In the new film Nine Days, Winston Duke plays a being named Will, tasked with determining which souls gets the chance to be born. While the premise seems simple, the movie questions what it means to be alive.
Portraying one of those souls is Tony Hale. As the gregarious Alexander, Hale plays against type as we’ve seen him in Arrested Development, Veep, or even Toy Story 4. Instead of the worried and put upon characters of his past, Alexander is a bit of a “bro,” providing comic relief in a film full of big questions and existential themes.
Benedict Wong’s Kyo on the other hand is a lost soul – literally. Never granted the opportunity to be born, Kyo helps Duke’s Will carry out tests and experiences for the applicants while providing him company and annoying commentary on the side. Wong, known for his roles in Dr. Strange, Ray and The Last Dragon, and The Martian, brings out a wise naivety in Kyo and is the perfect foil to Duke’s burdened father-like being.
Both Hale and Wong bring levity to the film’s heavy premise and I had the opportunity to chat with them both. We talked about working with first time director Edson Oda, the coffee shops and Salt Plains in Utah, and which one of their past characters they would let be an actual human. It’s one of my favorite conversations yet.
You can catch Nine Days in New York and Los Angeles now or everywhere August 6th.
Disney is not happy with Scarlett Johansson and her “callous” decision to sue them over Black Widow‘s hybrid release in theaters and streaming. The Mouse House has fired back with a blistering response that takes aim at the actress for asking for more money during a pandemic.
I’m sorry, was Disney hurting during the shutdowns? Seems like they were doing pretty damn okay. Here is their statement via Business Insider…
“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract, and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.“
Call me crazy, but I don’t think people are going to get on this pity wagon with Disney here. And the “Don’t you make enough money?” defense ain’t gonna help, either.
ScarJo’s attorney John Belinski came back pretty quick in response…
“It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like ‘Black Widow’ directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company’s stock price – and that it’s hiding behind Covid-19 as a pretext to do so. But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights, and we look forward to proving as much in court.”
When this story broke yesterday, I said studios are going to pay for not taking care of this shit early, and pretending it was just business as usual. Maybe to them, but not to the actors who were seeing pay cuts due to their films opening digitally rather than theatrically. We saw the uproar from filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve when Warner Bros. did it, and now Disney is catching that same heat.
According to Justin Kroll, other stars were pissed, too. Denzel wasn’t happy about The Little Things, which evaporated upon release on HBO Max. The same goes for Mark Wahlberg whose Infinite was forgotten pretty quickly after debuting as a Paramount+ exclusive. Trust me, stories like this are not over.
Furthermore, this may have caused a rift between Disney and Marvel chief Kevin Feige, who is not given to public disputes with the talent…
THR editor Matt Belloni says of Feige, “Make no mistake: Feige is pissed. He’s a company man and not prone to corporate showdowns or shouting matches. But I’m told he’s angry and embarrassed. He lobbied Disney against the day-and-date plan for Black Widow, preferring the big screen exclusivity and not wanting to upset his talent. And then when the shit hit the fan, the movie started tanking, and Johansson’s team threatened litigation, he wanted Disney to make this right with her.”
I still believe this gets settled in some backroom somewhere, but like I said before, this will continue to be a problem until studios start taking it seriously.
The talent vs. studio battle that is brewing is going to be fascinating. Between Denzel being pissed about LITTLE THINGS going on HBO Max, Wahlberg not happy about knowing about the INFINITE release till it was announce and now ScarJo's suit seems to be tip of the iceberg.
Actor Jake Johnson is probably best known for playing Nick Miller on FOX’s New Girl. Even three years after the show ended, Johnson’s loud, grumpy, and lovable curmudgeon is still getting meme’d and is still watched by millions on Netflix. His new film Ride The Eagle feels like a spiritual sequel, with Johnson back playing another lackadaisical directionless grump, this time with mommy issues and a secluded cabin.
Johnson plays Leif, a slacker and stoner living on some kind of artist commune, who has just found out his mother, Honey (Susan Sarandon), has died. With her passing, he is told he will inherit her cabin in Yosemite, as long as he finishes the video to-do list she has made for him. Despite his clear reservations and unresolved issues being abandoned by her to join a cult, Leif decides to take his black lab, hop in his van, and try to complete her last wishes.
