Shocker of shocker: Tyler Perry just couldn’t let Madea stay dead. Only a couple of years after he put the Doubtfire-esque character to bed with 2019’s A Madea Family Funeral, Perry has resurrected her for his upcoming Netflix film, A Madea Homecoming.
I mean, it makes sense. Perry obviously wants his new deal with Netflix to be a smash, and what better way than bringing back Madea who has earned more than $1B billion dollars at the global box office.
As for plot details for A Madea Homecoming, there aren’t any yet. Perry will star, write, direct, and produce the film, his second for Netflix following last year’s A Fall from Grace which was seen in 39M households according to Deadline.
As iconic as Stephen King, and the films based on his novels, have become in pop culture it can be easy to forget that most lack in quality. To be clear, that’s applicable only to some of those film adaptations. Many were created as TV miniseries with a B and C level cast, yet still they are classics. A true testament to the quality of the source work. This is all to say that it’s no surprise we’re seeing so many of these films are being remade and in most cases, it makes total sense. Christine, however, seems just fine as it is. The 1983 vehicular horror classic, starring Keith Gordon and Alexandra Paul, was well performed and used some truly innovative special effects techniques that hold up even today.
HOWEVER, if there is one group of folks that can take something good and make it great it would be Blumhouse. Luckily, that’s exactly the studio that’s taken on this project. Moreover they’ve brought on writer Bryan Fuller to direct. Fuller, who’s got a pretty deep resume when it comes to suspense and sci-fi is an interesting choice, it’s his work on Hannibal that has me intrigued. Writing a movie about a killer car, even with an amazing source to adapt from can be tough. You’re walking a tightrope between horror and hilarity, one false step and you’re in the dreaded “unintended laughter” pool. Interestingly enough this won’t be Fuller’s first foray into King’s work, having wrote a teleplay for Carrie back in 2002.
The only thing that concerns me is Fuller’s history in sci-fi, which makes me think an update to the car would be likely. Let’s just put that on front street, it has to be a 1958 Plymouth Fury in red…nothing else will do.
The cast of John Wick 4 has just added a monster cast member. According to Collider, It and It: Chapter 2 star Bill Skarsgard is in talks to join Keanu Reeves in the killer sequel, which has been casting up pretty furiously over the last few days.
Skarsgard is best known for his monstrous turn as Pennywise the Clown in two of Stephen King’s It movies. He joins a cast that includes Donnie Yen as an old friend to John Wick, plus pop star Rina Sawayama, and Stowaway actor Shamier Anderson.
Chad Stahelski returns to direct John Wick 4, which opens on May 27th 2022. It’s unknown who from the prior films will be coming back other than Reeves, we can probably expect to see a few of them.
It’s been years since Rebecca Miller’s last feature, 2016’s screwball comedy Maggie’s Plan, which was followed by HBO doc Arthur Miller: Writer. Now she’s finally back and ready to take on a project she’s been trying to get off the ground long before the pandemic put everything in limbo, and the best part about it is the cast is phenomenal.
Anne Hathaway, Tahar Rahim, Marisa Tomei, Joanna Kulig, and Matthew Broderick will star in rom-com She Came to Me, which Miller will write and direct. Once set to star Nicole Kidman, Amy Schumer, and Steve Carell, the film has undergone some pretty significant changes. Fortunately, they all seem to be for the better. Not only will it have a terrific cast, but also the music of Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat.
Here’s the synopsis: She Came to Me is a truly modern romantic comedy, a multi-generational story set against the iconic backdrop of New York: a composer suffering from writer’s block rediscovers his passion after an adventurous one-night stand, a couple of gifted teenagers fight to prove to the parents that their young love is something that can last forever, and for the woman who seemingly has it all – love arrives in the most unexpected places.
Miller is one of the strongest voices in telling stories about women. Her previous films include Personal Velocity, The Ballad of Jack & Rose, and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.
