If worldwide distribution for the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” has proven anything it’s that there is still rampant homophobia all over the world. After most of its scenes depicting gay relations were censored in Russia just a week ago, the American-British produced musical has now been completely banned in the island nation of Samoa, all because of the tiny bit of homosexuality ‘Rocketman’ depicts onscreen.
Read more‘Gladiator 2’ Producer Confirms the Sequel Will Be Set 25 Years After the Original
Late last year, THR had reported that Ridley Scott was returning to the world of "Gladiator" for a planned sequel. It read like one of those kooky satirical writeups from The Onion, but it was actually true. The Oscar-winning director was indeed moving forward on a followup to his 2001 Best Picture winner. This one would follow Lucius (son of Lucilla and the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix's villainous Commodus). If you remember, Maximus saved the boy from his uncle in the 2000 film.
Read more‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix' Expected to Lose $100M
Deadline has released a report claiming that “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” is projected to lose upwards of $100M for Disney (Although, I do wonder how much of the production costs were already paid for by Fox). The report quotes sources and analysts, they predict “Dark Phoenix” will probably take in approximately $325 million worldwide at the box office, making it a major bomb if that’s the case. But a sub-$300 million intake is also not out of the question, which would render its losses at much higher than $100M. What a disaster.
Sex Disappearing From Big Screen?
Ann Hornaday's insightful piece on the lack of sex in today's movies felt like an oasis to me. I've been seeing the decline of eroticism and sexuality for a few years now at the movies. The mid-budget movie has all but transferred on to television, where sex is very much present. It’s not just that, the #MeToo movement has brought about a ton of pressure on directors, in terms of how to depict sex in a non-offensive ways.
Read moreRob Reiner Released Six Classics in 8 Years, Then He Became One of the Worst Directors in Hollywood
Was there a hotter studio director in the mid-80s to early 90s than Rob Reiner? His rise-and-fall is a mystery that many cinephiles have conversed about over the years, but why did this once celebrated director become so badly attuned to modern-day filmmaking?
Read moreX-Men Producer Disavows ‘Dark Phoenix,' ‘Apocalypse' & ‘New Mutants'
Lauren Shuler Donner, a producer and longtime mentor of Kevin Feige’s, has been part of the Fox’s X-men Franchise since the very beginning in 2000. However, don’t ask her about the last three films because, In a now since deleted tweet, she wants nothing to do with them.
Read moreA Date With Brian De Palma's ’Domino' Is Being Scheduled
If David Fincher has been channeling Hitchcock for the last two decades, Brian De Palma has been doing it for the last five decades. De Palma has referenced Hitch by constantly casting blondes as leading ladies, using Hitchcock regular Bernard Hermann’s scores and – more importantly – copying camera techniques of such classics as "Vertigo," "Rear Window" and "Psycho." Of course De Palma has still managed to infuse his own auteur voice into his films; he’s one of the very best filmmakers for the long take/tracking shot and his constant use of the split screen has been nothing short of revolutionary. His familiar obsessions still linger inside him as he continues making movies decade after decade, but there’s mistaking the fact that he’s been in an obvious funk these last 20 or so years.
Read moreTerrence Malick Already Shooting Next Movie, Titled ‘The Last Planet’; Will Be About Jesus Christ
Terrence Malick premiered his World War II era drama A Hidden Life at Cannes Film Festival, after three years of production, I thought it was a messy return to narrative storytelling for the legendary writer-director. Regardless, the film was picked up by Fox Searchlight and will be released later this fall for Oscar contention.
Read moreJordan Peele Raves About Ari Aster's ‘Midsommar'
I do wonder how I missed the Fangoria q & a between Jordan Peele and “Midsommar” director Ari Aster. The quote most outlets are using is Peele’s rave of Aster’s film, which is said to play heavily on pagan cult horror, much like “The Wicker Man.” No surprise then that, given Peele was on-stage with Aster, the “Get Out” director had over-the-top praise for Aster’s upcoming movie: “I think you’ve made the most idyllic horror film of all time. You’ve taken Stepford Wives and shattered the attractiveness of that movie with this one. That alone is a feat. This movie is just so unique. This hasn’t existed yet, and anything after Midsommar is going to have to contend with it. I mean, this usurps The Wicker Man as the most iconic pagan movie to be referenced.
