Film
Composers of the Year Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross: “It’s Been an Intimidating Journey”
“You’re naming us Best Composers of All Time, right,” Trent Reznor asks over the phone. His partner-in-crime Atticus Ross laughs on another line. He’s joking, of course, but he’s also not exactly out of his element. While all-time might be a stretch — at least, for now — the two are certainly in contention for the last decade. After all, it’s been a wild 10 years for Reznor and Ross, one that began with a deafening bang. That big bang arrived at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011, when Reznor and Ross triumphed over the likes of Hans Zimmer and Alexandre Desplat to win Best Original Score for David Fincher’s The Social Network. Their debut score wound up being an opening salvo as Hollywood came calling — and fast. Since then, they’ve amassed an eclectic resume that most composers spend decade...
R.I.P. Jeremy Bulloch, Actor Who Played Boba Fett in Original Star Wars Trilogy Dead at 75
Jeremy Bulloch, the English actor who famously portrayed Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died at the age of 75. As ComicBook notes, Bulloch’s passing was confirmed by Daniel logan, who played a young Boba Fett in the Star Wars: Attack of the Clones prequel. According to TMZ, Bulloch passed away from health complications related to Parkinson’s disease. Bulloch was born in Leicester, UK in 1945 and began acting at just 13 years old. His early career included small parts in low-budget films like Summer Holiday and Spare the Rod, as well as recurring roles in two Doctor Who serials (1965’s The Space Museum and 1973’s The Time Warrior). In the early 1980s, he co-starred in a BBC series based on Robin Hood called Robin of Sherwood. He also appeared in three James Bond films: 197...
Sir Ian McKellen Gets COVID-19 Vaccine: “I Feel Very Lucky”
Sometimes being a hero is helping a ragtag party to destroy the One Ring, and sometimes it’s leading by example. Earlier today, Sir Ian McKellen shared a photograph of himself receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. “I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine,” he wrote on Twitter. “I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.” Via BBC and itv, the 81-year-old McKellen accepted his inoculation at Queen Mary’s University Hospital in London from Dr. Phil Bennett-Richards. The procedure took less than ten seconds, and afterwards the acclaimed actor bumped elbows with his GP. “Next time I come — well no, six days after I next come I’m going to give them all a big hug,” McKellen said, referring to the vaccine’s second booster dose. “Is [hugging] allowed? I...
Top 10 Horror Films of 2020
What a year for horror… 2020 has certainly seen its share of terror — both on screen and in reality. With a global pandemic forcing most of us inside our homes, it’s been scary times for the film industry. Yet while horror was hardly immune to the year’s savagery — bye-bye Candyman, see you next Fall Halloween Kills — it’s arguably fared better than any other genre. Thanks to a strong community and a willingness to push the creative envelope, horror has survived, thrived, and, in some cases, held us together during this long, dark year. Sure, the delays for the blockbuster horror fare were disappointing, but they also opened the door for low-budget horror gems that have long been the backbone of the genre. Similarly, genre festivals led the way in experimenting with digitization, allowing ...
Creed Singer Scott Stapp to Play Frank Sinatra in Ronald Reagan Biopic
Scott Stapp (via “My Sacrifice” video), Frank Sinatra (via Nothing But the Best album cover) We’ve been inundated with some unforeseeable headlines in 2020, and here’s one more before the year ends: Creed singer Scott Stapp is playing Frank Sinatra in an upcoming biopic on Ronald Reagan. Yes, the rock vocalist is portraying the legendary crooner in the movie Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid as the 40th president of the United States. Stapp already filmed the role, telling Billboard, “Sinatra in performance mode was an exercise in restraint. He had this steely, stylish swagger and his sheer presence commanded a room. I was excited to join the cast and blown away by the on-set attention to detail, style, and overall production.” His performance as Sinatra comes during a scene in whi...
Oliver Stone Received Russia’s Controversial COVID-19 Vaccine, Is “Hopeful” It Will Work
Oliver Stone has become one of the first people to receive Russia’s controversial Sputnik V vaccine. Stone is in the country filming a documentary on climate change. He revealed his inoculation in an appearance on the state-run network Channel One Russia, and the story was subsequently picked up by Associated Press. “I got a vaccine shot, yeah,” he said, adding, “I don’t know if it’s going to work. I got it a few days ago. I’ve heard good things about the Russian vaccine. I have to get a second shot in 45 days or so. I have to come back. But I’m hopeful.” Via Newsweek, the Sputnik V vaccine is only recommended for people between the ages of 18 and 60, and experts have warned of potentially harmful consequences for people 61 and up. This makes the 74-year-old director’s choice som...