When the credits rolled on Jon M. Chu’s joyous, colorful, pulse-pounding, and hopeful In the Heights, all I could think of was how badly I wanted them to restart the film. Let me sit there and luxuriate in its cultural pride, its celebration of the Latinx experience, and oh yeah, the amazing, stomping music and dance numbers. The adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway hit couldn’t come at a better time, and absolutely must be seen in a theater.
Sure, you could watch it on HBO Max in the comfort of your own home. Truthfully, it’ll probably play in my own home that way quite a lot, but on the big screen, with the bass pumping and the emotions cranked up to eleven, it’s just a different thing altogether. This isn’t Hamilton, and you shouldn’t go in expecting that. If there’s a thread running through it and In the Heights it’s a passion for history, although in this case a shared history of a people who have endured, and continue to endure great hardship, but fight to overcome it. There’s a fear that their history will be lost to gentrification, or deportation as the immigration crisis lingers as a constant threat, however nothing can stand against a community that stands together.
Anthony Ramos, who has leaped from the Hamilton stage to a fast-rising screen career, leads the way as Usnavi, a bodega owner in the Latin diaspora of Washington Heights. Hopes and dreams are plentiful; everybody has one and for most people there, those dreams will never be fulfilled. But that’s not the point; the fight is what matters, and In the Heights is about people who never give up on their goals. Usnavi (the origin of his odd name is great) wants to one day leave the Heights and return to his father’s homeland in the Dominican Republic. He expresses this, how else, by bursting into song, while preparing the morning cafe con leche for the plentiful customers.
He’s not the only one. In the Heights is an ensemble piece, following a number of people from Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican backgrounds looking for that better life. Usnavi’s best friend Benny (Corey Hawkins) is a hard worker at the dispatch company run by Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits), whose enterprising ways have been to support his daughter Nina (Leslie Grace) as the first of their family to go to college. Usnavi’s crush Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) is an aspiring fashion designer who longs to leave her job as a nail tech and move to a better part of Manhattan. While all of these people have their individual dreams, they are united by the community matriarch, Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz), who raised Usnavi like he was her own child, and treated others much the same.
Their stories weave together seamlessly through the use of song and dance, with each character representing music from their place of origin. The Puerto Ricans favor bomba and plena, while you also get that merengue flavor from Usnavi, and of course, there’s plenty of salsa, as well. It’s safe to say this soundtrack is unlike anything you’re likely to hear from another major studio film this year, and will probably be blasting on car radios long after that.
Chu might be recognized right now for his work on Crazy Rich Asians, but it’s his Step Up choreography that informs In the Heights most. He was rightfully praised for the energetic routines of those cheesy teen dramas which most of us are too embarrassed to admit we liked. He and choreographer Christopher Scott take the music video-style creativity to another level here, with every number telling a different story in a way that makes them all feel like a centerpiece. With every stomp of the feet, every burst of color, the occasionally gratity-defying performances celebrate what is great about their little corner of the world and the people in it. The pulsing momentum only dips, slightly, at a time of deep mourning and even then the impact of the moment is a well-earned gut punch, and a means of honoring one character’s Cuban roots.
We come to love these people so much that it’s impossible to not be invested in where they are headed. While it would’ve been easy to simply be a feel-good, crowd-pleasing effort, In the Heights tackles tough issues, and explores what the American Dream is for those whose very identity is under attack by the country they live in. The conflict they face is both internal and in other cases it’s generational, choosing between their own pursuits and those laid forth by predecessors who sacrificed everything. There’s a lot that Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, who wrote the original stageplay, has to say and it never gets overbearing. We don’t go too long without another song that boosts our spirits. One of the best, most powerful anthems features Sonny (Gregory Diav IV), a Dreamer brought here illegally through no fault of his own. His status here is constantly on edge, but he expresses it in a rousing poolside jam set to A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario” bassline.
