Category: Movies

  • Maybe ‘Shazam’ Is Part of the DC Movie Universe After All

    Maybe ‘Shazam’ Is Part of the DC Movie Universe After All

    Shazam in the DC Movie Universe

    So is Shazam part of the DC Movie Universe, or not? We originally thought it might be, but the film is from New Line rather than Warner Bros. proper, and comments from New Line head Toby Emmerich have suggested Shazam might be off on its own. But now a new post from DC has led people to thinking that the character Shazam is part of the same universe that also features Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman — which naturally has us wondering if he’ll fit into the big Justice League story after all. So, first off, is the big question: Is Shazam in the DC Movie Universe as an active group participant, or not?

    A quick recap: Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson teased for months that he would be part of a DC Comics film, and was ultimately revealed as Black Adam, the villain in Shazam. Then Shazam was part of the big DC Comics movie lineup announcement from Warner Bros. in October. But Toby Emmerich eventually said,

    It feels to me like Shazam will have a tone unto itself. It’s a DC comic, but it’s not a Justice League character, and it’s not a Marvel comic. The tone and the feeling of the movie will be different from the other range of comic book movies.

    Then a DC Comics post said the following:

    For fans who were hoping to see a DC Cinematic Universe similar to what they’ve seen from other publishers, one that included super heroes other than Superman or Batman, there didn’t seem to be a lot to talk about. That changed on October 15, 2014, when Warner Bros. revealed a full slate of ten DC Entertainment feature films all set within the same universe.

    Thin? You bet! What do the people who write DC Comics blog posts know about the movie developments? At Marvel, they actually know quite a lot, so we’re not writing any possibility off.

    And if Shazam is part of the DC Movie Universe, that’ll potentially have a big effect on the Justice League story, as Shazam would be one of the most powerful characters who might be a part of that story. But Emmerich’s comment still seems like the definitive one, so Shazam could be part of the DC Movie Universe in a grand sense, but not play into Justice League. It could be an effort further in the future that sees the character incorporated into a bigger scheme.

    And while we’re on the subject of things possibly being part of the DC Movie Universe, there’s Matt Ryan and his character John Constantine, from the NBC show Constantine. (The show has not yet been renewed for a second season.)

    Someone asked Ryan about teaming up with bigger DC heroes, and he said “I’m not sure. The show’s made by Warner Bros., which has the deal with DC, and it’s licensed to NBC, so I don’t know how the ins and outs of that work. But as an actor, how amazing would that be to do a crossover?”

    But there’s the potential film Dark Universe (or Justice League Dark), being written and possibly directed by Guillermo del Toro. Constantine features in that, and we don’t know (a) if the film will be made and (b) if there’s any chance Ryan might bounce from TV to film. (Most actors haven’t done that for DC characters so far.) Guillermo del Toro has said,

    What I made clear to them is that the TV series will not affect the movie and they said that’s okay. They said you can have independence. Now, if we see the TV series and we can mesh with it or cast the same actor depending on where the movie is going, I would be happy to consider that.

    The post Maybe ‘Shazam’ Is Part of the DC Movie Universe After All appeared first on /Film.

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  • Watch the ’2001′ Opening With Alex North’s Original Score

    Watch the ’2001′ Opening With Alex North’s Original Score

    original 2001 score

    The music of Richard Strauss and Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey are all but inseparable at this point, as the fanfare from Strauss’ composition ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’ became the unforgettable sonic accompaniment to the opening of Kubrick’s film. But the movie was originally going to be scored by Alex North. In fact, North composed an entire score for the film, which Kubrick ultimately discarded. If you haven’t seen it before, below you can watch a clip of the opening featuring the original 2001 score by Alex North score intact.

    This isn’t a new clip, but it is doing the rounds again, and there’s never a bad time to dive back into alternate cinema history. And with Mondo recently releasing North’s score on LP and our own look back at Kubrick’s career landing on 2001 as his ultimate achievement, there’s every reason to have a look at this again.

    Of the original 2001 score by North, Kubrick once told Michael Ciment,

    Although [North] and I went over the picture very carefully, and he listened to these temporary tracks and agreed that they worked fine and would serve as a guide to the musical objectives of each sequence he, nevertheless, wrote and recorded a score which could not have been more alien to the music we had listened to, and much more serious than that, a score which, in my opinion, was completely inadequate for the film.

    So North’s score was tossed aside in favor of compositions by Johann Strauss (‘The Blue Danube’), Richard Strauss (‘Zarathustra’), György Ligeti (‘Atmospheres,’ ‘Lux Aeterna’), and Aram Khachaturian’s (the ‘Gayane’ ballet suite) among others.

    I can’t imagine that you need to recall the opening as Kubrick finalized it, but here’s a quick clip:

    The post Watch the ’2001′ Opening With Alex North’s Original Score appeared first on /Film.

