Film
Firestarter Review: Zac Efron Stars In a Stephen King Remake That Quickly Flames Out
The Pitch: Stephen King adaptations have been a fixture of the big and small screens for decades, but there’s been a particular surge in recent years, following the blockbuster success of It. So it’s only natural that studios might circle back and revisit some of the adaptations that weren’t especially beloved in their day. Firestarter seems like a good candidate; the 1984 film version is more notable for its eclectic cast (including George C. Scott, Louise Fletcher, and a young Drew Barrymore!) than its meandering story (albeit one that’s largely faithful to the events of King’s book). The new Firestarter still follows Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), the pyrokinetic daughter of two telepathic parents, who goes on the run with her dad Andy (Zac Efron), pursued by the shadowy government for...
Tom DeLonge Shares Trailer for Bonkers Alien Movie with Richard Kind: Watch
Tom DeLonge loves aliens almost as much as he loves dick jokes, and it seems he’s managed to combine these passions in his directorial debut Monsters of California. An absolutely bonkers teaser trailer is out now, and it comes stocked with UFOs, bikini models, and beloved comedian Richard Kind. As far as alien flicks go, Monsters of California seems pitched closer to a horror comedy than a sci-fi romp. It follows teenager Dallas Edwards (Jack Samson) as he investigates paranormal activity in the SoCal area. “Maybe UFOs aren’t what we think they are,” his friend Riley (Jared Scott) says in the trailer. There’s also evidence of DeLonge’s unique sense of humor. One character quips, “That’s classified information. I’d tell you, but then I’d have to fuck your dad.” Spea...
Spinal Tap II Will Reunite Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer
Turn your amps all the way to 11: Rob Reiner will direct and star in Spinal Tap II, which will reunite David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) as the hardest-hitting rock band to ever get lost backstage in Cleveland. The film will be the first production from the newly reformed Castle Rock Entertainment, Deadline reports. As for the plot, it’s still being developed by Guest, McKean, Reiner, and Shearer, who together improvised huge swathes of the groundbreaking 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. Reiner told Deadline that he expects the second part to be released on the 40th anniversary of the original. “The plan is to do a sequel that comes out on the 40th anniversary of the original film a...
Top Gun: Maverick Review: Tom Cruise Goes Full Throttle In a Sequel That Does the Original Justice
The Pitch: It may have taken 36 years, but even pandemic delays couldn’t keep Tom Cruise away from the danger zone. When viewers are reunited with Captain Pete Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick, one of the military’s best-ever fighter pilots is still a Navy man, working on experimental aircraft after decades of avoiding promotions that would pull him out of the cockpit. But the brass, personified here by a very cranky Jon Hamm, has a new assignment for the ace: Train up a team of hotshot youths for an incredibly difficult (dare we say… impossible) mission into enemy territory. While a dozen officers are selected as candidates for the task, the most prominent are a very Maverick-esque pilot known as Hangman (Glen Powell) and Rooster (Miles Teller), the grown-up son of Maverick’s tragically dece...
Rob Zombie’s Walking Tour of Munsters Set Shows Off Authenticity of His Big-Screen Adaptation
Rob Zombie has been a stickler for detail while filming his big-screen adaption of the 1960s sitcom The Munsters, and it’s apparent how authentic the set is in a new walking tour conducted by the rocker-director himself. As previously reported, Zombie had the Munsters’ famous 1313 Mockingbird Lane mansion faithfully recreated on the film’s set in Budapest, Hungary, along with the surrounding homes in the movie’s suburban neighborhood. In a new video posted to his Instagram (see below), Zombie walks through the “neighborhood” on his way to 1313 Mockingbird Lane, with no one else on the set. Using either a Super 8 camera or a filter to give it a vintage look, the video looks like it’s straight out of the ’60s, and the set truly captures the vibe of the original TV show. Advertisement Related...
Rebel Wilson Recalls Falling Flat on Her Face While Channeling Britney Spears’ ‘You Drive Me Crazy’ Video
Rebel Wilson knows firsthand that trying to keep up with Britney Spears’ choreography is really hard work. During her appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden on Tuesday night, the actress discussed her upcoming Netflix movie Senior Year, which features a re-creation of Spears’ iconic dance moves in the “You Drive Me Crazy” music video that resulted in her falling flat on her face during a take. “I love Britney and I just wanted to pay homage to her because 20 years earlier in the film in 2022, she was like the biggest star in the world, so we did the ‘Crazy’ video … when I’m dancing, I just really like to give it, just give my all to it,” Wilson explained. “And then what happens is that I fall over and so in the Britney thing, they actually keep the take where I’m dancing and lo...
