James Cameron says ‘Star Wars' more deserving of Best Picture than ‘Annie Hall': “What the fuck [were] you people thinking?”

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James Cameron, who else, brought up some interesting points regarding the Academy barely acknowledging and honoring science fiction fare:

Cameron spoke to WIRED, and said it was "Annie Hall" beating "Star Wars" that made him realize the uphill climb that was ahead. 

“The first time I noticed this was when I was just a movie fan and not a practitioner yet, when ‘Star Wars,’ which to me was the ultimate science-fiction film of its day, so this would have been 1977, probably the Oscars of 1978, lost to ‘Annie Hall. This little cute relationship story and ‘Star Wars.’ What the fuck are you people thinking?”

Cameron lays the Oscar blame on how some voters just can't connect on a humanistic level with the genre, basically that it’s not about real people. Whatever the hell that means. Cameron says that it all just isn't true:

“All movies are artifice. Movies are innately artificial. The truth underlies the artifact,” he said. “The truth of what you’re saying is the connection with the audience. Science-fiction can do that like any other genre.”

“It drives me nuts every year,” Cameron said. “There is science-fiction that plays by the rules of good drama and that is important conceptually and that says something about our society and that has great characters. The Academy just has a blindspot about it. They’ll award it technical stuff but not the real stuff, not the acting.”

James Cameron recently told IndieWire that the future of science-fiction is very bright and predicts 'a science-fiction movie will win the best picture Oscar in the next five to 10 years.” I believe that. We are going through not just a golden age of horror in American cinema, but Science-Fiction is going through its own little phase as well.

The list speaks for itself: 

Mad Max; Fury Road, Ex Machina, Looper, Arrival, Edge of Tomorrow, Source Code, Melancholia, Attack the Block, Upstream Color, Her, Interstellar, Snowpiercer, Inception, Gravity, Prometheus, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Super 8, Limitless, Under the Skin, Predestination, Dredd, Safety Not Guaranteed, Pacific Rim, The Martian, Midnight Special, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049. 

That's 24 good to great Science Fiction films in the last 6 years. I think we can safely assert that we're living in a sort of golden-age for sci-fi. 

"Avatar" reignited the craving for science fiction at the movies. Look at the years preceding "Avatar"; there was almost no studio backed sci fi coming out. Then Avatar comes out, breaks the box-office record, gets nominated for Best Picture, and introduces us to newly discovered technology, it opened the studios to hopping on board the band wagon and visionary directors figured out they could suddenly realize visions they didn't think were possible."

John Wayne and Kirk Douglas’ never-before-seen telegrams as Wayne was dying on his deathbed

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Mark Cuban’s HDNET MOVIES hosted a special “Western Icons” television event in honor of John Wayne's birthday. Wayne would have been 111 on May 26th. John’s son, Ethan, hosted the special, he shared a series of exchanges John had with co-star and industry friend Kirk Douglas via telegram near the end of his life.
“When my father was in the hospital and dying of cancer, he exchanged some letters with Kirk Douglas. As a joke, he wrote that he had an extra operation to add a cleft to his chin so he could be like Kirk.”


Ruffalo On James Cameron's “Marvel Fatigue" Comment: “Sour Grapes. He's Just Jealous"

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If you didn't hear, James Cameron has had enough in regards to Marvel movies. That's at least what he told reporters earlier on Friday:

“I’m hoping we’ll start getting ‘Avenger’ fatigue here pretty soon,” Cameron said. “Not that I don’t love the movies. It’s just, come on guys, there are other stories to tell besides hyper-gonadal males without families doing death-defying things for two hours and wrecking cities in the process. It’s like, oy!” [Link]

Mark Ruffalo responded last night when asked about the "Avengers fatigue"comment at an "Infinity War"junket, he states "Sour grapes. He's just jealous." 

Not sure if I would say Cameron is jealous, especially since he's responsible for two of the highest grossing movies of all-time and for also being one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation. So, no Mark, I think James Cameron is really just tired of watching Marvel movies.

