I think there’s been enough time spent looking back at Justice League‘s underwhelming box office, when the only thing that matters now is what comes next. Warner Bros. has a decision on their hands, and it’s whether to move forward with the whole DC Films experiment or blow everything up and start over. The latter decision seems very unlikely, but a surprising number actually think it could happen. Well, if that’s the case nobody told Shazam director David F. Sandberg or Aquaman‘s Jason Momoa.
A regular user on Reddit has claimed sources within Warner Bros. have told him their plan to shut down production on any and all comic book movies for a period of five years. That will, presumably, give them time to reevaluate their next move. I’d call it implausible but I wouldn’t put anything past any studio at this point, especially with money on the line.
One guy who doesn’t believe it is Sandberg, a frequent Reddit user himself, who replied with “Nobody told me. Can I take the day off tomorrow then? I really want to sleep in.”
Yeah, the DCEU isn’t going anywhere. Too much is already set in motion. Shazam has Sandberg, who has already assembled a cast led by Zachary Levi and young Asher Angel, with Dwayne Johnson starring in a film based on Shazam’s nemesis, Black Adam.
But next out of the gate is Aquaman, and Momoa, who played the hero in Justice League, isn’t listening to all of the negative buzz from critics. He tells EW…
“I try to stay the f— away from what people say. Some of my friends said, ‘Justice League isn’t doing well’ and it kind of bummed me out. But I didn’t want to look it up. I don’t want to look up the bad and the negativity. I don’t think that’s useful; it doesn’t help.
I’ve seen [Justice League] twice. I loved it the second time even more. I’m actually going to watch it again with my kids and my godchild. I’m going to see it with the perfect crowd of people — a regular crowd instead of at a premiere. So I’m excited. You can’t get into the whole ‘why this, why that.’ I went to [Wizard World Austin fan convention] this weekend and got great praise. Now obviously, that’s a positive place, and I’m not only interested in the positive. But if people love what we did with Aquaman, it’s all [director Zack Snyder] — it’s his brainchild. He came in with, ‘I’m going to make Aquaman a badass and I’m going to change stuff, and change the myths about this guy.’ And I busted my ass.”
He adds that a lot of Aquaman’s scenes were cut from the final version, which pretty much confirms that Zack Snyder had a much longer film in mind before Warner Bros. mandated it be only two hours…
“The challenging part is [the ‘Justice League’ story] is only about a weekend in Author Curry’s life,” “[Fans] might be like, ‘Why is he that grumpy? Why’s he hiding up there?’ We had it all planned out. A lot of things got cut. But it’s not my movie. It’s a huge movie introducing three new characters, and for myself and The Flash and Cyborg, there was a lot that was there we just couldn’t get in. It could have been two movies. We had some stuff with Willem Dafoe. The whole Atlantean part, about me being this reluctant king. There was no need for it because you’re going to see it in ‘Aquaman.’ It’s not an Aquaman movie, it’s a Justice League movie.”
And if there was so much that got cut, maybe there is a director’s cut out there somewhere? Fans are already petitioning to see his version of Justice League which, really, shouldn’t exist since it was never finished. But now cinematographer Fabian Wagner, who only worked on Snyder’s production but not Joss Whedon’s, says there is a lot that got left out and he would like to see it.
“This one was even shorter than I expected, so there are scenes that aren’t in there. I really hope we get to see a director’s cut, which will give us everything that we shot that didn’t make it in. What I love about his [Snyder’s] director’s cuts is they are long, but he takes his time to tell the story. I’ve never watched any of his directors cut and thought ‘This is long.” Whether they are three hours long, or three hours and ten minutes, they always seemed to go quick.”
I know there are some who disagree but I do think Snyder’s Ultimate Cut of Batman v Superman was superior to the theatrical one. Whether that could be repeated with Justice League, I don’t know, but I do know it wouldn’t change the predicament Warner Bros. finds itself in. [CBM/THR]
*WWE Studios has announced that The Miz will be starring in The Marine 6: Close Quarters, directed by James Nunn who was at the helm for The Marine 5: Battleground. Joining the cast are WWE Hall of Famer “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michael, and WWE Smackdown Live’s Becky Lynch. Here’s the official synopsis:
When Jake Carter (The Miz) and fellow Marine Luke Trapper (Shawn Michaels) stumble upon a kidnapped girl being held prisoner by a dangerous gang of international criminals, they find themselves in the crosshairs as they try to save the girl and bring her kidnappers to justice.
