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TIFF First Looks: Chris Pine In David Mackenzie’s ‘Outlaw King’, Laura Dern And Kristen Stewart In ‘Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy’

By
John Nolan
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The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival is shaping up to be its usual star-studded affair with tons of amazing movies filling up the lineup. Since I ain’t going I won’t run through the list, but there are two that are definitely worth talking about and those are the opening and closing night films: Outlaw King starring Chris Pine, and Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy with Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern. Fortunately, there are first looks at both films.

First up is the Opening Night film, Outlaw King, which reteams Chris Pine with Hell or High Water director David Mackenzie. The film tells the true story of Robert the Bruce, ” who transforms from defeated nobleman to outlaw hero during the oppressive occupation of medieval Scotland by Edward I of England. Despite grave consequences, Robert seizes the Scottish crown and rallies an impassioned group of men to fight back against the mighty army of the tyrannical King and his volatile son, the Prince of Wales.”

I’ve come around on my early criticism of Pine and now can’t wait to see what he does working with Mackenzie again. Aaron Taylor Johnson, Florence Pugh, and Billy Howle co-star. Outlaw King will have its premiere at TIFF on September 6th then hit theaters on November 9th.

The Closing Night film will have a tremendous amount of star wattage with Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern leading Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy. It’s the latest film from director Justin Kelly, who you might recall from the James Franco queer dramas I Am Michael and King Cobra. Dern stars as author Laura Albert, who writes under the fictional persona of a young queer man named JT LeRoy. After her books start receiving celebrity attention and notoriety, Laura has her androgynous sister-in-law Savannah Knoop (Stewart) play JT Leroy during public appearances, until the whole sham was exposed.

Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy will premiere at TIFF on September 18th but has yet to get a theatrical release date.

Laura Dern To Join Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women’ With Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, And Saoirse Ronan

By
John Nolan
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As if the cast of Greta Gerwig’s Little Women couldn’t get any better with Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Florence Pugh, James Norton, and Timothee Chalamet already on board, THR now says Laura Dern is in talks to join them.

The Big Little Lies star’s role is unclear at this point. Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel follows sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy who along with their mother live a life of love and tragedy in post-Civil War era Massachusetts.  Gerwig, whose previous film Lady Bird earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Director, will also write the screenplay.

Little Women is one of the most adapted works of all-time. A notable version starring Winona Ryder was released in 1994, and a version featuring Lea Thompson is due to hit theaters next month. Gerwig’s film likely won’t arrive until 2019.

Dern will be seen next in TIFF closing night film Jeremiah Terminator Leroy opposite Kristen Stewart.

Disney’s ‘Lady And The Tramp’ Casts Tessa Thompson As The Voice Of Lady

By
John Nolan
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Since her role in Dear White People we’ve seen Tessa Thompson become one of the most sought after actresses in Hollywood. This year alone she’s already starred in two of the most acclaimed films, Annihilation and Sorry to Bother You, landed the upcoming Men in Black spinoff, all while maintaining a key role on HBO’s Westworld. Now Collider reports Thompson may be joining Disney’s live-action Lady and the Tramp film, providing the voice of the titular cocker spaniel.

Thompson is in talks to voice Lady in Disney’s canine film, a live-action remake of their 1955 animated classic about a refined American cocker spaniel named Lady who falls in love with a mongrel named Tramp. Justin Theroux is set to voice Tramp, with Ashley Jensen as Lady’s friend Jackie, a Scottish terrier. Kiersey Clemons plays Darling, Lady’s human owner.

It’s also been confirmed that Doctor Strange and Avengers: Infinity War‘s Benedict Wong will voice Bull, an English bulldog.  Both Thompson and Wong are key parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and also co-starred with one another in Annihilation.

Directed by Charlie Bean, Lady and the Tramp is expected to be part of Disney’s streaming service next year.

Wes Anderson Reportedly Planning Post-WWII Film Set In France

By
John Nolan
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Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs arrived early this year and it was in keeping with the director’s offbeat tradition. The director isn’t wasting time moving on to his followup, and it looks like the tenth feature of his career will be something vastly different, at least in terms of setting. 

