movies

Spider-Man Will Stay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe →

September 28, 2019 · 12:55

Brent Lang, for Variety:

After briefly breaking up, Sony Pictures and Marvel have found a way to get back in the Spider-Man business together.

On Friday, the two companies jointly announced that MarvelStudios and its president, Kevin Feige, will produce the third film in the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” series. It will once again feature Tom Holland reprising his role as the titular hero. The rumor mill roared back to life this week with hints that the two companies were close to brokering a new agreement.

This is great news! I really like what they’ve done with the character and Tom Holland was probably the best actor for the job.

A Major Die Hard Plot Hole Was Just Explained… 29 Years Later →

December 25, 2018 · 10:12

Sam Warner:

The makers of Die Hard have explained a big plot hole in the middle of the movie, and it’s only taken them three decades to give us the truth.

To jog your memory in case you’ve forgotten, baddie Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) pretends to be a hostage when he first comes face to face with John McClane (Bruce Willis).

McClane suspects that something is off and manages to get away – but it is never specified what exactly set off his alarm bells.

Missed this last year! Perfect for the film’s 30th anniversary though.

Movie About Church Sexual Abuse Is a Contentious Hit in Poland →

October 9, 2018 · 11:49

Alex Marshall, writing for The New York Times:

“Clergy,” a new movie by the director Wojciech Smarzowski, starts with three priests drinking vodka until they can barely speak. One then drives drunk to a parishioner’s apartment and mumbles his way through the giving of last rites.

The picture of Poland’s priesthood only goes downhill from there. The priests steal money from their congregations, spy on each other, and exploit their connections with politicians, journalists and the police.

But much of “Clergy” focuses on one issue: Clerical child abuse, which the movie says the church covered up. In one scene, it incorporates accounts from real people who say they were abused.

This may not sound like the plot for a blockbuster movie — let alone one that features a heavy dose of comedy — but “Clergy” is a smash hit in Poland. It opened on Sept. 28, and more than 1.7 million people saw it during its first week, according to Kino Swiat, the movie’s distributor. That is a huge figure for a country of 38 million.

I thought that our current “democratic” government wound actually ban it outright.

The Silicon Valley TV Show Is Horrible

May 16, 2018 · 10:01

Silicon Valley, the TV show from HBO, is probably the most horrific portrayal of the programmers/coders/tech crowd living and working in that area of the world. I realise that its supposed to be satire, but it simply isn’t. Thomas Middleditch’s character — Richard Hendricks — is particularly dreadful. He’s not only stupid, despite being a genius, he’s a criminal and displays many qualities that I despise, which are unfortunately so commonplace in the world. And Erlich? He’s even worse.

I can’t believe the show’s into its fifth season…

Paweł Pawlikowski Claims To Be Blacklisted by Poland’s Populist Government →

May 14, 2018 · 15:53

AFP:

Oscar-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski claimed Friday that he had been blacklisted by Poland’s populist rightwing government and compared censorship in the country now to the dark days of communism.

The 60-year-old, who won the best foreign language movie for “Ida” in 2015, told AFP that the film had been banned from being shown on television or in Polish cultural institutes abroad.

“The film is on a blacklist… There is now a blacklist of books, theatre directors and filmmakers who must not be supported,” he said.

“I have the honour to be on this list,” Pawlikowski said as his new film, “Cold War” was premiered at the Cannes film festival.

“With the new government, which has taken total control of public television, it is just like under the communism. The propaganda on TV is incredible,” he said.

His last film “Ida” became the target of attacks and a petition by the country’s Culture Minister Piotr Glinski, then in opposition, when it was nominated for an Academy Award.

He accused Pawlikowski of blackening the country’s reputation.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Official Trailer

April 9, 2018 · 09:00

Han Solo is Harrison Ford. Harrison Ford is Han Solo. He is the character of the original Star Wars trilogy. I watched and rewatched the movies because of him and for him. I might have shed a tear or ten when he died in The Force Awakens. I truly hope this newest Star Wars Story doesn’t ruin him for me and I’m half-tempted to not watch it at all.

This Is Why Uma Thurman Is Angry →

February 5, 2018 · 14:14

Maureen Dowd:

Yes, Uma Thurman is mad.

