Walt Disney Animation Studios released a new preview for its upcoming animated adventure Moana on Sunday, during NBC’s coverage of the Olympics.
The film tells the story of an adventurous teenager, Moana (voiced by Auli’I Cravalho), who goes on a daring mission to save her people. She then meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) who helps in her quest.
Light the torch, find your way, dive right in. 🌊🌊🌊 Watch a sneak peek of #Moana and see it in 3D this Thanksgiving!https://t.co/RpPLEzsmZE
All we’ve heard from Jared Leto during the Suicide Squad promo circus, which seems to have lasted most of my adult life, is how “crazy” and “Method” his interpretation of The Joker was; it was going to blow our minds. “They’re going to lock me away” he said, claiming he was so immersed in his Method acting that he delivered something transcendently wacko, so much so that authorities would seek him out and consider committing him to a real insane asylum.
Well, there’s no worry of that, Jared. Although, police might want to investigate you for workplace harassment.
After hearing all the insufferable stories about Jared Leto’s performance – about how he mailed dead animals and used condoms and other bullshit to Margot Robbie, Will Smith, and the rest of the Squad – and after hearing his own egocentric haughty claims that his performance was deranged for reals and stuff, this is what we end up with? A chopped up, pointless, yet mercifully brief appearance? Never mind the fact that Suicide Squad is a structural, tonal, and narrative disaster from top to bottom, what in the hell is Jared Leto even doing in this movie?
Leto’s Joker is some sort of pimp/aspiring hip-hop artist wannabe with dyed-green hair and lipstick, which is about the extent of his characterization. There’s no reason for why he is what he is, there’s no back story at all. He’s just sort of there, in Arkham, and he somehow makes Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn fall in love with him and bring him machine guns? The whole thing is fleeting and aimless. It took Leto a year of “Method” crap to get into THIS dude’s skin? Character pathos? No time for that. Motivation? Forget all that crap, we have a purple Lambo, Brah!
This is The Joker we’re talking about, the most iconic villain in all of comic history, and here he’s reduced to a glorified cameo from an actor embarrassingly hamming it up; not hamming it up like Jack Nicholson did, or hell even like Cesar Romero did back in the campy 60s. No, Jared Leto is just pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable in a major studio film with his exercise in anti-cinema, in a performance that isn’t uncomfortable for any of the right reasons. I began to feel pity for Leto, and I didn’t want to watch his performance because it was so horrible, and because I was feeling shame on his behalf.
Maybe Leto thought all the gold chains and ice in his teeth were Method acting. But they aren’t, they’re costume props, and distractingly poor choices. What is this Joker? He isn’t insane, he’s just some corny white dude pretending to run shit on the streets and making poor tattoo choices. And here he is saying words and being scary to people, but you can’t convince me they understand much of what he’s saying with those stupid capped teeth. Besides, how can he be THAT dangerous when he spends so much time lining up knives and laptops and baby clothes (yeah, baby clothes) on the floor of his penthouse apartment? Leto has said recently, in a clear panic defense of his garbage performance, that many of his scenes were cut from the finished product. To this I say, thank God they were, and I don’t need to see them. The four or five we got was enough.
And for this absurd stunt of a performance, Jared Leto’s co-stars had to endure him being an asshole to them (staying “in character”), and mailing rats and used condoms – USED CONDOMS – to them. I wonder who the lucky bastard was who got the condom, but I’m pretty sure I’d be on the phone with the cops if I opened an envelope with a crusty semen-fulled rubber in it. He sent Will Smith a dead hog. Can you imagine Will Smith going to his front door, seeing a dead hog is lying there, and reading that the note “from The Joker” (because, ya know, staying “in character”)? I’m almost certain Smith probably just rolled his eyes and closed the door.
This guy has been incredible in plenty of work. Requiem for a Dream changed my life in more ways than one. This, however, is a complete waste of time and talent.
All of Jared Leto’s stupid antics remind me of the friend of a group of friends, that guy or girl your core group of friends don’t really know or like, but he/she keeps trying to be cool or edgy to fit in. They light a roman candle out of their ass or they throw a drink on some dude at the bar because they think it’ll give them acceptance. But the whole time it’s just kind of sad and pitiful and the core group of friends don’t feel any different. Except they’re more annoyed now.
There was no motivation behind this ten minutes of The Joker. The motivation for Jack Nicholson’s Joker was clear cut back in 1989. Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight was motivated by a seemingly lack of motivation, a desire to create true chaos that made him unpredictable and dangerous. Jared Leto’s Joker? He just wants you and your boys to hear this hot mix tape he put together.
