Even though Terminator: Genisys does not arrive until July 1, we know there will be two Terminator: Genisys sequels. And now we know that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back for at least the first one.
Look for the follow-up to the film that, as teased in the Terminator: Genisys trailer, looks to completely reset the time line to arrive on May 19, 2017 with the third in the “new” series to debut June 29, 2018.
Schwarzenegger returns to the role that made him a superstar, along with a whole new cast including Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor, Jason Clarke as John Connor and Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese. Recent Oscar winner J.K. Simmons is also a star.
Horrible Bosses was a surprise hit when it arrived in theaters in 2011 with its comedic tale of three guys (Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman and Charlie Day) who just had the worst bosses ever. So, they decided to kill them and, yes, Horrible Bosses quotes full of hilarity ensued.
Day, Sudeikis and Bateman are back in Horrible Bosses 2, and so too (in smaller roles) are scene stealers from the first film Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey. The Horrible Bosses sequel is now out on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download with the extended cut featuring a slew of jokes not featured in the theatrical release.
You might be wondering how a trio of guys could possibly get another trio of bosses that could be so horrible. Well, it’s just one guy (Christoph Waltz) and his son (Chris Pine), and boy, do those two swindle our boys out of hundreds of thousands of dollars when they steal their idea for a “Shower Buddy.” Yup, the shower caddy could be the destruction of us all.
Sudeikis, Bateman and Day hatch a plan to kidnap Pine and demand the ransom out of Waltz in the exact amount that they were robbed. Wonder how that is going to go? Well, when they discover their kidnapping victim would like to stick it to his old man, it complicates things. But, as we stated in our theatrical Horrible Bosses 2 review, Pine is a terrific (who knew he was so funny?!) addition to our three comedy veteran leads.
So, does the Extended Cut version add anything to the theatrical release? Yes, actually it does and maybe it’s merely because we adore the three leads and could watch them riff together for hours. For those who find their shtick a bit tiresome, then just press play on the theatrical version of the film.
The bonus feature Who Invented The Shower Buddy is such a Blu-Ray combo pack treasure. Watching these three each staking a claim over who the actual idea came from is comedy gold. We’ll never know, but we wonder how much of this bit was done via improv?
Getting the other side of the coin, the people who “work” for Bateman, Sudekis and Day’s onscreen company add their two cents to the comedy with the terrific featurette, Nick Kurt Dale INC: Employee Testimonials. The content of this extra is one of the reasons why we so appreciate the home video format. It adds so much to the overall experience of the movie as it’s an element from the world of the film itself that didn’t need to be in the proper movie, but it's still a fantastic off-shoot.
When we had our Jennifer Aniston Horrible Bosses 2 interview, she talked about how there was one line that she couldn’t say. She just couldn’t! We’re sure that line is in one of two featurettes that show she’s right at home among these comic pros when it comes to dishing out the merriment -- Let the Sexual Healing Begin and Off the Cuff: One Liners You Didn’t See.
The former explores Aniston’s character and her clear sex addiction and how she started her own support group, which really is just a place to meet new people to have sex with. The latter puts a firm spotlight on the innate comedy talents of all those involved as one-liners are delivered with reckless (and side-splitting) abandon that shows how the editor of the film was given more than enough to get the audience in fits of laughter. It’s easy to see where so many of those great Horrible Bosses 2 quotes came from!
Lastly, you have to check out the It’s the Shower Buddy Infomercials. You just have to.
We reported last week about Spectre shooting in Rome, in a scene that finds Daniel Craig’s James Bond in the most elaborate of car chases through the Italian capital. Today, the official 007 Facebook page has given us a shot of the cars involved, and they are beautiful.
The sequence will feature Craig and Bond girl Monica Bellucci in high-end cars in what producers are calling one of the more intense car chases in the franchise’s 24-film history.
What is interesting about the above photo is how there are two cars and two stars mentioned. There have been some thoughts that Bond history might be adjusted a little bit. And much like Judi Dench was the first female M, we think Bellucci will be the first female evil head of Spectre.
Of course, Christoph Waltz and Dave Bautista are our villains, but those involved with the follow-up to Skyfall have admitted that neither Waltz nor Bautista will be the iconic Bond villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
We have a theory that they’ve changed the gender on Blofeld and it’s Bellucci. We could be wrong, but wouldn’t that be interesting?
Spectre lands in theaters November 6 from Skyfall director Sam Mendes, with Lea Seydoux and Ralph Fiennes also in the cast.
