According to Forbes, the Gal Gadot-led superhero origin story is now the highest grossing motion picture of its kind, passing Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man movie.
The flick has brought in a whopping $821.74 Million worldwide, a staggering number not even WB could’ve predicted.
Although DC films have gotten a bad wrap thus far, the studio remains hopeful that Wonder Woman will flip the narrative. With Justice League a few weeks away, can the momentum continue to build, or will it fall flat, akin to the release of Batman v Superman or Suicide Squad? Ultimately, I think Justice League is truly make or break for the upcoming slate of DC films. The studio must nail the debut performance of The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman – along with these new characters, audiences are looking to see Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman further fleshed out. Regardless of how Justice League does, nothing can take away the success that Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, and the entire crew deserve for the hit they released in June.
How do you feel about Wonder Woman? Did you enjoy the film? Sound off in the comments below.
Jordan Peele may be taking audiences into a land of both shadow and substance with a reboot of The Twilight Zone, according to sources. Per The Hollywood Reporter, CBS Corp. President and CEO Leslie Moonves announced the project on Thursday’s earnings call.
Peele, known for sketch show standout Key and Peele and more recently for his directorial debut (the riveting social thriller Get Out) will be joined by Marco Ramirez (Daredevil, The Defenders). The show is planned for CBS All Access, which recently launched another sci-fi revival, Star Trek: Discovery
They will have their work cut out for them trying to do justice to the original Twilight Zone, which ran from 1959-1964 on CBS and is perhaps the most iconic television series of all time. The show was created by Rod Serling and featured stories from many of sci-fi’s top writers (such as Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson), as well as performances from countless stars and future stars.
Two previous attempts to reboot the series (three if you include the 1983 movie) met with limited success. Get Out proved that Peele has vision and talent in the field of socially-conscious science fiction, which was at the heart of most of the original series’ best episodes. The timing could be right, as many of the issues Serling and company dealt with (racial tension, fear of nuclear war, the potential hazards of technology) are on our collective minds as much as they were in the 1960s. Dark Mirror, a show that owes much to the original Twilight Zone, and deals primarily with the technological aspects, has been popular enough to be greenlit for a fourth season.
Tremendous writing and outstanding performances make Thor: Ragnarok a hit.
Summary
This story picks up with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) slaying a fire demon named Surtur and once again saving Asgard. He returns home to find his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), impersonating their father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Apparently, he was sent to Earth to live his final days. When they go to find him, they learn that his death is imminent and that will free their sister Hela the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett). Her plans become quickly known as she plans to bring Ragnarok and destroy Asgard. A battle ensues, and Thor ends up on the planet Sakkar. He’s immediately captured by Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and sold to The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) so that he may battle his reigning champion who has a special connection to Thor (Psst … it’s the Hulk played by Mark Ruffalo).
What Worked
Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost all deserve a standing ovation for the storyline they developed. Rather than come up with some hero’s quest, they focused on the absurdity of our favorite Asgardian. What we have is a Thor vs. Hela storyline rife with off the wall moments and great chemistry. Some of the best written moments came when the Hulk and Thor were interacting in the Grandmasters palace. Hemsworth and Ruffalo’s chemistry had moments that reminded me of Gibson and Glover in Lethal Weapon.
Thompson’s was strong, empowered, and a bit of bad ass. She challenges Hemsworth’s character on multiple levels. For more than half of the film, Valkyrie dominates him. It was refreshing to see and enjoyable to watch.
Taika Waititi got more out Hemsworth and Ruffalo than any of the previous Marvel releases. One would have to surmise he saw the clips of Hulk saying “Puny God” after demolishing Loki and Thor being wholly oblivious and realized he could use it to his advantage. Waititi allows these characters to embrace the absurdity of their circumstances. Sakkar is a planet that worships the Hulk in a way no planet would. Ruffalo’s character still believes that he can’t co-exist with the people of Earth. On this battle planet, they have parades that honor him and sculptures made of his likeness. For someone who is feeling low, Sakkar is the perfect pick me up.
Thor has spent the majority of his previous Marvel films being the most dominant character on screen. Now he doesn’t have control of what he can do from one minute to the next. Each of these characters finds humor in their respective circumstances which sets this release apart from any number of the previous films.
Mayes C Rubeo and Beverly Dunn deserve recognition as well. The set designs and costumes in the film were so fun and added another element to the film. The vibrant color choices and the architecture of the Grand Masters palace were highlights for me.
The most prominent part that stood out to me was how conflicted Ruffalo’s character was in the film. It’s easy to see that being the Hulk and Dr. Banner is starting to wear thin. He’s frightened by the idea that he may one day transform and never return. Hopefully, they dive deeper into this narrative during Avengers: Infinity War.
The color palette in this film was terrific and brought such vibrancy to each scene.
Blanchett’s portrayal of Hela is twisted and stands out as one of the best villains in the Marvel universe to date.
The cameos are some of the best of any Marvel film.
What Didn’t Work
Thor: Ragnarok has some elements of predictability to the plot.
Overall
Thor: Ragnarok is the first Marvel release that made me want to start reading comic books. Waititi’s approach has created a film which is full of visual splendor yet rooted in Thor’s rich history. No one needs to be a comic book historian to enjoy this release. The bottom line is the film is highly entertaining and should be seen ASAP.
