Category: Movies

David, Devindra, and Jeff get disappointed by Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, break down their favorite soups, and David gets defensive about spoilers. Be sure to check out David’s interview with the co-composer of the Kingsman score and read about Kingsman’s weird politics.

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SHOWNOTES

Corrections (01:30)

Your emails (04:00)

What We’ve Been Watching (17:00)

Film News (47:20)

• Journalism didn’t have a good week
• Neill Blomkamp’s Alien film

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The post /Filmcast Ep. 306 – Kingsman: The Secret Service appeared first on /Film.

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Universal Pictures is doing more business with Scarlett Johansson, no surprise after Lucy turned into a surprise hit. Johansson will star in The Psychopath Test, a film directed by Jay Roach based on the book of the same name by Jon Ronson, who also wrote The Men Who Stare at Goats. The book looks at ways that psychopaths are diagnosed, despite (or because of) their ability to charm and manipulate; the film will be written as a psychological thriller.

Deadline says that Imagine Entertainment is developing the film, with Brian Grazer and Jay Roach set to produce. Kristin Gore (who wrote Nailed, aka Accidental Love) is scripting.

In the absence of more info on the film, which is just starting to develop, here’s a long synopsis of Ronson’s book.

They say one out of every hundred people is a psychopath. You probably passed one on the street today. These are people who have no empathy, who are manipulative, deceitful, charming, seductive, and delusional. The Psychopath Test is the New York Times bestselling exploration of their world and the madness industry.

When Jon Ronson is drawn into an elaborate hoax played on some of the world’s top scientists, his investigation leads him, unexpectedly, to psychopaths. He meets an influential psychologist who is convinced that many important business leaders and politicians are in fact high-flying, high-functioning psychopaths, and teaches Ronson how to spot them. Armed with these new abilities, Ronson meets a patient inside an asylum for the criminally insane who insists that he’s sane, a mere run-of-the-mill troubled youth, not a psychopath—a claim that might be only manipulation, and a sign of his psychopathy. He spends time with a death-squad leader institutionalized for mortgage fraud, and with a legendary CEO who took joy in shutting down factories and firing people. He delves into the fascinating history of psychopathy diagnosis and treatments, from LSD-fueled days-long naked therapy sessions in prisons to attempts to understand serial killers.

Along the way, Ronson discovers that relatively ordinary people are, more and more, defined by their most insane edges. The Psychopath Test is a fascinating adventure through the minds of madness.

Jay Roach and Kristin Gore are also working on another project together, the HBO comedy pilot Women in Space, which follows “a group of women on a mission to colonize another planet.” That one, announced last year, is further along, but with Universal happy to work with Johansson again there might be some heat under this project now.

The post Scarlett Johansson Attached to Star in ‘The Psychopath Test’ appeared first on /Film.

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It took years of waiting and writing but Pirates of the Caribbean 5 is now in production. As expected, the title is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and it’s being directed by Kon-Tiki filmmakers Espen Sandberg & Joachim Rønning. Almost all the casting has already been announced (Javier Bardem, Kaya Scodelario, Brenton Thwaites) but the first official plot synopsis of the film has now been revealed. Read the Pirates of the Caribbean 5 plot synopsis below.

Here’s the plot synopsis of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales:

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him.  Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas.

Wait, is this movie going to cross over with The Little Mermaid? Aquaman? Captain Jack is going after the Trident of Poseidon? Well, okay, I guess we’ll find out more July 7, 2017 when the film hits theaters.

Here’s the official press release with a few minor additions in casting:

QUEENSLAND, Australia (February 17, 2015) – Production has commenced on location in Australia on Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ epic comedy adventure “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” directed by Espen Sandberg & Joachim Rønning (“Kon-Tiki”), the fifth entry in the blockbuster franchise inspired by the classic Disney Theme Parks attraction, which has reaped $3.7 billion in worldwide box office. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” will film entirely at Village Roadshow Studios and on locations within Queensland, Australia.

Johnny Depp returns to his iconic, Academy Award®-nominated role of Captain Jack Sparrow, one of the most beloved characters in motion picture history, newly joined by Oscar® winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Skyfall”), rising young stars Kaya Scodelario (“The Maze Runner,” British television’s “Skins”) and Brenton Thwaites (“Maleficent,” “The Giver”) and Golshifteh Farahani (“The Patience Stone,” “Exodus: Gods and Kings”). Rejoining the action are Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, Kevin R. McNally as Joshamee Gibbs and Stephen Graham as Scrum.

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him.  Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and written by Jeff Nathanson (“Catch Me If You Can,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”). The executive producers are Chad Oman, Joe Caracciolo, Jr. and Brigham Taylor.

Joining Bruckheimer, Sandberg & Rønning for the swashbuckling new voyage is a first-tier group of award-winning behind-the-scenes artists—many of them new to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” family—including director of photography Paul Cameron (“Gone in Sixty Seconds,” “Déjà Vu,” “Collateral”), production designer Nigel Phelps (“Pearl Harbor,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “World War Z”), costume designer Penny Rose (all four “Pirates of the Caribbean” films), visual effects supervisor Gary Brozenich (“The Lone Ranger,” “Edge of Tomorrow”), Oscar®-winning special effects production consultant John Frazier (nine Jerry Bruckheimer films and dozens of others) and special effects supervisor Dan Oliver (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), supervising stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1”) and stunt coordinators Thomas Robinson Harper (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) and Kyle Gardiner (“San Andreas,” “Kingsman: The Secret Service”), Academy Award®-winning makeup and hair designer Peter Swords King (“The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, “Into the Woods”) and film editors Joel Cox ( “Unforgiven,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “American Sniper”) and Gary D. Roach (“American Sniper”).

