The jury decision is in on “Rocketman” and the results aren’t necessarily pleasant. Dexter Fletcher’s R-rated Elton John biopic racked up $22M in its opening weekend. Whereas last year’s Freddie Mercury trend-starter “Bohemian Rhpasody” had racked up $51M in its first three days of business. I have said this would happen all along, but the R rating stamped on “Rocketman” prevented it from becoming a profitable endeavor. Hell, at this point, I would be surprised if it even cracks the $100M mark when all is said and done.
Read moreRobert Pattinson Deserves To Be Batman
I do wonder how this R-Batz backlash, stemming mostly from DCEU fans, will unfold once, ya know, Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” is actually released. The trailer will no doubt be a good indicator as to how this risky bit of casting will be met. Once first footage is shown (probably next year) Pattinson’s take on Bruce Wayne/The Caped Crusader will be miscroscoped to no ends by megafans
Read moreTom Hanks Peaked Between '92 and '02 (But, Please, Let's Not Hate ‘The Ladykillers')
An April ’16 Tom Hanks career assessment, courtesy of Hollywood-Elsewhere’s Jeffrey Wells, claims that Hanks’ peak started with 1992’s “A League of Their Own” and ended with 1999’s “Toy Story,” I would disagree with that timeline. The whole article was inspired by a Hanks quote from a Tribeca Film Festival discussion with John Oliver where he claimed “I peaked in the ’90s.”
Read moreFirst Poster for James Mangold’s ‘Ford v. Ferrari’
20th Century Fox are no doubt working extra hard for director James Mangold’s new film “Ford v. Ferrari” to make a dent in the Oscar race. This beautiful new poster has a ‘70s Hollywood cinema vibe to it. The studio will be debuting the first trailer for the movie on Sunday Night during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.”
Read moreRobert Pattinson Is Officially ‘The Batman’
Many rumors these past few weeks have had Robert Pattinson reportedly signing on to play Batman in Matt Reeves’ upcoming “The Batman.”
Read more‘Onward’ Trailer: Another Pixar Winner?
The folks at Pixar swear that they are done with sequels. Well, at least, after “Toy Story 4” is released next month. After that we can look forward to original content, starting with Dan Scanlon’s “Onward.” Yes, it’s a movie about Elves but Ill give the toon company the benefit of the doubt, they have, after all, given us these past 15 years classics such as “WALL-E,” “Finding Nemo,” “Up!” “Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles,” and “Toy Story 3.”
Read moreScorsese's ‘The Irishman' Delayed Due to De-aging VFX Issues
There has been a hold-up in post-production for Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman.” It does seem to be a case of unrealistic expectations in regards to the CGI being used for the de-aging process, something an old-school filmmaker like Scorsese probably didn’t expect would happen. He is used to finding great shots through composition and experimentation, not drawing them into existence. The de-aging process being used by the film seems to require more than just filmmaking talent but a hefty amount of VFX talent as well.
Read more‘Goldfinch’ Trailer: ‘Brooklyn’ Director Teams With DP Roger Deakins, Nicole Kidman And Ansel Elgort
Donna Tartt’s novel “The Goldfinch” won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It is no doubt a story that needed to eventually be told on-screen and, no surprise, we are getting a screen adaptation already set for release this coming fall.
Read moreAccording to the British Board of Film Classification, Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘Red Sparrow’ Was the Most-Complained-About Film of 2018
The Francis Lawrence-directed “Red Sparrow” was given a hard R in the States. It starred Jennifer Lawrence as a Russian spy and, by, all accounts, the sexuality and violence in the film was something that we rarely see these days in a big studio movie. J-Law even delivered the first nude scene of her career. The film itself was a well-made spy thriller, albeit one with some overlength issues, but, again, it was the kind of adult drama that is rarely greenlit these days in Hollywood.
Read moreAva DuVernay Says She's Not Being Offered Genre Movies Because She's a Woman
For the most part, I like Ava Duvernay’s work from “Selma” to”Middle of Nowhere,” but the outspoken political mindset the writer-director has displayed, especially on Twitter, these last few years hasn’t always helped her out. Take for example her latest point of contention, that she doesn’t get offered the same opportunities as her white male counterparts.
Read moreBox-Office: ‘Aladdin' Makes $100M in Just 4 Days; ‘Booksmart' Disappoints.
Yesterday, I mentioned that “Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde urged audiences to go see her film, noting that the film is “getting creamed by the big dogs out there.” Wilde’s plea didn’t have much effect, at least in terms of the film’s Sunday earnings.