Watch Skyfall online to get ready for the next installment of our favorite super spy.
Also, Empire has revealed its first Bond cover. Check it out below, along with all our Spectre photos!
When The LEGO Movie debuted a year ago, its blockbuster success caught many by surprise. Yet, if you look at the guys behind it -- Phil Lord and Chris Miller -- not one soul should have been shocked. This is the talented tandem that gave us Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street.
Miller and Lord have said that they will write The LEGO Movie Sequel, but would not return to direct.
The search was on for a person to step into that role and bring Lord and Miller’s follow-up script to life. According to Warner Bros. President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production Greg Silverman, they’ve found their guy.
Rob Schrab will make his directorial big screen feature debut after killing it on the small screen with his work on The Mindy Project and Community.
“The LEGO Movie captivated critics and audiences on a global scale with its irresistible blend of humor, imagination and fun,” Silverman said in a statement.
“Warner Bros. is excited to build our relationship with The LEGO Group with this new adventure and we join them in welcoming the multi-talented Rob Schrab to the LEGO family as he takes the helm of The LEGO Movie Sequel.”
Those The LEGO Movie quotes should have some serious competition in the Everything Is Awesome department if Miller and Lord have any say in the matter.
“We are so excited to collaborate with Rob. He is a comedy genius, a visual savant, and we have been stalking him for years,” Lord and Miller added in the statement. “No one works harder than Rob, and his aesthetic, combined with his sense of humor, bring a strong, unique, thoughtful, and passionately nerdy voice to this project. People who know him are slapping their foreheads today and saying, ‘Of course!'”
The LEGO Movie Sequel is set to land in 2018 with The LEGO Batman Movie set to land in May 2017 with the Ninjago LEGO Movie arriving September 23, 2016.
Inarritu wrote and is directing The Revenant with Tom Hardy, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Maze Runner's Will Poulter, Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Domhnall Gleeson and Lukas Haas. DiCaprio is Hugh Glass, a man who is no stranger to adventure in the Old West of 1822. While working as a fur trapper, Glass is attacked by a bear. Left for dead, when he heals, he vows to track down and kill those who left him in the wilderness and make them pay for their inhumane negligence.
Terminator: Genisys is where we will next see the commanding presence of the Oscar winner for Whiplash. No word from anyone on who he is playing, but just the idea that he’s in the cast of this film that re-sets The Terminator timeline and brings back Arnold Schwarzenegger and we’re in.
This Friday finds Julianne Moore tossing her hat into the Oscar realm yet again with her lead role in David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars. It is a stunning performance as she portrays a highly unstable actress who is trying to remake the movie that made her mother famous. She also has the final The Hunger Games movie arriving in November, Mockingjay Part 2.
Those behind the upcoming film The Danish Girl have to be beyond thrilled that Eddie Redmayne won his Oscar for his work on The Theory of Everything. I mean, now all those ads for the film (due in 2016) can say, “Starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne.†The Danish Girl stars Redmayne and Amber Heard as Einar Wegener and his wife Gerda, the legendary Danish artists. The film explores the institution of marriage and asks what happens when one of those desires a change.
After Medium went off the air, we weren’t sure if we’d see Patricia Arquette returning to television. But after scoring that Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work on Boyhood, that is exactly what Arquette is doing. She’s leading the cast on the CSI spin-off, CSI: Cyber that looks at the world of online crime. Color us intrigued! Arquette will also be seen on the big screen in The Wannabe. The mob world drama also stars Michael Imperioli and lands sometime later this year.
Common is quite busy with his music career, but on March 13 he joins action hero Liam Neeson in the thriller Run All Night. He will also be seen as the lead in Certified. He plays a music mogul who returns to his New York City thug life beginnings to find the person responsible for trying to kill him.
The End.
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Taken 3, the box office winner from earlier this year, is set to make its debut on home video. Look for Liam Neeson’s latest kick-ass adventure as Bryan Mills when Taken 3 arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 21 and digital HD on April 2.
Watch Taken online and it’s easy to see why the film became such a massive hit. Seeing Neeson and his particular set of skills has enthralled audiences and from the response to the third installment of the series that comes from the mind of Luc Besson, it might not be the last.
Taken 3 finds Mills being framed for the murder of his ex-wife. Does it have anything to do with his espionage past? Or is this a mystery that could be a stand-alone story?
Discover why we adore Neeson in action when Taken 3 comes home.
So, what can we expect in terms of bonus features from the third Taken movie?
