#MeCarthyism took Jill Messick from us

Jill Messick, a Harvey Weinstein staffer that was the target of Rose McGowan’s wrath, committed suicide yesterday. Her family has claimed that Messick was “victimized” and brought to the brink of that dark void by McGowan.

McGowan’s charges were part of a 10.28.17 N.Y. Times story, as well as her recent book "Brave," which had its book tour recently canceled because of McGowan's erratic behavior. 

Messick was a producer, but, more importantly, former Miramax exec that was also McGowan’s manager when the actress alleged Weinstein raped her in January 1997. Messick's family claims that she was brought into a deep depression by McGowan and didn't want to defend herself as it would deter the goodness and momentum of the #MeToo movement. 

Joseph McBride's eloquent warning to us all on Facebook about the negative depths to which this movement can go into. Territory unexplored until Messick's passing.

The now infamous NYT story had McGowan meeting Weinstein at a hotel room. Messick arranged the meeting not knowing that it would turn into the sexual assault that it became. McGowan has stated that Messick comforted McGowan post-attack  “But in the months to come,” Dominus wrote, “McGowan did not feel supported by her management team."

Weinstein attorney Ben Brafman has disputed the rape allegations laid forth by McGowan:

“In an email to Mr. Weinstein regarding the encounter, Jill Messick says the following, ‘When we met up the following day, [McGowan] hesitantly told me of her own accord that during the meeting that night before she had gotten into a hot tub with Mr. Weinstein. 

She was very clear about the fact that getting into that hot tub was something that she did consensually and that in hindsight it was also something that she regretted having done.'”

McGowan had made Messick her prime target in the weeks that followed. The Messick family has said that McGowan's shunning of their daughter was ultimately what led to her suicide.

“Jill was victimized by our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact,” the family statement said. “The speed of disseminating information has carried mistruths about Jill as a person, which she was unable and unwilling to challenge. 

She became collateral damage in an already horrific story…Jill was many things, but she was not a liar.”

Original NYT Weinstein/McGowan story had Messick's picture stamped on its paper

First Poster - ‘Tully’ | Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis

Published on 2.1.18 from Sundance:

“In Jason Reitman’s beautiful love letter, a fairy tale of sorts, Charlize Theron is Marlo, a mother of three, whose hesitance towards hiring a night nanny Tully (Mackenzie Davis)by her brother quickly turns into a truly heavenly experience once the aforementioned nanny is hired. Marlo and Tully form a bond that feels so touching and heavenly that it effectively works as the driving force of the whole movie. Not much happens in Tully except for conversation, this is screenwriter Diablo Cody’s ruthless, authentic love letter to women all over the world, those that have to go through all the obstacles that man don’t. They say you have to experience to fully know what it feels, Theron, in a performance of immense honesty makes you feel every ache, every strain, of her character’s everyday struggles. This is the fiercest of feminism portrayed on-screen. “

DC Films Wants Michael Bay to Direct “Lobo”

I would love to have a“Lobo” movie happen just as much as the next person, but the director and actor have to be the right fit.  Guy Ritchie and Brad Peyton were once upon a time touted as directors for "Lobo," Dwayne Johnson was even set to star as the comic book hero.

The Wrap has confirmed that DC Films wants Michael Bay to direct “Lobo,” and that Bay is interested and will make a final decision after he reads the script. Jason Fuchs (“Pan,” “Wonder Woman“) is currently working on the screenplay. 

You know, we predicted many of the bad decisions the WB and DC Films have made before the finished product was even released, and this might be another addition to that list of misdeeds. Bay directing a superhero movie seems like a nightmare for many DCEU fans.

Clint Eastwood: “Political Correctness Era Is Weakening Society”

“I’m never cautious about what I say because, you know, I’ve been around a long time, what can they do? The political correctness era that we’re in is really not doing anyone any good. It’s taking everyone and weakening society. It doesn’t seem that people have to take themselves so serious,” Eastwood said. “It seems like, I’m just lucky that I grew up in an era where we all lived in an area where everybody joked about everything. Nothing was politically incorrect because everything was always a joke with a sense of humour. People sometimes are losing that and taking themselves and everyone else seriously. I think they’re missing a lot and not enjoying the differences that we all have.”

