Category Archives: Movies

It’s happening! Paul Reubens & Judd Apatow join forces to make new Pee-wee Herman movie

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Nearly five years after posting about this exciting news, it is finally coming to fruition! Today Paul Reubens and Judd Apatow made it official that a new Pee-wee Herman movie is on the way with a distribution model ready to go. Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, starring Reubens’ iconic fun-loving character and Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) executive producing, begins production next month and will premiere exclusively on Netflix.

In Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny.

That’s all there is to know about the shrouded plot so far. Reubens penned the script with Paul Rust (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Arrested Development) and John Lee (Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer) is making his feature film directorial debut.

“Judd and I dreamt up this movie four years ago. The world was much different back then— Netflix was waiting by the mailbox for red envelopes to arrive. I’ve changed all that. The future is here. Get used to it. Bowtie is the new black,” said Pee-wee Herman in a press release.

“As a fan of Pee-wee Herman since he first appeared on The Dating Game, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the brilliant Paul Reubens on this film. It is a dream come true,” added Apatow.

“We didn’t hesitate for a moment knowing that Pee-wee’s Big Holiday was such a passion project for Paul and Judd and we are delighted by the opportunity to introduce such a beloved character to a new generation,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “We are thrilled to bring our viewers around the world the wonder of Pee-wee Herman.”

I, for one, cannot wait to see what Reubens and Apatow cook up for longtime fans of Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure from a young Tim Burton in 1985 hit all the right notes and now, 30 years later, Reubens is ready to do it again. I’m happy to report that the man-child’s still got it; I saw Reubens reprise his character in 2010 on Broadway in The Pee-wee Herman Show and he brought back his bizarre, captivating, and imaginative wonder without missing a step. This movie for Netflix will surely satiate nostalgic fans, as well as attract an entirely new generation of kids, teens, and adults. Pee-wee, after all, is for everyone to enjoy!

‘Birdman’ & ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ win big at the Oscars

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Prior to the 87th Academy Awards, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel garnered the most nominations and what do you know–the two films ended up walking away with the most statues at four apiece. Birdman took home the most coveted award of the evening as it was crowned Best Motion Picture of the Year. Helmer Alejandro G. Iñárritu was crowned Best Director and the film’s original screenplay and cinematography were also awarded. Grand Budapest Hotel was recognized for its achievements in production design, music, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling. Following close behind with two wins was Whiplash scoring Oscars for film editing, sound mixing, and supporting actor J.K. Simmons. Frontrunner Boyhood walked away with a single win for supporting actress Patricia Arquette. The Theory of Everything star Eddie Redmayne won for his leading role in the Stephen Hawking-inspired film, surpassing frontrunner Michael Keaton (Birdman). Julianne Moore nabbed an Oscar for her dramatic turn in Still Alice. Elsewhere, The Imitation Game won Best Adapted Screenplay and Disney’s Big Hero 6 was named Best Animated Movie.

Click here to view the full list of winners.

Marvel teases the return of The Avengers in ‘Age of Ultron’ poster

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Marvel’s pushed out the official theatrical poster for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Joss Whedon’s super hero sequel features the usual suspects including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Nick Fury. The film’s main antagonist, Ultron, is nowhere to be seen; unless, of course, he’s one of the many ominous flying pieces of metal in the sky. You’ll also notice three new players entering the arena: on the far right there’s Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, respectively. And up top, soaring above Hulk’s angry mug, is The Vision. He’ll be played by Paul Bettany, who interestingly also voiced Tony Stark’s AI, J.A.R.V.I.S. Note that this isn’t the first time Marvel’s teased the mysterious figure from comic book lore; jump after the break to see him hiding in plain sight in the San Diego Comic Con-exclusive poster that dropped over the summer. Sadly, Spidey is nowhere to be found…yet.

Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theatres May 1. See the trailers here and here. Continue reading Marvel teases the return of The Avengers in ‘Age of Ultron’ poster →

Zack Snyder unveils his Aquaman for ‘Dawn of Justice’

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Zack Snyder, slowly but surely, is rolling out to fans the line-up of superheroes from his upcoming DC Comics-based pic Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. So far, we’ve seen Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Next up, and pictured above, is Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as Aquaman. He’s arguably the most underrated superhero–his super power is talking to fish. But Snyder is putting his signature twist on trident-wielding King of the Seven Seas; Momoa embodies a powerful, dark, and foreboding force here with tattoos galore.

Snyder shared the image with the world via Twitter. It says “unite the seven” and his tweet reads, “There is only one true King.” Speculate what you will, but there’s no denying that Snyder aims to elevate the DC universe to Marvel’s highly set cinematic bar when Dawn of Justice releases May 6, 2016.