The exciting filmmaking team of Sandberg & Rønning directed “Kon-Tiki,” the critically acclaimed story of famed explorer Thor Heyerdahl, which was nominated for both an Academy Award® and a Golden Globe Award® for Best Foreign Language Film from their native Norway. Following their work as award-winning commercial and music video directors, Rønning and Sandberg directed the World War II action drama “Max Manus: Man of War” before taking on “Kon-Tiki.” Most recently Rønning and Sandberg served as executive producers and directed the first two episodes of Netflix’s big-scale mini-series “Marco Polo,” which they filmed on exotic locations in Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Venice. A second season was recently announced for “Marco Polo,” with Rønning and Sandberg continuing on as executive producers.

First in partnership with Don Simpson, and then as the chief of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Bruckheimer has produced an unprecedented string of worldwide smashes, impacting not only the motion picture and television industries, but mass culture as well. His film and television productions have been honored with numerous awards and nominations, including six Academy Awards®. In addition to his prolific television credits, Bruckheimer’s films include “Top Gun,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “American Gigolo,” “Flashdance,” “Bad Boys,” “The Rock,” “Armageddon,” “Remember the Titans,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Black Hawk Down,” “National Treasure,” “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” “The Lone Ranger” and “Deliver Us From Evil.” He is the producer of all four previous “Pirates of the Caribbean” films.

The post Read the First ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ Plot Synopsis appeared first on /Film.

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Jim Starlin may not be a household name, but some of his major creations are becoming well-known to many audiences thanks to Marvel Studios. Starlin created Thanos for Marvel, and significantly developed characters such as Drax the Destroyer and Captain Marvel. He also wrote and drew Dreadstar, originally for Marvel’s offshoot imprint Epic, beginning in 1982. That character was in development as the basis for a film, but now things have changed, and the development effort is focused on a Dreadstar TV series.

This is a sprawling space opera focused on Vanth Dreadstar, last survivor of the Milky Way Galaxy, and his adventures amidst a war between two titanic empires.

THR reports that “Starlin is teaming with Universal Cable Productions and Benderspink to adaptDreadstar as a scripted TV series.” Starlin will script and exec produce the pilot. (Benderspink has a first-look deal with Universal Cable Productions, which is owned by NBCUniversal.)

Starlin said,

I consider Dreadstar to be an extension of my family, so it took me a while to feel comfortable letting anyone else take care of this project. It has taken some time, but I know I’ve put my trust in the right team and I’m excited to collaborate with Universal Cable Productions and Benderspink to bring Dreadstar’s unique brand of chaos to television.

There’s no info on budget, cast, or the general tone of the show, though you can expect a small ensemble with a cast of characters bringing Dreadstar’s traveling companions to life, in addition to the characters we might see from the warring empires, the Church of the Instrumentality, run by the Lord Papal, and the Monarchy, led by King Gregzor.

 

The post ‘Dreadstar,’ From Thanos Creator, Headed to TV appeared first on /Film.

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Between Gotham, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, The Flash, Arrow, and the upcoming Daredevil, you might think you don’t need another superhero show in your life. But the PlayStation Network’s Powers makes a strong case for itself with a new promo featuring tons of fresh footage.

The upcoming series, which will be the first-ever original scripted series from Sony’s PlayStation, follows two cops (Sharlto Copley and Susan Heyward) who specialize in cases involving superpowers. Eddie Izzard, Noah Taylor, Olesya Rulin, Max Fowler, Michelle Forbes, and Adam Godley also star. Get the Powers inside look after the jump. 

PlayStation debuted the Powers inside look on YouTube. It includes a good amount of new footage, plus behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew and some background on the source material.

Powers differs from the half-dozen or so other comic book adaptations currently airing in a couple of ways. For one thing, it’s not a Marvel or DC series. (Well — technically, Powers is published by Marvel Comics through its Icon imprint, but it’s not really part of the Marvel universe.) For another, it’s not a broadcast drama, which Bendis believes gives it a bit more freedom.

“We are a rated-R independent comic about superheroes at their worst, and we needed a home like PlayStation,” he says. Copley adds, “If anything, it’s given us more license to make the show a little more gritty, a little darker.” How dark? Executive producer Charlie Huston won’t give away too much, but he does warn with a laugh: “I’m not a happy ending guy.”

Powers debuts March 10 at Sony’s PlayStation Store with three episodes. New episodes follow each Tuesday. David Slade directed the first two installments of the ten-episode first season.

Powers, an edgy dramatic series, follows the lives of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who are assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, referred to as “Powers.” Set amidst today’s paparazzi culture, Powers asks the questions, what if the world was full of superheroes who aren’t actually heroic at all? What if all that power was just one more excuse for mischief, mayhem, murder, and endorsement deals?

Enter the men and women of the Powers Division, the brave people in charge of protecting humans like us and keeping the peace over commercialized, god-like men and women who glide through the sky imposing their power over the mortals who both worship and fear them.

The post ‘Powers’ Inside Look: PlayStation Goes Dark With Its New Superpowered Series appeared first on /Film.

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