WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE BELOW
In an interview with the French news site Le Monde, Frank Miller discussed the plot to his upcoming Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Miller says that the story’s chief antagonists will be the people of Kandor, the shrunken Kryptonian city kept by Superman in his Fortress of Solitude. In Miller’s story, Batman frees one million Kandorian citizens – and must then join forces with Superman and the other surviving members of the Justice League to prevent the conquest of Earth by this Master Race of Kryptonians. Miller says that while Batman has defeated Superman before, this time he will be facing “millions as strong as Superman…but if we had to bet, I would bet on Batman.”
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with Comic Book Resources, DKIII’s co-writer Brian Azzarello and illustrator Andy Kubert revealed that it isn’t Bruce Wayne behind the mask, but someone else. “Batman” is in fact Carrie Kelley, the Robin first introduced in Miller’s original Dark Knight Returns miniseries, who has taken over for Wayne after his death. Whether Bruce Wayne is really dead remains to be seen, but is unlikely given Miller’s comments.
Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1 arrives in comic shops on November 25.
The stories surrounding the production of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming period thriller The Revenant are as compelling as the intense trailers. The shoot itself is a growing legend almost daily, with stories of desperate times and Leonardo DiCaprio sleeping inside a dead carcass to prep for his role as a man left for dead in the wilderness.
DiCaprio’s co-star, and everyone’s favorite new cinematic tough guy, Tom Hardy, recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about filming, and said he and Iñárritu got into a wrestling match behind the scenes:
“When things get a bit too serious, I go, ‘Why don’t we have a cuddle in front of all these people here?’ It ends with both of us falling down in the snow. I think that’s a good thing. If I’m the naughty boy for doing that, then I’d rather be the naughty boy and release that tension… He’s unlike any director I’ve ever worked with. He sees things how he sees them, so to give him back what he wants is quite an interesting experience. It could drive you f—ing nuts.”
Iñárrituresponded, saying “On the surface, he can look inaccessible or difficult. But he is just a beautiful human being. He’s incredibly sensitive and lovable.”
It’s a strange thing with Tom Hardy. He appears to butt heads with directors all the time, yet the directors love him for it. He isn’t difficult for difficulties sake, not someone like Val Kilmer necessarily. He’s doing it all in the name of creativity and bringing energy to the film and his role in particular. That’s why I dig the guy.
The Revenant hits theaters in a limited release on Christmas, then goes to wide release in early January 8.
The world of television is changing since viewers can now fast-forward through commercials the new revenue source for networks is “streaming rights.”
FOX has worked out a deal with Amazon Prime Instant Video for the streaming rights to Lucifer. Amazon will be able to stream the new series in the UK shortly after the show airs in the United States. Check out the new Amazon trailer.
Lucifer is coming to FOX in January 2016.
Based upon the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, LUCIFER is the story of the original fallen angel. Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR (Tom Ellis, “Merlin”) has abandoned his throne and retired to L.A., where he owns Lux, an upscale nightclub.
Charming, charismatic and devilishly handsome, Lucifer is enjoying his retirement, indulging in a few of his favorite things – wine, women, and song – when a beautiful pop star is brutally murdered outside of Lux. For the first time in roughly 10 billion years, he feels something awaken deep within him as a result of this murder. Compassion? Sympathy? The very thought disturbs him – as well as his best friend and confidante, MAZIKEEN aka MAZE (Lesley-Ann Brandt, “The Librarians”), a fierce demon in the form of a beautiful young woman.
The murder attracts the attention of LAPD homicide detective CHLOE DANCER (Lauren German, “Chicago Fire”), who initially is dismissive of Lucifer. But she becomes intrigued by his talent for drawing out people’s secrets and his desire to dispense justice, doling out punishment to those who deserve it. As they work together to solve the pop star’s murder, Lucifer is struck by Chloe’s inherent goodness. Accustomed to dealing with the absolute worst of humanity, Lucifer is intrigued by Chloe’s apparent purity and begins to wonder if there’s hope for his own soul yet.