First look at next Bond film ‘SPECTRE’ (video inside)

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That’s Daniel Craig back in his spy gear for the next film in the 007 franchise. That snowy mountaintop is the Austrian Alps, one of many locations the film will travel to this time around. In addition to shooting here and at Pinewood Studios in London, Bond 24 aka SPECTRE will visit Rome, Mexico City, Tangier, and Erfoud.

Want to see more? Jump after the break to watch a behind-the-scenes clip featuring Craig, co-stars Léa Seydoux and Dave Bautista, and returning director Sam Mendes as well as other members of the production. The video teases “one of the major action sequences of the movie, a jewel in the crown so to speak.”

“The thing Sam and I talked about was how we are going to top Skyfall”, says production designer Dennis Gassner. “We are going to continue the history of the Bond films, making things that are exciting for the audience to look at and what could be more exciting than to be on top of the world.”

SPECTRE releases November 6. Click here to learn more about the movie. Continue reading First look at next Bond film ‘SPECTRE’ (video inside) →

Guillermo del Toro’s latest ‘Crimson Peak’ will haunt you

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Gothic horror pic Crimson Peak hails from Guillermo del Toro whose previous works include Hell Boy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Pacific Rim. It’s an R-rated haunted house film that’s been a passion project for del Toro for years now. At last, it has an appropriate Halloween release date thanks to Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures. A brief synopsis follows:

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds… and remembers.

GDT co-wrote the script with Matthew Robbins. The haunting film stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Tom Hiddleston (Thor), and Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim).

Crimson Peak hits theatres October 16. Dig the debut trailer above; a great cast is dropped inside an eerie, captivating dreamscape you won’t be able to resist.

Spider-Man, welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Fanboys and fangirls, it’s happening: Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios are making nice and, at long last, Spider-Man is entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe fray. Sony scooped up the rights to the web slinger years before Marvel got into the movie-making business, and ever since then Spidey was forced to play in his own sandbox separate from Iron Man, Thor, and the rest of The Avengers. Going forward, all that changes.

Late Monday, Marvel pushed out a press release announcing its new partnership. The Spidey rights still belong to Sony; that studio “will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films,” reads the release. But under this new deal, Peter Parker and his superhero alter ego “[takes] his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.” According to the release, Spider-Man has total freedom in terms of where he can appear; you will see him pop up in future Marvel movies and it works the other way around, too. Marvel and Sony are “exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.”

Now here’s what the release shares in terms of specifics. “The new Spider-Man” will make his debut in a Marvel-produced film. Many are already speculating that he’ll officially enter the MCU in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War movie which opens May 6, 2016. Cap and Iron Man go head-to-head, and in the comics Spider-Man plays a crucial role in this popular storyline, so this particular rumor makes sense. And then, on July 28, 2017, Spidey in star in a Sony-produced solo film in the already rebooted twice franchise. Marvel head Kevin Feige will co-produce with Sony’s Amy Pascal; the latter recently stepped down from her post as head of the studio following the hack attacks. This is her first power move after becoming a producer under Sony and man is it a big one.

We don’t know yet if current Peter Parker portrayer Andrew Garfield will suit up as the “new” Spider-Man. All we know is that the studios “will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger.” Does a fresh creative slate equal a new actor to fill the spandex suit? Perhaps. This quote from Sony exec Doug Belgrad at least hints that we’re finally through with Spidey origin stories. “This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future.”

This is a long time coming for Marvel fans around the world. Spider-Man has always been an integral member of The Avengers, and now that Marvel and Sony are holding hands in harmony, moving forward moviegoers can experience the comic books truly come to life. Now all we need is 20th Century Fox to make a deal like this to bring X-Men and the Fantastic Four into the fold and we’re golden! But I’ll take what I can get.

Click here to view the full press release from Marvel, including reactions from Feige, Pascal, Belgrad, and Disney’s Bob Iger.

Update: In order to make room for Spider-Man, Marvel is pushing the release dates of four upcoming superhero flicks. As mentioned above, July 28, 2017 is the day Spidey’s new solo mission hits theatres. Previously, Marvel had carved out that date for the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. Now, the third Thor movie will drop November 3, 2017. Moving out of that space is Black Panther, and its new release date is July 6, 2018. That pushes Captain Marvel to November 2, 2018 and Inhumans to July 12, 2019. Release dates for Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and Avengers: Infinity War parts 1 & 2 remain unchanged. I’ll just say what you’re thinking: MCU Phase 3 is gonna rock.

‘Poltergeist’ remake appears to be a scary-good time

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The classic 1982 supernatural spooker Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg, is receiving a modern franchise reboot. The new Poltergeist, though it cleverly follows the original film’s plot and borrows many of the tropes, is not connected canonically to the ’82 flick or its two sequels. Gil Kenan (Monster House) takes the reigns this time, with Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, The Grudge) producing.

[Kenan and Raimi] contemporize the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.