James Cameron Hopes Audiences Get Tired of Marvel Movies Soon: ‘There Are Other Stories To Tell’ In Sci-Fi

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In past 12 months, James Cameron has criticized many Hollywood blockbusters. 

 For example, he stated that "The Force Awakens" was a film that "lacked imagination," he also criticized "Wonder Woman" for being "a step backward" and now he's taking shots at "The Avengers." 

 Yep, James Cameron has had enough of Marvel. At least that's what he told reporters earlier on Friday (via IndieWire): 

 “I’m hoping we’ll start getting ‘Avenger’ fatigue here pretty soon,” Cameron said. “Not that I don’t love the movies. It’s just, come on guys, there are other stories to tell besides hyper-gonadal males without families doing death-defying things for two hours and wrecking cities in the process. It’s like, oy!”

 I don't know what's more surprising, Cameron criticizing "The Avengers," even though he's about launch three straight "Avatar" sequels, or using the term "Oy."  

 Sure, he's right, some of the MCU is quite bland and rote. 

 Truth be told?  The 2010s have had a wide variety of really good science fiction movies despite those movies:

 Ex Machina, Looper, Arrival, Edge of Tomorrow,  Source Code,Mad Max; Fury Road,  Melancholia, Attack the Block, Upstream Color, Her, Interstellar, Snowpiercer, Inception, Gravity, Prometheus, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Super 8, Limitless, Under the Skin, Predestination, Dredd, Safety Not Guaranteed, Pacific Rim, The Martian, Midnight Special.

 That's 24 good to great Science Fiction films released in the last 7 years. I think we can safely assert that we're living in a sort of golden-age for sci-fi and genre fare.

 The next time I moan and groan about how the only movies coming out these days are sequels, remakes, and Marvel garbage please LINK BACK TO THIS POST and set me straight. 

 No need to criticize comic book movies because they hamper down "real" science fiction, there's plenty of room for everyone. In fact, it seems like Marvel movies are making mainstream audiences hungrier for legit sci-fi.

Polanski victim says Academy banning him is an “ugly and cruel" act, and that Hollywood elites are ‘douchebags'

Thanks to Jeff Wells over at HE for the lead.

Samantha Geimer, who is the famous victim of Roman Polanski's 1977 rape case, has slammed the Academy for its expulsion of Polanski. 

In a blog post, Geimer tore into the Academy for the removal of Polanski's Academy membership. “Ugly and cruel” was a way Geimer described the Academy. She also furthered her insults in a Vanity Fair interview, where Geimer says Academy elites are “douchebags.”

Polanski is also fighting back. The director's lawyer told Vanity Fair that his client will appeal the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ decision:

“We want due process,” Braun said.

The Polanski/Geimer case is now over 41-years-old.

Spike Lee talks being robbed of the Palme D'or in 1989, blames Wim Wenders

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Spike Lee's "BlackKklansman" is about to premiere at this years' Cannes Film Festival.
The film is based on on Ron Stallworth’s 2014 novel “Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime.” which was inspired by the true story of a police officer that went undercover within the Klan.

 Lee hasn't been to Cannes in decades. Many believed Lee's best chance at the Palme came in 1989 when  "Do The Right thing" was robbed of not just a Best Picture Oscar nomination, but also the Palme D'or.  Steven Soderbergh's 'Sex, Lies and Videotape" won the coveted award instead.

 Nevertheless, i was surprised to read that Lee is still bitter about what happened almost 30 years ago. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the writer-director seems to be blaming the loss to Wim Wenders:

 “Look, me and Steven are cool, have always been cool. But that thing was commandeered by Wim Wenders,” Lee says. “He said Mookie was not a heroic character.” 
However, Wim Wenders is saying Lee is lying:

 “He said he’d be waiting for me in an alley with a baseball bat,” said Wenders. “Well, he should have been waiting for the whole jury because it wasn’t my decision. The film simply didn’t have the support of the jury…. He just had the bad luck to be in such a great year.”

