Here it is! The most anticipated panel of the day just took place at DC Fandome. Zack Snyder was on hand for the “Snyder Cut” of Justice League. Much of the panel consisted of him asking questions of his die-hard fans, the ones who really got the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement going years ago. The director also fielded questions, with only one big piece of information coming out of them. I referred to it as an undercover bitch session about how much Joss Whedon’s version sucked.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League will be 4-hours long. Not only that, but it will be divided up into four chapters when it hits HBO Max next year. It’s probably a smart move, and coincides with the other piece of info dropped by Snyder.
Not only will the film be available on HBO Max, but they are pursuing other distribution outlets so that everyone who wants to see his cut of Justice League will have that chance.
So what’s in the trailer? A lot of Zack friggin’ Snyder, that’s what. I mean that in the best possible way. While most of the footage appears to be reworked versions of footage we’ve seen, it starts out with our best look yet as the top villain, Darkseid. We also get our first look at Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, being rescued by Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen. There’s also an increased focus on Cyborg, more interactions between Lois Lane, Martha Kent, and Clark Kent, and the villain Steppenwolf has gotten himself a VFX makeover. All of this set to the sounds of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and plenty of Snyder-endorsed slow-motion shots. Yep, this is a Zack Snyder movie, alright.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League hits HBO Max next year.
The big mystery surrounding James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad has been…well, who the Hell is everybody playing? That they’ve managed to keep it secret so long has been pretty extraordinary. Gunn has been vocal about nobody guessing what Idris Elba’s role really is, and he was right. Nobody expected it would be Bloodsport.
A role call for The Suicide Squad has revealed everyone’s role, including Flula Borg as Javelin, John Cena as Peacemaker, Michael Rooker as Savant, Mayling Ng as Mongol, Peter Capaldi as Thinker, Alice Braga as Sulsoria, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., Sean Gunn as Weasel.
They join characters who had been previously confirmed, such as Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Steve Agee as the voice of King Shark, and returning stars Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, and Margot Robbie.
However, they didn’t reveal Storm Reid’s role, even though she does make an appearance during the panel to ask a trivia question regarding Bloodsport. In the comics, Bloodsport goes to prison for shooting Superman with kryptonite bullets.
The Suicide Squad opens August 6th 2021. Check out even more of the film in a new behind-the-scenes feature below.
During today’s The Flash panel at DC Fandome, director Andy Muschietti, writer Christina Hodson, and of course, star Ezra Miller, revealed our first look at Barry Allen’s new costume!
While we were hoping for preview footage, Muschietti said he didn’t want to give anything away just yet. That said, the costume reveal is pretty sweet. The suit is darker, and has beams of light embedded in it, which should make for a pretty cool visual.
An interesting Multiverse 101 panel is taking place at DC Fandome right now, involving WB exec Walter Hamada, Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee, and Arrowverse creator Greg Berlanti. Much of the conversation has been about the crossing over of these many universes, including the recent appearance by Ezra Miller’s version of Barry Allen in The Flash tv series alongside Grant Gustin.
But the conversation went a bit further, with Hamada talking about the various universes in the DCEU. There has been some speculation in regards to last year’s hit movie, Joker, and whether it is truly a standalone or if it works in either the Justice League universe or that of Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
Hamada says, once and for all, that is not the case and Joker does not exist in either universe. It is completely separate from both, however since the discussion has been about crossing over, the door has to be open for Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the character to be seen elsewhere.
Another revelation from the panel is that The Batman will be year two for Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. When the movie was first announced, many thought it would be based on the Batman: Year One line of comics, but they will instead be jumping forward, perhaps to get away from expectations in adapting those stories.
The Wonder Woman 1984 panel at DC Fandome just concluded, and as expected a new trailer has been revealed! This one features quite a bit more of Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva aka Cheetah, whose desire is to be an “apex predator.” Of course, there’s also quite a bit more of Gal Gadot and her lightning-swinging ways, and it looks as if Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor will be getting a makeover.
During the panel, director Patty Jenkins said she and Warner Bros. will “stick it out” to ensure the film is seen on the big screen as they always intended. This should put to rest ideas that maybe the film would turn up on HBO Max. Not happening.
Wonder Woman 1984 is due to open on October 2nd, but it’s worth noting the new trailer excludes an actual date. Hmmmm….
DC FanDome kicks off in less than an hour, and all week buzz has been building for the wealth of DCEU panels. One that everybody is looking forward to is James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad because…well, we really don’t know shit about it. We don’t know the story, we don’t know the villains, and we don’t even know who in the Hell Idris Elba’s character is going to be. And according to Gunn, nobody has come close to figuring it out.
Remember, when Elba first signed on everyone thought he was taking over the Deadshot role vacated by Will Smith. That turned out not to be the case, and all sorts of predictions have been made since, from Gorilla Grodd to Bronze Tiger, the latter a very popular choice. However, none of these guesses are true.
