“You need a hug from Santa!” Broad Green has unveiled a new NSFW red band trailer for Bad Santa 2, the sequel to the holiday comedy Bad Santa (from 2003), starring Billy Bob Thornton as an alcoholic Santa Clause impersonator who uses his cover to pull off large scale robberies. He’s back again after 13 years to pull off more heists and get in all kinds of trouble. The cast includes Tony Cox (his sidekick/accomplice from the first movie), Kathy Bates, Christina Hendricks, Ryan Hansen, plus Brett Kelly back as Thurman Merman, who seems to have a big part in the story. The first short teaser a few weeks ago didn’t show much, but with this trailer we actually get a look at what’s to come and it doesn’t seem so bad. Enjoy. ›››
In May, Fox executives said they were “very optimistic” that a new X-Files event season could happen, possibly in 2017. Now, Fox Entertainment president David Madden has come forward to repeat those comments, adding that there are “significant talks” with the show’s stars and creator to make another new season.
“We would love to do other seasons,” Madden said at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, as reported by Deadline. “There are significant talks with (stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and creator Chris Carter). We are working hard, and would like to get a new season soon.”
Happy Birthday, Gillian. If you see Dana, tell her Fox says she might wanna polish up the ol’ badge soon-ish. Love, D
Fox brought back the famous ’90s show earlier this year for a six-episode season. Fox TV boss Dana Walden added that Fox originally had grander plans.
“We would have liked to do more in the first place, but there were limitations,” Walden explained. “Gillian lives in the U.K. David in New York and Los Angeles. The show shoots in Vancouver. So it’s about coordinating a time when they can carve time to be in Vancouver.”
If a new X-Files season does happen, it would likely be an abbreviated, event-style season like this year’s.
“We’re in conversations where we can do more,” Walden added. “I don’t see a full season of episodes, but I’d be happy to get 10 or 8 episodes.”
Not everyone loved the new revival series, and Madden and Walden were asked if they might want to make creative changes for the potential new season.
“I actually think the season was strong,” Madden said. “The episodes represent Chris and his team’s vision, and we will take our cue from them.” As for Walden, she said the first new season was something of a challenge for the writers since the show had been off the air for so long.
“It was introduced to new viewers, and (the writers) had the challenge of filling in the mythology,” Walden said. “Going forward, there won’t be the same obligation to reset the series.”
Would you like to see X-Files return for a new season? Let us know in the comments below!
The R-rated animated comedy Sausage Party comes to theaters this Friday, August 12. Ahead of that, reviews for the film have started to show up online. We’ve collected a handful of these to help you decide if the film is worth your time and money.
Sausage Party tells the story of how grocery store products discover the horror of what happens when they go home. The main character is a sausage named Frank (voiced by Seth Rogen), who leads a group of food items on a journey of discovery and survival. Rogen also wrote the movie alongside his Superbad and Pineapple Express collaborator Evan Goldberg.
The film features the voices of many funny people, including Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, and Salma Hayek.
One thing to note about the reviews below is that, with the exception of the critique from HitFix, they all stemmed from SXSW screenings in March. As Variety’s review explains, the SXSW version had “glaringly apparent” rough edges and some scenes were not in their final state. We will continue to add more reviews to this roundup as they become available.
Film:Sausage Party
Directors: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Writers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: August 12
Rating: R
Variety
“For those of you who have ever envisioned Seth Rogen reconstituted as an anthropomorphic processed meat product–and you know who you are–Sausage Party may be savored as, if not a dream come true, then a drug-fueled hallucination without the potentially harmful side effects.” — Joe Leydon [Full review]
The Hollywood Reporter
“Not content with this exhaustive exploration of the carnal possibilities of foodstuffs, the film then gets meta, with a coda crossing over into the world of live action. Look out, Hollywood: These groceries are tired of being manipulated for the amusement of those who eat their brethren. They’re coming for you, Seth Rogen–wipe that mustard and relish off your face.” — John DeFore [Full review]
HitFix
“Sausage Party is a milestone in studio animation because it feels like animators being unleashed, and considering the largely unrealized potential of animation, that is a welcome thing, indeed.” — Drew McWeeny [Full review]
ScreenCrush
“Rogen has proved himself to be one of our finest modern comedic talents, expertly blending smart, dumb, and funny (I’m still convinced This Is the End is a near masterpiece), but Sausage Party feels more like Kevin Smith at his most immature. Let me be frank: It’s not the wurst, but I’ve still got some beef with this movie that you won’t relish having to digest. And that’s no baloney.” — Mike Sampson [Full review]
IndieWire
“Though it plays like a Pixar movie on acid, the film is also a brisk disappointment that takes every opportunity to shock, maim, or offend; for every inspired gag that earns a massive laugh, there are too many others that rely on food puns or the funniest variation of ‘f**k’ for a cartoon hot dog to say.” — Charlie Schmidlin [Full review]
The Guardian
“Talk about fresh. Seth Rogen’s naughty food cartoon Sausage Party is, like much of his best work, deceptive packaging. The script he and his usual collaborator Evan Goldberg have written (in conjunction with Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir) seems, at first, to trade solely on anthropomorphized food using profanity on supermarket shelves. This is mildly amusing at first but, like a bun out of its Cellophane, threatens to go stale. That’s when a jar of honey mustard gets returned.” — Jordan Hoffman [Full review]
Gears of War 4 developer The Coalition has announced it will hold a Q&A session this week where it will take questions live during a video broadcast.
