Film
Spike Lee Shares First Teaser for David Byrne’s American Utopia: Watch
Spike Lee has revealed the first teaser trailer for David Byrne’s American Utopia. The HBO production premieres Saturday, October 17th. Lee’s latest joint is based on Byrne’s 2019 Broadway show of the same name, which is itself inspire by Byrne’s most recent album American Utopia. The trailer shows off Lee’s kinetic camera work, capturing the movement of the 11 singers, dancers, and musicians accompanying Byrne. Choreography was provided by Annie-B Parson, and Lee portrays her movements from every angle — front, sides, above, and even behind, taking in the rears of the cast and the faces of the live audience. Check out the trailer below. Byrne had hoped to get in a second run of shows on Brodaway, but that’s been pushed back since the Great White Way went dark in response to the ongoi...
Chris Cornell’s Estate Denounces Unauthorized Biopic
Chris Cornell lived one hell of a life as the frontperson of Soundgarden, and someday his story will be told with all the detail, depth, and accuracy it deserves. Unfortunately, it won’t be the upcoming biopic Black Days that does so. Allegedly the movie is “about the last days in the life of grunge music icon Chris Cornell,” but the rocker’s estate has formally denounced the film, issuing a statement to Pitchfork that says the biopic is “not sanctioned or approved by the estate.” A casting call for Black Days on Backstage reveals that production on the film is already underway, with shooting kicking off in Los Angeles next month. Road Rage Films LLC and Amerifilms LLC, which apparently are run by actor and musician Johnny Holiday, are listed as the companies helming the project. As Pitchf...
Björk Joins All-Star Cast of Robert Eggers’ The Northman
Hold on to your swan dress, Björk is returning to the silver screen for the first time since 2000’s Dancer in the Dark. The Icelandic queen joins the star-studded cast of Robert Eggers‘ new film The Northman, and best of all, her character has been given the evocative name “The Slav Witch”. As if that weren’t enough, her real-life daughter Ísadóra Barney has also joined The Northman and will be making her cinematic debut. Until yesterday, the casting news was a closely-guarded secret, and it seems to have been revealed accidentally. Eric Higgins, best known for a short arc on the TV series Vikings, posted a video of the casting board that included his own headshot. “There are only two times in life when your profile pic is on a wall,” he wrote, “1) You’re a wanted criminal ...
Ben Affleck to Return as Batman for The Flash Movie
Looks like Ben Affleck will be dusting off the ol’ cape and cowl one more time, as the actor’s return as Batman in the upcoming Flash movie has been confirmed. Director Andy Muschietti revealed the news in an interview with Vanity Fair. The filmmaker also confirmed reports that Michael Keaton will reprise his role as Batman from the ’90s-era Tim Burton films for what’s expected to be a “substantial” part. Based on the popular comic storyline Flashpoint, the movie will find Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) running through different realities, hence the multiple Dark Knights. The announcement of Affleck’s involvement will likely shock many fans. After portraying Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad (in a cameo part), and Justice League, Affleck was expected to ...
Shudder Announces 61 Days of Halloween Starting September
Shudder already celebrated Halfway to Halloween back in April. Come September, however, they’re bringing the real tricks and treats with 61 Days of Halloween, and today they’ve announced all kinds of exciting festivities. The two-month celebration will feature weekly original programming, a new Halloween special of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, a sequel to the one and only Ghoul Log, and, yes, the return of the Shudder Halloween Hotline. “We usually call October our ‘Super Bowl month’ but this year we’re starting on September 1st, so the 61 Days of Halloween will be our Super Bowl combined with Mardi Gras and Christmas,” said Shudder GM Craig Engler in a press release, who also teased a surprise at the end of the month “that will have horror fans everywhere talking.” Editors’...
John Carpenter Confirms Involvement With Blumhouse’s The Thing Reboot
For someone who doesn’t love work, John Carpenter certainly stays busy. On Saturday afternoon, the Master of Horror confirmed a number of projects while speaking with Fantasia Film Festival as he accepted their Lifetime Achievement Award. For starters, Carpenter let it slip that he’s working with Blumhouse and Universal on their forthcoming reboot of The Thing. When pressed if it was a prequel or a sequel, he played it coy and stayed mum as he’s wont to do. As previously reported, that project is reported to be a new reimagining of John W. Campbell Jr.’s Who Goes There?, only Universal and Blumhouse are also planning to pull from its recently unearthed and expanded version of the novella, Frozen Hell. Given that Carpenter is currently working with Blumhouse and Universal on their...