The script was co-written by Johnson and Trent O’Donnell. The latter is known for directing pretty much at least one episode of every single popular sitcom of the last five years including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Grace and Frankie, and The Good Place. He even directed 28 episodes of – you guessed it– New Girl, where he first met Johnson. It’s clear the best thing he learned from his time directing sitcoms was to let the script and action of the scene drive the direction. Sure, this approach to directing feels simple, but ultimately it prevents the story from feeling over the top. Ride The Eagle had the potential of presenting as an outrageous comedy with an overly sensitive, unearned emotional ending. Instead, its groundedness works in the film’s best interests.
Part of those directing decisions could be because Ride The Eagle was shot under COVID-19 restrictions. No two characters really get too close to each other and a lot of the acting is done over split-screen and through technology. Overall, the performances feel natural and seamless. Most of the film lands on Johnson’s shoulders with his scene-partners on videotape (Sarandon), over the phone (D’Arcy Carden), or on four legs (Nora the dog, in a brilliant animal performance). He brings just the right amount of spaz to Leif’s character to drive the comedic moments but not enough to cross the line.
In supporting roles, Sarandon plays the sexually free mom-type we’ve seen from her before. Because she is only seen through her ‘videotaped will,’ we get just enough of her to get a sense of her character’s effect on her son and to fulfill us for the rest of the movie. J.K. Simmons pops up as one of Honey’s former lovers and has a very similar energy to his character in last summer’s hit Palm Springs. Like the plot, their characters feel recycled but O’Donnell is smart to only use them sparingly and rely on Johnson and Carden to bring the film’s charm.
The chemistry between Johnson and Carden’s Audrey, Leif’s former girlfriend, works so well, despite being solely over the phone. Not only do they feel like real long-lost loves, but their attraction to one another is palpable despite not being in the same room. The dialogue in those scenes, as well as the actor’s delivery, is easily some of the best seen in a romantic comedy over the last three years – and that includes before the pandemic.
As more and more movies come out that were shot during COVID, we are seeing what techniques work and what doesn’t. Ride The Eagle might be one of the best films to come out of the last year because it took the restrictions it was given and found a way to cinematically work them into the shoot, to the point where you don’t even notice that the characters aren’t on screen together or over six feet apart. The result is a funny and moving 90-minutes of filmmaking that won’t be life-changing, but will leave you happy and satisfied. After the year we’ve had, that should be more than enough.
Ride The Eagle is available in theaters, on demand and for digital download. Watch the trailer below.
We posted a tease for the upcoming second season of Apple TV+’s See a few weeks ago, we know now that it was only the tip of the iceberg. See, which stars Jason Mamoa and exists in a future society where all of the world has gone blind, save for one young woman, is gearing up to show us battles that Game of Thrones could only dream of if this trailer is to be believed. The biggest selling point has to be the pitting of two modern-day action heroes against each other in Dave Bautista and Jason Mamoa. Bautista, who’s new to the series and will play Edo, Baba Voss’s (Mamoa) brother, a warlord intent on revenge against his brother.
Even without the added angle of everyone involved being blind, the battle scenes look intense. Fighting styles from the Knights of England to the Samurai of Japan and everything in between seem to be on display with weaponry being just as diverse. I’m still mad at myself for not making the time to catch up on See thus far but after watching this I’m downright livid with myself and will have to find a way to force it in this weekend. The best thing? It’s that exciting without including even a hint of the premier battle, Drax vs Aquaman. Sure, there’s scenes that setup the anger between the two, and Edo even appears to capture Baba (and possibly torture) at some point, but they’re saving the best for the viewer.
Season 2 of See premiers August 27th on Apple TV+
Official Synopsis: In season 2, Baba Voss (Jason Momoa) struggles to reunite his family. His estranged brother Edo (Dave Bautista) has captured Baba’s daughter Haniwa, vowing to exact his revenge against his brother. Meanwhile, the threat of war looms between the Kingdom of Paya and the Trivantian Republic, drawing Baba and his family directly into the center of the conflict.