The Disaster Artist is getting serious buzz as one of the best films of the year. Ironic, since its subject is that of Tommy Wiseau, who made what is widely considered to be the worst movie ever made in The Room.
This second trailer for The Disaster Artist proves that James Franco and Wiseau are something of kindred spirits, two strange Hollywood outsiders, albeit one with a little more talent than the other. This looks great:
I’ve never sat down and watch The Room. Odds are most people interested in this movie are the same way; they know the legend of Wiseau’s trashterpiece but have never taken the time to watch it from start to finish. The football scene on the roof is enough for me. This looks much more touching and heartfelt that what I expected.
Franco also directs The Disaster Artist, and he brings along his brother Dave and his bro Seth Rogen. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg here, as the cast list goes about 40 deep before you hit a name you don’t recognize. It opens December 1, and it should probably be a big player during awards season, which is the cruelest irony of all.
According to The Wrap, Mark Strong (Kingsman: The Golden Circle) is in talks with Warner Bros. and DC Films to play the villain in David Sandberg’s Shazam movie. The article states that Strong is in talks to play DC villain Doctor Sivana.
If offered the role, this will be the second DC villain Mark Strong has portrayed. The actor previously played Sinestro in 2011’s Green Lantern film. Last week we learned that Zachary Levi (Chuck) had been cast as the original Captain Marvel.
Poster Posse has collaborated with Warner Bros. to create a Day of the Dead-themed Justice League poster, which can be seen below.
Day of the Dead, called “Dia de Muertos” in Spanish, is a two day holiday where people celebrate their loved ones, family and friends, that have passed away. The holiday goes from October 31 to November 2.
“Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”
Justice League comes to theaters on November 17? Are you looking forward to the DC team-up movie? Comment below, let us know.
In an interview with the Russo brothers, Cnet got the scoop on whether or not Avengers: Infinity War will feature surprises and unexpected characters. To no one’s surprise, it will. Here’s what Joe Russo said on the matter:
“There’s going to be a lot of unexpected characters. There are more surprises packed into this film than any of the others. Part of that is character interactions, new interesting characters, characters that have made small appearances that are really getting fleshed out in this film. A lot of people enjoy the experience, so I don’t want to give anything away, but certainly you can expect lots of surprises.”
What surprises and unexpected characters could the co-director be talking about? Do you have any theories? If so, tell us in the comments section.
“As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.”
The cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as Thanos.
Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018.
Although Hayao Miyazaki went into retirement several years ago, the legendary Studio Ghibli co-founder and film director is now working on a new motion picture which has been given an official title. The movie is called Kimitachi wa Do Ikiru ka, which translates to, How Do You Guys Live?, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Kimitachi wa Do Ikiru ka is based on a book by the same name, published in 1937 and written by Genzaburo Yoshino.
Miyazaki attended the opening of the Natsume Soseki Memorial Museum, and had this to say about the film:
“The film is about how this particular book featured prominently in the protagonist’s life. It will take three to four years to complete the anime.”
Are you looking forward to Miyazaki’s next, and likely last, movie? Which of his previous films is your favorite? Start a conversation in the comments below.
Leonardo DiCaprio is in early – and I emphasize early – stages of joining Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming Charles Manson film.
According to the Deadline news, Tarantino has finished the script, titled simply #9 at this point, and is shopping it around Hollywood. It’s a change for the director, whose entire career has been filtered through Harvey Weinstein and Miramax. Now that Weinstein has fallen (and Tarantino has had his own troublesome admissions regarding what he knew) and his production company has virtually collapsed, QT is looking for a studio home.
It shouldn’t take long. Al the studios are understandably interested in the screenplay, except Disney for obvious reasons…
As for Leonardo DiCaprio, nothing has been confirmed yet. There’s no indication as to who he would be playing in the film, which is set in the 60s and 70s and revolves around the Manson Family murders, but Leo seems about a foot too tall to play the diminutive madman. Sadly, Jeremy Davies already played Manson in a TV movie, because he would be a perfect fit.
Leo joins the names of Brad Pitt as possible cast members, and Margot Robbie and Jennifer Lawrence as possible choices for Sharon Tate, the most famous of the victims.
Pottersville is a movie that’s been in some form of production well over a year now. It has a terrific cast, lead by none other than the great Michael Shannon. As for the story, well, it takes place in a small New England town where Shannon is mistaken for a bigfoot after drunkenly stumbling around in a gorilla suit.
Yes, of course it is.
See this trailer for your own eyes, and try and make sense of the existence of this movie…
The plot centers on Maynard (Shannon), a beloved local businessman who is mistaken for the legendary Bigfoot during an inebriated romp through town in a makeshift gorilla costume. The sightings set off an international Bigfoot media spectacle and a windfall of tourism dollars for a simple American town hit by hard times.
Frankly, I am stunned that this is a movie at all. Aside from Michael Shannon we have Judy Greer, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Ian McShane, and Thomas Lennon as some sort of Monster Hunter guy. Amazing.
Anyway, Pottersville is planning on a theatrical release date at some point this year. Let’s go ahead and set the over/under box office take at $100. I’m tempted to take the under.
