We’ve heard a lot about the mistreatment allegedly suffered at the hands of Joss Whedon on the sets of Justice League, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and even Angel. Most of the claims were made by Ray Fisher in what has been a steady barrage of dirt on the once-popular filmmaker. One of those claims had to do with Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, and that Whedon had threatened to harm her career. She has alluded to this situation in the past, but is saying more in an interview with Israeli outlet Mako/N12…
“He kind of threatened my career and said if I did something, he would make my career miserable, and I just took care of it instead,” Gadot said.
That’s one of a few translations out there saying the same thing in slightly different words.
Obviously, things have gone quite well for Gadot while Whedon’s rep is in the toilet. She’s at a place now where Whedon can’t come close to harming her career. Next up for her is Netflix blockbuster Red Notice alongside Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds. She’ll also be seen in Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie film Death On the Nile, alongside troubled co-star Armie Hammer. In regards to Hammer and his problems, Gadot was about as diplomatic as possible…
“It’s very complex. If the truth is that he did things [alleged of him], then a person has to pay the price for his actions and take responsibility. I don’t know what will happen,” Gadot said.
20th Century Studios has pushed that film around the schedule, eventually landing on February 2022, in hopes the Hammer situation will quiet by then.
As for Red Notice, it hits Netflix later this year.
2021 is turning into a productive year for the horror icon, who passed in 2017. Word is spreading that his wife, by way of the George A. Romero foundation, has found a script treatment that he wrote for his “final” of the Dead feature Twilight of the Dead and is illiciting help from the horror community to get it made. If that wasn’t enough, Shudder aka THE go to streaming service for the horror fan in us all, has found Romero’s lost feature The Amusement Park converted it to 4k and is prepping a release. They’ve even been so kind as to cut together a trailer, we’ll get to that in a minute. For now, let’s check out the insane backstory to this crazy story. Romero was hired by some group called The Lutheran Society (creepy in and of itself) to make the movie, which was the only film Romero did for hire throughout his career. Here are the details:
Recently discovered and restored 46 years after its completion by the George A. Romero Foundation and produced by Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, The Amusement Park stars Martin’s Lincoln Maazel as an elderly man who finds himself disoriented and increasingly isolated as the pains, tragedies and humiliations of aging in America are manifested through roller coasters and chaotic crowds. Commissioned by the Lutheran Society, the film is perhaps Romero’s wildest and most imaginative movie, an allegory about the nightmarish realities of growing older, and is an alluring snapshot of the filmmaker’s early artistic capacity and style and would go on to inform his ensuing filmography. The “lost” film was restored in 4k by IndieCollect in New York City.
As for the trailer….honestly I don’t know what to make of it but if it’s looking to unsetlle, mission accomplished. It reminds me of the kind of “movie in a movie” you might see playing on a screen in Rob Zombies most depraved outing. Nothing outright gory or even scary, but terrifying in it’s normalcy. There’s also a real The Twilight Zone feel thrown into the mix for good measure. Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.
The Amusement Park will premier on Shudder this Summer.
Cinderella has found her castle on Amazon. According to Deadline, a deal was just announced between Sony Pictures and Amazon Studios for the online streaming service to acquire the rights for Cinderella starring pop-star Camila Cabello.
No specific date has been announced for its release, but since Sony had planned to release it in July, later this year would be a safe bet. The film is written and directed by Kay Cannon, former 30 Rock and Pitch Perfect writer. She made her directing debut with the underrated 2018 film Blockers.
The film will mark Cabello’s silver screen debut. Frozen powerhouse Idina Menzel will play her wicked stepmother, Pose’s Billy Porter will dawn wings as what Deadline call’s her “Fab G,” this film’s version of the Fairy Godmother. Nicholas Galitzine will play the Prince with Minnie Driver as his mother. Pierce Brosnan, John Mulaney, and James Corden also star.
You may have waited through an entire pandemic to watch A Quiet Place Part II but Paramount has decided to be generous and shower us with content. The studio not only released the film’s final trailer yesterday but additional four clips to get you in the horror mood.
