 70. Has any director come close to that feat at this late stage in their career? Yes, Woody Allen‘s nearly been there thirteen films post-70, but Eastwood is still making hyper-relevant films at the near twilight of his career and sometimes breaking the box office in the process with something like “American Sniper.” Case in point his last two films: ‘Sniper‘ and “Sully,” both of which had the classicism of old-school Hollywood filmmaking, and yet, felt vitally alive and current. The resonant theme that bound both was the cost of hero worship. Both films have male characters who feel isolated and flawed, despite being deemed heroes by those around them.

It looks like “The 15:17 to Paris,” will be treading that line as well. Eastwood shot the film in the span of a month, which is based on the true story of the three American students who stopped a terrorist attack two years ago in Paris. But in the ballsiest twist in recent mainstream filmmaking, the 87-year-old director has decided to screw conventional Hollywood casting and tapped the actual three real-life American students who stopped the terrorist on the train as the leads of the film. A risk that has had people talking, but it seems like Eastwood saw something in these young men that made him believe he could pull this off. My advice? Trust Clint. Also, Eastwood really gives zero fucks these days so he probably doesn’t care anyhow.

The film was breezily supposed to be ready for an Awards-Season release in December. However, Deadline is now reporting that they've decided to release it in February, no word on a possible single day Oscar-qualifying run, but it sure seems unlikely as February 9th, 2018 is the date in which they have settled upon. Did the WB think that the film just wasn't good enough to be advertised for Oscar season? Who knows, Eastwood's last few films have failed to ignite critics and there's a sense that the director is just making movies to pass the time. I say that's nonsense. To say I'm looking forward to “The 15:17 to Paris” would be an understatement, anything Eastwood does is welcome in my books, Oscar season or not. 

SAG Nominees: "Three Billboards utside Ebbing, Missouri" Leads the way with 4 nods

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series:

“Game of Thrones”
“GLOW”
“Homeland”
“Stranger Things”
“The Walking Dead”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture:

“Baby Driver”
“Dunkirk”
“Logan”
“War for the Planet of the Apes”
“Wonder Woman” 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:

Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:

Judi Dench, “Victoria & Abdul”
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:

Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Hong Chau, “Downsizing”
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:

“The Big Sick”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Mudbound”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:

Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock”
Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”
Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”
Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:

Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”
Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”
Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:

Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:

Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”
Claire Foy, “The Crown”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:

Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Marc Maron, “GLOW”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:

Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
Alison Brie, “GLOW”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:

Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:

“Black-ish”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“GLOW”
“Orange is the New Black”
“Veep”

George Lucas Says The Last Jedi Was 'Beautifully Made'

George Lucas has probably gotten over the fact that he sold his life's passion to Disney more than 6 years ago now. It must also help that they are clearly trying to expand his vision and embrace the prequels he made as part of the canon. I can't exactly blame the guy for being a little sour after Disney threw his episode 7 ideas away, Star Wars is practically his life's work. 

With all that being said, it's great to hear that he enjoyed "The Last Jedi."

The Star Wars creator recently screened the highly-anticipated upcoming installment and thought it was "beautifully made," Connie Wethington, a rep for Lucas told Heat Vision.  "And in speaking with director Rian Johnson after viewing was complimentary," she added. 

The film, which I reviewed today, is great and clearly a very personal project or its writer-director Rian Johnson, so getting the approval from the series' creator must have meant the world to him.

The way Disney changed the trajectory of the Skywalker saga away from Lucas' vision is something that Mark Hamill revealed he wished they hadn't done: “What I wish is that they had been more accepting of his guidance and advice," Hamill told Metro. "Because he had an outline for [Episodes] VII, VIII and IX. And it is vastly different to what they have done. But then again, I don’t want to be an old stick in the mud," Hamill confessed. "There were the originals. There’s the prequels. But that’s all George. And now we have the next generation. And as far as I can see they are more popular than ever.”

Entertainment Weekly interviewed Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy last year and she explained that Lucas was "Not really” involved in any of the creative input of the new trilogy, but she added, “But he’ll whisper in my ear every now and then. Usually it’s something specific or important to him about Jedi training. Things like that.”

“I think he’s starting to settle into this and just be a fan,” she added. “It’s taken a while. It’s hard to let go, after 40 years. That’s a lot of expectation and things he thought a lot about. Suddenly that next generation, that whole thematic idea he came up with, is in process.”