The final Insurgent trailer is here and it paints a picture of Kate Winslet’s dictatorial leader Jeanine getting more desperate to kill all the Divergents.
They’re gaining power and with Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four's (Theo James) passion for each other growing as strongly as the passion the resistance has for stopping Jeanine, she’d better watch out.
Summit Entertainment has released the final Insurgent trailer and that means one thing, the movie’s release date is just around the corner. It also serves as an announcement that tickets for the highly anticipated spring movie can be purchased now, on sites such as Fandango!
For fans of the book series by Veronica Roth, that news could not be sweeter.
Woodley, James and Winslet are joined in the returning cast by Miles Teller, Maggie Q, Ansel Elgort and Mekhi Phifer. New to the series are Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and Oscar nominee Naomi Watts, as well as Hawaii Five-O star and Lost veteran Daniel Dae Kim.
The follow-up to those Divergent quotes lands March 20 and is helmed by Robert Schwentke. Watch Divergent online and prepare for the battle to get more intense.
The first footage from Frozen Fever arrived on Good Morning America and to say fans of Frozen are a little excited is to grossly underestimate the resonance that this Disney Animation pop culture phenomenon has achieved.
Frozen Fever will debut on March 13 as a short film before the live action Cinderella (directed by Kenneth Branagh). It catches us up with our favorite Frozen characters including Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristen Bell) and of course Olaf (Josh Gad).
The ABC morning news show debuted the first footage, which in reality is as close to a “trailer” as we’re gonna get!
It’s Anna’s birthday and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf and Elsa are getting ready for the kingdom to throw the biggest party the community has ever seen. That is if they can stop Olaf from nibbling at the cake all day!
Guess who else is back?
Oaken (Chris Williams) returns as the owner of the Wandering Oaken Trading Post, and that giant snow monster, Marshmallow, makes an appearance as well.
Watch Frozen online and don’t be surprised if you’re moved to Let It Go. Sorry, had to.
Robert Downey Jr. thinks we’ve been good, so he took to his Twitter feed and rewarded us with the Avengers: Age of Ultron Iron Man poster!
The Tony Stark one-sheet has premiered just a day after we got that first Avengers: Age of Ultron poster. We suspect we’ll see a character poster debut each day going forward until the last one (the evil Ultron?) lands in eight days.
How do we know eight days?
Just check out what Downey said in his tweet.
“You've been good so here's a new #IronMan poster from @Avengers. & on the DL, big announcement in 8 days… #getexcited”
So we figure we get an Avengers: Age of Ultron character poster each of the next eight days… and then, well, we’re not sure what this big announcement could be.
But if we were to guess, it’s a new Avengers: Age of Ultron teaser that even gives us a clue about the next Marvel movie (and one that Downey appears in), Captain America: Civil War.
Although Movie Fanatic wishes that there was more originality coming out of Hollywood, there is an upcoming dip to the well visited often that we are truly anticipating big time! Creed follows Apollo Creed’s son (perfectly cast with Michael B. Jordan in the role) and his desire to get into the ring. But, he’ll only pursue this vocation if he can have Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) by his side as trainer.
Hot on the heels of those Creed photos, we have gotten our hands on the film’s synopsis and it has only added to our eagerness to see this flick that lands November 25.
Creed Synopsis:
Adonis Johnson (Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there’s no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa.
Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer. Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo -- the fierce rival who became his closest friend. Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring.
With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title…but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?
Creed also stars Tessa Thompson (Selma, Dear White People) as Bianca, a local singer-songwriter who becomes involved with Adonis; Phylicia Rashad (Lifetime’s Steel Magnolias) as Mary Anne Creed, Apollo’s widow; and English pro boxer and former three-time ABA Heavyweight Champion Anthony Bellew as boxing champ “Pretty” Ricky Conlan.
Ok, so there you have it. Now, are we alone in thinking that this thing alludes that The Italian Stallion has cancer?
“Battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring?"
That would be an interesting way to send off a beloved character as a new franchise emerges.
What do you think? One thing is for sure, Adonis Creed is a perfect name!
Fresh from its win as Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, Big Hero 6 has landed on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download.
The heartwarming story, on paper, had success written all over it. It is based on a Marvel comic and comes from Walt Disney Animation, specifically the people behind Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph. Then, we saw it and as we reported in our theatrical Big Hero 6 review, this flick is a marvel alright.
The film follows Hiro (Ryan Potter), a young teenager who is an utterly brilliant robotics prodigy. But, he’s a little lost and would rather spend time making machines to win back alley robot battles than apply himself. When his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) suggests he accompany him to his hi-tech university, a light bulb goes off.
