If you’re too young to know who Fred Rogers is or his show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, well, I hate you. The rest of us who do are loving this moment right now, as Mister Rogers is a part of the public discourse in a way he hasn’t been since passing away fifteen years ago. Earlier this year we had the terrific documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, which looks like a potential Oscar contender. And there’s also a biopic starring another beloved American figure, Tom Hanks, and we have our first look at him in a very specific outfit.
Sony’s first image of the untitled film (formerly referred to as You Are My Friend) features Hanks in the classic Fred Rogers red cardigan and slacks. The casting couldn’t be more perfect, and this photo only confirms it.
The film is directed by Marielle Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl) and co-stars Matthew Rhys as a journalist who overcomes his cynicism to form an unlikely friendship with Rogers. Chris Cooper and Susan Kelechi Watson co-star. The film hits theaters next year on October 18th.
A legacy of violence rides side saddle with every step taken by Eli and Charlie Sisters (John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix) in acclaimed director Jacques Audiard’s The Sisters Brothers. For his masterful English-language debut, the French filmmaker has chosen that most American of genres to tackle, and maybe it’s his outsider perspective that allows for such a refreshing, hypnotic, and existentialist vision of the Old West. At times funny and brutal, but always with an eye towards larger concerns, the film is a passionate look at the ties that bind brothers together, even if that bond is forged in blood.
A road movie, revenge film, and observational character study, The Sisters Brothers takes place during the gold rush of the 1850s. A time of territorial expansion and big personal dreams, the Sisters boys earn their living as bounty hunters for the Commodore (Rutger Hauer), a powerful and wealthy magnate with a lot of enemies. Raised in a life of violence, it’s really all the brothers know, but especially the cocky and volatile Charlie. By contrast Eli is soft-spoken and reserved, with an eye towards a more peaceful future…someday. While they may be bonded by blood, conflicting ideologies begins to drive a wedge between them at exactly the wrong time.
The brothers are hired to hunt down wayward prospector, peculiarly-named Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed), who has come up with a foolproof formula for finding gold. The plan is for Hermann to first be captured by a tracker, the refined John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal, doing a dubious English accent), for the brothers to then claim and torture for information. But not all men have the stomach for such thing, and when Morris has a change of heart and flees with Hermann to start a more civilized society, the brothers must trek through the dangerous Northwest to find them.
In the early going we frequently hear Charlie boasting of the brothers’ exploits. He likes to announce their arrival, enjoying that their murderous reputations have preceded them in most cases. While Charlie sees their name as a badge of honor, and maybe a cover for his own insecurities, Eli begins to see the myth surrounding them as a dead weight dragging them down. While there are bursts of graphic bloodshed and a handful of gunfights, all well shot beautifully by cinematographer Benoît Debie, the most frequent disputes are of the future. What would the brothers be if they weren’t in this life? While Eli sees the uncertainty as hopeful, Charlie can’t envision a world of peace, at least not one with him in it.
And these concerns of identity and destiny are what drive much of the film’s second half, as Audiard and co-writer Thomas Bidegain turn their focus inward. To the credit of both, they give just as much attention to the inner life of Gyllenhaal and Ahmed’s characters, two men who maybe aren’t meant for that era, and stare down others’ condescension in wanting to build something better. It’s interesting to see both actors in secondary roles, fully-formed though they are, because one could easily see Gyllenhaal or Ahmed trading places successfully with Phoenix and Reilly. As for the lead duo, both are predictably great, you don’t need me to tell you that. Phoenix’s Charlie is arrogant with a sharp tongue, usually reserved for putting down his older brother, but he can turn scary at a moment’s notice and with an economy of words. At the same time, there’s a vulnerability to Charlie that is heartbreaking, seen in quieter moments much later on when everything he knows is flipped upside down. Reilly is more than Phoenix’s equal as the introspective Eli, who endures Charlie’s drunken outbursts to ensure his survival, even at the cost of his own dreams. One of the film’s funniest moments is also pretty tragic, as a lonely Eli has a hilariously awkward experience with a prostitute (Allison Tolman) who sees his sensitive soul.
Audiard has a way of crafting tender stories about men of action and violence (see Rust & Bone and A Prophet), who find love to be their escape from a life of cruelty. It’s the connection between siblings that drives The Sisters Brothers to reach poignant, genre-breaking emotional heights.
If I’ve had beef with the teasers for Disney XD’s animated Star Wars Resistance, it’s that they haven’t had nearly enough action. Somebody must have been reading my mind because this new trailer delivers the starfighter action I’ve been craving.
