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‘The Trial Of The Chicago 7’ Review: A Series Of Fantastic Performances Elevate Aaron Sorkin’s Political Courtroom Drama By Chris Evangelista/Sept. 24, 2020 6:00 pm EST The Trial of the Chicago 7 is nothing if not a showcase for great performances. Writer-director Aaron Sorkin has his flaws – some of which are on display here – but one thing he does very well is creating the kind of punchy, snappy, rat-a-tat dialogue that good actors love to sink their teeth into....

‘Unhinged’ Trailer: Whatever You Do, Don’t Honk At Russell Crowe By Ben Pearson/Aug. 15, 2020 12:00 pm EST What happens if you honk at a guy in traffic who’s having the worst day of his life? That’s the question answered in Unhinged, a new Russell Crowe thriller which, in the grand tradition of films like Duel, Joy Ride, and Falling Down, presents a worst case scenario for the protagonist and will maybe make you think twice about slamming on the horn the next time you’re out on the road....

Amblin Sci-Fi Film ‘Distant’ Adds ‘Game Of Thrones’ Veteran Kristofer Hivju By Ben Pearson/Oct. 6, 2020 5:30 pm EST Hivju has joined the cast of Distant, a science fiction film from Amblin Partners that has Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, upcoming In the Heights) and Naomi Scott (2019’s Aladdin, 2017’s Power Rangers) on board in the lead roles. Learn more about the project below. Deadline reports that Hivju is the latest addition to Amblin’s Distant cast, although there’s no word yet on who he’ll play....

Cannes 2020 Is Definitely Canceled, But The Official Film Selection Will Still Be Announced By Chris Evangelista/May 11, 2020 1:30 pm EST Despite the hopes and dreams of those involved, this year’s Cannes Film Festival is still canceled (or canneselled, if you will). The fest had been hoping to simply delay the event to a later date this summer, but at long last, festival director Thierry Frémaux is admitting defeat. However, the book isn’t closed yet on Cannes 2020....

Let’s Get Down to Business Mulan represented the fullest extent of Disney’s expansive powers in animation in the 1990s. Though Disney Animation was beginning to be beset upon by competition from DreamWorks SKG, 20th Century Fox, and others, their dominance in the industry was easy to spot considering the number of satellite studios they’d created outside of Burbank, California. There were studios in Canada, Japan, Australia, and France, the latter of which began life as Brizzi Studios, founded by animator brothers Paul and Gaetan Brizzi (who we’ll discuss in a later essay in this series)....

Everything You Need To Watch Before (Or After) ‘The Mandalorian’ By Caroline Cao/Nov. 11, 2019 1:00 pm EST Westerns and Akira Kurosawa’s samurai films are hardwired in the DNA of Star Wars. Those influences transmit across mediums, from the Original Trilogy to the subsequent Prequel and Sequel trilogies, comic, novels, animation, and now to live-action television. The upcoming Disney+ Star Wars live-action spinoff show, Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian, is no exception to those influences....

How ‘The Irishman’ Culminates The Greatest Director And Actor Collaboration In Film History By Joshua Meyer/Nov. 25, 2019 12:00 pm EST Martin Scorsese’s sprawling new mob epic, The Irishman, opens with a tracking shot through a nursing home. We’re a long way from the Copacabana in Goodfellas, but that nightclub, too, makes an appearance later, and the shot in question here is still soundtracked by a golden oldie. “In the Still of the Night” takes the place of “Then He Kissed Me....

How Kevin Smith And Ben Affleck Wonderfully Reunited For ‘Jay And Silent Bob Reboot’ By Ethan Anderton/July 20, 2019 12:08 pm EST When the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot trailer arrived this past week, longtime Kevin Smith fans were happy to see that the friendship between the filmmaker and Ben Affleck had been rekindled after years of not speaking to each other. Affleck briefly appeared in the trailer as his Chasing Amy character Holden McNeil, and now that the cat is out of the bag, Smith took to Instagram to explain how these two longtime friends finally reunited....

J.J. Abrams Ventured Out Of His Comfort Zone With ‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’, Thanks To Rian Johnson By Ethan Anderton/Nov. 11, 2019 11:30 am EST There’s a lot of pressure on J.J. Abrams to not only finish the final chapter of this new Star Wars trilogy but bring an end to the entire Skywalker saga that began all the way back in 1977. It’s a Herculean task for a fanbase that has proven to be rather divisive in recent years, especially since the franchise started to appeal to people other than grown men desperate to hang on to the nostalgia of their childhood....

Listen: Billie Eilish’s ‘No Time To Die’ Theme Song Has Arrived By Ben Pearson/Feb. 13, 2020 4:02 pm EST Billie Eilish, the 18-year-old music superstar who broke records by winning four major Grammy Awards just a few weeks ago, has added another line to her already-impressive resumé: she’s officially the youngest person to ever sing a theme song for a James Bond movie. And this afternoon, her song – which, like the new movie itself, is called No Time to Die – has been released globally online....

