Film
Travis Scott’s New Song “The Plan” Soundtracks Trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet: Stream
Travis Scott is having a very busy 2020, even though what’s arguably his biggest single of the year hasn’t dropped yet — well, until now. “The Plan”, Scott’s contribution to the soundtrack for Christopher Nolan‘s movie Tenet, has arrived in the latest trailer for the upcoming blockbuster. “The Plan” isn’t some random B-side Scott agreed to fork over to the Hollywood machine. According to an interview in GQ, Scott’s single wound up becoming an integral part of the film, going so far as to become a type of musical glue instead of a simple backing track. “His voice became the final piece of a yearlong puzzle,” said Nolan. “His insights into the musical and narrative mechanism [composer] Ludwig Göransson and I were building were immediate, insightful, and profound.” Scott delivers with both hi...
Tesla Wildly Reinvents the Biopic with an Inventive Ethan Hawke Performance: Review
This review originally ran as part of our Sundance 2020 coverage. The Pitch: By now, we all know the story of Nikola Tesla, spurned early 20th-century inventor and rival of Thomas Edison who invented alternating current, only to die penniless, his name largely lost to history until Christopher Nolan, Elon Musk, and the Fuck Yeah Science! corners of the Internet rehabilitated his unconventional genius. (Best not to mention the fact he was also a eugenicist, but that’s neither here nor there.) Now, one of America’s most under-appreciated minds has a full-throated biopic, with Ethan Hawke in the title role, charting his rags-to-riches-to-rags story. Of course, this being a Michael Almereyda joint, things get deeply weird. Welcome to Your Life: Make no mistake: Tesla ain’t your ...
Russell Crowe Taps Into His Inner Nicolas Cage for Maniac Motorist Movie Unhinged: Review
The Pitch: Ever wander on to YouTube, watch a few “Fail” videos, and suddenly find the algorithm inundating you with “Epic Fail” and “Expensive Fail” videos? YouTube sees your morbid curiosity for mayhem, and takes note. A day later, confident of where society seems to be heading, emboldened and in conjunction with your social media habits (a steady diet of Caucasian sociopaths refusing to wear masks), YouTube suggests more videos of people refusing to wear masks, getting into fistfights in grocery stores, and dash-cam footage of these folks trying to run people off the road with their cars. This genuinely happens to me all the time. In a way, the existence of Unhinged was algorithmically inevitable. Unhinged is a film particularly interested in road rage. Who are these guys? What drives a...
What’s Streaming on Hulu in September 2020
Hulu is prepping for spooky season in September 2020. Next month, the streamer is unlocking a bunch of tricks and treats: Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left, Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II, James Cameron’s The Terminator, and — get this — every single movie in the Twilight series. Vamps unite! Also exciting is the premiere of Keith Knight’s new irreverent comedy series Woke. The show follows a Black cartoonist whose career success is slightly derailed when an unexpected incident changes everything in his life. What’s more, Hulu is porting over all the goodies from FX. That includes the new season from Archer and the highly anticipated fourth season of Noah Hawley’s Fargo, which was postponed way, way back in April. Check out the full list below, pick up some Halloween candy, and, of course,...
Olivia Wilde Directing Spider-Woman Movie for Sony: Report
It looks like the web of silver screen spider-people is about to get a little larger. Olivia Wilde has reportedly signed on to direct and develop a secret Marvel project for Sony, and rumors have it that it’s a Spider-Woman movie. While Sony hasn’t confirmed exactly what the project is, Wilde did hint at a spider-related character with a simple tweeted emoji. Deadline reports that Katie Silberman, who wrote Wilde’s breakout directorial debut Booksmart, is penning the script. Amy Pascal, who has long spearheaded Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, is producing alongside executive producer Rachel O’Connor. Deadline also has it that this is a “completely revamped” version of Spider-Woman, which means it probably won’t be a Gwen Stacy spin-off from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Of cours...
Very Nice: Sacha Baron Cohen Seen Filming in Borat Costume
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (20th Century Fox) Dust off your outdated stereotypes, because Sacha Baron Cohen‘s most famous creation is back. The comedian and provocateur was recently spotted filming in California while wearing Borat Sagdiyev’s trademark mustache and grey suit. TikToker @alexandheir took the video while driving in Long Beach, CA on Sunday. Cohen sat behind the wheel of a rusty yellow truck, as a film rig towed him down the highway. The short clip takes in the camera crew and catches a frustrated Borat trying to take off his sport coat. The fictional Kazakh journalist first gained prominence as the breakout hit of Cohen’s Da Ali G Show (2000, 2003-04). Borat was certainly offensive to the people of Kazakhstan, but ...
