Another day, another “Batman” rumor which always seems to contradict the last report. And it’s the same kind of back and forth pendulum-swinging story. Gossip and hearsay have swirled for months on whether or not Ben Affleck will be staying on as Batman in the DCEU.
Read moreOscar: Best Actor is Three-Way-Race Between Cooper, Bale and Mortensen
Sasha Stone's Best Actor analysis over at Awards Daily— “On Heroes, Failed Heroes, Anti-Heroes,“ summarizes where we are at right now in terms of the pretenders and contenders:
“This year, at least right now, it looks like we’re putting a failed hero (A Star Is Born‘s Bradley Cooper) up against a straight-up hero (Green Book‘s Viggo Mortensen) and an anti-hero (Vice‘s Dick Cheney).
Sigourney Weaver Defends Roman Polanski: “He’s Changed His Life”
Sigourney Weaver was asked by THR about Roman Polanski, whom she's worked with in the past, on the 1994 film “Death and the Maiden.” When asked about how it was working with Polanski, Weaver immediately voiced support for the director:
“I have to say, looking back, and I wasn’t really in Hollywood [at the time of the Polanski crimes], but things that I would hear, it was a much different time and that’s no excuse for what he did at all but all I’m saying is it stands out more now than it did at the time because people were desperate to be in movies and I think it’s unimaginable now for a mother to drop off a thirteen-year-old with someone like Roman,” she explained.
Read more'Guardians' Actor Michael Rooker Says James Gunn’s Firing Was 'Terrible'; Confirms Gunn Will Direct ‘Suicide Squad’
'Guardians' Michael Rooker didn't mince words when it came to defending fired director James Gunn (via Comicbook.com). “It’s terrible, isn’t it? Yeah, but oh well, guess what? He’s on a gig already. ‘Suicide Squad,’ that’s right. He’s writing it and directing it as well,” Rooker said at Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta.
It's good to hear some kind of confirmation that, indeed, Gunn is directing 'Suicide Squad 2.' Up to this point the DCEU and WB were, and are still, only confirming that Gunn is writing the screenplay with the 'possibility' of him directing the picture as well.
'Star is Born' is our Best Picture front-runner, but watch out for 'Green Book'
Before I tackle the Best Picture Oscar race, here are a few important takeaways when it comes to this weekend's box-office totals:
The slasher genre has most definitely been reignited with "Halloween." David Gordon Green's sequel to the 1978 classic topped the box-office yet again, in its second week of action, with a strong $32M weekend. That puts its 2-week total at a whopping $132M. Watch out for a major bump this week as it seems to be the only Halloween-centered movie currently in theaters and many will want a fright night at the cinema on the 31st.
Read moreThe problem with 'The Simpsons' axing Apu
I haven't watched The Simpsons since, oh gosh I don't know, Season 11, I think? It's now entered its 25th season, but, goddammit if that stretch they had between 1990-2000 wasn't one of the finest in TV history, right up there with "Seinfeld," "The Sopranos," and "Breaking Bad."
Read more‘Bohemian Rhapsody' could have used more of that rhapsody [Review]
Nothing bold or original is splashed onto the screen in Bryan Singer's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Maybe that's the point. After all, what can a filmmaker possibly do to break the mold of the rise and fall biopic? It's not like critically acclaimed biopics such as "Ray," "I Walk the Line," "Bound for Glory," "Straight Outta Compton," and "Coal Miner's Daughter" had groundbreaking narratives either. No, but what made them work was the filmmaking and the way they told their stories. For all the conventional tropes tackled in these films, the filmmaking had a you-are-there sense of wonder that made them palpably felt and lived-in.
Read moreLuca Guadagnino’s ‘Suspiria’ is polarizing but fails to cast a spell
Good God, what did I just witness? Luca Guadagnino's "Suspiria," a remake of Dario Argento's blood-soaked RED 1975 classic, wants to be everything its predecessor wasn't -- a meandering 153 minute take on Argento's horror film.
“Suspiria” is set in 1977, the year that Dario Argento’s original came out. It deals with a coven of venal, sadistic, witches who set up shop in the basement of a Berlin dancing school, heralded by a well-renowned dance teacher played by Tilda Swinton. They raise a filthy, thorn-fingered demon that seems to signal the end of times. Their ultimate catch for ritual is a talented dancer from Ohio named Suzie (Dakota Johnson) whose dream was to join a dance company whose VHS videos she has watched on repeat over the years, memorizing every dance movie.
Read moreAre you F**** kidding me?! AT&T shuts down Filmstruck
The downside of the merger has begun. AT&T is the owner of WarnerMedia, Turner andWarner Bros. Digital Networks, and they've decided to shut down Filmstruck because it isn't a cash cow. I've been a subscriber since late last year and absolutely fell in love with the site, a partnership with Criterion, which has hundreds upon hundreds of hard-to-find classic films. Filmstruck will be axed on November 29th. Variety is reporting that AT&T “is looking to eliminate peripheral projects that aren’t major producers of revenue.” Fuck 'em.
Kathleen Kennedy Confirms Boba Fett Movie is Dead
We all thought a Boba Fett movie was happening, with James Mangold directing, but, with all the chaos happening today in Kathleen Kennedy's Star Wars world, consider us not surprised that it has been reportedly scrapped. Kennedy confirmed the news as she was attending a special screening of “Black Panther” (source: Erick Weber on Twitter).