But tragedy strikes and an evil presence is slowly seeping into the mainstream of life in San Fransokyo. Hiro finds the courage inside himself and with his new friends from school (including a lovable robot named Baymax) -- they form Big Hero 6 and set out to save the day.
Big Hero 6 is a piece of cinematic art from an animation perspective and it backs that eye candy up with a story that is powerful, thrilling and also warms the deepest reaches of the heart. It also illustrates that Walt Disney Animation is on a roll that shows no signs of slowing (their next effort is teased in this newly released Frozen Fever trailer!).
The stellar voice cast includes Damon Wayans Jr., T.J. Miller, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung and Genesis Rodriguez. Then, there are the heavy hitters, led by James Cromwell and Maya Rudolph.
When it comes to the Big Hero 6 Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download bonus features, it is like a never-ending supply of brilliant imagination.
We have to start by admitting our utter adoration for the (also Oscar winning) Feast. The animated short that appeared before Big Hero 6 in theaters is also quite worthy of its Academy Award (this is quite the Oscar-winning animation package!). Want proof? Watch Feast now and prepare to grab the Big Hero 6 home video release for that alone!
The Origin Story of Big Hero 6 is hosted by Chung and explores how the magnificent story came to life. Follow the team as they go to Tokyo and San Francisco to create that glorious hybrid city where Hiro and his friends live. Director Don Hall talks about the risks of taking a Marvel comic that was probably much lesser known than so many others, and bringing it to life in a triumphant motion picture. The conversations with Marvel’s Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb only further enhance the special nature of this making-of doc.
The six lead animators get the spotlight in Big Animator 6: The Characters Behind the Characters. This featurette is sure to inspire the aspiring animator you may have at home.
Big Hero 6, like many Disney movies, is filled with so-called Easter Eggs. From Frozen to Mickey Mouse himself, there are hidden gems throughout Big Hero 6 and this featurette shows you how to find them.
We salute any animated film that has the foresight to put together a gag reel. Witnessing our favorite characters break “character” and mess up their lines or what have you, is nothing short of animated awesomeness and the one on Big Hero 6 will give any of those other movies a run for their animated gag reel money!
And for those of you who think that Baymax could have a career as a pop star, don’t miss Beatmax. It features some of Baymax’s greatest Big Hero 6 quotes auto-tuned and ready for the top 40!
When we saluted February movies last month, we had a feeling that Fifty Shades of Grey would dominate and it surely has done that and more.
Now, it’s time for us to look at March, and if there is one movie above all others this month we think will steal headlines, it’s Insurgent.
Watch Divergent online and get ready for that Shailene Woodley-starring follow-up. But it is not even the tip of the iceberg of movie magic coming our way this first month of spring.
The master whose talents become clear when you check out these District 9 quotes, Neill Blomkamp, is back with his Chappie and if that film doesn’t steal a few hearts and get them racing, we’d be surprised.
Two of our favorite comic actors finally join forces at the end of March, and DreamWorks Animation brings their follow-up to their last hit film (watch How to Train Your Dragon 2 online).
Let’s break down March. Better get your calendar out -- we think several titles in the slideshow below are going to be your must-sees.
Neill Blomkamp (Elysium, District 9) is back and Chappie is truly a passion project if there ever was one. From the moment we first talked to him back in the day, Blomkamp has been all about Chappie. And so too has his frequent collaborator, Sharlto Copley, who stars as the titular character. Well, he voices the character. Chappie is a robot who has AI capabilities, but right now has the mentality of a child. When Hugh Jackman targets him for elimination for fear that his type could wipe out mankind, it looks like it proves to be the opposite. Chappie is our last chance! Sigourney Weaver and Dev Patel also star in the flick landing March 6.
Also on March 6, Vince Vaughn re-teams with the director of his Delivery Man for this comedy about a man (Vaughn) who has one last chance to save his business. He heads to Europe on a business trip with his two employees, Tom Wilkinson and biz neophyte Dave Franco. The flick also stars two of our favorite UK performers, Sienna Miller and Nick Frost.
The gang is back and this time Dev Patel is trying to open a Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The first one is so successful for retirees to come and spend their “golden years†living in the Indian resort home, that Patel needs to buy/build another. That takes him and his hotel manager (the stellar Maggie Smith) to America for investors. Meanwhile back in India, Patel is planning his wedding to his fiance while Judi Dench and Bill Nighy are trying to define their relationship. And there’s someone new checking in… Richard Gere! Look for more Marigold magic on March 6.
