Film
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...
Lorne Michaels Wanted Mike Myers to Remake The Graduate Instead of Making Wayne’s World
This article is part of our coverage of the 2022 Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival. At the first annual Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, Mike Myers sat down with acclaimed director/Mike Myers super-fan David O. Russell for a wide-ranging talk. The two men looked back over Myers’ career up to this week’s premiere of the new Netflix original series The Pentaverate, bringing a few surprise revelations to the Los Angeles crowd — along with some extra insight into the brain of Lorne Michaels. As Myers told Russell, Michaels told him about an idea for an unexpected film remake in 1989, the year Myers joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, after being invited to the SNL creator’s house in the Hamptons. “He pitched me a movie — he said, ‘I want you to do a remake o...
Daniel Radcliffe Stars as “Weird Al” Yankovic in First Trailer for Upcoming Biopic: Watch
Daniel Radcliffe stars as “Weird Al” Yankovic in an upcoming biopic about the legendary musician, comedian, and parodist. Ahead of the film’s premiere this fall, the first teaser trailer has been released. Watch it below. The film, aptly titled WEIRD: The ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Story, was written by Yankovic himself alongside Eric Appel, who also serves as the film’s director. The biopic “holds nothing back, exploring every facet of Yankovic’s life, from his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like ‘Eat It’ and ‘Like a Surgeon’ to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle,” promises a press release. “WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story takes audiences on a truly unbelievable journey through Yankovic’s life and career, from gifted child prodigy to the greatest musical legend...
Seth Rogen Hosts Table Read of Friday’s “You Got Knocked the Fuck Out” Scene: Watch
After taking on Seinfeld the day before, Seth Rogen and his Table Reads series at Netflix Is a Joke Festival went in a decidedly different direction on Monday night by reading through Ice Cube and DJ Pooh’s 1995 stoner classic Friday. One of the highlights of the performance, naturally, was the recreation of the scene in which Deebo launches Red into the air after the latter asks for his bike back, leading Smokey to exclaim, “You got knocked the fuck out!” With Rogen giving stage directions, O’Shea Jackson Jr. stood in for his father Ice Cube’s character Craig Jones. GaTa filled in as Chris Tucker’s Smokey with Brian Simpson as DJ Pooh’s Red and Lil Rel Howery as Tiny “Zeus” Lister Jr.’s Deebo. After promising to get Craig high because “It’s Friday, you ain’t got no job, and...
Judge Rejects Amber Heard’s Motion to Dismiss Johnny Depp Defamation Lawsuit
The judge presiding over Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard has rejected Heard’s motion to dismiss the case. The motion was filed by Heard’s attorneys after Depp’s legal team concluded their case on Tuesday. After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Penny Azcarate said there is sufficient evidence for the case to continue. Instead, Heard’s attorneys will now have to convince a jury that the actress did not defame her ex-husband when she wrote a Washington Post in which she discussed being a victim of domestic abuse. Although Heard did not refer to Depp by name or go into any details of the abuse, Depp claims the op-ed damaged his personal reputation and career in Hollywood. He subsequently sued Heard for $50 million, which led Heard to file a $100 million count...
Tyler Bates and Chelsea Wolfe on Creating the Dark, Funky X Soundtrack
The horror film fandom has been on the edge of its seat for X, director Ti West’s first full-length feature since his 2016 Western In a Valley of Violence. The A24 film is more than a love letter to the greatest horror films of all time — it paves a creative, innovative, and shocking path all of its own. The same can be said of its score, which was created in a collaboration between legendary horror composer Tyler Bates and goth rock queen Chelsea Wolfe, alongside composer/producer Ben Chisholm. X’s accompanying lush score is perfect for the envelope-pushing, star-studded film. Set in 1979, X tells the story of a group of aspiring filmmakers and stars (including Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, and Kid Cudi) who head deep into rural Texas to create the ultimate porn film. Things take...
Taylor Swift to Screen and Discuss All Too Well Short Film at Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival announced the lineup for its 2022 Talks today, and among the Hollywood royalty on the bill lies capital-D Director Taylor Swift, who will be screening and discussing the making of All Too Well: The Short Film, which she wrote, directed, produced, and appeared in. Premiered last November, All Too Well: The Short Film followed the release of the 10-minute version of the fan-favorite Swift song, which has long been interpreted to delve into her ill-fated relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal. Much like the unabridged version’s revealing lyrics — “I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age” proved especially biting — Swift’s visual was equally meticulous. The artist cast 19-year-old Sadie Sink and 30-year-old Dylan O’Brien to play the couple, and the ...
