Category Archives: Movies

Movie trailer round-up: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ & ‘Fantastic Beasts’ (Update)

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Director Bryan Singer is ready to introduce the world to Apocalypse, the first mutant from which all mutants descend. Also, he’s totally evil and stuff and wants to annihilate mankind and create a new world order over which he will reign. Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) plays the villainous mutant who has amassed the powers of many other mutants since the beginning of recorded time, becoming immortal and invincible in the process. A disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender) joins the dark side once again to take on Professor X (James McAvoy) and his team of misfit mutants in an epic war to save the world from irreversible destruction. Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) also make impressions in this debut trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse as young versions of Mystique and Jean Grey, respectively. The wide ensemble cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, and Ben Hardy.

Singer’s followup to his successful Days of Future Past hits theatres May 27, 2016.

Update (12/13): 20th Century Fox has dropped the first official trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence and you can watch it now after the break.

Update 2 (12/14): Following a leak in Germany, Paramount has released the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond a tad early, but we’re not complaining! Find it after the break.

Update 3 (12/15): Warner Bros. is giving Harry Potter fans a peek at the anticipated spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. By now you know where to find it. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ & ‘Fantastic Beasts’ (Update) →

Netflix and the streaming services dominate Golden Globe nominations

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Popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon made a considerable splash at the Golden Globe nominations ceremony today. Netflix, the maker of original content like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, leads the TV competition including streaming services, cable and broadcast networks with a total of 8 nominations. Not so far behind is premium cable networks HBO and Starz with 7 and 6 nods, respectively, and Amazon ties FX with 5.

Speaking of the streaming services taking over, you needn’t look further than the Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy category which is utterly dominated by offerings from Netflix (Orange is the New Black), Amazon (Transparent), and Hulu (Casual). They’ll be facing off against HBO’s Silicon Valley and Veep. You’ll notice not a single broadcast network comedy enters the race here; the times, they are a-changin’. Fox’s Empire managed to squeeze into Best Drama Series where it is instantly overshadowed by HBO’s Game of Thrones, USA’s Mr. Robot, Starz’s Outlander, and yet another Netflix show, Narcos.

Actresses across the comedy TV category up for Globes include Rachel Bloom (The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jamie Lee Curtis (Fox’s Scream Queens), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (HBO’s Veep), Gina Rodriguez (The CW’s Jane the Virgin), and Lily Tomlin (Netflix’s Grace and Frankie). Leading actors include Aziz Ansari (Netflix’s Master of None), Gael Garcia Bernal (Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle), Rob Lowe (Fox’s The Grinder), Patrick Stewart (Starz’s Blunt Talk), and of course Jeffrey Tambor (Amazon’s Transparent).

In the drama department, the following actresses are vying for the shiny statue: Caitriona Balfe (Starz’s Outlander), Viola Davis (ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder), Eva Green (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful), Taraji P. Henson (Fox’s Empire), and Robin Wright (House of Cards). Leading actors nominated include Jon Hamm (AMC’s Mad Men), Rami Malek (USA’s Mr. Robot), Wagner Moura (Netflix’s Narcos), Bob Odenkirk (AMC’s Better Call Saul), and Liev Schreiber (Showtime’s Ray Donovan).

Elsewhere, ABC’s American Crime, FX’s American Horror Story: Hotel and Fargo, Starz’ Flesh and Bone, and PBS’ Wolf Hall have all been nominated for Best TV Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. Shout outs to Kirsten Dunst (Fargo), Lady Gaga (AHS: Hotel), Felicity Huffman & Regina King (American Crime), Maura Tierney (The Affair), Ben Mendelsohn (Netflix’s Bloodline), and Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) for scoring lead and supporting acting nods.

Moving onto the snubs… Where’s the love for stellar shows like HBO’s The Leftovers, FX’s The Americans, AMC’s The Walking Dead, A&E’s Bates Motel, Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, FXX’s You’re the Worst, NBC’s Parks & Rec, Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and and The Last Man on Earth? The decision to completely omit these shows and their stellar casts makes me scratch my head indefinitely.

Now let’s not forget that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) also votes on the best films of the year. Movies nominated for best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy include The Big Short, Joy, The Martian (??), Spy, and Trainwreck. Best Dramas include Carol, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Room, and Spotlight. The movies up for Best Animated Picture: Anomalisa, Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out, The Peanuts Movie, and Shawn the Sheep Movie.

Click here for the full list of Golden Globe-nominated TV series, movies, actors, actresses, screenplays, directors, scores, and songs. The 73rd Golden Globes airs live Sunday, Jan. 10 at 8pm (ET) on NBC.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Zoolander 2,’ Now You See Me 2,’ Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ & the stunning ‘Little Prince’ [Update: ‘Batman v Superman’]

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Tensions rise as the world governments demand accountability for our heroes’ actions in the first trailer above, pitting friend against friend.