[The Playlist]

Joaquin Phoenix to Play The Joker In Todd Philips' Untitled Joker Origin Movie

It seems like the WB has finally found its Joker for Todd Phillips’ untitled Joker origin movie. According to Variety, none other than Joaquin Phoenix will play Batman's arch nemesis. Contractual negotiations are currently not underway, but, according to the daily, "Phillips has made it clear that Phoenix was his top choice to star .... and after thinking it over, Phoenix has agreed to the role."

Phillips will direct and co-write the screenplay. The director had met Phoenix before the new year and was just waiting for the WB to give him the green light to cast Phoenix.  Rumors had circulated that Leonardo DiCaprio was Phillips' original choice to play The Joker but that fell through. All the better, Phoenix as the Joker makes more sense than DiCaprio.

More to come as this story breaks ....

[Variety]

Harrison Ford Served as a “Covert Technical Adviser” on “Solo: A Star Wars Story”

Harrison Ford, the original Han Solo, served as a "covert technical adviser" on Solo: A Star Wars Story," according to EW. And despite the actual perception that Ford just doesn't really care about "Star Wars" anymore, he wanted his character killed off in the 70's, he was actually quite courteous in his lunch with Solo: A Star Wars story star Alden Ehrenreich.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed to EW that she sent Ford the "Solo" screenplay and got his approval, if he even read the damn thing:

“What [Ford] did so beautifully for Alden was he talked a lot about what he remembered when he first read Star Wars, and what George had done with Han. Who the character was and the conversations he had for so many years with George about how that character developed…He gave Alden that kind of insight which was invaluable. There were several times in the course of making the movie where Alden would actually recount some of the things that Harrison had pointed out. I think that was really, really helpful to him.”

Hell, even Ron Howard asked Ford for advice. The two go way back, even further than their movie debuts in 1973’s “American Graffiti.”

“Harrison’s a very thoughtful actor and an artist, and I wanted to know what he learned about the character…He said that Han is always torn between that sense that he was, in a way, an orphan, and therefore both yearned for connection with people and struggled with it at the same time. I thought that was pretty interesting.”

Ehrenreich chimed in as well about their now famous lunch in an altogether separate interview:

“He said a great thing when I met him. ‘Tell them I told you everything you needed to know, and that you can’t tell anyone.’ … I wanted to meet him because I just felt generally it wouldn’t be right to do the movie without some kind of contact with him, and I’m really glad I did. He was very, very supportive. And it’s just cool to have lunch with Harrison Ford.”

EXCLUSIVE: First Images - “Solo: A Star Wars Story”

Spring Movie Preview: 10 Movies Cinephiles Have To Look Forward To

Last spring was a great time for movies: Get Out, John Wick 2, Raw, Personal Shopper, The Lost City of Z, Logan, Colossal and Split were released. January to April is usually a dead time for movies, but the last few years we've seen a change, more studios are banking on those months to promote movies they are actually confident about. I have yet to see January's 'Paddington 2," but that's already a film that has impressed audiences and critics alike. Here's a preview of what's to come in the next 3 months of cinema:

Black Panther (February 16th)

The 18th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the first to star a black superhero. Ryan Coogler's Black Panther is a game-changer of the highest order, a landmark of the superhero genre that that's been more than 2 decades in the making. T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), is the king of Wakanda, but when he dons his leather, all-Ebon suit he's the Black Panther. Since this is a Ryan Coogler movie Michael B. Jordan has to be cast in some kind of role, here Jordan plays  is the villanous Killmonger. Want more? The cast includes such stalwarts as Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis. As for 

Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed), he forever reinvented the boxing genre in Creed and he seems to have done the same for the superhero movie here. The look of the film is beautifully rendered and was said to be inspired by 

the architecture and dress of African countries. Coogler even innoates with a few astoundign single take shots. Coogler and his crew make good with the source material, which is inspired by 

Ta-Nehisi Coates' more recent comics. Who'da thunk it? A Marvel movie that celebrates blackness in all its glory. This is a game-changer.

The 15:17 to Paris (February 16th)

Director Clint Eastwood has helmed fourteen movies since hitting the age of 70. He 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. 

The film was breezily supposed to be ready for an Awards-Season release in December. However, the decision to, instead, release it in February has had people taming down their expectations. Did the WB think that the film just wasn't good enough to be advertised for Oscar season? Who knows.  I'm nevertheless looking forward to “The 15:17 to Paris” would be an understatement, anything Eastwood does is welcome in my books, Oscar season or not. 