At the same time, God’s emissary, the angel AMENADIEL (DB Woodside, “Suits,” “24”), has been sent to Los Angeles to convince Lucifer to return to the underworld…can the Devil incarnate be tempted toward the side of Good, or will his original calling pull him back toward Evil?
Tom Kapinos (“Californication”) wrote and executive-produced the pilot.
The second season of iZombie loves a few certain things. Sympathetic villains, over the top personas, and torturing Major. So what happens when the first two are ignored and a focus is put on the third? We get an okay episode.
Spoilers
I guess it wasn’t a bad episode, it’s better than last weeks in just about every way, but it wasn’t a very memorable episode either. Unlike the previous episode, which was either really high or really low in terms of quality, this episode was a flat line ‘eh’.
The seasons plotlines got a bit of development, Peyton’s working on hunting down ‘Mr. Boss’ with little success for the most part. Blaine’s having trouble getting the special Utopium from the guy that cut it. Liv and Major’s relationship ended and then started again. Peyton made friends with Blaine. Gilda and Major hooked up. Quite a bit happened, but not much of it was very compelling.
That said, a new character was introduced (an FBI agent stepping in on the local police’s turf, how original) and she was a blast. With a wonderful balance of snark and intelligence, every minute she was on-screen was an enjoyable minute. While her character was loads of fun, we have yet to see her impact on the story, and more specially the Major. Regardless, I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us.
The episode’s mystery however was really disappointing. There were many twists and turns, and by the end it seemed like we had finally found our murderer, and he was one of these sympathetic villains season 2 is pretty fond of, but instead it turned out to be a random break in that turned lethal. Which, like last weeks as well, wasn’t very satisfying at all. The show tried to pass it off as being realistic, that not all murders have a great story behind them, but I’m watching a show about a zombie that solves crimes with her brain-visions, I didn’t come here for realism! I came for a good narrative story, which this was not.
After a 13 year hiatus and a number of false starts, it appears Bad Santa 2 will begin filming in January, and hit theaters in time for the 2016 holiday season.
Miramax delivered a press release regarding the long-gestating project:
LOS ANGELES, CA (October 29, 2015) – Miramax® and Broad Green Pictures announced today that Billy Bob Thornton (television series ”Fargo”, Sling Blade, Simple Plan, Bandits) will reprise his signature role as Willie Soke in BAD SANTA 2, the follow-up to the raucous comedy hit BAD SANTA first released in 2003. Geyer Kosinski (The Astronaut Farmer, The Bad News Bears, television series “Fargo”) will produce.
Miramax® will partner with Broad Green Pictures to co-finance and co-produce. Broad Green will distribute BAD SANTA 2 theatrically in the U.S. during the 2016 holiday season. Sierra/Affinity will handle foreign sales with sales starting at the upcoming American Film Market (November 4-11, 2015).
“We’ve been waiting far too long to see Billy Bob’s Willie Soke mess with the holiday season in his own unique way,” said Zanne Devine, Miramax’s EVP of Film & TV. “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Billy Bob, the entire creative and producing team, and Broad Green and Sierra/Affinity to bring back the outrageous humor and characters that made this movie brand iconic in the first place.”
“Bad Santa has been a part of our family holiday tradition ever since we all saw it together at our neighborhood theatre,” said Broad Green Pictures CEO Gabriel Hammond and CCO Daniel Hammond. “We are excited to bring this memorable character and new chapter back to the big screen.”
