If there’s a hot-button issue in the country right now, Georgia seems to be at the center of it. The state was integral to Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 elections, and his numerous attempts to steal the presidency despite the will of the voters. Georgia, which saw record turnout from voters of color, saw its two reliably Republican senate seats go to Democrats in special elections. Ever since, the state has been imposing new restrictions to make it harder to vote, and that has led to many protests and some high-profile corporations speaking out. And now you can add at least one major movie production which will be moving out of the state, costing a great deal of revenue and the loss of jobs.
Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith issued a statement regarding their upcoming Apple film, Emancipation, which was due to begin shooting in Georgia this summer. Well, that’s no longer happening as they will be taking the production elsewhere due to the state’s voter suppression laws. The film stars Smith as Peter, a runaway slave and his dangerous journey north from a Louisiana plantation. He is based on “Whipped Peter”, the black man whose images of his whipped and scarred back were shown in magazines and newspapers, bringing to stark reality the cruelty of slave owners.
The statement is below:
“At this moment in time, the Nation is coming to terms with its history and is attempting to eliminate vestiges of institutional racism to achieve true racial justice. We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access. The new Georgia voting laws are reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting. Regrettably, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.”
This is a significant decision, not only for Georgia but also for the Emancipation production. It’s estimated the film will lose about $15M in state tax breaks, so this effects both Fuqua and Smith’s bottom line. But this is what putting your money where your mouth is looks like in practice.
Georgia has become a popular destination for movie shoots but if these voter restriction laws continue you can bet there will an exodus away from the state. In the moment, this hurts the people of Georgia who had no part to play in corrupt Governor Brian Kemp’s tactics, and that’s unfortunate. But this direct impact will hopefully be the impetus for those people to get out and do something about the government in place in Georgia right now.
Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland just had a rocket strapped to its back on the way to the Oscars. Last night, the acclaimed road drama was the big winner at the BAFTA Awards with four wins, including Best Picture, Best Director for Zhao, Best Actress for Frances McDormand, and Best Cinematography for Joshua James Richards. This is on top of the film taking top honors at the Directors Guild Awards, as well.
Meanwhile, in a bit of a surprising upset. Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for his performance as a man suffering from dementia in The Father. The win makes him the oldest actor to ever win the award. While it’s still Chadwick Boseman’s race to win, this does pose an interesting wrinkle.
It was also a good night for Promising Young Woman, which won Best British Film, and also Best Original Screenplay for writer/director Emerald Fennell.
The full BAFTA Awards winners are below.
Best Film
Nomadland – WINNER
The Father
The Mauritanian
Promising Young Woman
The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Leading Actress
Frances Mcdormand, Nomadland – WINNER
Bukky Bakray, Rocks
Radha Blank, The Forty-Year-Old Version
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces Of A Woman
Wunmi Mosaku, His House
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
Leading Actor
Anthony Hopkins, The Father – WINNER
Riz Ahmed, Sound Of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Adarsh Gourav, The White Tiger
Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round
Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian
Director
Nomadland, Chloé Zhao – WINNER
Another Round, Thomas Vinterberg
Babyteeth, Shannon Murphy
Minari, Lee Isaac Chung
Quo Vadis, Aida?, Jasmila Žbani?