Original story can be found below.
I love it when wrestling and movies intersect, even when it’s obvious the end result will be something crappy. On Monday Night Raw those of us who are wrestling dorks saw The Miz lose his Intercontinental Championship, rather suddenly, to the polarizing Roman Reigns, who happens to be a relative to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. While I mourned the “Must-See” superstar’s defeat, I was mostly confused why it was happening when Reigns does not need a secondary title right now. And now we have the reason, because Miz is taking time off to shoot The Marine 6.
And all is right in the world.
Actually, nah, because The Marine movies have stunk since the first one starred John Cena eleven years ago. This will be Mike “The Miz” Mizanin’s fourth time starring as ex-Marine Jake Carter, and who knows what kind of trouble he’ll stumble into. In The Marine 5: Battleground he became a paramedic, and somehow that led him into a war against a bunch of killer bikers inside of a parking garage. The bikers were played by WWE superstars Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, Naomi, and Heath Slater, with two of them eventually joining Miz’s on-air stable, The Miztourage. The film also found a brief, kinda ridiculous cameo performance by Miz’s wife, Maryse, who is off television due to her pregnancy. No doubt that will be captured on an episode of Total Divas, which Maryse and Miz are also a part of. Miz is also hosting the upcoming season of MTV’s The Challenge, returning to his days as a member of The Real World.
So this is bad news all around. I’ve reviewed every single movie in The Marine franchise (even that super shitty one with Ted DiBiase Jr.) and will be compelled to do so again, and The Miz, who is the best part of WWE every week, will be off TV for far too long. Somehow I must endure. [PWInsider]
Every new attempt to reboot Terminator comes with big ambitions, and James Cameron’s return to the franchise he built is no different. New trilogy, a writers assembled to plan spinoffs and sequels, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton back to star, and Deadpool director Tim Miller behind the camera. The only thing missing is someone to put it all down on paper, and that’s where screenwriter Billy Ray comes in.
Ray, who wrote Shattered Glass, The Hunger Games, Captain Phillips, and more (he also directed Breach which is great) will pen the latest Terminator movie. We still don’t know where this latest chapter in the saga will go, but we do know it won’t be restrained by prior events in the timeline. And while a lot of people have been excited by that prospect, I would like to point out that Terminator Genisys had the same philosophy. Then again, that film didn’t have Ray doing the script or Cameron’s guiding influence.
The new Terminator opens July 26th 2019. [TheWrap]
I have the funniest feeling that Peter Rabbit, the live-action animated film from Easy A and Annie director Will Gluck, won’t be as bad as it looks. And it looks bad, like so bad that I think it’s perfectly okay to root for Domhnall Gleeson’s character to catch Peter and turn him into stew. But Gluck generally makes enjoyable, family-friendly movies that make the most of their casts, and until he drops the ball there’s reason for confidence.
James Corden voices the beloved literary bunny, with Gleeson as his nemesis, Mr. Gregor, who just wants to protect his precious vegetable farm. Is that too much to ask?? Rose Byrne plays McGregor’s neighbor and love interest, with voice roles for Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie, Sia, and Elizabeth Debicki.
Peter Rabbit hops into theaters on February 9th 2018.
Last week on The Gifted, Marcos took a trip to his dark side. Because his former girlfriend (and now Cartel boss) Carmen helped him with details necessary to rescue Polaris from Sentinel Services’ custody, so she then called in her marker, making him an enforcer for her. He had to take out one of her rivals’ drug supplies and even though he did not want to do it, by the time it was all said and done, he was actually enjoying the carnage. This is bound to cause huge friction between him and his girlfriend Polaris. Meanwhile, John helped Blink discover what happened to the family that had sheltered her. Thanks to Sentinel Services massacring the family, Blink is on a quest for revenge and agrees to stay with the Mutant Underground. Reed while going through some stolen files started seriously hating on his daughter dating one of the fellow refugees who used his powers for criminal (more like desperate) means. Eventually, he decided to give the guy a chance but he also found out that his father was associated with a company doing business with Sentinel Services.
