A new Shaft movie is on it’s way. Samuel L. Jackson and Survivors Remorse star, Jessie T. Usher are set to star. Rumors are Usher will play Jackson’s son in the film.
Variety reports, after originally planning a full reboot of the ’70s classic, New Line is reverting back to a familiar formula for the next installment of “Shaft,” while also leaving the door open for a new face to take over the franchise. New Line began developing a new “Shaft” in 2015 after acquiring the remake rights and setting up the latest version with producer John Davis.
The 2000 Shaft reboot also starring Samuel L Jackson as the nephew of the original Shaft was a box office success opening up at number one, and grossing over $107 million worldwide.
The Shaft franchise became popular during 1971 when blaxploitation films were on the rise. The first film starred Richard Roundtree as the titular character. The popular song “Theme From Shaft” by Isaac hayes won the Academy Award for original song. The film was preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2000.
Tim Story is directing the upcoming film while black-ish creator Kenya Barris is writing the script.
No word on release date or when production will began. Check back for updates!
‘IT’ Is Looking AT $50-$55 Million Opening Weekend.
Analyst within the industry believes IT, the new film from Andrés Muschietti, will bring stellar numbers for its opening. This movie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel is gaining significant publicity months before the release. The teaser trailer broke records with 197 million views in 24-hours. By the time the first official trailer dropped, viewers were already so terrified of Pennywise The Dancing Clown.
Trackers predict Andrés Muschietti’s IT banks between $50M-$55M its opening weekend. These numbers put the film past the current record holder Hotel Transylvania 2 which took in $48M for their September release. Beyond just the month, this movie also finds itself a rare R-Rated horror that makes more than $50 million. According to BoxOfficeMojo, only Hannibal and Paranormal Activity 3 made more than $50M on their openings. IT joins an exciting company and looks to most well-received of the bunch.
Some insiders don’t see this record-breaking opening for the remake. Some note that even tried-and-true franchises like Annabelle fail to break home $40 million. These trackers are placing IT more along the lines of a $40M-42M opening.
What do you think? Will this movie break the records that trackers are predicting?
Personally, this movie is looking to be the horror event of the year. If the first weekend isn’t strong, but the hype is high, word of mouth for week two will make up for it.
“When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, neighborhood kids band together to square off against Pennywise, an evil clown whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.”
IT is directed by Andrés Muschietti and written by written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman. Bill Skarsgård stars as Pennywise The Dancing Clown. Jaeden Lieberher stars as Bill Denbrough and Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton and Jackson Robert Scott all in supporting roles.
Come float with Pennywise, in theaters on September 9th.
Don’t forget your Sonic Screwdriver as you get into your TARDIS because it’s time for RiffTrax. The comedy trio of Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett once again come together to mock bad movies for your entertainment. Can the team recover after the less than spectacular showing of The Summer Shorts Beach Party by taking on one of the most infamous science fiction franchises to come out of the United Kingdom?
Play Safe
The evening kicked off with an education animated short from the UK called Play Safe. It features warnings about the dangers of playing around electricity as taught through the lessons of an animated Robin and an Owl. The trio and the audience are treated to some very graphic depictions of why kids shouldn’t hang around substations and other electrical based locations. The team takes the time to poke at Birdemic and the very dire consequences of messing around with electricity. It was a bit of a surprise as the short talked about looking overhead there was no drone jokes made. A wasted opportunity but the jokes used were on point.
Doctor Who: Five Doctors
Finally, it was time for the main event. Doctor Who: The Five Doctors special was the 20th anniversary event for the long running franchise. It featured three previous Doctors (and one added in with editing), coming together to meet the current Doctor, played by Peter Davison. How did the trio fair against a series with a lot of history behind it?
The team were able to make a lot of great jokes during the presentation. There were a lot of pokes and jabs at the poor production, costuming, and plot holes littered through the special. Jokes about enemies being feet away but going unnoticed were especially comical. The team also made sure to bring up Japanese game shows, Neville Chamberlain, and a joke about the Dark Tower which was particularly amusing. The comedy was able to take advantage of the more talkative scenes to employ some really great jokes as well.