 “I had sleepless nights over our decision. With Spike, I’m still sad that he took it so personally.”

 I love Lee's work between 1989-2005. The filmmaker was on fire during that stretch with "joints" such as "Do The Right Thing," "Malcom X," "Jungle Fever," "Summer of Sam," "He Got Game," "Bamboozled," "The 25th Hour," and "Inside Man." Not to mention all the great docs he directed and produced in between. 

 Something happened after that, mediocrity settled in, what else would you call "She Hate Me," "Miracle at St. Anna," "Red Hook Summer," "Oldboy," and "Da Sweet Blood of Jesus." 2015's "Chiraq" was seen as a sort of comeback but I didn't really buy its faux authenticity and the fact that the characters' dialogue was delivered by way of freestyled hip-hop.

 Nevertheless, if Cannes head Thierry Fremaux and his committee think Lee's latest film is worthy of competition then there must be something there. A Spike Lee comeback is more than welcome in my books and maybe, just maybe, the Palme is around the corner.

David Fincher's “World War Z" sequel put on hold.



A sequel to "World War Z" was all but ready to go sometime last year, with Paramount, head honcho Jim Gianopulos even confirming David Fincher as director.

 I quickly had doubts about the news, stating I had "difficulty trying to see this as a good fit" for Fincher. Regardless, it seems now, according to a report from Rodrigo Perez over at The Playlist, that the film is still not finished scouting locations and that Fincher's next project is the second season of his Netflix show "Mindhunters."

 According to Perez, "Fincher will be occupied with “Mindhunter” throughout the summer and into the fall with post-production." 

 That's fine with me, "Mindhunters" had a great first season and was the kind of series that made you crave for a second, what with the stakes being higher et all and the potential rumor of Charles Manson coming into the equation. 

Fincher hasn't directed a film since 2014's "Gone Girl." At some point he was supposed to helma a Ben Affleck-starring remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on A Train," but IMDB doesn't have that project listed anymore. Scrapped? Who knows. Fincher will be collaborating with Brad Pitt for the fourth time if this "World War Z" sequel happens.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences vote to expel Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski

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“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors met on Tuesday night (May 1) and has voted to expel actor Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanski from its membership in accordance with the organization’s Standards of Conduct. The Board continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity.”

The best of 2018 so far ...

I'll probably conduct my annual critics poll of the best movies of the mid-year sometime at the end of June, but, for the time being, I can't help but think that we haven't really reached a peak in cinema by any stretch these first 5 months of the year. 

 If you go by the films released between January 1st to May 3rd, 2018 then you'll see there were definite breakouts that merit your full-attention [IndieWire tried to reaffirm that point here]. 

The Rider (Chloe Zhao)
A Quiet Place (John Krasinski)
Tully (Jason Reitman)
Lean on Pete (Andrew Haigh)
You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay)
Paddington 2 (Paul King)
Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson)
Game Night (John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein)
Love, Simon (Greg Berlanti)
Ready Player One (Steven Spielberg)
The Death of Stalin (Armando Vianucci)

I'll be going to Cannes next week, so I'm sure the below list will change. These are the upcoming summer releases, almost all above-average to great, which I've already seen at various film festivals:

 The Tale (Jennifer Fox)
Custody (Xavier Legrand)
The Wife (Bjorn Runge)
Hereditary (Ari Aster) 
Leave No Trace (Debra Granik)
Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham)
Three Identical Strangers (Tim Wardle)
Search (Aneesh Chaganty)

Sorry To Bother You (Boots Riley)
Puzzle (Marc Turtletaub)
The Guilty (Gustav Moller)
Shotgun (Hannah Marks and Joey Power)
On Her Shoulders (Alexandria Bombach)
Mandy (Panos Cosmatos
The Kindergarten Teacher (Sara Colangelo)