True, there was no motivation behind Cesar Romero in the original series, but if that’s what we’re comparing this to… let’s just not.
Maybe Jared Leto should just apologize to his co-stars – with whom, outside of Robbie, he shared zero screen time with – for harassing them the past year and change. Especially since his performance ends up being the worst of them all. This guy has an Oscar and Jai Courtney acted circles around him! But yeah, he should apologize, then maybe Warner Bros. and David Ayer can apologize to us all by cutting The Joker completely from the DVD version of Suicide Squad. Nobody will notice or care, and the movie will be shorter. Win win.
Woody Allen brings more goodness than usual in 2016. The ever-busy 80-year-old filmmaker’s latest, Cafe Society, hit theaters last month, and he’ll shoot his follow-up with Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake and Jim Belushi later in the fall. But sandwiched in-between is his first mini-series, the Amazon-exclusive Crisis in Six Scenes, which got its premiere date and first sneak peek today, in addition to its official title.
As announced during Amazon’s Television Critics Association panel, Crisis in Six Scenes is a six-part, half-hour mini-series (as the title suggests) set to hit the streaming site in its entirety on September 30. The 1960s-based program, which will only last one season, follows turbulent times in the U.S. as “a middle class suburban family is visited by a guest who turns their household completely upside down.”
Allen wrote, directed and stars in every episode. He’s joined by Miley Cyrus (!), Elaine May (!!), John Magaro and House of Cards‘ Rachel Brosnahan, as reported by Vulture. This is Allen’s first acting appearance since John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo in 2014. It’s also the first time he’s acted under his own direction since 2012’s To Rome with Love, unless you count his narration in the aforementioned Cafe Society. I’m going to take a shot in the dark and guess that Cyrus is the “guest who turns their household completely upside down.” Let’s see if Allen proves me wrong.
In the meantime, Amazon also released our first peak at the mini-series, a barbershop sequence that suggests Allen was influenced by Louie for his first TV outing. There are certainly worse places to find inspiration, and it ultimately proves to be one of the most fruitfully funny scenes in years. I can’t wait for this thing.
All baseball fans love a good promotion. Whether it’s Justin Verlander Bobble-Head Day, Get Your Picture Taken with the Mascot Day or Free Hot Dog Day, a good promotion can help turn any day at the ballpark into a memorable moment in one’s life. Unfortunately, it took the big leagues years to hone the art of the promotion. Every drunken fan worth their salt has heard of the Ten Cent Beer Night disaster of 1974. The Cleveland Indians sold beer for a mere dime with no limits and drunken violence ensued. Here’s our look back at some of the lesser-known disastrous early attempts at baseball promotion:
Boston Red Sox – Live Rock Lobster Day sounded like a hit ( baseball pun) to the Boston Red Sox front office, only there was one catch (get it? another baseball joke). The rubber bands used to bind the lobsters’ claws were defective and as a result, the lobsters ran amok. By the end of the third inning, they had killed five and wounded dozens. In fact, the lobsters took over the stadium so effectively, they changed the team name to the Red Claws and started playing games. They had compiled a record of 41-29 and were in first place when an executive figured out that the whole stadium could be flooded, then the heating system could be rigged to boil anything unlucky enough to be caught inside. To this day, fans say you can still smell the scent of 30,000 lobsters flash-boiled when you walk into the stadium.
Minnesota Twins – Twins Get In Free Night. By itself, this may seem like a great promotion. Good publicity and it won’t cost you that much because twins are rare, and most of them like to spend their time haunting hotels rather than ball parks. What truly turned this into a calamity was that they choose the same day for this promotion as they did to debut the now-beloved Kiss Cam. It made for some pretty awkward situations.
Chicago White Sox – the White Sox had their own Ten Cent Beer Night fiasco in 1802, when they had the audacity to sell beer for 10 cents, far more than the standard six mugs for a penny. While some fatcats seemed to enjoy the exclusivity of being able to afford beers that would send an ordinary family into bankruptcy, the beatings delivered by outraged local mill workers quickly took away much of the appeal.
Seattle Mariners – Animal rights activists were less than pleased when the Mariners held Moby Dick Night. One lucky fan got to hunt a whale with a harpoon on a ship full of eccentric characters. Protests were held, but in the end, prize winner Betsy Reynolds, a 94-year-old from Walla Walla, was unable to kill even one whale with the harpoon.
Chicago Cubs – Free Bear Cub Day was one of the earliest and least thought out promotions in the long history of baseball. What would people do with a live baby bear when they got it home? Most people didn’t really have an answer for that. As a result, over 1700 bears were set loose on the streets of Chicago in 1904. Thankfully, good things can come from bad ideas. Today, Bearsville, near Wrigleyville, is one of the United States’ largest bear communities.
