Sam Raimi's “The Bermuda Triangle," his first movie in six years, to start production this fall

You may have wondered what happened to Sam Raimi, after all the director's filmography speaks for itself: "Evil Dead," "Evil Dead 2," "Army of Darkness," Spider-Man 2," "Drag Me To Hell," "Darkman," and, his best movie, 1998's "A Simple Plan." Last we heard from the 58-year-old writer-director was producing genre fare such as 2015's excellent "Don't Breathe." However, as far as directing goes, Raimi hasn’t directed a movie since 2013’s disappointing Oz the Great and Powerful – That's six years without a movie for this venerable director that put a stamp on genre cinema for most of his career.

Last year it was reported that Raimi had been working on a mysterious film titled "The Bermuda Triangle"  from Skydance Productions. This weekend we learned a little more about the project. That Hashtag Show is reporting that Ryan Reynolds will star as the lead of the film which will involve a mysterious island filled with wormholes, sharks, Vikings, and Nazis.  Sign us up.

The site has also offered us a plot for the film, which is based on a screenplay by John Gatniss (Power Rangers):

“When a massive submarine carry nuclear weapons goes missing in the Bermuda Triangle, Commander Vogel enlists the help of Dr. Fisk (Likely Reynolds) a theoretical physicist, who while using his grandfather’s research opens a wormhole to reveal a mysterious island that is inhabited by anything lost in the triangle including Sharks, Vikings, and Nazis, in the hopes of finding the nuclear weapons.” 

The aim for release is 2019 and production is set to begin this September.

As previously mentioned Raimi has been very busy as a producer over the last decade, working on the fare such as "Ash vs. Evil Dead," "The Grudge", and the upcoming "Crawl." "Bermuda" does sound crazy, but if it also sounds familiar it's because there are similarities to Doug McClure monster movie "The Land That Time Forgot." Raimi tackling this material could mean a very wild movie, filled with genres and themes that are right up the director's alley. Of course, his knack for using unorthodox humor will surely be at the rendezvous, how could it not be? When you mix Nazis, time traveling, and the comedy of Ryan Reynolds, having a director such as Raimi at the helm is almost a no-brainer decision.

“Incredibles 2" Director Brad Bird: “I'm told I need to do a “Ratatouille 2" and an “Iron Giant 2"...no one apparently wants anything new anymore."

Pixar's "Incredibles 2" comes on the heels of some rather disappointing sequels from the toon company. With the exceptions of “Toy Story 2” and “Toy Story 3,” Pixar has had a lackluster set of continuations delivered to us the last few years. Sure, there were things to love about "Finding Dory," and "Monster University," maybe less so about"Cars 2,” "Cars 3," but they all lacked the overall focus and thematic resonance of their predecessors. In a way, they didn't really need a sequel. Suffice to say, many are holding their breaths for "Incredibles 2" to deliver, a film 14 years in the making, which ended on a sort of cliffhanger. With its original director, Brad Bird back at the helm, the film is an incredibly persuasive and hopeful movie event for this summer, but don't expect Bird to make a sequel to any of his other classics.

No, Bird is pretty adamant that his other most well-known films "The Iron Giant" and "Ratatouille" don't need sequels. In fact, the 60-year-old writer-director has no interest in returning to either franchise. Speaking to io9 about "Incredibles 2," Bird feels like there was a finiteness to both those classics that didn't warrant a continuation:

"You know, I feel like that story is told," Bird said of "Ratatouille." "I'm told I need to do an "Iron Giant 2" and I'm told I need to remake everything that I've made and no one apparently wants anything new anymore. I'm a little at odds with society on that. I would like to do some new things."

"It's complimentary. But it kind of reminds me of when my boys were little and I would give them a push on the swing and they'd go 'Again!' It's a sweet thing but it's also, from an artist standpoint, it's a little frustrating. Like, what if I want to do a Western? Would there be any support for that idea? What if I wanted to do a musical? How about that? You know, it's like —there are other things to do."

Of course, Bird did end up making this sequel to 2004's “The Incredibles.” The sequel is a movie about parenting, which has a rather timely villain in Screenslaver, and some outlandishly entertaining sequences recalling some of the great action movies of the 1990s. If Jan de Bont could ever claim to influence a film this decade, it might be “Incredibles 2.”