Annihilation (February 23rd)

After test screenings of Annihilation had Paramount execs freaking over the film being “too intellectual” and “too complicated” for audiences, they asked its director Alex Garland to make changes to the ending of the movie, However, co-producer Scott Rudin wanted none of that, as per his contract he has final say, and the intended vision is indeed being released in theaters. 

Paramount no doubt very nervous about their returns, have asked Netflix to partner with them, the streaming giant will be in charge of half the film's 55 million budget and make the film available in streaming format 17 days after the theatrical release. 

Garland is coming off the critical success of his incredible directorial debut "Ex-Machina" and we've heard whispers here and there that, indeed, Annihilation is as accessible as "2001: A Space Odyssey," which means for those that want to venture into the unknown and indulge themselves in thoughtful sci-fi then this is the movie for you. 

Mute (February 23rd)

Duncan Jones became one of the very exciting directors to emerge from Hollywood with Moon, and Source Code. After a failed attempt at adapting Warcraft, his latest, Mute, looks like a step in the right direction and what the director says is a return to universe he created with Moon. A look at the trailer and it looks and feels like “Blade Runner.” It is then not surprising  to learn that Jones has described this latest film as a love letter to "Blade Runner."

Set in "Berlin, the future," the film has Leo (Alexander Skarsgård) – not able to speak due to a childhood accident – searching for his girlfriend, who has mysteriously disappeared. As he roams what the official synopsis calls  "the dark streets, frenzied plazas, and the full spectrum of the cities shadow-dwellers," he tries to find answers in two army surgeons, Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux). Netflix is distributing Mute on February 23rd, there is a lot of buzz surrounding this movie and, if advanced word of mouth is any indication, we might have winner here.

Red Sparrow (March 2nd)

Jennifer Lawrence as a former ballerina turned Russian intelligence officer? Joel Edgerton as the CIA agent that falls in love with her? This spy thriller, directed by Francis Lawrence, also stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jeremy Irons.  Based on the popular novel by former CIA operative Jason Matthews, the film reteams J-Law with her Hunger Games director Lawrence. The film has also been stamped with an R rating for strong violence, torture, sexual content, language and some graphic nudity, the creatives are going all in with this movie.

A Wrinkle In Time (March 9th)

Ava Duvernay's big-budgeted adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic sci-fi children’s novel has been building up considerable buzz since the debut of its trailer late last year. Following tween Meg Murry (Storm Reid) who is looking for missing dad (Chris Pine) by somehow finding a way to zap through space and time, "A Wrinkle in Time" is a film that does not lack ambitions.  Meg gains the help of Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) in her journey, this is a powerful story about a brave young girl trying to defy the odds and put a stamp on her own personal identity. A look at the trailer and sumptuous visuals seem to be promised, aided by top-notch special effects and a director that h asn't missed a step so far in her young filmmaking career (Middle of Nowhere, Selma, 13th). Whether the movie becomes a resounding success or not, you can't help but cheer for DuVernay who is only the third female director in history to be given a budget over $100 million for a movie.

Isle Of Dogs (March 23rd)

Of all the great Wes Anderson movies, and there are quite a few, I've always a real fondness for The Fantastic Mr. Fox, a stop-motion animation treat from 2009 that was the most formally realized picture of his career. So it is with great joy to behold another film of his that will be in stop motion animation form: Isle of Dogs. If that wasn't enough he has amassed another fantastic cast to take part in this adventure: 

Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, F. Murray Abraham, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Kunichi Nomura, Harvey Keitel, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, Koyu Rankin, Yoko Ono (!), Courtney B. Vance (!), Greta Gerwig (!!!), Frances McDormand, Bob Balaban and Liev Schreiber Although plot details are fairly ambiguous about the film, which will premiere this month at the Berlin Film Festival, earlier this year, Anderson had mentioned that the film is “less influenced by stop-motion movies than it is by Akira Kurosawa.”

Add to the fact that Anderson is currently at the peak of his powers, his last three films were The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, and you can't help but put Isle of Dogs at the very top of your most anticipated movies of the spring, hell let's make it of the whole year.

Unsane (March 23rd)

Fresh off her triumphant turn as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, Claire Foy is about to take cinema by storm. This fall Foy will star in Damien Chazelle's First Man, and she is also set to play Lisbeth Salander in The Girl in the Spider's Web. In the meantime, she stars in this March's Steven Soderbergh-helmed iPhone movie "Unsane." That's right, Soderbergh shot his psychological thriller on an iPhone, Sean Baker-Style. The film has Foy involuntarily committed into an insane asylum, she seems to think it's a mistake and pleads for her case, to no avail. Soderbergh un-retired last year with the light, entertaining "Logan Lucky," this latest endeavor takes him on a darker path, but, if the trailer is any indication, there is stil very much a lot of humor at play in his latest film. The film co-stars Juno Temple, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, and Amy Irving. 