Friend #1? Captain America. Friend #2? Oh, that’s Iron Man.

In Marvel’s third Cap movie, it’s Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) versus Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) as the superheroes take sides in a Civil War of epic proportions. In Age of Ultron, the Avengers inadvertently made quite the mess and killed innocent bystanders in their quest to destroy Stark’s rogue artificial intelligence. Captain America: Civil War picks up shortly thereafter at a time when the government is forming a system of accountability in regards to calling in the Avengers for combative assistance. Stark takes sides with the politicians as he believes in strong government regulation of his rag-tag team of heroes. Rogers, meanwhile, is not a fan and therein lies the fracturing of former friends.

Civil War almost feels like a third Avengers movie. In addition to the usual Cap supporting players like the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Crossbones (Frank Grillo), Civil War also features lots of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and of course Iron Man (Downey, Jr.). Making his debut here is Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, and everyone’s anticipating Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point.

Captain America: Civil War is out May 6, 2016. Pop into the gallery below to see some shiny theatrical posters featuring Cap and Iron Man duking it out.

Jump after the break to view more trailers.

Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Zoolander 2,’ Now You See Me 2,’ Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ & the stunning ‘Little Prince’ [Update: ‘Batman v Superman’] →

First look: Gal Gadot brings Wonder Woman to life in standalone pic coming in 2017

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Ladies and gentleman, our Wonder Woman. Israeli actress Gal Gadot is set to make her big debut as the DC Comics heroine in Zack Snyder’s upcoming superhero extravaganza Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. We’ve seen her don the classic garb associated with WW in a still plucked from Snyder’s take. This image, however, comes from another place entirely. Warner Bros. is making a standalone Wonder Woman movie starring Gadot and directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster). Gadot took to Twitter to share this enticing pic and couple it with the following caption: “Almost 75 years in the making… #WonderWoman is underway.” Previously I had made the argument that WW is ready for the big screen, and it didn’t take long for my wish to come true.

See Gadot bring Diana Prince to life in Batman v Superman when it releases March 25, 2016. Wonder Woman is on track to hit theatres June 23, 2017.

Dory swims back to theatres this summer in ‘Finding Nemo’ sequel

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Here’s a first look at Disney & Pixar’s sequel Finding Dory. It picks up six months after the events of 2003’s Finding Nemo and it explores the origin story of everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang fish, Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres). Instead of getting lost like Nemo does in the original, in the sequel Dory and friends (including clownfish Nemo and Nemo’s father Marlin) go on an adventure in search of answers about her past. Along the way we’ll discover Dory’s parents (voiced by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy) and we’ll find out where she learned to speak Whale. The first teaser trailer, embedded above, is a slice of nostalgia as it instantly transports you back to the animated blue ocean we all fell in love with in ’03.

Andrew Stanton returns as director. Filling out the star-studded voice cast are Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, and Ty Burrell.

Finding Dory swims into theatres June 17, 2016. Pop after the break to view the initial theatrical poster. Continue reading Dory swims back to theatres this summer in ‘Finding Nemo’ sequel →

First look & details: Potter prequel ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ with Eddie Redmayne

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It sure is a great time to be a fan of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Less than a month after a Harry Potter stage play was announced, more information surrounding the tightly veiled Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has surfaced. But before we dive in, here’s a quick refresher.

In September of 2013, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling announced a new partnership with Warner Bros. to adapt her 2009 standalone paperback Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them into a movie. Fantastic Beasts, a text book that serves as an extensive introduction to the magical beasts that exist in the magical, non-Muggle world, is actually mentioned in the first Potter novel, The Sorcerer’s Stone; it’s a required reading for first-year students. The text is written by famed magizoologist Newt Scamander. A magizoologist, mind you, is a person who studies magical creatures. In her surprise announcement, Rowling shared, “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.”

Since then, Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) has been cast to star in Fantastic Beasts as Newt Scamander, and it’s been confirmed that Rowling will make her screenwriting debut here and David Yates (director of the final four Potter films) is back at the helm.

Entertainment Weekly recently published pictures from the set and shared some non-spoilery plot points. Here’s what we know so far:

Eccentric magizoologist Newt Scamander comes to New York (for a reason [EW] won’t disclose) with his trusty weathered case. This case is one of those way-way-way-bigger-on-the-inside magical devices, and within are expansive habitats for a collection of rare and endangered magical creatures from Newt’s travels around globe. He discovers the American wizarding community is fearfully hiding from Muggles (who are called “No-Maj” in the States [pronounced “no madge,” as in “no magic”]) and the threat of public exposure is an even graver concern than in the UK (remember the Salem witch trials?). Fantastic Beasts is the story of what happens when this uniquely skilled English wizard travels to wiz-phobic America and a variety of his creatures, some quite dangerous … get out of their case.