"This did [turn out well]," he said of "Incredibles 2." "But you're welcome to take a crack at a Ratatouille sequel. I feel like I've done my "Ratatouille" I've done my "Mission: Impossible," and I've done my "Iron Giant." And that's that. I'm not mad about it, but it seems like it's the only thing that people want now is for you to repeat what you just did."

Kudos to Bird for sticking to his artistic guns. An all-too-rare occurrence these days in Hollywood, where successful films need to be duplicated to no ends. Something does tell us, though, that "The Incredibles 2" will be a big enough hit that Bird will be able to do whatever he wants to do next, and that might just be his long-delayed earthquake drama "1906" (based on the historical novel by James Dalessandro), a film almost two decades in the makings for Bird.

"Incredibles 2" is set to hit theaters on June 15.

Anthony Bourdain Is Now With the Food Gods

Anthony Bourdain, foodie, film fan, sensualist, adventurer whom I admired like few others, a guy whose passion was going all around the world to eat the best street food imaginable, passed away yesterday at the age of 61.

It's only after his passing that we learned Bourdain was suffering from his own bout of depression. His joie-de-vivre, sensual joy of discovery, was clearly hiding a darker, narrower path: the deepest, darkest abyss of his soul.

Despite traveling 250 days a year, munching on the tastiest food, the best cheap beer and going through the sights and sounds of some of the world's most eye-opening locations, it just wasn't enough for him. Depression can be a nasty thing.

Bourdain was found dead in a Strasbourg hotel room as he was shooting his CNN show "Parts Unknown." He was in a long-distance relationship with Asia Argento, who had been making the rounds the last year or so identifying herself as one of Harvey Weinstein's hotel room victims.

I got into a little trouble earlier today when I was accused of insinuating that Argento had something to do with Anthony's suicide, which is not at all what I was implying. Yes, Asia was seen holding hands and being more than a little chummy with a French journalist in Rome a day before Bourdain's death, but it's not like his depression just happened. Was it a trigger? Who knows. Only a suicide note could confirm that and even then, to read the final words of a clinically depressed person doesn't always give you the full picture.

N.Y. Times:

“In everything he did, Mr. Bourdain cultivated a renegade style and bad-boy persona.

“For decades, he worked 13-hour days as a line cook in restaurants in New York and the Northeast before he became executive chef in the 1990s at Brasserie Les Halles, serving steak frites and onion soup in Lower Manhattan. He had been the chef there for eight years when he sent an unsolicited article to The New Yorker about the underbelly of the restaurant world and its deceptions.

“To his surprise, the magazine accepted it and ran it, catching the attention of book editors. It resulted in ‘Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,’ a memoir that elevated Mr. Bourdain to a celebrity chef and a new career on TV. Before he joined CNN in 2012, he spent eight seasons as the globe-trotting host of ‘No Reservations’ on the Travel Channel, highlighting obscure cuisine and unknown restaurants.

“Mr. Bourdain became an instant hero to a certain breed of professional cooks and restaurant goers when ‘Kitchen Confidential’ hit the best-seller lists in 2000.”

“He is largely credited for defining an era of line cooks as warriors, exposing a kitchen culture in which drugs, drinking and long, brutal hours on the line in professional kitchens were both a badge of honor and a curse.”

Richard Linklater's ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette' release delayed until March 2019

The release date of Richard Linklater‘s Where’d You Go, Bernadette, an adaptation of Maria Semple‘s 2013 same-titled novel, has been bumped. Again? We were supposed to see it released this summer it was pushed to October, but now a 3.22.19 release date is basically spelling trouble for the production which stars Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Emma Nelson, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer and Laurence Fishburne.

I interviewed Linklater, for The Playlist, earlier last year when he was promoting "Last Flag Flying" at the New York Film Festival. He had this to say about "Bernadette":

"I’m doing “Where’d You Go Bernadette” with Cate Blanchett. Actually, we finished shooting and it’s set for release next year. It’s actually fairly similar in tone to “Last Flag Flying.” It’s really a nice companion piece in a way."

