Chris Hemsworth Says ‘Infinity War’ Thor Is Different From ‘Ragnarok’ Thor

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March 28, 2018

Marvel really hit on something great with Taika Waititi’s take on the thunder god in Thor: Ragnarok. By moving away from the dull Shakespearean stuff and giving star Chris Hemsworth a chance to show his funny side, they’ve given the character a sorely needed jolt of personality. And now they’re getting rid of it for Avengers: Infinity War. But don’t be alarmed, it’s all for a good reason.

Hemsworth revealed that he was kinda nervous about how Thor would be represented in next month’s gigantic teamup, and expressed his concern to directors Joe & Anthony Russo…

“I came into this and called Joe and Anthony and said, ‘Look, don’t write me the old Thor, we’ve got a new Thor now. I was like ‘no, no, no’ and I was really protective of what I’d created with Taika.” Hemsworth said. “[Joe and Anthony Russo] said, ‘No this is a whole different thing; Thor’s never faced something like this, never been a part of this large and ensemble’.”

They do have a point. Just based on Thor’s introduction to the Guardians of the Galaxy, slamming up against the windshield of their ship in Infinity War, clearly there will be some humorous moments. However, the stakes are so astronomically high that if Thor were to crack too many jokes it would diminish Thanos as a threat.

As for why he had such a connection with Waititi’s version of Thor and is having more fun with Infinity War than previous Avengers movies, Hemsworth says “I felt stuck about what I was giving there and felt like I probably wasn’t bringing my portion to it as much as I could have.”

Avengers: Infinity War is now under a month away and here’s an epic new TV spot to help celebrate. If you haven’t already bought your tickets what are you waiting for? For somebody to give them away free? That’s just crazy.

“The end is near.” One month until @Avengers: #InfinityWar. Get tickets now: https://t.co/xQsJem15EU pic.twitter.com/vbX0JX5OwX

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) March 27, 2018

Here’s Why Fox Delayed ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ And ‘New Mutants’

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John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

Considering the last story about reshoots on a Fox X-Men property it might be a good idea to take this one with a grain of salt, but it’s worth paying attention to anyway. Earlier today we learned that Fox had pushed back the release of New Mutants for a second time, even deeper into 2019 than it was previously. Along with that, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which was set to open in a few months, was also delayed into next year. Comicbook.com says they’ve heard a rumor that weeks of reshoots were ordered on Dark Phoenix after testing, which suggests the screenings did not go that well.

Now, as we’ve said a million times before, reshoots are totally normal. Most movies have them and nearly every blockbuster factors them in. However, they rarely amount to a delay of this magnitude, and that indicates a deeper issue.

As for New Mutants, the latest round of reshoots are to “add a few new characters to round out the movie, as well as make it scarier, overhauling the majority of the film.” That’s very different from what we had heard previously, that one character was being added to the movie. This sounds like Fox is very unhappy with Josh Boone’s horror approach to the mutant team.

Collider adds some meat to the bones of these rumors, reporting that as much as 50% of New Mutants is being reshot as Boone deals with some “creative differences” with the studio. With Dark Phoenix the reason for its delays are more positive, chocking it up to difficulty in wrangling the schedules of the A-list cast. If that’s the case then it isn’t such a big deal.

If there are problems with either movie it could become a factor if the Disney/Fox deal closes before they hit theaters. Disney could decide they don’t want to move forward and put both films on the shelf. That would be an extraordinary decision on their part and I doubt it would happen, but anything is possible at this point.

Olivia Munn And Justin Theroux Join ‘Violet’, Justine Bateman’s Directorial Debut

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John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

Jason Bateman has a sister? Oooooh yeah, she was the one who was in Family Ties and…Satisfaction? Her brother made his directorial debut a few years ago with Bad Words then followed it up with The Family Fang, two very impressing showings. Now Justine Bateman is stepping behind the camera for the first time and she’s already got an impressive starring duo in Olivia Munn and Justin Theroux.

Munn and Theroux will star in Violet, which Bateman both wrote and will direct. Anthony LaPaglia is also part of the cast. The story follows a rising film executive (Munn) who lives according to the Voice (Theroux) in her head, until unexpectedly realizing the truth — it’s been lying about everything. LaPaglia portrays her boss, who dilutes her confidence in a way similar to the Voice.

Munn and Theroux last worked together on The Lego Ninjago Movie.

Bateman has mostly stayed out of the spotlight during her career, appearing mostly in random TV shows like Desperate Housewives and Californication. Her last film role was in the 2013 indie thriller Deep Dark Canyon.