Actual 2018 top ten

1) The Tale (Jennifer Fox)
2) Custody (Xavier Legrand)
3) The Wife (Bjorn Runge)
4) The Rider (Chloe Zhao)
5) A Quiet Place (John Krasinski)
5) Hereditary (Ari Aster) 
6) Leave No Trace (Debra Granik)

7) Three Identical Strangers (Tim Wardle)
8) Tully (Jason Reitman)
9) Search (Aneesh Chaganty)
10) Sorry To Bother You (Boots Riley)

The battle between Cannes and Netflix might be over

Netflix are now expressing regret about their recent battle against the Cannes Film Festival. This led to the streaming giant not bringing Alfonso Cuaron‘s Roma, Paul Greengrass‘s Norway and Orson Welles‘ The Other Side of the Wind to the festival 

 However, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wants peace with Cannes. He has all but brought up the possibility of Netflix coming back next year.

 His full quote about the matter:
“At times we have a reputation as a disruptor, and sometimes we make mistakes. I think we got into a more difficult situation with the Cannes Film Festival than we meant to because, you know, we’re not trying to disrupt the movie system, we are trying to make our members happy. We make our content for them. We love the film festival and we still have buyers going. The festival is very sincere in trying to find a model that works for them and works for us. I’m sure over time we’ll definitely [go back].”

 Fine, Mr. Hastings, but this year's lineup is far less interesting because of your decision to pull new films by Alfonso Cuaron, Jeremy Saulnier, Paul Greengrass and Orson Welles.

Along with the first female director of the new Star Trek movie, Tarantino is slated to make a Star Trek movie in a “separate timeline"

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Paramount was seeking a female filmmaker to direct Star Trek 4. The franchise, based on Gene Roddenberry's 1960s television series, has never had any of its movies directed by a woman, until today.

THR is reporting that Paramount was asked by J.J. Abrams to hire S.J. Clarkson, who directed the pilot for Netflix’s Marvel series "Jessica Jones." Clarkson  is currently in talks to helm the film, which should have most of its stars returning, including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.  

Star Trek 4 was penned by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. However, Paramount are also reporting that a whole separate Star Trek movie from Quentin Tarantino is also being prepped and in the works. Don't look for QT's standalone "Trek" movie to be shooting before next year, since the venerable writer-director is already in full-on production for his upcoming Brad Pitt- Leonardo DiCaprio film "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood."

Underwhelming War-Drama “The Yellow Birds" Finally Being released

“The Yellow Birds” will be officially released on DirecTV May 17, and in theaters June 15th.

And so, with all that being said, “The Yellow Birds” stars Alden Ehrenreich, and Tye Sheridan and comes from Alexandre Moors, who previously made the better than average “Blue Caprice” back in 2014, an impressive debut on the 2002 D.C. sniper attackers. 

I saw "The Yellow Birds" at Sundance 2016, a cliche-ridden Iraqi war drama that uses Rashomon-style flashbacks to get to the bottom of a soldier's mysterious death in battle. For some reason, I didn't even remember Jennifer Aniston was in it until I saw this trailer, but, yes, she has a supporting role playing the mother of the deceased young soldier. It's the same story we've seen many times before, the film uses plenty of cliches regarding post-war disillusionment, trauma etc. I really wanted to like this movie, but what a letdown. Especially with such top-notch actors as Sheridan and, yes, even Ehrenreich, who are both severely miscast here. 

“Regarding the Case of Joan of Arc"

I had the chance to screen, twice, Matthew Wilder's prophetic, upcoming apocalyptic chamber-drama "Regarding the Case of Joan of Arc," which is set for a fall film festival run. 

I will say this, it's humbling, in this day and age of marketed-for-the-masses dribble, to find a film with a cast & crew that puts this much heart and soul into a film. This is what happens when a filmmaker has a clear vision that everyone else believes in, and refuses to adhere to any conventions. This is pure and unaltered art being shown on-screen, with no filters and one which marks Wilder as a major director to watch.

When I first saw the film, in a rough edited version, last year, I was stunned, flabbergasted by the sheer naked bravado of the on-screen result. I quickly wrote to Wilder by email, saying "I need to watch it again." 