The true (although not-so-known) story of how the beer heir, Mr. Heineken, was kidnapped and held for millions of dollars in ransom comes to the big screen on March 6. The thriller also stars Ryan Kwanten, Sam Worthington and Jim Sturgess. Look for Kidnapping Mr. Heineken on March 6.
After the success of bringing the animated world of Sleeping Beauty to life with Maleficent, Walt Disney hopes for the same success on March 13 as director Kenneth Branagh and the famed studio bring Cinderella to life in a live action family film. Lily Collins is the title character, with Cate Blanchett perfectly cast as the Evil Stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter breaking the mold as the Fairy Godmother.
It’s a two-for-one with Frozen Fever. We’re giving this animated short its own spotlight. Because of the massive success of Frozen, we suspect that millions will see Cinderella just to catch up with Anna, Olaf and Elsa. The Disney short film that continues the adventures of the Oscar-winning animated feature finds our favorite Frozen characters planning Anna’s birthday party. What could go wrong?
Liam Neeson is back in action on February 13 as a Brooklyn mob assassin. When the sins of his boss (Ed Harris) come back to haunt everyone involved in the mobster’s business, Neeson must kill or be killed. When they target Neeson’s son (Joel Kinnaman), the action hero knows he only has until dawn to get rid of his enemies or time will run out for him and his kin.
The long anticipated sequel to the highly successful Divergent finally arrives on March 20. Tris (Shailene Woodley) is starting to not only be seen, but feel like the leader of a rebellion that is looking to take down Jeanine’s authoritarian rule of this dystopian society. Four (Theo James) and many more from the first film are back to take this revolution to the next level in this second in the series. Naomi Watts and Octavia Spencer add some acting gravitas to this film series.
Sean Penn tackles his first true action movie with The Gunman on March 20. Penn is a hired assassin who finds that his employer (Javier Bardem) has sold him out. He must go underground and right these wrongs or everything he cares about will be wiped out. Idris Elba also stars in the action thriller.
Taylor Lautner keeps trying to be an action star with the Parkour-heavy thriller Tracers. The March 20 release chronicles how Lautner’s bike messenger gets involved with a group of Parkour athletes who specialize in running errands that no one else will take. If they steal a few things along the way, so be it. As the tagline says, “It’s not illegal if you don’t get caught.†And if you can do Parkour like a pro, who is going to catch you?
Al Pacino shines in this tale of a rock star that is still out playing to packed houses with a set list full of his hits. He yearns for more, but his fans won’t allow him to stretch as an artist. When he seeks out his son (an amazing Bobby Cannavale), whom he has never met, everything changes for Danny Collins. This heartwarming and triumphant tale arrives March 20 and also stars Jennifer Garner, Christopher Plummer and Annette Bening.
Jim Parsons is an alien whose species has just taken over Earth. They’ve rounded up everyone and sent them to Australia. Steve Martin voices their leader and when Parsons' character starts to question why they are even on this planet, he runs into the one human survivor who somehow eluded capture. She’s a little girl and she’s voiced by Rihanna. The DreamWorks Animation flick arrives March 27.
Also on March 27, two of our favorite cinematic actors, Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, team up for the first time. The comedy follows Ferrell’s Wall Street pro who is sentenced to 10 years of hard time for his role in bilking his investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Ferrell convinces his car wash guy (Hart, because he believes he has been to jail) to train him in how to Get Hard and get ready for prison.
The End.
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A Furious 7 TV spot has landed and it features one thing that is new, an action scene of Paul Walker behind the wheel. Oh, and there’s a nice little line from Michelle Rodriguez about busting up a room with “my charm.”
We think that’ll go down in the list of great Fast and Furious franchise quotes! That and the Walker quote from the TV teaser: “Just when you think it can’t get any better.”
Come to think about it, that is quite the apt quote for this series, that just seems to keep getting better with each installment.
Vin Diesel, Walker, Rodriguez and the entire Fast family is back and after one of there is killed in Tokyo (watch Fast and Furious 6 online to see how that happened), they are being marked by a man (Jason Statham) hell bent on revenge.
Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese, Ludacris and Lucas Black all return to the franchise, and we cannot wait to see Kurt Russell joins the series when Furious 7 premieres April 3.
James Wan has taken over the directing duties and it appears that just from the TV teaser above, he has hit it out the action movie park.
Gee, how do you think this fight will go between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham? Well, given that Statham's our bad guy and that this is problably not the final fight, we're guessing he gets out of the beating somehow!
