‘Patient Zero’ Trailer: Stanley Tucci, Natalie Dormer, & Matt Smith Try To Survive A Deadly Pandemic

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July 16, 2018

The difference between zombie movies and pandemic movies is subtle, but important. Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later? Pandemic. Dawn of the Dead? Zombie movie. The latest in the former category is Patient Zero, which finds Stanley Tucci, Matt Smith, Natalie Dormer, and others trying to survive a pandemic that has turned its victims into rabies-fueled savages. So yeah, it’s very 28 Days Later.

The film is directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, the German director who helmed The Counterfeiters, the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winner in 2008. Shooting was completed on this in 2015 and has been on the shelf for a while, which isn’t a good sign, but the trailer suggests a solid entry in the genre. Here’s the synopsis:

In the pandemic thriller, PATIENT ZERO, humanity is battling intelligent, adrenaline-fueled creatures born from a viral super-strain. After being bitten, human survivor Morgan (Matt Smith) realizes he is asymptomatic and can communicate with the infected, leading the last survivors on a hunt for Patient Zero and a cure.

Patient Zero hits theaters on September 14th, preceded by a digital release on August 14th.

DC’s ‘Birds Of Prey’ Team Confirmed, Including First Major Openly Gay DCEU Character

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John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

Well, here it is, the BIG Birds of Prey news promised earlier today. And it turns out the rumor was mostly accurate, although some key details were left or may have been off. The Wrap reports Margot Robbie’s all-girl gang will consist of Harley Quinn, the Huntress, Dinah Lance aka Black Canary, the Cassandra Cain version of Batgirl, and Gotham City detective Renee Montoya.

So let’s take stock for a sec: today’s rumor had all of these characters except for Montoya, and honestly she’s the biggest surprise by far. Montoya is a GCPD detective who has been very active in the Bat-books. She’s also openly gay, making her the first ever in the DCEU. Montoya has no powers, but her keen intuitive skill helped her take on the mantle of The Question, an investigative hero in DC Comics.

The addition of Cassandra Cain is also surprising. She’s best known as “the mute Batgirl”, although I hesitate to say she was a very popular character under the mask. When people talk Batgirl they still tend to be referring to the Barbara Gordon version of the character. I’ll be curious to see if they keep Cain mute.

Black Canary aka Dinah Laurel Lance and Huntress aka Helena Bertinelli are to be expected. Both are mainstays of the Birds of Prey team and have worked well as part of CW’s Arrowverse for years.

As for the villain, the story promises it to be a “Batman comics villain who has never before appeared on the big screen.” That could still be Cassandra’s father, David Cain, as was previously suggested, but that seems too small for a film of this scope.

Shooting begins in January with Cathy Yan behind the camera. Look out for more details in the coming days.

DC Readers: Attend A Free Advance Screening Of ‘Blindspotting’

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John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

We’re happy to invite our DC readers to attend a free advance screening of Blindspotting, the powerful new film from stars and co-writers Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal.

SYNOPSIS: Collin (Daveed Diggs) must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning. He works alongside his troublemaking childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal) as movers forced to watch their old neighborhood become a trendy spot in the rapidly gentrifying Bay Area. When a life-altering event causes Collin to miss his mandatory curfew, the two men struggle to maintain their friendship as the changing social landscape exposes their differences.

Lifelong friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about friendship and the intersection of race and class set against the backdrop of Oakland. Bursting with energy, style and humor, Blindspotting, boldly directed by Carlos López Estrada in his feature film debut, is a provocative hometown love letter that glistens with humanity.

The screening takes place on Tuesday, July 17th at 7:00pm at Regal Majestic in Silver Spring. If you’d like to attend, simply download a pass at the Liongsgate ticketing site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you will need to arrive early to ensure receiving a seat. Enjoy the show!

Blindspotting opens July 20th.

‘On The Basis Of Sex’ Trailer: Felicity Jones Fights The Good Fight As Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is having one heck of a year. She’s become more prominent in the news lately with all of the stolen Supreme Court positions that Trump has been asked to fill. And the documentary about her, RBG, has gone on to become one of the highest-grossing independent films of 2018. It seems nothing can stop the Notorious RBG, and certainly she’s going to see a boost from the upcoming biopic, On the Basis of Sex, in which she’s played by Oscar nominee Felicity Jones.