James Gunn Reveals Characters and First Teaser Trailer for The Suicide Squad: Watch
James Gunn has shared the first teaser trailer for The Suicide Squad and revealed new characters from the star-studded cast. The unveiling took place during DC’s virtual FanDome on Saturday. Gunn himself hosted a panel, and with a bit of pomp and ceremony he announced the villainous roles played by previously-announced actors. The big news is that Idris Elba will be inhabiting Bloodsport, a Lex Luthor associate. During a Q&A/trivia section, it was also revealed that Bloodsport in the film is spending time in jail for shooting Superman. This is the biggest plot drop from the panel, and it’s actually pulled right from the comic books. As for the rest of the Squad, a large part of it was already known, with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) Captain Boomerang (...
Zack Snyder’s Justice League Director’s Cut Revealed in First Trailer: Watch
Fans begged, pleaded, and campaigned for this, and now it’s finally here: Zack Snyder has shared the first full trailer for the Justice League Director’s Cut at Saturday’s DC Fandome virtual event. From the jump, the preview makes it clear this is very different from 2018’s Joss Whedon-re-worked theatrical Justice League. It opens with a shot of the DC Extended Universe’s biggest baddie, Darkseid, played by Ray Porter but ultimately excised from the original cut of the film. There’s also new glimpses of the film’s primary antagonist, Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), whose look has been updated as more metallic and with a less humanoid face, like he was seen in the infamous Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice deleted scene. What really stands out here is how much more fleshed out the non-Batman-a...
Julia Fox Dominates Surprising and Sexy Pitch-Black Rom-Com PVT CHAT: Fantasia Fest Review
This review is part of our Fantasia Festival 2020 coverage. The Pitch: Jack (Peter Vack) is a lonely boy in the big city. He lives in a rundown apartment—the only kind anyone can afford in New York City–where his windows are duct-taped over and his day-to-day involves either bowls of Maruchan ramen or online poker games. But he also engages in BDSM scenes with a number of cam girls, and one in particular has caught his eye. Enter Scarlet (Julia Fox), who dominates Jack from afar, making him a human ashtray as smoke billows out from her big beautiful lips. As time ticks away and more and more money is dropped, Jack and Julia begin to connect on a deeper level, a connection that sets both parties up for twists that audiences will never see coming. I’ll Always Love You New York: With PVT CHAT...
Robert Pattinson is The Batman in Nirvana-Soundtracked First Trailer: Watch
Warner Bros. closed out DC Fandome on Saturday night with their highly anticipated panel for Matt Reeves’ The Batman. As expected, the event saw our most comprehensive look at the forthcoming re-imagining, which stars Robert Pattinson as The Dark Knight. Gorgeously soundtracked to Nirvana’s dour “Something in the Way”, the film’s first trailer reveals a Gotham City awash in the kind of realism that once fueled Christopher Nolan’s universe. Yet unlike his trilogy, Reeves’ vision carries a more dystopian, punk rock edge that feels like a DIY deconstruction of Frank Miller’s Year One (though, according to Reeves, the story actually takes place in the second year of Bruce Wayne’s life as Batman). Story-wise, it appears there’s a creepy murder mystery that’s sending Jeffrey Wright’s Commis...
12 Hour Shift Brilliantly Brings Hospital Horror to the Working Women Comedy: Fantasia Fest Review
This review is part of our Fantasia Festival 2020 coverage. The Pitch: Mandy (Angela Bettis) was having a bad day before her double shift at the hospital. She’s expected to provide a kidney transplant to some local gangsters. The only catch is that Mandy’s new courier Regina (Chloe Farnworth), who just so happens to be her half-cousin, has lost said kidney en route to the hospital. Frantically, they both try to get their hands on a replacement kidney as the clock keeps ticking. Fortunately for them, there’s a whole lotta fresh meat to choose from… Working 9 to 5: Angela Bettis should be familiar to horror fans, thanks to her iconic performances in a trio of Lucky McKee movies: 2002’s May, 2005’s The Woods, and 2011’s The Woman. She’s a stunning presence, who wears the stress of every one o...
Perdida Offers an Indelible Spin on the Hitchcock Thriller: Fantasia Fest Review
This review is part of our Fantasia Festival 2020 coverage. The Pitch: Eric (José María de Tavira) is a rich conductor living in a gorgeous modern home. So, why when we meet him is he getting fall-down drunk by himself at a dive bar? Enter Fabiana (Cristina Rodlo), the bartender on the night Eric causes a scene. Feeling curious, Fabiana brings Eric back to her place to let him sleep. When he wakes up, Eric rewards Fabiana with a pleasant afternoon date that leads to sex and a fast-tracked relationship. After practically moving into his apartment, detectives arrive with questions surrounding the last of Eric’s girlfriends. Seems one went missing not too long ago, though Eric insists it’s less nefarious. She left him. Fabiana’s not sure what to think, but then she starts hearing strange soun...
