In Bill Willingham’s awesome Fables comic book it was revealed that all of Disney’s various fairy tale princes were the same dude, who REALLY got around. He just couldn’t leave the ladies alone. Ever since Disney announced a Prince Charming film back in 2015 I was hoping they would take a similar approach, and who knows? Maybe they will, and if they do it will be The Perks of Being a Wallflower director Stephen Chbosky who makes it happen.
The day before his latest film Wonder (review here) hits theaters, Chbosky has signed on to write and direct Prince Charming. The latest in Disney’s run of live-action reimaginings will be a twist on the classic handsome prince trope seen in multiple Disney movies, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. The film will actually center on the less handsome, less charming brother to Prince Charming, who doesn’t measure up to the family standard.
This marks a return to Disney for Chbosky, who helped write this year’s mega-hit Beauty and the Beast. I’m guessing that factored into their decision to give him another shot. [THR]
While Mel Gibson just had one of the biggest openings of his career with Daddy’s Home 2, and has been allowed back into the Oscars with Hacksaw Ridge, the film that felt the most like old school Gibson for me was Blood Father. The gritty action flick proved that Gibson is still a badass when it counts, and now it looks like he’ll get to show it once again. He’s set to star alongside another screen ass-kicker, Frank Grillo, in Boss Level, which sounds like it shares the same DNA as Source Code and Edge of Tomorrow.
You know what that means; someone is going to be reliving the day of their death over and over again. In this case it’s a retired special forces agent who is stuck in the time loop, and in order to stop it he must discover who is responsible. Behind the camera will be Joe Carnahan, having also penned the screenplay.
Sounds like a pretty sweet trio, and I’m hoping we get to see Gibon and Grillo square off. Gibson is back in the mainstream and Grillo is quietly having a career year. He’s just coming off the worldwide box office phenomenon Wolf Warrior II and the Netflix thriller Wheelman, and seems to be more in demand than ever. Shooting on Boss Level is to kick off next year. [Deadline]
*NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival.*
Dee Rees arrived on the scene at Sundance half a dozen years ago with Pariah, and ever since we’ve been waiting on pins and needles for her to tackle broader territory. After a short stop at HBO with the acclaimed biopic Bessie, Rees finally brings all of her tremendous promise to bear with Mudbound, a masterful story of racial tension, post-war resentment, and social class that should catapult her into the upper echelon of directors on such weighty material.
An adaptation of Hillary Jordan’s novel, the film follows two families in post-WWII Mississippi. The white McAllans have moved from Memphis to Mississippi on the whims of patriarch Henry (Jason Clarke), who up and bought a farm (after first being swindled, proving he’s not as smart as he thinks) there without notifying his new bride, Laura (Carey Mulligan). We learn that Laura is an educated woman who was keen to leave the tiny world her upbringing promised. She may not have loved Henry initially, but she was eager to get out so she was “grateful”, as she puts it. There’s also Henry’s younger brother, Jamie (Garrett Hedlund, the best he’s EVER been), a writer and Army pilot with a thing for the ladies. At first introduction it’s clear he and Laura will have more in common than she ever will with Henry.
Their move could have gone mostly without incident if it weren’t for a couple of factors. First is Pappy (Jonathan Banks), an out-and-out racist and damned proud of it. He’s the type to make nigger jokes right in front of any black he sees, even one who has just served his country. That leads to the other factor: the Jackson family, who have been renting and working on that farm land for generations. In perfectly-attuned voice-over we hear the father Hap (Rob Morgan) lament that his family has been there so long, toiling away on land that’ll never be theres. He longs to buy his own land some day; to take up his wife Florence(Mary J. Blige, never better), their headstrong son Ronsel (Jason Mitchell), and their other kids and find their own piece of the American Dream.
But the dreams of both families are stuck in mud, both literal and figurative. The swampy farmland caused by frequent rains makes life nearly impossible, especially for Laura who has been taken away from her roots and planted in this unfamiliar predicament. It isn’t lost that her torment mirrors the plight of blacks everywhere who were stolen away and forced into servitude or economic enslavement. The McAllans and the Jacksons may both be poor trash but society places one above the other regardless, which we see every time Henry treats the Jacksons like his slaves when they are merely his tenants. There’s no such thing as refusing a request, even one that puts your own family at risk. It’s a choice the Jacksons are frequently forced to make.
The war brings things into balance, at least for Jamie and Ronsel. Jamie finds purpose while Ronsel finds the freedom he couldn’t find back home. When they both return, it only causes tensions between the families to escalate. “I’m not used to running from a fight. Not anymore”, Ronsel says after taking down a bunch of racists (including Pappy) who could care less about his military service. Meanwhile, Jamie turns to drink to get over the horrible things he saw in the fighting. He and Ronsel bond over their shared experiences, but rather than being a unifying force for the families their friendship instead leads to a horrific act, one that had the audience at our screening in tears and gasping for breath.