The New Republic says Anderson has chosen Angoulême, France as the site to shoot his next film, with an eye towards a February 2019 start. The story’s setting is said to be just after WWII, a time period that should be interesting to see under Anderson’s quirky gaze.

Anderson has lived in France for a number of years now, and worked with multiple French actors, so this isn’t much of a shock.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him reunite with actors Mathieu Amalric and Lea Seydoux in some way. There’s always the chance he completes this in time for the awards season next year, but we probably won’t see it until 2020.

DC Readers: Attend A Free Early Screening Of ‘Operation Finale’

By
John Nolan
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We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free advance screening of Operation Finale, pitting Oscar Isaac vs Ben Kingsley in a stunning true story following the events of WWII. The film is directed by Chris Weitz (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) and co-stars Lior Raz, Melanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, Joe Alwyn, and Haley Lu Richardson.

SYNOPSIS: This thrilling true story follows the 1960 covert mission of legendary Mossad agent Peter Malkin as he infiltrates Argentina and captures Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi officer who masterminded the transportation logistics that brought millions of innocent Jews to their deaths in concentration camps.


The screening takes place on Monday, August 27th at 7:00pm at Landmark E Street. If you’d like to attend, register at the Gofobo ticketing site here.  Please remember that having passes does not guarantee entry. All screenings are first come first served, and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure receiving a seat. Enjoy the show!

Operation Finale opens August 29th.

MoviePass Is Now Re-Enrolling Cancelled Subscribers In A New Plan WIthout Their Consent

By
John Nolan
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Over the last couple of weeks I’ve heard from a lot of readers who say they have canceled their MoviePass subscriptions. It’s hard to argue with that considering the shit show the service has become with regular outages, price changes, and a massive cut to the number of films you can see and select from. Well, those of you who did cancel might want to double check and make sure it went through, because MoviePass is pulling some sketchy shit right now.

Some who have canceled their MoviePass subscriptions have actually been quietly moved to a totally different plan. Say what? What’s worse then that, though? This new plan doesn’t allow you to cancel. That’s right, you’re stuck with it. Here’s an example of the email, courtesy of Business Insider who got it from a MoviePass user…
Sinking even further, users who just want to check their cancellation status have to approve of this new plan, which starts tomorrow and that they then won’t be able to cancel out from. Crazy, right?  Others who have tried to leave MoviePass have received system errors, or just found their accounts to still be active days later.
This is shady, right? If only to be a fly on the wall of the MoviePass boardroom where decisions like this are getting made. Sure, it’s possible this is all just one big mistake, but do you really think it is? Honestly? 

Neil Blokamp Ups His Cred When Revealing Who He Wants for ‘Robocop’ Sequel

By
John Nolan
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Robocop is one of those unique movies that became a classic not just because of its content but because of the time in which it was released. I’m not going to rehash the Robocop 101 history, but for you math majors, Reaganomics + Robotic Jesus Allegory x Hyper-violence= Perfection. The mix of these three ingredients is the exact reason why none of the sequels nor the remake from a few years ago hit big. The remake, by the way, was awesome for what it was but ended up being just a great sci-fi action movie, the lack of that extra social commentary makes it fail to stand up to the original in comparison even if you didn’t realize it.

Enter Neil Blomkamp, who hit big with District 9,  a sci-fi allegory for real world issues which was full of action and violence, see where I’m going here? Blomkamp has announced that he’s working on a direct sequel to the original 1987 Robocop, obviously the internet’s first reaction was a collective groan, but then the details started to surface and with that a shred of hope. The thing is, we are currently living in a time that is more primed for the type of satire used by Veerhoven in the original film then any other time in history. I don’t care where your political allegiances lie, you have to admit that this is true. The only catch point is the filmmaker GETTING that. If anyone will, it’s Blomkamp. Not sure because he’s allready shown a talent for it with District 9 but because he’s a tried and true fan of the original, a resume point that is proving more and more important in the world of failed remakes and sequels. Look no further then his twitter exchange (pictured below) where he comes right out and names Peter Weller as his choice for Robocop. Yes, Weller’s getting on in years but we only need to see his mouth and the guy has had an uptick in work over the last 5-10 years with big parts in both Star Trek: Into Darkness and Sons of Anarchy so we know he’s still working. Call me #TeamRobocop at least in the early stages this is setting up to look like a sequel done right.

