Bel Canto admittedly sounds and looks pretty corny, but when the stars are Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe it really doesn’t matter. The hostage drama is based on the acclaimed novel by Ann Pratchett, which drew inspiration from the Japanese embassy hostage crisis in 1996. The Oscar-winning actress plays world famous opera singer Roxanne Coss, whose voice melts the heart of a wealthy industrialist played by Watanabe.
What you have is the potential for a beautiful, well-acted love story, but what unfolds is something else entirely. The soiree in which Moore and Watanabe’s characters meet is attacked by guerrila fighters who take them and others hostage, in hopes the government will free their imprisoned comrades. Despite the terror they all face, the hostages find strength in one another and form unexpected relationships, with Roxane’s voice binding them together.
Paul Weitz, best known for About a Boy and Mozart in the Jungle, directed and co-wrote the script with Anthony Weintraub. Sebastian Koch, Christopher Lambert, Ryo Kase, Tenoch Huerta, and María Mercedes Coroy co-star.
Corny or not, it’s a story that has won millions of fans across the globe, even being adapted into an opera in 2015. That’s why I find the release schedule a bit perplexing. Bel Canto will hit theater on September 14th, then move to VOD a week later.
It looks like Chris Pratt’s Cowboy Ninja Viking film, which he’s been attached to since 2014, has been put on ice, at least for now. THR reports Universal have halted production on the film just a month before shooting was to begin. That’s never good.
Universal has reportedly taken the film off of their 2019 production slate, but still list the project as in active development, with the delay “to accommodate production scheduling.” Well, that’s a nothing statement if there ever was one. The problem apparently has to do with the script, which was originally penned by Deadpool‘s Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Additional writers have taken a shot at it, including Dan Mazeau, Ryan Engle, and Craig Mazin.
The film is based on the Image Comics series about a hitman with dissociative personality disorder who can manifest the abilities of a cowboy, ninja, or Viking. Pratt would have taken the lead role, with Baywatch star Priyanka Chopra just added to the cast days ago. It also would have been the anticipated feature debut of Emmy-winning Breaking Bad director/producer Michelle MacLaren. Sadly, those who have been looking forward to seeing what she can do on the big screen will have to wait.
This week Ruby Rose will be seen battling a prehistoric shark in The Meg, but after that she’s taking a detour to Gotham City. Rose has been confirmed to join CW’s Arrowverse as Batwoman, and could lead a potential solo series.
Variety reports the news of Rose’s casting, and this is pretty big, not just for the CW but for Rose. The actress will play Kate Kane in the annual Arrowverse crossover event that includes Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. From there she may take the lead on a Batwoman TV series primed for 2019. The character is one of the few major lesbian superheroes and it was a good move on their part to sign a gay actress for the role.
Rose has been keeping busy in a bunch of big studio sequels like XXX: Return of Xander Cage, John Wick: Chapter Two, and Pitch Perfect 3. She tends to play badass characters that match with her edgy style, and I think Batwoman definitely applies. I would have preferred she be cast in one of the DCEU’s movies, but I now have one more reason to want a Batwoman series to be a reality.
MoviePass is still alive…for now, and despite the weeks of financial woes, bad press, stock plunges, and subscriber unhappiness, they feel comfortable enough to move ahead on the latest film from MoviePass Films. Considering how Gotti performed, and the company’s financial difficulties, maybe this isn’t the best time?
Deadline reports MoviePass Films has signed Bruce Willis to star in 10 Minutes Gone, a thriller about a man who loses ten minutes of his memory after being hit by a stray bullet during a failed bank heist. He must then put back the pieces of his memory to uncover who made away with his missing cash. Willis will play the villainous crime boss looking to get his money back. The film will be directed by Brian A. Miller, a Willis favorite who has directed the actor in forgettable stuff like The Prince and Reprisal. Meadow Williams, Swen Temmel, Sergio Rizzuto, and Tyler Jon Olson make up the rest of the cast.
The first two MoviePass Films releases haven’t gone well at all. Gotti was once eyed as a potential awards film years ago, but creative changes took any steam out of the John Travolta-led drama. It was not only a huge financial dud, but saw embarrassing headlines when it was revealed the marketing team faked a bunch of a positive Rotten Tomatoes reviews. The second film released was slasher film The Row, which stars Randy Couture and Mia Frampton. It’s due to hit DVD and digital in September.
I don’t know if we’re ready for the impact Disney’s streaming service is going to have. It’s going to be huge. Disney already has the world’s biggest franchises under its belt, and a big part of the reason for the Fox acquisition was to acquire even more content. And one of the biggest draws of the service will be the various Star Wars projects that will be exclusive to it, including Jon Favreau’s live-action TV series, which is shaping up to be gigantic and very expensive.
The New York Times did an extensive piece on Disney exec Rick Strauss, and he revealed some info on the service and the Star Wars series. “Quality is going to be critical,” Strauss said, and that quality comes at a price: reportedly $100M for 10 episodes. Damn. Yeah, that means each episode is going to cost more than most of the flicks you’ll see at the local arthouse theater.