Peninsula Isn’t Nearly as Refined as Train to Busan: Review
The Pitch: In 2016, a near-perfect South Korean zombie flick crawled across the consciousness. Back then, Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan—premised upon an extremely contagious virus turning people into man-eating monsters—reaped a whirlwind of success. When Sang-ho returned to make the sequel Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula, he couldn’t have predicted the prescient nature of his action-horror film. But amidst the resultant lockdowns and quarantines from Covid-19, the concept plays vastly different today. Following a former army captain and a small family surviving in Incheon, Peninsula combines components from I Am Legend, Mad Max, and the Fast & Furious series for a nonsensical joy ride that, while entertaining, lacks the sharpness of its predecessor. In Your Head: Peninsula opens to...
There Is No God: The Exorcist Is Reportedly Getting a Reboot
Proving once again that intellectual property reigns over Hollywood, The Exorcist is getting a reboot. According to Deadline, Morgan Creek is planning a new theatrical version of William Friedkin’s 1973 horror blockbuster with plans to possess theaters in 2021. Now, before you reach for your crucifix or call your local pastor, know that the lede is buried deep in an article about Morgan Creek’s forthcoming series adaptation of David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers. At the very bottom of the article, Deadline notes, “Current Morgan Creek projects include Stay Tuned at AMC, with a planned theatrical reboot of The Exorcist in the works for 2021.” The news is surprising for a multitude of reasons. For starters, given that The Exorcist is one of the most recognizable titles in Ho...
Who’s Scruffy Looking? Harrison Ford Stars in Solo Deepfake Video: Watch
“Harrison Ford” and “Billy Dee Williams” in Solo: A Star Wars Story, image via YouTube/Shamook Deepfake technologies have become increasingly common, and while their applications are almost entirely evil, every once in a while a person uses those programs for something trivial and fun. So it is with this latest deepfake by YouTuber Shamook, which answers the question: What if young Harrison Ford had played young Han Solo in the 2018 prequel Solo: A Star Wars Story? To be fair, it’s more of a partial answer. As creator Shamook acknowledges in a pinned note, the technology of faking voices is “still a way off from sounding really good.” So instead we get prequel actor Alden Ehrenreich’s voice coming from a de-aged Harrison Ford’s smirking lips. The video is only two m...
R.I.P. Ben Cross, Chariots of Fire Star Dies at 72
Ben Cross, the English actor best known for starring in Chariots of Fire, has died at the age of 72. Cross died in Vienna, Austria on Tuesday following a short illness, according to his representative and family members (via AP). A statement from his family called Cross a natural entertainer who “could sing anything” thanks to his vast musical knowledge. “He was a man who taught us to embrace our feelings, whatever they may be,” the statement continued. “We are grateful for the time we had with him. His spirit lives on in our hearts through his words, his music, and the love that we still feel.” Born in London in 1947, Cross entered the performing arts shortly after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He enjoyed a number of smaller roles early on, including a stint in 1977&...
Cuba Gooding Jr. Faces New Rape Allegations
Another woman has accused Cuba Gooding Jr. of sexual misconduct. According to Page Six, a new lawsuit alleges that in 2013, Gooding lured a woman into a New York hotel room and raped her twice. The Academy Award-winning actor was previously arrested last summer, and is now standing trial for six misdemeanor sexual abuse counts following allegations made by three different women. One claims he squeezed her breast at the Moxy Hotel in Times Square; another that he engaged in forcible touching in a Manhattan nightclub; and a third, a server at the Tao Downtown restaurant, says he pinched her rear end. The newest accusations are even more serious. The woman, identified only as “Jane Doe,” claims to have met Gooding in the VIP section of a Greenwich Village club in August of 2013. Goo...
Bill and Ted Meet Rufus’ Daughter in First Face the Music Clip: Watch
We’re under two weeks away from the much anticipated release of Bill & Ted Face the Music, which means it’s time for a most excellent promotional push from Orion Pictures. After moving up the VOD release date to August 28th and sharing a casting featurette, the studio has now delivered the very first clip from the threequel. Entitled simple “The Future,” the brief scene finds William “Bill” S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Theodore “Ted” Logan (Keanu Reeves) meeting a new face from, well, the future. Kristen Schaal steps out of the egg-shaped time machine to introduce herself as Kelly, the daughter of Bill and Ted’s old friend Rufus. The character’s name is a most triumphant nod to the late, great Rufus actor George Carlin, whose actual daughter is also named Kelly. But the clip...