Rocks, Sarah Gavron
Rising Star
Bukky Bakray – WINNER
Conrad Khan
Kingsley Ben-Adir
Morfydd Clark
Sope Dirisu
Outstanding British Film
Promising Young Woman – WINNER
Calm With Horses
The Dig
The Father
His House
Limbo
The Mauritanian
Mogul Mowgli
Rocks
Saint Maud
Original Score
Soul, Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – WINNER
Mank, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Minari, Emile Mosseri
News Of The World, James Newton Howard
Promising Young Woman, Anthony Willis
Documentary
My Octopus Teacher – WINNER
Collective
David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet
The Dissident
The Social Dilemma
Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer
His House, Remi Weekes (Writer/Director) – WINNER
Limbo, Ben Sharrock (Writer/Director), Irune Gurtubai (Producer) [Also Produced By Angus Lamont]
Moffie, Jack Sidey (Writer/Producer) [Also Written By Oliver Hermanus And Produced By Eric Abraham]
Rocks, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Writers)
Saint Maud, Rose Glass (Writer/Director), Oliver Kassman (Producer) [Also Produced By Andrea Cornwell]
Supporting Actor
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas And The Black Messiah – WINNER
Barry Keoghan, Calm With Horses
Alan Kim, Minari
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night In Miami…
Clarke Peters, Da 5 Bloods
Paul Raci, Sound Of Metal
Original Screenplay
Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell – WINNER
Another Round, Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg
Mank, Jack Fincher
Rocks, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson
The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin
Supporting Actress
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari – WINNER
Niamh Algar, Calm With Horses
Kosar Ali, Rocks
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Dominique Fishback, Judas And The Black Messiah
Ashley Madekwe, County Lines
Cinematography
Nomadland, Joshua James Richards – WINNER
Judas And The Black Messiah, Sean Bobbitt
Mank, Erik Messerschmidt
The Mauritanian, Alwin H. Küchler
News Of The World, Dariusz Wolski
Film Not In The English Language
Another Round – WINNER
Dear Comrades!
Les Misérables
Minari
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Editing
Sound Of Metal, Mikkel E.G. Nielsen – WINNER
The Father, Yorgos Lamprinos
Nomadland, Chloé Zhao
Promising Young Woman, Frédéric Thoraval
The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Alan Baumgarten
Adapted Screenplay
The Father, Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller – WINNER
The Dig, Moira Buffini
The Mauritanian, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, M.B. Traven
Nomadland, Chloé Zhao
The White Tiger, Ramin Bahrani
Animated Film
Soul – WINNER
Onward
Wolfwalkers
Sound
Sound Of Metal, Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Phillip Bladh, Carlos Cortés, Michelle Couttolenc – WINNER
Greyhound, Beau Borders, Christian P. Minkler, Michael Minkler, Warren Shaw, David Wyman
News Of The World, Michael Fentum, William Miller, Mike Prestwood Smith, John Pritchett, Oliver Tarney
Nomadland, Sergio Diaz, Zach Seivers, M. Wolf Snyder
Soul, Coya Elliott, Ren Klyce, David Parker
Special Visual Effects
Tenet, Scott Fisher, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley – WINNER
Greyhound, Pete Bebb, Nathan Mcguinness, Sebastian Von Overheidt
The Midnight Sky, Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, David Watkins
Mulan, Sean Faden, Steve Ingram, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury
The One And Only Ivan, Santiago Colomo Martinez, Nick Davis, Greg Fisher
British Short Animation
The Owl And The Pussycat, Mole Hill, Laura Duncalf – WINNER
The Fire Next Time, Renaldho Pelle, Yanling Wang, Kerry Jade Kolbe
The Song Of A Lost Boy, Daniel Quirke, Jamie Macdonald, Brid Arnstein
British Short Film
The Present, Farah Nabulsi – WINNER
Eyelash, Jesse Lewis Reece, Ike Ike Newman
Lizard, Akinola Davies, Rachel Dargavel, Wale Davies
Lucky Break, John Addis, Rami Sarras Pantoja
Miss Curvy, Ghada Eldemellawy
Production Design
Mank, Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale – WINNER
The Dig, Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald
The Father, Peter Francis, Cathy Featherstone
News Of The World, David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan
Rebecca, Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
Makeup & Hair
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal – WINNER
The Dig, Jenny Shircore
Hillbilly Elegy, Patricia Dehaney, Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle
Mank, Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams
Pinocchio, Mark Coulier
Costume Design
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Ann Roth – WINNER
Ammonite, Michael O’connor
The Dig, Alice Babidge
Emma, Alexandra Byrne
Mank, Trish Summerville
Casting
Rocks, Lucy Pardee – WINNER
Calm with Horses, Shaheen Baig
Judas and the Black Messiah, Alexa L. Fogel
Minari, Julia Kim
Promising Young Woman, Lindsay Graham Ahanonu, Mary Vernieu
Those hoping to see conflicted Marvel super-soldier Sebastian Stan live a little might want to check out Monday, a hedonistic “romance” from veteran Greek filmmaker Argyris Papadimitropoulos. Stan, who plays an American DJ spinning the turntables to fuel his nightlife, matches up beautifully with co-star Denise Gough, and the two embark on a love story that’s about what happens when those initial red-hot passions cool into domesticity and people start learning about one another.