Honest Trailer For ‘The Last Jedi’, The Most Exhilarating/Insulting ‘Star Wars’ Movie Ever

By

John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

Screen Junkies have played up the extreme divide between Star Wars fans in their latest Honest Trailer, this one for Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. It’s no secret that Honest Trailers haven’t been particularly funny to me lately but they are particularly inspired when it comes to the polarizing response to the Star Wars films, where traditionalists complain that Johnson has no understanding of George Lucas’ universe while others think he’s made the most brilliant film in the franchise.

Making a call back to their Honest Trailer for The Force Awakens, both the current narrator and his predecessor echo the opposing viewpoints of Star Wars fans, with one lamenting every misstep and the other excitedly cheering for any deviation from the norm. And look…there are some points made. The whole side story with Finn and Rose wasn’t great, Holdo’s entire motivation is off, and Luke was perhaps more of a dick than he needed to be. But the two also come to agree on certain things that are awesome like the lightsaber fight in Snoke’s lair.

Both sides agree not to bother doing this again for Solo, which they agree is probably going to suck. I don’t disagree.

Check out the Honest Trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi below!

‘Kodachrome’ Trailer: Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Olsen, & Ed Harris Take One Last Road Trip

By

John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

Remember how you used to be able to find a photo booth anywhere? Drop your film off, pick it up in an hour or so? You can’t really find that stuff anymore; advancements in photo technology have killed off that business. But don’t tell that to the characters of the upcoming road trip film, Kodachrome, who set out to get one last roll of film processed, no matter what it takes.

The film stars Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Olsen, and Ed Harris, debuting last year at TIFF. Mark Raso (Copenhagen) directs from a script by This Is Where I Leave You‘s Jonathan Tropper, with the story centering on a failed A&R exec who tags along with his dying father and his nurse to the last photo lab that can process his roll of kodachrome film, taken decades earlier that he desperately wants to see.

Kodachrome film inspired a popular song by Paul Simon in 1973, and this trailer is clearly inspired by other eclectic tracks. When Sudeikis steps away from the brainless mainstream comedies he’s actually quite a good actor, and seems to gravitate to dramedies that are heavily influenced by music. I refer to it often, probably too much, but his rom-com Tumbledown a couple of years ago is very similar and is one of his best.

That said, the response out of TIFF wasn’t great and this may turn out to be an acquired taste. Kodachrome hits Netflix and select theaters on April 20th.

‘The House With A Clock In Its Walls’ Trailer: Cate Blanchett Joins Eli Roth For Kid-Friendly Horror

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John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

Cate Blanchett’s been great for her entire career, but right now we’re going through a stretch where she’s an awful lot of fun to watch. She recently branched out into her first Marvel flick, chewing up scenery as the villain Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. And now she’s moved over to Gothic horror in The House With A Clock In Its Walls, which pairs her up for the first time with Eli Roth.

The first trailer for the kid-friendly horror has arrived and it looks like a mix of Guillermo Del Toro and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. Bold words, I know, but this really does look like the rare film designed to be scary and entertaining for kids. The story, which is based on the illustrated book by John Bellairs, has Blanchett as a witch who lives next door to a warlock played by Jack Black. The warlock’s 10-year-old orphan nephew comes to stay with him, discovering the house holds a ticking clock that could bring about the end of the world.

Also starring Owen Vaccaro, Kyle MacLachlan, Colleen Camp, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Vanessa Anne Williams, and Sunny Suljic, The House With A Clock In Its Walls opens September 21st.

DC Readers: Win Passes To A Free Screening Of ‘Blockers’

By

John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free advance screening of the new comedy Blockers, starring John Cena, Leslie Mann, and Ike Barinholtz.

SYNOPSIS: When three parents discover their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. Leslie Mann (The Other Woman, This Is 40), Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors, Suicide Squad) and John Cena (Trainwreck, Sisters) star in Blockers, the directorial debut of Kay Cannon (writer of the Pitch Perfect series).

The screening takes place on Tuesday, April 3rd at 7:30pm at AMC Mazza Gallerie. If you’d like to attend, simply complete the required steps in the Rafflecopter contest form below. Winners will be selected on Friday, March 30th and notified by email. Good luck!