This week was an interesting one. Reed finally meets up with his father, who he hasn’t seen for many years. We get to see just what his father was up to and how it not only deals with Trask Industries (the company he worked for and a great X-Men reference), but also his own family history and how it related to the X-gene. Meanwhile, a new group of refugees came in, only this time one of Sentinel Services’ brainwashed mutants was one of them and the Mutant Underground was attacked by one of their own.
Let’s take a look at a few highlights from this week’s episode “Threat Of eXtinction”
Flashbacks:
This week’s flashback did not focus on anyone in the Mutant Underground or the Sentinel Services. Instead, it truly was a blast from the past as we see two dangerous mutants. A brother and a sister. We’ll find out who they specifically are later. One thing’s for sure, they aren’t good like the Mutant Underground or the X-Men. Hell, they aren’t even as nice as Magneto. They are more like Apocalypse. We see that as the two twins hold hands, causing a massive explosion.
The Mutant Underground Welcome a New and Dangerous Mutant:
Because their nature is to help mutants avoid persecution, the Mutant Underground spends a lot of time meeting new refugees to help and escort to safe houses and new lives hidden from Sentinel Services. By default, they have to be rather trusting of who they let into their small spaces. Little do they know, this time, it’s not a good idea.
One of the current batch of folks they are helping immediately attacks them. Turns out she’s one of Trask Industries’ “Hounds” like John’s friend Pulse. They barely had any warning by a telepathic mutant before they are overrun by the mutant. She had Quicksilver/Flash-like speed and easily can outmaneuver and beat most of them. Thanks to Blink teleporting John above her do they get the drop on her? Now they have to figure out who she is, and what happened to her.
Caitlin being the resident doctor on site thinks that she’s treatable. She discovers that whatever Trask did a number on her. It’s revealed that she was given “Kick” a mutant-based drug that intensifies their powers is what Trask Industries is using to control the mutants in their custody. And once, they’re hooked, they’re hooked. The poor mutant ends up succumbing to withdrawal effects of the drug, but not before the telepath is able to read the woman’s mind and tell everyone that there are plenty of mutants that they need to save.
Polaris and Marcos Are Still At Odds:
It’s a no-brainer that Polaris would have a problem with Marcos lying to her about joining the Cartel. However, after his explanation is given, she’s not satisfied. She’s not talking to him. She’s sleeping on the couch. This seems like it’s going to be an ongoing problem for the two of them, especially because at any moment’s notice Carmen may call Marcos back into action, and he has to oblige. If Polaris steps in or if Marcos doesn’t go along, then they may have a war not only with the Sentinel Services, but also with the Cartel.
Reed Catches Up With His Father:
Once Reed learns that Trask Industries is in the mix, he realizes that he will have to come face to face with his estranged father. After all, his father worked there for more than 30 years, he might know a thing or two about the organization.
At first, the two continue their tumultuous relationship. His father Otto Strucker (guest star Raymond J. Barry) is upset about how distant they are and the fact that he never met his grandkids. Reed is angry by how his father treated him when he was younger and was always involved in his work. Otto claims that Trask did nothing nefarious. Of course, once he learns that his grandkids are mutants, he proceeds to deliver a bombshell to his son. Otto is a mutant. He was the child of one of the two mutants from the flashbacks. He tells his sons that his mother was Andreas von Strucker and along with her brother Andreas make up Fenris. Fans of Marvel know Fenris as the twin children of Baron von Strucke (a HYDRA agent) who once they held hands, were capable of mass destruction. It turns out that Fenris also have the same powers that Lauren and Andy had, causing Otto to have great concern. He tells Reed that he failed. Here comes another bombshell. While at Trask Industries, Otto created a serum that got rid of the X-Gene and used it on his son Reed. Yes, that’s right. Reed was a mutant but lost his powers. Now you know this means that he’ll get them back by the end of the season.