Catch your first glimpse of Redmayne as Scamander in EW‘s cover photo above. The mag reveals that he’s posing here in the “art deco-influenced Magical Congress of the United States of America (or MACUSA), which is the American version of the Ministry of Magic that’s housed inside the Woolworth Building in the film.”

You’ll find even more photos in the gallery below. Featured alongside Redmayne are more new, original characters including Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein (played by Katherine Waterston), Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), and Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler).

Despite the film taking place in 1926 New York City, some 70 years before Harry realizes his potential across the pond at Hogwarts, I am beyond confident that Rowling and Redmayne will deliver an exhilaratingly fun new adventure for wizarding world fans new and old.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is due out November 2016. Don’t be surprised if we get a trilogy out of this.

[Via EW 1, 2, 3, 4]

Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2 Collection revealed, ships this December with Morag Orb in tow

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Do you consider yourself to be the ultimate Marvel fan? Alternatively, are you a huge film buff who simply requires the latest and greatest collector’s editions? Well, perk up, because the studio behind Iron Man and The Avengers is back with its second limited edition package. Say hello to the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2 Collection. Naturally, it comes packed with all six of the Phase 2 films including Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man. Each movie comes in three formats: Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and Digital Copy. An exclusive bonus content disc comes with over 2 and a half hours of content including deleted and extended scenes, all of the Marvel One-Shot short films, making-of featurettes, and more. And just as the Phase One collection came inside the tesseract suitcase, this bundle will also ship with special extras for fans. A 1:1 prop replica of the Morag Orb containing an infinity stone is yours, as well as exclusive artwork and related memorabilia including a gold-foiled page from the book of the Dark Elves, an ancient drawing from the Morag vault, Avengers and S.T.R.I.K.E. uniform patches, and a replica of the Tony Stark tattoo from Iron Man 3.

The Phase 2 Collection is being sold exclusively by Amazon. It’s up for preorder today at $199.99 and ships December 8. To borrow from the Guardians campaign, you’re welcome.

[Via Marvel; Amazon]

‘Star Wars’ drops theatrical poster and trailer ahead of ‘Force Awakens’ December release [Update: New character posters]

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The new Star Wars is just a little over a month away from hitting theatres–can you believe it?! To satiate fans’ eager anticipation, Disney and Lucasfilm have released the official poster for J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens as well as the official full-length theatrical trailers that clocks in at 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Eye the poster above, and watch the new trailer after the break.

On a slightly depressing note, said poster is surprisingly not illustrated by iconic artist Drew Struzman. Special effects master and my friend Greg Aronowitz says it like it is in his latest blog post titled, “You disappoint me, Disney.” Though I didn’t grow up with Star Wars, I empathize with Greg’s ultimate grief over Disney attempt at replicating Struzman’s work as opposed to simply using it.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens December 18.

Update (11/4): Today a slew of new posters hit the ‘Net, each featuring a major player from The Force Awakens. Newbies Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) look fiercely confident with their respective staff and blue-bladed lightsaber. Kylo Ren’s (Adam Driver lightsaber emits a sinister red hue. And then, of course, we have our returning franchise veterans, Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford); thanks to some fancy photoshop, they both have aged incredibly well. All in all, I’m definitely digging the design motif here–the left side of each poster draws a distinct vertical line. What can it mean? Also, where’s Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill)? Here’s not here, and he isn’t even positioned in the official theatrical poster posted above even though everybody else is. Abrams certainly has a trick up his sleeve here, and I can’t wait to get to the bottom of this mystery. Eye the new character posters in the gallery below.

Update 2 (11/6): Another new trailer–this one’s international and is targeted towards the Japanese audience–has landed and it features new, never-before-seen footage. What are you waiting for–it’s embedded after the break!

Update 3 (12/5): A sixth character poster starring the third hero newbie is here! Eye Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron in the gallery below. Notice that the X-Wing fighter’s portrait does not mimic the others; he prefers flying machines to lightsabers, after all.

Continue reading ‘Star Wars’ drops theatrical poster and trailer ahead of ‘Force Awakens’ December release [Update: New character posters] →

Happy Back to the Future Day!

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Great Scott, we made it! In Back to the Future Part II, Doc Brown and Marty McFly travel to the future, specifically October 21, 2015. And that day is today! No, we don’t have flying cars, but the Cubs are in the playoffs and Biff is running for president! To celebrate this special occasion, check out this BTTF reunion staged by Jimmy Kimmel. Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox return in character for a fun, 10-minute conversation about the present future they arrive in, via Delorean DMC-12, of course. Then, jump after the break to watch Lloyd as Doc once more in a special announcement hyping the Blu-ray trilogy.

In other BTTF news, Nike has announced a followup to its Nike Mag sneaker. Unlike its predecessor, the 2015 Nike Mag will, in fact, feature power laces that lace themselves, just like they do in the movie. As we near the end of 2015, more details are bound to surface so stick it here for when that happens.