Cross off another festival candidate. Fall festival season is looking like this at the moment:

Damien Chazelle's First Man, Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk, Alfonso Cuaron‘s Roma, Yorgios Lanthimos' The Favorite, Ang Lee‘s Thrilla in Manila, Adam McKay‘s Backseat, Steve McQueen’s Widows, Robert Zemeckis‘s The Women of Marwen, Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria, Xavier Dolan's The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, Bryan Singer‘s Bohemian Rhapsody, Olivier Assayas' Non Fiction, Claire Denis' High Life, Jacques Audiard's The Sisters Brothers, Mike Leigh's Peterloo, Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in On The Basis of Sex, Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum, Felix Van Groeningen's Beautiful Boy, Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck's Work Without Author.

Damien Chazelle’s ‘First Man’ Trailer: Houston We Might Have A Problem

Damien Chazelle. The writer-director, only 33, struck gold with the indisputably great "Whiplash," and then "La La Land" happened. By all accounts the latter, a musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling triumphed in Venice, Telluride and Toronto, on its way to becoming the front-runner for Best Picture at the Oscars and then poof. "Moonlight" of course won, but not without Chazelle taking a major hit. One of the most dumbfounding things to happen in mainstream cinema these last few years was the backlash that happened to "La La Land."

Why the backlash? Still not sure how it could have transpired, its 93 Metascore would lead to other conclusions, but it became a major whipping boy. Accusations of it being "too white," not understanding jazz, its leads not being able to sing and dance, Chazelle's style over substance direction, lead to it losing the Oscar. I remember when Chazelle was deemed Hollywood's next big thing, now what? Chazelle is not as "hip" as he used to be and his latest feature "First Man," which is about Neil Armstrong's journey to the moon, is not hip at all. It's full-fledged Oscar-bait and we know the Academy just doesn't go for that like they used to.

This trailer has a gritty feel to it, Gosling looks ready to go, Claire Foy as his wife a little less so, and the story? Rather pedantic. We'll see. I adore Chazelle's talent, I really do, but we haven't gone a full 23 years between this and "Apollo 13" without becoming a little sick of this genre. This looks like "The Right Stuff" mixed with the aforementioned Ron Howard-directed mission film. The story of Armstrong himself has always been known as a rather dull, tensionless affair, the man wasn't driven by his personality, no it was what he delivered as an astronaut that counted. All of this makes sense when it comes the time to ask the question why it took 57 years for Hollywood to finally make a movie about the man.

The film, written by “Spotlight” scribe Josh Singer, will be the fourth collaboration between Chazelle and American film composer Justin Hurwitz. However, this also looks like their only film not themed after Jazz or really just music in general.

I posted this on Facebook:

"I don't really know why some folks are excited about this film. I loved Whiplash, liked La La Land but Chazelle might be stretching his talent a little too far with this latest picture. It looks like a melange of "The Right Stuff," and "Apollo 13." Generic is the word I'd use."

‘Halloween’ Trailer: Director David Gordon Green Wants You To Forget All Six sequels That Came Before It

Just a few years ago it was inconceivable that anyone but diehard ‘80s horror fanatics would care about a new “Halloween” trailer. While the Rob Zombie-directed “Halloween” garnered interest for the series, his reviled 2009 follow-up “Halloween II” killed the positive vibes off rather quickly.

I don't think anybody asked for a new “Halloween,” but here we are and Jamie Lee Curtis is back for a Halloween-released sequel. Yes, Rob Zombie directed a decent version of “Halloween” but then he followed it up with the atrocious “Halloween II.”

Enter director David Gordon Green, a director dear to my heart that has nevertheless a very hit/miss track sheet (I'll always love him for “Pineapple Express,” “George Washington,” and "Joe") and whose last film "Our Brand Is Crisis" severely disappointed. Green has signed on to this Michael Myers sequel. He also co-wrote the film's screenplay with Jeff Fradley and, huh, Danny McBride. 

As you can see from the trailer, the film picks up 40 years after the original, what it's basically saying is forget about the sequels, no problem with us. 

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.”

The film also has Judy Greer, Will Patton, Nick Castle, Andi Matichak, and Omar J. Dorsey.

 “Halloween” opens on October 19.

Tarantino's “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" Casts Al Pacino

"Quentin Tarantino’s star-studded “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” just landed another legendary actor: Al Pacino."

"Pacino will play Marvin Shwarz — Leonardo DiCaprio’s character’s agent in the Sony film — marking his first collaboration with Tarantino. Dating back to his first feature film, 1992’s “Reservoir Dogs,” Tarantino has always cast movie stars he grew up watching, from Robert Forster in “Jackie Brown” to David Carradine in the “Kill Bill” films. Pacino fits that mold of A-list actors who rose to fame in the 1970s."

