Film
Sacha Baron Cohen Says Borat 2 Reveals America’s “Dangerous Slide to Authoritarianism”
In an interview with The New York Times, Sacha Baron Cohen spoke about his goals for the Borat sequel and what he learned while filming. Speaking to Maureen Dowd, Cohen said the “aim is to make people laugh, but we reveal the dangerous slide to authoritarianism.” Cohen highlighted the differences between America now and when the original film taped in 2005. “In 2005, you needed a character like Borat who was misogynist, racist, anti-Semitic to get people to reveal their inner prejudices.” But that’s not necessary any more. “Now those inner prejudices are overt. Racists are proud of being racists.’’ He added that President Trump is “an overt racist, an overt fascist,’’ which “allows the rest of society to change their dialogue, too.” The sequel is titled Borat Subsequent Movi...
The Bride of Frankenstein Returns With Debut Vinyl Release and New Figurine
It’s a perfect season for mystery and horror and spooky merch. Waxwork Records is delivering on all three with their forthcoming releases tied to Universal’s 1935 Gothic masterpiece The Bride of Frankenstein. In celebration of the film’s 85th anniversary, they’re bringing Franz Waxman’s score to vinyl and evolving their new series of figurines. Proving it’s always better late than never, the debut vinyl release of Waxman’s score features re-mastered audio, new artwork by Phantom City Creative, black and white vinyl, a booklet that includes artwork and original scoring session photography, in addition to liner notes by album producer and restoration engineer Mike Matessino. As they’re wont to do, Waxwork sourced the audio from both Waxman’s archives at Syracuse University and the original m...
Chadwick Bosemen Died Without a Will, Widow Files Probate Case to Oversee Estate
Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman left behind new legal will upon his death this past August. However, by marrying his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, in the months prior to his passing, Boseman ensured she would inherit his assets. According to TMZ, Boseman’s widow filed a probate case in Los Angeles on Thursday and requested the judge grant her limited authority over his estate. According to court documents reviewed by TMZ, the estate is estimated to be worth $938,500, though additional assets are thought to be held in separate private trusts. The docs also indicate that the actor is survived only by his parents, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman. Much like the film star’s stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis, the public wasn’t aware of Boseman and Ledward’s marriage until Boseman’s death. No...
Shudder’s The Mortuary Collection Offers Halloween Horror With a Morbid Mean Streak: Review
This review originally ran as part of our Fantasia Festival 2020 coverage. The Pitch: “The world is made of stories…” and they are left behind by the dead. Montgomery Dark (Clancy Brown) is an aging mortician tasked with not only caring for the bodies of his recently deceased clients but for the stories of their deaths. These he collects and keeps in the massive library of his sinister and dilapidated mortuary. After officiating the funeral of a child, he meets Sam (Caitlin Custer), a young woman looking for a job. Her interview takes a turn for the macabre as she asks Montgomery to scare her with his tales, setting the stage for this spooky anthology. It was a Dark and Stormy Night… Set in the vague past, The Mortuary Collection feels like Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark for twenty-some...
Netflix’s Rebecca Is Haunted by Better Adaptations: Review
The Pitch: As recalled in Daphne du Mauier’s famed 1938 Gothic novel of the same name, our narrator and young, nameless lady’s companion (Lily James) meets, falls in love with, and marries a wealthy, older Englishman and widower, Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), while on holiday in Monte Carlo and returns with him to his lavish Cornish estate, Manderley. She soon begins to notice the long, profound shadow her husband’s recently dead wife, Rebecca, hauntingly casts over Maxim; family and acquaintances; household servants, including cold, austere housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas); and even the animals. As the second Mrs. de Winter grows increasingly frustrated with the strange power her predecessor possesses, even from beyond a watery grave, she slowly begins to learn the truth ...
Joaquin Phoenix to Play Napoleon in New Ridley Scott Film Kitbag
After nailing his big role in Joker last year, Joaquin Phoenix is now preparing to portray a comparatively smaller character: Napoleon. The Oscar-winning actor has been cast as the 5’6″ French emperor in the new film from Ridley Scott, Kitbag. Kitbag is an “original and personal” feature film about Napoleon’s story — from his time as a military leader to his rapid ascent to Emperor of France — told through the lens of his volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine. According to Deadline, the goal of the movie is to “capture Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition, and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.” Scott, who previously worked with Phoenix on Gladiator, is onboard as director and producer. Joining him is screenwriter David ...