What Is a Top Gun? And Other Burning Questions
This month, the very long-awaited arrival of Top Gun: Maverick is poised to make us yearn for a time when we all had a need… for speed. The original film Top Gun was a huge hit upon its initial release, making stars of its core cast and creating a whole new appetite for patriotic tales of daring in the skies. Honestly, the fact that it took over 30 years for a sequel to happen is pretty impressive, and the new film has already begun racking up rave reviews from those who saw it at its CinemaCon premiere. But if it’s been a while since you properly Top Gun-ed, this should hopefully offer up all the information you need to know before seeing the sequel. What Is Top Gun? Released in 1986, Top Gun is a U.S. military recruitment device in the form of a movie about the United States Navy Strike ...
R.I.P. John R. Cherry III, Director and Ernest P. Worrell Creator Dead at 73
John R. Cherry III, the director and screenwriter known for creating the character Ernest P. Worrell, died on May 8th. He was 73. The news was announced on the official Ernest P. Worrell Facebook page, citing a long battle with Parkinson’s disease as his cause of death: “Unfortunately, I have some devastating news to share with you all. Our beloved John Cherry passed away this morning after a long and well-fought battle with Parkinson’s disease.” The tribute continues: “Buster, as his friends lovingly knew him by, was probably the most brilliant man I’ve ever met. Even as Parkinson’s began to rob him of some things, that creative mind of his was always going full-force to the best of its ability. He was kind, amazingly funny, generous and had a heart of gold. In addition to being a brillia...
James Cromwell Superglued Himself to Starbucks Counter for PETA Protest
PETA has been lobbying Starbucks for cheaper plant-based milk options, and James Cromwell decided to lend them a hand. As part of a protest that took place today, March 10th, the Emmy-winning actor superglued his fingers to the counter of a Manhattan Starbucks. US-based Starbucks charge more for vegan milks than for dairy milks, though the products cost the same at stores in the UK and India. According to PETA, “Cow’s milk is Starbucks’ biggest contributor to its carbon footprint,” and the animal-rights group is agitating for Starbucks to make its vegan options as affordable as its dairy options. Cromwell took part in a call-and-response chant, where one activist shouted, “Save the planet, save the cows,” and the rest of the group chimed in, “End the vegan upcharge now!” The star of B...
Elizabeth Olsen Doesn’t Like Marvel Movies But Says MCU Critics Disrespect Crew
Elizabeth Olsen, who has played Wanda Maximoff in Marvel entries ranging from 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier to 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, told The Independent that while she personally doesn’t enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she thinks prominent critics like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola are disrespecting the crew who bring the MCU to life. “Honestly, the Marvel movie magic is lost on me now, which is too bad,” she said. “I have to get my kicks elsewhere.” But when Olsen was asked about comments made by Scorsese (he said superhero movies are “theme parks” and “not cinema”) or Coppola (he claimed the flicks are “one prototype made over and over and over again to look different”), she pushed back, saying she gets frustrated when...
“Surgery Is Sex” in New Trailer for David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future: Watch
The master of body horror David Cronenberg is back, and the new trailer for his upcoming film Crimes of the Future will have you holding on to your organs for dear life. Crimes of the Future is set in a stomach-turning hereafter where many humans have Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, causing the growth of new body organs. It stars Viggo Mortensen as Saul Tenser, an avant-garde performer who shows off his ever-changing organs with the help of his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux). Meanwhile, Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, tries to get an inside look at the problem. In the trailer, this leads to some extremely disquieting moments. “Surgery is sex, isn’t it?” Timlin whispers to Tensen. “Is it?” he responds. “Mmm,” she says,...
In 2012, The Avengers Was a Huge Risk. In 2022, It’s a Relic of a Lost Era.
There’s an argument to be made that Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is the most important superhero movie of the 21st century. The reasons are numerous, from its proof of concept that a crossover event on this scale could work, to its staggering box office success, to the now-vast media empire which would not exist had this one film fallen apart. The MCU began with Marvel literally using its entire catalog of characters to secure a massive loan to produce its own films, and while the early success of Iron Man and the other Phase 1 films was promising, that huge gamble was still largely dependent on The Avengers succeeding. And that wasn’t necessarily the safest of bets, given that despite Whedon being nerd royalty and an established screenwriter, script doctor, and TV director, the film was onl...