She has been raped. She has been sexually assaulted. She has been mangled in hot steel. She has been betrayed and gaslighted by those she trusted.

And we’re not talking about her role as the blood-spattered bride in “Kill Bill.” We’re talking about a world that is just as cutthroat, amoral, vindictive and misogynistic as any Quentin Tarantino hellscape.

We’re talking about Hollywood, where even an avenging angel has a hard time getting respect, much less bloody satisfaction.

Apple, Amazon Join Race for James Bond Film Rights →

September 7, 2017 · 12:04

Tatiana Siegel:

The James Bond sweepstakes has taken an unexpected turn. While Warner Bros. remains in the lead to land film distribution rights to the megafranchise — whose deal with Sony expired after 2015’s Spectre — a couple of unlikely suitors have emerged that also are in hot pursuit: Apple and Amazon.

The tech giants are willing to spend in the same ballpark as Warners, if not much more, for the rights, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. MGM has been looking for a deal for more than two years, and Sony, Universal and Fox also had been pursuing the property, with Warners and Sony the most aggressive.

But the emergence of Apple — which is considered such a viable competitor that Warners is now pressing MGM hard to close a deal — and Amazon shows that the digital giants consider Bond one of the last untapped brands (like a Marvel, Pixar or Lucasfilm) that could act as a game-changer in the content space. Apple’s and Amazon’s inclusion in the chase would indicate that more is on the table than film rights, including the future of the franchise if MGM will sell or license out for the right price.

The Star Wars franchise has shown that refreshing the format is a potentially viable strategy. I really loved The Force Awakens and Rogue One wasn’t far off — it’s not perfect, but it is a chance to spend more time in the Star Wars universe. The James Bond series of movies is my other favourite — I’ve been watching them all my life — and there is a potential here to expand upon it, perhaps even venturing into TV show territory. James has worked with other 00 agents in his movies before and I’d happily watch their adventures too.

Oh! Apple still hasn’t proven itself trustworthy in this sector (Tim Cook and Bono, Planet of the Apps), so I hope they don’t screw this up, if they get the rights.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web Without Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig →

March 14, 2017 · 13:44

Brian Truitt:

Lisbeth Salander, the punk hacker anti-heroine from the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium book series, is returning to the big screen in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, scheduled to hit cinemas October 5, 2018. But Dragon Tattoo stars Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig won’t be returning as Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist. A new cast is being picked for the adaptation directed by Fede Alvarez (…)

“Lisbeth Salander is the kind of character any director dreams of bringing to life,” the filmmaker said. “We’ve got a great script and now comes the most fun part – finding our Lisbeth.”

I was skeptical of the movies with Mara and Craig after reading the books. But I watched them. They weren’t as good, but the casting was near perfect, especially Rooney Mara, playing Lisbeth. I’m sure Fede Alvarez will have a lot of fun looking for a new Lisbeth, but I won’t be enjoying his final work, unfortunately — don’t want to spoil the previous films.

Daniel Craig Offered $150 Million for Two More James Bond Films →

September 6, 2016 · 18:04

Radar Staff:

RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned that Sony is offering James Bond star Daniel Craig a whopping $150 million to reprise his role as 007 for two more of the popular franchise’s films.

“The studio is desperate to secure the actor’s services while they phase in a younger long-term successor,” a source told Radar.

Daniel Craig is my favourite James Bond, with Sean Connery coming in second. I have no sensible reasoning behind this — I just like to watch him play the part. If he takes the money, I do expect him to put his heart into it.

Screening Room — New Movies Straight to Your Living Room →

March 12, 2016 · 15:39

Chris Welch:

Screening Room plans to charge $150 for access to a tightly-secured set-top box that would let people skip theater lines and watch brand new films in their own living room. On top of the equipment cost, viewers would have to pay $50 per screening, and they’d get only 48 hours to watch the movie after laying down that money. Theaters and movie exhibitors are expected to receive a decent chunk of profits to offset complaints that Screening Room could potentially throw a wrench into their profits.

I’m fine with the price, but I’m pretty sure the technology will be atrocious. I wish they could just get their act together, and put the movies in iTunes.

Make it easy, and people will pay; make it hard and people will go out of their way to make it easier, pirating along the way, not caring about the fact that they are doing so.

