If you’ve been hanging around the Internet for the last hour or so waiting for that Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer, well, you may be waiting a few days longer. After a report earlier in the week the trailer would debut today during Sony and Marvel’s panel at the Comic Con event in Brazil, with an online rollout to immediately follow, an industry “insider” now says the release has been delayed.
So yeah trailer got delayed. As for tge date I’m now hearing Dec. 18 but I want to be sure.
He later said the new date was to be determined, but honestly, who knows? His info could be wrong and the trailer hit later today, as expected. Or maybe Sony and Marvel decided with new Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame trailers dropping so close together it’s wise to put some breathing room before Spidey gets his due. I would be okay with that.
This trailer is of particular interest because it’s first in the post-Endgame era. Right now, Peter Parker is nothing but dust in the wind, however he’ll likely swing back into action to help stop Thanos at some point. After that, he and his schoolmates will head on a European adventure where he’ll face the villainous Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. He should be a snap compared to the universe-destroying might of Thanos.
So we’ll wait and see. If you see a Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer then you know all of this was a waste of damn time.
We’re offering our readers the chance to win one of two prize packs for the upcoming royal drama, Mary Queen of Scots, starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. The prize pack includes:
1) Set of Mary Queen Of Scots playing cards in plastic case (1) Set of Queen Elizabeth 1 playing cards in plastic case (1) Set of English Breakfast and Scottish Breakfast teas (1) Folding paper hand fan of Mary Queen of Scots (1) Folding paper hand fan of Queen Elizabeth I
To enter, complete the required steps in the Rafflecopter contest form below. Complete all of the steps to increase your chances. Two winners will be selected on Tuesday, December 11th and notified by email. Good luck!
Mary Queen of Scots opens December 14th.
SYNOPSIS: “Mary Queen of Scots” explores the turbulent life of Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan). Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. Upon her return, Elizabeth I (Robbie) is England’s Protestant Queen, but Mary is a Catholic. Rivals in power and in love, and female monarchs in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth’s sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both thrones – and change the course of history.”
You know how Disney has made a mint remaking their animated classics into live-action movies? Well they’re doing it on a different scale on the small screen with their animated TV shows, and the next one to get the treatment is Kim Possible. The adventure series ran from 2002-2007 and the handful of times I watched it really enjoyed it, even though it skewed younger. But that also makes it perfect for this adaptation, which does the same thing but still has plenty of nostalgia for those who remember the original.
The cartoon featured the voice of Disney Channel royalty Christy Carlson Romano as Kim Possible, crime-fighting high schooler who along with her sidekick Ron Possible saved the world on many different occasions. The live-action film stars newcomer Sadie Stanley, with Sean Giambrone as Ron. Kim’s arch-nemesis Dr. Drakken is back and played by Todd Stashwick, with Taylor Ortego as his right-hand woman Shego. Patton Oswalt returns to the role of mad scientist Professor Dementor, who he voiced in the animated series. Carlson Romano also has an undisclosed role, perhaps as a mentor of some kind?
The trailer gets right down to business as Kim’s iconic beeper goes off, but fortunately, there’s no mention of the annoying “Call me beep me” catchphrase the show was often remembered for. That’s not necessary, thanks.
Kim Possible hits Disney Channel on February 15th 2019.
Warner Bros. is stretching the DCEU in a new direction, and it’s leading straight to a Plastic Man movie. That’s right, the F-list DC Comics hero is getting his own movie with writer Amanda Idoko hired to pen the script.
Plastic Man was one of my favorite characters as a kid. We didn’t get to see him much on the Super Friends cartoon and his solo spinoff ‘toon didn’t air that often after it was canceled in 1981. Basically, he’s like the goofier version of Reed Richards. Real name Patrick “Eel” O’Brian, Plastic Man was a criminal who was doused with an unknown chemical during a failed robbery, giving him the power to stretch pretty much every part of his body like rubber. Whatever you do, don’t get him confused with Elongated Man. They are very different.
Idoko is expected to keep the “light-hearted and even silly tones of the character” which is no surprise given Warner Bros. new mandate for a less grim DCEU. She’s a relatively new talent on the scene, having been a staff writer on the short-lived comedy, The Mayor. But Idoko’s profile will be raised soon as her script for Breaking News in Yuba County has Tate Taylor directing with Allison Janney and Laura Dern starring.