Netflix Just Released the Trailer for Hillbilly Elegy and It’s Rightfully Getting Skewered: Watch
ddNetflix has released the first trailer for Ron Howard’s new film Hillbilly Elegy. The multi-generational addiction drama stars Amy Adams and Glenn Close, a pairing alone that should make the movie a highly anticipated feature — but instead, it’s already been met with a mixed reaction on social media. Hillbilly Elegy follows Gabriel Basso, a former Marine and current Yale Law student, as he returns to his Appalachian home in southern Ohio to take care of his mother Bev, as played by Adams, who’s struggling with addiction. During the trip, he’s forced to reckon with his childhood, his upbringing, and his troubled family, including his terse grandmother, played by Close. Both Hans Zimmer and David Fleming contribute to the score. The trailer sees Adams and Close bringing this plot to life i...
Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up Casts Leo and Meryl and J-Law, Oh My!
It’s as if Adam McKay clicked his ruby slippers together and said, “There’s no place like the Oscars.” His new Netflix film Don’t Look Up had already secured the talents of Cate Blanchett and Rob Morgan; now, via The Hollywood Reporter, the project has added three more heavyweights in Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Her Gloriousness Meryl Streep. Don’t Look Up is written and directed by McKay. It follows a pair of scientists who make the apocalyptic discovery that a meteor will impact the Earth in six months. They embark on a media blitz to warn the world, only to discover that most people either don’t believe them or don’t care. This definitely-fictional and not-at-all-based-on-real-events story will star DiCaprio and Lawrence as the unfortunate scientists. In addition to t...
Cast for Mad Max Spinoff Furiosa Confirmed: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Things are starting to rev up for George Miller’s Mad Max spinoff film Furiosa. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II have climbed aboard the next parable in the wasteland. Taylor-Joy will play a young Furiosa, a role originally iconized by Charlize Theron, who will not be a part of the production. As of press time, it’s unclear who Hemsworth and Abdul-Mateen II will be playing. It’s funny how both have played gods of sorts. Miller will direct, co-write, and produce the project that’s yet to be greenlit by Warner Bros. However, seeing how 2015’s Fury Road proved to be both a critical and commercial success for the studio — even nabbing a Best Picture nom — the light is imminent. Back in May, Miller announced the project to in an in...
Eddie Murphy’s Coming 2 America Emigrates to Amazon Prime for Christmas Release
Perhaps movie theaters in the Kingdom of Zamunda are open, but here in the States things are looking bleak. The lack of cinematic release options is the main reason why Eddie Murphy‘s new film Coming 2 America is emigrating from Paramount Pictures to Amazon Studios. The sequel to 1988’s Coming to America was originally slated to drop on August 7th, 2020, before going on standby until Christmas. Then the coronavirus happened, and blockbusters such as James Bond’s No Time to Die and Dune were pushed back to 2021. But Crown Prince Akeem Joffer won’t have to wait that long; as Variety reports, Amazon ponied up $125 million for the streaming rights. Now, Coming 2 America is expected to premiere on December 18th. Some details are still bein...
Netflix Ends Free Trial Offer in the US
Those of you hoping to catch Adam Sandler’s Hubie Halloween, David Fincher’s Mank, or Volume 2 of Unsolved Mysteries are going to have to pony up the dollars, or borrow your mom and dad’s password. Earlier this month, Netflix ended its 30-day free trial offer for new customers. Variety reported the news after receiving confirmation from a Netflix spokesperson. “We’re looking at different marketing promotions in the US to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience,” said the spokesperson.” There are still ways to consume some Netflix content for free via its Watch Free site, which launched back in August. The sampler site offers films including Birdbox, Murder Mystery, and The Two Popes, as well as pilot episodes of Stranger Things, Love Is Blind, and When T...
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Soundtrack Gets First-Ever Release from Mondo
Yeah, bitch! A full year after the film’s initial release, the soundtrack to El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie is finally seeing release. The 26-track collection is being pressed as a double-LP exclusively from Mondo. On sale beginning Wednesday, October 14th, the soundtrack’s debut pressing features the complete score from Dave Porter, who also penned the award-winning music from Breaking Bad. Also present are nearly a dozen of El Camino’s perfectly timed needle-drops, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Call Me the Breeze”), Jim White featuring Aimee Mann (“Static on the Radio”), Family Force 5 (“Kountry Gentleman”), and Lulu (“To Sir with Love”). In addition, there’s an exclusive Chloe x Halle bonus track called “Enchanted” that wasn’t featured in the movie. The vinyl comes housed in artwork from Ma...