Read moreYouTube Bans ‘Triumph of the Will’ For Hate Speech
I wrote this about Leni Riefenstahl’s “Triumph of the Will” on 2.13.15:
“Was there ever any doubt that this – quite possibly the most influential film of all time – would not make the list? “Triumph of the Will” is a Nazi propaganda film that, despite its disturbing subject matter, revolutionized the way movies were made. Filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl single-handedly rewrote the language of cinema with her use of cinematography and music. This is a work of staggering brilliance with shots that are still hard to achieve to this very day. Filmmakers such as Peter Jackson, George Lucas and Ridley Scott have all admitted to having studied and copied Rifenstahl’s masterpiece. Watching the film with attention to all the details on screen is an incredible experience; add in the fact that this was meant as a propaganda tool by the Nazis and you have one of the most harrowing cinematic experiences imaginable.”
Yesterday, YouTube decided to set up a new rule for uploaded content. Pure and simply, any videos “alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status,” would be banned [official statement posted here]. For some reason, they decided to include Riefenstahl‘s Triumph of the Will.
YouTube did specify the film’s ban by indicating that it “promoted or glorified Nazi ideology, which is inherently discriminatory.”
Iv’e said it before and I’ll say it again: the film is one of the most influential in the history of film, not for its Nazi ideology, but more so for its groundbreaking technical prowess. Without ‘Triumph’ there would be less advancement in sports broadcasting camerawork — hell, Riefsentahl is even credited as introducing slow-motion in cinema, among many other camera and editing tricks in this masterful film.
Of course, it is no surprise that such a ban has been enforced, but this is a very idiotic road we’re going down. It’s easy to defend speech when you agree with it. Controlling it is dangerous. Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. So, sure, let’s erase history so we forget what evil actually is like.
Michael Douglas Believes He Lost 2013 Cannes Actor Prize Due to Steven Spielberg's TV Bias
Michael Douglas’ “Traffic” co-star Benicio Del Toro interviewed him as part of an “Actor on Actor” series [via Variety]. The real gimme of this chitchat is the fact that Douglas truly believes that he missed out on the Cannes 2013 Best Actor prize due to Steven Spielberg’s bias against television. Spielberg was the Jury president that year and Douglas’s film was the HBO-produced Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra.”
Read moreWill Quentin Tarantino Re-Edit ‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood' Before Its Release?
By all accounts, Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” was met with a distinctive shrug by the Cannes jury, as the Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu-led crew gave the film zero awards during the closing night ceremony. However, American critics seem to really like the movie, judging by its 88 Metascore and a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. And yet, all people seemed to be wanting to talk about, which I refused to cover given how much I loved the film and didn’t want this overshadowing it, was the now-infamous press conference, where Tarantino got visibly upset when someone asked about the film’s “violence against women” and Margot Robbie’s lack of screentime (QT’s now infamous reply “I reject your hypothesis!”).
Read morePatty Jenkins Debuts Eye-Popping ‘Wonder Woman 1984' Poster
This colorful and eye-popping new poster for Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 1984” (June 2020) was tweeted out via Jenkins’ Twitter account. In that tweet she captioned, “By now you’ve heard: WB isn’t going to Hall H this year. We’re so sad to miss you there! And waiting until Dec. to start our official #WW84 campaign in full-- But the truth is… we can just… barely… wait…”
Read moreSan Sebastian Film Festival Boss Is Thrilled That Woody Allen Has Set His New Movie There
It’s been a tumultuous last 20 or so months for Woody Allen, what with American distributors all but blacklisting the legendary writer-director, all due to dubious, already twice settled-in-court, claims, made by his ex-wife Mia Farrow, which resulted in the director’s “A Rainy Day in New York” being shelved by Amazon and never released in U.S. theaters. With all that being said, Allen has gotten back the rights to the film, which is set to premiere, according to my sources, at the Venice Film Festival next September and will then roll out in most of the major European movie markets.