Ready Player One (March 30th)

Steven Spielberg's filmography is incredible; "Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "E.T." Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan" and those are all movies released before what I consider to be his peak phase between 2001 and 2005; "A.I." Minority Report," "Catch Me If You Can," "Munich," "War of the Worlds") that's when he really hit his stride as an artist. Coming off his last three serious, slow but artfully constructed movies

(Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, and The Post), all part of a Max Ophuls-esque phase the director seems to be going through, his next endeavor feels like a breath of fresh air. Ernest Cline's pop culture masterpiece "Ready Player One." A book which was deemed by some to be unfilmable, has Spielberg taking on a dystopian, overpopulated future filled with virtual reality. The film starts off with the creator an MMO called the Oasis dying but releasing a final video in which he challenges users to find an Easter Egg which, if retrieved, will give the winner a boatload of cash. Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) find a clue and we're off to the races with him. 

Mary Magdalene (March 30th)

Fresh off his feature-directing debut "Lion," Garth Davis' decision to make a movie about Mary and Jesus was perceived as rather odd.  However, the fact that Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix star as, respectively, Mary and Jesus is enough to have any true movie lover root for this film. Two of the best actors of their generation take on a story thousands of years old, but are supposed to bring a feminist twist to the surroundings.  

"Mary Magdalene" will be released on March 30th which of course coincides with Easter and Passover, so there clearly is an urge to tap to a certain market with this latest biblical feature.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Accuses Guillermo Del Toro of Copying ‘Delicatessen’ Dance Scene in ‘The Shape Of Water’

Poor Jean-Pierre Jeunet, at some point this guy was on top of the world, hell, he even directed an Alien movie, albeit the worst installment of the franchise. Nevertheless, "Delicatessen," "The City of Lost Children" and "Amelie" were special gifts. So, it is with much dismay to learn that Jeunet is trying to throw Oscar front-runner Guillermo del Toro under the bus by accusing The Shape of Water director of copying a scene from "Delicatessen." 

A Ouest France article by Francois Leger asserts that the Dominique Pinon and Karin Viard sequence of them dancing while seated on a bed, as they listen to an old musical number on TV,  is a token replica of a similar scene involving Sally Hawkins and Richard Jenkins.

The article becomes even more interesting when Jeunet tells Leger than he actually e-mailed del Toro: “I told him, you have a lot of imagination, a lot of talent. Why go and [use] the ideas of others? He said, ‘We owe Terry Gilliam everything.’ According to him, he does not steal from others, it is Terry Gilliam who has influenced us all. But [the Hawkins-Jenkins scene] is so copied-and-pasted Delicatessen that there is a moment when I said to myself that he lacks self-esteem.”

“It’s already old Delicatessen, it’s spent in history, and so under this pretext we can use and recycle. Now, I do not make a nervous poo either because it is better to be stung than ignored. I’m not going to attack for plagiarism anyway. It’s not my mind. But Guillermo has enough talent not to do that.”

You know I love the nod to Terry Gilliam. He was an untouchable GOD for me from 1975-1998. His influence at the movies is vast and too damn underrated. There would damn sure be no Guillermo del Toro without a Terry Gilliam.

Diane Kurger on working with Quentin Tarantino: “My work experience with Quentin Tarantino was pure joy.”

View this post on Instagram

In light of the recent allegations made by Uma Thurman against Harvey Weinstein and her terrifying work experience on “Kill Bill”, my name has been mentioned in numerous articles in regards to the choking scene in “Inglourious Basterds”. This is an important moment in time and my heart goes out to Uma and anyone who has ever been the victim of sexual assault and abuse. I stand with you. For the record however, I would like to say that my work experience with Quentin Tarantino was pure joy. He treated me with utter respect and never abused his power or forced me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. With love, D xoxo

A post shared by Diane Kruger (@dianekruger) on Feb 6, 2018 at 6:31am PST

Quentin Tarantino: Uma Thurman Car Crash Was A “Horrendous Mistake”

This whole Quentin Tarantino/Uma Thurman fiasco has really rubbed me the wrong way. Mostly because a) QT and Uma both come off on the wrong side of the argument. SHE shouldn't have made this public as they were still friends before press time and b) Well, Quentin shouldn't have forced her into that car, but Uma, protected by the Screen Actors Guild, could have easily refused. What was QT going to do? Shove her into that car?  This morning Tarantino phoned Deadline's Michael Fleming to discuss the Uma/QT problem on the set of Kill Bill.

