Film
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange Joins Spider-Man 3
It’s becoming increasingly evidence that Spider-Man 3 is to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Flash is to the DC Extended Universe. We got our first real hint this was coming when it was revealed earlier this month that Jamie Foxx would be reprising his role as Electro from the non-MCU The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Now, another MCU character getting caught the tangled web of Spider-Man 3 all but confirms it, as Benedict Cumberbatch is reportedly appearing as Doctor Strange. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Cumberbatch’s Strange will fill the mentor/adult role held by Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in the previous MCU Spidey films, Homecoming and Far From Home, respectively. But considering the upcoming Doctor Strange standalone sequel is enti...
Wonder Woman Collaborators Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins Team for Cleopatra Film
From Princess Diana to the Queen of Egypt: Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot and director Petty Jenkins have re-teamed for the new historical epic Cleopatra. 2017’s Wonder Woman was the highest-grossing live action film ever directed by a woman. So, it’s no surprise Gadot and Jenkins’ latest collaborator attracted an army of deep-pocketed suitors; Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures won a “wild auction” that included Warner Bros., Universal, Netflix, and Apple. The movie follows Cleopatra VII, a Greek descendant of of one of Alexander the Great’s top generals. After her father’s death, she fought a brutal civil war against her brother for control of Egypt. Her victory came as part of a more-than-casual alliance with Julius Caesar, but it was her ill-fated rela...
Jeff Bridges on How His New Line of Eco-Friendly Guitars Abide by the Environment
When you’re buying a coffee table for your home or building a shed in the backyard, do you ever stop to think about where that wood came from? What about when you buy a guitar? Well, at Breedlove Guitars in Bend, Oregon, they are doing more than just creating environmentally friendly instruments; they are facilitating a new way of thinking. According to Breedlove, “owner Tom Bedell has traveled to each forest in Suriname, the Republic of Congo, and the Swiss Alps to verify individual harvest, chain of custody, and sound ecological practices.” Though what this company does is outside the norm, all it takes are the actions of one to create a chain reaction and potentially spark a huge wave of change. No one understands this concept more than Jeff Bridges. We all know the prolific actor for h...
Michelle Pfeiffer Goes from Catwoman to Cat Lady in the Messy French Exit: NYFF Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2020 New York Film Festival. The Pitch: Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a wealthy widow in her mid-60s, with a tongue as silver as the spoon in the mouth of her hanger-on son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges). Unfortunately, her gravy train is about to run out as her financial planner informs her she’s completely broke — a scenario he’s warned the mercurial Frances about for nearly a decade. Without skipping a beat, she illegally sells her worldly possessions and drags Malcolm (along with their cat, Small Frank) with her to Paris, along with the remainder of their funds. Together, they occupy her friend Joan’s (Susan Coyne) apartment and figure out what their next steps are — or, in the case of Frances, her last ones. Lost in Translation: At f...
The Wolf of Snow Hollow Adds Coen-Style Humor to the Werewolf Genre: Beyond Fest Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2020 Beyond Film Festival. The Pitch: In a small and snow-covered mountain town, a series of murders suddenly create a sizable body count, leaving the townsfolk frightened and the humble police force confused. When a rumor runs through town that a werewolf is behind the kills, coinciding with full moons and savagely torn apart corpses, John Marshall (Jim Cummings) is suddenly tasked with proving that lycanthropes are a campfire tale. This proves difficult when it’s added to his long list of pre-existing duties, such as taking care of his teenage daughter and watching over his sickly father. It’s Like Fargo With Werewolves: Jim Cummings is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to film. No, seriously, the guy has dipped his toes into everything. Writin...
Jeff Goldblum Recreates Iconic Jurassic Park Pose 27 Years Later
Jurassic World: Dominion may have been pushed back to 2022, but Jeff Goldblum has given thirsty fans quite the gift to tide them over until then. On Instagram late Friday, the actor recreated his iconic Jurassic Park pose, unbuttoned shirt, oiled up chest, and all. Goldblum reproduced the memorable 1993 shot as a reward to fans who registered to vote ahead of Election Day next month. “WOW! Thank you to everyone who used my @HeadCount page to make sure that you’re #GoodToVote!” Goldblum wrote on Instagram. “Nearly 3,000 of you are ready for this November’s election. Here’s your reward… how time flies.” Indeed, it’s been 27 long years since Dr. Ian Malcolm first posed ever so seductively. The fact that Goldblum, who turns 68 in just a few weeks, still looks this good should probably be a cri...