For those needing a refresher the first film focused on a family surviving in the woods after mysterious creatures who hunt using sound invade earth. Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe, and Millicent Simmonds will reprise their roles while Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou join the cast. Krasinski once again directs based off he wrote with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Here is the official synopsis of the new film before we dive into the new clips:
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
If you were worried about the lack of “on-screen John Krasinski” since his character died in the last movie, don’t worry. As the first clip indicates, there are flashbacks.
In another flashback we see Emily Blunt’s Evelyn and a younger version of Noah Jupe’s character driving through town when the creatures attack. Things don’t go as planned.
The third clip takes place in the present when Evelyn and her kids cross through a fence and into what is clearly someone else’s property. Alarms are sounded.
In the final clip we are finally introduced to Cillian Murphy’s character, ironically wearing a mask. He intercepts the Abbott’s before a creature enters the frame.
You can catch A Quiet Place Part II in theaters May 28.
Only Sebastian Stan can say he’s the right guy to play both a young Luke Skywalker, and MÖTLEY CRÜE member Tommy Lee. A few months after we learned Stan would be starring alongside Lily James in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy series, about the infamous celebrity couple, we have our first look at them and they are, in a word: Perfect.
James, in particular, is virtually unrecognizable as the Baywatch and Barb Wire babe. But don’t sleep on Stan, who is clearly having nipple-piercing fun as Lee.
The six-episode series will center on the notorious sex tape that brought the issue of celebrity and privacy rights to the national discussion. I would say it was also the birthplace of Internet celebrity, and gave rise to a whole host of people who got famous simply for being in sex tapes that were largely seen online.
The cast includes Nick Offerman, Taylor Schilling, Andrew Dice Clay, Pepi Sonuga, Spencer Granese, and Mozhan Marnò. Seth Rogen also has a role, along with co-creating the series with Evan Goldberg. Craig Gillespie, known for helming I, Tonya and Disney’s upcoming Cruella film, will direct from a script by The Wrestler writer Robert Siegel.
Christmas movies are a vital part of the movie business. Action movies set during the holidays? They tend to be classics, like Die Hard, The Last Boy Scout…Reindeer Games. Okay, maybe not that last one. Anyway, Warner Bros. is getting in on the Christmas fun with Stay Frosty, an action film that will find Idris Elba trying to stay alive long enough to make it home in time for egg nog.
Deadline reports WB has paid a hefty price for Tyler Marceca’s spec script for Stay Frosty, which will star Idris Elba and be directed by Sam Hargrave, still high from last year’s Netflix hit, Extraction. The film stars Elba as a man who miraculously survives getting shot in the head by an assassin, and must find out who wants him dead and why before making it back home to his son in time for Christmas.
Elba and Hargrave will also produce, and this looks to be a big action movie franchise in the John Wick mold assuming it hits. Elba has long been in need of a blockbuster role to call his own, and this might be the film that does it.
After three short seasons, Hulu’s intersectional body-positive comedy Shrillis coming to an end this Friday. Like past seasons, the show highlights current issues women are facing through the eyes of writer Annie Easton, played by Saturday Night Live’s Aidy Bryant. While it kicks off its third season with a very real issue facing fat people across America, the show then branches out past body-positivity to cover cancel culture, white fragility and privilege, internalized fatphobia, and guilt. If the first season of Shrill focused on Annie gaining confidence with her fatness and the second season dealt with knowing her worth, the third season is about how messy growth can be.
Last we saw Annie, she was finally finding success and power at her job, gaining popularity and council from one of the female higher-ups in the magazine. She finally dumped her god-awful boyfriend Ryan and her roommate Fran finally found a potential partner in Em. If Shrill ended season 2 in a good place, season 3 is not afraid to get messy. In what might be its most culturally relevant season, Annie is making more mistakes than ever.
While she makes numerous dating mistakes, including accidently texting her blind date that she thought the date was bad, the season’s main arch follows Annie’s attempt to break out past writing about her weight. After spending the day with a republican separatist family with major racist undertones, Annie writes an article that humanizes the cult like group, resulting in her own “cancelation.”
