In Runaways, a group of kids discovers their parents are actually supervillains. Netflix’s new film The Sleepover is very similar, except the parental are really world-class thieves, and they’re being forced into one last job.
The Sleepover is basically two movies in one. You have the kids who discover the truth about who their parents, played by Malin Akerman and Ken Marino, really are. The other storyline involves the adults as they try to pull off one final job. Joe Manganiello plays an ex of Akerman’s character, providing a dose of romantic tension.
The cast includes Sadie Stanley, Maxwell Simkins, Cree Cicchino, Lucas Jaye, Karla Souza, Enuka Okuma, and Erik Griffin. Trish Sie is behind the camera, and she’s probably best known for directing Pitch Perfect 3 and Step Up: All In.
Netflix debuts The Sleepover on August 21st.
SYNOPSIS: In this family adventure-comedy, Clancy (Sadie Stanley) and her kid brother Kevin (Maxwell Simkins) discover that their seemingly normal stay-at-home mom Margot (Malin Åkerman) is actually a former high-end thief in the witness protection program. When both their mom and dad (Ken Marino) are kidnapped and forced to pull one last job with an ex-flame of Margot’s (Joe Manganiello), the siblings must team up to rescue their parents over the course of one action-packed night that they’ll never forget.
I believe one of the reasons for Comic-Con @ Home’s failure is the lack of huge announcements and previews. Without the presence of Marvel Studios or Warner Bros. in any significant way, that turned off a large chunk of the event’s typical audience. Well, Warner Bros. is doing things differently with their upcoming event, DC FanDome, with a new trailer that promises there will be reveals of some of their most anticipated superhero projects.
The DC FanDome virtual convention will offer looks at Wonder Woman 1984, The Batman, The Suicide Squad, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and more. The DC Universe is crossing over in unprecedented ways, so expect to see stuff from the Arrowverse, DC Animation, and of course DC Comics.
Don’t be surprised if we see some announcements of projects we’ve never heard of. The DCEU could be about to expand right before our eyes.
DC FanDome takes place on August 22nd. Check out a rundown of the panel events that viewers can take part in.
DC WatchVerse: Here’s where you grab a seat, sit back and join our virtual audience and become completely engrossed in hours of must-see content from around the world. Everything from panels and exclusive screenings to never-before-seen footage, featuring cast, creators and behind-the-scenes crew from across DC Films, TV, Home Entertainment and Games.
DC YouVerse: Venture into this world where the FANS are the stars to see the most amazing user-generated content, cosplay and fan art from around the world, including, perhaps, your own.
DC KidsVerse: Need a way to entertain your kids for hours on end? We’ve got you covered inside a special world, which can be accessed directly at DCKidsFanDome.com. This area features a broad range of family-friendly activations for our younger fans.
DC InsiderVerse: This creativity-based world contains a centerpiece video featuring legendary artist and DC CCO/Publisher Jim Lee, President of DC-Based Film Production Walter Hamada, and creator of the DC TV Arrowverse, Executive Producer Greg Berlanti, welcoming fans with a 101-style introduction to the DC Multiverse. From there, go behind the scenes with the master artisans who bring DC to life in all its forms, from comic books to games, TV, movies, theme parks, consumer products and more.
DC FunVerse: Take your DC FanDome experience and gather cool shareables; check out our comic book reader; DIY cool WW84 Golden Armor and Batmobile kits; plus digital giveaways and a store filled with merchandise, including some limited-edition exclusives.
Fresh off the news Comedy Central is reviving Beavis and Butt-head, as well as the upcoming release of documentary Happy Happy Joy Joy, a new Ren and Stimpy show is in the works that’ll drag us further back into the ’90s.
The Ren and Stimpy Show is being reimagined for Comedy Central, which would be exciting if it included John Kricfalusi, the original creator and the series’ chief comedic voice during its glory days. But Kricfalusi was always more trouble than he was worth, and was fired only a year after the show’s Nickelodeon debut in 1991. He’s since been accused of sexual assault, so the idea of bringing him back is about as off-the-table as it gets.
