There’s always buzz surrounding the release of a new Pedro Almodóvar film, but it’s especially loud right now for Parallel Mothers. With his track record, it’s understandable why the film has been set to have its world premiere kicking off the Venice Film Festival, followed by closing out the New York Film Festival.
As seen in the new trailer, Parallel Mothers reunites Almodóvar with his muse Penelope Cruz, for another story about the lives of women. The story follows two single moms-to-be, one older the other an adolescent, who develop a bond while in the hospital.
This will be Almodóvar’s first film since 2019’s Pain and Glory, which earned two Oscar nominations including for Best International Feature.
Sony Pictures Classics will release Parallel Mothers on December 24th.
Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.
We’re happy to invite our DC readers to attend tomorrow’s free advance screening of Candyman! Say his name!
Oscar® winner Jordan Peele unleashes a fresh take on the blood-chilling urban legend: Candyman. Filmmaker Nia DaCosta (Little Woods, upcoming Captain Marvel 2) directs this contemporary incarnation of the cult classic.
For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; HBO’s Watchmen, Us) and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, The Photograph), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.
With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; HBO’s Euphoria, Assassination Nation) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.
The screening takes place tomorrow, August 24th at 7:00pm at Regal Majestic in Silver Spring. If you’d like to attend, simply go to the Gofobo ticketing site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you will need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!
A #MeToo scandal ripped apart the UBA news station in the first season of Apple TV+ series The Morning Show. When all was said and done, a coworker committed suicide, the station was found to be protecting the abuser, and the network’s top anchors, Alex Levy and Bradley Jackson (Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon) responsible for exposing the truth. So what lies for the duo in season two?
In the second season, we see that Alex has left her co-anchor position, only to be begged to return by network executive Cory (Billy Crudup). Julianne Margulies joins the cast as a new host, while Mark Duplass, Steve Carell, Karen Pittman, Nestor Carbonell, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, and Janina Gavankar all return. It looks like this season will again tackle a real-world hot button issue, this time the COVID-19 epidemic and how networks have covered it.
The Morning Show‘s second season hits Apple TV+ on September 17th for 10 total episodes.
If you’ve noticed Shang-Chi and Jackie Chan trending on Twitter all weekend, it’s for a reason. A new clip from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings dropped that features star Simu Liu pulling off the kind of acrobatic stuntwork aboard a movie bus that easily draws comparisons to Jackie Chan’s insane stuff. In particular, a moment where he puts on his jacket mid-fight is getting a ton of attention, as it should.
Having seen the film and able to comment (review next week), I can say that it’s just the beginning. The martial arts action here is on a Crouching Tiger level in some cases, while the film feels so far removed from Marvel in all of the best ways, showing a mystical side that that puts in the Doctor Strange realm. It stands on its own, even if there are things to pick at about it.
Along with the clip, Marvel Studios has released a new trailer for the film ahead of its release on September 3rd. Check that out below as well.
In less than two weeks, a Marvel Legend will rise. ? Experience Marvel Studios’ #ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in theaters September 3. Get tickets now: https://t.co/tf8v3iFOeg
There have been some amazing promos for Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop, but for fans of the hit anime who have been waiting so long, it couldn’t have been enough. Today, an actual first look at the series has arrived along with a release date of November 19th. After looking at these shots it can’t get here fast enough!
Take a look at John Cho in the iconic role of Spike Spiegel, the most charming and skilled bounty hunter in the galaxy. As you can see he’s also pretty damn suave, and has a heart of gold buried beneath a tragic backstory. We also see Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, Spike’s best friend and captain of the Bebop. And my favorite casting of all, the gorgeous Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, a con-artist and one-time rival who joins the crew in hopes of recovering her lost memories.
Here’s the series synopsis: Based on the beloved anime series, COWBOY BEBOP is executive produced by André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios, Makoto Asanuma, Shin Sasaki and Masayuki Ozaki of Sunrise Inc., Tim Coddington, Tetsu Fujimura, Michael Katleman, Matthew Weinberg, and Christopher Yost. Nemec serves as showrunner. Original anime series director Shinichirō Watanabe is a consultant on the series, and original composer Yoko Kanno returns for the live-action adaptation. The series also stars Alex Hassell and Elena Satine.
I would argue there are very few actors as credible playing skilled killers than Maggie Q. That might be an odd compliment to give, but it’s true. There’s a reason why she has been thrilling audiences in these roles in everything from Mission: Impossible III to Nikita, the latter a TV version of Luc Besson’s classic assassin film La Femme Nikita. In The Protégé , she employs a lethal set of skills as a hit-woman out for revenge against those who murdered her best friend and mentor, only to find things complicated by a suave player who could either be a lover or her next target.
I had a chance to talk with Maggie Q about The Protégé , and we talked about the qualities within her that make her so perfect for these roles. She also discussed starring alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton, and working with veteran James Bond director Martin Campbell and the experience he brought to the table.
The Protégé is in theaters now. Check out my review here and the interview below!
NOTE: This review was originally part of our 2021 Sundance Film Festival coverage. Cryptozoo is available in theaters now.*
It’s the 1960s, and sketchily-drawn hippies Amber (voiced by Louisa Krause) and Matthew (Michael Cera) abscond into the woods for a night of blissed-out lovemaking under the stars, only to discover a miles-high fence separating them from a place of fantastical creatures of lore. The high-as-a-kite pair are on the same wavelength most will want to be while taking in Cryptozoo, a bizarre animated action-adventure that’s like Fantastic Beasts for the Adult Swim audience.