David Thwaites will oversee the project for Miramax® and Victor Moyers for Broad Green Pictures. Principal photography will commence in January 2016 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
BAD SANTA 2 is the latest project in a busy Miramax® pipeline of new content: In July, Miramax® in partnership with Roadside Attractions released the critically acclaimed summer specialty box office hit MR. HOLMES (http://www.miramax.com/movie/mr-holmes/) starring Academy Award®nominees Ian McKellen and Laura Linney; in January, Miramax® partnered with Sony-Screen Gems on the release of the Kevin Hart comedy hit THE WEDDING RINGER (http://www.miramax.com/movie/the-wedding-ringer/); the supernatural thriller THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX starring Jamie Dornan, Aaron Paul and Sarah Gadon is in post-production and represents Miramax’s first foreign sales partnership with Sierra/Affinity; and as recently announced, Universal, Miramax® and StudioCanal are co-financing BRIDGET JONES’S BABY with Working Title producing. As a television studio, Miramax® also just jointly announced with El Rey Network the third season of “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” (http://www.miramax.com/series/from-dusk-till-dawn-the-series/), with season two having concluded on El Rey Network on October 27.
Since its inception, Broad Green Pictures has released nine films including A WALK IN THE WOODS, 99 HOMES, LEARNING TO DRIVE, I SMILE BACK and SAMBA. In addition to BAD SANTA 2, Broad Green’s upcoming slate includes SONG OF LAHORE, THE DARK HORSE, three films by Terrence Malick (KNIGHT OF CUPS, VOYAGE OF TIME and THE UNTITLED TERRENCE MALICK PROJECT), INFILTRATOR, starring Brian Cranston and BRAIN ON FIRE starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Richard Armitage, Carrie-Anne Moss and Tyler Perry.
The deal was brokered on behalf of Miramax by Steve Hutensky and WME Global; Christopher Tricarico, EVP, Business & Legal Affairs and General Counsel, and Marc Danon, President of Acquisitions & Co-Productions, handled for Broad Green. Thornton is repped by WME.
Neill Blomkamp has officially put his Alien film on hold, as Ridley Scott ramped up production on Prometheus 2. Blomkamp has been teasing work on Alien 5 for several months now, and it appeared things were moving forward with his version until Scott announced a new title for Prometheus 2 (Alien: Paradise Lost) and decided to get to work on a follow up to his 2012 prequel..
On Twitter, Blomkamp confirmed he was moving on to other projects for the time being:
alien is kinda holding/ pending prometheus 2. So I shall be working on other things… as much as I love the xeno- and Lt ripley
Those “other things” Neill Blomkamp mentions are not confirmed right now. Perhaps he has another half-assed allegorical sci-fi film in his back pocket. If you ask me, everyone jumped the gun after District 9, because his follow up Elysium was mediocre and his most recent Chappie was one of the worst films I’ve seen in a long time.
No Alien 5 from Neill Blomkamp is a blessing in disguise, and not a very believable disguise at that.
Regardless of what political agenda someone might have, Truth is an incredibly captivating film. It’s easy to dismiss this film on the notion that the story behind Truth was politically motivated, but it’s hard to dismiss the tremendous performances of both Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett. Above all else, it can’t be disputed that the story is unique: how many scandals can you name involving the leader of the free world and the end of a beloved news anchor’s (Dan Rather) career.
Truth is being heralded as Redford’s time to shine when, in fact, it’s Blanchett who steals this movie. This will come as no surprise to anyone as it would be easy to argue that Cate Blanchett is one the best actresses in Hollywood. Her portrayal of Mary Mapes is done with both passion and a strong will, but with appropriate vulnerability the entire time. Redford portrays Dan Rather traditionally, but it comes off as a flat impression. The credit for any sort of chemistry generated by these two great actors should be given to Cate Blanchett. Even in the midst of Redford’s belabored attempt to become Dan Rather, Blanchett’s screen presence draws not only the audience in but also the actors she’s in the scene with. She creates a real spark with Redford and they seemed to feed off of each other in the film. Her relentless effort in scene after scene elevate the quality of this picture.
Director James Vanderbilt, who penned the sublime screenplay for David Fincher’s Zodiac, will receive a ton of praise for this film, and rightly so. Vanderbilt’s work here is fantastic. Even though the film has all the look and feel of a good old-fashioned newsroom melodrama, this film actually has the pacing of an action film. The cinematography, editing, and tremendous musical score all make Truth a unique experience. Remember, unique can be wonderful.