Today's addition of Pacino adds to an already stacked cast of actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen, Burt Reynolds, Tom Roth, Emile Hirsch, and Timothy Olyphant, Damian Lewis, Luke Perry, Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning, Clifton Collins Jr, Keith Jefferson and Nicholas Hammond in supporting roles Sony Pictures motion picture group chairman Tom Rothman, has mentioned that "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" is “the best screenplay that I have had the privilege to read.”

"Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" has been compared to "Pulp Fiction" by its director.Of course, the hype machine is very well under way for this latest QT endeavor. However, ever since "Pulp Fiction" Tarantino has cautiously made sure to not replicate the stylistic and narrative aspects of what most consider to be his masterpiece. The fact that QT has decided to embrace and revisit that film and go back to it will make any cinephile excited and gleeful at the prospect. The films that QT released post-Pulp Fiction all made sure to sidestep whatever was used in that 1994 film: "Jackie Brown" was based on an Elmore Leonard novel and was inspired by blaxploitation films, "Kill Bill" was inspired by Japanese grindhouse cinema, "Inglorious Basterds," was a revisionistic war movie, "Django Unchained" was inspired by Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns and "The Hateful Eight" felt like a violent version of an Agatha Christie novel. 

There’s no release date yet for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

[Variety]

Kenny Loggins Working on New Version of Danger Zone for ‘Top Gun 2'

Speaking to TMZ, "Danger Zone" singer Kenny Loggins said he spoke to Tom Cruise about recording a new take on the song for the upcoming "Top Gun" sequel set for next year. “I met Tom Cruise on [The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon], and I asked him that question," Loggins said, talking about doing a new Danger Zone song. "He said, ‘Of course, we have to use Danger Zone.’

So I’m hoping to do it, maybe as a duet with a young act. I’d love to work with, well, there’s young and then there’s young. We have some feelers out to some pretty cool rock acts.”

Last week Cruise posted an on-set photo for Top Gun 2.

#Day1 pic.twitter.com/7jjPL277Es

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) May 31, 2018

"Top Gun: Maverick" opens in theaters on June 12, 2019.

Colin Trevorrow Responds to Firing on ‘Episode IX' and Negative ‘Book of Henry’ Reviews: ‘I Do Stand by the Movie’ and how he was ‘Devastated' by reaction

Colin Trevorrow was coming off his own worst nightmare: "The Book of Henry." A sentimental, misguided, confused and jumbled mess of a movie. A horrid mix of genres that never added up. I warned "Star Wars" fans to buckle their seat belts because there would be no end to the disruptors claiming that Trevorrow was not suited for Episode IX's director chair.

Well, soon after, Disney fired the poor guy, when, In all honesty, the mouse house could have probably made any sub-par filmmaker look competent enough, although I'm not saying Trevorrow is incompetent by any stretch of the imagination. The "Star Wars" movies are, after all, creatively controlled by the studio so the creative scope is very limited in how Colin could have frankly fucked this up. We do know he was on a tight leash so the news wasn't unexpected. What was more interesting was whether or not the director would come back to helm "Jurassic World 3," since he turned down the second chapter to make the "Star Wars" movie. 

In a new interview with UPROXX, Trevorrow says the poor reception of “The Book of Henry” led to a painful time in his life. 

“… look, man, it was painful. But, you know, life is full of pain, and we all experience loss. Not all of us have to watch it play out online, but that’s the gig. And I feel like in America right now, your pain is bait. You know, your pain is clickable,” said the filmmaker.

Does Trevorrow think there was a link between ‘Henry’ and his firing from ‘Episode IX,’:

“You know, I don’t know. I mean, I can’t really speculate on it. I’ll tell you that the reaction to ‘Book of Henry’ was far more damaging than the actual movie. And I don’t mean specifically at Lucasfilm. I mean, that was a very acidic situation. And, look, every director who has worked in Lucasfilm put their heart and soul into the job and they left it all in the field, and the bottom line here is that sometimes creative people can’t find a shared path through the woods.”