Read moreCannes Head Thierry Fremaux says Venice obsessed with American movies
Ha, Cannes head Thierry Fremaux says that arch nemesis the Venice Film Festival are obsessed with American movies [via Screen Daily].
“I don’t understand this obsession with American movies. My friend [Venice director Alberto] Barbera didn’t have Kore-Eda’s film, nor Korean, Egyptian or Lebanese movies in Competition. I think a festival must show the cinema of the whole world,” explained Fremaux.”
Read moreGeorge Miller's to direct 'Three Thousand Years of Longing'
It's been 4 years since George Miller gave us "Mad Max: Fury Road," we all expected his next film to be the sequel, "Mad Max: Wasteland," alas that project has had so many delays, due in part to legal issues, that its future is now in severe doubt. So what's old Georgie boy to do in the meantime? How about create a whole other world on-screen. Deadline is reporting that Miller will helm "Three Thousand Years of Longing" which will star Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. Miller has penned the script and will direct as well. Plot details have been kept secret, but sources say it will be epic in scope and is a fantasy-romance revolving around a genie. Suffice to say, the chances of 'Wasteland' actually happening are becoming slimmer by the day.
Scorsese regrets not directing every episode of his cancelled HBO series 'Vinyl'
TV shows tend to rarely have the same director directing every episode. Even the very best shows we've had, like "Breaking Bad," have had dozens of filmmakers take a crack at episodes.
Speaking at the Rome Film Festival (via THR), Martin Scorsese showed regret in not directing every episode of his misbegotten HBO series “Vinyl."
Read moreWoody Allen says he is still writing screenplays
What will happen to Woody Allen's "Rainy Day in New York"? With Amazon having taken hostage his latest film, due to the smear campaign concocted by Ronan and Mia Farrow, 2018 will be the first year that Allen won't release a new film since 1982. And, despite the backlash, Allen, speaking to the New York Post's PageSix columnist Cindy Adams, said he is continuing to write screenplays. The 82-year-old filmmaker confessed “I’m a writer. It’s what I am,” he said. “What I do. What I always will be. I’ll write. Since I continually have ideas it’ll be new ideas and I’ll write new things,” he added.
HBO Hires On-Set 'Intimacy Coordinator' to Overlook All Sex Scenes in Their Shows
HBO wants to make sex scenes safe and more comfortable for its actors. After all, the cable network has been known to push the boundaries when it comes to graphic nudity on-screen. I don't need to name the shows, you know the culprits. However, we do need to mention "Game of Thrones" due to the last few seasons having, err, expanded on the show's graphic sex scenes and brought it to damn-near pornographic-levels. Of course, a backlash happened for the way 'Thrones' depicted the gratuitous sex and nudity, most of which involved women.
Read moreRobert Durst DVD commentary for 'All the Good Things' may have contained admission of guilt
Accused-of-murder Robert Durst, the subject of HBO's "The Jinx," gave DVD commentary for “All Good Things.” Now prosecutors are asking for his comments and, at times, his silence during the DVD commentary to be used as evidence to constitute a tacit admission of guilt. Cinema saves the day, again!
“All Good Things” starred Gosling as David Marks, and Kirsten Dunst as Katie McCarthy, David’s wife who goes missing. The film’s screenplay was based on the relationship between Durst and Kathleen McCormack. That film's director, Andrew Jarecki, gave us a more in-depth and fascinating docu-series released by HBO, entitled “The Jinx,” which chronicled Durst and ended with him confessing to murder. If you haven't seen that show WATCH. IT. NOW. One of the very best TV shows of the decade.
Wachowskis closing down production company premises due to "no new projects scheduled".
I am being told that the Wachowskis, who made "The Matrix" trilogy, "Bound," "V for Vendetta" and "Speed Racer," and "Cloud Atlas" are closing their Ravenswood Avenue office, which they have operated out of for more than a decade.
Lilly and Lana Wachowski hit rock bottom after their Netflix series "Sense 8" was cancelled despite having ended with a cliffhanger in expectation of a third season, then under negotiation. Netflix did eventually produced a two-and-a-half-hour series finale, released on June 8, 2018.
Read moreScorsese and DiCaprio will shoot "Killers of the Flower Moon" late next year
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have two projects in the works, “The Devil in the White City” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The latter is officially going into production after Scorsese is done editing his upcoming gangster drama "The Irishman," with long-time collaborator/editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
"Killers of the Flower Moon" is a "crime drama set in 1920s Oklahoma, where the Osage Nation discover oil under their land, only to find themselves being murdered, one by one. As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI takes up the case and unravels a chilling conspiracy and one of the most monstrous crimes in American history."
Read more‘Incredibles 2’ & ‘Isle Of Dogs’ Among 24 Best Animated Features For Oscar Shortlist
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just announced the films that qualified for the Animated Oscar this year. Five nominees will be selected.
The front-runners currently are: “Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Early Man,” “Smallfoot,” and “Mirai.”
Read moreMelissa McCarthy Says ‘Ghostbusters’ Hate Happened Because “People Are Afraid Of Women”
When the announcement hit that Paul Feig remake was going to helm a “Ghostbusters” reboot and that the all-male cast of the original was going to be replaced by an all-female ensemble, the internet freaked. On one side of the aisle was definite praise for a step forward in Hollywood’s never-ending battle with gender equality, but on the other side of the spectrum there was the massive backlash from fans of the original. The latter didn’t want to believe that some of their most beloved movie characters were about to replaced by, shock, women!
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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.