‘Paranormal Activity’ prank spooks unsuspecting house hunters

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Are you a fan of the Internet pranks that truly terrify people in the name of good marketing? Well, today’s your lucky day. I’ve got a juicy one here for you, and it comes from Paramount, the studio behind the Paranormal Activity franchise. To boost awareness for The Ghost Dimension, the sixth and final film in the franchise, PA producer Oren Peli has dropped this highly entertaining prank video that follows unsuspecting house hunters entering the original haunted house featured in the 2007 original film. Peli shared the clip on his Facebook page with the caption, “Can you blame me for selling my house?” Fun fact: Peli, who wrote and directed the first one, shot it in this very San Diego-based home that he owned at the time. Now watch as the open house hauntings make those who enter quake in fear and scream bloody murder.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension opens October 23.

Sam Smith selected to perform next James Bond theme song [Update: Hear it now]

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UPDATE (9/25): Right on time, Sam Smith’s Bond theme music has arrived and you can stream it now on Spotify or purchase it on iTunes. Generally, “Writing’s On The Wall” is being greeted with polarizing reviews. It’s a beautiful song, no doubt about that; Smith’s falsetto paired with the track’s cinematic strings is mesmerizing. The song, however, fails to provide its anticipated “drop” and it doesn’t boast the signature Bond boldness audiences have become accustomed to. It’s unapologetically a different kind of Bond theme, a soft ballad focused on delicate nuance. Me? I appreciate it and enjoy it, and I think it’s going to work well in SPECTRE, a Bond movie that aims to get personal and introspective. Take a listen. What do you think?

PREVIOUS (9/8): Adele. Jack White. Madonna. Sheryl Crow. Tina Turner. Gladys Knight. Duran Duran. Paul McCartney. What do all of these musicians have in common? Answer: Each of them have performed a James Bond theme song. Today, a new name gets added to the list. Rising crooner Sam Smith, who released his Grammy award-winning debut album In the Lonely Hour just last year, has been selected to sing the theme song for the upcoming 24th Bond film, SPECTRE. He’s the first British male solo artist since 1965 (Tom Jones, Thunderball) to record a Bond theme song.

Smith’s name had been rumored pool of artists to tackle the track, along with Ellie Goulding. But just last week when BBC Radio 2 asked the 23-year-old singer if he was secretly working on it behind closed doors, he shut it down. “That’s not me. That’s definitely not me,” he said. Lies! …I’m sure he was sworn to such secrecy. And then, early yesterday morning, Smith posted to Instagram an image with no caption–he’s wearing a ring with the infamous SPECTRE logo etched on it. The cat was out of the bag, and the very next day the announcement was made official.

The name of the track is “Writing’s On The Wall” and its written by Smith and Jimmy Napes. If you’ve been following Smith’s career so far, then the Napes name should ring a bell. The Grammy-winning producer assisted Smith with writing many songs from Lonely Hour including the popular single “Stay with Me.” Napes was also there during Smith’s Nirvana EP days, and he was also commissioned by Disclosure to co-write the Sam Smith-assisted hit “Latch.” Speaking of Disclosure, the English electronic brothers disclosed on Twitter that they, too, had a hand in producing “Writing’s On The Wall.” Full circle, indeed.

With permission granted, Smith hopped back onto Instagram to reveal the track artwork (see above) and share this message with his fans: “This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it. You can pre-order ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ on CD or vinyl using the link on my profile, or on iTunes from midnight.”

SPECTRE producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli added, “Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for Spectre and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”

The countdown is on; “Writing’s On The Wall” drops September 25. CD and vinyl singles can be preordered here. As soon as it releases, I’ll amend this post to include the highly anticipated track. SPECTRE hits theatres November 6.

[Via 007]

Disney brings ‘The Jungle Book’ to life in live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic

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Following Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella, Disney continues to pump out live-action adaptations of its classic animated films and next up is The Jungle Book. Still based on Rudyard Kipling’s book, the new Jungle Book deviates from its 1967 animated adaptation by involving a real human boy playing Mowgli–newcomer Neel Sethi–and blending live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments. The differences don’t stop there. Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau takes the timeless tale into a more heightened direction; danger lurks around every corner in this teaser trailer. If you’ve seen Her, there’s no mistaking the voice of Indian python Kaa, seductively played by Scarlett Johansson. She narrates the action-packed teaser. The preview ends on a nostalgic note–free-spirited bear Baloo (voiced by Bill Murray) whistles “The Bare Necessities” as Mowlgi rides on his stomach down a river. The rest of the stellar voice cast is listed below inside the movie’s official synopsis:

“The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela.

The Jungle Book hits theatres in 3D on April 15, 2016.