QT admits to fucking up but does state that the stunt was "a little thing," but that's it's one of the biggest regrets of his career:

“Watching [Uma] fight for the wheel…remembering me hammering about how it was safe and she could do it. Emphasizing that it was a straight road, a straight road…the fact that she believed me, and I literally watched this little S curve pop up. And it spins her like a top. It was heartbreaking. Beyond one of the biggest regrets of my career, it is one of the biggest regrets of my life. For a myriad of reasons.

“It affected me and Uma for the next two to three years. It wasn’t like we didn’t talk. But a trust was broken. A trust broken over a year of shooting, of us doing really gnarly stuff. Doing really big stunt stuff. I wanted her to do as much as possible and we were trying to take care of her and we pulled it off. She didn’t get hurt. And then the last four days, in what we thought would be a simple driving shot, almost kills her.

“The road had more sand, and less dirt, than we actually anticipated. We changed the direction. That was a bad idea, to do that without checking it out. I think ultimately it is the reason she crashed. Although by mounting a camera on the back of this little Karmann Ghia, it made the car, in the back, way too heavy once it got in trouble. At a certain point, this Karmann Ghia was almost hydroplaning on the sand. You can even see that in the shot. She doesn’t drive into the tree. The car just goes into a spin, in the sand. And it slides into the tree.”

Guilty pleasure admission: I’ll watch just about anything starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

I won't lie, I always look forward to a movie starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Yes, even when I am most likely disappointed by the actual film, there's always something alluring and silly about watching a film starring the 45-year-old actor. And, to be honest with you, I just need a single hand to count the watchable movies he's been in, maybe half a hand ("Pain and Gain," "Fast Five," "The Rundown," and his cameo in "The Other Guys"). He has three action movies set for 2018, could be a special year for him. 

The official synopsis:

“Global icon Dwayne Johnson leads the cast of Legendary’s “Skyscraper” as former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Ford, who now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in China he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he’s been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who is trapped inside the building…above the fire line.”

I mean, this is "Die Hard" meets "The Towering Inferno," right?  The trailer sold me, check that ridiculous jump near the end and tell me you weren't amazed by the thrilling absurdity. 

“Skyscraper” opens on July 13th.

What about “The 15:17 to Paris”?

I'm supposed to watch Clint Eastwood‘s The 15:17 to Paris this Thursday but word of mouth has so far been very tame from those that have actually seen it. This looks like another brief, true-story expanded into a 90 minute film, this is basically "Sully," which I really liked by the way, the minimalist approach to storytelling Eastwood gave us in that movie was unique for him and it seems to continue here with "15:17". The fact that Eastwood has decided to cat real-life heroes— Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone- who botched the terrorist's plans on a Paris train makes the film an intriguing prospect, but a look at the trailer and the acting feeld somewhat wooden. Dorothy Blyskal wrote the screenplay which is based on “The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Soldiers” by Jeffrey Stern.

Buster Keaton gets rejected by a hatcheck girl without a word being spoken in “Seven Chances” (1925)

French Distributor Defends Woody Allen in Op-Ed For “Le Point” Comparing Accusations to Salem Witch Hunts

Stéphane Célérier, who is the head of Mars Films, which is France’s longtime distributor for Woody Allen’s movies, vehemently defended the director in an editorial for the French weekly news magazine Le Point. 

“I have been shocked by the wave of hate provoked by the Woody Allen affair, particularly in the United States and on the social networks, and by the lack of rigor by certain media outlets and the pack which condemns without looking into the full facts,”Célérier wrote.“That is the approach I have decided to take. Simply to get to the bottom of the truth, to understand whether I’ve been working closely with a pedophile all these years.”

“This affair makes me think of the case of the Witches of Salem which Arthur Miller used so expertly in his play [‘The Crucible‘] as an allegory for McCarthyism,” wrote Célérier.

“It seems clear to me that Woody Allen should not be classified in the same category as the sexual predators recently denounced by Hollywood and end his days as a pariah whose work should be burned.”