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  • /Film’s 20 Favorite Holiday Movies of All Time

    /Film’s 20 Favorite Holiday Movies of All Time

    National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

    This Christmas, the collective entity of /Film pooled their efforts together to present this gift. Earlier this week, I polled all our writers and editors for their top ten holiday films of all time. I then gave each film on each list a 1 to 10 ranking. 10 points for first place, 1 point for 10th place, and added up the results. What were the results? Pretty predictable, if you ask me, but fun nevertheless.

    Still, there were plenty of great movies on the list and weird subplots to explore. For example, only two of us put the same film number one, and it just so happens to be our overall top pick. However, another writer hasn’t even seen that movie. (Until late last night, as it turns out.) Which film is it? And what did it beat out? You’ll have to click below to read /Film’s 20 Favorite Holiday movies of all time.

    Go Lethal Boy

    20th (Three-way tie)  – About A Boy (2002), Go (1999) and Lethal Weapon (1987)

    These three films each came in 5th place on three different lists, but no one else event mentioned them. Probably because, when you think of these movies – all wonderful in their own ways – Christmas isn’t really the first thought. Well, maybe with Lethal Weapon because writer Shane Black is obsessed with Christmas.

    Ref Shop Corner

    17th (Two-way tie) – The Ref (1994) and The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

    Each of these films came in fourth place on two different lists and received no other votes. Again, it goes with the last spot where each film is great (Shop Around the Corner is kind of the other Jimmy Stewart Christmas movie) but that aspect is might be overshadowed for a reason or two. Still, nice that they got represented.

    nightmare-before-christmas-moon

    15. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

    I honestly thought Jack Skellington would fare better. The classic stop-motion animated film made two lists, topping out at #6 on one. Maybe the fact it’s both a Christmas movie as well as a Halloween movie lost it some points. Still, a great movie and a worthy entry onto the list.

    Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

    14. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)

    Shane Black loves Christmas. Whenever possible, he sets his movies there and this being his directorial debut, Christmas is always in the background in an otherwise unrelated twisty, turny, insanely underrated and awesome detective thriller. It made two lists, topping out at #6.

    The Apartment

    13. The Apartment (1960)

    Billy Wilder’s all-time classic film, Christmas or not, only made one list but it was #1 on that list. (Find out who on the last page). That’s probably because most people wouldn’t necessarily consider this a Christmas movie, even though it plays a mjor role in it. It’s usually just thought of as one of the best films ever, period so, it’s nice to get some holiday representation.

    Gremlins ride

    12. Gremlins (1984)

    Frankly, another surprise. Gremlins not cracking the top ten on this website seems crazy. In fact, it did make four lists – same as the #1 overall film – but topped out at #7. Watching the movie today, 30 years after its release, it still holds up for its unique, dark humor, crowd pleasing antics and unforgettable creatures. Plus it’s unabashedly Christmas.

    Continue Reading Slashfilm’s 20 Favorite Holiday Movies of All Time

    The post /Film’s 20 Favorite Holiday Movies of All Time appeared first on /Film.

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  • Here Are the Theaters Where You Can See ‘The Interview’

    Here Are the Theaters Where You Can See ‘The Interview’

    the Interview theaters

    It’s been a strange story for The Interview so far, but the film is in theaters now thanks to a last-minute plan by Sony, spurred in part by the efforts of Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League and folks at the Art House Convergence.

    And whether or not you’re interested in seeing the film, there’s another good angle to this release: despite being a studio film, the movie is primarily in independent theaters. These are the same businesses that might otherwise struggle as a glut of new releases hits the big chain cinemas. Many of these showings are likely to sell out (tickets might already be gone for Cinefamily in LA), so that’s a good boon for those businesses.

    Below is a list of all The Interview theaters — or as close to all of them as we’ve been able to collate so far. There may be a few more, but this is a fairly comprehensive rundown.

    Given that the film’s original December 25 release plan was scuttled after the hackers who have targeted Sony invoked 9/11 in a threat agains theaters that play the film, you might wonder about security for these showings. Tim League addressed that question in an interview with Yahoo.

    There’s obviously still risk associated with this. Everybody understands that. But I think a lot of the independents and art-house theaters are on the same side of the fence, where if you look at this from a national level, it’s more of a problem to give in. I love that Sony stepped up and said, “Yes, we’re going to support this, we’re going to bring it out.” Otherwise it sets a terrible precedent… We’ve reached out to local police and they’re done venue assessments that walked the venues and looked for potential security problems. We’ve done some training sessions with the staff and the managers, but that’s for the most part where we are. We might hire some additional security; that’s always an option. I don’t think it’s an issue, but we’re going to play it by ear.

    (The film is also available via some digital video services such as YouTube, Google Play, and Xbox, but as some have pointed out, the idea of giving out credit card info to buy the movie that has been the target of skilled hackers might be considered a bit hinky.)