After Earth arrived in 2013 and was widely considered a failure. For Will Smith, that one hit hard. And now that he’s back on the screen in the con-man thriller Focus, he’s ready to turn the page.
“For me, this film really marks a transition in my life, emotionally and in my career. After the failure of After Earth, a thing got broken in my mind. I was like, ‘Oh, wow, I’m still alive. Actually, I still am me, even though the movie didn’t open at number one. Wait, I can still get hired on another movie.’ In my mind, my entire Mr. July, Big Willie Weekend, number one for eight in a row all collapsed,” Smith admitted.
“I realized that I still was a good person. So, when I went into Focus, I completely released the concept of goal orientation and got into path orientation, with this moment, this second, these people, this interaction. It is a huge relief for me to not care whether or not Focus is number one or number ten at the box office. I’ve already gained everything that I could possibly have hoped for.”
Smith compares the art of acting and making movies to a millennia old art form, and it clearly has him in a moment of Zen unlike any other time in his life. “It’s just painting. I’m going to paint. Some paintings are going to be fantastic -- others are going to be not so good. But I no longer measure the quality of myself on whether or not somebody else thinks what I painted is beautiful.”
As teased in the Focus trailer, Smith plays a con man who meets a woman (Margot Robbie) who aspires to get good at the cunning life of crime. He takes her under his wing and the audience gets to go on a beautifully shot, thrilling and dare we say romantic journey where everything is not what it seems.
“For me, the huge take-away from this film is how everything is perception and how reality almost does not matter, at all. When you’re talking to a person, it only matters what they are perceiving. You only need them to perceive you as a loving husband. You don’t necessarily need to be one,” Smith said. “What people are perceiving will dictate what their life is, and ultimately what your interaction is.”
Without giving anything away, there is a scene at the Super Bowl that is a con that the audience thinks is getting wildly out of hand. It is one of the more thrilling moments we’ve seen Smith in on screen (even more than when you watch Independence Day online).
“I think that Super Bowl scene is probably going to end up being the signature scene of this movie, and it’s just so clever. We say the word con, but it’s so far beyond a con. It is a deep and powerful perception of how the human mind works. It’s human behavior,” Smith said.
“Those ideas are just so intriguing and exciting. And as an actor, you’re playing one scene, but then there’s another scene, that’s the real scene that’s actually going on. And beneath that, the audience is getting played, at the same time.”
See, the crux of Focus is never believe what you’re watching. But, since you are witnessing it on the screen, your brain will think it’s real. But what is real and what is the con may have the slimmest of lines. Can you tell we enjoyed the movie? Yes, “Will Smith the movie star” is back.
Smith was asked about if being an actor is at all like being a con man.
“Part of what was exciting for me about taking on this role is how everybody is running a con. Everyone wants to be perceived a certain way, to gain the things that they have decided are the things that they want in their life. And at the center of this film, there’s the idea that lying and loving don’t go together,” Smith reported. “Everything is a con.”
We’ve been hearing all sorts of reports about a Tomb Raider reboot and as of today, we know it’s the real deal. Warner Bros. has announced that it has hired Divergent screenwriter Evan Daugherty to write the screenplay for a reboot with Graham King attached to produce the film with MGM.
The original game debuted back in 1996 and would become a successful pair of films starring Angelina Jolie as the title character.
The game got a reboot in 2013 and has sold over five million units thus far. That had to tell the studio that there was major interest in this franchise that should be revived.
Those two Jolie-starring Tomb Raider movies banked a total of $432 million at the box office.
Tim Burton did a great job with his Batman. Christopher Nolan hit a grand slam with Batman Begins and gave us a Dark Knight Trilogy that set the standard for trilogies heading forward.
Man of Steel gave us the Superman we've been longing for and finally got it right. Henry Cavill could not have been a better Superman and director Zack Snyder nailed it... just nailed it!
By going back to the beginning, Bryan Singer showed us how Magneto met Professor X and the mutant world started to take shape. And. It. Was. Brilliant.
Sure, you may say Casino Royale was a continuation of the Bond legacy, but let's be real. Casino Royale was a reboot with Daniel Craig in the driver's seat. And let's just say, after he got his license to kill, we never looked back.
Who knew after so few years a reboot of Spider-Man would work? With the casting of Andrew Garfield and a return to the humor of the Spidey comics, Marc Webb scored.
Who would have thought that there would be so much interest in a 40-year-old property about apes taking over the world? Turns out, with a movie like Rise of the Planet of the Apes... we all needed it.