What does Trevorrow think of being part of the long list of directors that have had issues with Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy (Josh Trank, Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Gareth Edwards), Trevorrow thinks it's good company:

“I know all of them. These are friends of mine and I was very close to them through all of their experiences. And ‘Star Wars’ is a very personal thing to all of them, to a lot of people, and there are some people out there – and I know folks might think we’re crazy – but people like me, who actually believe that there is an all-powerful force that binds the galaxy together. And when you’re one of those people, you’re dealing with your belief system, you’re not just dealing with a movie. And so, yeah, that is a very personal loss.”

Even with the bombing of ‘Henry,’ and being fired from ‘Episode IX,’ Trevorrow will helm, thanks to his buddy Spielberg, the upcoming “Jurassic World 3,” which will complete the trilogy that he helped launch back in 2015.

‘The Girl In The Spider's Web' Trailer: Claire Foy Plays Lisbeth Salander

Fresh off her triumphant turn as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown," and her excellent turn in Steven Soderbergh's "Unsane," Claire Foy will star in Damien Chazelle's "First Man" this fall, and she is also set to play Lisbeth Salander in "The Girl in the Spider's Web."

The latter has a trailer and after a watch, our main questions is: Why even bother? They're skipping the 2nd and 3rd book. No Daniel Craig, no Rooney Mara, and no David Fincher. Also, who had the brain-dead idea to do the 4th book, which is widely considered to be the worst one of the series? An incredibly strange decision by Sony on this one. Fede Alvarez is a promising director, "Don't Breathe" proved that, but it will be very hard for him to match what Fincher did with the 2011 film.

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” opens November 9.

Tarantino's new movie now with DiCaprio, Pitt, Robbie, Madsen, Reynolds adds Damien Lewis, Emile Hirsch and Dakota Fanning

Director Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” is already shooting. 

Today, additions to the cast were announced including Damian Lewis, Luke Perry, Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning, Clifton Collins Jr, Keith Jefferson and Nicholas Hammond in supporting roles. The film stars Leonardo Di Caprio and Brad Pitt and already includes Burt Reynolds, Timothy Olyphant, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth and Margot Robbie, who will play Sharon Tate.

"Lewis will play the iconic actor Steve McQueen; Fanning is set as Squeaky Fromme, the Manson disciple who later tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford; Hammond will play director Sam Wanamaker; and Hirsch is Jay Sebring, the Hollywood hairstylist who was one of four victims in the Tate murders on Cielo Drive."

"Perry is set to play Scotty Lancer, Collins is Ernesto The Mexican Vaquero, and Keith Jefferson is Land Pirate Keith. It’s the third Tarantino film for Jefferson, who also appeared in The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained."

"Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" has been compared to "Pulp Fiction" by its director.

Star Wars Rumor: Kathleen Kennedy Stepping Down From Lucasfilm?

Star Wars has been a hot-button topic the last year for many hardcore fans who are starting to doubt their faith to the sci-fi enterprise. Of course, we can talk about the failure of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" all night if we have to, but it really started with The Last Jedi" and its deviation from the original spirit of some of the characters which rubbed many people the wrong way. Others, were also complaining about the new characters whom, coincidently or not, were mostly female, (Laura Dern's Admiral Holdo and Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico) which led to severe backlash, a fan deciding to edit his own 46 minute version of the "The Last Jedi" without any women in it, and this week's news that Marie Tran had to erase her Instagram after months of bullying which included racist and sexist jokes. 

Of course, enemy numero uno for these pissed off Star Wars fans seems to be Kathleen Kennedy. Pressure has been building up on the Lucasfilm head to steer the ship back to safe waters and regain the trust of many of these, now, rogue, "Star Fans" she might have lost. And so, it is not with great surprise that rumors have been swirling about Kennedy's tenure with Lucasfilm in jeopardy. According to the Ankler, a Hollywood insider newsletter, her run as Lucasfilm President might be over soon than we think.

The quote that we are most interested in from this newsletter is this:

"While Kathleen Kennedy worked wonders relaunching this property from the abyss of the Lucas prequel trilogy and turning it into a bigger than ever all-devouring cultural force, there has to be more than some thought that it’s time for new blood at the helm. The talk out there is of a September changing of the guards. We’ll see."

We have to mention that Ankler has been right in many instances, of the last few years, when it came to "Star Wars" rumors. So, the validity of these claims isn't far-fetched. Ankler does specify that Kennedy would be stepping down not because she thinks she's doing a bad job but because she believes that she’s getting “tired of the job itself” and is likely burnt out.