Wilder, in case you didn't know, is the man that perpetrated on us the visceral and damn-near chaotic brilliance of 2016's Paul Schrader-directed "Dog Eat Dog." 

His latest film, this time as writer and director, is an adaptation of Joan of Arc set in a post-apocalyptic era which feels like just a short distance away. In "Regarding the Case of Joan of Arc," Joan is a virgin, terrorist, martyr, whatever you want to call her, that has disdain for the "decadent urban sensibility" that has invaded her America. She's an alt-right American Christian that says she could hear the voice of God luring her to attack federal buildings. After a military tribunal gets orders to send Joan down the green mile, the resistance, her deplorables, only grow stronger. 

The film is so dense in thematic language that multiple viewings are rewarded. ”Regarding the Case of Joan of Ark" might be minimalist in form but its themes are gargantuan, as Wilder tries to capture the disillusionment of the current state of affairs.

Joan wants to bring back Christianity to an America that is divided between science and Jesus.  Her pack of followers are the resistance, millions of Americans, surely formed from a Trump presidency that tried to arm America and make them feel their "inner-whiteness" again. 

I was first, and foremost, struck by the incredible camerawork and direction. Some of the shots feel effortlessly cinematic.  Wilder, and his talented DP Lee Narby, revel in the atmosphere being created. Possibly inspired by Stanley Kubrick's acute eye for obsessively detailed framing, Wilder and Narby use an unusual amount of zoom, some Long tracking shots, what appear to be wide-angle lenses being used, and extremely long takes that continuously lure you into the story. It really is something to behold. 

In adapting the classic story to reflect 21st century angst (The deep state, Russia, social justice warriors, the stripping away of free speech and democracy), Wilder keeps his film minimalist throughout, clearly inspired and awed by the angelic face of his Joan, a beautiful Nicole LaLiberte as a driving force. In 1928's "The Passion of Joan of Arc," Carl Theodor Dreyer focused his frames on the magic that came in gazing at Maria Falconetti's penetrating eyes. Wilder does the same here. His camera gazing at LaLiberte's wide-eyed stare, a disturbing character awed by the world to come, her own version of a Christian Utopia finally a possibility. Director and actress manage to shepherd this film into a kind of darkly mystical political realm that is damn-near impossible to describe.

The trailer for the film is posted above. Be on the lookout for this film, hopefully this fall, as it really deserves an audience.

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Review: Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody's “Tully" Is A Dreamy Love Letter To Women

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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 men don’t. The obstacles, Cody seems to indicate, should be celebrated for their uniquely feminist traits. Theron's mom-to-be is very much represented as a grounded, blue-collar kind of gal, but she makes the pain of going through the 9 months almost superhero-esque, an unusal way to portray a pregnant woman on-screen. There's a humane, almost angelic quality in the way Theron, a grand actress that is surely one of the very best of her generation, makes the agonizing feel alive and bracing. 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. [B+]

Cate Blanchett is refusing to throw Woody Allen under the bus

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 Thanks to my colleague Jeff Welles over at Hollywood-Elsewhere for this Variety interview with Cannes Film Festival jury president Cate Blanchett. They really wanted Blanchett to elaborate on the comments she made in a CNN interview with Christiane Amanpour on 3.21.18, in which she suggested Woody Allen is innocent until proven guilty in the court of law. I mean, she's not wrong, and in fact Allen has already been found not guilty of the allegations from former wife Mia Farrow that he abused their younger daughter Dylan back in 1992.
And so, Eller asked Blanchett, “Would you ever work again with Weinstein or Allen." Blanchett's response is cordial, informative and rather honest as to how she or, anybody really, should perceive a few of the #MeToo cases. It's elegantly stated and gets to the core of the issue.