There aren’t any creative details, but whoever is involved will be part of Comedy Central’s renewed interest in nostalgic adult-skewing animation. Not only are they bringing back Beavis and Butt-head, but they have a Daria spinoff and a reboot of Clone High from Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Ren and Stimpy was part of Nickelodeon’s break from being a network solely for kiddie programming. It was bizarre, subversive, and way too mature for children, even if the style of animated seemed geared specifically for them. That led to a lot of conflicts between Kricfalusi and the network execs.
I’m not sure Ren and Stimpy can work outside that one lightning-in-a-bottle moment it had. When Kricfalusi was fired, the show continued on without him and it sucked. Then, when Kricfalusi returned to the show for a more adult version, 2003’s Adult Party Cartoon, it soon became clear that giving him full creative control wasn’t a good idea, either.
We’ll see how this attempt by Comedy Central goes. For now, you should check out Happy Happy Joy Joy when it opens next week.
Originally opened in March by Sony Pictures Classics, Giuseppe Capotondi’s astute art world neo-noir The Burnt Orange Heresy is being re-released this week. Why? COVID-19 messed up the first run, the way it is has messed up so many things. Just in terms of the movie, it may be something of a blessing in disguise. At least for me, the film came at a time when interest in a talky, glossed-up caper was low, but now this thorny noir mixing high-class aesthetics with trashy thrills and a gorgeous cast is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Based on the novel by crime novelist Charles Willeford, The Burnt Orange Heresy (that title does get explained) is a twisty, sexy mystery set in the world of pompous art critics and fickle connoisseurs. Claes Bang, who previously starred in one art-world takedown, The Square, plays art critic James Figueras. A self-important windbag struggling to support his drug habit, he gives lectures to clueless Americans who take too seriously the title of his book, “The Power of the Critic”. The film starts during one such lecture, in which James concocts a bullshit story about an artist whose work helped him survive the Holocaust, in order to convince the listeners that a worthless piece is a priceless artifact.
The point? Art is only as valuable as the worth we place upon it. That is a particularly comfortable notion to promote for those who hold all of the power, no? But if you think for a second this is a movie that glorifies in the actual power of the critic, think again. James has his secrets, and those secrets are rooted in past creative failures. Oh, a bitter critic raging against those who cast him out?
Into this room slinks The Burnt Orange Heresey‘s greatest asset, Elizabeth Debicki as flirt art connoisseur Berenice Hollis. A willowy, lithe figure with piercing eyes and the stride of a femme fatale, Berenice is immediately captivated by James more than she is the words coming out of his mouth. Perhaps…too captivated? A brief, passionate fling ensues, in which her directness occasionally clashes with James’ arrogance. But they make quite the pair, and he invites her to the posh villa of an art dealer, Cassidy, played by a beguiling Mick Jagger of all people. Jagger, who presents himself like an overbearing Bond villain; is instantly as magnetic a presence as Debicki. When the two are in the same room, which is painfully rare, they steal all of the breath away from anybody else. Too bad we couldn’t get a movie simply on the debonair, nefarious Cassidy; and the insightful, bluntly honest Berenice.
Before the movie has gone twenty minutes it has already become wildly convoluted. Cassidy has a proposal, which is more like a scheme heist movies are built on. He has legendary artist and infamous recluse Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland) staying on the property, and Cassidy wants James to secure one of his pieces. It will be priceless since Jerome’s works are so rare, and often consumed by fire. In exchange, James will get a career-making interview that will pull him from the dull lecture circuit he feels is so far beneath him.
Convoluted or not, The Burnt Orange Heresy and its own inflated self-worth has a way of winning you over. Discussions of the value of art, criticism, and creative verity have been recycled frequently, including in the recent Velvet Buzzsaw. But I dug this movie quite a bit more than that inexplicably dull satire, if only because the characters here have so many fun levels to their various deceptions. Paying close attention to every word of Scott Smith’s screenplay yields unexpected rewards; not just for the nuggets of art history sprinkled throughout, but for clues leading to (somewhat) true motivations. A big part of the enjoyment one will get out of it is figuring out who is zoomin’ who, so to speak.
There’s a terrific game of cat and mouse played between James and Berenice. They eye one another with caution, but the tension between them leads to passion. However, there’s no obscuring the central conflict: she sees through his smug exterior like nobody else. While she sees art as part of an essential truth, he values it more for what it doesn’t say. One doesn’t expect these rival philosophies to play out in the silly, over-the-top violent manner it does. A more elegant resolution to The Burnt Orange Heresy might’ve been fitting if it didn’t also confirm one of the film’s essential points; never judge a piece of art by its brushstrokes alone.