Favreau added, “Star Wars is a big world, and Disney’s new streaming service affords a wonderful opportunity to tell stories that stretch out over multiple chapters.”
Disney is sparing no expense, not just with Star Wars but on every project, whether it be feature film or series. The shows will have budgets between $25M and $35M, while films could reach as high as $60M. It helps to be the most profitable studio in the world with the green to inject that much money into what is, for now, an experimental venture.
Going back to the untitled Star Wars series, we still don’t know much about it. We’d heard from Favreau it would take place about seven years after Return of the Jedi’s Battle of Endor, but the generally reliable folks at Making Star Wars say it’s only three. Maybe they know something Favreau doesn’t? Probably not.
They also say the series could take place on the planet Mandalore, home of the battle-hardened Mandalorian warriors. The most famous of them is, of course, Boba Fett. They say “when the Empire falls, Mandalore falls into a state of turmoil and the series is about restoring Mandalore to its former self and how Mandalore sways will have huge galactic ramifications.”
Sounds like the plot of numerous episodes of Star Wars Rebels centered on Sabine, a female Mandalorian frequently at odds with her people. The Mandalorians are one of the most popular races in all of Star Wars, and their warring backstory is full of potentially awesome storylines. No matter what direction the show takes, Disney has a potential goldmine on their hands. Honestly, they could make a show with nothing but Porgs, Gungans, and Ewoks and people would subscribe.
Melissa McCarthy stars in this outrageous new comedy as newly
single mother Deanna, who is fueled by the breakup to kickstart her life and go
back to college. Unfortunately, she happens to wind up at the same school as
her less-than-thrilled daughter. Deanna goes all out in experiencing all that
college life has to offer, and in the process, bonds with the daughter she’s
growna away from.
We Said: “Life
of the Party has its heart in the right place, and briefly preaches the
value of female independence. But it’s much stronger when showing how a
sisterly bond empowers Deanna to be her best.” Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Gabrielle Union stars as Shaun, a single mother who decides
to take her two kids to thei late father’s high tech cabin for a weekened
vacaction. The family soon gets an unwelcome surprise when four men break into
the house to find hidden money. Although she managed to escape, Shaun’s
children are still inside and held captive, and it’s up to her to turn the
tables on the criminals and save the day.
We Said: “Breaking
In is chock full of inconsistencies and is very formulaic, but is a
decent action movie. Don’t bother spending big bucks on it in the theaters, but
keep it in mind for a future red box rental or Netflix viewing – I wouldn’t
want you missing all of the smoldering looks Gabrielle Union drops throughout.” Rating: 2 out of 5
A therapist (Jenny Slate) tries to help a troubled patient (Zachary
Quinto) whose hallucinations start to become increasingly violent.
Complications soon arise when she develops a budding romance with the man’s
estranged brother (Jon Hamm).
We Said: “While there could
be some solid comic/dramatic tension to be mined from [this] scenario, Aardvark
is too poorly written and stagnant to do so.” Rating: 0 out of 5
In the surprisingly great boxing drama and Rocky spinoff/sequel Creed, one of the most powerful moments came when Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) was given the patriotic American flag trunks worn by his dead father, Apollo. Those trunks are seen again now in the first official images from Creed II, as Adonis faces his father’s legacy head on.
The images feature Adonis hitting the heavy bag with Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), in preparation for his fight against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), the man who killed Apollo Creed in Rocky IV. The second image shows Adonis making his way to the ring, apparently a WBC champion, and wearing his father’s star-spangled trunks.
The film is directed by Steven Caple Jr. with Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad reprising their roles from before. Creed II hits the ring on November 21st.
Spike Lee’s latest, the provocatively-titled BlacKkKlansman, starts by telling us it’s based on “some fo’ real fo’ real shit”. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s just some bo’shit, though, because the outlandish tale of an African-American cop who somehow goes undercover in the KKK sounds tough to swallow. But it is indeed true, albeit not as straight-up as it sounds, and Lee uses this bizarre, racially-charged story from yesterday to paint a picture of the common presence of racism today.
To be perfectly blunt, Lee hasn’t had a great film in years, and while BlacKkKlansman has its issues, mostly tonal, it shows the director at his most fired up. And Lee is at his best when he’s fired up about something, in particular the issue of race. The film is set in 1970s Colorado Springs, where rookie African-American cop Ron Stallworth (a cool as ice, afro’ed John David Washington), the first black cop in the department’s history, teams up with Jewish detective Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to go undercover in the Ku Klux Klan. Sounds ridiculous, but it isn’t like Ron just throws on a hood and walks into the KKK’s local chapter. He and Flip share the Stallworth identity, forming a composite person to fool the racist idiots into allowing them into their midst. Ron, using his white voice like a refugee from Sorry to Bother You, spews racist bile over the phone, while Flip takes over and plays the role physically, ingratiating himself with the Klan’s members.
