Elton John Biopic "Rocket Man" Shoots For the Stars [Trailer]

October 1, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

I grew up listening to Elton John on a relentless basis. I didn't get to the classic albums ("Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," and "Honky Chateau") because there were just so many songs to catch up to before I could catch up to the records. He's had 19 top ten hits on the Billboard singles chart, and if you reach forward to top 40 the count is 57. That makes him the third most successful artist in the history of the American music, behind only Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

The greatest Elton John songs, as far as I'm concerned, are

'Crazy Rich Asians' Is Now The Highest-Grossing Romantic Comedy In A Decade

October 1, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Despite my mixed review of the film, I couldn't be happier for the success "Crazy Rich Asians" at the American box-office. The latest news on this landmark film is that it has just become the highest-grossing romantic comedy in 10 years, surpassing 2009′s “The Proposal” [via Box Office Mojo].

John Carpenter: The most influential director of the 2010s

October 1, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

If there's a filmmaker whose stock/legacy has been considerably bumped up the past decade, it's John Carpenter's. And yet, he's only directed a single film in the last 17 years (2010's The Ward" starring Amber Heard). At 70 years of age, Carpenter is mostly concentrating on producing nowadays, but you cannot deny just how influential he's been to the resurgence of the horror genre.

We have seen shades of Carpenter classics such as “Halloween,” “The Thing,” “Assault on Precinct 13,” “Escape from New York,” “They Live,” and “Big Trouble in Little China” all over the neo-horror resurgence. There's Ti West's "House of the Devil," David Robert Mitchell's "It Follows," Adam Wingard's "The Guest," Jeremy Saulnier's "Green Room," Jeff Nichols' "Midnight Special," The Duffer Brothers' "Stranger Things," and even Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight," the latter which had Tarantino only showing "The Thing" to his cast before production begun.

Venom PG-13 backlash: Tom Hardy says 'My favourite 40 minutes of Venom were cut from the film'

October 1, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

I will be watching Ruben Fleischer's "Venom" on Wednesday, but that PG-13 rating hangs over it like inescapable roadkill. There's no doubt in my mind that the film deserved an R, an adaptation of Venom should not be rated PG-13. It does immense disservice to the comic book and its fans. The reason for this rating, as reported by Variety, was about the possible box-office damage that could come with an R-rated comic book flick. Sony did not go the “Logan” and “Deadpool” route here. They are playing it safe, folks. Fuck 'em.

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Was Targeted by Russian Trolls, Study Says

October 1, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

When all else fails just blame the Russians.

An 'academic paper' is claiming that half of the criticism on social media that was aimed at director Rian Johnson and "The Last Jedi" was due to 'Russian trolls.'

That's exactly what a new academic paper by researcher Morten Bay has claimed to have found.

‘Free Solo’ Soars at Specialty Box Office

September 30, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

It's been an incredible year for documentaries. "Three Identical Strangers," "RBG" and "Won't You Be My Neighbor" have broken records at the box-office. However, news has come out that Vasarhelyi and Chin's "Free Solo" just had the strongest opening weekend of any documentary in 2018. This movie has to be seen in a theater, NOT on home video.

From my review on 9.16.18:

Peter Jackson's 'They Shall Not Grow Old' Stunningly Revives Century-Old WWI Footage [Trailer]

September 30, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

We haven't heard from Peter Jackson since he released "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" back in 2014, it must have been an exhausting journey to make that trilogy and I'm sure he needed the time to rest. His next movie is set to be the "Tintin" sequel. In the meantime, Jackson has finished post-production on his WWI Documentary, an ambitious project. This film, comprising of real-footage of the first World War, is set to premiere this October at the BFI London Film Festival.

"They Shall Not Grow Old" will use never-before-seen archival footage of the "great war," all of which will be colorized and restored in 3D format. This is an incredibly fascinating project which will be screened exclusively in theaters on October 16th.

Roman Polanski's Victim Tells Media to Let It Go Already: "I've grown up, why can't everyone else?"

September 30, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

When Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby were expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, I was rather flabbergasted at how that committee could possibly perceive Polanski to be in the same predatorial league as Cosby.