Of course we know of Kennedy's problems with filmmakers, most notably her firings of Phil Lord and Chris Miller on "Solo," the axing of Collin Trevorrow from "Episode IX" and letting Gareth Edwards go of his duties on "Rogue One," with Tony Gilroy coming in near  production's end to takeover. [Although Edwards did get final director's credit].  

Lest we forget, that if there is a director Kathleen Kennedy has warmed up to during her tenure as Lucasfilm head, it would have to be Rian Johnson. Yes, the same Johnson who is all but HATED by this fairly large group of "Star Wars" devotees and, yet, was given the task of creating a new "Star Wars" trilogy from scratch for the next decade. Maybe we should all celebrate the journey to come with "Episode IX," which will surely be a film that J.J. Abrams will be making to please the legions of old-school fans that have devoted, for some, their entire lives to the "Star Wars" "religion" only to have it seen be turbulently shattered the last two years, in their eyes at least. "Episode IX" will be a back-to-the-basics affair, there's no doubt about it, but will it already be too late? Would Kennedy and Disney have already steered the ship a little too far-off to fully recover and be redeemed by Lucas loyalists? If Kennedy does step down as Lucasfilm President, many will surely be happy with the news, but would her job have been impossible to satisfy everyone or did she truly shoot herself in the foot and mess it all it up?

Terry Gilliam Says Superheroes Are “Bullsh*t”

In a recent  interview, director Terry Gilliam didn't hold back when it came to superhero movies:

“I hate superheroes. It’s bullshit. Come on, grow up! We’re not going to be teenagers for the rest of our lives. It’s great to dream of great powers. Superheroes are all about power. That’s what I don’t like about superheroes. They’ve gotta beat the other powerful superheroes. Come on, a bit of peace, love, and understanding is what we need.”

Buzz for Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's “A Star Is Born" is Through the Roof

There seemed to have been a few private screenings of Bradley Cooper‘s upcoming remake of  "A Star Is Born" (only due for release in October). Three major celebs are already raving about it, trying to kickstart an Oscar campaign via word of mouth: Barbra Streisand, Sean Penn, and Robert De Niro.

Streisand: “Oh, I can’t say too much…I haven’t seen too much, but it’s good…it’s very, very good.” 

Penn: “One of the most beautiful, fantastic, it’s the best, and most importantly commercial film I have seen in so many years.” 

De Niro: “It’s terrific and Bradley is excellent in it…the movie is wonderful…I hope it gets the attention I feel it should when it opens…Bradley learned to sing…he really worked hard and it paid off…you see all the hard work he did, it’s special.”

What is really going on here? Do we have the second coming of Bob Fosse being released this October? Or is this just friends helping a friend? Well, we finally have a trailer.

This looks by-the-books but well shot, directed, and especially, acted. It really helps when you have a real musician star in a musical. Lady Gaga at the Oscars is a very real question, folks.

The official synopsis reads "A movie star helps a young singer and actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral." 

Cooper writes, directs and stars. The film also includes Lady Gaga, Sam Elliot, and Dave Chappelle.

Jared Leto to Star in & Produce Standalone Joker Film for Warner Bros.

We do know that Martin Scorsese is involved as producer of the recently announced Joker origin movie, with Todd Phillips slated to direct. That movie, as of now, doesn't have a Joker, with rumors hintings towards either Joaquin Phoenix or Leonardo DiCaprio. 

However, what we do know is that DC and the WB are not done with "Suicide Squad,"  what with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn getting her own movie with “Birds of Prey,” and now another character, Jared Leto's The Joker, nabbing his own standalone movie.

Did we need this? Absolutely not, but I'm hoping that the WB and DCEU got their priorities straightened out, hired a great director and are working hard at making "Suicide Squad 2" work this time around. Ditto, these upcoming original movies of Harley Quinn and The Joker.

Variety has it like this:

"Warner Bros. is looking to expand on Jared Leto’s version of the Joker, which debuted in 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” with a movie of his own."

"Sources tell Variety that Leto is set to star and exec produce an untitled standalone film, paving the way for future movies branching from “Suicide Squad.”

The same source says that film should go into production sometime in 2019.