Here's the craziest part. I don't think I've seen a single person online EVER guess who you're playing.
I've never lied to the fans & never will. This isn't to say that no one has EVER guessed who @idriselba is playing as I, surprisingly, have not read all of the internet, but he isn't any of the characters that people have regularly been throwing at me. You'll all see tomorrow. https://t.co/ehUaR8UPbH
We might be looking at this with too strict of an eye. With characters like Peacemaker, played by John Cena, and Polka Dot Man, played by David Dastmalchian, Elba could be someone extremely obscure.
The full cast of The Suicide Squad is expected to be on hand today, and Gunn has promised the show will kick off with something big. I can’t wait.
Stories of systemic racism and injustice, particularly in the criminal justice system, are so common they’ve become their own sub-genre of film. The Amazon Prime documentary Time, an award-winner at Sundance earlier this year, is another such case, focusing on the inequality of sentences in the prison system.
Time is directed by Garret Bradley, and tells the true story of Fox Rich, a mother of six who has spent years trying to secure the release of her husband Rob from prison. He’s been sentenced to 60 years for an armed bank robbery they both committed at a time of desperation. She served a few years for the crime herself, and now works to see him freed while also taking care of their six kids.
Despite the accolades already heaped on the film, some reviews pointed out that it was sketchy on details which could’ve been more clarifying. Those were the viewpoints I heard while in Park City, as well, but this remains high on my list of docs that need to be seen before the year is through.
Time hits Amazon Prime on October 23rd, preceded by a theatrical run on October 9th.
SYNOPSIS: Fox Rich is a fighter. The entrepreneur, abolitionist and mother of six boys has spent the last two decades campaigning for the release of her husband, Rob G. Rich, who is serving a 60-year sentence for a robbery they both committed in the early 90s in a moment of desperation. Combining the video diaries Fox has recorded for Rob over the years with intimate glimpses of her present-day life, director Garrett Bradley paints a mesmerizing portrait of the resilience and radical love necessary to prevail over the endless separations of the country’s prison-industrial complex.
I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again, Netflix has come through to save an entire segment of film that just wasn’t getting produced anymore. Big studio theatrical production has narrowed immensely since 2010, with mostly only blockbusters, or movies based on some other IP with a built-in audience getting the green light. The neglected group includes pretty much any movie that costs between $5-$45 million to make. I’m talking about all of your shoot ‘em up action movies, rom-com’s, irreverent comedies and, in today’s example, the silly family comedy. The Sleepover, directed by Trish Sie, feels like a throw-back to the good old 80’s. Siblings Kevin and Clancy think their parents are just like any mom and dad, boring. So it’s a bit of a shock when Kevin’s sleepover with his good buddy Lewis takes a detour after their Mom Margot (Malin Akerman) and dad Glen (Ken Marino) are abducted. It’s not long before they find out that their mom wasn’t always a mom, she was a top-tier thief and their dad…well, there dad actually is just a dad. As you can tell from the synopsis, it fits right in with any of the standard 80’s family type comedies, think Adventures in Babysitting.
To keep with that comparison to the 80s, the flick isn’t amazing but it does it’s job well. There’s a pretty standard plot, with an all too easy to guess twist, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had fun with it. Ken Marino is really an under-appreciated comedic talent, just watching him play a suburban pastry chef dad trying to still seem like a “real man” next to Joe Manganiello is worth the 90 minutes. Malin Akerman, while being the central plot point, isn’t really given a ton to do but produces with the bit she was given. I have to be honest, she was pretty damn impressive in her fight scenes. Now, this next part I’m going to feel bad about but it has to be said…. they went overboard with the annoying little brother trope. Maxwell Simkins, who plays Kevin, the younger sibling does a perfectly fine job with the role but there are times that you will be annoyed. It’s fairly obvious what they were going for, but went a bit too far and ended up past cute little rascal and ended up at annoying. One thing is for sure Trish Sie, who’s known for directing Pitch Perfect 3 and Step Up All In knows how to get her money’s worth out of the camera. The film just looks great. Every location and set is completely different and shot in just the right way, from a suburban backyard, to an abandon subway station, the look was nailed. You can also tell she took notes from her previous directing gigs, as the fight scenes are totally legit, on the same level you’d expect from a standard action movie…. just with less blood. Fighting, after all, is just a violent dance.
There’s definitely a particular audience for this movie. If you find yourself on the couch most Friday/Saturday nights with kids anywhere around you…then get the popcorn popping, you’ll enjoy the time you spend with The Sleepover. For everyone else, it’s really a case by case, I can’t even recommend this on that nostalgia feel based on the 80s comparisons I’ve been so fond of through this review. It’s reminiscent of those storylines, but doesn’t feel like it came from that time. At the end of the day, it’s on Netflix…so give it a shot.