“It's complicated today, impossible even, to stand-up for Woody Allen’s innocence.” 

Box Office Week: Once again Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle retakes #1 in its seventh week with $11M, the first December release to be #1 in February since Titanic in 1998. Meanwhile, Winchester opens weak at #3 with $9.2M.

1. “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” — $11 million ($352.6 mil.)
2. “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” — $10.2 million ($39.7 mil.)
3. “Winchester” — $9.2 million
4. “The Greatest Showman” — $7.8 million ($137.4 mil.)
5. “Hostiles” — $5.5 million ($21.2 mil.)
6. “The Post” — $5.2 million ($67.1 mil.)
7. “12 Strong” — $4.7 million ($37.3 mil.)
8. “Den Of Thieves” — $4.6 million ($36.2 mil.)
9. “The Shape Of Water” — $4.3 million ($44.5 mil.)
10. “Paddington 2” — $3.1 million ($36.3 mil.)

Notable Box Office Stories:

• Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle- Well at least this is the last week I should have to rewrite the sentiment of "boy Jumanji is making a lot of money" but there are some new milestones the film has cracked. First up the film has passed $350M domestic, making it the 5th highest grossing film of 2017 domestic. That also puts it just 400K under the lifetime domestic gross of Furious 7 which means by tomorrow it will be Dwayne Johnson's highest grossing film domestically. The film also surpassed Thor: Ragnarok in worldwide gross, making it the 8th highest grossing film in 2017 worldwide. If that wasn't enough, this is the first December release in twenty years to have a #1 spot in February, last achieved by Titanic in February 1998. That really speaks to the unbelievable legs this film has had. It's an immense success all around and it will be fascinating to watch the fallout across all the studios, especially Sony, for its insane success.
• Winchester - The latest in the "horror films based on real life spooky houses starring acclaimed British actors" genre (you know that old trope) has opened to a pretty weak if predicted #3 with $9.5M. It's odd for a February horror release with barely any marketing to star an actor as acclaimed as Helen Mirren, but then again it's weird to release a new $40M+ entry into a popular film series direct to Netflix right after the Superbowl so nothing makes any sense any more. The film based on the real life Winchester House was directed by The Spierg Brothers, director of last year's minor hit Jigsaw which hoped the popular tourist destination would bring in the crowds. However a new release on Superbowl weekend always spells disaster because it is usually in the top 5 worst box office weekends of the year, for obvious reasons. And this film felt like a bomb they were trying to bury as it received horrendous reviews from critics and a B- on Cinemascore. So the studio will pretend to be surprised that releasing a horror film Superbowl weekend was a bad idea, Helen Mirren will get a big check, and we'll all repeat this all over again next year. Hooray!
• Oscar Movie Round-up - This weekend saw some big expansions for Oscar films but as expected every single one dropped from last weekend due to A) not being a post-nomination weekend and B) it's Superbowl/Cloverfield weekend. First up is The Shape of Water which 487 theaters but dropped 27.4% for $4.3M. On Saturday the film walked away with the DGA award for best director for Guillermo del Toro, making him a lock for Best Director at the Oscars which often coincides with a Best Picture win. However that win might be taken away in one way or another by Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri which added 269 theaters but dropped 20.6% to come in with $3M. While you would think Fox Searchlight would be beaming that they have the #1 and #2 films in the BP race it's actually a bit of a headache. See these studios have to choose what films they pour their campaign money into and it's hard to pick which one to go for if both are seemingly BP noms. Because of this there is a worry that someone like A24 (Lady Bird) or Universal (Get Out) will be able to put all their chips down on one film and steal it away. Not to mention you want to keep people like del Toro and McDonagh happy so they will presumably make their next big Oscar smash with you. So it will be interesting to see how Fox navigates that, most likely pushing del Toro for Director and hoping for a BP win off that and focusing on acting and screenplay wins for Three Billboards. Oh right box office, sorry got on a nerdy tangent there. I, Tonya added 490 theaters this weekend and dropped 15.6% with $2.5M. The film continues to perform well despite really only being a major play in Best Supporting Actress, likely do to the new media evaluation of Harding that comes with a major biopic release. Also that banging Sufjan song. Finally despite only scoring one Oscar nom Molly's Game decided to go for one last push, adding 287 theaters. The results weren't great as it dropped 11.2% for a weekend total of 800K.