With all this going on, Doctor Palmer and Sentinel Services come to Otto’s home thinking that the Mutant Underground would be there as well. Because he loves his son despite what has happened, he stalls Sentinel Services while Reed and John go and hide. Palmer also brought Pulse along, who uses his powers to neutrally John powers. However, it’s not enough to stop Otto’s powers. To help his son, he uses his power to create a mass amount of energy which causes the house to shake in an explosion. Otto gets shot by a soldier, but not before he managed to save his son. Pulse snaps out of the brainwashing just enough to say sorry to John before dying.
Here’s an easy short hand when you’re figuring out the year’s top Best Picture contenders: if Annette Bening is in it, it’s got a shot. It will be an uphill climb for biopic Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, which I saw a few weeks ago in Middleburg and found pretty average. The buzz on it has been muted, as well, but like I said, Benning is tough for Oscar voters to deny and she does give another memorable performance.
Bening stars as Hollywood star Gloria Grahame, who lived quite the public, controversial life before she met up with aspiring actor Peter Turner and began a relationship that raised yet more eyebrows. The film is based on Turner’s memoir of his time spent with Grahame in her latter years. Jamie Bell takes on the role of Turner, with Vanessa Redgrave and Julie Walters co-starring.
Here’s the film’s synopsis: Based on Peter Turner’s memoir, the film follows the playful but passionate relationship between Turner (Bell) and the eccentric Academy Award®-winning actress Gloria Grahame (Bening) in 1978 Liverpool. What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and her young lover quickly grows into a deeper relationship, with Turner being the person Gloria turns to for comfort. Their passion and lust for life is tested to the limits by events beyond their control.
Directed by Paul McGuigan, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool opens December 29th.
The 2018 Independent Spirit Awards nominations were revealed today, and, at least to me, this is the most “indie” the nominees have been in a long time. There seems to have been a concerted effort to get closer to the event’s roots, and we see that in some of the movies that got left out.
Coming away with the most nominations with six was Luca Guadagnino’s beloved summer romance, Call Me By Your Name. The film has been earning incredible reviews since it debuted at Sundance and has appeared like an obvious Best Picture frontrunner for months. Following closely behind with five nominations were Jordan Peele’s Get Out and, surprisingly, the Safdie Brothers’ gritty crime flick, Good Time. Greta Gerwig’s skyrocketing Lady Bird came away with four nominations, more on that in a sec, tied with The Rider which has only played at TIFF. Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri finished up with three, as well as the excellent low-key drama Columbus, while Sean Baker’s The Florida Project had two, and yeah I’ll comment on those right now.
First off, I’m absolutely ecstatic to see that Columbus, one of my favorite movies of the year and a gorgeous dramatic masterpiece from Kogonada, earned three nominations. I’m sad none of them were for stars Haley Lu Richardson and John Cho, but I’ll deal if it gets this amazing film more attention.
Get Out and Call Me By Your Name doing so well was a given, although I remain perplexed by all the love for Guadagnino’s film. Maybe I’m missing something other than the terrific, honest portrayals by Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet, but then our reviewer Mae Abdulbaki wasn’t too crazy about it, either.
Good Time, which saw Robert Pattinson go street for the first time in his career, felt like it should be an indie darling, and it was treated as such. I’m still surprised by the honors it received, though; not just Pattinson but co-star (and co-director) Benny Safie and newcomer Teliah Lennice Webster.
I’m disappointed we didn’t see Danielle MacDonald’s fiery hip-hop performance in Patti Cake$ get some love, but then the same could be said for both Brooklynn Prince and Willem Dafoe for The Florida Project. I could see maybe snubbing Prince due to her age, but there’s no excuse leaving out Dafoe who is an absolute hero in a triumphant movie.
Nothing for Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water or Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River? Both are indie favorites with reviews to match, but I don’t know if they seem too much like studio movies to the voters? In terms of economics they fall within the awards guidelines, so maybe we’ll learn more about the decision-making process here. Actually, we probably won’t.