    ALABAMA
    Andalusia – Clark Theatre 3
    Birmingham – Edge 12
    Boaz – Boaz Cinema 9
    Enterprise – Clark Cinema 1 & 2
    Fort Payne – Fort Payne Cinemas 6
    Greenville – Edge Cinema 8
    Huntsville – Madison Square Stadium 8
    Troy – Continental Cinema 6

    ARIZONA
    Lake Havasu – Lake Havasu Cinema 10
    Maricopa – Ak-Chin 12
    Payson – Sawmill Theatres
    Phoenix – Harkins Theatres
    Scottsdale – Ultraluxe Scottsdale Pavillions 11
    Show Low – Wme Theatre
    Sierra Vista – Uptown 3 Theatre
    Tempe – Harkins Valley Art
    Tucson – Loft Cinema

    ARKANSAS
    Cabot – Silver Screen Cinemas 8
    El Dorado – Stars Cinema 6
    Hot Springs – Behind The Mall Cinema 5
    Searcy – Cinema 8
    Little Rock – Riverdale 10

    CALIFORNIA
    Agoura Hill – Agoura Hills Stadium 8
    Anaheim – UltraLuxe Anaheim Cinemas in Gardenwalk
    Angels Camp – Angel Cinema Six
    Azusa – Foothill Cinema Stadium 10
    Bakersfield – East Hills Mall
    Bakersfield – Maya Bakersfield 16 Cinemas
    Barstow – Barstow Station 6
    Berkeley – Elmwood 3 Theatres
    Berkeley – Rialto Cinemas
    Cathedral City – Mary Pickford Theatre
    Coachella Valley – Cinémas Palme D’Or
    City of Commerce – Commerce 14
    Fairfax – Fairfax 6 Theatres
    Folsom – Palladio 16 Cinemas
    Fontana -Fontana 8
    Garden Grove – 4 Star Cinemas
    Granada Hills – Granada Hills 9
    Hesperia – Civic Plaza 12
    Lancaster – Blvd Cinemas 3
    Livermore – Livermore Cinemas
    Los Angeles – Cinefamily
    Los Angeles – Crest Westwood
    Los Angeles – The Egyptian
    Los Angeles – Regency Theaters
    Los Angeles Vintage Cinemas -Los Feliz 3
    Martinez – Contra Costa Cinemas 8
    Monterey – Osio Plaza Theatre 6
    Morgan Hill – Tennant Station Stadium Cinemas
    North Hollywood (Beginning Dec. 31) – Laemmle Theater
    Palm Springs – Camelot 3
    Perris – Perris 10
    Petaluma – Boulevard Cinemas 14
    Riverside – Mission Grove Theaters
    Red Bluff – Prime Cinemas
    Salinas – Maya Salinas 14
    San Bernardino -Sterling 6
    San Diego – Digital Gym
    San Jose – Almaden Seven
    San Jose – Camera Three Cinemas
    Santa Barbara – Arlington
    Santa Cruz – Del Mar Theatre 3
    Santa Paula – Santa Paula 7
    Scotts Valley – Scotts Valley 10 Cinema
    Sebastopol – Sebastopol Cinemas 9
    Sonoma – Sonoma Cinema 9
    Thousand Oaks – Janss Marketplace 9
    Riverside – Tristone Jurupa 14 Cinemas
    Riverside -University Village 10
    Van Nuys – Van Nuys Plant 16
    West Hollywood -Sundance Sunset 5
    Westminster – Westminster 10

    COLORADO
    Littleton – Alamo
    Fort Collins – Lyric Cinema Cafe

    CONNECTICUT
    Hartford – Spotlight Theatres Front Street Stadium
    Waterbury – Apple Cinemas Waterbury 10

    DELAWARE
    Wilmington – Penn Cinemas Riverfront
    Lewes -Rehoboth Beach’s Movies at Midway
    Middletown -Westown Movies

    FLORIDA
    Bonita Springs – Prado Stadium 12
    Ft Lauderdale – T-Bird D/I 14
    Ft Myers – Edison Park 8
    Gulf Breeze – Treehouse Cinema
    Jacksonville -Sun-Ray Cinema
    Key West – Tropic 4 Cinema
    Orlando – Touchstar Cinemas Southchase 7
    Palm Bay – Nova Cinemas Of Palm Bay
    Shreveport – Robinson Center
    Sunrise – The Lake Worth Drive-In and the Swap Shop
    Tampa -Fun-Lan Drive-In
    Titusville – Satellite Cinema 10

    GEORGIA
    Atlanta – The Plaza Atlanta
    Cordele – Cordele Stadium 5 Cinemas
    Greensboro – Parkside Main Stadium 8
    Pooler – Royal 13 W Imax
    Roswell – Aurora Cineplex 10
    Savannah – Eisenhower Cinema 6

    IDAHO
    Meridian – Village Cinema
    Ponderay – Bonner Mall Cinemas 6
    Twin Falls – Magic Valley Cinema 13

    ILLINOIS
    Arlington Heights – Arlington Heights
    Bloomington – Bloomington Galaxy 14 Cine
    Buffalo Grove – Buffalo Grove Theatre 5
    Champaign – Art Theater Co-Op
    O’fallon – O Fallon 15 Cine
    Ottawa – Roxy Cinemas 6
    Peoria – Willow Knolls 14
    Peoria – Reynolds Landmark 10
    Savoy – Savoy 16
    Woodridge – Hollywood Blvd.