So add this to the growing list of upcoming DC superhero projects including Birds of Prey, Batgirl, The Flash, Suicide Squad 2, Blue Beetle, and of course Aquaman, Shazam, and Wonder Woman 1984. [THR]
One event has the power to alter the lives of many, setting off a domino effect. Back Roads explores this idea by focusing on the fallout experienced by a family after Bonnie Altmyer (Juliette Lewis) shoots and kills her abusive husband – leaving her oldest son Harley (Alex Pettyfer) to care for his three younger sisters. Harley aspired to go to college and do something with his life, but instead he is stuck working multiple jobs in an attempt to keep his family afloat. Harley is the legal guardian for his three younger sisters – Amber (Nicola Peltz), Misty (Chiara Aurelia), and Jody (Hala Finley). The entire family has suffered through years of abuse and trauma, leaving each of them with their own unique scars and remnants of the past.
Amber being in her upper teens, is naturally full of anger and rage. Amber and Harley constantly butt heads and she finds herself in and out of abusive relationships. Misty has a cold and calculated demeanor, seemingly stripped of a fun and playful childhood. Jody still has a cute childhood innocence, but it may only be a matter of time before this is taken away from her as well. Jody must deal with more than any normal child her age – she gets made fun of at school for what her family has gone through, she knows her mom killed her father and talks about it like it is a typical everyday event, and has experienced visiting her mother in person. All the Altmyer children visit a counselor to talk about their issues, although the only sessions we see during the film are Harley’s. The therapist tries to help them through their difficult ordeals, but there is only so much they can do if the children are not willing to open up.
As Back Roads continues, Harley is beginning to break down. His drinking becomes more frequent, he has spurts of anger, and he experiences panic attacks. Harley blames his mother for putting him in this situation and wishes more than anything that he could just pack up and leave, but he can’t abandon his sisters. Harley finally finds a release for all his negativity through a relationship with one of his neighbors, Callie Mercer (Jennifer Morrison). Callie and Harley engage in an affair while her husband is out of town. As the affair intensifies, so does Harley – becoming more brazen and possessive of Callie. Harley shows up in the middle of the day, demanding to know where she has been, and kissing her when her children are nearby. All the toxicity in the lives of the Altmyer children is bubbling up, and hopefully a healthy outlet can be found so disaster can be averted.
Back Roads is the directorial debut for Alex Pettyfer, who also shoulders the lead for the film. Pettyfer does a fantastic job showing the anguish that the entire Altmyer family is going through. Tawni O’Dell, who wrote the novel, also penned the screenplay along with Adrian Lyne. Back Roads is driven by the strong performances of its cast. Everyone does a fantastic job and displays an incredible range of emotion. Pettyfer uses some interesting camera angles, close ups, and reflections – along with a darkness that shrouds the entire film to enhance the story. Back Roads is an emotional roller coaster, from the opening shot to when the credits begin rolling. It is a powerful film and one that sticks with you long after it is done. This movie is not for children, but I do think it is an important one for adults to see. So when you are ready to be in a glass case of emotion, make sure to check out Back Roads.
Holy crap they finally did it! Marvel has unleashed the AVENGERS: ENDGAME trailer on an unsuspecting world of fanboys! Not only did we just find out the movie’s title, but the footage we got sets up one climactic clash with Thanos! I’m taking just a few minutes of Cinema Royale time to give my thoughts on the trailer and what to look forward to when the film arrives. Be sure to follow my podcast Cinema Royale here on Blogtalkradio as part of Critical: The Movie Critics Network!
The Men (and Women) in Black are back on the job. Chances are we’ll get a trailer for the newly-christened spinoff Men in Black International, or MIB: International, very soon because the first image of Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson all suited up is here.
The image shows Hemsworth as Agent H and Thompson as Agent M with some alien criminal in their sights. According to Hemsworth’s tweet this was shot on the streets of London, as the storyline finds the team going global as the title suggests. Behind the camera is F. Gary Gray, and it’ll be interesting to see if he keeps the comic vibe of the prior films. Returning to the cast is Emma Thompson as Agent O, while Kumail Najiani, Rafe Spall, Liam Neeson, and Rebecca Ferguson are newcomers.
This has turned out to be a busy week for Bond 25 news. The last thing we heard was from director Cary Fukunaga, who shot down some lingering casting rumors and revealed the storyline would continue storyarcs first established in Casino Royale. What he didn’t tell us is that at least one key character from Spectre would have her storyline picked up, too, because Lea Seydoux is coming back.