Even though Lady Bird earned four nominations, part of me still feels it’s a bit of a disappointment. Is that crazy? The film is a box office giant by arthouse standards, with word-of-mouth carrying it to genuine Oscars consideration. I thought there would be more, that’s all, like Gerwig for Best Director?
The full list of nominees is below. The Indie Spirits will be held on March 3rd 2018.
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Call Me by Your Name
Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Rodrigo Teixeira, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman
The Florida Project
Producers: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou
Get Out
Producers: Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr., Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele
Lady Bird
Producers: Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill, Scott Rudin
The Rider
Producers: Mollye Asher, Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche, Chloé Zhao
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)
ColumbusDirector: Kogonada Producers: Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Aaron Boyd, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz
Ingrid Goes WestDirector: Matt Spicer Producers: Jared Ian Goldman, Adam Mirels, Robert Mirels, Aubrey Plaza, Tim White, Trevor White
MenasheDirector/Producer: Joshua Z. Weinstein Producers: Yoni Brook, Traci Carlson, Daniel Finkelman, Alex Lipschultz
Oh Lucy!Director/Producer: Atsuko Hirayanagi Producers: Jessica Elbaum, Yukie Kito, Han West
Patti Cake$Director: Geremy Jasper Producers: Chris Columbus, Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Noah Stahl, Rodrigo Teixeira
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. (Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
DayveonWriter/Director/Producer: Amman Abbasi Writer: Steven Reneau Producers: Lachion Buckingham, Alexander Uhlmann
A Ghost StoryWriter/Director: David Lowery Producers: Adam Donaghey, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston
Life and nothing moreWriter/Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza Producers: Amadeo Hernández Bueno, Alvaro Portanet Hernández, Pedro Hernández Santos
Most Beautiful IslandWriter/Director/Producer: Ana Asensio Producers: Larry Fessenden, Noah Greenberg, Chadd Harbold, Jenn Wexler
The TransfigurationWriter/Director: Michael O’Shea Producer: Susan Leber
BEST DIRECTOR
Sean BakerThe Florida Project
Jonas CarpignanoA Ciambra
Luca GuadagninoCall Me by Your Name
Jordan PeeleGet Out
Benny Safdie, Josh SafdieGood Time
Chloé ZhaoThe Rider
BEST SCREENPLAY
Greta GerwigLady Bird
Azazel JacobsThe Lovers
Martin McDonaghThree Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Sam RockwellThree Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Benny SafdieGood Time
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast
MudboundDirector: Dee Rees Casting Directors: Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram Ensemble Cast: Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Carey Mulligan
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
The DepartureDirector/Producer: Lana Wilson
Faces PlacesDirectors: Agnés Varda, JR Producer: Rosalie Varda
Last Men in AleppoDirector: Feras Fayyad Producers: Kareem Abeed, Søeren Steen Jespersen, Stefan Kloos
MotherlandDirector/Producer: Ramona S. Diaz Producer: Rey Cuerdo
QuestDirector: Jonathan Olshefski Producer: Sabrina Schmidt Gordon
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director) BPM (Beats Per Minute)France Director: Robin Campillo
A Fantastic WomanChile Director: Sebastián Lelio
I Am Not a WitchZambia Director: Rungano Nyoni
Lady MacbethU.K. Director: William Oldroyd
LovelessRussia Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
BONNIE AWARD – Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo joined American Airlines in 1973 at age 24, becoming the first female pilot to fly for a major U.S. airline. In her honor, the inaugural Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.
So Yong KimLynn SheltonChloé Zhao
JEEP TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 23rd annual Truer Than Fiction Award, funded by the Jeep brand, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by the Jeep brand.
Shevaun MizrahiDirector of Distant Constellation
Jonathan OlshefskiDirector of Quest
Jeff UnayDirector of The Cage Fighter
KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 24th annual Someone to Watch Award, funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
Amman AbbasiDirector of Dayveon
Justin ChonDirector of Gook
Kevin PhillipsDirector of Super Dark Times
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 21st annual Producers Award, funded by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin KimBen LeClairSummer Shelton
The latest sci-fi mind-blower from genre legend Luc Besson
stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevine as two special agents,
working together to
bring order to the galaxies of the 28th century. Under direct orders
to obtain an artifact held on the utopian planet Alpha, the agents soon
discover that there was more to their mission than they understood, and a
looming dark pressence is working against them to slowly dimantle the
intergalactic metropolis and set the alien races against each other again.