Mudbound‘s strength lies in Rees’ unflinching depiction of racial tensions, not just in the South but in the entire country. They corrode everything; family, patriotism, faith,…everything is crushed by hatred’s weight and it’s something that still resonates today. Confidently capturing a perfect sense of time and mood, Rees blends lovely, lyrical narration with breath-taking cinematography. But perhaps the biggest surprise is how adept she is at bigger scenes on the battlefield, both in the cockpit of Jamie’s plane and from inside Ronsel’s tank.
From here it looks as if there is very little Rees can’t accomplish as a filmmaker, and that includes making the most of her ensemble cast. Having only seen Rob Morgan in smaller roles he is a revelation as the honest and proud Hap, who works his body to the bone on that field to make sure his family is safe and provided for. Mulligan scores again as a woman who is slave to her circumstances, but at times Laura’s storyline feels separate from the larger whole. Hedlund, Clarke, and Mitchell add texture to characters that rarely fall into stereotypical patterns. The one exception is Pappy who is every bit the typical sonuvabitch racist he seems to be, complete with KKK pals in white hoods. With Mudbound, Rees shows she has full command of the dramatic strength of such serious content, and how it relates to our world today.
There was an awkward moment just as our screening of Justice League was beginning. Listed among the film’s producers was RatPac-Dune Entertainment, which is the label run by Brett Ratner, who has been accused of sexual harassment and misconduct. His name was also attached to the hugely successful Wonder Woman, but Warner Bros., like pretty much everybody in Hollywood, has been doing their best to distance themselves from him. And that was rumored to go double for star Gal Gadot, who reportedly wouldn’t sign on for a sequel unless she had assurances Ratner had nothing to do with it.
But since then, Warner Bros. has not only moved Wonder Woman 2 up a couple of months, they’ve also confirmed Gadot’s return. Sure, the studio has already parted ways with Ratner, but was Gadot’s threat legit? She gave her side of the story on The Today Show and this is what she had to say…
“Everyone knows the way that I feel because I’m not hiding anything. But the truth is, there’s so many people involved in making this movie — it’s not just me — and they all echoed the same sentiments. Everyone knew what was the right thing to do. But there was nothing for me to actually come and say because it was already done before this article came out.”
So basically she got what she wanted, but it wasn’t a decision that was really up to her. Fortunately, those in the position to do something felt the same way she did, and Gadot can back into the business of lassoing up bad guys as Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman 2 opens November 1st 2019, but you can see Gadot in Justice League this weekend.
WATCH: Gal Gadot responds to report she didn’t want to work with Brett Ratner, who has faced sexual harassment allegations, on next installment of Wonder Woman pic.twitter.com/rBuSH2CE2Z
We haven’t seen or heard anything on The Mercy in so long I forgot it was even coming out. The film, which stars Colin Firth as doomed yachtsman Donald Crowhurst, began shooting two years ago and was completed last year. It has always had the ingredients for a potential Oscar contender: harrowing true story of man vs. nature, a renowned director in James Marsh (Man on Wire, The Theory of Everything), a script by Scott Z. Burns (Contagion), and a co-star in Rachel Weisz. And yet its release is timed to hit as wide of any awards consideration as possible, which isn’t a good sign.
Fortunately, the first trailer has arrived and it looks pretty solid. Then again, I thought Firth’s Railway Man would be an awards player, too, and that turned out to be the complete opposite. The Mercy tells the true story of Crowhurst, an amateur boater who lied his way into racing the around-the-world 1969 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Turns out the stories he told would be his ultimate undoing.
Apparently there is expected to be a huge marketing campaign for this from StudioCanal, but I’ll believe it when I see it. As of now it’s due to hit the UK in February while the U.S. has no date set.
I swear, this is really a trailer for Deadpool 2, not just some super silly prank by Ryan Reynolds. You won’t think so at first because before you get to the actual footage there’s a disturbingly long, but sorta brilliant, tribute to serene art icon Bob Ross. But don’t give up, once you get past Reynolds’ shenanigans the trailer is there and it’s pretty badass.
Toldja. While all too brief, what we do see features tons of guns, our first glimpse at Zazie Beetz in action as Domino, Negasonic Teenage Warhead sporting a new ‘do that only makes her more awesome, and a brief look at new addition Julian Dennison of Hunt for the Wilderpeople. What we don’t get? Anything of Josh Brolin as Cable, which is disappointing, but I guess they’re holding him for an actual trailer and not a teaser hidden inside of a Bob Ross skit.