Climbing over the obstacle and into what they think is a secret military facility, Amber and Matthew discover, instead, the titular sanctuary for mythological monsters. Their night-time tryst ends in tragic fashion, however, at the end of a unicorn’s horn. This tragic event is mere prelude to the story’s central focus, which is on the rescue of such creatures by Lauren Gray (Lake Bell), the zoo’s Indiana Jones-esque caretaker and savior of cryptids, as they are come to be known as.
A military brat all of her life, Lauren became fascinated by cryptids when as a child she encountered a baku, an elephant/pig-like creature that feeds harmlessly on dreams. Now as a strapping, muscular woman, drawn as such by animating directors Dash Shaw and Jane Samborski, Lauren uses her skills to rescue other cryptids in hopes of creating a place where they can live in peace alongside humans. Lauren springs into action when she learns the baku has been spotted and that government agents are on its trail to use it as a military weapon.
The politics, in particular the allegories to race relations, are everywhere. In a way, Cryptozooreminds of of Disney’s hit film Zootopia, on a much more adult-level scale. There’s even an allusion early on, a dream from one of the hippies, to the storming of the Capitol building. Not something the filmmakers could’ve ever predicted actually happening, mind you, but it still strikes a little too close to home.
In true buddy cop fashion, Lauren is joined on her mission by Phoebe (Angeliki Papoulia), a Medusa-like gorgon who has her own doubts about the viability of the Cryptozoo. Their journey has them crossing paths with all sorts of wild creatures, and true to form, not all of them are altruistic. The shady Pan-esque faun Gustav (voiced by Peter Stormare) owns a brothel where humans and cryptids co-exist, a dirtied-up version of the harmony Lauren seeks for the world at large. Some cryptids resemble monsters from Greek and and Norse myth: griffins, sphinxes, and even a Midgard serpent. Others are decidedly humanoid, albeit with significant mutations, such as a boy with a face on his belly. The animation isn’t detailed enough for a broad expression of emotions, a problem that clashes with the high-level themes at play.
For the most part, this is not the kind of film I go to Sundance for, but was drawn in by the surprisingly intense action and the childlike, Wes Anderson-esque quality to the storytelling. While Cryptozoo looks like a psychedelic mind trip, and it definitely is, the message boils down simply enough to respect and kindness towards those who are different, even if they have a head full of snakes.
Ryan Reynold’s Free Guy holds onto #1 with strong word of mouth, and not much competition.
3. Paw Patrol: The Movie – $13M
Despite COVID concerns and a dual release with streaming via Parmount+ the worldwide children’s phenomenon Paw Patrol made enough of a mark on the big screen to secure the #2 spot. Considering that families are the least likely to venture to a theater in the midst of everything going on, $13M is not a bad haul.
Even though it’s apparently been doing well on HBOMax, it still stings to see a film as fun and enjoyable as The Suicide Squad struggle at the box office like this. Hey, look on the bright side, it will at least break $50M.
Maggie Q’s action thriller got great reviews from the PDC, but it looks like the film missed the focus of theater goer’s pulling in a paltry $2.9M. Still, of the new releases it gets the second top spot, losing out only to Paw Patrol: The Movie
Rebecca Hall’s haunted house horror missed beating out The Protege by a mere $100k, you have to wonder if films like this wouldn’t be more successful by being sold to a streamer.
Like The Night House the Hugh Jackman noir thriller didn’t pull in much at the Box Office, but did have the benefit of being able to blame it on a day/date HBOMax release. From all accounts though, this placement is right as it’s the least of the new releases as far as quality goes.
Although Don Cheadle has been playing James Rhodes/War Machine since 2010’s Iron Man 2, and the character has been involved with every major Avengers storyline, a movie probably wouldn’t have worked out for him. But a Disney+ series is a better idea, and so War Machine will lead Armor Wars, which has now named its lead writer.
THR reports that Yassir Lester will be head writer on Armor Wars. A familiar face to Cheadle, Lester worked with him on the Emmy-nominated Showtime series Black Monday. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cheadle played a role in the hiring. Lester is also an actor and comedian who appeared in episodes of Black Monday, so could we see a repeat in the MCU?
Armor Wars will take place following the death of Tony Stark, and find his greatest fear has come true. His technology has fallen into the wrong hands, and now it’s up to Rhodes to track down the armored villains responsible. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the return of Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer, and maybe get an appearance from Dominique Thorne as Riri “Ironheart” Williams, following her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and eventual solo series.
Hot on the heels of the new trailer for Marvel’s Eternals, Funko has revealed the first wave of Pop! Vinyls for the anticipated film. And this is one of the biggest debut drops they’ve ever had, with virtually all of the large ensemble represented, from the heroic Eternals, to the villainous deviant Kro, and even a Celestial!
Get ready to break the bank for these it’s so many! The new line of Eternals figures features Sersi (Gemma Chan), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Ajak (Salma Hayek), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), Dane Whitman (Kit Harington), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Makkari (Lauren Ridlof), Druig (Barry Keoghan), plus the Celestial Arishem, and Kro! Wow. Including variants and retail exclusives, there are 20 Funkos in the first wave!
All of these Funkos are available or preorder now as Entertainment Earth exclusives with each figure coming with a collectible trading card! Any commission that we earn from purchases through our affiliate links goes back into the site. We are a small group and every little bit helps. Thank you so much for all of your support!