We Said: “There’s so much to
admire about Valerian from a technical standpoint that you almost want to
forgive everything else that is so wrong with it. You’ll keep waiting for the
light switch to turn on and for [Writer/Director Luc] Besson to fully realize Valerian’s
immense potential. But after a couple of hours you’ll find that forgiveness and
patience can only travel so far.” Rating:
2.5 out of 5
This hard-R action comedy teams up Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan
Reynolds as a notorious assassin and his former enemy, now assaigned to protect
him from the every-growing number of international mercinaries who want him
dead. Over the course of a chaotic 24 hours, the duo face numerous outrageous bloody
obsticles on their way across the border, trying not to get killed or kill each
other first.
We Said: “I imagine the majority
of filming The Hitman’s Bodyguard was Reynolds and Jackson bouncing snark
off of one another like a freshly-tossed smoke grenade. Surely, most of the film seems ad-libbed
right there on the spot, giving the duo ample chance to hit their “muthaf**ka”
quota in about five minutes. Three minutes if you include co-star Salma Hayek.” Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Good Time is a haunting new thriller about the worst day in the life of
a young criminal (Robert Pattinson). After a botched bank robbery leaves his
younger disabled brother in police custody, a mad race around the city begins, as
he stops at nothing, pulling every bloody string he possibly can to try to get
his brother out of prison before it’s too late.
We Said: “Set afire by the
combination of Oneohtrix Point Never’s sonic soundtrack and Sean Price
Williams’ searing 35mm visuals, Good Time is a treat for the senses.
As it rages to an inevitably chaotic conclusion, we’re left with a bittersweet
reminder that Good Time is, at its core, a story about family and one’s
devotion to it.” Rating: 4 out of 5
A specific generation of children grew up on Bill Nye The
Science Guy. The show made scientific topics understandable for kids, and Bill
Nye knew how to ham it up and goof around in a way that was appealing to young
audiences. In our pop culture memory, it was the TV version of Nye (along, of
course, with Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus) who provided us with an
introduction to science.
These days, decades after the end of the show and during
a time when anti-science thinking is not only rampant, but it’s taken up residence
in the White House, Nye seems like a lone wolf fighting against a tide of
misinformation. He’s on CNN and Fox News, he’s holding public debates and
events, he’s leaning into the “Science Guy” persona as much as ever. It is easy
to view him as an advocate, and perhaps tempting to see him as a hero.
But what the documentary Bill Nye: Science Guy achieves,
as the best documentaries do, is peer behind the curtain of illusion and try to
find some kind of truth. What that entails for filmmakers David Alvarado and
Jason Sussberg is raising questions about Nye’s credentials (he has a bachelor’s
degree in engineering, but no other formal science training) and his career
(details are revealed about how he tried to go rogue with the Science Guy TV
idea, leaving his collaborators behind), and following it up with: Does it matter?
Does the work Nye is doing to support science in the culture and in the public
sphere outweigh his own desire for fame and his own performative nature? Or is his
approach more self-serving than helpful?
Bill Nye: Science Guy walks a fine line: It abstains from
making those decisions for viewers, but it also provides a good amount of
history about Nye and context about how other scientists view his transition
from TV host to fighting creationists and climate change deniers. And the
documentary also observes and interviews those opponents of Bill, too, like Ken
Ham, a creationist with big money and big backers whose museum refuting
evolution has exhibits showing dinosaurs and humans next to each other (Nye’s
dry delivery of “to suggest this to school children is … irresponsible at best”
is pretty killer) and has a mannequin with a thought bubble “I NEVER HEARD THIS
BEFORE IN SCHOOL.” Screen time is also given to meteorologist Joe Bastardi, a
vehement climate change denier who argues “Is it worth crashing the American
economy? No, I don’t believe that” and whose son shows up to rattle Nye during a
public appearance. And there’s also anthropologist Dr. Eugenie Scott, who says
of Nye, “I don’t know what Bill’s goals are”—a slightly skeptical undercurrent
that pops up a few times from other scientists interviewed in the documentary.