What I particularly like about Monday, and I think some have recoiled from, is how unflinching it is about the nature of the sort of codependent, all-or-nothing, hot-to-the-touch relationship that Mickey (Stan) and Chloe (Gough) have right from the outset. She’s an immigration lawyer fresh out of a bad breakup and looking for a rebound. Within moments of meeting these two are boning all across Greece. They do it everywhere, waking up the next day buck naked on the beach. But this is no mere one night stand. Chloe, who seems to be realistic about what that night was, makes excuses to leave. But Mickey, perhaps unconsciously, doesn’t want to let go of this woman who is a little bit out of his league on the maturity scale. Improbably, they stay together for weeks, continuing their very-public, drug and passion-fueled sexscapades. Ultimately, they decide to move in together into his flat, turning his bachelor pad into a home for two.
There’s honesty not just in Chloe and Mickey’s more carnal pursuits, but in the challenges of trying to build a life with someone that you barely know. We learn that Mickey has a child from a previous relationship, and the mother is NOT a fan of his or his fitness to be a parent. We’re left to consider whether part of Mickey’s reason for staying with Chloe is how she makes him look to the outside world. If this responsible attorney wants to be with me, how could I not be fit to be a father?
Subtle, even completely unaware, manipulations like that are a part of many relationships, especially one like this where each person seems to be using the other to fill a part of themselves that is missing. This is, as is often the case, a double-edged sword, especially when you throw adult responsibilities into the mix. Mickey isn’t a child but he has immature tendencies that Chloe balances out, except when she’s going through a self-destructive phase in which everything tends to go to shit. One such collision finds the two high on drugs, racing through the city streets nude on their motorcycle. It ends not only with an arrest, but a wake-up call as to how toxic they can be together sometimes. Another insightful scene finds Mickey’s rowdy friends clashing with Chloe’s more-refined associates, and the tension it can cause to a relationship when friend groups don’t mesh. The film is broken up over the course of months, with weekends highlighted by their various encounters, adventures, and arguments that often times threaten both their employment and ability to stay in the country.
Papadimitropoulos has no interest in painting stock portrayals of Americans on an international fling. Both Chloe and Mickey are complicated, flawed, and we get both of their perspectives on this roller coaster romance. It’s good to see a film where neither partner is depicted as crazy, or racked with personal demons. They’re just trying to figure it all out. That could cause some to see Monday as a bit meandering, or even dull, especially when Mickey goes through a bit of a sullen “woe is me” phase, but Papadimtropoulos is sure to sprinkle in plenty of humor, as well. I think it’s also important to note just how Greek the movie is. Most of the supporting cast is from Greece and culturally it just feels different than what a Hollywood film of a similar nature would be like. There’s an intriguing, dark ambiguity to Monday that leaves you wondering whether this love story can stand the test of time, or if maybe one night stands should just be one night stands.
It’s time for a little bit of rumor-trafficking, and other than Marvel there’s nothing better for that than Star Wars, and the future of a certain Mandalorian caretaker of a baby Yoda. A new report from Cinelinx says Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin will make an appearance in the upcoming Book of Boba Fettseries on Disney+.
