This being “Star Wars Day” (May the 4th be with you”) here’s some news from Disney/Lucasfilm that is actually much welcomed. According to Mouse House, a new “Star Wars” theatrical film is currently in development with Taika Waititi set to direct. There is currently no title, plot, or release date, but we are being told that “1917” screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns will co-write the film alongside Waititi.
Read more‘Extraction’ Set to Become the Most-Watched Movie In Netflix History
According to Netflix, the Chris Hemsworth-starring “Extraction,” from director Sam Hargrave, and producers The Russo Brothers, is on pace to become the most-watched film in Netflix history, all this during just its first 4 weeks of streaming. [via Netflix’s Twitter]
Read more‘Bull': Yet Another American Allegory About Finding Redemption From a Horse [Review]
An American entry at last year’s “Un Certain Regard” section, Annie Silverstein’s “Bull” wants to be an authentic portrayal of teen angst in a rural and impoverished Texan town. The film is driven by an impressively concise and unemotional performance from Amber Havard, playing the fatherless 14-year-old protagonist, Kris, whose mother (Sara Albright) is behind bars. Grandma (Keeli Wheeler) takes over legal guardian duties, but she can only do so much as Kris has a knack of hanging with the wrong crowd in her south Texan neighborhood.
Read moreTexas Movie Theaters Plan to Reopen With TSA-Style Questioning and Temperature Checks
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is slowly but surely lifting business lockdowns in his home state, and that includes movie theaters, which are set to reopen in the “coming days.”
Read moreAlbert Serra's ‘Liberté' Manages to Depict Explicit Sex In Incredibly Dull Fashion [Capsule]
Want to watch a consummately talented filmmaker fall on his head by, somehow, making graphic sex as dull and monotonous as possible? Welcome to Albert Serra’s “Liberté.”
Read more‘Mrs. America': Feminist Saga Has Cate Blanchett in Deliciously Devilish Form [Review]
I am six episodes in on the nine-episode FX/Hulu miniseries “Mrs. America,” a re-enactment of the ’70s battle over the Equal Rights Amendment and how second-wave feminists (including Gloria Steinem) fought conservative Middle American anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) who opposed and openly debated for the passage to be ratified.
Read more1990s: The Participants
All 175 participants of the 1990s Poll
Read moreFirst Image: Oscar Isaac in Paul Schrader's ‘The Card Counter'
Earlier this decade, Paul Schrader had mentioned how he once considered Oscar Isaac for “First Reformed” but, in the end, Schrader thought the actor was ten years too young to take on the role of Father Toller. Instead, Ethan Hawke nabbed the role and it turned out to be one of his very best performances.
Read moreChristopher Nolan “Pushing Hard" to Have Tenet Released in July
Christopher Nolan seems to think that his next movie “Tenet” still has a shot at being released in July. that according to IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond. [via SeekingAlpha].
Read moreThe Fantasia Film Festival's 2020 Edition Will Be 100% Digital
As I have done on a now yearly basis, I will be covering the Fantasia Film Festival which is again set to take place in Montreal this August. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fest has now officially transitioned to the virtual world with a plan for international premieres to be streamed “under tight digital security and a limited number of tickets sold per screening.” [via THR]
Read moreAdam Driver to Star in Director Jeff Nichols' ‘Yankee Comandante’
It appears as though director Jeff Nichols’ next film will be “Yankee Comandante” [via Variety] Nichols is set to write and direct the film which is set to star Adam Driver and is based on David Grann’s New Yorker piece about two men who rose to the ranks of comandante during the Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara. and, the other, a man from Ohio.
Read moreLana Wachowski is Directing ‘The Matrix 4' Without Sister Lily
The Wachowskis (Lilly and Lana), the brains behind "The Matrix" trilogy, "Bound," "V for Vendetta" "Speed Racer," and "Cloud Atlas," hit rock bottom after their Netflix series "sense8" was canceled despite having ended with a cliffhanger in expectation of a third season, then under negotiation. Netflix did eventually produce a two-and-a-half-hour series finale, released on June 8, 2018.
Read moreAMC and Regal Plan to Boycott Universal If They Continue Direct-to-VOD Releases
Yesterday’s announcement that Universal was VOD-ing “The King of Staten Island,” after they VOD-ed “Trolls World Tour” just a month ago, has theater chains completely spooked and threatening to boycott Universal movies for the foreseeable future.
Read moreSen. Ted Cruz Introduces Bill Banning the Pentagon From Working With Hollywood Studios That Censor Movies for China
Sen. Ted Cruz is going after China’s control of Hollywood narratives and is set to introduce a bill targeting film studios’ efforts to accommodate the country’s restrictive censors by purposely writing, editing, and producing content that fits with the Communist Chinese Party’s totalitarian ideals.
Read moreLocarno Film Festival Cancels 2020 Edition
The Locarno Film Festival annually takes place every August. It’s an important middle ground festival, connecting the behemoths of Cannes and Venice with riskier and more experimental counterprogramming. Alas, the fest, which has been running since 1946, will not be giving out its famous Golden Leopard award this year as organizers have canceled the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [via Variety]
Read moreAcademy Announces That Streamed Films Will Be Eligible for Oscars
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made a game-changing announcement this afternoon, a landmark of sorts, as it tweaked its Oscar eligibility rules and is now allowing streamed films to be eligible for Oscars.
Read more‘Dark Phoenix' Was the Biggest Box-Office Bomb of 2019, With Losses Nearing $133 Million
Tallying ticket sales, VOD and Blu-ray sales, and TV revenue, Deadline came to the conclusion that “Dark Phoenix” must have lost around $133 million last year, despite a worldwide box office tally of $252 million. Finishing close behind the X-Men movie was “Terminator: Dark Fate” ($122.6 million) and “Cats” ($113.6 million).
Read moreClaire Denis Reveals What Films She's Watching During Quarantine
Will These Films Benefit from a Pushed-Back Release Date?
With cinema grinding to a complete halt and the summer film slate practically wiped away due to the continuing Coronavirus pandemic, one thing in the world of film remains up in the air as we continue to move through 2020, next year’s Oscars.
Read moreJudd Apatow's ‘King of Staten Island' Skipping Theaters, Going Straight to VOD
There were only a handful of big studio movies I was looking forward to this summer. Most have been delayed to a later release date (“The French Dispatch,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Soul,” “A Quiet Place II,” “In the Heights”) whereas one remaining title is still set for a July release, although I presume it will be rescheduled (that would be Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet”). However, today there some good news came in the form of at least one hotly anticipated summer movie skipping theaters for on-demand rental.
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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.