Truth has been getting pounded in the media. CBS has even taken the stance of not airing any commercials that promote the film. The media is proclaiming that this film glorifies a group of individuals who perpetrated a lie about the President of The United States. The people who are shouting from the mountaintops that Truth is more “left wing” propaganda likely haven’t watched this film. Truth is not about the 60 Minutes II scandal; it’s about the absence of truth in our pursuit of getting the “story.” Though Mary Mapes is clearly to blame for not fully validating those “documents” as they were building their story, what astonished me is that everyone lost sight of the “truth” behind the actual story. If anything, Truth shows the audience that these days that truth is nothing more than what we can sell to the general public
As a horror fan I can admit to admiring how prolific this genre is in Asian countries, especially Japan, Korea and China, and with names like Kim Jee-Woon, Hideo Nakata and Takashi Miike (who consistently produces two, three and sometimes four films a year) being a point of reference.
Here are a few Asian horror films to watch this Halloween or just any time when you’d like a good scare. Why do I call them “modern classics”? A classic is “a work of art of recognized and established value” and modern means “relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past”, so we can consider these some of the best horror movies produced in Asian countries, in this case, since the late 90s.
RINGU [THE RING] (1998) – Japan
We all know the main character in this film, either from the original or the 2002 Gore Verbinski remake, as it is a part of pop culture with multiple references and spoofs in films and tv shows like TheCabin in the Woods or Scary Movie 3, to name a couple.
In this movie, directed by Hideo Nakata, journalist Reiko Asakawa investigates a series of deaths involving her niece and a VHS tape. Upon seeing it, people receive a call saying “seven days”… after which a girl with a dirty gown and extremely long hair in front of her face will crawl through the television and literally scare them to death.
The appeal for Ringu is not only the frightening factor of receiving the call and being haunted by a terrifying girl, but also the fact that there’s an interesting back story behind it: a mystery to solve in a 7-day countdown when Asakawa’s son watches the tape.
Its Hollywood remake is very well-regarded among fans and often considered one of the best horror movies of all time. Nakata also directed both the Japanese and American sequels (not so successful).
Based on a novel by Kôji Suzuki. Written by Hiroshi Takahashi. Starring Nanko Matsushima, Yûko Takeuchi, Rie Ino’o.
[embedyt]https://youtu.be/1mbo5vHy8dw[/embedyt]
ÔDISHON [AUDITION] (1999) – Japan
A widower teams up with a film producer to set up a fake audition for a movie in order to approach women. Little does he know, the one he sets his eyes on is not who he expects…
This creepy and at times disgusting thriller will have an unforgettable impact on you. It’s brutally violent and extremely disturbing, even though it starts out mellow. Those who recognize the director’s name, Takashi Miike, will know ahead of time how controversial his films can become. When I hear about people walking out or passing out during certain movies, I can’t quite understand it when they don’t elicit that kind of reaction from me, but during Audition, anything could happen, in and off-screen. Needless to say, it’s not for the weak-hearted.
Based on a novel by Ryû Murakami. Written by Daisuke Tengan. Starring Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki.
HONOGURAI MIZU NO SOKO KARA [DARK WATER] (2002) – Japan
The first time I heard about the title of this film was from the 2005 remake, directed by Walter Salles (On the Road, The Motorcycle Diaries) and starring Jennifer Connelly and John C. Reilly. It doesn’t differ much from the original and in this case is hard for me to choose one over the other, but if you haven’t seen neither, give the original one a chance first. Some say it’s more of a drama with some paranormal elements than a horror movie. Either way, it’s one of my favorites.
Directed by Hideo Nakata, Dark Water tells the story of a newly divorced mother who moves with her 6-year-old daughter into an apartment where strange things start happening soon after. The source material, from the same author as Ringu, is again what lends the best part about the movie with Nakata’s storytelling style of slow unraveling, wide shots and hidden clues. It’s what keeps the viewer interested.