The cast is uniformly excellent, with special notice to Anthony Ramos whose charisma leaps off the screen. Miranda played the lead role on Broadway, but he slides into a smaller role here and his presence is still welcome. There are a couple of love stories, but I personally couldn’t get enough of Hawkins and Grace together. Something about those two just heats everything up and I wanted to see more of them together.
While there have been a few blockbuster films already in theaters, I can’t think of a better film to break you out of that post-pandemic funk than In the Heights. The experience is absolutely euphoric, and should be seen surrounded by as many friends and family as one can gather.
So, how would you feel about a DC Comics movie that had Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer, Diego Luna, Natasha Lyonne, John Krasinski, and Keanu Reeves? That shit would be off the hook, wouldn’t it? Well, you’re getting it. Hopefully, you don’t mind it’s the animated DC League of Super-Pets movie and not one of the live-action ones.
According to Warner Bros., those are the voice stars who will be joining Dwayne Johnson in DC League of Super-Pets. Johnson will voice Krypto, Superman’s loyal pooch. Hart is the only other castmate with a revealed character, that of Batman’s canine pal, Ace the Bat-Hound. Yes, he actually exists in the comics, I swear. So is Bat-Cow, for that matter, along with Streaky the Supercat, Beppo the Super-Monkey, and Comet the Super-Horse. Any or all of these furry heroes could appear.
Johnson and Hart have become a package deal over the years, starring together in Central Intelligence, a couple of Jumanji movies, Hobbs & Shaw, and more. Given the silliness of this premise I can see these guys having a ball, so expect lots of fun social media posts from them both during production.
You didn’t think Avengers: Infinity War was the end of the god of mischief, did you? If there’s anything we should know about Loki after all of these years, it’s that he’s always got a way out. Marvel’s Lokiseries on Disney+ is about a variant version, the one we saw escape with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame, and as such it serves as a means of retooling him to be more than just a mischievous, self-serving villain and into a mischievous, self-serving antihero.
Shocker to no one; it’s an absolute blast, full of weird sci-fi time travel geekery and a hilarious buddy-comedy feel thanks to the chemistry between Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Wilson have this kind of pairing, it used to be all he did back in the day, and he almost seems revitalized to have someone to riff with again. But more to the point, Loki is just plain fun in the grand ol’ Marvel tradition. However, don’t mistake that for frivolous. There’s a lot going on underneath the hood that promises to change the way we look at the MCU and the way time travel works, not to mention lays the groundwork for some big stories to come.
Picking up right after Endgame when a captured Loki stole away with the Tesseract following the big battle of New York in 2012’s The Avengers, the villain finds that he’s gone from one set of handcuffs to another. Loki is scooped up by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) who exist in this dull, 1960s office space not unlike poor Vision’s workplace in WandaVision. But these folks aren’t just pushing papers around; they’ve been charged with protecting “the Sacred Timeline”, which is a lot more Biblical sounding than it actually is. Ignoring all of the weird stuff about the lizard-like Time Collectors, all that you really need to know is that the TVA are there to make sure variants like Loki don’t commit any time crimes that may screw up with the natural flow of time.
All of this is explained by the handy-dandy Miss Minutes (voiced by the great Tara Strong), an animated mascot of sorts. She’s just as cheery as can be, which Loki is in no mood to hear since he’s about to be put on trial. Fortunately for him, agent Mobius M. Mobius (Wilson) has another idea. He’s figured out that Loki is uniquely suited to helping the TVA stop a more dangerous threat that has been moving from timeline to timeline killing their agents and acquiring their many time-saving weapons.
Naturally, Loki doesn’t want to be anybody’s sidekick, and he’s certainly no hero. Or is he? One of the surprising things about Loki is how it takes us all the way back through his many appearances, peeling back the layers of who he really is. In what looks like it’s going to be an interrogation, Mobius instead has a conversation with Loki about why he does what he does. He highlights Loki’s many acts of cruelty, then turns the tables by showing the real consequences of them. He exposes Loki for his many failures, too, most of them caused by his own unwillingness to shut up. Surprisingly, this walk down memory lane opens Loki up to being more than what he has always been. Why couldn’t Thor have done this?