By Ben Pearson/Nov. 13, 2020 1:00 pm EST Lilo & Stitch is one of the most beloved Disney Animation movies from the early 2000s, and considering one of Disney’s biggest moneymaking tactics recently has been to remake its animated classics in live-action, it was only a matter of time before this one found itself in contention for a new version. A remake has actually already been kicking around for a little over two years, but now it seems to have found a director in Jon M....

LOL: Conan O’Brien’s Christmas Classics: The Triumph Family Christmas, Conan Becomes A Mall Santa & More By Ethan Anderton/Dec. 25, 2019 6:00 am EST It’s Christmas Day, and if you’ve opened up all your presents and you’re still dealing with a house full of family, then you’re probably in dire need of a good laugh. Thankfully, through this entire month, Conan O’Brien and the crew at Team Coco have been digging into the archives of Late Night with Conan O’Brien episodes....

Star Wars Bits: Star Wars Squadrons, The Star Wars Archives, Liam Neeson Praises The Phantom Menace, Babu Frik, And More! By Adam Frazier/Sept. 18, 2020 5:00 pm EST In this edition of Star Wars Bits: Star Wars: Squadrons CG short “Hunted” Ushers in New Era of Star Wars Storytelling The Star Wars Archives 1977–1983 Gets Re-Release Liam Neeson Praises The Phantom Menace Babu Frik Is Now a Talking Plush Toy Podcast & YouTube Round-Up Star Wars: Squadrons CG short “Hunted” Ushers in New Era of Star Wars StorytellingStar Wars Squadrons arrives October 2 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and VR, promising to bring classic Star Wars dogfights to new interactive heights....

Superhero Bits: Kate Bishop Revealed For ‘Marvel’s Avengers’, ‘Kick-Ass’ Coming To 4K Ultra HD & More By Ethan Anderton/Sept. 1, 2020 6:00 pm EST Ready to play as Kate Bishop in Marvel’s Avengers video game? Want to have Kevin Conroy as Batman give you directions on Waze? Did you hear Akon wants to build what is essentially a real version of Wakanda? Did you hear Norm Spencer, the voice of Cyclops in X-Men: The Animated Series, passed away?...

Theme Park Bits: Galaxy’s Edge Opens At Walt Disney World, TSA Vs. Disney Souvenirs, And More! By Josh Spiegel/Aug. 30, 2019 5:00 pm EST In this edition of Theme Park Bits: The arrival of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is upon us. The TSA might crack down on one of the Galaxy’s edge souvenirs. Get special PhotoPass shots in the new land. And more! August 29 marks the official opening date of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in a Disney theme park....

TV Bits: ‘Arrow’ Spin-Off, ‘Thirtysomething’ Sequel, ‘American Gods’ Casting, And More By Ben Pearson/Sept. 26, 2019 10:00 am EST In this edition of TV Bits: Arrow is getting a female-led spin-off on The CW South Park has been renewed again, setting a TV record Ray Donovan has a new trailer Blythe Danner joins the cast of American Gods for its third season Watch the season 2 trailer for the Elizabeth Olsen series Sorry for Your Loss And much more!...

UK Travel Restrictions Now Apply To Film & TV Production Employees By Ben Pearson/Jan. 18, 2021 12:00 pm EST The United Kingdom removed film and television workers from the country’s COVID-inspired travel exemption list today, meaning that anyone who travels to the UK from an outside nation will need to quarantine for 10 days or pay for a private test which could shorten that isolation period to five days. Either way, it sounds like it just got more expensive for Hollywood productions to send international employees into the UK to work....

VOTD: ‘Escape’ Is A ‘Goosebumps’ Style Horror Short Perfect For Halloween By Ethan Anderton/Oct. 31, 2016 5:00 am EST Since it’s Halloween today, everyone is entitled to one good scare. So there’s no better time to highlight the short film Escape. With flares of They Live and Stay Alive, the short film imagines some kind of virtual reality game involving a pair of sunglasses. However, the game is more sinister than any of the players imagined, opening up a terrifying world....

‘Bad Education’ Trailer: Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, And A Bunch Of Long Island Accents By Chris Evangelista/March 26, 2020 1:00 pm EST Hey, do you like schools, scandals, and actors doing their best Long Island accents? Then you’re going to want to check out Bad Education, a new HBO film featuring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney. Based on a true story, Bad Education follows a school superintendent who tried to cover up an embezzlement scandal, with less-than-ideal results....

‘Creed 3’ Could Mark The Directorial Debut Of Franchise Star Michael B. Jordan By Ethan Anderton/Oct. 25, 2020 9:00 am EST Now Creed is following in the footsteps of Rocky by become a full on franchise. Creed II gave Adonis Creed his revenge by being victorious over Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer who killed Apollo Creed in the ring. Now Creed 3 is in the works at MGM, and thought we don’t know what’s in store for young Adonis Johnson, the sequel could hold a new challenge for Michael B....