According to DailyMail, Seydoux will be rejoining the franchise for Bond 25. She played Dr. Madeline Swann in Spectre, a love interest for 007 and the daughter of Bond villain, Mr. White. Since Mr. White was a key figure in Quantum, one of Spectrum’s spinoff terrorist organizations, I guess Fukunaga is indeed keeping his promise.
Whatever the case, it’s very rare when one of Bond’s loves comes back for seconds. According to the report, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, and Naomie Harris will be returning, as well. That’s not surprising, although one of those rumors Fukunaga shot down earlier was that Whishaw’s Q was out for some reason.
I guess Marvel heard the outcry from fans wondering why a trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home was coming before Avengers 4, because they have suddenly, unexpectedly, dropped the trailer for what we now know is titled Avengers: Endgame. Oh thank God that mystery is over!
And the trailer is exactly what we expected. It focuses on the core team of heroes who survived Thanos’ snap, and their plans to defeat the mad Titan. We see Iron Man at his lowest point, reaching out to his love, Pepper Potts. We see Captain America and Black Widow plotting a final, desperate maneuver, and we finally catch a glimpse of Hawkeye, decked out in what is clearly the Ronin gear seen in the comics. But the scene that gets me is Bruce Banner and his look when confronted with all of the friends who simply vanished into dust.
Oh, and be sure to watch it all the way through.
It’s strong stuff, but a little downbeat for a teaser. I hope Marvel doesn’t swing too far in the other direction when a longer trailer emerges because they really don’t need to show us much. This is perfectly fine for me until April 26th. Oh yeah, that’s an earlier date. Marvel moved it up by more than a week!
While watching Netflix’s latest original film, Dumplin’, I kept waiting for Dolly Parton to show up. Her music gives the film its southern fried charm, so if you’re a fan of “9 to 5”, “Jolene”, and other Parton hits this will be like a welcome helping of comfort food. Parton never shows up once, and yet her presence is felt throughout, more than in the six new tracks she produced for the film, but in her spirit. As someone who has always been comfortable in her own skin, she’s the perfect inspiration for a down home comedy about a girl learning to be the same way.
Like the aforementioned comfort food, Dumplin’ sure tastes good going down, even though you know it’s probably missing a few essential nutrients. Danielle Macdonald, who broke out with last year’s similarly-themed hip-hop drama Patti Cake$, stars as Willowdean, a plus-sized gal living in the beauty pageant world of Clover City, TX. Jennifer Aniston plays her mother, Rosie, a former pageant queen who has never left that life and doesn’t really understand her daughter or her fascination with Dolly Parton. Will got it from her late aunt Lucy, who like Dolly was fiercely self-confident even when the world judged her for not having a supermodel body.
At least some of her fiery spirit has passed down to Will, who along with best friend Ellen (Odeya Rush), rebellious Hannah (Bex Taylor-Klaus), and perky pageant-obsessed Millie (Maddie Baillio), decide to enter the Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant and upset the status quo, piss off the patriarchy, whatever. Will’s motivations and ultimate goals aren’t exactly clear, a byproduct of a lean adaptation of Julie Murphy’s novel. It does feel like a lot of subplots got eliminated in the early round of voting, so to speak. One of those is Will’s romance with Bo (Luke Benward), fry cook at the diner she waitresses at. He shows up, often while she’s dumping out garbage, dispenses a few words of wisdom, making it clear that he likes her, then goes away. He’s like the dumpster Yoda.
Fortunately, the film is much better at depicting Will’s relationships to the women in her life. Will isn’t perfect; she has jealousy towards her friend Ellen who is more of a traditional beauty and takes to the pageant better than expected. Will also has a very complicated history with her mother, who she feels doesn’t respect her because she’ll never be seen as a beauty queen. But what I like about the script by Kristin Hahn is that it shows the frustrations and misunderstandings from both sides. Rosie is every bit the pageant mom you see on bad reality TV shows, but the love she has for her daughter is obvious to us even if Will is too stubborn to see it. Interestingly, much of the confidence Will gains in herself comes from men, Dolly-loving drag queens (including Harold Perrineau and Ginger Minj) and old friends to her aunt.
Dumplin’ gets veteran guidance from director Anne Fletcher, filmmaker behind crowd-pleasing female-centric films like The Proposal, 27 Dresses, and Hot Pursuit. This is right in her wheelhouse, and Fletcher knows to emphasize those ties that bind women together. Dumplin’ may be of the lightweight variety, but it’s nothing an upbeat Dolly Parton tune can’t fix.