Bryant does an excellent job portraying a character trying her best and fumbling on the execution. Representative of what many white women have been navigating over the last year in regards to checking their privilege, the writers do an excellent job showing the consequences of Annie’s actions in a realistic way. She can’t take her actions back, and though she is sorry and didn’t intend to hurt anyone, it’s not the job of the Black people in her life to educate her or hold her hand through the backlash. While the show has been criticized in the past for sidelining Fran’s character, a black Nigerian lesbian played gracefully by Lolly Adefope, this season gives Fran more agency. “I can’t get you through this,” she tells Annie after her friend apologizes for the umpteenth time for the ignorance of her article.
This season is not all social justice issues. With its signature scorching humor, Shrill’s final eight episodes are genuinely hilarious. With the additions of SNL and Los Espooky’s Julio Torres as Fran’s boss at her salon co-op and and SNL’s Fred Armisen as the co-founder of the magazine where Annie works, absurd little joke nuggets are scattered throughout some of the show’s more intense moments, delivered with comedic accuracy. As always, Jo Firestone and Patti Harrison, who play Annie’s co-workers absolutely steal every scene they are in. Harrison and Firestone are definitely names to watch.
While it does feel like it has more to say, Shrill’s ambiguous ending is reminiscent of British prestige dramadies like Fleabag or I May Destroy You. Is it a shame that one of the most bodily diverse and progressive shows is only ending after three seasons and twenty-two episodes? Absolutely. However, for a show about owning your experiences, ending Annie and Fran’s journey on the writer’s terms seems like a good way to go.
The final season of Shrill can be streamed on Hulu. Watch the season 3 trailer below.
Even though Dave Bautista publicly backed his Guardians of the Galaxy director and friend James Gunn and campaigned to join The Suicide Squad, ultimately he ended up starring in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. What’s up with that? He’s actually talked about this before, and said it was simply that Snyder was offering a bigger and better role. But now in a conversation with Digital Spy, Bautista adds one more reason why he chose Snyder…
That sweet sweet Netflix cash. Cash money, baby!
“I was all up for it, and then I got ‘Army of the Dead,’ which was not only a lead role for me, but also I really wanted to work with Zack Snyder,” explained Bautista. “I’ve been wanting to work with him for years…I had ‘The Suicide Squad’ where I got to work with my boy again, even though it’s a smaller role, and then I had ‘Army of the Dead’ on which I get to work with Zack, I get to build a relationship with Netflix, I get a lead role in a great film – and I get paid a lot more money.”
Bautista says he wanted to be upfront with Gunn about it, them being good friends, and he said the director totally got it…
“I had to call James, and I told him, ‘It breaks my heart because as a friend, I want to be there with you, but professionally, this is the smart decision for me.’ He said, ‘I completely get it. I’m proud of you that you’re even in this position. I’m proud that I had something to do with you being in this position where you have to make these hard decisions.’”
And that’s cool. Even if Guardians of the Galaxy 3 turns out to be the last Marvel film for both Bautista and Gunn, it’s almost a certainty they’ll work together again.
Army of the Dead opens in select theaters on May 14th, then Netflix a week later.
Directed and produced by Nick Stagliano, The Virtuoso is a noir-esque telling from the inside perspective of a wary hitman (Anson Mount, AMC’s Hell on Wheels) who is dispatched to a small town to snuff out his next target. His ominous mentor and boss (Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins) orchestrate the assignment, providing little information for the enlisted assassin to go on. Arriving at his intended destination, a local diner, The Virtuoso must identify his mark amongst several suspected patrons and leave quietly without raising too much attention toward himself. Complications arise when an enticing waitress (Abbie Cornish) of the rustic restaurant may hinder his operation and local law enforcement, The Deputy (David Morse) is seemingly around every corner.
Being a professional hitman and the repercussions that come along with the job, The Virtuoso (written by James C. Wolf and Nick Stagliano) does have an appealing draw when it comes to this action/thriller genre. Possessing a somber tone that could juxtapose the stylings of a dissheveled and brilliantly hot mess of Peter Falk’s sleuthing in murder mystery thriller’s Columbo to the likes of say Guy Ritchie’s and Quentin Tarantino’s crazy ass hitman entanglement films (without the dark humour) instead, flatlining on a majority of key aspects. Underwhelming, highly predictable and simply put, it is an overall disappointment.