The movie is a tad long and filled with a lot of unneeded scenes. Still, it doesn’t make you wish, “Oh God, why won’t it end.” Overall, it was one of the best events Rifftrax has put on in a while. It’s still not up to their performance of Samurai Cop but few movies will ever reach caliber of entertainment.
An encore of the presentation will take play on August 24th and was presented by Fathom Events.
Marvel seems to be trying their best to get on the good side of their audience. As additional details are released for the upcoming Marvel Legacy Event, more of the publishing house’s classic titles will receive further issues and continuing their storylines. Earlier this week, they announced the return of 90s hero Darkhawk, who would be receiving a one-shot comic with Christopher Sims and Chad Bowers doing the story and Kev Walker providing artwork. Now more titles have joined the lineup.
First up is She-Hulk, who will have a story by Mariko Tamaki with Jahnoy Lindsay doing the artwork. This is followed by Secret Warriors, with Matthew Rosenberg serving as writer and Javier Garron providing art. The third title is biggest surprise of the announcement. Marvel is set to unleash the 31st issue of Old Man Logan with Ed Brisson on story and Mike Deodato providing the artwork. This is a safe move on Marvel’s part considering the comic became the basis on the most recent Wolverine movie simply titled Logan, a film garnished a large amount of praise upon its release. Additional Old Man Logan comics will help to satisfy the audience who are still looking for more adventures of an aging Logan trying his best to keep up the good fight.
The Marvel Legacy Event will begin on September 27th.
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What titles are you most looking forward to being released from the Marvel Legacy Event? Leave a comment below and let us know.
‘Marvel’s Defenders’ hit Netflix at 3:00 a.m. on the East Coast Friday morning and at the end of the series is a teaser for ‘The Punisher’ teaser trailer. There is a quick appearance by Jigsaw (image above), but you don’t know if he’s the main villain or if that is a flashback.
After the murder of his family, Frank Castle is both haunted and hunted. In the criminal underworld, he’ll become known as The Punisher.”
Steve Lightfoot is the showrunner, with the cast comprised of Jon Bernthal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ben Barnes, Jason R. Moore, Daniel Webber, and Deborah Ann Woll.
‘The Punisher’ hits Netflix this Fall.
Are you looking forward to ‘The Punisher?’ Sound off in the comments below.
Once upon a time, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were the most famous actors in the world.
No, I’m referring to a movie that came out long before the 2017 Oscars Moonlight episode. This is a little story about two Depression-era bank robbers and lovers.
Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde is now fifty years old, and it feels as modern as ever. For a little film on a tight budget, it would be a surprise hit in 1967 and earn several Oscar nods.
Dunaway plays Bonnie Parker, a waitress who feels bored in her one-horse town. While preparing for work, she spots ex-convict Clyde Barrow (Beatty) trying to steal her mother’s car. Instead of calling the police, Bonnie finds an attraction to the well-dressed thief, who is smitten with her. As he flirts, Clyde is quick to detect she is unhappy with her lot in life.
Within minutes of their first meeting, Clyde holds up a general store and steals a car with Bonnie. At this point, they haven’t even learned each others names! Despite the difficult situation, Bonnie and Clyde hit it off pretty well and go off on a crime spree. Their modus operandi is stealing different cars which they drive across state lines, so as to prevent capture. Although they become famous across America, Bonnie and Clyde prefer to rob grocery stores and gas stations instead of the big banks.
While on the road, they form the Barrow gang with Clyde’s brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons). Rounding out the crew is gas station attendant C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard), who’s handy with fixing cars. From the start, there is tension between Bonnie and Blanche, who don’t see eye to eye. Clyde also has some friction with Buck, who is more trigger-happy.
As with all things, the fun does come to an end. During a stop-over in a Texas motel, the group’s presence and behaviour alert the local authorities. Following a violent shootout, the gang members are driven their separate ways. As the law zeroes in, Bonnie and Clyde have to make peace with the idea they might not get out alive.
Warren Beatty delivers a stellar performance as Clyde. Handsome and persuasive, he brings a folksy sort of charm to the role. Beatty shows he can be vulnerable, as Clyde struggles with impotence and living up to notions of masculinity.