    INDIANA
    Columbia City – Bones Theatre 4
    Greendale – Greendale Cinema 10
    Greensburg – Wolf 10 Theatres
    Indianapolis – Georgetown 14
    Jasper – Jasper 8 Theatres
    Portage – Portage 16 Imax

    IOWA
    Cedar Rapids – Cedar Rapids Galaxy 16 Cine

    KANSAS
    Overland Park – Cinetopia 17

    KENTUCKY
    Georgetown – Theatres Of Georgetown 7
    Louisville – Village 8 Theatre
    Paducah – Maiden Alley Cinema
    Pikeville – Riverfill Cinemas 10

    LOUISIANA
    Chalmette – Chalmette Movies
    La Place – Hollywood Cinemas 7
    Shreveport – Robinson Film Center

    MAINE
    Bangor – Hollywood Cinemas
    Caribou – Caribou Cinema Four

    MARYLAND
    Baltimore – Eastpoint Center 10
    Brandywine – Xscape 14 At Brandywine
    Hagerstown – Leitersburg Cinemas

    MASSACHUSETTS
    Cambridge – Apple Cinemas
    Danvers – Hollywood Hits
    North Attleboro – Cinema Pub
    Salisbury – Cinema 95

    MICHIGAN
    Ann Arbor – State Theatre
    Ann Arbor – Quality 16
    Ironwood – Cloverland 4 Cinema
    Kalamazoo – Alamo
    Traverse City – Bijou By The Bay
    Wayne State – Wayne Theatre 4

    MINNESOTA
    Cambridge – Cambridge 5 Cinemas
    Cloquet – Premiere Theatre 6
    Cold Spring – Quarry Cold Spring 5 Cinema
    Fairmont – Fairmont 5
    Int’l Falls – Cine 5 Theatre
    Minneapolis – St. Anthony Main Theatre
    Minneapolis – The Film Society of Minneapolis/St. Paul
    North Branch – North Branch Cinema 7
    Onamia – Grand Makwa 4 Cinema
    Rochester – Rochester Galaxy 14 Cine
    Sauk Centre – Main Street Cinema 6

    MISSOURI
    Arnold – Arnold 14 Cine
    Blue Springs – Blue Springs Eight
    Cape Girardeau – Cape West 14 Cine
    Chesterfield – Chesterfield Galaxy 14 Cine
    Columbia – Ragtag Cinema
    Independence – Pharaoh Cinema 4
    Kansas City – Alamo Main Street
    North Kansas City – Screenland Armour
    St. Louis – Chase Park Plaza Cinemas 5
    St. Louis (Clayton) – Galleria 6
    St. Louis (Des Pers) – Des Peres 14
    St. Louis – MX Movies
    Warrenton – Warrenton 8 Cinemas
    West Plains – Glass Sword Cinema Six

    MONTANA
    Hamilton – Pharaohplex 6

    NEW HAMPSHIRE
    Keene – Keene Cinemas

    NEW JERSEY
    Clifton – Allwood Cinemas 6
    Jersey City – Hudson Cinema 7
    Newark – City Plex 12 Newark
    North Bergen – Columbia Park 12
    Ocean Township – Middlebrook Cinema 10
    Paterson – Fabian 8 Cinema

    NEW MEXICO
    Deming – Starmax Deming

    NEVADA
    Mesquite – Mesquite Stadium 6
    Minden – Ironwood Stadium Cinema 8

    NEW YORK
    Auburn – Movieplex 10
    Canandaigua – Movietime Cinemas 10
    Canton – American 5
    Cortland – Cortland Plaza Theatre
    Dunkirk – Movieplex 59 Dunkirk Cin
    Flushing – Main Street Six
    Hudson – Movieplex 8
    Huntington – Cinema Arts Centre
    Ithica – Cinemopalis
    Lakewood – Dipson Lakewood Cinema 8
    Lancaster – Dipson Flix 10 Stadium
    Kew Gardens – Kew Gardens Cinema
    Manhattan – Cinema Village
    Massena – Massena Movieplex 8
    Mastic – Island Cinemas
    Merrick – Merrick Cinemas
    New Windsor – New Windsor 12
    New York – Quad Cinema 4
    New York – Cinema Village
    Painted Post – Crystal Cinema 8
    Queens – Kew Gardens Theatre
    Saugerties – Orpheum Triples
    Sunnyside – Center Fiveplex
    Yonkers – Alamo

    NORTH CAROLINA
    Durham – Northgate Stadium 10
    Greensboro – Carousel Cinemas 15
    New Bern – Neuse Theatre
    Roxboro – Palace Pointe
    Smithfield – Smithfield 10
    Sylva – Quin Theatre 4

    NORTH DAKOTA
    Fargo – Fargo Theatre
    Williston – Grand Theatre 6

    OHIO
    Cincinnati – Esquire Theatre
    Columbus – Gateway Film Center
    Columbus – Groundview Theatre
    Cleveland – Tower City Cinema
    Nelsonville – Movies 10