Here’s the brand new synopsis which also might be a joke: After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.
The breakout year for Girls Trip‘s Tiffany Haddish continues, just days after she became the first African-American standup comedian to host SNL. She’s become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after stars, and has now signed on for two lead roles: Universal’s The Temp from Girls Trip producer Will Packer, and mob flick The Kitchen.
The Temp is a female-driven comedy based on an original pitch from writer Dana Fox, but there don’t seem to be any further details. Can we make an assumption based on the title? Is it a remake of the 1993 thriller with Timothy Hutton and a devious Lara Flynn Boyle? Probably not, but one can hope.
Meanwhile, Haddish is also set to lead The Kitchen, marking the directorial debut of Straight Outta Compton screenwriter Andrea Berloff. Berloff adapted the popular Vertigo Comics series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle that is set in Hell’s Kitchen of the 1970s. When members of the Irish Mafia are swept up in an FBI raid, their wives take over the business and run it more ruthlessly than their husbands.
Haddish recently completed filming on Night School, a comedy that teams her up with Kevin Hart. Sadly, my hopes of it being a remake of the 1981 slasher flick have also been dashed. [Variety]
Hey, what’s Mel Gibson’s second highest-grossing movie? Is it…Lethal Weapon? Nah. Braveheart? Nope. Mad Max? Not that, either. It’s the 2000 romantic comedy What Women Want, which earned a whopping $374M worldwide, split fairly evenly on a domestic and international basis. It’s so popular, rather inexplicably if you ask me, there was a Chinese remake back in 2011, and rumors of a sequel have been out there for a while. Although it’s looking unlikely now, because an American remake is in the works, only this one won’t star Gibson; it will instead feature Taraji P. Henson.
That’s right; Cookie Lyon herself is starring in What Men Want, an updated version of the rom-com that centered on a male chauvinist who could literally hear women’s innermost thoughts. That should be fun to tackle from a female perspective, I think. Henson will play a sports agent who gains the ability to hear what men think (Sex….sports…food…sex), and uses it to get an advantage over her male colleagues.
The timing couldn’t be better for a reimagining like this and the studio knows it, fast-tracking it for release on January 11th 2019. Henson will be seen next in the action flick, Proud Mary. [Deadline]
At times it feels like the jury is already out against any DC Comics movie long before it ever opens. If I heard once “Well, let’s hope Justice League isn’t too terrible” or “I just hope it isn’t Batman v Superman”, I heard it a thousand times. Skepticism is what these movies are met with, and strangely enough, Justice League is in an even worse position than it would be if the universally-beloved Wonder Woman hadn’t existed, because now that is the standard it must live up to. It’s an unfair one; the two films only share a single character between them and nothing else, but we expect it to carry the same hopeful ideals and vision.
Justice League has more in common with Wonder Woman than it doesn’t. First of all, the aversion to telling jokes is, thankfully, no longer there. Warner Bros. stepped in it by trying to emulate Christopher Nolan’s gloomy Dark Knight Trilogy, but with the less competent Zack Snyder, and it set them back. Snyder’s here again and many of his usual directorial tics are firmly in place. But as anyone who has been following the production knows, he left in the middle of shooting to tend to a family tragedy, with Joss Whedon stepping in to handle reshoots and a partial script rewrite. The question has always been whether their two vastly different styles could merge into a seamless, enjoyable superhero movie. While you can see some of the stitching around the edges, and I bet you can pinpoint the moment where Snyder ends and Whedon begins, Justice League is DC’s biggest guns in a movie fans can be proud of enjoying.
If Wonder Woman reminded us of the power in what these superheroes can represent, Justice League hammers home that idea even further. Snyder’s trademark music video opening, set to a version of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows”, shows us how humanity has been devastated by the loss of Superman. Without him, fear has begun to grow and spread, with Batman (Ben Affleck) fighting to keep the ensuing crime wave in check. I’ve often said that Superman’s storyarc has been one of the best things they’ve done, and even in death that continues to be true here. If Man of Steel was Superman learning to be a hero, and Batman v Superman was him learning to be part of humanity, then Justice League is about Superman as a symbol of hope. The power vaccum left by his absence brings the insect-like parademons, emissaries of the powerful intergalactic villain Steppenwolf , a CGI monstrosity voiced by Ciaran Hinds.
Like Marvel, DC still has trouble nailing the bad guys.