He’s still Loki, of course, and causes the TVA no end of grief. In particular, he needles the Hell out of the deathly-serious, tough-as-nails Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku), and even leads her on an exhaustive chase. Loki’s antics don’t give Mobius’ boss, Judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who is already against the idea of working with Loki. It’s clear she and Mobius have a past, and anybody who knows what the name Renslayer means to the Marvel Universe, any disillusionment she has with the TVA could have gigantic ramifications for the universe.
Directed by Kate Herron and penned by Michael Waldron, the latter also working on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Loki series gets off to a faster start than previous Marvel shows. Right from the start it has a clear idea where it’s going and what it’s meant to be, so that jumping right into Loki’s adventures feels natural. We also get many unique settings that flesh out Loki’s place throughout history. He’s spent a surprising amount of time on Earth for someone who claims to hate it here so much, including one stint as an infamous hijacker and thief from the 1970s whose real identity was never uncovered.
Some are quick to slap the “best Marvel series” label on Loki but I’m hesitant to go that far. Both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier started off slow but grew to become cultural phenomenons. Crazy to think we’ve had both in less than a year. Loki has a long way to go to reach their heights, but after two episodes it’s definitely on the track to getting there.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend tomorrow’s free advance screening of In the Heights! Directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, Step Up) and based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway smash, the film stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega , Gregory Diaz, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, and Jimmy Smits.
SYNOPSIS: Lights up on Washington Heights…The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.
The screening takes place tomorrow, June 9th, at 7pm at AMC Tysons Corner. If you’d like to attend, simply go to the Warner Bros. screening site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you will need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!
In the Heights opens in theaters and HBO Max on June 10th.
In the Heights opens in just a few days, and you’ve no doubt heard the hype about it being one of the best movies of the year. Well, it’s true. I’ll be reposting my review later today, but if you don’t believe me (Why are you here then???), this new trailer hopes you’ll listen to the likes of Oprah. And Hugh Jackman. And Dwayne Johnson. And Ariana Grande, and loads more celebrities as they give testimonials on why this is a musical experience you have to see.
Your mileage will vary on this sort of promotion. I guess if trailers can be crammed with glowing quotes from bums like me then rounding up celebs to do the same is no different. Not that I think In the Heights needs all of this. People are pretty excited to see what Jon M. Chu can do with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stage spectacular.
In the Heights opens June 10th in theaters and HBO Max. The film stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega , Gregory Diaz, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, and Jimmy Smits.
SYNOPSIS: Lights up on Washington Heights…The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.
The wait for Black Widow is almost over. It’s hard to believe we’ve seen so much from Marvel in recent months and yet this will be the first movie as part of Phase 4. And as part of welcoming fans back to theaters, Marvel Studios is giving a little something extra to those who choose to see the film in IMAX.
IMAX and Marvel Studios have announced that Black Widow will debut with 22 minutes of select scenes in IMAX exclusive expanded aspect ratio. So we’re going to see even more of Natasha Romanoff flipping and shooting and posing and grappling and all that good stuff the super spy Avenger is known for. Up to 26% more of the onscreen image will be available, and IMAX given us a look at the difference that will make.
Here’s a description of the technical stuff:
Aspect ratio is the technical term for the proportional relationship between an image’s width and height. Most films are presented in an aspect ratio called CinemaScope (2.40:1) which is why they appear very wide but not very high. IMAX provides filmmakers with the ability to use an expanded aspect ratio – allowing them to use more of the original image. Watching a film with an expanded aspect ratio provides audiences with a full immersive view that fills the peripheral vision more than any other cinematic experience.
Black Widow opens in theaters, IMAX, and Disney Premier Access on July 9th. The film is directed by Cate Shortland and stars Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour.
