Young Lexi Rabe, all but 7 years of age, played Tony Stark's daughter in “Avengers: Endgame” — she’s in the scene where Stark puts her to bed and says: "I love you tonnes," to which she responds: "I love you 3,000."
Read moreDisney Re-Releasing ‘Avengers: Endgame' This Friday In Order to Surpass ‘Avatar' Worldwide Box-Office Record
“Avengers: Endgame” has a worldwide box office total which currently stands at $2.75 billion. James Cameron’s “Avatar,” has a $2.788 billion gross. That means a difference of $40 million. Given Disney’s penchant for trying to take over the movie world, they have decided to huff and puff their way to the record by re-releasing ‘Endgame’ this coming Friday. The gimme for Marvel fans will be three special features added to the film: an intro from co-director Anthony Russo, an “unfinished” deleted scene and a special sneak peek at “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” I think I’ll pass.
Martin Scorsese's ‘The Irishman' Skipping Fall Festivals
“The Irishman” producer Irwin Winkler is now saying that Martin Scorsese’s highly anticipated mob drama, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Anna Paquin, will be released on Netflix this Thanksgiving.
Read moreClint Eastwood Will Produce/Direct Next Film In Georgia Despite Hollywood Abortion Bill Boycott
It doesn’t look like the Hollywood boycott of Georgia will have any effect on Clint Eastwood’s next movie.
Read more‘Toy Story 4' Review: A Decent Affair But the Weakest of the Series. It's Time for Pixar to Move On ...
What director Josh Cooley has decided to do with this fourth ‘Toy Story’ installment is hit the reset button. Former toy owner Andy now gone and replaced by Bonnie, a young tyke who has inherited Andy’s collection, which includes Buzz Lightyear and Woody. This set-up results in the same kind of theatrics and plotting as the first three ‘Toy Story’ movies. There’s nothing new being told here, just business as usual.
In this fourth chapter, our gang embark on a new adventure with new toy Forky — this Spork was created from scratch by Bonnie and has become her go-to-plaything. Problem is Forky doesn’t want to be a toy, he says he belongs in the trash, like all the other used sporks. Regardless, his runaway nature has Woody scrambling to keep him intact because Bonnie will throw a hissy fit if he goes missing. It all leads to the usual chase sequences, which aren’t far removed from the first three movies. In other words, ex-Pixar honcho John Lasseter’s input is sorely missing in “Toy Story 4” — would he have even approved of the final result? The question begs to be asked.
By all measures, “Toy Story 4” is a watchable affair, something that families can all go to see this coming weekend at the multiplexes — especially when compared with every other mega-budget blockbuster playing at this very moment (I’m talking to you ‘Godzilla’). And yet, I felt a sense of disappointment watching the movie. If the first three installments felt breezy and effortless, Cooley’s movie feels forced and unimportant.
The sheer brilliance of “Toy Story 3” and the way its ending seemed to resonate so perfectly, so deeply, made it, by all senses of the term, a perfect trilogy capper. What I didn’t want “Toy Story 4” to do was injure the integrity of its predecessor, but it kind of does that. There is no sense of relevance in this latest adventure. The words “sellout” and “cash grab” will be uttered by detractors, but it pains me to want to firmly plant myself in that direction — mostly because the animation is staggeringly rendered, another triumph of visual wonders for the animation wizards over at Pixar. But, despite being a visual treat, the narrative rings hollow at almost every turn — each ‘Toy Story’ movie built up on the momentum of the previous installment, but this is the first time in the franchise’s 24 year history where irrelevance has very much entered into the equation.
Noah Hawley Says ‘Lucy in the Sky' Ready For Fall Festival Season
We all had our doubts when we first heard that Joel and Ethan Coen's masterpiece "Fargo" was going to be adapted for the small screen, courtesy of FX, but, after the first episode of creator Noah Hawley's adaptation aired, we were converted. The ambition and sheer scope of the series has been nothing short of groundbreaking and, although we still have a few unanswered questions about the last season, and the season before it, answers will likely never come since the beauty of the show, and Hawley's art, is as open-ended as the never-ending mysteries of life.
Read moreBest of 2019 So Far ...
The annual mid-year critics poll will be published tomorrow, but to complete it I need to submit my own list of five films (unranked). The submission rules stated that the chosen films had to be released theatrically in the U.S. between January 1st and June 30th.
I found 14 titles which could be considered:
“Dogman,” “Dragged Across Concrete,” “Us,” “Gloria Bell,” “Diamantino,” “Triple Frontier,” “High Life,” “Ash is Purest White,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Ask Dr. Ruth,” “Hail Satan,” “Climax,” “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” “Holiday,” “Booksmart,” “Long Shot,” "Under the Silver Lake”
Venice Film Festival Names Lucrecia Martel Jury President
Danny Boyle Confirms ‘28 Days Later' Follow-Up is Happening
Director Danny Boyle has confirmed that he is working on a sequel to his 2003 zombie classic “28 Days Later.” The film is credited by many as being the turning point for the 21st century revival of the zombie genre, on the both the big and small screen.