I won't start listing the names of those I believe to be innocent, and I do feel like 95% of the sexual harassment stories we've heard since the movement started, have been unequivocally true, but how about the other 5%, those that have had their careers ruined (Aziz Ansari, Al Franken) and should be known as the "casualties" that stood for the betterment of advancing feminism.
Of note: 

 We've been covering the Woody Allen saga left and right ever since Dylan Farrow's sexual abuse allegations against her 82-year-old father were reignited courtesy of the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements late last year. Mia Farrow and her kids Ronan and Dylan have vehemently stayed true to their convictions, even as Alec Baldwin was condemning them as basically liars earlier this month,  and that has no doubt raised a spark akin to a domino effect in the industry with Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig, Rebecca Hall, and Timothée Chalamet all expressing remorse in having worked with the director in the past. Allen's reputation has taken a major hit that will no doubt have Amazon wondering what their next move should be in regards to that nice, big contract Allen signed with them a few years back. Will they change their tune on the director? Who knows.

 Bardem's defense of the director comes after celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Diane Keaton and Alec Baldwin refused to adhere to mob-fandom and condemn Allen, a director they've all worked with in past films. I assume they have read enough about the case to raise their own conspicuous doubts.  If you are the kind of person that is open-minded and would rather inform his or herself rather than be lazy and just trust fake news, then, please, by all means, read Robert Weide's excellent dissections of Allen vs Farrow which were posted on 12.13.17, 5.30.16, and, most recently, 1.14.18.

Leonardo DiCaprio: “No one is more knowledgeable in the film art form that I know of than Scorsese"

Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese Film star Leonardo DiCaprio, left, and director Martin Scorsese speaks during a news conference in MacauMacau Slump
I never doubted, for a second, that Martin Scorsese had a major influence on Leonardo DiCaprio becoming a more mature, better actor. Their daring run of films from 2000 to 2013 ("Gangs of New York," "The Aviator," "The Departed," "Shutter Island," and "The Wolf of Wall Street") will be looked back as a major moment in American movies. That's five films DiCaprio has made with Martin Scorsese. Scorsese and De Nro, the most legendary of actor/director partnerships, has had 8 films to its name.
Presenting Scorsese with the Robert Osborne Award at the TCM Classic Film Festival, DiCaprio stated that working with the director taught him a lot about film history, because it is damn near inescapabale when working with Scorsese:
“As a young actor standing beside him during the creative process of making a movie, I discovered that just like a painting, a sculpture, music or theater, film was just as essential, relevant, as a matter of fact, the most integral art form of our time,” DiCaprio said. “I felt I could truly own the term artist by working alongside him.”
“[There is] no one more knowledgeable, more committed, or draws more inspiration from the film art” than Scorsese. There is almost no aspect of his life, creative or personal, where he doesn’t reference the history of movies.” 
Scorsese and DiCaprio do have, at the moment, two projects brewing, “The Devil in the White City” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” One of these will likely go into production after Scorsese is done editing, with editor-in-chief extraordinaire Thelma Schoonmaker of course, his upcoming ganster drama "The Irishman." The film is produced and distribtued by Netflix and currently aiming for a 2019 release date, even though, I hear, this December is still a possibility.

Mark Ruffalo Spoiled The Ending of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ in July 2017, Don Cheadle, Sitting Next To Him, Looks Pissed





I'm quite honestly shocked by how this video of Mark Ruffalo, talking “Avengers: Infinity War” almost a year ago, and revealing the ending, by mistake, did not go viral.

"Infinity War" barely had any details revealed about its plot, and that lasted all the way til its release on April 26th. The way they managed to do all this,with the internet becoming more crucial and essential in gathering info, is astonishing.

The interview was with “Good Morning America” in July 2017 (Kudos to ScreenCrush) and had Ruffalo and Cheadle promoting “Thor: Ragnarok.” Ruffalo was asked whether Hulk and Thor save Asgard in the end, but Ruffalo's answer surely had Disneye execs scrambling for any attempt to halt the video virally.