    OKLAHOMA
    Altus – Heritage Park 7
    Chickasha – Valley View Cinema 6
    Jenks – Riverwalk Movies 8
    Tulsa – Circle Cinema
    Weatherford – Showest 4

    OREGON
    Beaverton – Cinetopia Progress Ridge 14
    Corvallis – Darkside Cinema 4
    Dallas – The Fox Theater
    Eugene – Bijou Art Cinemas 2
    Portland – Academy Theater
    Portland – Hollywood Theatre 3

    PENNSYLVANIA
    Coraopolis – Dependable D/I (4)
    East Stroudsburg – Pocono Community Theater
    Elizabethtown – Movie Town Cinemas 8
    Johnstown – Richland Cinemas
    Lehighton – Mahoning Valley Cinemas 8
    Lewistown – Miller 6 Cinemas
    Marshalls Creek – Pocono Movieplex
    Matamoras – Majestic Cinemas 7
    Pittsburgh – Southside Works Cinema

    PUERTO RICO
    Puerto Rico – Caribbean Cinemas

    RHODE ISLAND
    Providence – Cable Car Cinema

    SOUTH CAROLINA
    Columbia – Nickelodeon Theatre
    Charleston – Terrace Theater
    Lancaster – Crown 2

    TENNESSEE
    Estill Springs – Montana D/I 3
    Franklin – Franklin Theatre
    Murfreesboro – Premiere 6
    Nashville – Belcourt Theatre

    TEXAS
    Abilene – Town & Country D/I 2
    Austin – Alamo Lakeline
    Austin – Alamo Slaughter
    Austin – Alamo South Lamar
    Austin – Alamo Ritz
    Carrollton – Venetian 8 Bar & Grill
    Conroe – Pine Hollow 6
    Dallas – Look Cinemas
    Dallas – Texas Theatre
    Ennis – Galaxy D/I 5
    Gainesville – D-Max 6
    Gainesville – D-Max 6
    Houston – Alamo Vintage Park
    Katy – Alamo Mason Park
    Lubbock – Alamo
    Missouri City – Star Cinema Grill
    Mt Pleasant – Mt Pleasant Southside 6
    New Braunfels – Marketplace Cinema 12
    New Braunfels – Alamo Marketplace
    Portland – North Shore Cinema 8
    Richardson – Alamo
    San Antonio – Alamo Park North
    San Antonio – Alamo Westlakes
    San Antonio – City Base Cinema
    San Antonio – Rialto Bistro 9
    Tomball – Silverado 19 W/Imax
    Webster – Star Cinema 6

    UTAH
    Cedar City – Historic Cedar Theatre
    Ogden – Moviegrille
    Park City – Library/Attn -Film Series
    Perry – Walker Cinema Eight
    Salt Lake City – Brewvies Cinema & Pub 2
    South Jordan – Megaplex At District 20 Imax
    St. George – Main Street Cinema 6

    VERMONT
    Burlington – Merrill’s Roxy

    VIRGINA
    Ashburn – Alamo Loudoun
    Abingdon – Cinemall
    Farmville – Sunchase Cinema 8
    Hayes – York River Crossing Cinema
    Manassas – Manassas 4 Cinemas
    Martinsville – Hollywood Cinema
    Norton – Cinema City Stadium 9

    WASHINGTON
    Bainbridge Island – Bainbridge Cinemas 5
    Bremerton – Olympic Cinemas
    Ellensburg – Grand Meridian
    Oak Harbor – Plaza Three Cinemas
    Stanwood – Stanwood Cinemas 5
    Vancouver – Cinetopia 8
    Vancouver – Cinetopia Vancouver Mall 23 14
    Yelm – Yelm Cinemas 8
    Seattle – Ark Lodge Cinemas
    Tacoma – Grand Tacoma 4

    WASHINGTON, D.C.
    Angelika Pop-Up
    West End Cinema

    WEST VIRGINIA
    Elkins – Elkins Cinema 8
    Fairmont – Tygart Valley Cinemas

    WISCONSIN
    Ashland – Bay 6 Theatre
    Beloit – Beloit Luxury 10
    Eagle River – Vilas Cinemas 4
    Fond Du Lac – Fond Du Lac Theatre (8)
    Hartford – Hartford Cinemas 6
    Hayward – Hayward Cinema 4
    Janesville – Movies 16 Theatre
    New London – Grand Cinema Theaters
    Platteville – Millennium 6 Cinema
    Shawano – Shawano Theatres 4
    Sparta – Sparta Cinema 6
    Sturgeon Bay – Sturgeon Bay Cinemas 6

    WYOMING
    Jackson – Jackson Hole Cinema 2
    Rawlins – The Movies 3
    Riverton – Gem Theatres

    [Variety, Mashable]

    The post Here Are the Theaters Where You Can See ‘The Interview’ appeared first on /Film.

