Film
Mulan Strays from the Disney Formula by Adopting Marvel’s Blueprint: Review
The Pitch: Disney has remade a number of its ’90s-era animated films into live-action and/or CG blockbuster epics. Now, the 1998 favorite Mulan gets the same treatment. Its story of a young Chinese woman impersonating a man in the Imperial Army has shifted from an animated classic into a live-action tale of empowerment and self-actualization. But does the translation pay off? Breaking the Mold … Somewhat: Most of the live-action remakes from Disney follow a frustrating pattern in which A-List filmmakers and actors go through the motions of replicating magical moments from the classic films of our childhood, all while trying to make something new of those fairy tales. At the box office, these films have been largely successful, with Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King all makin...
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Family Test Positive for Coronavirus
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his wife, and their two children have tested positive for the coronavirus. The blockbuster star confirmed the news in a candid video posted to his Instagram account on Wednesday evening. “I can tell you that this has been one of the emotional and challenging things that we’ve ever had to endure as a family — and for me personally too as well ,” Johnson explained, adding some levity: “And I’ve gone through some doozies in the past. I’ve gotten knocked about and got my ass kicked with some challenges…” Johnson went on to stress the importance of protecting his family and says the whole experience has been a “kick in the gut.” The good news is that they’re reportedly on the mend. “But I’m happy to tell you guys that we, as a family, are good. We are on the other end...
Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman to Lead Paul Thomas Anderson’s ’70s Drama
The stars are aligning for Paul Thomas Anderson. According to The Hollywood Reporter, HAIM singer-songwriter Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, will make their feature debuts in his untitled ’70s coming-of-age film. Details remain scarce, but it’s being reported that Haim and Hoffman will be the lead stars of the ensemble drama that’s set in the San Fernando Valley. Together, they join star Bradley Cooper, who was previously attached to the project. Both castings make sense. Anderson has been steadily working with HAIM since 2017’s Something to Tell You. He also has a long history with the Hoffman family, having worked with the late Oscar winner on nearly every one of his directorial efforts. Editors’ Picks This is Anderson’s first film since 2017’...
John Boyega Says Backlash Over His Star Wars Character Made Him “Much More Militant”
This summer has seen John Boyega step up as a passionate voice in the Black Lives Matter movement. Some have cautioned that being so vocal would threaten the career he built for himself after staring in the latest Star Wars trilogy. But as the actor revealed in a new cover story for GQ, it’s exactly his experiences making Star Wars that led him to become “much more militant” in the fight for equality. When it was first revealed that Boyega would play a Stormtrooper defector in The Force Awakens, there was a pocket of racist backlash over the idea of a Black member of the First Order. “I’m the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race,” Boyega told GQ. “Let’s just leave it like that.” He continued, explaining how his “frustration” stems from ...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Sign Multi-Year Netflix Deal
Earlier this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they would “step back” from some of their royal duties in order to build a new life in North America and become “financially independent.” They’ve since moved to Southern California and appear to be settling in well with the celebrity culture there. Not only have they purchased a mansion worth $15 million near the Kardashians and drawn swarms of paparazzi, but the couple has just inked a multi-year deal with Netflix. As first reported by the New York Times, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will develop documentaries, scripted TV shows, full-length feature films, and children’s programs for the streaming company. According to statements from the Royal Couple, they plan to offer diverse and uplifting stories, such as those relate...
What’s Streaming on HBO Max in September 2020
HBO Max shows no signs of slowing down heading into Fall. September sees the network adding a number of original series, in addition to all kinds of goodies being added to its ever-evolving vault of content. For exclusives, subscribers can look forward to Ridley Scott’s new series Raised By Wolves, the star-studded quarantine comedy Coastal Elites, Luca Guadagnino’s We Are Who We Are, and Jude Law’s latest venture The Third Day. It should also be noted that all five seasons of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! are now available to stream. So, if you’re looking for a good laugh — even if it’s at the risk of a cardiac arrest — by all means binge away, baby. Editors’ Picks Of course, we have to remember, it’s not TV, it’s HBO, and every weekend subscribers get new premieres of last ...