Karl Urban was an awesome Dredd, so much so that we forgot all about that Sly Stallone guy. This film was straightforward and action-packed. We only wished more people saw it so we could get more chapters.
The Incredible Hulk gets a bad rap. Edward Norton was amazing as Bruce Banner and his green uber-muscled alter ego. Again, wish more people had seen it so we would have gotten more. But, then again, we wouldn't have gotten Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk in The Avengers!
The End.
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Jason Blum is the producer behind some of the scariest and most successful horror movies in recent memory. His Blumhouse Productions has brought us everything from the Paranormal Activity movies to Sinister, Insidious and The Purge. He also has been branching out of late and thanks to him, we have the Oscar-winning Whiplash.
We caught up with Blum to talk exclusively about his latest, The Lazarus Effect starring Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde and Donald Glover, and he stressed that although Blumhouse is expanding into other genres (they’re producing the upcoming Jem and the Holograms), scaring us will always be their focus. In fact, he revealed in our interview that one of his most anticipated projects is M. Night Shyamalan’s return to the genre with The Visit.
Blum also chatted about the directors he has given a shot to, like James Wan (see his work and watch Insidious online), and how they have also expanded into other successful arenas. Wan, for one, is about to release Furious 7.
One of those directors he’s giving a shot to is The Lazarus Effect helmer, David Gelb.
Movie Fanatic: You’ve seen many horror classics and produced many movies that will be considered horror classics. What does a story have to say to you and how does it have to set itself apart from others for you to decide it’s your next great movie?
Jason Blum: It has to, for us, feel like it’s never been done before. Obviously every movie I have ever done has borrowed, it’s impossible to not do that a little bit. But, I really try to look for things that we’re not retreading on things other people or we have done before… at least recently. I mean, Flatliners came up a lot with The Lazarus Effect. When I first read the script I thought that was a good thing because a movie like Flatliners has not happened since Flatliners. I like when people say that. People in Hollywood say there hasn’t been a movie like Flatliners in 20 years, let’s not do it. My thinking is, let’s make it.
Movie Fanatic: Was the fact that The Lazarus Effect also had a root in science also appealing?
Jason Blum: My favorite thing about Ouija was that there are people that believe in the Ouija board and that’s one percent of people. There are a lot of people who think that it’s ridiculous and they don’t believe in it, but I wouldn’t want to play with one. When we were making Ouija, I always thought if we could hook into that feeling with people who think that, that would be scary, right? The same thing goes for Lazarus, which is you can hook into the debate about death and life and people feel very strongly about that, obviously. Is there afterlife? Is there science? Evolution? Creationism? Those are hot button issues and I love that the script talked about that and I like that people will see the movie and argue afterwards. That’s a good thing.
Movie Fanatic: Like Mark Duplass’ scientist character. His goals start from the most noble of places -- giving doctors minutes more to save someone’s life. It’s not like he set out to revive the dead.
Jason Blum: It just went south [laugh].
Movie Fanatic: You took a chance with David Gelb (director), who had never done a feature before.
Jason Blum: But it paid off!
Movie Fanatic: What did you see in him and what he had done with documentaries that you thought he was your guy for The Lazarus Effect?
Jason Blum: I definitely wrestled with the idea of him. The script came with him attached to it when it got to Blumhouse. I was very skeptical to go forward with him. What moved it forward is that I set him up with meetings with Olivia Wilde and Mark Duplass. From either of their points of view, it’s low budget so they will only get paid if it makes any money. So, they’re getting scale. It’s a genre movie, not art house and a first time director… three strikes! The chances of them doing the movie on paper are low. They both met with David and they both committed to the movie after that. That made me think, “Let’s give this guy a shot.”
Movie Fanatic: It’s cliché-less…
Jason Blum: It is! Which David worked so hard on.
Movie Fanatic: We just talked about David and you also worked with James Wan. What does it mean to you to find these directors who then go on to other big things, like James is doing Furious 7?
Jason Blum: A great director is a great director. I think there is something to the choreography and timing of a scare. You've got to know how to do that. James is the king. Gelb is great at it too because he used to cut trailers. He knows how to choreograph a scare, which is similar to a joke. A great horror director has to learn to do that. It doesn’t come naturally.
Movie Fanatic: What do you have coming up that you are excited about? There are lots!
Jason Blum: I’m psyched about Unfriended. I think it is going to do well. The movie is so cool. That Unfriended trailer is so original. I’m super psyched about M. Night’s movie, The Visit, which is going to be really scary and effective. It is right in his zone.