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  • ‘Thunderbirds Are Go!’ TV Teaser: A Distress Call Comes In

    ‘Thunderbirds Are Go!’ TV Teaser: A Distress Call Comes In

    new Thunderbirds teaser

    The Thunderbirds TV series that captured imaginations in the ’60s is about to get a new revival. The 50th Anniversary of the original show will be celebrated in part with a new series from ITV called Thunderbirds Are Go!, with effects from WETA. A new Thunderbirds teaser is now available, and though it doesn’t show off very much, it might be enough for fans who have been excited about the new show.

    This showed up just before Christmas, and features audio echoed in the new show’s official site, Thunderbirds.com.

    No, there’s not a lot there, but it does indicate something about the show: Thunderbirds chronicled a family which also operated the International Rescue team. This isn’t a conventional action story, but something more like the Star Trek ideal, with the team committed to helping people and saving lives, rather than going off on military adventures.

    While the original Thunderbirds show used so-called supermarionette puppetry — the same sort of puppetry seen in Team America: World Police — the new show will feature CG characters and live model sets. Here’s the first official image of the characters:

    thunderbirds-are-go

    The voice cast features Rasmus Hardiker as Scott and Alan Tracy, David Menkin as Virgil Tracy, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Gordon and John Tracy, Kayvan Novak as Brains, Rosamund Pike as Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, David Graham as Aloysius Parker, Sandra Dickinson as Grandma Tracy, Andres Williams as The Hood, Angel Coulby as Kayo, and Adjoa Andoh as Colonel Casey.

    And despite the fact that the teaser is super-brief, there’s also this earlier teaser, which cropped up earlier this year.

    And then there’s this video which features Richard Taylor from WETA talking about the new series:

    Thanks to Gary Whitta for the heads-up.

    The post ‘Thunderbirds Are Go!’ TV Teaser: A Distress Call Comes In appeared first on /Film.

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  • Our 25 Favorite Gifts in Movie History

    Our 25 Favorite Gifts in Movie History

    Christmas Story BB Gun

    Whether you’re giving or receiving, there are few things better than a gift. It feels great to get one, it feels wonderful to give one, it’s just a nice thing. Gifts in movies are kind of the same. They represent a bond between characters that can be layered with meaning. The person getting the gift can be either appreciative or disappointed, the person giving it either sincere or malicious. There’s just so many ways you can go with it.

    Being as it’s the holiday season, we decided to pick out our favorite gifts in movie history. Not necessarily the best ever, just our favorites. That means not all of these are “good” gifts. Some, in fact, are awful. But it’s the act of giving them, whether in the context of an overall film or series, that makes them awesome and memorable. So, below, we count down our 25 favorite gifts in movie history.

    Okay, first up here’s the criteria I placed on this. The gift-giving can’t be implied. You either have to see the gift given on screen or hear someone talking about giving a gift. It can’t be something purchased by a character for themselves. It doesn’t have to be for the holidays and, it doesn’t have to be good, just memorable. You’re limited to one gift per movie or franchise. Also, it doesn’t have to be a traditional gift. Just something passed from one other to the other with nice intentions. And finally, I couldn’t find good clips for all of these so, some are just images.

    So, without further ado, the list:

    25. Bath Towels – Scrooged (1988)

    Frank Cross is the ultimate holiday a-hole. And what’s better than the scene when he and his secretary decide which gifts he’s giving to which people. The VCR, especially in 1988, was a good gift, so it’s the terrible but hilarious bath towels that get the nod here.

    24. Turtle Doves – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

    I know what you’re thinking. “What about the Talkboy?” Well, we assume the Talkboy was a gift but we don’t see Kevin get it, so it’s out. Plus, the Turtle Doves are given not once, but twice. In the scene above – when Mr. Duncan gives them to Kevin – and in the scene linked here when Kevin gives them to the bird lady.

    23. The Portrait – Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

    There are a few good gifts in Napoleon Dynamite, but we’ll go with Trisha’s portrait. It’s so much more uncomfortable and so much funnier than the cake Pedro gives to Summer. Plus, this one actually works. Napoleon gets a date out of it.

    22. The Breadmaker – Old School (2003)

    “It’s got three speeds!” I still laugh thinking about the ultimate re-gift, originally given from Mitch to Frank, then almost given back to Mitch from Frank, then almost given from Frank to Beanie’s son. Just hilarious.

    21. Hat and glove – The Sandlot (1993)

    A lifelong friendship is officially formed when Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez gives Scotty Smalls not only his old baseball mitt, but his old hat too. It’s just so sweet and off the cuff and important to both characters.

    Continue Reading Our 25 Favorite Gifts In Movie History

    The post Our 25 Favorite Gifts in Movie History appeared first on /Film.

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  • The Best Reviewed Movies of 2014: From Wild To The LEGO Movie

    The Best Reviewed Movies of 2014: From Wild To The LEGO Movie

    Life Itself - The Best Reviewed Movies of 2014

    So we’ve looked at the best and worst movies of the year as rated by the largest sampling of moviegoers available publicly (IMDB). And as you know, the public opinion sometimes differs from that of professional film critics. As it should, film critics often see hundreds of new movies a year (a larger sampling of content) and have thus have a more discerning taste. So after the jump we will take a look at the best reviewed movies of 2014.