‘Deadpool’ Was No. 1 in Every Foreign Market Except Mine →

February 17, 2016 · 00:43

Todd Cunningham:

“Deadpool” opened at No. 1 in 60 of the 61 markets in which Twentieth Century Fox rolled it out and, as it did in North America, shattered multiple records along the way.

So what country opted for something other than Marvel’s foul-mouthed bad-ass with a bad attitude played by Ryan Reynolds?

That would be Poland, no joke.

When we make the international news, it’s usually because of something stupid like this.

‘This Is Not the Plot Twist You Are Looking for’ →

January 2, 2016 · 10:14

Ben Ostrower:

I left the theater after my first (and even second) viewing entirely convinced that Rey is Luke Skywalker’s daughter. Duh. All signs point to this (the inheritance of the lightsaber, Maz Kanata’s cryptic insights, the final scene with Luke, etc). After all, the whole story is about the sins and redemptions of the Skywalker family, right?

While Ben’s theory is plausible, I don’t believe the writers were clever enough to come up with it. Oh, it’s full of spoilers, so don’t bother reading it until you’ve seen ‘The Force Awakens’.

Star Wars — How It Impacted My Life & First Thoughts on
‘The Force Awakens’ [no spoilers!]

December 18, 2015 · 12:09

I first saw saw Star Wars when I was six or seven years old, which must have been around 1985 or 86. I watched it with a friend of mine, or so I remember. More than thirty years have passed since then, so some of what I recall might be heavily distorted. It probably is. What’s important however is that I still have specific scenes from the movie, and from that day, imprinted in my memory. Us sitting on the carpet in front of the TV. I was most probably completely oblivious to the world around me.

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Star Trek Beyond Trailer →

December 14, 2015 · 23:02

I enjoy watching both Chris Pine and Simon Pegg perform, hence I got hooked on J.J. Abrams’ take on the Star Trek universe. The plots could of course be much improved, but since I took pleasure in his first two movies, I will definitely go see the new one.

I never did truly appreciate the Star Trek TV series from the 60’s and 80’s, but perhaps I’ll give them another try now.

‘You Get Almost Star-Struck When You Meet R2-D2’ →

December 5, 2015 · 08:43

TIME:

“The moment you meet BB-8, you build up some form of weird human connection,” says Marco Grob, who photographed the new Star Wars character for this week’s TIME cover. “It has one eye that has this really cute way of looking at you. It’s just incredible.”

Watching both droids run around the studio is great — BB-8’s whimsical antics made me laugh.

Nick Bilton About ‘Steve Jobs’ →

December 3, 2015 · 20:39

Nick Bilton:

Here’s the thing: They didn’t know Steve Jobs. None of us did. I don’t care if you had a sleepover party at his house once a week while you watched rom-coms and did each other’s nails. Or if he granted you a 15-second interview after one of his product introductions. The reality is, Steve Jobs was trying to sell things, and he was an absolute master at using the media to do that.

Sometimes I Just Love Google →

October 22, 2015 · 18:05

I’m not a Google fan for various reasons, mainly due to their policies, sources of income, the way they operate, and so on. But sometimes they do something, and I just can’t stop smiling.

Read the document under the link—totally worth it. Hint: it has nothing to do with Gmail.

#BackToTheFuture

The Immature Steve Jobs →

October 21, 2015 · 20:59

Walt Mossberg, in his column on the The Verge, comments on the new Steve Jobs movie:

At the very end of the lengthy credits for Steve Jobs, there’s a statement in tiny type saying that the film includes material that is fictionalized and events that are invented. A gutsier movie would have put that disclaimer in big type, right at the beginning.

I haven’t seen the movie yet and, until now, avoided any information pertaining to the film. After inadvertently reading Walt’s words, I don’t I think want to any longer — why would I want to taint my knowledge of Steve with fiction instead of fact?

I Watched Gremlins at the Age of Five

February 18, 2015 · 21:20

I listened to the episode 110 of the Talk Show today, in which Merlin Mann talks movies with John Gruber. Towards the end they focussed on the subject of kids’ reactions to various scenes and how surprising some of the things that resonate with them are. I am a bit younger than both of the aforementioned gentlemen, hence I watched the same movies they did, just at an earlier age. I vividly remember only two of them until I was eight or so—the first was Star Wars, the other Gremlins.

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