‘The Mercy’ Trailer: Colin Firth Sails The Globe In James Marsh’s Boating Biopic

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November 14, 2018

Ready to go sailing with Colin Firth? He’s actually starred in a bunch of movies where he’s been on boats but nothing quite like The Mercy. While the trailer paints the picture of an uplifting survival thriller, the man Firth is playing, Donald Crowhurst, is hardly a hero you’d expect to have a movie made about him, and that’s part of what makes this such an intriguing project to arrive at the end of the year.

The Mercy is directed by The Theory of Everything and Man on Wire‘s James Marsh, with Rachel Weisz co-starring as Crowhurst’s long-suffering wife. Crowhurst was an amateur sailor who in 1968 got it into his head to build a ship and compete in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race to become the first person to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe without stopping.

It would be one thing if Crowhurst’s journey simply went off the skids, which it did, but he made matters worse by deceiving others into thinking he was doing much better. Meanwhile his wife sat at home concerned about her husband’s well-being, which as you can see from the trailer was not so good.

The Mercy opens on November 30th in select cities, followed by a larger rollout on December 6th.

Alicia Vikander Joins Julianne Moore In Gloria Steinem Biopic ‘The Glorias’

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John Nolan

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November 14, 2018

For a few years you could barely go a month without seeing a new Alicia Vikander film in theaters. The Oscar-winning actress was red hot and every director wanted to work with her. And then Tomb Raider happened. This has been a quiet 2018 for Vikander as the video game flick fizzled out, with little talk of a sequel. Fortunately, Vikander isn’t staying quiet for long, and has just agreed to play a woman who was famous for never being silent on the issue of equal rights.

Last year we learned Julianne Moore had agree to star in Julie Taymor’s biopic on feminist icon Gloria Steinem. Well now we know that film will be titled The Glorias: A Life On the Road, and will include Vikander in the title role, joined by The Haunting of Hill House‘s Lulu Wilson. Moore, will play an older version of Steinem, with Vikander and Wilson as younger versions. Bette Midler is also in talks for a supporting role. The film is based on Steinem’s memoir, My Life On the Road.

No word on when filming will begin but with a cast like this and such timely subject matter expect this to be a high-profile project whenever it does. [Deadline]

New ‘Toy Story 4’ Teaser Reveals Key & Peele’s Mixed-Up New Characters

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John Nolan

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November 13, 2018

After yesterday’s Toy Story 4 teaser we’re all probably riding high with love for our favorite Pixar characters. How could it possibly get any better? How about one more teaser? With Key & Peele in it, reprising a bit from their Comedy Central series? It’s almost too good to be true.

Getting in on the love fest for Toy Story 4 are Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as Ducky and Bunny, two carnival prizes reacting to yesterday’s teaser while badly misquoting Buzz Lightyear’s famous catchphrase. It’s basically a twist on Key & Peele’s Liam Neeson-loving valet characters, and it makes me wonder if they will act the same as part of the main plot. Oh yeah, that’s another thing. Ducky and Bunny are officially part of the story which finds Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the gang on a carnival adventure where they meet “Ducky and Bunny, two carnival prizes who are eager to be won.”

Now if only they could get Liam Neeson for a cameo.

Toy Story 4 opens June 21st 2019.

‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Trailer: Robert Rodriguez And James Cameron Bring The Manga To Gorgeous Life

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John Nolan

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November 13, 2018

Once slated to open in December, James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez’s manga adaptation Alita: Battle Angel was moved to February 2019. While that may not be the sexiest date on the calendar it was probably the wisest move to keep the film from being overlooked by a crowded holiday slate of family-friendly offerings and Oscar contenders. And now the latest trailer boasts the most impressive look at the action-packed film yet, which boasts some seriously gorgeous visuals.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise the film looks beautiful. Rodriguez is the guy who gave us the groundbreaking noir of Sin City, working alongside Cameron who has been developing the visual technology on this project for years. The Maze Runner’s Rosa Salazar gives a mo-cap performance as the titular cyborg who awakens in an unrecognizable future and must unlock the secrets of her past while escaping from dangerous forces connected to it. Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Skrein, Keean Johnson, Jackie Earle Haley, Michelle Rodriguez, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., and Eiza Gonzalez make up a truly extraordinary cast.

Here’s the synopsis: From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.

Alita: Battle Angel opens February 14th 2019.

Giveaway: Win Passes To A Special Screening Of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald’

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John Nolan

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November 13, 2018

We’re offering our DC readers the chance to win passes to the Smithsonian’s screening of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald! The screening takes place this Thursday, November 15th at the Warner Bros. Theater at the National Museum of American History. Winners can choose either the 7:00pm or 9:30pm showing.

There will be a quick turnaround on this one. Enter by sending an email to punchdrunktrav@gmail.com with your full name, favorite Harry Potter film, and which screening time you prefer. Winners will be selected at 4pm EST, so you’ve only got 30 minutes! Better hurry!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens November 16th.

Pedro Pascal Will Lead Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Live-Action Series ‘The Mandalorian’

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John Nolan

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November 13, 2018

One of the recent rumors about Disney’s live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian just paid off. Game of Thrones and Kingsman: The Golden Circle‘s Pedro Pascal is in talks to star in the Disney+ streaming series developed by Jon Favreau.

While details on his character aren’t confirmed, he’s expected to play the “lone gunfighter” character from the synopsis and seen in the initial images. The series is set between the events of Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as the First Order, is just started to gain a foothold across the galaxy. Pascal’s character will be involved in adventures in the outer reaches where the New Republic holds little authority.