Kacey Musgraves Joins English-Language Voice Cast of Studio Ghibli’s Earwig and the Witch
With just one week to go before Christmas, Kacey Musgraves has been granted her so-called “biggest heart dream”: a role in a Studio Ghibli film. The Grammy-winning country star has just joined the cast of the English-language version of Earwig and the Witch, Studio Ghibli’s first fully-CGI film. Musgraves is set to voice the mother of protagonist Earwig. She will also perform her own version of the movie’s theme song “Don’t Disturb Me”. According to a tweet Musgraves posted on Tuesday, she has wanted to work with the renowned Japanese animation studio since she was a child. “My dad brought a VHS tape of [My Neighbor] Totoro home when I was about 9, and I’ll never ever forget the comfort and the magic that movie (and many other Ghibli films) have given me,” Musgraves, now 32 years old, wrot...
Promising Young Woman Attempts to Scorch Earth with Provocative Rape Revenge Thriller: Review
The Pitch: Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was once a promising young woman in medical school, along with her best friend, Nina. When a traumatic event involving Nina resulted in her suicide, it left Cassie jaded and enraged at the system that would protect those that hurt her best friend. Because of this, Cassie dropped out of med school, took on a dead-end job at a coffee shop, and now spends her evenings dismantling the system one “Nice Guy” at a time. However, her plans for ruthless vengeance alter when she crosses paths with former classmate Ryan (Bo Burnham). “Toxic”: Writer and director Emerald Fennell’s auspicious feature debut serves as a scathing critique of rape culture and the privilege that protects it. To make the medicine go down easier, Fennell uses a bubble gum pop aesthetic, an e...
Minari’s Steven Yeun on His Performance of the Year: “I Just Want to Keep Playing My Part”
Two things you need to know about Steven Yeun: He calls comparisons “comps”, and he has a better understanding of who he is as an actor and cultural figure than many other stars his age. Of course, it helps that he’s taken the long road to stardom, breaking out in a big way as zombie apocalypse survivor Glenn for six years on The Walking Dead, before moving on to roles in films by some of our most idiosyncratic, interesting filmmakers working today: Bong Joon-ho (Okja), Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You), and Lee Chang-dong (Burning), to name a few. His latest, A24’s soul-stirring family drama Minari, feels like a turning point of sorts, both in the gripping complexity of his performance and the film culture that’s finally taken due notice of him. In Lee Isaac Chung’s thoughtful melodrama, ...
Naomi Ackie to Play Whitney Houston in Upcoming Biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard and Naomi Ackie in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Sony’s upcoming Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, has finally found its leading star. English actress Naomi Ackie is in “final negotiations” to play the late legendary singer, according to Variety. The 28-year-old Ackie recently earned a BAFTA for her acclaimed performance in the Netflix comedy-drama The End of the F***ing World. She’s also scored major screen time in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the British anthology series Small Axe from Steve McQueen, whom we recently named our Filmmaker of the Year. Together with director Stella Meghie (The Photograph) and screenwriter Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody), Ackie will tell the complex yet inspiring story of Whitney H...
Tom Cruise Goes Off at Mission: Impossible 7 Crew for Breaking COVID-19 Protocol
Tom Cruise has had several infamous breakdowns over the years where he’s yelled at the people around him. Surprisingly, his latest rant was not only justified, but completely necessary. Nearly 50 crew members watched as the Mission: Impossible 7 star went off on two coworkers after he noticed they weren’t following COVID-19 safety protocols. In audio obtained by The Sun, Cruise can be heard threatening to fire two crew members after spotting them standing less than three feet apart by a computer. “If I see you do it again, you’re fucking gone,” he screamed. “And if anyone on this crew does it, that’s it — and you too and you too. And you, don’t you ever fucking do it again. That’s it!” Following the CDC guidelines during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is essential to slow the spread of C...
Sundance Film Festival Announces 2021 Virtual Lineup
The Sundance Film Festival will continue in 2021 and returns with a new upgrade amidst the ensuing pandemic. For the first time ever, the entire festival will take place digitally through “a feature-rich, Sundance-built online platform” in conjunction with in-person festivities that will air through Satellite Screens across the country from January 28th to February 3rd, 2021 “Togetherness has been an animating principle here at the Sundance Institute as we’ve worked to reimagine the Festival for 2021, because there is no Sundance without our community,” said Sundance Institute Founder and President Robert Redford. “Under Tabitha’s leadership, we’ve forged a new collective vision: one that honors the spirit and tradition of these invigorating yearly gatherings in Utah, while making roo...
