Film
Brendan Fraser Calls Batgirl Cancellation “The Canary in the Coal Mine”
Brendan Fraser is basking in a career renaissance led by his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, but his turn as the villain Firefly in Batgirl sadly won’t be part of his comeback after Warner Bros. Discovery canceled the project for tax write-down purposes. In an interview with Variety, the actor called the decision “disappointing” while commenting on how it serves as an early warning sign that the film industry is in big trouble. “It’s disappointing. The fans really wanted to see this film made,” Fraser said. “The movie itself was shot and conceived for a smaller screen. In this age that we’ve come out of now between streaming service versus theatrical release, it wound up being the canary in the coal mine. So, what can we learn from this? Work with trusted filmmakers,...
Chevalier Shines an Elementary Light on a Nearly Forgotten Master: TIFF Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: You have heard of Mozart, Beethoven, and countless other European composers that helped shape music as we know it. However, it’s likely that you have never heard of Joseph Bologne, known professionally as Chevalier de Saint-Georges, whose work was largely destroyed when slavery was reinstated throughout France in 1802. It is an absolute shame, but thankfully, what has been preserved has been rediscovered over the years, establishing him as the first Black composer of the classical eras. Now, his story, or at least some of it, has been adapted for the screen thanks to director Stephen Williams and screenwriter Stefani Robinson. Chevalier shows Bologne, played by Luce breakout Kelvin Harrison Jr.,...
The Fabelmans Sees Steven Spielberg Turn The Camera On Himself: TIFF Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: If you are familiar with Steven Spielberg beyond his movies, you likely know that he had a bit of an unconventional upbringing. His mother was an eccentric character, while his father seemingly loved her unconditionally as they moved around the country. However, that came to a halt when they suddenly announced their divorce when he was a senior in high school. It was this critical event, and the infidelity that Related Video fueled it, that helped shape the themes of Spielberg’s movies for the rest of his career. This influence is especially apparent in his latest film, The Fabelmans. Swapping out the Spielberg name with that of the titular family, this film is nonetheless his most personal to d...
My Policeman Review: Harry Styles and Cast Arrest in Essential Queer Story
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: In 1950s Britain, same-sex relationships are illegal. Gay men are arrested and thrown in jail for “unlawful” acts, or beaten by a hateful public. Those who pursue relationships must do so in secret or risk everything — their careers, families and maybe even lives. Enter a handsome but simple policeman named Tom (Harry Styles), who falls in love with an educated museum curator named Patrick (David Dawson). The pair hide their affair until Tom meets a schoolteacher named Marion (Emma Corrin) and decides to marry her in pursuit of a “normal” life. Related Video Fast forward several decades and Marion (now played by Gina McKee) takes in Patrick (Rupert Everett) following a stroke, angering Tom (Linu...
The Trailer for Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans Reels Out Legendary Director’s Rise: Watch
The first trailer for Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical feature film, The Fabelmans, has arrived and it looks to be quite the coming-of-age spectacle. Watch the preview below. Gabriel LaBelle stars as Spielberg’s teenage stand-in Sammy Fabelman, an aspiring filmmaker in post-World War II Arizona with a supportive, artistically-minded mother, strikingly inhabited by Michelle Williams, and a successful scientist father, played by Paul Dano. Over about a decade, the movie tracks Sammy as his budding hobby develops into a full-blown obsession that is simultaneously praised and judged by his parents, community, and family friend/”funcle” Bennie (Seth Rogen). The cast also features Judd Hirsch as Sammy’s biological Uncle Boris, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Julia Butters, Keeley Karsten...
“There’s Still Not Enough”: The Serpent Queen Star Samantha Morton on Powerful Roles for Women
The new Starz series The Serpent Queen brings modern flair and an extremely unreliable narrator to the well-worn genre of period dramas, as an older Catherine de’ Medici (Samantha Morton) tells a servant girl (Sennia Nanua) about how her younger self (Liv Hill) came to control France for decades. In Morton’s hands, Catherine is a fascinating and complex character, and when speaking with the Oscar-nominated actress via Zoom, I really wanted to ask her about playing powerful women, a recent theme in her work. But I also admitted to her that I felt a little silly about it, as film and television currently feature a ton of examples of powerful, strong, and nuanced female characters. Morton, it turns out, agrees with that, but also says “there’s still not enough. I think in television, they’re ...