Arizona Diamondbacks – The most recent of our misadventures, taking place in 2001. What more needs to be said about the Ill-fated “Free Western Diamondback Rattlesnake for All Kids Under Ten” promotion? Maybe management should have seen this was a bad idea when they saw it was paid for by Shady Sam’s Antivenin Services. Maybe they should have realized that handing out live animals of any kind at a ball game was asking for trouble. Maybe they were really going through some personal problems, and they just couldn’t be bothered. Either way, with snake bites numbering in the thousands, this one turned out to be a calamity.
Well, there you have it. From too much booze to kissing your sibling, some of the worst ideas in baseball history. One can only wonder what lies ahead of us in terms colossal marketing screw ups.
From Worst To First, How Do You Rank The Spider-Man Movies?
In terms of film quality, the Spider-Man franchise has been all over the place. Ranging from razzie material to masterpiece level, I’ve decided to rank the web slinger’s films from worst to best.
5. Spider-Man 3: Yeah, I’m sure you’re not surprised. Oddly enough, I didn’t used to hate this movie; in fact, I actually liked it. After a rewatch, however, my opinion drastically changed. The attempted balance of three villains doesn’t work. The worst being the lack of development that Venom, a fan favorite character, unfortunately received. Peter Parker’s decision making is irritating to the point of not being able to take the character seriously. For these reasons, among others, the film lands as the worst on my list.
4. Spider-Man: The original Spidey blockbuster! This movie changed the game for comic book cinema. For that reason, it holds some hierarchy in the superhero movie sphere. This doesn’t mean it’s great, though. The tone of this one is not what I want out of a Spider-Man flick; it’s overly dramatic at times, while flip flopping back and forth between an action movie and a cheesy comedy. Willem Defoe does great as the Green Goblin, and J.K. Simmons nails the role of J. Jonah Jameson.
3. The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Bring on the hate! I know, I know; this is a divisive movie, and I can see why. Jamie Foxx worked as Electro for me, as did his character arc leading up to his villainous transformation. Andrew Garfield does an amazing job yet again as Peter Parker, while simultaneously nailing the snarkiness of Spider-Man. Some see the film as a set up piece to the cancelled Sinister Six movie, and I honestly don’t share those sentiments. In my view, the film stands on its own, while also pointing to future movies that could’ve been made. The main flaw in this one is the character of the Goblin. I liked the portrayal of Harry Osborn and his relationship with Peter, but it all seemed wasted when the Goblin was brought in for the third act fight. The death of Gwen Stacy was impactful because of the chemistry between Peter and her that had been building over time. Also, the comic accuracy to the death was much appreciated by Spidey readers like myself.
2. Spider-Man 2: Whatever the reason is, I just never was able to get into this movie as much as the majority of others. With that said, however, Spider-Man 2 is pretty damn good. Although I can’t stand Tobey Maguire’s performance as the web slinger, they do nail the character of Peter Parker in the script. J.K. Simmons again crushes the role of J. Jonah, but doesn’t add anything new to the character (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). The action sequences are some of the best we’ve ever seen from a comic book movie. Mainly, the negatives I have with this one lie in the core performers: Tobey Maguire & Kirsten Dunst. The two together had no chemistry whatsoever, making the majority of their screen time together just not enjoyable to watch.
1. The Amazing Spider Man: Without question the best Spider-Man film ever. There’s just something about Garfield’s portrayal of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man that is so appealing to me. Not only is the character’s writing great, but he brings his own interpretation while keeping the character’s core values. Uncle Ben’s death felt earned this time around. Even the eventual clash with The Lizard atop the Oscorp skyscraper was stunning. James Horner knocks it out of the park with the film’s score, which leads to many epic moments scattered throughout the movie. The lack of J. Jonah Jameson is felt, but doesn’t weigh the movie down too much. Oh, and one more thing…best Stan Lee cameo ever!
What do you think of my list?
Be sure to let me know your list in the comments down below!
The next Spider-Man film coming out is 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, which features Tom Holland as the lead.
On Sunday morning the New York Yankees and Alex Rodriguez had a press conference to announce the Rodriguez will be playing his final game on Friday, August 12th. He’ll remain on with the Yankees organization as an adviser through the end of his contract.
His career has run the gambit of great moments on the field, historical trades that were not consummated, trades that were completed, and multiple free agent contracts that were staggering in their dollar values.
As the baseball world focuses on the last few days of A-Rod’s career let’s take a look back at how it all started. Back when Rodriguez was tearing the cover off the ball for the Miami Westminster Christian High School where he hit .419 spanning over 100 games.