Faye Dunaway also shines as Bonnie Parker. Her evolution from mousy waitress to confident outlaw is impressive to watch. She also shows a more somber side in writing poems for the newspapers. It is her reading of “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” that serves as an elegy to the young couple.
The supporting cast does a great job in their roles. Gene Hackman is in fine form as Buck Barrow, and he has great chemistry with Beatty. One could easily believe the two of them as brothers. Estelle Parsons has a Oscar-winning performance as Blanche, who provides the comedy in freaking out during gunfights. Pollard plays C.W. as a country bumpkin who gets caught up in a crime wave. Yet he remains likeable, if somewhat naive to his predicament. In a different world, he could easily fit in with the Beverly Hillbillies.
The late Gene Wilder makes his film debut as the put-upon Eugene Gizzard. His entrance in the middle of the film is a welcome one, as he and his finance are taken prisoner by the gang. Over a few hours, kidnappers and hostages bond over dinner and jokes, and it seems everyone is having a good time. The fun ends abruptly when he reveals he’s an undertaker, which leads to him and his girl having to walk home.
Historically speaking, Bonnie and Clyde plays loose with the facts. C.W. is a composite of a few gang members, and some of their capers are not in the film. The real-life Clyde’s vendetta against the justice system is also left out. Contrary to the movie, he and Bonnie did not capture the sheriff who would later take them down. In addition, there is doubt as to whether or not Bonnie ever did shoot at anyone.
Penn’s direction is also in fine form. The film’s first half is in a light comedic tone. The getaways to “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”, which has become a staple of chase scenes. It isn’t until a bank robbery goes awry that the movie begins to take on a serious tone.
Perhaps the most remembered scenes are the motel fight and the climactic bloody shootout, in which our heroes go down in a haze of bullets. The latter is notable for its use of multiple angles and cross-cuts. It makes this writer wonder if Penn had the JFK Zapruder footage in mind.
Bonnie and Clyde holds up pretty well at half a century. Sure, it isn’t historically-accurate, but there are fine performances and great septettes. In a time when the studio system would die, the movie paves the way for a new age of anti-heroes.
The man who brought you ‘Face/Off’ is going back to his action-packed roots with his latest film ‘Manhunt.’ John Woo even brings back the white doves!
Accused of heinous crimes he didn’t commit, a prosecutor sets out on a mission to clear his name.
Check out the trailer to ‘Manhunt’ below:
You hope that Woo did not put together the trailer because everything seems off, especially the lighting. The images below carry the grit you would expect from a Woo film.
About ‘Manhunt’: Hong Kong and Taiwan, Hong Kong and Taiwan behind the scenes after the strong team, by Chen Jia, Chen Qingjia producer, Fukuyama Masaharu, Zhang Hanyu, Qi Wei, River wisdom, the United States and the United States, Court, Wu Feixia and other starring, the Japanese chief art master Tian Yangping as film art director, Shiban Taku as photographic guidance, and rock on behalf of Taro is responsible for music. The film was adapted from the German bookstore publishing, Nishimura Shouxing novel “Involved Rivers River” and KADOKAWA Co., Ltd. movie of the same name. Full film in Japan framing, the main shooting city for Osaka.
The story of the justice of the lawyer Du Qiu (Zhang Han ornaments), accidentally involved in a murder case, and the murder of the scene all the evidence directed at him, Du Qiu mind was woven, the truth. Police mobilization launched a comprehensive wanted, with many years of experience in the investigation of police detective village (Fukuyama Yazhi decoration), began to investigate shortly after the suspected murder layout which seems to have another inside. In the process of the pursuit of Duqiu Yukyu, a soldier and a thief actually developed a sympathetic friendship, but Yancun has been unable to fully believe that Du Qiu. In the end the murderer is really another person? Behind the murder of the murder of the great conspiracy?
The film stars Zhang Hanyu, Fukuyama Masaharu, Qi Wei, and Ha Ji-Won.
‘Manhunt’ will premiere at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals before the film hits the Chinese market in February.
Are you excited for the return of John Woo to crime action films? Comment below.