Blockers opens on April 6th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

‘The New Mutants’ Gets Delayed Once More, So Does ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’

By

John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

Uh oh, maybe we should be worried about Fox’s X-Men slate…well, anything that isn’t Deadpool 2. Just a couple of months ago they pushed back New Mutants, which was expected to open this year, well into 2019. And apparently the move wasn’t enough to fix whatever issues Fox is seeing because it’s now been bumped even further, while X-Men: Dark Phoenix has suffered a delay of its own.

Josh Boone’s superhero horror The New Mutants has been moved from February 22nd 2019 to August 2nd 2019. Remember, it was originally due to open…oh, right about now, but was delayed with new reshoots to take place to add a brand new character. It’s possible Fox just wants to fine tune the movie’s tone since this won’t be your traditional superhero flick, but they have to realize all of this shuffling leaves a bad taste in fans’ mouths.

Next up, X-Men: Dark Phoenix has shifted from this fall to February 14th 2019. This one’s weird because Fox seemed generally happy with it and had begun an early promo push. We haven’t heard anything about major troubles during production, either, which leads me to believe this move, probably both, are about something else.

Is it possible Fox is readying for the Disney deal to go through? While they’ve been setting up projects at a rapid clip like nothing was going to happen, it’s starting to look like a done deal and it could finalize in a few months. Once that happens Disney/Marvel will probably want to sort things out for themselves.

A few other moves of note: the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has actually been moved up to November 2nd 2018. The film stars Rami Malek as the Queen frontman, with Dexter Fletcher directing after Bryan Singer was unceremoniously dumped from the project.

Finally, James Mangold’s Logan followup, The Force, has been completely jettisoned from the schedule. Uh oh. The gritty cop drama is based on a book by Don Winslow and David Mamet was to have penned the screenplay at one point. I’m thinking this still happens but probably not for a long time yet.

Punch Drunk DVDs: ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ And More!

By

John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

NEW THIS WEEK

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The latest epic installment in the Star wars franchise, Last
Jedi finally tells us why Luke Skywalker had exiled himself to his
remote island. Upending his solitary existence is Rey, who’s force sensitive
nature grows stronger every day. Together they develop a reluctant mentor
relationship as he shows her the dangers of the force. Meanwhile, the sinister
First Order grows stronger, with the Resistance heroes’ ships trapped mid flight
by General Hux and Kylo Ren. In an attempt to stage an undercover rescue operation,
Finn, BB8, and our newest hero Rose have to go on a dangerous espionage mission
of their own to save the day. Can they all triumph over the First Order’s
rising power and darkness?

We Said: “As the middle
chapter of the latest trilogy the expectations for writer/director Rian Johnson
were to copy the beats of the past, in particular the dire, hopeless stretch of
The
Empire Strikes Back. But, this doesn’t go the way you think, not by a
long shot. The Last Jedi repeatedly goes against your every instinct, takes
your emotions for a roller coaster, and takes the characters we know in
directions that will blow your mind. […] While Johnson takes Star
Wars to uncharted territory, trust that he includes plenty of cornball
one-liners, cheesy declarations about destiny, and so forth that we have come
to love. They’re a part of why we love these movies, though, and The Last Jedi
is going to be loved by millions who will want to revisit it again and again. I
know I will.” Rating: 4 out of 5

BUY NOW

Also Available: Mr. Robot: Season 3.0, Acts of Violence, I Remember You, The Last Movie Star, Robot Chicken: Walking Dead Special Last Men in Aleppo, Dolores, Dark Beacon, and Legion: Season One

Starz Series ‘Now Apocalypse’ On The Way From Gregg Araki And Steven Soderbergh

By

John Nolan

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March 27, 2018

In the ’90s while Hollywood was still tip-toeing around the subject of teen homosexuality, Gregg Araki was putting that shit right up in their grills with his “Teen Apocalypse” trilogy. He would go on to direct Mysterious Skin, Kaboom, and 2014’s White Bird in a Blizzard, but now he’s taking his talents to TV with a new Starz series, Now Apocalypse, in which he’ll be joined by Steven Soderbergh.

Soderbergh will exec-produce the 10-episode series that he describes as “the craziest thing I’ve ever read, it’s tied for first.” The series, which Araki will direct and co-write every episode with Karley Sciortino, centers on Ulysses and his friends Carly, Ford, and Severine, as they venture on various questions pursuing love, sex, and fame. As Ulysses deals with sexual and romantic dating app experiences, he begins having foreboding premonitory dreams that the reality around him.

Sounds a lot like Araki’s 1997 film, Nowhere, which happens to be my favorite of all of his stuff. This will be a continuation of Soderbergh’s relationship with Starz, the home of his The Girlfriend Experience series.