Film
Carl Reiner Tributes: Mel Brooks, Steve Martin, Rob Reiner, Conan O’Brien Honor Hollywood Icon
Carl Reiner, the legendary comedian, actor, and director whose career spanned seven decades, passed away Monday night at the age of 98. In the wake of his passing, close friends, family, and colleagues all offered their thoughts and condolences. His son, Rob, mourned the loss of his father early this morning on Twitter, writing: “Last night my dad passed away. As I write this my heart is hurting. He was my guiding light.” Longtime colleague and closest friend Mel Brooks offered a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, writing: Carl was a giant, unmatched in his contributions to entertainment. He created comedy gems like The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Jerk and Where’s Poppa? I met him in 1950 when he joined Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows and we’ve been best friend...
Carl Reiner on His As Yet Released Book: “The Finest Work That I’ve Ever Been Involved In”
“The most serious films are comedies. They look easy to come by, but they’re hard to come by. Even Shakespeare knew that. For the most part, comedies are done by people with great senses of humor — and you can’t fake that.” Carl Reiner was always busy. Even in December of 2019, months from his 98th birthday, Reiner showed zero signs of stopping. At night, he spent time with his best friend of 70 years, Mel Brooks. But during the day, he was always writing. Always. If he wasn’t working on a new book, he was tweeting — and he tweeted nearly every day. About his life, about his work, about the work of those he admired, and, of course, about Trump. He tweeted about his disdain of Trump so much that he was able to take all of those tweets and turn them into a book called The Downing of Trump. S...
Simon Pegg Tells Black Lives Matter Haters to “Shut the Fuck Up”
This past month has been filled with Black Lives Matter marches and protests against police brutality that have gained massive support as well as ignorant criticisms. In a new interview, Shaun of the Dead actor Simon Pegg made his position abundantly clear, saying that he supports Black Lives Matter and that anyone complaining about them “should just shut the fuck up.” In an interview with The Observer, Pegg shed some light on the diversity initiatives being undertaken by Stolen Pictures, the production company he co-founded with Nick Frost. Pegg spoke about the changes coming to Stolen Pictures — particularly how he’s been scheduling meetings to better connect Black actors, writers, and directors to the resources and opportunities they need — and why he’s fed up with h...
Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees Promotes Face Masks in New PSA Video: Watch
After decades of slaughtering camp counselors and teenagers, Jason Voorhees is promoting … safety. In a new PSA video by Ogilvy Health and the Chimney Group, the Friday the 13th movie monster is insisting on masking up against COVID-19. “It’s not easy,” Voorhees says in a funny voice over. “The mask kind of makes people feel uncomfortable. I wish everyone could see me for who I am. I’m just trying to fit in. I know … the whole chainsaw thing … I get it. But behind the mask, I’m just a regular guy.” To be fair, Voorhees is more of a machete guy, but we’ll let it pass, especially since it’s for such a good cause. After all, we’re living in Trump’s America, where science has become politicized and health is selfishly up for debate. Watch below. “How can we get them to pay attention to this li...
AMC Theatres Delays Reopening Until July 30th
With new coronavirus cases spiking across the US, AMC Theatres is pushing back its reopening date by two weeks to July 30th. The move follows the recent postponements of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Disney’s live-action Mulan remake, both of which are slated to be the first new tentpole titles to screen in theaters. Tenet was recently moved back to July 31st, while Mulan was postponed until August 21st. As of now, AMC expects to open most of its 600 theaters across the country by July 31st. There will of course be numerous safety protocols in place, including limited theater capacities, contactless ticketing, and limited vending options. At one point, AMC had planned on not requiring guests to wear face masks, citing a desire to avoid “a political controversy.” However, following public o...
Fortnite Hosts Christopher Nolan-Themed Movie Night
Last month, Fortnite debuted the latest trailer for Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Tenet. Now, in a continuation of their partnership, the video game platform has just hosted its very own movie night dedicated to the famed director. The epic, unprecedented streaming party took place on Friday, June 26th and highlighted three of Nolan’s most popular films. A presentation of 2010’s Inception was the main event, “screening” on the game’s “party royale island” a few times throughout the day for crowds of all sizes. Other Nolan movies Batman Begins from 2005 and 2006’s The Prestige were also shown at various times depending on each users’ location. Although the regional restrictions for streaming posed a bit of a challenge, ultimately Fornite’s Christopher Nolan-themed evening was mea...