Cosby drugged and raped more than 60 women in his life. Polanski? He had sex with Samantha Geimer, an underage teenage girl back in 1977. Polanski, angered by the Academy's decision, called it “the height of hypocrisy.” Even Geimerhas been telling news outlets to let it go and stop harassing Polanski for something that happened more than four decades ago, "I've grown up, why can't everybody else?" she recently tweeted.

'After Everything (Shotgun)' should have won the top dramatic prize at SXSW

September 30, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Hannah Marks and Joey Power's "After Everything" was the best film to play in competition at this year's SXSW film festival. It represents a strong debut by the filmmaking duo because it agreeably understands, and never judges, the cash-strapped, NYC-based, millennial couple at the center of its tangled love story. The film is both idealistic and shrewdly cynical; it never necessarily sets for a settled mood because, well, that's now how life works. And yet, for a film dealing with such heavy themes, it manages to be curiously humorful.

Bill Murray defends Dustin Hoffman: "He’s a crazy, like a Borscht Belt flirt, he has been his whole life, but he’s a really sweet man.”

September 29, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

In a recent interview held at the 92nd Street Y (via Yahoo) Bill Murray had to say about the Dustin Hoffman sexual assault accusations:

“Since we’re talking about Dustin Hoffman, I just want to say: Dustin Hoffman is a great man and a really good guy,” Murray said. “And I heard what happened to him, and Dustin Hoffman is a really decent person. He’s a crazy, like a Borscht Belt flirt, he has been his whole life, but he’s a really sweet man.”

John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell Team-Up for "Holmes and Watson" [Trailer]

September 29, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

The last great Will Ferrel comedy was "Step Brothers." It now feels like a prophetic statement on today’s epidemic of stay-at-home millennials, except "Step Brothers" was released 10 years before this disconcerting phenomenon.

'Upgrade' has the potential to be a new sci-fi cult classic [Review]

September 28, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Leigh Whannell’s "Upgrade" is a B movie – a riff on Paul Verhoeven's "Robocop," filled with high-tech-paranoia and nastily rendered revenge dramatics. In other words, it's just what the doctor ordered. In a movie world filled with film releases that try to scream out "me! me! me! me!" Whannell's film feels like a fresh oasis as it sets out to build up a familiar world but with a new fresh set of eyes and an irresistibly dark atmosphere.

Tim Allen Compares 'Toy Story 4' to ‘Infinity War’

September 28, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

In an interview on “The Talk,” Tim Allen, Mr. Buzz Lightyear, was asked about ‘Toy Story 4’:

“I gotta resist getting emotional because I don’t wanna give it away but this is an incredibly great story. If you’re at all a superhero fan, ‘Infinity War,’ I’m a big superhero fan, that didn’t seem like it was going to work. It was a lot of vignettes that all made sense. This ‘Toy Story 4’ . We’ve only been through it once, there will be several more incantations, but it is so emotional, it’s so funny, it’s so big the idea that they’ve come up with. I’m startled. [‘Toy Story 3’] I thought was amazing. This one, I couldn’t even get through the last scene, OK?”

“Toy Story 4” will be released on June 21, 2019.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's Contract Extended For Three Additional Years

September 28, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

Star Wars has been a hot-button topic the last year for many hardcore fans, especially those starting to doubt their faith in the sci-fi enterprise. 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 ground and regain the trust of many of these, now, rogue fans she may have lost. According to THR, Kennedy has signed a contract extension of three more years, which means that the final chapter of the “Star Wars” Skywalker Saga, ‘Episode IX,’ due in theaters December 2019, will be overseen by Kennedy.

Lee Chang-Dong’s ‘Burning' is the Best Movie of 2018 so Far

September 27, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

My favorite film of the Cannes Film Festival, and of the year so far, has been Lee Chang-Dong's "Burning," which, so it happens, is a damn-near miraculous achievement. I would go as far and say I've never really seen anything quite like it. The cinematic movement happening right now in Korea is quite special.

Bar none, the best movie I saw at the last Cannes Film Festival. There wasn't even debate. Why? Because I don't think I've ever seen a movie quite like the genre-morphing "Burning." Even if it uses many of the enticing tropes of a whodunit drama, it feels incredibly fresh. Some of the filmmaker coming out of South Korea these days are utterly fascinating.

