‘Waves’ Trailer: Trey Edward Shults’ Epic Drama Follows A Family Pushed To The Breaking Point

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October 29, 2019

Trey Edward Shults may not seem like the most obvious choice to direct a film like Waves, which charts the raw, emotional journey of a successful African-American family in South Florida. The Krisha and It Comes at Night director has managed to channel their voice with such tremendous power the film looks to be one of A24’s most promising this awards season. The reaction to it has been incredible, and you can get a sense why that is with this new trailer.

Waves is led by the breakout star of 2019, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (if you haven’t seen Luce, get on that), along with Sterling K. Brown, Taylor Russell, and Renee Elise Goldsberry as a family in South Florida dealing with an intense amount of pressure, then coping with the aftermath of a terrible tragedy. Shults boldly offers the story up in two vastly different segments that, at least for me, are devastating in very different ways. But the first half is a pressure-cooker unlike anything I’ve experienced all year and will leave you shattered.

The film also stars Lucas Hedges, Alexa Demie, Neal Huff, and Clifton Collins, Jr., with music by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor that plays a crucial role in the movie’s impact.

SYNOPSIS: Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family— led by a well-intentioned but domineering father—as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. From acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults, Waves is a heartrending story about the universal capacity for compassion and growth even in the darkest of times.

Waves opens on November 15th, and look out for our interview with Shults and the cast in the coming weeks.

Rachel Weisz To Play Elizabeth Taylor In Activism Biopic ‘A Special Relationship’

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John Nolan

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October 29, 2019

The upcoming Elizabeth Taylor biopic A Special Relationship won’t be what we might expect from a film on the Hollywood legend. Rather than focusing on her many marriages and tumultuous relationships that grabbed headlines, it will instead deal with the activism that drove a different aspect of her life. That may be one of the key reasons the film was able to attract Oscar-winner Rachel Weisz to play Taylor.

Weisz will portray Elizabeth Taylor in A Special Relationship, which centers on her AIDS/HIV activism inspired by the friendship she formed in the ’80s with assistant Roger Wall, a gay man from the Deep South.

The script is by Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy, with directing duo Bert & Bertie behind the camera. Bert & Bertie are best known for the Sundance comedy Troop Zero, which debuted earlier this year and will be released by Amazon in 2020.

Weisz will be seen next in Marvel’s Black Widow. [Deadline]

New Trailer For ‘Knives Out’ Clues You In To The Glowing Reviews

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John Nolan

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October 29, 2019

The reviews are in: critics LOVE Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. Ever since the star-studded murder mystery debuted at TIFF it has been showered with universal praise, and Lionsgate plans to ride the positive buzz through to its release in just a matter of weeks.

A new trailer for Knives Out doesn’t have a ton of new footage, but it does clue you in to all of glowing quotes from critics and that stellar 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes. I saw it recently at Middleburg and also dug it, singing Johnson’s praises for an entertaining whodunnit that always keeps the audience on their toes.

Daniel Craig leads the pack as mysterious gumshoe Benoit Blanc, investigating the suspicious death of a wealthy crime novelist, with all of his family as possible suspects. Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Riki Lindholm, Noah Segan, and Jaeden Martell make for an incredible ensemble who are all clearly having too much fun.

Knives Out hits theaters on November 27th, but early screenings are taking place everywhere if you want to see if one is in your town.

‘Game Of Thrones’ Duo Exit Their Planned ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy

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John Nolan

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October 29, 2019

In a move I’m not totally surprised by and am convinced there’s a lot more to, Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are off their planned Star Wars trilogy. This would’ve been the first stories to take place following the end of the Skywalker Saga, and was heavily rumored to be based on the Knights of the Old Republic video games.

The news was confirmed by Deadline. The reason for Benioff and Weiss’ exit is being blamed on the exclusive deal they recently made with Netflix worth a reported $200M+.

“We love Star Wars,” the pair said in a statement. “When George Lucas built it, he built us too. Getting to talk about Star Wars with him and the current Star Wars team was the thrill of a lifetime, and we will always be indebted to the saga that changed everything.”