Read moreEmbracing Springsteen's ‘Western Stars'
Man, people weren't kidding, Bruce Springsteen's “Western Stars” is a phenomenal return to form for the 70-year-old musician. The orchestrations (those weeping strings), the lyrics and, even more surprising, his impressive crooning vocals! Influences here range from Glenn Campbell, Jimmy Webb, Phil Spector and, hell, even Burt Bacharach. It took him 9 years of on-again/off-again studio recording to finally release the damn thing, but it was worth the wait.
‘Toy Story 4’ Opens to $118 Million; Falls Short of Expectations
Only in 2019 can a film handily cross a $100 million three-day opening and be deemed a disappointment. And yet, that is what has happened to “Toy Story 4,” whose $118 million opening in sales fell significantly short of Disney’s $140 million three-day estimate.
Read moreAri Aster's ‘Midsommar' Review: An Absurdist Break-Up Movie
Director Ari Aster has claimed that “Midsommar” is his “breakup movie.” After all, the screenplay was written when the director, as he has acknowledged in interviews, was going through a rough patch in a long-term relationship.
Read moreTom Harper's ‘The Aeronauts' Opening Venice Film Festival?
As mentioned on Friday, considerable buzz is building for Tom Harper’s “The Aeronauts,” a film which recounts the 1862 balloon expedition of scientist James Glaisher and wealthy young widow Amelia Wren to fly higher than anyone in history.
Test screenings have been playing so well that I was starting to think it may very well end up at the holy trifecta: Telluride Venice and Toronto. Regardless, the International Film Critique tweeted today something that aligns quite well with what I’ve been hearing, that Harper’s film will be opening the Venice Film Festival in late August.
More to come …
‘Rolling Thunder Revue' Review: Don’t Bother Calling This One a Rockumentary, It’s In a Genre All By Itself.
This unclassifiable documentary continually surprises you at every turn. “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” highlights Dylan and company’s troubadour-like 1975 tour, which included violinist Scarlet Rivera and guitarist Mick Ronson, as they played gigs across America. The venues were smaller, barely any money was made, but in a country torn by Watergate, a never-ending war and the end of flower power, the healing power of music and camaraderie was needed not just for audiences but for the musicians themselves.
Read morePossible Venice, Telluride & TIFF Entires?
We’re still 7 weeks away from the Telluride Film Festival and Venice Film Festival kicking off awards season, but, then again, there’s always time to speculate. I’m just reposting an earlier spitballing article I had printed back in 5.27.19. I have added Tom Harper’s “The Aeronauts,” which I hear is the kind of crowdpleaser that would be too hard to resist for Oscar and Bill Condon has a new drama/thriller called “The Good Liar.” Word on the street is that Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit” is, at the moment, the obvious frontrunner for the Best Picture prize — test screenings for that film have been playing like gangbusters.
Read more‘Halloween 2' Will Start Shoot This Fall, 2020 Release Eyed; Jamie Lee Curtis to Return
Collider is reporting that Blumhouse’s “Halloween 2” will start shooting post-Labor Day, and that Universal will likely release the horror movie on October 16, 2020. Jamie Lee Curtis is also set to return. I pointed out in my 10.16.18 review of David Gordon Green's "Halloween" that I feared the success of the film would re-energize and wake up the 'slasher' genre, which has been dead since the early aughts. I wrote, "Let's hope the success of "Halloween" at the box-office doesn't have Hollywood re-energizing a dead genre." “Halloween” made more than $255 million worldwide on a $10 million production budget.
Critics Poll — Best Movies of 2019 So Far ...
A “Best Movies of 2019 So Far .. “ World of Reel critics poll will be posted next Tuesday. Over 120 critics have submitted their ballots, as of Thursday, with many expected to turn over their picks by the deadline date (this coming Sunday). It’s been a weak year at the movies, but there have still been plenty of titles that caught the attention of our participants — the race for the top spot is very tight, with three movie all but tied at #1 right now.
Mark Hamill Reveals Luke's Involvement in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Story
Once "The Last Jedi" ended and the credits rolled we were all left wondering the same question: Was Luke Skywalker really dead? Luke’s fate was, of course, delivered to us at the end of an exhilarating, and series-changing, third act in "The Last Jedi " Luke had, more or less, given in to the Force and found a way to create a hologram of himself while fighting Kylo Ren, it was all part of a distraction so that the resistance could sneak away. Eventually, as the fight came to its apex, Luke’s physical being disappeared, Jedi robe flying into the wind, having used so much of the force that the movie hinted he probably died.
Read moreNew York Times Writer Predicts Doom and Gloom For Theatrical Cinema's Future
On a slow news day, the biggest eye catcher, for me at least, was Kyle Buchanan’s must-read article in The New York Times (“How Will the Movies (As We Know Them) Survive the Next 10 Years?) — As you would guess, based on that title, it’s about the future of movies (spoiler alert: there is no happy ending).
Read moreJennifer Aniston & Adam Sandler Movie ‘Murder Mystery’ Slays All-Time Opening Record For Netflix With 30M+ Views
The Netflix original movie “Murder Mystery,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler was watched by more than 30.87M accounts last week, an opening weekend record for a Netflix movie (according to Netflix).
Marvel's X-Men reboot keeps stacking bodies. Asa Germann — familiar to anyone who watched “Gen V” or sat through “Scream 7 “— is reportedly closing a deal to play Warren Worthington III, better known as Angel.