The biggest obstacle hindering Marvel’s latest release, The Defenders, stems from Netflix’s inability to promote their own product. While they assume just on name recognition alone The Defenders will flourish, but the reality is a vast majority of the people who will either review or watch this series have poor knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead of relying on the hope that everything is going to work out, Netflix has to get out of its own way.
For starters, after the debacle that was The Iron Fist, why would The Defenders center around Danny Rand? Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage are far better options to build this narrative around and yet the focus appears to be on Rand. It’s Rand’s ego driven choices that do more harm than good for the group. Rand spends most of his time talking about how horrible his life has been, his chi, and yes, telling everyone who will listen to him that he’s The Iron Fist. This is just further evidence Marvel and Netflix need to strongly consider moving away from Finn Jones and recasting the role. However, the chances of that happening don’t appear to be high.
Netflix also needs to look at how they promote their shows. While I understand the need to only show the critics so many episodes so nothing is ruined, why would you pick episodes that set up the back half of the series? In the four episodes we were allowed to screen before the series was to go live, each one of them provided the reason each Defender decides to join the fight to save New York. We don’t get a sense of where the story is headed or even if the story is one that should be told. The first four episodes of The Defenders are as if Luke Cage, Matt Murdock, and Jessica Jones were all transported into the first season of The Iron Fist.
Sigourney Weaver was a major selling point for this series but the first episodes are cut in such a way it’s hard to get a feel for her character. We do know she’s a crime lord and has no fear of dying. However, her motivation is unclear. Maybe if we had been able to see the whole series, it would have been understandable.
Elodie Yung’s return to Marvel is welcomed, however, she’s criminally underused. Her fight sequences are electrifying and provide one of the few highlights. One can hope in the back half of The Defenders, we see much more of Yung and her purpose is more defined.
Had The Defenders focused on the growing threat towards New York and less on the backstory (we get why they are doing this), the series would have been so much better. The fight sequences (as few as they were) were great but as the show meanders along the lack of visceral action becomes glaring.
It’s hard to recommend a show that feels this poorly executed. If you are a huge of all things Marvel, perhaps give this series a chance. However, with the quality of choices on Netflix, The Defenders just isn’t worth your time.
“Adult website” xHamster is offering to produce a third season of Sense8.
Sense8, which was recently cancelled on Netflix, never managed to create a climate of hype or mass media attention the way other Netflix series have, despite having similar production costs. It similarly failed to garner the same amount of critical acclaim or awards nominations other shows like Stranger Things or The Crown or House of Cards. This led to the streaming service deciding to cut its losses and cancel the show entirely, until a successful fan campaign resulted in Netflix granting the series a two hour series finale.
Now, however, xHamster has offered to step in and resurrect Sense8. This would be quite a change from the site’s normal content, which is exclusively pornographic in nature. In an open letter to Lana and Lilly Wachowski, xHamster wrote: “We recently read that you’re working on a third season of Sense8 despite the fact that Netflix has no plan to renew the series. We know it’s unconventional, but we want to bring it back – on xHamster. We’re not talking about a parody, or something less than, but an actual revival of the series. Ever since we read about the cancellation, we’ve been wondering if there was something we could do. While we’re happy that Netflix is picking up the series for a conclusion, before you wrap up the story, we wanted you to consider another option – letting xHamster produce the series.”
As the site has plainly stated above, this does not appear to be a joke. They acknowledge that they have the means to create the series with an even larger budget than before, and acknowledges that there may even have been ulterior motives to Sense8’s cancellation: “We know that a series about polyamorous perversity is a hard sell for a mainstream network like Netflix. We have no such limitations, and also understand implicitly the interconnectedness of sexualities across boundaries… xHamster has a long history of fighting for the rights of sexual speech, and non-normative sexuality.”
The plea they make is both well-reasoned and impassioned, which admittedly is a little surprising considering the site’s history. However, years ago it was strange when Netflix itself began producing original content like House of Cards and eventually Sense8, so perhaps now it’s xHamster’s turn to shine.
What do you think of this strange news? Is it so crazy it just might work, or is it destined to ultimately be ignored by the Wachowski’s?