"Blade Runner 2049" Editor Talks 4-Hour-Cut

September 27, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

It has never been a secret that Denis Villeneuve had a four-hour cut of "Blade Runner 2049" [IndieWire ] and the director's claim that it was “pretty strong.” However, he has admitted that the released 163-minute theatrical version was still the better movie.

Editor Joe Walker, speaking to Collider as to what he left in and took out, gave us more details about the process. He mentions that he was ordered not to cut any of Cinematographer Roger Deakins' amazing shots.

Director Jeremy Saulnier Talks ‘Hold The Dark,’ Netflix, & What He Gained From Leaving ‘True Detective’ [Interview]

September 27, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

I spoke to the director about the grander canvas he has with this latest film, how it was collaborating with Netflix, and what he learned from his failed “True Detective” experience. Interview here.

Here's what I wrote at TIFF:

"If you haven’t seen any films by filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier, then you’re missing out. He’s one of the very best up-and-coming directors around. His 2014 film “Blue Ruin” is a crime-thriller masterpiece and 2016’s “Green Room” was such a dark and nasty neo-Nazi revenge thriller that it felt like an avant-garde horror movie."

Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers on the set of 'You Are My Friend'

September 27, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

As per press release:

"Two-time Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in Untitled Mr. Rogers/Tom Hanks Project, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor."

The film will be directed by Marielle Heller ("Diary of a Teenager Girl," "Can You Ever Forgive Me?").

Clint Eastwood's 37th film as a Director, "The Mule," will be released on December 14th,

September 27, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

You can add another noteworthy film to your must-see holiday basket. None other than Clint Eastwood will be releasing a film this coming December. The 88-year-old will direct and star in "The Mule," which is based on the true story of an older gentleman who volunteered to lend his services as a drug mule. Eastwood will play the titular mule in the film, which is set to be released onDecember 14th. The film costars Bradley Cooper, Michael Pena, Laurence Fishburne and Dianne Wiest.

'Creed II' Trailer: Adonis is Back, but not Ryan Coogler

September 26, 2018 Jordan Ruimy

MGM and Warner Bros. have given us a new sneak peat ag what is in store for us this fall with "Creed 2." The anticipated sequel to 2015's reinvention of the boxing movie, which was also a sequel/spinoff of the Rocky franchise, will have Michael B. Jordan back as Adonis Creed, this time facing off against the son of Ivan Drago. Don't worry Rocky IV fans, Dolph Lundgren will be back as Drago in this film. Ryan Coogler will not be returning to the director's chair (a major red flag), instead we get Steven Caple Jr. ("The Land"), an unknown, so let's be open-minded, since the screenplay will be written by Sylvester Stallone. Stallone will also reprise his role as Rocky Balboa.

"Creed 2" opens in theaters on November 21st.

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Critics Polls

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Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

Critics Poll: Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Tops Our 1960s Critics Poll

We’ve already covered the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Now we have the results for the Best Films of the 1960s.

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New ‘Friday the 13th’ Movie Set for 2027 With Steve Miner, 75, Directing

Of all the horror filmmakers who've begged for a shot at Jason over the past 17 years, they went with a 75-year-old who hasn't made a feature since "Day of the Dead" in 2008.

Robert Pattinson Likely to Be the Next James Bond, Says Puck’s Matt Belloni

The finalists are Nicholas Hoult, Jack Lowden, Josh O'Connor, Pattinson and Callum Turner. Belloni says an announcement could come before Christmas if nothing goes wrong. The most interesting nugget is the deals.

‘Man of Tomorrow’ Hit With Reshoots, Scrapped Cameos — No Final Cut for James Gunn?

Do you really think Ellison fired Gunn before he saw a rough cut of "Man of Tomorrow"? No chance. Clearly, whatever he saw didn't impress him.

Steven Soderbergh's Next Film: Adam Driver Teases “One of the Best Things He's Ever Written"

Adam Driver is still not over "The Hunt for Ben Solo," but there's a silver lining: Steven Soderbergh has already moved on to a new script, and Driver calls it one of the best things Soderbergh has ever written.

‘Austin Powers 4' Is Happening? Mike Myers Says He's “Writing It Right Now"

Part of the reason a fourth 'Austin Powers' was never made is that Myers basically stepped away from the industry. After "The Love Guru" bombed in 2008, he all but disappeared from leading roles.

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.