Movie Fanatic: I think that Blumhouse is branching out and it’s a natural evolution. You have the Oscar-winning Whiplash and you’re working on Gem and the Holograms. Why is it important for you to expand beyond horror?
Jason Blum: The focus of the company is always going to be scary. But, we’ve had success in that arena and when you have success you see things. We get to look at scripts that are unusual and that are great. If we see something that is great that isn’t a horror movie, we’re going to make it. I don’t think the company will ever move away from scary. We have expanded into Whiplash or Valley of Violence, which is a Western, but not at the expense of scary movies.
Movie Fanatic: What was your first memory of a horror movie? Not necessarily the first movie you saw. But first horror movie moment that rocked your world?
Jason Blum: I saw on TV, or VHS, Friday the 13th in Beverlywood in my aunt’s house and I was alone and I was too young and I was scared to death. I was scared for a couple of years [laughs]. I remember it like it was two days ago, even if it was 35 years ago.
Two images have arrived from the set of Spectre and they both are uniquely awesome.
The first features our first look at Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) as the henchman Mr. Hinx. Hinx works closely with Christoph Waltz’s baddie, who may or may not be the head of the international crime organization SPECTRE.
Next up is another first, our initial look at Lea Seydoux, who plays Dr. Madeline Swann. Just don’t call Seydoux a Bond girl. “I don’t consider myself a Bond girl. I think I’m not really the stereotyped Bond girl,” she told Empire recently.
“I feel quite different. You can’t be like, ‘Oh, James.’ You have to find something else. She’s not a fighter. She’s a doctor. She fights in another way.”
Spectre lands November 6 and of course brings back Daniel Craig as James Bond and features the first full film with Ralph Fiennes as M. Ben Whishaw returns as Q, Naomie Harris is back as Moneypenny and Monica Bellucci is our “main” Bond girl, who we saw in those Rome Spectre photos!
Watch Skyfall online and get ready for the twenty-fourth James Bond movie. And stay with Movie Fanatic this morning as a new video blog is set to debut any minute now from the Rome set.
We always marvel at those with the time to go through and edit some of our favorite movie mash-ups, like YouTube user Dsfarslow who has taken every Oscar-winning insult uttered by J.K. Simmons and put it into one fantastic video.
Sure, we adore those Whiplash quotes, but to narrow it down to the ones that really make this movie work… we present Simmons as Dr. Fletcher giving his best motivational (maniacal, really) moments.
A warning, this clip compilation is not even remotely close to safe-for-work or any familial environment. It’s not exactly close to PC either.
Simmons is a force of nature as Dr. Fletcher and from the moment the film arrived last October, everyone who saw it knew who your Best Supporting Actor winner would be. And yes, he is fierce in the above clip from Whiplash, but you have to admit that is an acting performance for the ages.
Hot on the heels of that Avengers: Age of Ultron Iron Man poster that premiered yesterday, Marvel Studios has released a character one-sheet with a whole lot of muscle.
Mark Ruffalo is back as Bruce Banner and his angry green alter-ego, The Hulk, when the sequel to The Avengers lands May 1.
We've seen that Iron Man Hulkbuster armor in the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer and cannot wait to see good friends Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and The Hulk go at it (Why? We suspect we'll learn more when one of the most anticipated movies of 2015 lands in theaters this summer!).
In a newly released video blog (hot on the heels of the release of those new Spectre photos!), amongst shots of Sam Mendes capturing his actors in action, the director addresses the camera and lets us in on why he came back. After all the success of Skyfall (it’s the highest grossing Bond movie ever and the first to ever get an Oscar), one could see how that could be one daunting task.
"The reasons I’m doing the second Bond movie are the reasons I would do any movie, really, which is all to do with the story. And in this movie, Spectre, what you have is a movie entirely driven by Bond. He is on a mission from the very beginning,” Mendes said. “He’s on the hunt for somebody.”
Mendes teases further. “It’s about whether or not to pursue the life he’s always pursued, whether he matters and is he going to continue or not. And you’re going to have to come to see the movie to find out whether he does.”
And this synopsis of Spectre has us beyond excited, even though they had us when they revealed the Bond title -- knowing its rich history among the Best Bond Villains of All Time!
Synopsis:
A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Spectre also continues what you see when you watch Skyfall online in that it is the first full movie where Ralph Fiennes is M, Naomie Harris is Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw is Q. And in Spectre, they are all in with helping James Bond achieve his mission because this time, it is personal.