Preacher Feature is a weekly analysis of the AMC show Preacher based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. In this column, we will give a breakdown of the events from the previous night’s show, including how they relate to the comics, and speculate as to what’s going on and what might be coming up. This is to say that there will be spoilers, both actual and potential. If you have not yet watched the episode in question or are watching the show without reading the comics and don’t want to have any foreknowledge of what might happen to Jesse and company, then you would do well to stop reading this now.
As “Puzzle Piece” starts, tensions are running high. Jesse’s search for God is not yielding answers and Tulip is clearly still haunted by her near-demise. After an argument, Jesse uses Genesis to command Tulip to sleep.
A team of Grail operatives, equipped with night-vision and with earphones to keep them from hearing Jesse’s commands, attacks the apartment. Cassidy falls on them in the kitchen and occupies most of the team. One breaks off and shoots Denis in his bed, then is beaten up by Jesse who, after removing the agent’s headphones, orders him to kill his friends. The agent reluctantly does so. Before Jesse can question him, he is attacked by Denis, whom we now see has been turned into a vampire by his father, Cassidy.
Private Dining
At a date in a fancy restaurant opened exclusively for his use, Herr Starr confesses that although he is a part of the Grail, perhaps the most powerful organization in the world, he has been feeling disenchanted. Something is missing. His date relates a story of seemingly having it all, but of a missing puzzle piece in her life. Starr confronts Featherstone and Hoover on their failure to eliminate
Starr confronts Featherstone and Hoover on their failure to eliminate Custer and is about to execute them when his gun jams. Showing complete loyalty to the Grail, even unto death, Featherstone fixes the gun and hands it back to Starr, but by this time he has changed his mind about killing them. He orders them to have “Brad” kill Custer and also to procure some prostitutes for a rape fantasy he has in mind.
When Tulip wakes up from her Genesis-induced sleep, she finds a pile of dead Grail agents. Tulip and Jesse have a tense conversation about him using Genesis on her and whether she’s ready to handle the next inevitable attack from the Grail. Tulip says she needs a gun and Jesse evidently disagrees, so she ends up borrowing one from the Grail’s Featherstone, who is still pretending to be their neighbor. Tulip shoots a suspicious, but not Grail-affiliated cleaner. Remember Brad from earlier? It turns out it’s actually B.R.A.D., short for Battle-Ready Remote-Operated Aerial Drone. Basically, the Grail is using a smart bomb to take out Jesse and company.
Speaking of company, the prostitutes hired for Herr Starr show up to his office, but are considerably less female than he had expected. In a scene both uncomfortable and humorous, the three men sodomize Starr while he’s forced face-down on a copy of the file on Jesse Custer. Starr has an epiphany regarding missing puzzle pieces (sodomy is what’s missing from his sexual life and Custer is what’s missing from his plans for world domination) and decides to let Jesse live. Too late to stop the drone completely, it’s is redirected to Harry Connick Jr’s house, making him at least the second celebrity the show has “killed off”, after Tom Cruise in the pilot.
Another Uncomfortable Confrontation
The episode ends with Herr Starr approaching Jesse in a bar and suggesting that he may be able to help Jesse find God.
Easter Eggs/Connections to the Comics
In the comics, the man who shoots Jesse’s father is Jody, a killer devoted to Jesse’s grandmother, Marie. Presumably, it’s Jody in the flashback, though we see only his forearm and not his trademark ponytail.
The whiskey Jesse and Starr drink is called Ratwater and has a silhouette of The Saint of Killers as its logo.
Tulip steps on a loose tile in the bathroom, where Jesse hid weapons belonging to the Saint of Killers.
Questions/Theories
With four episodes left in the season, will Jesse confront Marie, Jody, and T.C.? It seems likely, with all the hints being dropped so far.
What impact will Jesse using Genesis on Tulip have on their relationship? She’s made clear just how much she dislikes him using it at all, and no doubt sees him using it on her as a violation. Will his “I didn’t know what else to do” reasoning satisfy her?
Herr Starr obviously has plans with Jesse. In the comics, he wants to replace the Grail’s descendant of Christ with Jesse Custer in order to take over the world. Also, I can’t help but notice the similarities between Starr’s offer to Jesse and Hitler’s offer to Eugene. My guess is the writers will tie these together near the end of the season.