[Hollywood Reporter]

"Good Time" Tops Film Comment's 2017 Critics Poll

Full list

1. Good Time
2. A Quiet Passion
3. Personal Shopper
4. Get Out
5. Nocturama
6. Ex-Libris
7. The Death of Louis XIV
8. Faces Places
9. The Lost City of Z
10. Lady Bird
11. The Human Surge
12. The Other Side of Hope
13. The Florida Project
14. Dawson City: Frozen Time
15. Phantom Thread
16. On the Beach at Night Alone
17. Wonderstruck
18. Mudbound
19. Beats Per Minute
20. The Square

[Film Comment]

Daisy Ridley cried when she heard JJ Abrams was coming back to direct Episode IX

Back to the top. That’s what happened when JJ Abrams was given the task of directing ‘Episode IX.’ He directed “The Force Awakens” with his usual lens flares and kick-ass, Spielberg-inspired action sequences. There also was the news, according to his friend, that he regretted not directing ‘Episode VIII.’ “He read it and said something he never, ever says, he said, ‘It’s so good, I wish I were making it.’ He may have said something one time on ‘Lost’ with Damon [Lindelof], but I never hear him express regret like that.” He actually passed “The Force Awakens,”  but Kathleen Kennedy wouldn’t take no for an answer. Nevertheless, he and Daisy ridley bonded quite well on that film, so much so that upon hearing the news that Abrams was returning, Ridley revealed she was in tears. According to Rolling Stone, the 25-year-old said: “Everyone was saying it was going to be Rian [Johnson, The Last Jedi director] and everything, so I was genuinely quite surprised. “And was like ‘Oh my god!’ and I started crying immediately with three people in the office. “And they were like, ‘What the f*** just happened?' So I emailed J.J. saying, ‘Oh my god I am crying.’ “And he goes, ‘Oh my god, me too.’ And then we had a conversation a few days later and we stay in touch. But we stayed in touch the whole time anyway.”

[Express]

Review: "The Last Jedi" is, flaws and all, the best directed, most beautiful-looking "Star Wars" movie since "The Empire Strikes Back."

At some point in "The Last Jedi" Luke Skywalker says: "This is not going to go the way you think." He couldn't be more right, and wrong.  "The Last Jedi" is a the most modern, hilarious, and meta installment of the franchise, filled with potent twists and surprising character development. And yet, it also feels safe. There's no risk-taking the way "The Empire Strikes Back" blew our mind back in 1980, but it is a significant step forward for this trilogy. It sets up characters, conflicts, situations, which leave you very hungry for the third installment, which will be released in 2019.

Director Rian Johnson ups the ante by creating a Star Wars movie that starts and ends at a breakneck pace. Despite the formulaic nature, his creativity and vision breaks through in "The Last Jedi." John Williams’ iconic score is back, so are Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn and Oscar Isaac as Poe. Old-timers are here as well, more specifically the late Carrie Fisher as Leia and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.

When "The Force Awakens" ended, Rey found Luke isolated in a far away island, lost, confused, by his failure in training Kylo Ren to be a Jedi. Ren ended up going to the dark side and starting his own dark sided rebellion. Rey wants Luke to train her to defeat Ren, but the legendary Jedi wants none of that. He's learned his lessons of the past, the last time Ren practically killed him, destroyed the Jedi village and stole 12 of the students as made them his own. Rey can't accept no for an answer as  she sleeps night after night outside Luke's door until he finally gives in. Thanks to R2-D2 who shows him a hologram of a classic Leia speech in the original film, Luke budges.



Meanwhile, the resistance, led by General Leia, are preparing to do battle with the first order. Poe's rebellious demeanor and risk-taking starts to rub her the wrong way and she demotes him from his command, he, of course, refuses to obey and goes on his own mission to destroy Ren's ship. Also, Finn wakes up from cryogenic sleep and teams up with Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) a mechanic that fawns over him at first glance as a legend of the resistance. 

If the first 20 or so minutes of the film suffer it's because Johnson decides to bring us head-on into a space battle between the resistance and the first order. It's an odd way to start the film when all you really want to see is Rey and Leia's mountaintop meet.  What "The Last Jedi" does so magnificently though is create a familiar yet different vision of the series, no wonder Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy decided to hire Johnson to tackle a whole other trilogy after this one is complete.