“The Last Jedi" Star Kelly Marie Erases Her Instagram After Months Of Racist And Sexist Comments From SW “Fans"

"The Last Jedi" and its deviation from the original spirit of the character rubbed many people the wrong way. Others,  were also complaining about the new characters whom, coincidence or not, were mostly female characters, (Laura Dern's Admiral Holdo and Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico,) which even led to a fan deciding to edit his own 

46 minute version of the "The Last Jedi"

 without any women in it. That was going a little too far.

 With all that being said, 

JJ Abrams

' claim that the reason for the nasty backlash was because these very fans felt "threatened" by having strong women in their movie kind of misses the point. Sure, there is some truth in that statement, but it wasn't just the fact that Rose and Kelly were in the movie that had fans wanting Johnson's head on a golden platter. No, it was a lot more than that.

Regardless, the mean-spiritedness that can mentally hamper down some Star Wars fans has made Marie Tran delete her

Instagram

, and all her posts and essentially wiped her profile clean. 

According to 

Star Wars Facts

, Tran deleted her Instagram “due to months of harassment she has received for her character Rose in #TheLastJedi.”

There is no actual statement from the actress.

Tran was the first woman of color to have a leading role in the “Star Wars” films, and, as mentioned, even if her character was divisive, many trolls were surely attacking her based on race and gender.

George Clooney Says ‘Batman & Robin' Was a “Career Wake-Up Call"

I grew up watching Tim Burton's first two Batman movies. Obsessed, I was continuously rewatching them. My fandom stopped once "Batman Forever" happened, but even more so "Batman & Robin," the latter of which was met with a resounding "WTF?" by audiences worldwide. I mean, it's one thing changing Tim Burton for Joel Schumacher as the director, but replacing Michael Keaton with Val Kilmer, and then George Clooney, as Batman was the final straw for me. I wouldn't be a fan again until Christopher Nolan took over in 2005 with his great trilogy of films. Schumacher's films left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

Schumacher spoke to Vice, in what seemed to be a very therapeutic interview for the director, about the catastrophe that was "Batman & Robin." In fact, he actually apologized for the movie. It certainly did damage his career, he was once a much sought after filmmaker that had a streak of box-office hits (St. Elmo's Fire, A Time to Kill, The Client, Falling Down, The Lost Boys). I do appreciate what he did in 2002 with "Phone Booth," but, other than that Collin Farrel starring flick, the last 20 years have been grim for Schumacher.

The whole Vice interview is fascinating stuff, click on the link below, but the quote that will stir up talk is when, at some point, he says this:

"And then after Batman & Robin, I was scum. It was like I had murdered a baby ... Look, I apologize, I want to apologize to every fan that was disappointed because I think I owe them that."

Now, we come to the film's star George Clooney, who hasn't been shy in his lack of support for "Batman and Robin:"

“With hindsight, it’s easy to look back and go ‘Whoa, that was really shit and I was really bad in it.’ In a weird way, I was. Batman is still the biggest break I ever had and it completely changed my career, even if it was weak and I was weak in it. It was a difficult film to be good in. I don’t know what I could have done differently.”

Now he's telling THR that it was actually a positive wakeup call for him:

It’s really easy to pick: Batman & Robin. That’s not a joke. Up until that moment, I was an actor only concerned with finding work. After the failure of that film creatively, I understood that I needed to take control of the films I made, not just the role. My next three films were Out of Sight, Three Kings and O Brother, Where Art Thou?

[THR]

David Lowery speaks Robert Redford, and his upcoming “Old Man and the Gun"

This looks like a beautiful tribute to Redford.

One of the most audaciously original narratives I have seen this decade. “A Ghost Story” was shot with friends Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck as a personal side project while Director David Lowery was also filming "Pete’s Dragon." "A Ghost Story" was not, in any sense, “scary” as much as it is was an engrossing meditation on life and death. The less you knew about it, the better.

I had spoken last year with Lowery at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival, in an extensive and in-depth interview, about his latest film, and his upcoming one "Old Man and the Gun" with Robert Redford, whose trailer has just been released today.

On Redford and "Old Man and the Gun":

We became [he and Redford] friends after that film. We developed a few other things together, so working together was always paramount and was something we both wanted to do. We have this sci-fi film that we’ve both been working together on that will maybe happen one day. We just finished shooting the third film together called “The Old Man and the Gun” where he gets to share the screen with Robert Redford. When I got to the point of casting “A Ghost Story” he was the first person I went to, but I also wanted him and Rooney simultaneously because I wanted the chemistry they had. I knew they had a great chemistry together and I wanted both of them to be in this movie for that reason.