Disastrous Woodstock ’99 is the Focus of a New Netflix Documentary Series
Woodstock ’99 aftermath, photo by Peter R. Barber/AP Despite being envisioned as an event of “peace and love” like its forefather, Woodstock ’99 was a complete shit show. The three-day music festival featuring Limp Bizkit, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, and Insane Clown Posse devolved into squalid havoc, with arson, injuries, and sexual assaults broadcast live on MTV to horrified audiences around the world. It was the subject of a riveting eight-episode podcast produced by The Ringer, and now, it’s getting the Netflix documentary treatment. You thought Fyre Fest was bad? Hold on to your red baseball caps. Deadline reports that the as-yet-untitled docuseries will be produced by London-based Raw, who brought us the bonkers true story film Don’t F**k With Cats. BB...
Possessor Trailer Promises Body-Swapping Tension: Watch
One of the more talked-about genre films out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Possessor. The latest feature from Brandon Cronenberg — yes, the son of that Cronenberg — hits select theaters and in drive-ins on October 9th. Today, Neon has dropped a brand new trailer that promises an uncut version of the film. Featuring an A-list cast that includes Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Sean Bean, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, the film follows corporate assassins who use brain implants to transfer their minds into other bodies to go after high-profile targets. In his Sundance review, our own Clint Worthington wrote, “Like the best of his father’s works, Possessor is meant to provoke and prod at our deepest notions of self and our insecurities about the fleshy meat-bags we find ourselve...
The Mortuary Collection Is Halloween Horror With a Mean Streak: Fantasia Fest Review
This review is 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-somethings with a d...
Nigerians embrace British Council digital library
As part of efforts to restore and encourage a reading culture among Nigerians, the UK embassy’s British Council in Nigeria has launched a globally renowned digital library following temporary closure of its physical libraries. The newly launched digital library is to facilitate self-paced convenient learning, make educational and entertainment resources available and also provide access to numerous IELTS preparation content to support a large number of Nigerian youth and test takers. According to the British Council Country Director, Nigeria and West Africa Lead, Lucy Pearson, for many years, the British Council has been renowned all over the world for its libraries and the closure of its physical libraries in Nigeria was a sad one. Lucy said she is delighted to see the launch of the new B...
Josh Boone Developing Biopic on The Replacements
Here’s something left of the dial: Josh Boone is working on a biopic about The Replacements. In a new interview with Games Radar, The New Mutants and The Stand writer-director confirmed he’s moving from Mid-World to Minneapolis. “When we were shooting The New Mutants, I started working on, with [co-writer] Knate [Lee], we started working on an adaptation of Bob Mehr’s New York Times bestseller Trouble Boys, about the band The Replacements,” Boone shared. Hey, say what you will about the idea, but at least Boone is working from the right source material. Mehr’s 2016 novel is not only a bible for self-respecting ‘Mats fans, but one of the greatest rock and roll biographies of all time. Seriously. Give it a read. Based on Boone’s comments, it sounds like the project is pretty far along. He go...
Michael B. Jordan Eulogizes Chadwick Boseman: “I Now Understand How Much of a Legend and Hero YOU Are”
Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan, photo via Instagram Michael B. Jordan has penned a tribute to his Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman. Boseman passed away Friday at the age of 43 following a four-year battle with colon cancer. “I’ve been trying to find the words, but nothing comes close to how I feel,” Jordan writes to begin his eulogy. “I’ve been reflecting on every moment, every conversation, every laugh, every disagreement, every hug… everything. I wish we had more time.” “One of the last times we spoke, you said we were forever linked, and now the truth of that means more to me than ever,” Jordan continues. He goes on to credit Boseman for “pav[ing] the way for me. You showed me how to be better, honor purpose, and create legacy. And whether you’ve known it or...