    This list was compiled from Rotten Tomatoes and not Metacritic. Both sites have their advantages. Rotten Tomatoes includes a larger sample of reviews, while Metacritic features a smaller more-selected grouping of film critics. Rotten Tomatoes calculates critic scores using a positive or negative score for each review. One movie could be 100% fresh with all the critics giving the movie a 7/10 grade. Metacritic attempts to gauge the score of each critic’s review (not just a positive or negative, but a number 0 to 100) averaged together, giving you a better indication of what the response is to any given film, and not just a percentage of positive reviews. Honestly, I like how Metacritic calculates the numbers, but their refusal to incorporate a larger sample of film critics puts them behind Rotten Tomatoes in my mind.

    Note: This list was compiled on the third week of December, these ratings and placements could change into January. The ranking also uses an adjusted score (that uses a weighted Bayesian formula) with a minimum of 40 reviews.

    gone-girl-DF-01826cc_rgb.jpg

    Runners Up

    50. 94% The Dog 49

    49. 94% The Dance of Reality 50

    48. 93% Child’s Pose 74

    47. 89% Locke 169

    46. 95% Particle Fever 44

    45. 93% Force Majeure 99

    44. 91% A Most Wanted Man 151

    43. 95% Two Days, One Night 60

    42. 94% Stranger by the Lake 84

    41. 94% Finding Vivian Maier 86

    40. 96% A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night 45

    39. 96% Last Days in Vietnam 49

    38. 92% Wild 143

    37. 94% Pride 100

    36. 93% Frank 128 reviews

    35. 88% Gone Girl 249 reviews

    34. 92% How to Train Your Dragon 2 159

    33. 89% Captain America: The Winter Soldier 241

    32. 98% Manakamana 41

    31. 98% A Summer’s Tale 43

    The Top 30 Reviewed Movies of 2014

    20,000 Days On Earth

    30. 20,000 Days on Earth
    97% rating
    67 reviews

    The Lunchbox

    29. The Lunchbox
    96% rating
    94 reviews

    Ernest & Célestine

    28. Ernest & Célestine
    97% rating
    75 reviews

    The Overnighters

    27. The Overnighters
    98% rating
    52 reviews

    The Rocket

    26. The Rocket
    98% rating
    54 reviews

    Mr. Turner

    25. Mr. Turner
    97% rating
    78 reviews

    Birdman

    24. Birdman
    93% rating
    172 reviews

    Edge of Tomorrow

    23. Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow
    90% rating
    242 reviews

    Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me

    22. Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me
    98% rating
    57 reviews

    Love Is Strange

    21. Love Is Strange
    96% rating
    104 reviews

    Continue Reading The Best Reviewed Movies of 2014 >>

    The post The Best Reviewed Movies of 2014: From Wild To The LEGO Movie appeared first on /Film.

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  • ‘The Wedding Ringer’ Trailer: Kevin Hart Can Make or Break Josh Gad’s Wedding

    ‘The Wedding Ringer’ Trailer: Kevin Hart Can Make or Break Josh Gad’s Wedding

    Wedding Ringer UK trailer

    It’s a little awkward for Sony right now with respect to Kevin Hart, but the comic’s new film, with co-star Josh Gad, is still opening in January, and we’ve got the latest trailer to prove it. And what is it with Hart being hired as the guy to make awkward guys’ lives easier? In Get Hard he helps Will Ferrell get ready for prison, and here he helps Josh Gad prepare for his wedding by allowing the guy to act like he has real friends. This new Wedding Ringer UK trailer has a bit of new footage and some jokes that you might not have seen.

    The Wedding Ringer opens on January 16. Trailer via YouTube.

    Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is a loveable but socially awkward groom-to-be with a problem: he has no best man. With less than two weeks to go until he marries the girl of his dreams (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), Doug is referred to Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart), owner and CEO of Best Man, Inc., a company that provides flattering best men for socially challenged guys in need. What ensues is a hilarious wedding charade as they try to pull off the big con, and an unexpected budding bromance between Doug and his fake best man Jimmy.

    The post ‘The Wedding Ringer’ Trailer: Kevin Hart Can Make or Break Josh Gad’s Wedding appeared first on /Film.

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  • LOL: 5-Year-Old Girl Talks Slave Leia Costume With Her Father

    LOL: 5-Year-Old Girl Talks Slave Leia Costume With Her Father

    Slave Leia video

    One of the most obvious moments you’ve reached adulthood is when you start talking about kids. Whether someone has kids, they’re thinking about kids, or whatever else, that’s the moment. The thought opens up a huge pandora’s box of other issues too, least important of which is how do you show your kids the Star Wars Saga. The order in which you choose to show you kids the Star Wars movies is a debate regularly had amongst film fans but we always forget one thing. We never consider how the kids feel. It’s just a foregone conclusion that they’re going to like them.

    A new video has surface that’s proof positive they do like them, but maybe have a few questions. One father recorded the conversation he had with his five-year-old daughter about Princess Leia’s Slave outfit in Return of the Jedi and the results are priceless, especially when animated. Check out the father daughter Slave Leia video below.