R.I.P. Kelly Asbury, Film Animation Titan Dies at 60
Kelly Asbury, a longtime animator and director who had a hand in almost all of the biggest animated films of the last 30 years, has died at the age of 60. According to a representative, Asbury had been battling cancer. Asbury began his career at Disney, working in the animation department for films including The Black Cauldron, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Toy Story. He later took his talents to DreamWorks, where he worked on Chicken Run and Shrek. There, he was also given the opportunity to direct films including Shrek 2, Stallion of the Cimarron, and Gnomeo & Juliet. In the mid-2010s, Asbury returned to Disney to work on Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen. He also directed Smurfs: The Lost Village for Sony Pictures and last year’s UglyDolls, wh...
Resolution Calls for John Wayne Airport to Be Renamed
The Democratic Party of Orange County has passed a resolution calling for the John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California to be renamed. The resolution cites Wayne’s history of “white supremacist, anti-LGBT, and anti-indigenous views,” and specifically quotes the actor’s comments in a 1971 interview with Playboy. “With a lot of Blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment, along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so,” Wayne said in the interview. “But we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the Blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the Blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.” “I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people,” Wayne went on to say. “I don’t feel we ...
Scott Pilgrim Cast Reunites for 10th Anniversary Script Read-Through
For the 10th anniversary of Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the film’s cast recently filmed a dramatic read-through of the original script. The benefit event was remotely recorded in May, and will premiere on EW.com “later this summer,” at a time to be determined. Based on graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim vs the World was seen as a box office letdown upon its 2010 release, but has since achieved a devoted cult following. It stars Michael Cera as 22 year-old bassist Scott Pilgrim, as he battles the “evil exes” of his would-be girlfriend Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Both actors participated in the reunion, as did Jason Schwartzman, Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans, Ellen Wong, Mark Webber, Alison Pill, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Mae Whitman, a...
Bill and Ted 3 Release Date Delayed Two Weeks
It’s been almost thirty years, but the third installment of the Bill and Ted franchise will have to wait a little longer. Bill & Ted Face the Music has been pushed back two weeks to avoid sharing the calendar with Tenet. Both movies have been shuffling around release dates. Most recently, Tenet was scheduled for July 31st, but it was delayed yet again amidst a surge of COVID-19 cases. Now Christopher Nolan’s latest mindbender is hoping to land sometime between August 12th and 14th. Bill and Ted had planned to Face the Music on the 14th, but rather than compete with a sci-fi blockbuster juggernaut, Bill & Ted’s producers are content to catch the next dance on August 28th. As a sequel to 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and 1991’s Bill & T...
What’s Coming to Shudder in July 2020
Looking to get away this July? Shudder’s got you covered, and the best part is you won’t even need any luggage. Next month, AMC’s horror streaming service has curated an indelible lineup of originals, classics, and premieres in all sorts of locales. Grab your swim trunks and try to survive the body horror within The Beach House. Don’t dry off, though, because you’ll wanna double dip in the testy waters of Lake of Death. And to keep those outdoor activities going, you can wax nostalgic with not one, not two, but all three Sleepaway Camp flicks. Just don’t forget your bug spray! Of course, if beaches and lakes aren’t your thing, perhaps a trip to Thailand will do the trick? Jump into The Pool! Or maybe an Indonesian curse to spice up your summer? Behold, Impetigore! South Korean exorcism? St...
Reese Witherspoon “Didn’t Understand What Homosexuality Was” Before Moving to LA
In a new conversation with Regina King, Reese Witherspoon discussed her sheltered upbringing in Nashville, Tennessee. In an interesting moment, the star of Little Fires Everywhere admitted she “didn’t understand what homosexuality was” before pursuing a film career in Los Angeles. The in-depth discussion on sexuality, race, and class came as part of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series. King and Witherspoon, who have known each other since co-starring in 2003’s Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde, tackled some of the weightiest issues of the day. For her part, Witherspoon opened up about her own personal growth in the context of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere. While acting in and producing the 1990s-set show, Witherspoon reflected on the blinkered worldview she inherite...