Training with Luke, Rey uncovers mysteries and secrets from her past, most of which involve Kylo, and all of which won't be mentioned here. Luke, with tired-looking eyes, a scruffy beard, and a weary look from years of suffering, is the heart and soul of the film. Hamill, now 66-years-old, gives his all in this performance, it's a character that has stayed deep inside him for now four decades, a mythic creation by George Lucas which now belongs to him. He gives Skywalker subtext, substance and touching gravity. This is a fully-fleshed role for Hamill that far surpasses the likable but naive Luke of the original trilogy. He's aged, grown weary, skeptical, even uttering the phrase "The Jedi needs to die."



Daisy Ridley makes Rey rank with the very best Star Wars character we've ever seen. The range and dynamics added to Rey here are potent and unforgettable. The chemistry between Hamill and Ridley is palpably electric, it's the heart and soul of the film, which, at times, suffers whenever they're not onscreen. However, a terrifically restrained performance from Adam Driver has us enthralled as his existential self-battle has him fighting off Snoke (Andy Serkis), his supreme leader and Rey, who attempts to lure him back to the good side. Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie are not as involved in the storytelling as in "The Force Awakens," and all the better for that, they are the weakest characters of the film, even if, at times, they do serve the story well here and there with fist-pumping sequences.

"The Last Jedi" could not have been what it is without Rian Johnson. It's very clear he's a massive fan of Star Wars, and this film must have been a dream come true for him. The way his writing beautifully pulls every story strand together in the climax, and there are many characters to juggle here, is truly fascinating to watch. Then again, this is the guy that directed "Looper," a sci-fi mind-bender that has gained cult classic status over the years and he brings the same visual ingenuity to "The Last Jedi," this might just be the best directed, most beautiful-looking "Star Wars" movie since "The Empire Strikes Back."

"The Last Jedi" has a terrific finale that provides cathartic significance for not just Luke, but the fans themselves, who have devoted their time and energy for decades encompassing every character, every memorable line of dialogue into their lives. The fact that Johnson has made a film worthy to be added to the legend is a cause for celebration. Flaws and all, the risks that are taken in "The Last Jedi" make it time-capsule worthy. 

Saudi Arabia Lifts A 35-Year-Old Ban On Cinemas; Theaters Re-Opening in 2018

We know that 200+ high ranking Saudis have been detained and $50 billion in assets seized. Some kind of societal overhaul is happening over there.  I wonder what is the cause? There has always been a running division amongst Saudi royalty. The powerful are Western educated and their religious beliefs are, err, moderate to say the least.  The royals being arrested seem to be those using religion to gain more power. This has been a major crutch for the moderates. To avoid this, they have focused on bringing about attitude changes first - hence the enormous women's university and similar projects. It seems like it might be working. Either this will blossom into a full-blown westernized country or we wukk see a religious uprising and it'll all go to hell. Good luck to anyone living there.

Deadline has this:

"Saudi Arabia has officially declared that public movie theaters will return to the kingdom for the first time in more than 30 years. The move had been expected. Deadline reported last month that an initiative was afoot to build and open cinemas after being a focus of the Future Investment Initiative conference held in Riyadh in October."

"Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad said today, “Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification; by developing the broader cultural sector we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enriching the Kingdom’s entertainment options.” The first moviehouses are likely to open in March, per local reports."

Saudi’s earlier cinemas were shuttered in 1982 after clerics persuaded the government to do so. While censorship could be an issue, the General Entertainment Authority has previously said there is a desire to create entertainment that “will be like 99% of what is going on in London and New York.”

"Overall, the Middle East has seen significant increases in box office in the past few years and Saudi’s population is 65%-70% under 30-years-old. A Comic-Con event in Jeddah this February attracted more than 10,000 people."

"Today’s announcement follows some years of forward momentum within the local filmmaking community. In 2013, Haifaa al Mansour became the first woman to direct a film inside the kingdom. That movie, Wadjda, went on to be the first-ever submission from Saudi for the Foreign Language Oscar. In 2016, Mahmoud Sabbagh’s Barakah Meets Barakah was also entered as the Saudi candidate after a successful showing at the Berlin Film Festival."

Spike Lee says Nate Parker was setup and double-crossed

Speaking with The Daily Beast, Spike Lee says he believes Nate Parker was set up, adding that he knows who did it:

“One day, someone’s going to write a book about that whole thing, because I’ve never seen someone fall so quick. I just find it strange that on the same day, Variety and Hollywood Reporter reported [on Parker]. There were some shenanigans there,” he said.

