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The Morning Watch: The Evolution Of Bugs Bunny’s Voice, Stuntmen React To ‘Birds Of Prey’ & More By Ethan Anderton/Aug. 4, 2020 5:00 am EST The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows. In this edition, follow the evolution of the Looney Tunes icon Bugs Bunny from throughout his 80-year history....

‘12 Hour Shift’ Review: A Botched Black Market Deal Turns Into A Bloody Hospital Thriller [Tribeca] By Hoai-Tran Bui/May 28, 2020 10:00 am EST “Did you ever smell sadness?” Films may not be able to give off scents (yet), but 12 Hour Shift, with its washed out yellow walls and harsh fluorescent lighting, practically reeks of anesthetic and musty hospital bedsheets. And a little bit of sadness. But that sadness is quickly overtaken by the bizarro bloodbath that unfolds in Bea Grant’s stylish, darkly comic thriller....

‘A Quiet Place Part II’ Featurette Introduces Cillian Murphy’s Character By Chris Evangelista/March 9, 2020 4:30 pm EST A Quiet Place Part II introduces some new characters to interact with the survivors of the first film, and one of them is played by Cillian Murphy. Murphy’s character, Emmett, has remained mostly a mystery in the marketing so far, but a new featurette delves into just what this newcomer is all about, and how he ends up playing a part in the lives of the surviving members of the Abbott family, played by Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe....

‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ Merchandise Suggests A New Monster Will Join The Fray By Ben Pearson/April 8, 2020 11:30 am EST Warner Bros. and Legendary’s MonsterVerse is setting up a clash of the titans later this year with Godzilla vs. Kong, the first major on-screen battle between the King of the Monsters and the King of the Jungle since the two essentially fought to a draw back in the 1960s. But in a twist that should surprise absolutely no one, it looks like the two title characters won’t be the only creatures involved in a brawl before the credits roll in this upcoming movie....

‘Indiana Jones 5’ Director James Mangold Teases Sequel That Pushes Toward “Something New” By Chris Evangelista/May 26, 2020 1:30 pm EST For the first time ever, someone other than Steven Spielberg is directing an Indiana Jones movie. Spielberg was initially on board to direct Harrison Ford in his final outing as the adventuring archeologist in Indiana Jones 5. But the project kept getting delayed and pushed back due to script rewrites and other issues, and Spielberg decided to hand the sequel over to someone unexpected – James Mangold, director of Logan, Ford v Ferrari, and more....

‘Joker’ Originally Had A Very Different Bathroom Scene By Ethan Anderton/Oct. 14, 2019 12:30 pm EST Right around the time Joker hit theaters, star Joaquin Phoenix revealed that the movie had some “radical changes” to the script that took place throughout production. Now, thanks to director Todd Phillips, we have an idea of how the Joker bathroom scene in particular was changed significantly from the original script. In fact, this change made the scene infinitely better, because the original scene in question was a lot more ham-fisted than what ended up in theaters....

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Sequel Will Be A Prequel About Young Furiosa By Chris Evangelista/May 14, 2020 3:00 pm EST We’ve all been eagerly awaiting a follow-up to George Miller’s gonzo action masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road, and it looks like we’re finally getting it. Eventually. Miller is still set to make the drama Three Thousand Years of Longing first, but after that’s in the can, he’s ready to return to the Mad Max world....

‘Man & Witch’: Sean Astin, Christopher Lloyd, And The ‘NeverEnding Story’ Queen Unite For A New Fantasy Film By Ben Pearson/July 9, 2020 1:00 pm EST A new fantasy film is in the works which aims to be a “heartwarming homage to the lo-fi fantasy films of the ’80s,” and it’s set to unite three actors who are widely known for starring in iconic 1980s movies. Tami Stronach, who played the Childlike Empress in 1984’s The NeverEnding Story, will co-star in this new movie opposite Sean Astin (1985’s The Goonies) and Christopher Lloyd (the Back to the Future trilogy)....

‘Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark’ Special FX Artist Norman Cabrera Talks Bringing Harold The Scarecrow To Life [Interview] By Kalyn Corrigan/Aug. 12, 2019 10:00 am EST Whether you’re a hardcore horror fan, a casual moviegoer, or an avid comic book collector who occasionally catches the latest Guillermo del Toro adaptation, chances are you’ve witnessed some of Norman Cabrera’s legendary special effects work. Known mainly for his stunning contributions to del Toro’s Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Cabrera has had a hand in countless productions, ranging from John Flynn’s cyber thriller Brainscan, to Sam Raimi’s wickedly gruesome Drag Me To Hell, all the way to Quentin Tarantino’s ferocious femme fatale flick Kill Bill....

‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’ Was Specifically Crafted To Solidify Leia’s Legacy In The Saga By Ethan Anderton/Dec. 31, 2019 12:00 pm EST We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Star Wars: The Force Awakens said goodbye to Harrison Ford as Han Solo. Star Wars: The Last Jedi bid farewell to Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. So it only makes sense that the late Carrie Fisher gets her own send-off in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and co-writer Chris Terrio confirmed that one of the main goals of the movie – specifically because they had a limited amount of footage to work with from the previous films – was to figure out how to solidify Leia’s legacy in the entire saga and complete the arc that was alluded to in Return of the Jedi....

‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Premiere Episode Title Revealed, But What Does It Mean? By Ethan Anderton/Nov. 7, 2019 9:00 am EST As if there was any doubt it was happening, Stranger Things season four was announced at the end of September. The short teaser hinted at a departure from Hawkins, Indiana, but the Upside Down was still very much very much present. Now, thanks to the recent Stranger Things Day celebrations on November 6 (the day on which Will Byers disappeared in the first season of the Netflix series), we know what the title of the Stranger Things season 4 premiere episode will be....

‘The Suicide Squad’: James Gunn Had Freedom To Kill Anyone, Praises One Aspect Of David Ayer’s Movie By Ethan Anderton/Oct. 26, 2020 8:30 am EST One of the best sneak peeks that came out of DC FanDome back in August was our first look at James Gunn’s anticipated The Suicide Squad. Not only does the movie look wild as hell, but it has an incredible ensemble cast at the center of it that includes the return of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, not to mention newcomers like Idris Elba, David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Michael Rooker, and more....

‘Uncharted’ Movie Back On Track With ‘Bumblebee’ Director Travis Knight Taking Over By Ethan Anderton/Sept. 27, 2019 10:00 am EST Not long ago, the long-developing adaptation of Uncharted set up at Sony Pictures hit yet another speed bump by losing director Dan Trachtenberg. The filmmaker behind 10 Cloverfield Lane left the project in August, though no reason was given for his departure. It was the second blow for a Sony project starring Tom Holland after Sony and Marvel were having trouble negotiating a new deal to share the rights to Spider-Man and keep him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe....

2020 AFI Awards Honorees Include ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ ‘Soul,’ ‘Sound Of Metal,’ ‘Mank,’ And More By Chris Evangelista/Jan. 25, 2021 1:00 pm EST The American Film Institute has announced its 2020 AFI Awards honorees, and it’s a pretty solid line-up all around (with a few exceptions). The list of films includes Da 5 Bloods, Judas and the Black Messiah, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mank, Minari, and more. On the TV side of things, AFI is honoring Better Call Saul, Bridgerton, The Crown, The Good Lord Bird, and others....

2020 Is The Year To Finally Nominate A Documentary For Best Picture By Marshall Shaffer/Dec. 25, 2020 9:00 am EST (Welcome to The Soapbox, the space where we get loud, feisty, political, and opinionated about anything and everything.)When I looked at my top 10 list this year, something jumped out at me: half the movies I picked were documentaries. That may be in part a reality of supply in 2020 as many high-profile narrative films opted to delay … and delay … and delay their releases....

Allison Williams Will Build ‘M3GAN’ In Blumhouse’s New Thriller With An Artificially Intelligent Doll By Ethan Anderton/Oct. 7, 2020 5:00 pm EST M3GAN will star Allison Williams (Get Out, Girls) as a brilliant roboticist at a toy company who is developing the titular life-like doll with artificial intelligence that can be programmed to be “a kid’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally.” But when she decides to activate M3GAN to help out when she unexpectedly gains custody of her niece, the doll may not end up being as helpful she hoped....

Bong Joon-Ho’s Interpreter Is Not Writing A Film About Awards Season [Updated] By Ben Pearson/Feb. 18, 2020 2:04 pm EST Update: In a piece for Variety reflecting on her experience interpreting for Bong Joon-ho over the past several months, Sharon Choi says she is not, in fact, writing a movie about awards season. Here’s an excerpt: Empathy bridges the gap between the perpetual “others.” And to feel a little less lonely is why I want to be a storyteller....

Daily Podcast: Spoiler Discussion Of HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ Premiere By Ben Pearson/Oct. 21, 2019 12:45 pm EST On the October 21, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film senior writer Ben Pearson is joined by /Film writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista for a spoiler-filled conversation about the pilot episode of Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen. Opening Banter: In The Spoiler Room: Our relationships to Watchmen prior to this episode Worldbuilding – American Hero Story, Dr....

Hans Zimmer Created A New Major League Soccer Theme, And Yes, It Rocks By Chris Evangelista/Feb. 27, 2020 6:00 pm EST The ever-prolific Hans Zimmer took some time off from composing pulse-pounding scores for big blockbusters to record some music for…checks notes…Major League Soccer. Yes, that’s right, Mr. Zimmer is out here rocking the soccer (or football, if you live anywhere other than America) world with a big, loud, kick-ass piece of music....

J.K. Simmons Is Still Signed On For More ‘Spider-Man’ Films As J. Jonah Jameson By Hoai-Tran Bui/June 1, 2020 7:00 am EST J.K. Simmons is ready to demand more pictures of Spider-Man. He just needs to get a call from Marvel Studios or Sony. The Oscar-winning actor confirmed that he is signed on to reprise his role as Spider-Man’s belligerent media foe J. Jonah Jameson (who Simmons played once again in a surprise cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Far From Home) in more films, but that any future appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are up to Sony....