On the surface that doesn’t seem too much of a stretch. The new show, which hails from Robert Rodriguez, Jon Favreau, and Dave Filoni, has its origins in The Mandalorian. Temuera Morrison, who played Boba Fett in that series, will reprise the role. It was during a post-credits scene after the season two finale that we saw Fett essentially take over the criminal empire left behind by Jabba the Hutt.
So take this with a grain of salt. It’s not that this is a rumor that seems unlikely, it’s just not confirmed or anything. I for one would be surprised if Din Djarin didn’t show up at some point. For that matter, I expect there to be a lot of character crossover between the shows, with perhaps Bo-Katan and Ahsoka Tano getting into the mix, as well.
Everybody has those movies that you watch and nobody else seems to get why you like them. But for you, they feel like they are just a little bit ahead of their time and only you can see it. For me that movie is Josie and the Pussycats. The 2001 film based on the Archie Comics characters starred Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, and Rachael Leigh Cook as best friends who form a pop band that rockets to the top with help of some evil machinations by Alan Cumming and Parker Posey. It took a satirical look at fame, insta-celebrity culture, and of course, shitty MTV pop music, but nobody seemed to “get” it, and the film made just $15M at the box office despite having an absolutely killer soundtrack.
Fast forward 20 years (!!!!!!) and the gals are back together again in a Josie and the Pussycats reunion over Zoom! The trio talk about the film’s cult status and the impact it had on their careers, which was pretty significant. Dawson was arguably the least known of the three back then, but this film helped catapult her. All of them, even Reid, are pretty damn lovable.
Check out the Josie and the Pussycats reunion below, then do yourself a favor and go rent that joint.
On this week’s Cinema Royale, John and Travis referee the epic clash of the cinematic titans in Godzilla vs. Kong! Did this long-awaited showdown live up to the hype? Plus, Idris Elba gallops into his latest Netflix drama with Concrete Cowboy, about the real-life black cowboy culture. Finally, a look at the latest episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, plus exciting news on a ThunderCats movie! ThunderCats Ho!!!
All this and more! You can subscribe to Cinema Royale wherever you get your podcasts! Follow the Punch Drunk Critics and Cinema Royale!
We’re past the halfway point in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I know, ALREADY? Yep, the six-episode series is winding down, which means things are about to get nuts. And according to showrunner Marcus Spellman in an interview conducted last month, it all starts next week with episode five…
“Hands down, five, it just gets real,” Spellman told ComicBook.com. “And five, you’re going to cry.”
Cry? Uh oh, that sounds like someone is taking a dirt nap. Or it could involve a character Spellman told Rotten Tomatoes that would be making a super secret cameo in episode five. And look, I know what you’re thinking: Didn’t Paul Bettany trick us with this “cameo” nonsense during WandaVision? Well, yeah, he did, but Spellman doesn’t seem to be pulling any tricks. The character won’t be an Avenger we’ve previously seen, so there go hopes that it’s Black Panther (considering Ayo of the Dora Milajae is hanging around, it was on people’s minds) or Black Widow, or even Steve Rogers.
Spellman said, “There are characters in our series who I would love to see partnered with like — it’s a very, very grounded character — partnered with one of the big world-shakers like Thor or someone like that. The personality is so strong, it’s the episode five character. I’d love to see that character with Thor.”
According to Slashfilm‘s sources, this character is one that we’ve never seen in the MCU before, is played by a well-known actor, and is not in line to be in an upcoming film. That knocks out anybody from the Fantastic Four, I guess, but does leave open the possibility of any X-Men.
I mean, we HAVE been to Madripoor, right? Don’t tell me you didn’t think Wolverine right away because I know you did.
Here’s the episode five synopsis, which tells us nothing: All eyes are on the shield, as Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, and Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier decide to team up—or rather, work together—when a new global threat launches them into an unexpected mission that may hit too close to home
Gay conversion therapy, a bunch of phony science that claims to be able to make a homosexual person straight, is already a scary enough practice for what it does to a person psychologically. Well, it’ll now be the inspiration for a Blumhouse horror movie from Oscar-nominated Gladiator writer John Logan, who will make his directorial debut.