    Thanks to Adam Buxton (via Sploid) for this great Slave Leia video.

    What I love most about this clip – besides the obvious funny and cute nature of it – is how it perfectly illustrates the way a generation gap can change how you view a movie. When you were a kid, you probably didn’t think anything of the Slave Leia outfit. Either it was just another outfit, or maybe you found it provocative, but most kids in the Eighties didn’t think it was offensive at all. Fast-forward a few years and you can totally see how it objectifies not only the character, but an entire gender. Here Buxton tries to explain that to his daughter but she flat out rejects it, instead sticking to her belief that it’s just a good looking piece of fashion. It’s just a wonderful little moment.

    The animation to the video was done by The Brothers McLeod. Fine work all around.

    The post LOL: 5-Year-Old Girl Talks Slave Leia Costume With Her Father appeared first on /Film.

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  • Everything Wrong With ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Video; Plus James Gunn Addresses Walkman Issues And Avengers Quotes

    Everything Wrong With ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Video; Plus James Gunn Addresses Walkman Issues And Avengers Quotes

    everything wrong with guardians

    A filmmaker would be the first to admit that sometimes, there are leaps of logic in their movies. The main response is, “It’s a movie.” The whole point is to show you things that are impossible and exciting, logic be dammed. But that’s not the place CinemaSins lives in. Their “Everything Wrong With” videos thrive in that space between fun and logic, nitpicking even the most stupid little thing.

    This time though, it just so happens their latest video – Guardians of the Galaxy – is timed with the film’s director, totally independently, explaining one of the “sins” of Guardians of the Galaxy. That being the fact Peter Quill’s Walkman and the Awesome Mix Vol. 1 still works after 26 years. Below, see the video and read Gunn’s response – which also includes some clarification of the Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Avengers: Infinity War quotes.

    First up, here is the latest CinemaSins video which, as usual, is entertaining in the most infuriating way.

    Everything Wrong With Guardians of the Galaxy

    Coincidentally, in time with that release James Gunn wrote a statement on Facebook. It primarily addresses some misconceptions about the Guardians/Avenger crossover quotes but it also says this:

    MORE IMPORTANTLY, I’m getting a lot of questions about the AA batteries in Quill’s Walkman, and how Quill’s Walkman can survive for so long.

    GUYS, THEY HAVE THE ALIEN TECHNOLOGY TO TRAVEL FASTER THAN LIGHT BETWEEN PLANETS, I think they can figure out an alternative power source for the Walkman, and they likely also have technology to slow the degradation to the tape and player. This seems obvious to me.

    Love it. So perfect.

    As for the rest of the statement, he’s basically referring to quotes such as this one and this one. I thought he’d been pretty clear that he won’t say whether or not the Guardians and Avengers will cross over, but that each is independent, important and when and if it happens, it won’t be like people expect. It’s all in shades of grey at this moment. But still, some people are confused and here’s Gunn’s response:

    I’m not going to tell anyone what happens to the Guardians, especially two or three movies down when who even knows if I’ll be around anymore. Whatever the case, there’s been a lot of anger around me – at me, from people defending me at others, and so on. And it’s all people who love Marvel, like me, and just want to see awesome and amazing and moving stories.

    There are many more important things going on in the world right now, but this is clogging up my feed, so let me do my best to set the record straight. Perhaps sometimes I say things imperfectly, unclearly, or inelegantly. All I’ve ever tried to say was the Guardians are an important part of the MCU, and they definitely share an existence with the Avengers and other characters in the MCU. But the week after the movie opened I walked into the Marvel offices, and I sat down with Kevin Feige and some of the other folks at Marvel. We had a long discussion about where the Guardians were headed and what was happening to them. I told them exactly what I wanted to do with the sequel to Guardians, and everyone was on board and excited. And, regarding the bigger picture, we all agreed on one thing, and that was to keep huge chunks of the Guardians separate from the Marvel heroes of earth, because they have a whole galaxy to explore. We wanted to use them as a way to make the MCU bigger, not smaller. We wanted to make sure they have their own mythos, as opposed to only one that is intertwined with the earthbound characters. They ARE connected, of course, but that connection would not be the purpose of their stories and fictional lives.

    When I’m asked about the Guardians and their future, and whether they’ll meet up with the Avengers I really don’t have all that much to say, because some of it isn’t decided yet, and I don’t want to give away what is decided. So I speak in these general terms. They aren’t things that I’m just saying on the spot, and they aren’t things that have been decided on by me alone. But they are sometimes incredibly general, and that can lead to those words being taken in a lot of different ways.

    So, I’m sorry for all the different ways my words have been taken. Overall, we’ll just have to wait and see where the Guardians go, who they meet, and what they do in the MCU. But know that I love them and will take the best care of them I possibly can for as long as I’m around.

    The post Everything Wrong With ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Video; Plus James Gunn Addresses Walkman Issues And Avengers Quotes appeared first on /Film.

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