Based on a novel by Kôji Suzuki. Written by Ken’ichi Suzuki and Yoshihiro Nakamura. Starring Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi.
GIN GWAI [THE EYE] (2002) – Hong Kong/Singapore
I saw this movie at least ten years ago during one Halloween when it was aired on television late at night. It was a great, frightening experience. The Eye depicts the story of a girl who gets a cornea transplant to be able to see again. What she realizes quite quickly is that after the surgery, she’s even able to see whatever’s out of this world. As it goes along, the film, directed by Oxide and Danny Pang, becomes a bit jumbled, with some weird imagery and slightly confusing twists and turns, but overall remains enjoyable.
It became one of my favorite horror movies mostly because of the elevator scene, which for a long time I used to think of whenever I went into one. It reminded me of some of those ghost-spotting tense moments in The Sixth Sense.
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuSO-_XiToI[/embedyt]
Of course Hollywood, in its infinite originality, made a remake of this with Jessica Alba, but let’s pretend it never existed.
Written by Yuet-Jan Hui, Danny Pang, Oxide Pang Chun. Starring Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou, Yut Lai So, Candy Lo.
Filmmaker Sam Raimi, who brought Spider-Man to the big screen, admits that Spider-Man 3 was a hot mess, but he would love to work with Marvel again.
“I messed up on the third one,” Raimi said in an interview with The Week. “I think they’re so complete now, Marvel. They probably don’t need me anymore. But if they needed me? I’d love to. It’s great to be wanted.”
What film would you like Rami to direct? Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Inhumans are all looking for a director. Peyton Reed and Marvel are working on a contract for Ant-Man and the Wasp. Marvel also has three untitled films slated for 2020.
The Ghost Rider films have been nothing less than an epic trainwreck, but Raimi’s style would be a perfect fit for the Spirit of Vengence.
Marvel Studios Film Schedule
2016
May 6: Captain America: Civil War
November 4: Doctor Strange
2017
May 5: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
July 28: Marvel Studios co-produced Spider-Man film (Sony)
November 3: Thor: Ragnarok
2018
February 16: Black Panther (new date) – NEEDS A DIRECTOR
May 4: Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1
July 6: Ant-Man and the Wasp (new addition) – NEEDS A DIRECTOR
2019
March 8: Captain Marvel (new date) – NEEDS A DIRECTOR
May 3: Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2
July 12: Inhumans – NEEDS A DIRECTOR
2020
May 1: Untitled Marvel Studios film (new addition) – NEEDS A DIRECTOR
July 10: Untitled Marvel Studios film (new addition) – NEEDS A DIRECTOR
November 6: Untitled Marvel Studios film (new addition) – NEEDS A DIRECTOR
Tommy Wiseau’s The Room is one of the weirdest phenomena in cinema history. It’s a terrible movie, one of the very worst to ever stain celluloid, and yet it has traveled twelve years across the landscape of pop culture as a cult classic. It is watched at festivals, with audiences who laugh and cackle along with the awful dialogue, strange transitions, terrible editing, and the general awkwardness.
Who knows how cult films grow like The Room has, the definitive “so bad it’s good” theatrical experience. Now, thanks to the unflappable pop culture imprint, James Franco is set to direct The Disaster Artist, a film documenting the making of The Room. Franco will star alongside his brother, Dave, and Seth Rogen also discussing a starring role according to the report in The Hollywood Reporter. Because of course.
The Disaster Artist will focus primarily on Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), who co-starred with Wiseau (played by James), who genuinely thought he was making a quality film. There are elements of tragedy and comedy, so Franco could take the picture in a number of directions. The Disaster Artist is also the name of Tom Bissell’s book about the production of The Room.
Something about James Franco absolutely fits in a behind the scenes biopic about the making of one of the worst movies ever made. Franco is a wonderful actor at times, but he also seems to be intentionally bad at times, sometimes noticeably so. His weird acting somehow fits in with a film about The Room, and in an odd way he even resembles Wiseau.
Filming is moving fast, as Franco is set to begins shooting this December.