“There are only so many hours in the day, and we felt we could not do justice to both Star Wars and our Netflix projects. So we are regretfully stepping away.”

The duo’s trilogy was announced last year, with Disney giving them release dates of Dec. 16th 2022, Dec. 12th 2024 and Dec. 18th 2026. That’s a lot of territory that needs to be covered now. It’s unlikely they’ll try to move up Rian Johnson’s trilogy as it is only in the earliest stages of development. And what about the project Marvel’s Kevin Feige approached Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy about? Neither of those seem like possibilities at this point.

Fans really turned on Benioff and Weiss during that final Game of Thrones season, not to mention all of the controversy surrounding their shelved Civil War drama series Confederate. I don’t know if Lucasfilm decided the risk of keeping them around too great, and decided to use their busy Netflix schedule as a cover. It seems plausible to me, but as of now there’s no evidence. Just a gut feeling.

So the Star Wars universe continues to be in a state of flux, now more than ever.

‘The Mandalorian’ Trailer: A New ‘Star Wars’ Adventure Unfolds As The First Order Gains Strength

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John Nolan

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October 29, 2019

When plans for Disney+ were first announced, the hook used to draw in subscribers was The Mandalorian, and it’s easy to see why. The first live-action Star Wars series has been rumored about for years, and to deliver on that for fans is both a huge undertaking, a huge accomplishment, and a huge gamble considering the polarized reaction to the franchise of late.

That said, this looks absolutely incredible and like we’re getting a big budget movie in serialized format, right in the comfort of our own homes. Brought to us by the powerhouse duo of Jon Favreau and Star Wars Rebels creator Dave Filoni (if you ask me, the guy who should be Star Wars’ version of Kevin Feige), The Mandalorian is a prequel set between events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. It’s during this time we meet a lone Mandalorian gunfighter played by Pedro Pascal, as he has adventures on the outer rim of the galaxy far from New Republic authority.

Joining Pascal are Gina Carano, Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Carl Weathers, Bill Burr, Omid Abtahi, Taika Waititi, and Werner Herzog, with Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, Taika Waititi, and Bryce Dallas Howard directing episodes. Disney has so much faith in what they have a second season has already been given a thumbs up.

The Mandalorian kicks Disney+ off with a bang on November 12th. Check out the new trailer below along with a bunch of new character posters.

‘Supergirl’ Spinoff ‘Superman & Lois’ Will Try To Make Us Forget About ‘Lois & Clark’

By

John Nolan

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October 28, 2019

While I doubt anything will make me forget the Kryptonian perfection that was Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher (*swoon*) in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Greg Berlanti is going to give it a try. A new CW spinoff of Supergirl is in the works titled Superman & Lois, spinning out of the duo’s recent appearances in the Arrowverse.

The series will return Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch to the roles of Superman and Lois Lane, and will revolve “around the world’s most famous superhero and comics’ most famous journalist as they deal with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society” according to THR‘s report. I guess in the Arrowverse the question whether Supes and Lois can have kids has been asked and answered? Otherwise, this sounds almost identical to Lois & Clark, which makes it sortof an odd bird compared to the youth-centric shows it’s surrounded by.

Of course, this is being produced by Greg Berlanti like all of these Arrowverse shows are, with Todd Helbing serving as showrunner and writer of the pilot. Helbing had previously been in charge of The Flash, but stepped down and turned attention towards Superman & Lois.

While it’s too early to say if CW will move forward on this for the long haul, the track record says they probably will.

DC Readers: Attend A Free Early Screening Of ‘Last Christmas’

By

John Nolan

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October 28, 2019

We’re happy to offer our DC area readers the chance to attend tomorrow night’s special free screening of Last Christmas, starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. The film is directed by Paul Feig and co-written by Emma Thompson.