While fans of Orlando Jones’ performance as the charming Mr. Nancy in American Gods will be disappointed he won’t return to the role in Amazon’s Anansi Boys, they can hardly complain about the one taking over. Variety confirmst that Delroy Lindo will play Mr. Nancy in the 6-part series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s mythological novel.
Anansi Boys, while not directly a sequel to American Gods, nevertheless features characters from that book, including Mr. Nancy who is secretly the trickster god Anansi. The story follows his timid son Charlie, who never knew his estranged father’s secret, always assuming him to be a lazy man and an adulterer. When Anansi dies, Charlie learns he has a brother, the suave and confident Spider.
Here’s a statement from Gaiman about the casting, posting to his social media: “Our first cast announcement! The astonishing Delroy Lindo as Mr Nancy in Anansi Boys. (For the curious: He plays the elderly Floridian loafer from the book, and not the dapper youngish tailor from the Starz American Gods tv series.)”
He added, “Delroy Lindo is a giant of the stage and the screen, and we are so lucky to have him. I cannot wait to see his gravitas and charm being deployed for the benefit of Anansi Boys, as he plays an unreliable father with hidden depths.”
Lindo is coming off some of the best reviews of his career for Da 5 Bloods, his fourth time teaming up with Spike Lee. This will be his first regular series role since starring in CBS’ The Good Fight.
Who doesn’t love a drama about second chances? Who doesn’t love seeing career supporting actors shine in leading roles? Lorelei, a sobering, honest, and yet slightly askew working-class romance by Sabrina Doyle, gives you both of these things to powerful effect. Jena Malone and Pablo Schreiber inject authentic emotion to former high school lovers who get a renewed shot amidst dire economic hardship.
If your first thought is “Oh God, not another miserable hard-luck indie drama”, the worry isn’t unfounded. There are far too many films like that, so many the festivals are practically bursting at the seams with them. But credit to Doyle for not going down the depressing path, but of hopefulness and personal connection, portrayed beautifully by Malone and Shreiber.
The film centers on the love story of Wayland (Schreiber), an Oregon ex-con and biker gang member recently released from prison after a 15-year sentence. After a night of hard partying (“You can’t make up for 15 years in a single night”, says pastor Gail) with his buddies, Wayland checks himself into a halfway house and starts looking for work. Options are limited for a guy just out of prison with few actual skills. It isn’t long before he sees a familiar face; Lola (Malone), his sweetheart that was left alone and heartbroken when he was sent away for armed robbery. The two immediatley pick up where they left off. The sparks fly, the old comforts of one another’s company are still fresh. But they are no longer kids. Lola is a single mother with three children from different fathers, with only her part-time maid job to support them. Shit is hard.
Doyle paints a picture of quiet desperation, as Wayland and Lola cling to one another tightly as if trying to will the past back into existence. He becomes a regular presence in her home and to her children, all named after the color blue: genderfluid Denim, rebellious middle child Perinwinkle, and the oldest, Dodger, a mixed-race boy that Wayland initially seems unable to wrap his brain around. He’s also somewhat perplexed by Denim, at first thinking the young child to be a girl. But if there’s any bigotry in Wayland it’s not brought to the surface. Despite the imposing physical figure that he strikes, Wayland is surprisingly understanding.
And perhaps there’s a reason for that. While their economic situations are both piss-poor, Wayland and Lola are not in the same place. He is getting, and taking, his chance to start anew. There’s some push-and-pull between his old criminal life, those biker gangs can be reluctant to let their members go, and the new family he’s building with Lola. On the other hand, Lola has been mired in hopelessness for years, having seen her dream of getting out and fleeing to Hollywood vanished in a string of bad relationships and unplanned pregnancies.
In Wayland, Doyle keenly observes our idea of masculinity in the poverty class, as he struggles to be a provider for more than just himself. Schreiber, an intimidating presence who nevertheless projects a certain sensitivity, brings these necessary qualities to his performance. Malone is also extraordinary as Lola, shifting between youthful spiritedness and world-weary mother from one scene to the next. When Lorelei puts its focus on the contours of Doyle and Lola’s relationship, it truly soars.