Alex Rodiguez was selected as the overall first pick in the 1993 draft by the Seattle Mariners but the sentiment to select him was not universally held by the Mariner’s front office, and the decision came down to the wire.
Rodriguez was not the desired choice of Mariners General Manager Woody Woodward. He preferred right-handed pitcher Darren Dreifort out of Witchita State. It was Mariner’s scouting director Roger Jongeward who was trying hard to persuade Woodward to select Rodriguez.
Jayson Stark, then of the Philadelphia Inquirer explained that Woodward wanted a college player who would get to the big leagues faster but, Dreifort’s $1.8MM price tag, the highest ever for a baseball draft pick – and his reported behind-the-scenes involvement with Scott Boras, the toughest agent in the business, might be enough to change Woodward’s mind.
According to Stark, the negotiations with Dreifort were on-going the day before the draft, and it was expected that he would be the number one pick.
The Mariners, either because they were unable to get a contract worked out ahead of the draft of because scouting director Jongeward’s recommendation carried more weight, selected Rodriguez and Dreifort went second to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The draft was held on June 3, 1993, and Rodriguez and the Mariners had until August 31st of that year to work out a deal.
A-Rod had the leverage of a full time scholarship to the University of Miami. He also had a shrewd “adviser” in his corner in super-agent Scott Boras. According to A-Rod both Boras and his mother wanted him to go to college, and he was very close to attending classes.
With Boras, who was not allowed to be officially named as an agent or Rodriguez would lose his college eligibility, involved in the process it was not a surprise that the negotiations went down to the wire. Rodriguez and the Mariners finally agreed to a deal on August 31st.
In many ways, the negotiations between the Mariners and Rodriguez’s camp followed the same script that would be present through much of the polarizing stars career. Fernando Arguelles, the scout who signed him, may have summed it up perfectly when he said, “I was 29 when this began, now I feel 50.”
The negotiations went back and forth beginning with Rodriguez asking for a record $2.5MM. It ended with Rodriguez signing a major league deal $1.269 million which included a guaranteed September callup in 1994.
Signing day was a tense day for the Mariners who had a press conference scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Grand Bay Hotel in Miami to announce the signing. The press was there, the Mariners brass including President Chuck Armstrong was there, the only person of note not in attendance was A-Rod.
Finally, at 2:30, an hour and a half after the scheduled start of the conference, Rodriguez along with his mom, brother, and sister arrived. According to Ed Giuliotti of the Miami Sun Sentinel, Mariners officials felt that Rodriguez arrival was not a mix-up in communication but rather a final hidden punch.
In the end, the Mariners made the right decision in drafting Rodriguez and going through the gut-wrenching negotiations that are present anytime Scott Boras is involved.
With the Mariners, Rodriguez played in 790 games over seven seasons compiling a .309/.374/.561 mark with 189 homers and 133 stolen bases. He was a four-time all-star, a Silver Slugger, and was a runner-up for the AL MVP in 1996.
As a film, Suicide Squad was a disappointment (at least for me). Its box office perspectives, however, are looking appropriately extraordinary. The DC adaptation, taking Guardians of the Galaxy‘s coveted first weekend of August, opened to an astounding $135.1 million. That’s the highest August opening ever, but it’s not all good news for the anti-superhero blockbuster.
David Ayer’s latest has weathered bad reviews, tepid word-of-mouth and controversy surrounding its production this week, and that’s begun taking its toll on its performance. After earning an amazing $65 million on Friday, pundits were predicting a $145-150 million opening. But it dropped 41 percent between Friday and Saturday, which can also be said for The Dark Knight Rises, but that film was also impacted by the Aurora tragedy.
With $132 million earned overseas, Suicide Squad currently has $267.1 million to its name, which is certainly pretty good. But it has a few more snags in its future, including a no-go from China, where Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice apparently performed very well. It’ll be interesting to see how Ayer’s film holds its own in the weeks to come. I predict it’s all downhill after its stellar debut.
Speaking of going downhill, Jason Bournecame in second place with $22.7 million, tumbling 62 percent. Its domestic total surpassed the $100 million mark with $103.4 million, but that’s a far bigger drop than previous Bourne films. However, that might solely be because it was going up against the mammoth that was Suicide Squad. Overseas, it’s still holding its own with $195.4 million in its global cume. We’ll see how it ultimately ranks against the other Bourne films in the weeks to come.
This weekend’s only other wide release was Nine Lives, the feline-friendly family comedy-adventure that inexplicably stars Kevin Spacey. It came in sixth place with underwhelming $6.5 million for EuroCorp, which isn’t necessarily un-purr-dictable.