Featuring an anime-inspired look far different from what we saw in Star Wars Rebels, the series centers on pilot Kaz Xiono, who is recruited by Poe Dameron to spy on the First Order from the Colossus space station. We get a good look at the other members of his crew, who think he’s just an ordinary mechanic, as well as some familiar faces. Along with Poe Dameron, voiced again by Oscar Isaac, we also see the return of Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, although she appears to not be the only chrome stormtrooper around. Hmmmm….
The animation style is going to take some getting used to, but I confess to not liking the look of Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels at first. Eventually they won me over and I expect this will, too. Disney Channel will premiere Star Wars Resistance on October 7th at 10pm EST, before moving over to Disney XD.
Yippee kai yay! It’s a wonder it took Funko so long to create a line of Die Hard Pop! Vinyl figures, but they are here and arriving just in time for Christmas. I guess we know where they stand on whether Die Hard is really a Christmas movie. Answer: yes it is.
So who have we got? Obviously, there’s Bruce Willis, all bloodied up as John McClane, with his walkie talkie, trusty pistol, and bare feet. We also get two versions of the late great Alan Rickman as villain Hans Gruber, the second, better dressed version a GameStop exclusive. I never thought Family Matters‘ Reginald VelJohnson would have a Funko figure but here he is as police Sgt. Al Powell, carrying an armload of Twinkies. There’s also Andreas Wisniewski as terrorist Tony Vreski, looking a lot like he does when he gets killed. Definitely the most morbid Funko I’ve seen in a minute.
All of these figures are available for pre-order now from our friends at Entertainment Earth! They have the deepest inventory of Pops, including exclusives, at the best prices anywhere on the Internet. When you click on any of our below links and make a purchase we get a small commission that helps us keep the lights on, at no cost to you at all. Every little bit helps, and we thank all of you continue to support us and our sponsors. Thanks!
Oh yeah, Robin Hood is back. Again. No matter how many times Hollywood tries to revive the legendary archer/thief it never quite seems to connect with audiences, and it certainly doesn’t with me. This latest attempt does star Kingsman’s Taron Egerton, Ben Mendelsohn, and Jamie Foxx, however, so maybe this one will do the trick.
Eh, not really. I can appreciate this latest Robin Hood‘s attempt to bring a gritty, down-to-earth realism to the story by painting the hero as a returning war hero. But I also recall the Russell Crowe version of Robin Hood taking a similarly grounded, no-frills approach and that didn’t much work, either. Just not feeling it.
Here’s the synopsis: Robin of Loxley (Taron Egerton) a war-hardened Crusader and his Moorish commander (Jamie Foxx) mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown in a thrilling action-adventure packed with gritty battlefield exploits, mind-blowing fight choreography, and a timeless romance.
Directed by Otto Bathurst with Eve Hewson and Jamie Dornan co-starring, Robin Hood opens November 21st.
We’re happy to offer our readers the chance to win one of five digital codes for Solo: A Star Wars Story!
Directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker Ron Howard—the creator of unforgettable films, such as A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Parenthood and Splash —took moviegoers on this summer’s wildest ride with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich). The action-packed journey explores Han’s first encounters with future friend and copilot Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and notorious gambler Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), as well as his adventure-filled past alongside fellow street thief Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and career criminal Beckett (Woody Harrelson). Watch instantly on Sept. 14th as the Millennium Falcon sets course digitally in HD and 4K Ultra HD and on Movies Anywhere, and bring the adventure home on Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand on Sept. 25.
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Kevin Hart is a high school dropout in need of a second chance in Night School, the new comedy that marks his latest pairing with uber-producer Will Packer. The duo have teamed up on multiple box office hits starting with Hart’s breakout role in Think Like A Man all the way up to Ride Along 2. But this also marks Hart’s first film as a producer and co-writer, and his first pairing with Girls Trip superstarTiffany Haddish, making for a pair that should be a potent comic force. But together Hart and Haddish barely get a passing grade in a film that doesn’t have enough laughs to justify its nearly two-hour runtime.
A reunion between Girls Trip director Malcolm D. Lee and Haddish, the film thrusts her into a headlining role, but unlike that film she is unable to step out of her co-star’s shadow. Hart takes center stage as Teddy Walker, a two-bit hustler who puts his talking skills to work as a top BBQ grill salesman. He’s got it made; he drives a hot car, and is clearly punching above his weight class by dating high-powered attorney Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke), who loves him dearly. Sure, he’s spending every last dollar to keep her happy, much to the chagrin of his best friend and unofficial financial advisor (Ben Schwartz), but Teddy’s doing pretty good for a guy who dropped out of high school just before taking the SAT. It’s not that Teddy is lazy, although he is always looking for short cuts, but that when he sees numbers they tend to jumble like a bowl of alphabet soup.
Teddy’s flying high, but it all literally goes up in smoke on the night he decides to pop the question to Lisa. Left with no diploma and few job prospects, the only choice Teddy has is to go back to school and get his GED, but he’ll have to survive the tough-as-nails night school teacher, Carrie (Haddish), and the school’s heelish principal, Stewart (Taran Killam), one of his old childhood rivals.