Whistler Camp is the new horror film announced by Blumhouse, and it’ll have John Logan as its writer and director. Details are few, but it’s being described as a queer empowerment story set at a conversion camp. Deadline adds that casting is currently underway.
Logan is a three-time Oscar nominee for Gladiator, The Aviator, and Hugo, while also winning a Tony Award. He also created the fan-favorite Showtime series Penny Dreadful and its recent spinoff, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. The most recent film for Logan was co-writing Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant in 2017.
No word on when Whistler Camp will get rolling or a release date, but gay conversion camp is prime material for a horror movie. It’s a barbaric practice, one that convinces people not to fully embrace who they are and to live a life of quiet shame. I’m very curious to see how how this goes.
You might think after Godzilla vs. Kong helped reignite hopes of a box office recovery that studios would be eager to push their biggest films out right now, but that’s not what Paramount is doing with Top Gun: Maverick. The anticipated sequel that puts Tom Cruise back in the cockpit instead finds itself launching away from its July 2nd summer date all the way to November 19th.
That’s a pretty steep delay, but you can see why Paramount thought it was necessary. With Disney moving Black Widow to July 2nd, it was necessary to get some distance.
Paramount isn’t quite so worried about their upcoming GI Joe spinoff, Snake Eyes, which stars Henry Goulding as the team’s resident ninja warrior. The film moves up from its October 22nd date and into the summer on July 23rd.
Completing the roundup of 2021 shuffles, Jackass 4 has been set for October 22nd, replacing Snake Eyes. So if you were really keen on seeing Johnny Knoxville shit his pants after falling from a tree, mark the calendar.
Moving into 2022, Paramount has even more Tom Cruise flicks on the way. Mission: Impossible 7 has finally landed a firm May 27th 2022 date, which means we can probably expect MI:8, which Christoper McQuarrie begins shooting soon, to arrive around the same time the following year.
Also, with news of Bad Robot producing another Star Trek film still relatively fresh, Paramount has already set a date for it on June 9th 2023. Details are still slim, but we do know Star Trek: Discovery‘s Kalinda Vazquez will write the script, with speculation this could be a film that ties closely with the Paramount+ shows.
Finally, Kenneth Branagh’s Bee Gees biopic will open on November 4th 2022; Dungeons & Dragons will now arrive on March 3rd 2023; Ron Howard’s The Shrinking of Treehorn adaptation opens November 10th 2023, and the Ryan Reynolds/John Krasinski fantasy-comedyImaginary Friends on November 17th 2023.
Let’s hope Hollywood couple Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell never took a dream vacation that turns out like the one in Endangered Species. Oddly enough, Romijn and O’Connell don’t play the married duo in the film, with the X-Men actress paired up with Philip Winchester as parents who take their family on an African safari getaway, only to get attacked by wild animals and a poacher played by O’Connell. Of course he’s the heel.
The most interesting thing about it, other than the rhino that flips the family’s van like he was flipping Pogs (remember those??), is who is behind the camera. MJ Bassett, who is best known for her films Solomon Kane, Silent Hill: Revelation, the Inside Man sequel, and last year’s Megan Fox action flick, Rogue. Bassett also co-wrote the script with her daughter, Isabel, who also takes on a role, making this quite the family affair.
Endangered Species hits select theaters, Apple TV, and digital on May 28th. This looks both awful and fun. Awfully fun. There we go.
Starring Rebecca Romijn (X-Men) and Jerry O’Connell (Showtime’s “Billions”) this gripping adventure tale unfolds beneath a brutal African sun. Jack Halsey takes his wife (Romijn), their adult kids, and a friend for a dream vacation in Kenya. But as they venture off alone into a wilderness park, their safari van is flipped over by an angry rhino, leaving them injured and desperate. Then, as two of them go in search of rescue, a bloody, vicious encounter with a leopard and a clan of hyenas incites a desperate fight for survival.