It makes for an odd sort of buddy comedy, one in which the everyday oppression of blacks and Jews is examined from an unusual perspective. Ron sees what’s up; after having been banished to the records room to keep him out of sight, he finally gets a chance at a real case. And what is it? To investigate and report on a Black Student Union speech given by the fiery activist Stokely Carmichael (Corey Hawkins). The chief doesn’t want Carmichael riling the blacks up, but he also doesn’t want the good blacks’ turned into radicals. It’s an insulting gig, but Ron uses it as an opportunity. The words are impassioned, and you can tell Lee feels they are important and must be heard. His camera focuses not on the speaker but those listening, capturing some in bold and some in silhouette, all enraptured by the man’s words. Ron does his job and connects with Patrice, the Black Student Union president played by Laura Harrier in brainy eyeglasses and a delicious Cleopatra Jones afro. She doesn’t need to know he’s a cop; that would make things complicated.
Flip doesn’t really see the point in stirring up the hornets’ nest, leading to some interesting back-and-forth about racial identity as the Jewish cop passes himself off as pure white to the Klan’s dangerous but idiotic members. There’s a lot that Lee wants the audience to chew on, but subtlety has never been his strongest suit and neither has comedy. Unfortunately, Lee likes to try and use humor to drive home the points he deems most crucial, but too often the jokes are ill-timed and negate the seriousness of the situation. The KKK is planning a major show of force, and while Flip is in good with most of them, including Klan leader David Duke (Topher Grace, showing how blasé white supremacy can be), he’s in very real danger and so is Ron.
The occasionally-flippant tone can leave you unbalanced and unsure where Lee is coming from. He bookends the film with an array of hard-hitting footage, beginning with scenes from Gone with the Wind and concluding with a montage that includes the Rodney King beating, Black Lives Matter, and Trump’s “very fine people” response to Charlottesville. The Trump connection is drawn again early on as Alec Baldwin plays a virulently racist white supremacist who constantly flubs his newsreel voiceovers while babbling about mongrels and Jews on the Supreme Court. In-between we also get scenes from D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Lee understands the power of cinema and the impact this footage has. If heavy-handed they are also incredibly effective in charting the course of racism across decades. Lee is comfortable and assured here, in particular in a suspenseful finale that reminds you how good he was on Inside Man. His skills at ratcheting up tension have been sorely underused and I hope he gets a chance to fix that. He makes you wait for the classic dolly shot but when it comes it’s more than worth it.
While given the look and soul of a 1970s Blaxploitation film, BlacKkKlansman always feels contemporary as Lee seeks answers for the problems we face today. It’s good to see Lee back on his high horse, having found something to say and the passion with which to say it.
This animosity between Dave Bautista and Disney is getting worse, and I don’t know where it’s going to lead. Yesterday we posted the Guardians of the Galaxy star’s tweet that it was “nauseating” working for Disney after they fired director James Gunn. That was a pretty heavy shot across the bow, but Bautista followed it up in a conversation with Shortlist in which he takes it one step further.
According to the site, Bautista threatened to quit if Marvel doesn’t use Gunn’s script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. To be clear, Bautista is under contract to return just like the rest of the cast, and would likely face legal repercussions if he were to follow through on his threats…
“Where I’m at right now is that if [Marvel] don’t use that script, then I’m going to ask them to release me from my contract, cut me out or recast me.I’d be doing James a disservice if I didn’t.”
“Nobody’s defending his tweets, but this was a smear campaign on a good man,” he added. “I spoke to Chris Pratt the day after it happened and he’s a bit religious so he wanted time to pray and figure it out, but I was more like: f*ck this. This is bullshit. James is one of the kindest, most decent people I’ve met.”
Not that he thinks his words will have any impact on Disney’s decision, adding that he just “it opens people’s eyes to James’ character.”
I don’t know where this goes but you can bet Disney will try and lock this down before Avengers 4 hits, because presumably that’s when we’ll see Drax return. Then again, given the character’s current state maybe now would be a good time to write him out?
Uh oh, trouble for Johnny Depp’s Notorious BIG crime drama, City of Lies? The film, which co-stars Forest Whitaker, was to open on September 7th, the 46th birthday of the slain rap legend. But instead, distributor Global Road have yanked it from the schedule without giving it a new date.
No reason was given for the move, and it’s unclear if they’ll look for a digital release or aim for a later theatrical date. The film is directed by The Lincoln Lawyer’s Brad Furman, and centers on the investigation into Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 murder, which goes unsolved. It’s based on Randall Sullivan’s book, LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal, and would star Depp as real-life LAPD detective Russell Poole.
The move comes a month after Depp’s former location manager sued him for assault, alleging the actor punched him twice on set after being told filming would run late. He also claims to have been wrongfully fired for refusing to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and is seeking damages of an unspecified amount.
My gut tells me the film still gets a theatrical release down the line. Depp, for all of his issues lately, is still a big star and this is a story people have an interest in. We may see Global Road wait a few months until the issues surrounding Depp quiet a little. [Deadline]