Pascal quickly became a fan-favorite after his all-too-brief but unforgettable run on Game of Thrones. He’s also starred in Netflix’s Narcos series, and had roles in The Equalizer 2, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and many more. He’ll be seen next year opposite Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman 1984. In The Mandalorian he may or may not be joined in the cast by Carl Weathers, but as a huge fan of both I damn sure hope that happens.

The Mandalorian is expected to arrive in 2019 as part of the Disney+ launch. [Variety]

‘Roma’ Trailer: Alfonso Cuaron Comes Back To Earth With His Stunningly Personal Drama

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John Nolan

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November 13, 2018

I’ve now had the pleasure of seeing Alfonso Cuaron’s moving, deeply personal drama Roma twice now. Over the weekend Netflix flew some of us out for a special screening of the film with Cuaron in attendance, and I can say that upon second viewing it grew in esteem for me. No longer do I think it just a contender for the Best Foreign Language Oscar, but for Best Picture. That would make it Netflix’s most successful project yet and validation of their recent efforts to be major players during the awards season. I think Roma has the goods, but I’ll be very interested to see how people react to a story that is so specific to Cuaron.

Set in the 1970s, the Spanish-language drama tells a story rooted in Cuaron’s childhood and the women who were a major influence on his life. It follows Cleo, played by first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio, a domestic worker from an indigenous tribe who works for a middle-class family at a time of great social upheaval. The trailer doesn’t feature much dialogue and is mostly a mood-setter, but it also should give you an idea of how beautiful this movie is. Cuaron acted as DP and he lovingly holds on to every image as if reluctant to let these cherished memories go.

Roma hits theaters on November 21st before Netflix makes it available for streaming December 14th.

‘On The Basis Of Sex’ Trailer: Felicity Jones Fights For Equal Rights As Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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John Nolan

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November 13, 2018

This is a good year to be a fan of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The 85-year-old Ginsburg was the subject of frontrunning documentary RBG, which has only enhanced her reputation as modern-day legal superhero and feminist icon. How can you not love a woman who breaks three of her ribs and practically the next day she’s back at work helping to save our judicial system from serious threat. And now her story is coming to the screen once again this year in On the Basis of Sex, which is already earning awards buzz for star Felicity Jones. If she wins, let’s hope Ginsburg takes the stage with her.

Directed by Mimi Leder, the film shows the sexism and other obstacles Ginsburg had to face as a young legal scholar at Harvard Law School. Setting the stage for a career of fighting for equal rights, Ginsburg teams with her husband to argue the landmark Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue before the U.S. Court of Appeals, in hopes of overturning over a century of sex discrimination.

Armie Hammer plays Ginsburg’s supportive husband, Martin Ginsburg, with Justin Theroux, Cailee Spaeny, Sam Waterston, Kathy Bates, Jack Reynor, Stephen Root, and the Notorious RBG herself co-starring.

On the Basis of Sex opens December 25th, and is one of the last major prestige dramas we’re likely to see this awards season. Hopefully the wait will be worth it.

‘Gloria Bell’ Trailer: Julianne Moore Is Living Her Best Life In Sebastian Lelio’s Remake

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John Nolan

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November 13, 2018

You know how this story goes: acclaimed foreign film opens in the United States, gets great reviews but is overlooked by most audiences. So a few years later we get an English-language remake with bigger stars attached. The difference in the case of Gloria Bell, a remake of Sebastian Lelio’s 2013 film Gloria, is that the original director is back behind the camera, and he’ll be working with Oscar-winner Julianne Moore in the title role.

The first trailer for Gloria Bell has Moore in the most spirited role she’s had in years. The film centers on a divorcee who is seeing her youth slip away, so she decides to spend her free time dancing the night away on the club scene. There she learns to love again, and come to grips with her past in an effort to move forward in her life.

Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for her performance in the original film, and it looks like Moore could be due for some honors herself. Moore received a ton of praise after the TIFF premiere a couple of months ago, and I suspect that will continue. Lelio has also become a critical favorite lately, having directed both Disobedience and A Fantastic Woman recently.

Also starring Michael Cera, John Turturro, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Brad Garrett, and Sean Astin, Gloria Bell opens March 8th 2019.

Stan Lee’s Cameo In ‘Avengers 4’ Had Already Been Filmed

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John Nolan

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November 13, 2018

The world of pop culture is still trying to process the death of Marvel great, Stan Lee, with tributes rolling in on social media from far and wide. The MCU as we know it won’t feel quite the same, either. Although Stan had no direct creative input in those movies, all of us as fans had grown accustomed to his many cameos, and it became a fun little game to keep an eye out for his appearance. Sometimes they were rather extensive, other times they were blink ‘n you’ll miss him.

Fortunately, Marvel had long been in the practice of banking Lee’s cameos as best they could. Joe Russo, a director on Avengers 4, revealed in a past interview that Lee’s cameo in the film had already been filmed. Russo told BBC Radio…

“So, Stan, typically we try to get him out — he doesn’t love to fly — so we try to get him out for his cameos around the same time. So if we have other movies shooting on the same lot that we’re on, for instance Ant-Man 2 or Avengers 4, we group his cameos together and then move him from one set to the next and kind of get him through his cameos in one day.”

Lee has made a cameo in every Marvel movie, and you can bet they will continue to find ways to honor him so that the streak continues. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has long talked about the influence Stan Lee had on him and his career. He expressed his grief in a brief statement released by Deadline…

“No one has had more of an impact on my career and everything we do at Marvel Studios than Stan Lee. Stan leaves an extraordinary legacy that will outlive us all,” the producer and big screen Marvel mastermind added. “Our thoughts are with his daughter, his family, and the millions of fans who have been forever touched by Stan’s genius, charisma and heart. Excelsior!”