“I know who it is. I’m not going to say who it is,” Lee continued. “But they do that type of stuff. [‘The Birth of a Nation’] was a film that they knew was a lock, so they had to come up with some dirt to knock it out. And they were very successful. It was a dirty, low-down shame. A dope-fiend double-cross. It’s still a great film, too. I’ll go on record and say that’s a great film, and I said it the first time I saw it at Sundance.”

Here is World of Reel's history with Nate Parker:

So here's my history with Nate Parker's "The Birth of a Nation"

I reviewed it at Sundance this past January with very mixed feelings.

Excerpts from my 1.19.16 rumblings:

"Winning the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award is a sign that this movie is about to take Hollywood by storm. It was made to piss people off and get them out of their seats shouting. Recounting the story of Nat Turner, an African American Slave that lead a rebellion in 1831 to free African-Americans in Virgina. There’s blood soaked, sweat induced, passion in every frame of Nate Parker’s flawed film. You can never discount this kind of filmmaking, even when it’s by a first-time filmmaker still learning his narrative steps. The aptly titled film is bound to cause a stir when it gets released later this year, choosing the title of D.W Griffith’s grand, but very racist, 1915 masterpiece is a sign that the times might be in fact changing. Parker makes mistakes and those mistake do end up costing him. Portraying Turner as Jesus-like figure doesn't help, nor does the fact that he fumblingly sets up his story in a lame almost skittish way. The actual rebellion only happens near the end. Bad decision. Parker isn't fit yet to carry such a heavy subject matter as a director, his amateurish mistakes are absurd and almost too naive, but his mind and passion are in the right place and his movie relevant as ever, which is why so many here are on Team Parker"

Fine. This sounds like a C+ kind of movie which is what I would have given the film back in Park City. People went gaga over it which, I found, really had to do more with current political climate than the actual quality of the film itself.

With that Sundance triumph Parker was well headed to the Oscars with his film, but then BOOM. Controversy struck:

"A past case involving rape charges. Parker and, then wrestling teammate Jean MiGianni Celestin, were accused of raping a fellow Penn State student while she was intoxicated and unconscious. It doesn't stop there, they both started harassing her after she pressed charges on them. If you read the court orders and records of calls that are online you will see a helpless victimized girl, that just wanted to get an education, harassed both physically and mentally to the brink of near-suicide.

The Parker case was well-known, I even asked Hollywood Elsewhere's Jefferey Welles about it back in January to which he just shrugged it off and said the case is closed. He was right, the case was closed, but recently we found out the victim committed suicide, after two failed attempts, three years ago. Ok, here we go. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize how implicated Parker is to this. Can we, the public, actually forgive him for what he has done? That's none of our business. What is more important is if the victim's family should forgive him and, in a rather vague, but fascinating statement, they seemed to have definitely not forgiven Celestin and Parker."

Ok, so now we have a problem and The Toronto International Film Festival, an event that was supposed to crown the film, was right around the corner. I was sent down by The Playlist to cover the press conference which ended up being a total clusterfuck:

"The mood was awkward at today’s press conference, as Parker kept dodging questions concerning his past. “This is a forum for the film, the people sitting on the stage, I don’t want to hijack it with my personal life,” he said when asked why he hadn’t yet apologized to the family of the woman at the centre of the case. “Respectfully I want to continue to celebrate the people that are in front of us today.” His outspoken co-star Gabrielle Union concurred, “There is the art and there is the artist, these are two different things … To those that want to stay home I tell them whatever issue you have bring it to the theatre and judge for yourself.”

Parker seemed content with having his cast answering some of the more pertinent questions, but stepped in to confirm that the release and awards push are continuing on as planned. “I can’t speak for the [distributor] Fox [Searchlight]. We are still moving forward as planned with everything.” He went on to elaborate “I don’t pretend to be an expert on people’s reactions. I’m a filmmaker. I am going to stand in that lane and stay there.”

He didn't really seem to apologize in any way, shape or form. Which is really what people are asking for. He was even asked why he hasn't apologized by the NY Times and completely dodged, deviated that question.

The film's reviews have been a little more tepid since then, oh critics, and all that brings us to this Sunday's 60 Minutes interview. Which, I understand, has been in the works weeks before than infamous TIFF presser. Maybe he was waiting for a national audience to "officially" say he's sorry.