The dimensional closet? Check. The static TV screen? Check. A nightmare-inducing clown? Oh, you betcha. And with the advent of so many new technologies like cell phones and tablets, I can’t wait to see how the evil spirits take advantage of our myriad “black mirrors.” The trailer is a scary-good time so sit back, relax, and say it with me: They’re here.

Poltergeist, starring Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt, opens in 3D on July 24.

Sneak a peek at the new Disney short ‘Frozen Fever’ [Update: trailer inside!]

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Frozen directors Christopher Buck and Jennifer Lee introduce Frozen Fever, a spinoff short that will screen in front of Disney’s upcoming live action adaptation of Cinderella. The short takes place “just a few months since we’ve last seen the gang,” explains Buck. “It’s Anna’s birthday,” Lee says, “and Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf are throwing her a giant party.” The inciting incident? Elsa’s got a cold and “that’s complicating things,” teases Buck. Watch the featurette after the break.

Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad all return to reprise their signature roles. Plus, Frozen song writers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez have invented an all-new original tune for the short. Cannot wait to hear that!

Frozen Fever comes to theatres with Cinderella on March 13.

Update (2/25): Disney’s released a Frozen Fever teaser trailer and it contains actual footage from the anticipated short! Plus, you’ll hear a brief snippet of the Lopez’s new song! Don’t delay–hop after the break and click play! Continue reading Sneak a peek at the new Disney short ‘Frozen Fever’ [Update: trailer inside!] →

Super Bowl XLIX: the emotionally-charged commercials and buzzy trailers inside!

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Despite a last-second reception that will go down in history as one of the best, the Seattle Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots in an exciting, nail-biting Super Bowl that ended with a final score of 28-24. Now that the game’s over, instead of analyzing Russell Wilson’s downright barbaric decision to throw the ball instead of run it into the end zone for an easy touchdown, let’s take a look at some of the most memorable commercials that aired between the gameplay. A whole bunch of them, including the buzziest movie and TV trailers, are posted after the break.

Update (2/2): NBC and the advertisers who shelled out $4.5 million for a 30-second spot have reason to celebrate today just as much as the Pats did last night. The final tally is in and a record 114.4 million people tuned into the big game. So many eyeballs; somebody do the math. This makes Super Bowl XLIX the most watched telecast in U.S. history. Bam. Continue reading Super Bowl XLIX: the emotionally-charged commercials and buzzy trailers inside! →

Ted the foul-mouthed bear returns in Seth MacFarlane’s sequel

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Your favorite foul-mouthed CG-animated bear returns in a sequel to 2012’s Ted. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane remains in the director’s chair, and he’s joined by returning writers Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild. Ted, voiced by MacFarlane, stars alongside Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, and new cast members Amanda Seyfried, John Slattery, and Morgan Freeman. MacFarlane previously worked with Ribisi and Seyfreid on A Million Ways to Die in the West. This round, Ted marries his crush and asks Wahlberg’s character to donate his sperm so he can raise a child with his wife. The roadblock here is that government requires Ted to prove he’s a person in a court of law if he wants to move ahead with child rearing. A solid plot description unfolds in the funny trailer above.

Ted 2 hits theatres June 26.

Here is the all-female cast of the rebooted ‘Ghostbusters’

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After gestating for so. many. years., the Ghostbusters are making a comeback and it’s one you likely never saw coming.

Original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman expressed interest in making a threequel some time ago. Even OG castmembers Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson were game to reprise their iconic roles; Bill Murray, unfortunately, could not commit to the reunion. And then Ramis sadly passed away and the project simply didn’t come to pass.

Enter Paul Feig, director of recent female-driven comedies such as Bridesmaids and The Heat. Sony Pictures aligned with his vision of a rebooted version of the famous franchise: one that would star an all-female cast. And today he made it official by tweeting the above image on his Twitter account. The new Ghostbusters film will star Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones pulverizing poltergeists. The latter three, of course, all hail from Saturday Night Live. More, Feig previously collaborated with McCarthy and Wiig on Bridesmaids (and McCarthy would go on to star alongside Sandra Bullock in The Heat).

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in October, Feig explained his passion for flipping the playbook and featuring women in his version of Ghostbusters:

I just find funny women so great. For me it’s just more of a no-brainer. I just go, what would make me excited to do it? I go: four female Ghostbusters to me is really fun. I want to see that dynamic. I want to see that energy and that type of comedy and them going up against these ghosts and going up against human detractors and rivals and that kind of thing.

I’m sure there will be real-life human detractors up in arms about this unexpected switch-up, especially those who have been holding on tight to the idea that Reitman’s original crew would return for a threequel. I will say this: as an avid fan of franchise, I am so stoked to watch Feig reinvent and reinvigorate Ghostbusters with this truly hysterical cast that just happens to be members of the female sex. Feel me?

Ghostbusters, which is currently being scripted by Katie Dippold (whose talents did not go unnoticed in The Heat), is aiming for a July 22, 2016 release.

[Via THR]