The event is scheduled for Friday, August 12, beginning at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET. You can watch the event live on the Gears of War Twitch channel here.
Jack Felling (Esports producer) and Octus (community manager) will be on hand during the livestream to answer questions about the Gears of War 4 Pro Circuit and anything else about the game.
Square Enix has announced the preorder bonuses for Final Fantasy XV‘s Digital Premium version. The rewards vary by platform and include things like in-game items, avatar props (on Xbox One), and a “mini soundtrack” for PlayStation 4.
Avatar items on Xbox One include male and female costumes for Noctics, as well as a Carbuncle pet prop. Both PS4 and Xbox One players also get the Angler Set, which lets you go fishing and “snag yourself a whopper.” You can see all of the preorder bonuses below, divided by platform.
Final Fantasy’s Digital Premium version sells for $85. It includes the main game and the season pass, which comes with six expansion packs.
Final Fantasy XV Digital Premium Preorder Bonuses:
Xbox One:
Weapon: Masamune (FFXV)
Recolor: 16-Bit Buddies
Item: Angler Set
Recolor: Platinum Leviathan
Item: Camera Kit
Xbox Avatar Item: Noctis male costume
Xbox Avatar Item: Noctis female costume
Xbox Avatar Item: Carbuncle pet prop
PS4:
Weapon: Masamune (FFXV)
Recolor: 16-Bit Buddies
Item: Angler Set
Theme: Final Fantasy XV – Big Bang
Recolor: Platinum Leviathan
Item: Camera Kit
Final Fantasy XV Digital Mini Soundtrack
Final Fantasy XV – Digital Premium Edition Original Theme (Working Title)
If you purchased the Final Fantasy season pass upgrade ($25), you also get these bonuses.
A new trailer for Star Was Rogue One debuts tomorrow, August 11, but you don’t have to wait that long to see some fresh footage from this year’s sci-fi film.
Lucasfilm has released a teaser for the trailer. It’s only 15 seconds long, but it does have some new sequences showing off the main characters, both human and otherwise. It definitely has us interested to see the full thing tomorrow.
The new Rogue One trailer will arrive on August 11 during the Rio Olympics broadcast on NBC. Lucasfilm has not said exactly when it will air, but during the primetime slot seems like a safe bet. Whatever the case, we’ll post the trailer here when it arrives.
During Star Wars Celebration in July, Lucasfilm released a behind-the-scenes clip from Rogue One. Lucasfilm also showed panel attendees some new footage that featured Darth Vader. It’s possible this is the video that will be released on Thursday, but this is not confirmed.
Rogue One hits theaters on December 16, 2016. The first spinoff film in Star Wars history is directed by Godzilla‘s Gareth Edwards, and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Forest Whitaker, and Mads Mikkelsen.
Looking for a new Xbox One controller? Amazon is currently offering the new Xbox One S controller–which is compatible with the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and PC–for only $50. This is a $10 discount, as the controller sold for $60 when it launched on August 2.
The Xbox One S controller is a new and improved version of the previous pad. One of its standout features is its textured grip, while it also has twice the wireless range of previous Xbox One controllers.
Go to Amazon’s website here to place an order. There is no word on how long the deal will last, so if you’re interested, you may want to act quickly.
The Xbox One S launched on August 2. The console is 40 percent smaller than the original model, while it also has an internal power supply. The $400 2 TB version is the only one available now, but Microsoft is also releasing 1 TB ($350) and 500 GB ($300) SKUs in the coming weeks and months.