On "The Old Man and the Gun” being experimental like “A Ghost story.”

It’s weird to call it experimental because it’s not experimental in the way “A Ghost Story,” but for me, it was just as much of an experiment. Audiences will see "The Old Man and the Gun" next year and think that, in comparison to "A Ghost Story," it'll feel very much like a traditional movie. It'll feel like a completely different type of movie because it's fun, it's lighthearted, it is just a romp, in some ways, and, at the same time for me, that's an experiment. I think a movie that functions that way is experimental because I just don't normally think that way, particularly when it comes to this being funny, I have the funny bone in the world, I enjoy laughing, I love laughing all the time. That was my goal. As much as I wanted to make a film that was delightful, it was still pretty experimental for me, but when you see it it'll feel relatively normal. It still has some weird stuff going on, it's very minimalist, there's not a lot of there, but it definitely is more lighthearted than anything I have done and it's, in many ways, a love letter to Robert Redford. As much as it's about him and his career, it also has a meta quality that could also be described as experimental, but when you watch the movie people will be like "Wow, David made a really normal movie." But for me making a normal movie is somewhat "experimental." I'm curious to see how the finished product looks like because like all experiments there is a chance for failure and I haven't quite crossed the threshold of success yet.

Official Synopsis:

"THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN is based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), from his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck), who becomes captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft, and a woman (Sissy Spacek), who loves him in spite of his chosen profession."

“The Old Man And The Gun” opens on September 28, look for it at Telluride, Venice, and TIFF.

Woody Allen Says He Should Be ‘Poster Boy' for the #MeToo Movement

Argentinian news program “Periodismo Para Todos” [Quartz], had an exclusive interview with Woody Allen, who decided to finally open up about the accusations against him and also speak a bit about the #MeToo movement.

This is the quote that has people talking:

“I’m a big advocate of the #MeToo movement. I feel when they find people who harass innocent women and men, it’s a good thing that they’re exposing them. But you know, I should be the poster boy for the #MeToo movement. Because I have worked in movies for 50 years. I’ve worked with hundreds of actresses and not a single one — big ones, famous ones, ones starting out — have ever ever suggested any kind of impropriety at all. I’ve always had a wonderful record with them.”

You know how I feel about the Woody Allen case. Moses Farrow, the adopted son of Allen and Mia Farrow, has always shot down the claim that his sister was molested by Woody back in August 1992. In fact, he's accused his mother Mia of being a manipulative control freak when he and his siblings were younger. Moses doubled-down on Mia a few weeks ago in an op-ed entitled “A Son Speaks Out.” In it, the most shocking claim, for many sadly, is that his mother Mia was abusive towards him and his siblings.

Dylan said he published the essay as “an attempt to deflect from a credible allegation made by an adult woman, by trying to impugn my mother who has only ever been supportive of me and my siblings.”

Other noteworthy quotes from the interview:

“I think in any situation where anyone is accused of something unjustly, this is a sad thing. I think everybody would agree with that… Everyone wants justice to be done. If there is something like the #MeToo movement now, you root for them, you want them to bring to justice these terrible harassers, these people who do all these terrible things. And I think that’s a good thing,” Allen said.

“What bothers me is that I get linked in with them. People who have been accused by 20 women, 50 women, 100 women of abuse and abuse and abuse– and I, who was only accused by one woman in a child custody case which was looked at and proven to be untrue, I get lumped in with these people,” he continued.

“…I mean this is just so crazy. This is something that has been thoroughly looked at 25 years ago by all the authorities and everybody came to the conclusion that it was untrue. And that was the end and I’ve gone on with my life. For it to come back now, it’s a terrible thing to accuse a person of. I’m a man with a family and my own children. So, of course, it’s upsetting.”

Allen’s latest film “A Rainy Day in New York” is still in post-production and has no release date.

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.

Luca Guadagnino's “Suspiria" remake

Do I want to see this? Of course, it's Guadagnino tackling a bonkers horror Giallo. However, my real concern? Where's the auteur voice that was honed and perfected in "Call Me By Your Name," and, to a certain extent, in "A Bigger Splash" and "I Am Love"? You wouldn't know this was directed by Guadagnino if his name wasn't stamped on this trailer.