[Reddit]

OFFICIAL TEASER: “Solo: Star Wars”

In 2006 Paramount almost fired Tom Cruise from Mission Impossible for his controversial media appearances. In 2018 Paramount is counting on Tom Cruise to deliver with Mission Impossible and finally give them a big hit in a long while.

The trailer for MI:6 has just been released and, I must say, this looks like another old-school, this-is-how-you-do-it kinda movie. Entertainment! Remember movies that just wanted to entertain and did it marvelously well? Unless you think the safe zone Marvel and DC have been on for the better part of a decade is entertainment, but if you don't think in that mindset  then you must very much be looking forward to "Mission: Impossible - Fallout."

This is is really that rare franchise that keeps the quality high movie after movie, I stand by my assessment that the last two films ("Ghost Protocol," and "Rogue Nation") were the best of the series, although I do hold the original 1996 Brian De Palma very close to my heart.

Many don't realize just how close Tom Cruise was going to be fired back in 2006. Paramount had just about enough with his couch-jumping antics (remember that?) and A cover story in the August 2005 issue of Vanity Fair read “Has Tom Cruise Lost His Marbles?”



Screen Crush has chimed in today with Remember When Paramount Tried To Fire Tom Cruise From The Mission: Impossible Franchise? At the time, a Paramount exec was quoted as saying:

"We don't think that someone who effectuates creative suicide and costs the company revenue should be on the lot [...] His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."

So what happened? 

"In the years following his couch jump, Cruise hired a new publicist (one with actual experience) and stayed away from big-budget action projects. His production company, looking for a new home, signed a deal with MGM, giving him partial ownership in the classic Hollywood studio United Artists. His next two starring roles — Lions For Lambs and Valkyrie — were more dramatic parts in smaller films. Those films were met with mixed results, but it was Cruise's supporting role as the profane studio head Les Grossman in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder that may have reminded everyone just how good the actor could be."

So Les Grossman saved Tom Cruise's career. I mean how amazing is that? I will say this, when I saw Tropic Thunder back in 2008 I had NO IDEA that it was Tom Cruise playing the slimy film Exec. What an incredibly slapstick performance that was.



Of course, now Paramount must be thanking the heavens for not firing the 55-year-old actor as the Mission: Impossible franchise is their lonre moneymaker, especially with the fifth "Transformers" movie bombing at the box-office.  Paramount is looking for "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" to so desperately give them the hit they've been craving for the better part of 3 years now. That trailer does make it seem as if it's going to happen. 

[Reddit]

Xavier Dolan has cut Jessica Chastain from his upcoming movie “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan”

Jessica Chastain has been cut from “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.” Xavier Dolan says that is “has nothing to do with” her performance. This being Xavier, the news was announced on Instagram. 

Here's the synopsis of the film

A decade ago, the publisher of a gossip magazine, Moira, exposed the correspondences of an American TV star, John F. Donovan, with an 11-year-old British boy, Rupert Turner. A storm kills Donovan's life and career and culminates in his death. Ten years later, Turner reminiscences the written correspondence, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.

Chastain was playing Moira. How was she cut? Maybe she was just shown in flashbacks.

“What you need to hear from me is that Jessica Chastain’s character, after what was a long period of reflection, had to be cut from the film,” Dolan writes on Instagram. “It was an extremely difficult decision to make. I feel, toward Jessica, a very sincere love, and a great admiration. The decision was editorial and narrative, in that it has nothing to do with a performance, and everything to do with a character, and the compatibility of its storyline.”

Dolan goes on to explain that “this ‘villain’ subplot, albeit funny and entertaining, didn’t feel like it belonged to the rest of the story, which ended up not being on heroes or their nemesis, bur [sic] rather on childhood, and its dreams.”

“Jessica has, since the very beginning, defended this project, and defended me on so many occasions,” he continues. “She is a terrific actress, a politically engaged artist, what is more, who relentlessly champions the causes she believes in. She is respected by her peers, and beloved by her public.”

For me, Dolan will forever be known as the person that cockblocked "Carol" into winning the Palme D'or in 2015, even moreso than being the guy that directed "Mommy."

View this post on Instagram

Please bear with me and read. Perhaps not the news you were waiting for, but something I had to tell you nonetheless. I will have other kind of information over the next few weeks. Please don’t doubt my eagerness to share The Death and Life of John F. Donovan with you. - XD

A post shared by Xavier Dolan (@xavierdolan) on Feb 4, 2018 at 4:16pm PST