The beginning of the pandemic brought us, Tiger King, the epic tale of exotic animal keep Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. People seemed to pick sides and root for people who at the end of the day mistreated animals. The “end” of the pandemic (probably not though, right?) is giving us the opposite story. The One and Only Ivan. Based on the Newberry Award Winning book by K.A. Applegate, the story was inspired by a real gorilla who lived in a Washington Mall for 27 years before being released to Zoo Atlanta. Disney’s adaption of the book, while sleek and sweet, ultimately completes its goal as a parable calling for a closer look at the treatment of animals.
Ivan (Sam Rockwell), a silverback gorilla, is the star of the Big Top Mall, a mall with its own circus show. Adopted by mall owner, Mack (Bryan Cranston), at a very young age, Ivan is content with his repetitive, yet simple existence amongst the dwindling crowds and his friends Bob the dog (Danny Devito) and Stella the elephant (Angelina Jolie).
To try to drive up business, Mack orders Ruby (Brooklynn Prince), a baby elephant. At first, this annoys Ivan, until he starts to get to know her. Through telling her stories and developing his own passion for drawing, Ivan starts to realize that his existence should be bigger than his cage and his ticket out of there for both him and Ruby could be art.
Director Thea Sharrock, known for the saccharine Me Before You and THAT stage production of Equus starring Daniel Radcliffe, handles the subject well-choreographed grace. She, along with Bryan Cranston, don’t demonize or villainize mall owner Mack, instead portraying him with much complexity, through the eyes of Ivan and at arm’s length.
Tonally, the film reminds me of the animal movies of the late eighties and nineties, where they weren’t afraid to be sad and handle tough topics. Remember Babe anyone? Though they do lay on the emotion pretty thick and heavy-handed towards the film’s end, they handle the subject matter of animal neglect and the question of captivity pretty delicately. Screenwriter Mike White does try to add some comedy in the secondary characters that don’t land most of the time, overall he finds a way to convey serious topics in a kid-friendly way.
Disney is definitely learning their lesson from last year’s The Lion King; the CGI animals here showing emotion and life behind the eyes while staying relatively realistic. Rockwell, Jolie, and Prince give some of the most natural voiceover performances I’ve ever heard, nothing phony or overplayed about them. This adds to the film’s best quality: that it depicts animals as complex beings capable of emotion.
Over the past fifteen years, “talking animal” movies often showed animals as one-dimensional characters with the main goal to party. This year’s Dolittle is a great example of this, overlooking the neuroses of the characters and depicting them as fun-loving things there to serve the human lead. The One and Only Ivan doesn’t gloss over the characters’ pain, instead choosing to focus on uncovering it. Mack is more of a complicated and amplified secondary character and his animals have needs and wants that aren’t centered on him. Its message, though very Disney-fied and ironic coming from a company that refuses to pay its theme park workers a living wage, is that living things deserve respect and love and are not there solely for the amusement of others.
You can watch The One and Only Ivan on Disney+. Watch the trailer below.
Earlier this week, the trailer for Netflix’s film Cuties arrived. A Sundance award-winner for director Maïmouna Doucouré, it centers on a pre-teen girl who rebels against her conservative Muslim family by joining a group of girls in a dancing troupe. At the time I said there might be met with resistance because of the provocative presentation of such young girls. Well, not only is that what happened, but Netflix is now backpedaling to fix a ridiculous marketing strategy.
So I’m not sure how many people actually watched the trailer for Cuties, but the promotional art and synopsis were enough to get 150,000+ people signing a petition to have the film removed. The poster features the young cast, all girls around the age of 11, in tight tube tops and very suggestive poses. The movies’ TV-MA rating probably didn’t help, and the synopsis about a “twerking” dance crew made things worse.
its interesting to compare the french version of the cuties poster to the american version… like the French version has more "kids having fun!" vibes, while the American version is just fucking…. gross. I feel like the #Netflix marketing team has a lot to answer for. pic.twitter.com/c8QrX0EY75
Netflix has now tweeted an apology for its marketing of Cuties, the “inappropriate artwork” that failed to be representative of the movie. While the film is indeed meant to comment on a society that allows for the sexualization of young girls, Netflix’s approach was to make it look as gross as possible. I’m actually more surprised that poster was produced in the first place. Who okayed it? And did they ask the actresses back to be a part of it? How’d that conversation go?
Anyway, let’s hope Netflix has taken a lesson from this. If there’s a plus side to this, it’s that Cuties will now have a much higher-profile, and maybe those who had never heard of it will seek it out and be surprised by what they get.
Cuties hits Nextflix on September 9th.
We're deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.
#CUTIES is a beautiful film. It gutted me at @sundancefest. It introduces a fresh voice at the helm. She’s a French Senegalese Black woman mining her experiences. The film comments on the hyper-sexualization of preadolescent girls. Disappointed to see the current discourse. ?