Directed by Mimi Leder (The Leftovers), the film journeys back to one of Ginsburg’s most important early cases as she teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of gender discrimination. It’s a battle that would become a recurring theme throughout Ginsburg’s legal career, and it’s a fight she continues to wage to this day. Playing the role of her husband, tax lawyer Martin Ginsburg, is Armie Hammer who is also having quite a moment in his career right now.

Also starring Stephen Root, Kathy Bates, Sam Waterston, Jack Reynor, Stephen Root, Cailee Spaeny, and Justin Theroux, On the Basis of Sex opens December 25th.

Rumor: ‘Birds Of Prey’ Full Team Revealed, And Harley Quinn’s Unexpected Role In It

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John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

It’s Comic-Con week and already some big rumors are swirling around. It always happens in the days leading up to the biggest fan event of the year, and today there’s some buzz around DC’s Birds of Prey movie. I don’t like the source on this one, so as always I’ll just remind you to take it with a graint of salt.

So apprently there is supposed to be some big Birds of Prey news today, but video blogger Grace Randolph, whose track record is spotty at best, says she has the goods before anybody else. Her sources say the team’s roster will include Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Shiva, Katatna, and Harley Quinn. Margot Robbie will be reprising her role as Harley Quinn, but what’s interesting is the unhinged antivillain will be taking on the Oracle role, meaning she’ll basically be running team logistics, providing intel, etc. We’d previously heard that Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon, who is usually Oracle on the team, wouldn’t be in the film at all despite having her own solo movie in the works. This, I suppose, backs up that rumor.

So with one version of Batgirl out, another version may be included. Cassandra Cain is reportedly in need of rescue from her villainous father, David Cain, and only the Birds of Prey can do it.

This doesn’t quite stack up to me as a fully credible rumor, but some aspects of it may be true. Hopefully we’ll find out more in the coming days.

Unproduced Stanley Kubrick Script ‘Burning Secret’ Discovered

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John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

It’s a big deal whenever a long-lost project by a renowned filmmaker is discovered out of nowhere. When that filmmaker is the legendary Stanley Kubrick, who only directed 13 movies in his career, that excitement goes through the roof. Kubrick historian Nathan Abramas has found a completed screenplay for Burning Secret, a film that never went into production.

Kubrick co-wrote the screenplay with Calder Willingham in 1956, but for unknown reasons MGM kept it on the shelf. The story is based on the 1913 novella Brennendes Geheimnis by Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, and centers on a young boy who befriends a mysterious baron whose real agenda is to seduce the boy’s mother. The book has been adapted a couple of times, once in 1933 in a film that was attacked by the Nazis because of its adulterous themes. A more modern version was released in 1988 and starred Faye Dunaway among others.

The script is currently in the possession of the son of a Kubrick collaborator.

Abrams says, “I couldn’t believe it. It’s so exciting. It was believed to have been lost. In ‘Burning Secret,’ the main character befriends the son to get to the mother. In ‘Lolita,’ he marries the mother to get to the daughter. I think that with the 1956 production code, that would be a tricky one to get by. But he managed with ‘Lolita’ in 1962 – only just.”

So what happens now? Does it get made into a movie? That would be the preferred scenario for those who have missed the director’s work since his final film, 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut. It would be a shame if nothing comes of this, so here’s hoping one of the taste-making studios out there is willing to give us something new from Kubrick because it’s very unlikely this opportunity comes around again. [TheGuardian]

The ‘Unfriended: Dark Web’ Trailer Is A Warning To Stay Away From Strange Laptops

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John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

Blumhouse has a number of surprising success stories under their belt, and 2014’s Unfriended was another. Costing approximately $1M, the horror film earned $64M, powered by good buzz and a twisted concept that found a bunch of high schoolers terrorized by a haunted Skype call. There’s been genuinely hot buzz for the upcoming semi-sequel, Unfriended: Dark Web, which takes a similar conceit and tells a more horrifying story.

The directorial debut of The Grudge writer Stephen Susco finds a group of college kids dealing with the dangers of technology, albeit in a different way than the typical message movie. This time it’s a laptop full of snuff films that sets things off, followed by the revelations that what’s happening in them is real, and that the laptop’s owner has plans for them next. They should’ve just taken the laptop to the Lost ‘n Found and been done with it. Now they gotta die.