‘Climax’ Trailer: Gaspar Noé Takes Sofia Boutella Through An LSD-Fueled Nightmare

By
John Nolan
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Ever since his debut feature I Stand Alone, Gaspar Noe has established himself as a director whose films are not for the faint of heart. If being confronted with disturbing or provocative imagery isn’t your thing, then films like Love, Enter the Void, and Irreversible are probably best left off your playlist. And the same will undoubtedly go for Noe’s latest, the Cannes award-winner Climax, which has just debuted another psychedelic new trailer.

Sofia Boutella (The Mummy, Kingsman: The Secret Service) stars in this strobe-lit, LSD-fueled mindtrip as part of a dance troupe that throws a celebration which descends into a hallucinatory nightmare.  The film divided critics at Cannes but Noe managed to walk away with the prestigious  Art Cinema Award.

Here’s the synopsis: From director Gaspar Noé (Irreversible; Enter the Void; Love) comes a hypnotic, hallucinatory, and ultimately hair-raising depiction of a party that descends into delirium over the course of one wintry night. In Climax, a troupe of young dancers gathers in a remote and empty school building to rehearse. Following an unforgettable opening performance lit by virtuoso cinematographer Benoît Debie (Spring Breakers; Enter the Void) and shot by Noé himself, the troupe begins an all-night celebration that turns nightmarish as the dancers discover they’ve been pounding cups of sangria laced with potent LSD. Tracking their journey from jubilation to chaos and full-fledged anarchy, Noé observes crushes, rivalries, and violence amid a collective psychedelic meltdown. Starring Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde) and a cast of professional dancers, Climax is Noé’s most brazen and visionary statement yet.


Climax has yet to be given a release date but A24 is expected to open it later this year.

‘What Men Want’ Trailer: Taraji P. Henson Can Hear Every Man’s Gross Thoughts

By
John Nolan
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Mel Gibson’s hit 2000 comedy What Women Want, which wasn’t that good then but looks REALLY bad now, has somehow proven to be very influential. A Chinese remake was released in 2011 and if you really want to see how different our two cultures are check that out. And now twenty year after the original film, Hollywood is keen on giving us the other side of the coin with What Men Want, and Taraji P. Henson is the unfortunate conduit for making that happen.

The first trailer has arrived and it’s exactly what you think it is. Men suck, we think horrible things and it’s a good thing women don’t really know what’s racing through our minds. Unfortunately for Henson, she plays a professional woman who gains the power to know exactly what men are thinking, and it causes her untold problems personally and professionally.

The film is directed by Adam Shankman, best known for Hairspray and Rock of Ages, but he’s also done his share of disposable comedies and this looks like another.

Also starring Wendi McLendon-Covey, Max Greenfield, Aldis Hodge, Tracy Morgan, Tamala Jones, Erykah Badu, Richard Rountree, Shaquille O’Neal, and Brian Bosworth, What Men Want opens January 11th 2019.

‘Green Book’ Trailer: Mahershala Ali And Viggo Mortensen Road Trip Through The Deep South

By
John Nolan
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I don’t give a damn where Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen are road-tripping off to, I want to tag along. Clearly, the chance to watch these two amazing actors together is going to be a big draw for Green Book, but the life changing story at its center is more than worthy of their talents. The biggest surprise to come from it may be that it comes from director Peter Farrelly. Yes, THAT Peter Farrelly. The Dumb and Dumber Peter Farrelly.

Green Book tells the true story of the friendship that forms between a  working class Italian bouncer named Tony (Mortensen) and black classical pianist Don Shirley (Ali) as they road trip through the deep South in the 1960s. While their personalities couldn’t be more different, they open up one another’s eyes to the ways of the world, at a time when people like them aren’t supposed to get along. 
Does it look a little bit like Oscar bait? Absolutely, but then this is a Peter Farrelly movie and it’s incredible we’re even suggesting such a thing is possible. Farrelly is best known for co-directing films like Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, and Shallow Hal, which nobody would call high art. He’s on his own this time and looks to be making an impression in a totally different genre. He co-wrote the script with actors Nick Vallelonga and Brian Hayes Currie. 
Green Book hits theaters on November 21st. 

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