Freaky Expertly Balances Horror and Humor for a Hell of a Good Time: Beyond Fest Review
The Pitch: Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) is a year removed from her father’s death and her family is still grieving. While her sister Char has fittingly taken the role of matriarch, appropriate considering her career in the police force, her mother has taken to the bottle. It’s also senior year for Millie at Blissville High and things aren’t particularly promising; the boy she likes doesn’t seem interested, she’s constantly picked on by teachers and students alike, and she’s anxious at the idea of leaving her mom behind. Keeping her grounded are best friends Josh (Misha Osherovich) and Nyla (Celeste O’Connor). Things take a very sudden turn, however, when she’s attacked by the legendary Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) with a mystical knife that has them swap bodies. Now, she has 24 hou...
Synchronic Seamlessly Turns Paramedics into Time-Traveling Horror Heroes: Beyond Fest Review
The Pitch: Paramedics Dennis (Jamie Dornan) and Steve (Anthony Mackie) work together in the same ambulance and are also longtime best friends. Running the Garden District route in New Orleans, the two run into a string of incidents linked to a new synthetic designer drug, Synchronic, which is having preternatural effects on users. When a one-two punch of personal tragedy afflicts the friends, their lives are thrown into turmoil as they become inextricably linked to the dangerous narcotic. The Best Time Travel Stories Are Not About Time Travel: Time travel in film is usually best used when it’s a plot device but not the coda of the movie. Genre vets Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson are magicians here, using the script and pacing to nimbly carry us through a science-fiction adventure that tr...
Don’t Enter Room 237 Without This Face Mask
You ain’t got no business going outside without protection. After all, you don’t want to leave a trace of yourself behind that could hurt others. That’s why we’ve introduced the new Bellhop 237 mask. The green arches with black and purple designs may look like art deco hotel decor, but don’t overlook the safety features of these sustainable masks. Hand-stitched in the US, all our masks are made from authentic One Planet fabric, which uses recycled plastic bottles to create a smooth, comfortable material. We double layer them and provide a snug fit with adjustable ear loops to guard against light to moderate amounts of fluid, spray, and/or aerosols. What’s more, proceeds go to support Consequence of Sound, an independently owned company, and benefit the MusiCares’ COVID-19 Artist Relief Fun...
Pixar’s Soul to Skip Theaters for Exclusive Disney+ Release This Christmas
Disney has decided to skip a theatrical release for the Pixar film Soul, instead releasing it straight to Disney+ — at no additional cost. Originally scheduled for a June 19th release, the movie was delayed until November 20th due to the pandemic. As of Disney’s last round of schedule shifting, Soul still had that release date. However, since then, Regal Cinemas announced it would re-close all its theaters, and Universal moved its animated sequel The Croods: A New Age up from December 23rd to November. It seems the lack of domestic theater options and the new competition for screens led to Disney’s decision to push Soul to a digital debut on Christmas, December 25th. What’s interesting, however, is that the movie will be free for all Disney+ subscribers. That’s a stark contrast to the othe...
Macaulay Culkin Wears His Own Face With Incredible Home Alone Mask
We’ve seen plenty of celebrity step up and ask (plead with?) people to wear their face masks. Stevie Nicks wrote a message on her public journal, Motörhead made their own Lemmy masks, and Paul Rudd teamed with New York state for a hilarious video targeting millennial. But Macaulay Culkin has created what is either the best or creepiest PSA by donning a face mask featuring his own visage from Home Alone. In a post that broke the Internet, Culkin shared a photo of himself wearing… well, himself. The mask features an enlarged image from the Home Alone poster, itself a reference to the iconic scene where Kevin McCallister learns about the pains of aftershave. True, given the thirty-year age difference between Culkin now and when he played the character, the proportions are kind of terrifying, ...
Neil Marshall’s The Reckoning Is as Bleak as the Dark Times It Depicts: Beyond Fest Review
The Pitch: It’s late 17th century England, and although the plague is no longer running as rampant as it once was, a new pandemic has taken over: witchcraft. The era of scapegoating women for anything and everything is prevalent and the main conflict in The Reckoning. Grace Haverstock’s husband has committed suicide, himself afflicted with the plague, and has left Grace and their newborn daughter to care for their small farm. When she falls behind on rent, her landlord attacks her and suggests she make payment with sexual favors. Grace spurns his advances. With his fragile male ego damaged, he accuses her of witchcraft, and Grace is put into bondage and undergoes a series of physical and psychological torture tactics in an attempt to have her admit her allegiance to the dark arts. <img ...