But the time spent with Bill captures a complicated man
who seems to be battling his own feelings of personal inadequacy (he gets teary-eyed
when discussing his parents; he mentions regret over not having his own family)
and who understands his own shortcomings. “I don’t have a PhD, so I talk to the
experts,” he says, and we see him do it, traveling to laboratories and
universities and organizations to learn more about the subjects he then
discusses in front of public audiences. Is Bill a mouthpiece who is furthering
his own fame? Bill Nye: Science Guy allows viewers to make their own conclusions.
But the documentary is clear in its presentation of Nye as a man who is self-aware
of how others will view his limitations but still determined to keep moving
forward in the defense of science and in the education of children, and that is
an admirable thing. “Just trying to change the world here,” Nye says at the end
of Bill Nye: Science Guy, and I believed him.
Netflix’s new original movie “Win It All” seems to be about the usual story of a man who has been caught in a downward spiral because of certain events that made him resort to take desperate actions, but a closer look will reveal that this film offers a lot more depth and meaning. The movie centers around Eddie Garrett (played by Jake Johnson), a thirty something guy from Chicago who works as a parking attendant at Wrigley Field and loves to go to Chinatown to play underground poker come nightfall.
Despite Eddie being broke that he cannot even buy a cup of coffee, he makes sure he is able to keep playing poker. And while for most, Eddie seems to be an irresponsible adult who never assumes responsibility, it is admirable to see how he is very determined to win big in high stakes poker game someday and finds ways to be able to play the game on a regular basis.
Generally, playing poker is not a bad thing, and it’s become increasingly more popular in the past few decades. In fact, there are a lot of online poker sites which offer a safe, fun, and secure gaming environment for players in addition to a number of different variants, including speed poker and classics like Omaha and Texas Hold’em. At 888poker alone, there are 10 million registered members, and their EGR Award as Socially Responsible Operator of the Year show that online poker operators take this game seriously and aim to provide a positive online gaming experience for players.
It is a bit surprising that this movie only focused on live poker and did not have any references to the online version of the game, given that players of online poker can also win big. In fact, online poker started to gain popularity and attracted more players when Chris Moneymaker became the first person to win the World Series of Poker after qualifying online back in 2003.
And just when it seemed impossible for Eddie’s life to get any more complicated, his friend Michael (played by Jose A. Garcia), who is was sentenced to six to nine months in jail, asked him to keep a duffel bag for him. In exchange, Michael would pay him a lucrative amount which Eddie will receive once Michael’s sentence ends. He agreed to take the deal.
Once he got the bag, he took a peek and found that there were rolls and bundles of cash inside. Eddie decided to borrow some of the money inside the bag to finance another poker game. He got lucky, but then ended up losing more money than he initially planned to borrow. Eventually, Eddie lost a lot of the cash that Michael entrusted him and needed to find a way to get it back.
Desperate, Eddie runs to his brother, Ron (played by Brooklyn Nine Nine‘s Joe Lo Truglio), who manages their family-owned landscaping business. Ron has always wanted Eddie to become his partner, but he never had the interest until now when he has no other choice. Ron and his wife, Kris, has always welcomed Eddie in their home as he is such a loving uncle to their young son, Jude.
Eventually, Eddie meets a woman, Eva (played by Aislinn Derbez) in a neighborhood bar. Eva is a nurse by profession. At the bar, Eddie literally bumps into her and makes his way into her acquaintance. Their relationship started to develop steadily, but then Eddie realizes that he would need to leave town immediately and for good.
What makes this movie something worth watching is, it is not just about someone who was hooked to gambling. It is not even just about winning or losing in the game of poker. Netflix’s “Win It All” is also about love, particularly the love of a couple. There is conflict and drama that stems from violence that looms from beginning to end. Michael was not just Eddie’s friend, his presence in this story gives so much tension and fear as a result of his entrusting his bag full of money to Eddie. It is also a story about secrets and lies, of keeping quiet, of deception. [Trailer via Facebook]