The major draw of Night School is pretty obvious, and that’s the pairing of Hart and Haddish as a comic tandem. Hart works best when he’s got someone more aggressive than him to play off of, and Haddish makes for a great foil in that respect. Carrie is a teacher who doesn’t take any crap from Teddy, Stewart, or any of her students, preaching a tough love approach that may even include beating them up in an MMA cage. Whatever works to get the job done. Meanwhile, Teddy always has some plan to get ahead or a lie to spin, and it gets him in so much trouble he’s eventually busted down to selling chicken at a Christian fast food joint, wearing a chicken suit on the corner. If you can imagine Hart’s pint-sized self in a chicken suit it’s already pretty funny, but I was happy there actually weren’t as many jokes about his size this time. How small he is compared to everyone else is self-evident, hilarious, and doesn’t need to be pointed out all of the time.
It’s clear that Hart wants Night School to be more than just his usual brand of dumb humor. The film touches on the idea of giving second chances, helping those with learning disabilities, and fixing a broken public education system. For that it should be commended. However, Hart and five co-writers (!!!) struggle to find ways to implement those themes, and there’s a huge chunk of time that just feels like empty space. Rob Riggle, Romany Malco, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anne Winters, Fat Joe, and Al Madrigal are terrific as Teddy’s night school classmates, and I love the way they support one another through their obvious cultural differences, but their scenes together rarely amount to much. An attempted theft of the midterm ends in a lame vomit gag, and a dance-off feels perfunctory. Seriously, must every mainstream “black’ comedy have a dance scene in it? However, if one supporting star really stands out it’s Malco as Jaylen, a “woke” brotha with an irrational fear of technology who thinks Terminator is a sign of things to come.
Any film with Hart and Haddish is going to have its moments, but at 111 minutes this Night School is too much like homework when it should be recess.
The biggest claim to fame for action flick 17 Bridges, which sounds like a spinoff of 16 Blocks or Mile 22 but I swear it isn’t, has been the reunion of producers the Russo Brothers with fellow Marvel alum Chadwick Boseman. Considering the cast they’re putting together around him that could change, because this is shaping up to be pretty impressive.
Deadline reports Oscar winner J.K. Simmons, Sienna Miller, and Taylor Kitsch have joined the 17 Bridges cast. Directed by Brian Kirk from a Matthew Carnahan script, the story follows a disgraced NYPD detective (Boseman) on the hunt for a pair of cop killers. But as the search intensifies it becomes less certain who is the cat and who is the mouse, and all 17 Manhattan bridges are shut down to prevent anybody from getting in or out of the city.
One of the best and strangest supernatural thrillers in recent years, Joaquin Trier’s 2017 film Thelma largely escaped the notice of American audiences. Critics loved it, both here and abroad, with the Norwegian film racking up numerous awards. As we’ve seen far too often of late, acclaimed foreign films are always destined to get an English-language remake at some point, and one for Thelma is now in the works with a director on board to make it happen.
I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie will take on the Thelma remake, although it would have been nice if Trier could have done it himself. Christy Hall will pen the Americanized take on the story of Thelma, a girl with powerful telekinetic abilities that emerge due to her desire for a female classmate. Eili Harboe took on the titular role in the original movie and I’m curious to see who is cast for Gillespie’s take.
Despite the delicate balancing act he pulled off with I, Tonya, I wouldn’t call Gillespie the most consistent filmmaker around. I like his Fright Night remake better than most, but find Lars and the Real Girl pretentious, and Mr. Woodcock atrocious. He’s a peculiar choice for this job, and I have doubts he can pull it off. [Deadline]
Fans of The Walking Dead who have been missing the presence of Steven Yeun, I hope you’ve been paying attention to his film career. From roles in Okja, Mayhem, and Sorry to Bother You, he’s making some fantastic choices, and soon we could see Yeun take the stage as an Oscar winner for director Lee Chang-dong’s Cannes favorite, Burning.
Officially named South Korea’s entry for Best Foreign Language film, Burning was seen as the frontrunner to win Cannes’ Palme d’Or, but ended up losing to Hirokazu Koreeda’s Shoplifters. If selected for the Oscars it will be the first South Korean film ever to be nominated, so the global spotlight is going to be on this one. Yeun stars alongside Yoo Ah-in and Jun Jong-seo in the story of Jong-su, a delivery boy who desires a romantic relationship with his friend Hae-mi, but when she returns from vacation on the arm of the wealthy Ben (Yeun), the dynamic changes. Tensions are raised when Hae-mi mysteriously disappears, and Jong-su begins to suspect Ben’s involvement.