SYNOPSIS: Kate (Emilia Clarke) harumphs around London, a bundle of bad decisions accompanied by the jangle of bells on her shoes, another irritating consequence from her job as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. Tom (Henry Golding) seems too good to be true when he walks into her life and starts to see through so many of Kate’s barriers. As London transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, nothing should work for these two. But sometimes, you gotta let the snow fall where it may, you gotta listen to your heart … and you gotta have faith.

Last Christmas features the music of George Michael, including the bittersweet holiday classic of the film’s title. The film will also premiere brand new unreleased material by the legendary Grammy-winning artist, who sold more than 115 million albums and recorded 10 No. 1 singles over the course of his iconic career.

The screening takes place tomorrow, October 29th at 7:00pm at Regal Majestic in Silver Spring. If you’d like to attend, go to the Universal Pictures ticketing site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show1

Last Christmas opens on November 8th.

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‘Solo’ Writer Lawrence Kasdan Knows Who To Blame For The Movie’s Failure

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John Nolan

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October 28, 2019

Millions of words have already been written about the failure of Solo, the lowest-performing Star Wars movie ever with just $392M. To go back into all of the reasons why would be silly, but suffice it to say there are a number of factors, starting with the firing of Phil Lord and Chris Miller in favor of Ron Howard. Personally, I dig the film for what it is, which is the first Star Wars movie that isn’t a big, sprawling space opera.

One man who has his own theory on who to blame for Solo‘s disappointing performance is co-writer Lawrence Kasdan. Speaking at the Austin Film Festival, Kasdan talked about how he was pulled into the project grudgingly, and only because he was able to work with his son, Jonathan Kasdan. He added that he had “a very good experience” working on Solo, but that’s when somebody went and fucked the whole thing up…

“Then the studio blew it, but that’s not unusual,” Kasdan said.

Unfortunately, Kasdan doesn’t say how Disney/Lucasfilm “blew it”, but he could mean the movie’s marketing campaign. Or perhaps he didn’t dig the casting choices? Or the decision to release it just a few months after the divisive The Last Jedi? There’s a lot to pick from, honestly, and now that Kasdan has said this he will be drowned with questions from interviewers who want him to elaborate. [Syfy]

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‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ Bluray Arrives In December, Includes 20 Extra Minutes And Vinyl Record

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John Nolan

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October 28, 2019

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about extended versions of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. There’s been talk of a miniseries cut for Netflix, and just this past weekend Sony re-released it into theaters with 10 extra minutes of footage. Now, details have emerged on the upcoming home release and it will also come with even more that we’ve never seen.

The digital, Bluray, and 4K releases of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will include 20 extra minutes of never-before-seen footage. As for what that is? We don’t know, but as previously noted there is a lot that Tarantino left on the cutting room floor, including scenes with Damon Herriman as Charles Mason and Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen. Check out one of the deleted scenes below with Timothy Olyphant as James Stacy and Luke Perry as Wayne Maunder

In addition, the special edition 4K will include a 7-inch vinyl record with songs from the movie, in keeping with the era’s media of choice. Buyers will also receive a poster for one of Rick Dalton’s movies, and a Mad Magazine parody of Dalton’s TV series, Bounty Law. Tarantino fans will definitely put up the coin for those, I think.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood hits digital on November 26th. The 4K and Bluray versions arrive on December 10th. You can preorder by clicking on the below links.

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DC Readers: Attend A Free Screening Of ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’

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John Nolan

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October 28, 2019

Welcome to the day after Judgment Day! We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of Terminator: Dark Fate! The film returns James Cameron to the iconic franchise, joined by Deadpool director Tim Miller and stars Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta.

SYNOPSIS: Linda Hamilton (“Sarah Connor”) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (“T-800”) return in their iconic roles in Terminator: Dark Fate, directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool) and produced by visionary filmmaker James Cameron and David Ellison. Following the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator: Dark Fate also stars Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna and Diego Boneta.

The screening takes place tomorrow, October 29th, at AMC Mazza Gallerie at 7:00pm. If you’d like to attend, register with Gofobo here and download one Admit-Two pass. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you will need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!