D23’s Marvel and Luscasfilm Presentation (Live Blog)
Disney is holding its first in-person D23 Expo since 2019 this weekend, bringing fans all the latest updates on Marvel, Pixar, and more. This Saturday, September 10th sees perhaps the most highly anticipated panel take over the grand Hall D23 at California’s Anaheim Convention Center, with Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and Marvel sharing the stage for a two-hour extravaganza. While a selection of panels from the event will be streamed online for fans around the world, the Big Three presentation can only be seen by in-person attendees. Not to worry, though, as we’ll have you covered with a complete live blog of every trailer, casting announcement, and fresh bit of news that gets revealed. So what can we expect from this major studio showcase? On the Marvel front, there’s a good bet we’ll...
The Little Mermaid Teaser Offers First Look at Halle Bailey as Ariel: Watch
Disney has revealed the first teaser trailer for its upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid from director Rob Marshall. The 90-second teaser offers our first glimpse at Halle Bailey as Ariel, who briefly sings “Part of the World.” The clip premiered at D23 on Friday and can be seen below. Set to hit theaters on May 26th, 2023, The Little Mermaid also stars Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Jonah Hauer-King as Eric. Voice actors include Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle. Advertisement Related Video Alan Menken, who composed the music for the 1989 animated film, co-wrote four new songs with Lin-Manuel Miranda for the remake. Speaking of the original film, Ursula voice actor Pat Carroll passed away in July at...
Pixar Announces Inside Out Sequel
Are you prepared to get back in your feels? Pixar has revealed that a sequel to their 2015 hit film Inside Out is on the way. Disney announced the news during animation panel at the D23 Expo on Friday. Inside Out mostly took place inside the brain of a young girl named Riley, and the five anthropomorphic emotions that ruled it. The movie starred Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Bill Hader as Fear, Lewis Black as Anger, and Mindy Kaling as Disgust. Due out in Summer 2024, the sequel will be directed by Kelsey Mann with a screenplay written by Meg LeFauve. The story will center around Riley as a teenager as she experiences a new array of emotions. Advertisement Related Video After the original film’s release release, Pixar president Jim Morris hinted that the stud...
Spirit Halloween (Yes, the Store) Gets the Spotlight In Its Own Horror Movie: Watch
Everyone’s favorite Halloween store is becoming a movie. Watch the full trailer for Spirit Halloween: The Movie below. Spirit Halloween: The Movie looks like one of those classic ’80s tween horror films, where a group of young boys ride their bikes through a lush fall wonderland in order to get up to some unsupervised trouble. Written by Billie Bates and directed by David Poag, the film follows a group of middle school friends (Donovan Colan, Jaiden J. Smith, and Dylan Martin Frankel) who resolve to spend the night in the newly opened Spirit Halloween because they think they’ve outgrown trick-or-treating. Of course, once the store closes, they realize it’s haunted, and the spirit in question possesses the shop’s animatronics in an attempt to seize them. Christopher Lloyd, Rachael Leig...
Harry Styles Says He ‘Popped Very Quickly to Venice to Spit on Chris Pine’ During NYC Show
Harry Styles is in the midst of a Madison Square Garden residency of sorts, playing 15 shows (with interruptions for other events) at the venerated New York City venue. But he’s also at the dawn of a film career, with his two first significant cinematic roles – in My Policeman and Don’t Worry Darling – debuting this year following his small part in the 2017 war film Dunkirk. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news And if you thought My Policeman – the flick where Styles plays a closeted gay policeman in the repressive 1950s – was going to steal the majority of the headlines, Twitter wags would like a word. Don’t Worry Darling — the Olivia Wilde-directed drama starring Harry Styles, Florence Pugh and Chris Pine — might be justified in worrying a...
Parent Company of Regal Cinemas Files for Bankruptcy
Cineworld, the parent company of the world’s second-largest theater chain Regal Cinemas, has filed for bankruptcy. As Deadline reports, Cineworld commenced Chapter 11 through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The action includes $1.94 billion in debtor-in-possession financing, which allows the chain to continue operating through restructuring by taking on even more debt. Cineworld hopes to emerge from Chapter 11 early in 2023. Until then, the company will pursue a “a real estate optimization strategy in the US,” — a nice way of saying they’re closing a bunch of theaters — while also “engaging in collaborative discussions with US landlords to improve US cinema lease terms.” Advertisement Related Video Cineworld operates 9,139 screens across 747 the...