The Virtuoso is pretty much all narration. It is extremely long-winded, repetitive and after a while a bit obnoxious. A great degree of narration dialogue went into explaining the importance of how time and precision are to be executed. Going as far to claim by comparison that he is a “virtuoso” which by definition is a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit. An expert assassin who fulfills his agenda and maintains a low key/off the grid profile, competently active and while doing so with NO DISTRACTIONS. Yes, that’s expected! Nearly 40 minutes of this in the beginning, more in the middle and sure enough, ending on the similar notes is unnecessary and takes away from what could have been a better in depth storyline between the male and female lead actors. With minimal spoken words between all characters and even little interaction, there was no stand out performance nor hidden shocks or surprises as each word and encounter is practically a clue; making them easily noticeable.
The cast consists of seven primary-ish dramatis personae, eight includes the adorably one eyed and fluffy white stray dog that pops out on occasion. The Mentor (Hopkins) rarely graces the screen saying almost no words but has one hefty speech that does touch on a cruel yet truthful point. The two men meet up in a cemetery after The Virtuoso’s last assignment had innocent casualties and him ignoring the bosses check-in phone calls. The mentor proceeds to reluctantly tell him of a circumstance having known and served with the Virtuoso’s (Mount) father in prior years while they are standing near his tombstone. It’s in this morbid story that the mentor’s message is beyond crystal clear as to who and what kind of man he is truly capable of and incidentally, gives big insight to where exactly the direction of the film is heading.
As for the remaining roles, The Waitress (Abbie Cornish), The Loner (Eddie Marsan), Handsome Johnnie (Richard Brake), Johnnie’s Girl (Diora Baird), and The Deputy (David Morse) definitely give off a “holding back secrets” vibe that makes the virtuoso’s disposition all the more challenging. Unfortunately, each presentation felt very dry and lacked any real chemistry which made the whole experience feel like attending an amature murder mystery dinner theatre event. Clues stick out like a sore thumb and should be quite obvious to the hitman on his endeavor but tend to go over his head. It may have been written to be that way as he is conflicted with past turmoil and appears to be why he’s on this expedition to begin with.
There really is not much of a soundtrack for this movie either. Given the tone and title of the film, I admittedly was expecting some virtuoso soloist music of either a piano, volin, perhaps a cello or even a single vocalist that would accompany the mood but it did not. Often taking more of the dark and silent persona, the absence of sound in general further adds to its emptiness. Again, maybe that was the intention but I certainly was not impressed. The devil’s in the details and the details are in total disarray.
The Virtuoso does it’s best to portray the day in the life of a hitman and the interpretation of what the job entails however, it fails to really capture the thrill of mystery and intrigue and leaves the desire for wanting a lot more action. This is one film, I’m sorry to say, that I do not recommend at all. Not even if you’re bored and there is literally nothing else to watch or do. You would get more excitement out of reading Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot series, watching reruns of The Sopranos or hell, even playing Clue. OK, so maybe I just described my kind of day but you get the point.
We’re happy to offer our readers the chance to win an Admit-Two Fandango ticket for Those Who Wish Me Dead, the upcoming thriller starring Angelina Jolie! Warner Bros. will release the film in theaters and HBO Max on May 14th.
SYNOPSIS: From New Line Cinema comes the thriller “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Taylor Sheridan.
Oscar winner Jolie (“Girl, Interrupted,” the “Maleficent” films) stars as Hannah, a smoke jumper still reeling from the loss of three lives she failed to save from a fire when she comes across a traumatized 12-year-old boy with nowhere else to turn.
The film also stars Nicholas Hoult (the “X-Men” films), Finn Little (“Reckoning”), Aidan Gillen (“Game of Thrones,” “Peaky Blinders”), Medina Senghore (“Happy!”), Tyler Perry (“Vice,” “Gone Girl”), Jake Weber (“Midway,” “Homeland”), and Jon Bernthal (“Ford v Ferrari,” “Wind River”).
If you would like to enter, simply send an email to punchdrunktrav@gmail.com with your favorite Angelina Jolie movie. Please include “Those Who Wish Me Dead Giveaway” in the subject line! 10 Winners will be selected Monday, May 10th and notified by email. Good luck!