“Like every other Marvel superhero movie, it doesn’t end well for the superheroes" said Ruffalo.”Wait until you see this next one [referring to "Infinity War"], everybody dies!” He wasn't wrong. "Infinity War" ends with half the world's population dying, including most of our superheroes which include Bucky/The Winter Soldier, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Star Lord,  Falcon,

I mean, if I were watching the interview at the time I would probably believe Ruffalo was joking. I guess if Disney had asked GMA to pull the video then someone might have noticed that and wondered if Ruffalo was actually telling the truth, but it's still hilarious to see them both trying to hide what just happened.

Lucasfilm congratulates Marvel Studios for claiming the title of Biggest Opening Weekend

I won't start bitching about how Disney entities, Marvel and Star Wars, have made the rest of mainstream cinema jump off a cliff, no, I won't, but what is Disney actually celebrating with this congratulatory poster? Well, the fact that "Infinity War" had an opening weekend of $258.2 million besting"The Force Awakens" and its $247.9 million opener in December of 2015.

Disney's current, unrivaled monopoly of the industry lies within the fact that the growth of animation has been so important in terms of advancing popularized cinematic entertainment.

After all, animation's roots, which date back more than 100 years ago, lie in being entertainment for little kids to now pretty much dominating the moviemaking landscape.  Disney has proven that the future of cinema lies in animation. One click at Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Wikipedia page and you are entered into the world of 1937, where the film itself was such a revolutionary feat for animation and for the advances Disney was making, very much in the same way "Toy Story" and Pixar were important in CGI filmmaking.

Disney is at the forefront of everything, it seems. No wonder James Cameron had some harsh words about their movies the other day as he himself is involved in his own kind of time-race to out-tech Disney with his three Avatar sequels.

The Russos Say They Are Probably Done With The MCU After ‘Avengers' Films

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If it weren't for the Russos, I just don't think Captain America would be as popular a character in the MCU. I mean, after all, it looked like Marvel and Disney seemed to want to bank on Robert Downey Jr.s Iron Man as the driving force of the Avengers. 

However, after the slight but amusing "Captain America: The First Avenger" directed by "Jumanji" helmer Joe Johnston, Marvel Head Kevin Feige quickly switched directions for Cap and hired Joe and Anthony Russo to helm "The Winter Soldier." That film was a game-changer for the genre, and the closest to near cinematic heaven a superhero has come since Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy. The follow-up "Civil War," a film that, by all accounts, was an Avengers affair, but much better, sealed the deal that the Russos were the go-to guys for Feige. No surprise then that he hired them to direct the last two movies of the MCU, this week's released "Infinity War" and next year's as of yet untitled sequel. 

Going back to the transition between "The First Avenger" and "The Winter Soldier." What a drastic change that was for Marvel. They were still trying to find their own identity, relying on what Favreau did with "Iron Man" and, by all accounts, "The First Avenger" is an ok film, but, when viewed again today, it feels much more like a DCEU film than any Marvel film we've come to expect the last 7 years or so. 

"The Winter Soldier" really changed the game; It changed the style, the tone, the seriousness, hell, the Russos even decided to bring a cinematic feel to "The Winter Soldier" by heavily borrowing from the 1970's political thriller and not even being subtle about their affection for it by hiring Robert Redford who starred in one of the very best of that genre in the 1970s: "The Three Days of the Condor."

And so The Russos, who only directed two other films before being hired for "The Winter Soldier," the sligth but amusing "Welcome to Collinwood," and the God awful "You, Me and Dupree," have found a niche for the aciton-thriller and have become the two hottest filmmakers in American studio filmmaking. With their MCU almost done, I was wondering, what's next for them?

According to an interview with Empire, the brothers are adamant at their next project not being a Marvel movie.

“The next film that we will direct will most likely be for our company, and most likely be a tentpole,” the Russos said. “[Christopher] Markus and [Stephen] McFeely have come on board in a very unique capacity, as what we’re calling Co-Presidents of Story. We’ve been developing inside the studio system for many years, inside networks, and we know what works about them and what doesn’t work about them.”

There it is, folks. Russos not returning to the MCU, for now.