*waits for the crickets to die down*
This one kinda came in under the radar, and it was met with little fanfare. With a budget estimated around $30 million, it won’t be impossible to gain its money back, but it looks like Nine Lives is going to die just as quickly as it lived.
As for pet movies that are actually doing pretty well, The Secret Life of Pets came in fourth place with an extra $11.6 million added to its incredible $319.6 million domestic total. Overseas, the film earned an extra $68.6 million, which makes its worldwide total a staggering $502.2 million. It makes sense why Illumination went ahead and greenlit that sequel for 2018. This one is making straight bank.
Rounding out the weekend, Star Trek Beyondcame in fifth place with $10.3 million, making its domestic total a respectable $127.9 million during its third weekend (Note: I still need to see this one). Meanwhile, Bad Moms held onto third place with $14.2 million added to its $51 million domestic gross. This one already crossed into the black last week, however, so now it’s in straight profit territory.
Check out the full box office report, via THR and Box Office Mojo, below.
Suicide Squad Weekend: $135.1 million Domestic Total: $135.1 million
Jason Bourne Weekend: $22.7 million Domestic Total: $103.4 million
Bad Moms Weekend: $14.2 million Domestic Total: $51 million
The Secret Life of Pets Weekend: $11.6 million Domestic Total: $319.6 million
Star Trek Beyond Weekend: $10.2 million Domestic Total: $127.9 million
Nine Lives Weekend: $6.5 million Domestic Total: $6.5 million
Lights Out Weekend: $6 million Domestic Total: $54.7 million
Nerve Weekend: $4.9 million Domestic Total: $26.9 million
Ghostbusters Weekend: $4.8 million Domestic Total: $116.7 million
Ice Age: Collision Course Weekend: $4.3 million Domestic Total: $53.5 million
Hulu released the first trailer for its new original series ‘Chance’ starring Hugh Laurie as Eldon Chance.
The series is based on the novel by Kem Nunn. Laurie plays a forensic neuropsychiatrist who reluctantly gets sucked into a dangerous world of mistaken identity, police corruption, and mental illness.
According to USA Today, Laurie consulted with a neuropsychiatrist and learned that practitioners can’t heal patients in the way other doctors do. “He said, ‘The best I can do is manage incredibly damaged people (and) find the least bad option. Nobody leaves my office doing cartwheels,’ ” Laurie said.
‘Chance’ will run for two seasons of ten episodes with a definitive ending.
The series also stars Diane Farr as Christina Chance (Eldon Chance’s ex-wife), Lisa Gay Hamilton as Suzanne Silver, Stefania LaVie Owen as Nicole Chance (Eldon Chance’s daughter), Greta Lee as Lucy, Gretchen Mol as Jaclyn Blackstone, Paul Adelstein as Raymond Blackstone, Ethan Suplee as D, and Clarke Peters as Carl.
Marvel’s space swashbuckler Star-Lord is getting a new outfit for the Marvel Now! line up. In a preview posted on comicbook.com, we see how Peter Quill will ride into the fray. A combination of previous outfits, the feel goes back to the earliest adventures of the space cowboy. Yet the current look of Peter Quill is still in play.
Giving the hero a space marshal vibe, this appears to usher a new page for the character. Considering the recent release of what might be the Guardians last ride together.
The look is the brain child of artist Kris Anka, who is working together with Chip Zdarsky for the upcoming comic.
What do you guys think of Star-Lord’s new look? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
A preview of the upcoming issue of Spider-Man/Deadpool reveals a new look for the webslinger. Harkening back to the famous black symbiotic suit, Peter Parker seems to be showing a bit of animosity to his demented partner.
Especially since Deadpool killed Peter Parker twice recently. Which might throw a wrench into any relationship. Professional or other.
The outfit appears to have a Black Widow vibe and personally, I like the look a lot.
What do you guys think of the new look for Marvel’s famous hero? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
David Ayer’s latest has weathered bad reviews, tepid word-of-mouth and controversy surrounding its production this week, and that’s begun taking its toll on its performance. After earning an amazing $65 million on Friday, pundits were predicting a $145-150 million opening. But it dropped 41 percent between Friday and Saturday, which can also be said for The Dark Knight Rises, but that film was also impacted by the Aurora tragedy.
This weekend’s only other wide release was Nine Lives, the feline-friendly family comedy-adventure that inexplicably stars Kevin Spacey. It came in sixth place with underwhelming $6.5 million for EuroCorp, which isn’t necessarily un-purr-dictable.