Starring Colin Woodell, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Betty Gabriel and Andrew Lees, Unfriended: Dark Web opens July 20th 2018.

Review – ‘Siberia’, Just Leave This One Buried In The Snow

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John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

Siberia tells the
story of Lucas Hill (Keanu Reeves) who is an American diamond trader in Russia
trying to find his missing partner, Pyotr (Boris Gulyarin), while working on
salvaging a deal with a Russian gangster Boris Volkov (Pasha D. Lychnikoff). Pyotr
has access to a large amount of rare blue diamonds that are worth tens of
millions of dollars, but with him nowhere to be found Lucas convinces Boris to
give him two days to come up with the diamonds. Lucas heads to a remote Russian
town to track down Pyotr’s brother, hoping that he will be able to help him
track down Pyotr. Lucas takes a detour to a local bar/restaurant where he meets
Katya (Ana Ularu), which is the beginning of a strange love affair. Lucas
interacts with many characters throughout that seem to dismiss and
underestimate him, mainly because he is an American. Lucas must find a way to balance
his blossoming love interest with Katya and his quest to find Pyotr and the
diamonds as the clock is ticking down.

Siberia has many elements
of a successful thriller – Russian mobsters, missing diamonds, fights, and
affairs – but putting it all together in this case simply does not work. After
the recent success of John Wick and
Keanu’s performance in that franchise I was expecting a lot from Siberia. Needless to say it fell short
across the board. The film is boring, never finds its footing, and seems to
forget about the entire diamond storyline for long stretches. The film spirals
into an offbeat romance, focusing on Lucas and Katya’s relationship and the
awkwardness between them. Lucas should be worried about the imminent danger he
is in, but doesn’t really seem to care. The film follows his lead, it is sluggish
and just trudges along. The music is slow and stale, and the entire film lacks
energy. Siberia is a big flop and I
would steer clear –it is as exciting as the barren landscape that it is named
after.

Rating: 1 out of 5

Duncan Jones All But Confirms ‘Rogue Trooper’ As His Next Movie

By

John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

A few days ago Warcraft director Duncan Jones hit social media to tease that his next film would be a comic book movie. He said that another clue would be coming soon after, and he wasn’t kidding. Although I hesitate to even call this a “clue” as an outright reveal, as he’s pretty much confirmed the film will be based on the Rogue Trooper character from the 2000 AD comics.

As promised… pic.twitter.com/6y3pzn2Cn1

— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) July 15, 2018

The Mohawk he’s sporting there at the end is exactly like Rogue Trooper’s. Let’s see if he keeps it throughout production, though.

For those unfamiliar with the character, Rogue Trooper is a blue-skinned super-soldier known as a G.I. or Genetic Infantryman. Developed by the Southers to be immune to virtually all toxins, Rogue travels the wasteland on a mission to find the Traitor General, who destroyed the other G.I.’s. He’s accompanied on this mission by his three of his fallen comrades whose personalities are kept in biochips attached to his helmet, backpack, and rifle. The character was created by Gerry Finley-Day and Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, first appearing in a 1981 issue of 2000 AD.

The timing of all this tells me Jones may have some new information at Comic-Con, so I’ll be sure to keep an eye out!

‘Zombieland’ Sequel Confirmed With Original Cast Returning

By

John Nolan

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July 16, 2018

When Zombieland opened in 2009 it caught everyone by surprise with a strong $24M opening weekend. It was around the time that we were seeing a new wave of zombie films with unique twists to the overdone concept, and this violent, R-rated road comedy was something most mainstream moviegoers hadn’t seen. The film went on to earn over $100M worldwide on a $24M budget, but it was on home video that it became a cult classic. A sequel was promised soon after but it is only now, nearly a decade later, that it can be confirmed.

THR has the news, and along with the sequel comes word that the original cast of Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin are returning. The original film made huge stars of Eisenberg and Stone, and it went a long way in proving Harrelson as a major franchise star. He really hasn’t looked back since, starring in numerous blockbuster studio films. Also returning are director Ruben Fleischer and screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, all having seen their careers take off thanks to Zombieland. Fleischer is currently working with Harrelson on Sony’s Venom movie, while Wernick and Reese have done okay for themselves with two Deadpool flicks.

Expect the film to open sometime next year, marking Zombieland‘s 10th anniversary.