Read moreGeorge Lucas on ‘The Phantom Menace' 20 Years Later: “I love Episode I very much"
The official Star Wars site has a nice little “looking-back “ anecdote on the 20th anniversary of “Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace.”
Read more‘Terminator: Dark Fate' Official Poster
People are underestimating the potential of Tim Miller’s upcoming Terminator movie, a sort of back-to-the-basics approach by producer James Cameron and Miller to bring the franchise back to its glory days (the first two films). Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton are back. What more do you need? Also, don’t, for a second, think Cameron is the mastermind behind the whole film; Yes, Miller is credited as director but you very much need to see this film as a directorial duet. Cameron and Miller are the co-directors.
Read moreChristopher Nolan’s New Film Is Titled ‘Tenet'
As per Variety:
“Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Kenneth Branagh will appear in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, “Tenet.”
“Clémence Poésy, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine are also joining the cast that includes John David Washington, Elizabeth Debicki, and Robert Pattinson.”
“Tenet,” which is being filmed on location across seven countries, is an action epic evolving from the world of international espionage.”
“Nolan is directing from his own original screenplay and will use a mix of Imax and 70mm film to bring the story to the big screen.”
“Nolan’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Jennifer Lame, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, and visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson. The score is being composed by Ludwig Göransson.”
Pixar Claims No More Sequels After ‘Toy Story 4'
Last summer's "Incredibles 2," came off the heels of some rather disappointing sequels from toon company Pixar. With the exceptions of “Toy Story 2” and “Toy Story 3,” they have had had a lackluster set of continuations delivered to us these last few years. Sure, there were things to like about "Finding Dory," and "Monster University," maybe less so in regards to "Cars 2,” "Cars 3," but they all lacked the overall focus and thematic resonance of their predecessors. In short, none of them needed a sequel. It was all about branding and marketing merchandise. However, when Pixar focuses on non-sequels they usually hit aces, think of their last two "Coco" and "Inside Out," both wondrous adventures that showcased the company's indelible talents as cinematic gift-givers.
I’ve been brandishing the theory that maybe Pixar has finally lost its mojo and sold its soul to the Disney machine, but I was proven wrong today when it was revealed [via THR] that the upcoming “Toy Story 4,” which arrives June 21, will be the last sequel before Pixar starts work, solely, on new, original projects and not sequels, led by new boss Pete Docter.
“He’s really looking out for the new voices and really loading up the development pool,” Producer Mark Nielsen said. “It’s all original films after this one right now.”
It all starts in 2020, with “Onward,” directed by “Monsters University” director Dan Scanlon.
The Problem isn't Cannes, It's the Lack of Born and Bred Female Directors
Cannes head Thierry Fremaux gave us a nice overview of the submissions he got for this year’s festival—according to him, 26% of the feature films submitted were directed by a woman. 19 of the 69 films included in the Official Selection (which means features and shorts) were directed by women, which is 27.5%. That’s it, that’s all, folks.
Box Office: ‘Avengers: Endgame' had its third weekend at #1 with $63M
“Avengers: Endgame” had to put up a real fight at this weekend’s box office. It did manage to beat “Detective Pikachu,” which ended up with an impressive $58M.
Read morePeter Jackson Doesn't Want to Direct a Superhero Movie; Was Offered ‘Aquaman' Twice
In a new interview with Empire, director Peter Jackson claims he isn’t interested in directing a superhero movie and that he’d already been offered the chance to direct “Aquaman.,” but he turned it down. Twice.
“[WB Executive Kevin Tsujihara] said, ‘Are you a fan of Aquaman?’ I said, ‘No.’ Six months later: ‘Peter, are you a fan of Aquaman?’ I said, ’No, Kevin, I already told you this’,” Jackson said. “I’m not a superhero guy. I read ‘Tintin’… Look, films are hard. I only want to make something that I have a deep passion for.”
Pre-Cannes Thoughts; Fremaux Says 50% Female Films Would “Show A Lack Of Respect”
it's always interesting to go through the competition lineup at Cannes, especially if, like me, you've been attending the fest for quite a few years now. The stakes are always high for world cinema whenever this film fest to end all film fests kicks off mid-may. A good chunk of the European film industry counts on Cannes to produce its fair share of successful titles..
Read more‘A Hidden Life’: New Photos of Terrence Malick’s WWII Drama
I’m headed to Cannes this coming weekend. Yes, there’s the Tarantino, but there also is Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life.” That’s the other BIG American premiere.
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