Separately, there’s an imbalance in perspective. Doyle is joined by producers of The Florida Project, and at times Lorelei feels like a spinoff of that acclaimed film in its exploration of America’s struggling poor. It’s Wayland’s familiar “ex-con makes good” story that gets the bulk of the attention and nuance, even though it’s Lola’s pursuit to reclaim what was lost that is far more interesting. A sudden escapade to Los Angeles, where Lola has fled to start a new life as a dive bar mermaid, puts such distance between the two leads that Lorelei flounders to recover. Fortunately, such a thoughtful, open-hearted film with stars the caliber of Malone and Schreiber proves just as resilient as its tough-luck characters and doesn’t stay down for long.
Following the release of the House of Gucci character posters featuring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, and Jeremy Irons, MGM has debuted the official trailer. The film centers on the shocking assassination of Maurio Guccio, head of the famous Italian fashion house, orchestrated by his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani.
How far would a person go to take control of the legacy of a name as powerful as Gucci? As the synopsis goes:
House of Gucci is inspired by the shocking true story of the family empire behind the Italian fashion house of Gucci. Spanning three decades of love, betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately murder, we see what a name means, what it’s worth, and how far a family will go for control.
As one might expect, the make-up, hairstyling, and costume budget looks like it cost more than some entire movie productions. Leto, in particular, is practically unrecognizable, while Lady Gaga has never looked more glamorous.
Also in the cast are Salma Hayek, Jack Huston, Reeve Carney, Mădălina Diana Ghenea, and Camille Cottin who was so good in Stillwater, which opens this week.
By the power of Greyskull there’s a lot of movies this week! A full slate to be sure with little time for news (but of course, we made the time!). Questions answered this week; Is Snake Eyes still awesome sans mask? Is M. Night Shyamalan really that bad? How does Kate Beckinsale look THAT good at 50, and finally How awesome is the new He-man? All of these questions will be answered as we review Old, Jolt, and Masters of the Universe: Revelation!
All of this and more!
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Black Widow has done…well, alright at the box office. But it’s far from what the film probably would’ve made in non-pandemic times. Oh yeah, there’s another factor impacting its $318M box office: it was released simultaneously on Disney+. And it’s that part of the release strategy that has upset star Scarlett Johansson, who has filed a lawsuit against Disney.
The lawsuit, which was filed in L.A today, says that Johansson’s contract guarantees a “wide theatrical release” for Black Widow. That obviously did not happen, despite it being “well understood” to mean exclusively in theaters, not on streaming. Since Johansson’s salary is partly tied to box office returns, the actress could have lost $50M in pay according to WSJ estimates.
There’s more, as Johansson alleges some pretty harsh motivations for Disney’s decision. One, is that they wanted to increase Disney+ subscribers by putting a blockbuster Marvel Studios film on the platform. That’s pretty uncontroversial, I’d say. The other, is that they sought to “substantially devalue Ms. Johansson’s agreement and thereby enrich itself.”
Oof. It also says Disney “ignored” outreach attempts to renegotiate terms once the streaming decision was made.
I don’t know how this is going to play out. Probably, Disney and Johansson’s people will cut some kind of deal and everyone will be happy. But it just goes to show, as WB’s decision to put movies in theaters and HBO Max did, that this transition to more of a hybrid strategy has consequences that need to be addressed. It can’t just be business as usual, not even for Marvel.
One of the nagging questions about Warner Bros.’ upcoming Batgirl movie has now been answered. We wondered whether it would take place in the DCEU or perhaps be linked to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, where the role of Commissioner Jim Gordon will be played by Jeffrey Wright. But today comes the surprising, and very welcome news that JK Simmons will be back as Gordon, making his appearance in 2016’s Justice League more than a one-off.
THR has the news of Simmons’ return as Commissioner Jim Gordon, which establishes that Batgirl will take place within the DCEU. In the Heights‘ Leslie Grace was recently set to play Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, and not only will she get to interact with Simmons as her father, but possibly other superheroes we’ve already met.
Batgirl has a script from Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson, and I wouldn’t be surprised if other fan-favorite female characters show up. Maybe Poison Ivy? Maybe even the Birds of Prey themselves? Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will direct.
There’s no release date for Batgirl yet but when it arrives it’ll be on HBO Max exclusively.