Read more‘Rocketman’ Earns Standing Ovation From Oscar Voters at Academy Screening
I do believe it’s time to put “Rocketman” on the very short list of Oscar contenders that have been screened so far this year. I mean, there aren’t many, not even if you count all the big festivals that have already happened. It does seem that Dexter Fletcher’s Elton John biopic may be destined for the same awards love as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which won four Academy Awards in February.
Read moreWoody Allen's New Movie Casts Christoph Waltz; Set to Begin Shooting in Spain Next Month.
Woody Allen’s long-delayed last film, “A Rainy Day in New York,” will probably have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival this coming September, but that hasn’t stopped the filmmaker from moving on to his next project, an untitled film set to begin shooting in Spain next month. According to France’s Le Parisien, Allen has already signed-on actors such as Christoph Waltz, Gina Gershon, Louis Garrel, Sergi Lopez, and Elena Anaya to appear in this mysterious new film.
Read moreRon Howard Blames ‘Internet Trolls' For ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Box-Office Failures
When Ron Howard took over directorial duties for "Solo: A Star Wars Story," replacing original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, he knew the task at hand was enormous. After all, the "Star Wars" brand is as important, if not more so, for Disney than their cherished Marvel brand. He was seen as the ‘savior’ as trouble was brewing between Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy and Lord/Miller during production of the film. Howard had to steer the ship back in the right direction and have fans that were turned off by Rian Johnson's Episode 8 come back onboard this more by-the-numbers movie. Suffice to say, the underwhelming box-office clearly showed that not to be the case and "Solo," a film that no doubt had major flaws on-screen, was not saved by Howard.
Read more‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese’s New Bob Dylan Doc Focuses on 1975 Tour
Now that the trailer for Martin Scorsese’s upcoming music documentary “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” has finally been released, I can safely say this is my most anticipated doc of the year. The trailer opens with his protest song “Hurricane” and ends with “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” as we come across a 1975 America well over the done-to-death, post-Manson flower-power and social justice era of just a few years back. At the same time, Dylan decided to hit the road with his Rolling Thunder Revue Tour and, if you’re a Dylan aficionado, it represents the very best of live Bob Dylan. Forget about the theatrics for a second (the makeup and mask-wearing, magicians, boxers) and focus on the indelible music and the way Dylan, fresh off retirement and an endless mysterious spirit, explored the roots of the country in a barnstorming tour like no other. The likes of Joan Baez, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Sam Shepard, and Allen Ginsberg took the bus with Dylan and The Band to add extra oomph to the surroundings.
Read moreFantasia Film Festival Announces First Wave Titles
I absolutely adore Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, which happens to be North America’s largest genre festival. Celebrating its 23rd edition this year, the festival has announced its first wave of titles which will include world premiere’s for Malik Bader‘s “Killerman,” starring Liam Hemsworth and Emory Cohen, and a “Critters” movie? You heard me right, the first Critters movie since the ‘80s, titled “Critters Attack!” will premiere at the Montreal fest.
Read moreOverpraised Barry Jenkins Set to Direct Alvin Ailey Biopic
It’s great living in a world where a director like Oscar winner Barry Jenkins has the ability and freedom to make any movie he damn well wishes to make. After all, the man is visually gifted, especially in his talent for immaculately conceived close-ups. However, I can’t say the substance in “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Moonlight” warranted all those over-the-top raves from critics. There was something lacking in the rather simple ‘Beale’ story and ‘Moonlight,’ despite an absolutely enveloping first two acts kind of fell apart for me in its last third. Alas, I am still very much anticipating Jenkins’ fourth film [via Deadline] which will have him team up with Fox Searchlight for an as-of-yet untitled film based on the life of choreographer Alvin Ailey.
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