Steppenwolf, who isn’t nearly as rockin’ as his rock band namesake, has arrived to find the three Mother Boxes, cubed McGuffins that will give him the power to destroy the planet or something. It doesn’t really matter. He just needs to be stopped, and so Batman must put together a team, his Justice League, because it’s too much for him to handle alone. The plot isn’t too dissimilar from practically every Marvel movie, in particular The Avengers; just replace Infinity Stones with Mother Boxes and wallah! And of course, that team isn’t going to get along well at first, but thankfully they don’t mimic Marvel with the same oil ‘n water mixture of combustible personalities. For instance, Barry Allen aka the Flash (Ezra Miller) is a ball of lightning whose mouth runs almost as fast as his legs. He literally jumps at the chance to join the team, showing the rabid enthusiasm of a child high on Pop Rocks. Arthur Curry aka Aquaman (Jason Momoa), is the team’s wildcard and punk rock protector of the seas. Victor Stone aka Cyborg (Ray Fisher) is the strong, silent type who was literally born from the power of the Mother Box, making him arguably the most powerful and important member of the squad.
And then of course there’s Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who isn’t on the best of terms with Batman and initially wants no part of any team-building exercises. But this turns out to be as much her story is it is Batman’s or Superman’s. The Diana who saved the day in WWI hasn’t been seen in decades, but this movie is about her quest to be that leader again. Snyder, try as he might, has never been able to get the female voice right (*cough*Sucker Punch *cough*), and while Wonder Woman kicks lots of ass she feels a little bit off at first. That changes later on and you can probably sense that’s when Whedon started adding his two cents, moving her into the forefront and giving the film a feminist power boost it sorely needs. The team is tiny but there’s a Krypton-sized amount of testosterone going on.
While assembling the team is slow-going and the first hour a series of expository montages punctuated by splash pages, it pays off once Steppenwolf steps up his game. There’s a blisteringly awesome sequence on the isle of Themyscira as the Amazons battle the villain and his flying army, reminding you why a movie following the female warriors is an absolute must. Snyder still hasn’t added any new tricks to his visual palette; for the most part everything is choreographed with a “throw everything at the wall” strategy. Cram as much onto the screen as possible and hopefully the audience can sort it out. There at individual sequences that are dazzlingly brilliant, though, including one with the Flash that owes a lot to the Quicksilver scenes from the X-Men movies, only better because this character has more personality. Some will find Ezra Miller’s performance too amped-up but that’s exactly the point. He’s a live wire, he’s always “on” so to speak, and that he clashes awkwardly with everyone is why Flash is so much fun.
The rest of the cast fare pretty well, amd I think this is by far Affleck’s best performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Finally able to shed the nihilism of the previous movie, Affleck’s Caped Crusader is looser, funnier, but still has Batman’s loner mentality. Gadot continues to be excellent as Wonder Woman, slipping back into the role as if she never stopped. Fisher finds a sliver of humanity within Cyborg’s cold metal exterior, and Momoa is having more fun than anybody. Does he even know he’s making a movie? Or was he just showing up to trade shots with Affleck? Aquaman, who like most of the team are due for solo movies in the near future, has the biggest laugh of the movie when he delivers an unusually emotional speech at an unusual time.
While I think the vitriol towards Batman v Superman, Man of Steel, and Suicide Squad are overblown (audiences liked them, but critics didn’t), it’s still a low bar to say that Justice League is simply better than those movies. It’s substantially better; imperfect but another clear step towards the DC Universe taking its rightful place as Marvel’s equal. There’s still some way to go, but at least we have reason to hope.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Trav’s Tip: Not that you need me to tell you, but stick around for both a mid-credits and post-credits scene, one that’s basically fan wish fulfillment and another with sequel implications.
It’s extremely difficult to get Nintendo to license out their video game characters. There’s a reason why you’ve only seen Bowser, briefly, in Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph when everybody wants Mario or Luigi. And that reason is 1993’s Super Mario Bros. live-action movie, arguably the worst video game adaptation ever and still a laughingstock to this very day. I don’t think anybody thought Nintendo would dare risk another Mario movie again, but it’s happening, and the people behind it should get fans hopping in their raccoon suits.
Nintendo is close to striking a deal with Universal and Illumination for an animated Mario Bros. movie. That’s right, the folks behind Despicable Me are bringing Nintendo’s iconic Italian plumbers to the big screen, where they will no doubt rescue Princess Peach for the umpteenth time. I think she’s out there looking for trouble.
The deal has reportedly been in the works for a year, and it helps that Universal and Nintendo are working on theme parks together. Whatever it takes, man. Even if this means we never get Mario in a Wreck-It Ralph movie, I’ll take it. Because if we’re getting Mario now, then The Legend of Zelda can’t be far away. [WSJ]