Amy Adams has seen the evolution of Adam McKay as a filmmaker better than most. She worked with him on Talledega Nights at one point in his career when he was focused on goofy comedies, and then again in 2018’s Vice, for which she earned one of her six Oscar nominations. And now she’s back with McKay again as he continues a move towards TV and streaming, with a new series that’s headed to Netflix.
The Television Critics Association press tour is underway, and yesterday was dedicated to Netflix. The streamer’s See What’s Next Twitter account revealed that Adams and McKay would reunite on Kings of America, an event series about “three women whose lives were intertwined: a Walmart heiress, a maverick executive, and a Walmart saleswoman who dared to fight the retail giant in the biggest class action lawsuit in U.S. history.”
It’s unclear what Adams’ role will be, but she will star and exec-produce. McKay will direct the first episode on top of exec-producing. The series was created by journalist Jess Kimball Leslie, writer of the book I Love My Computer Because My Friends Live In It. She will write and produce the series, as well, with Diana Son (13 Reasons Why) as showrunner.
Adams has done her share of TV stuff over the years, most recently in her Emmy-nominated role in HBO’s Sharp Objects. McKay is overloaded with projects on the small screen, including a Parasite TV series, a Los Angeles drama, and a limited series about the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine.
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has no shortage of jokes for previous failed superhero efforts: X-Men Origins Wolverine and Green Lantern. He’s back and trashing the latter once again in a hilarious short video of his “Reynolds Cut”, which is obviously a dig at the infamous Snyder Cut.
So what’s in the Reynolds Cut of 2011’s Green Lantern? Well, not a lot of Reynolds, for one thing! It begins with the Deadpool 2 post-credits scene where he’s shot in the head after reading the awful script, then jumps into footage of the film that mostly leaves him out. The most explicit shot of GL instead has Tom Cruise’s face imposed on it (LOL), and then he meets the Justice League before flying away.
It’s pretty ridiculous and worth a good laugh, so check it out.
Here’s the secret Reynolds Cut of GL you all haven’t been waiting for. In order to make it as great as possible we made some judicious cuts. pic.twitter.com/B2tUelctr8
If anything should’ve been learned by Zoe Bell’s awesome Boss Bitch Battle, it’s that a whole world of incredible stunt ladies are out there making movies more exciting. Perfect timing for the new documentary, Stuntwomen: The Untold Story, which gives these incredible performers their moment in the spotlight.
Stuntwomen is directed by April Wright and narrated by Michelle Rodriguez, no stranger to action movies requiring the services of these talented ladies. The film is based on Mollie Gregory’s 2015 best-selling book which explores the history of stuntwomen in Hollywood, and includes interviews with Julie Ann Johnson (Charlie’s Angels), Jadie David (Escape from L.A.); Jeannie Epper (Wonder Woman), Debbie Evans (The Fast and the Furious), Deven McNair (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Donna Evans (Total Recall), Donna Keegan (True Lies), Amy Johnston (Suicide Squad), Alyma Dorsey (Captain Marvel), Heidi Moneymaker (Captain America: Civil War), Keisha Tucker (Black Panther), Jessie Graff (Wonder Woman), Angela Meryl (Skyfall), Cheryl Lewis (Luke Cage), Jennifer Caputo (The Amazing Spider-Man), and Kelly Roisin (Venom)
Stuntwomen opens digitally on September 22nd.
SYNOPSIS: STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY is the inspiring untold story about the unsung professionals, their struggles on screen to perform at the highest level, and their fight off-screen to be treated fairly and equally. The movie takes us behind-the-scenes and introduces us to the female stunt performers who drive the action and thrills of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster movies from the silent age of cinema to present day.
MGM just scored themselves a huge coup. The studio has been throwing a lot of money around at a time when other studios are playing it safe, and they’ve just acquired a new Cyrano de Bergerac musical film from Joe Wright and a star-studded cast.
Deadline has the news of MGM’s acquisition of Wright’s Cyrano, which is based on a musical stage adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic Cyrano de Bergerac. The cast for this is absolutely killer, with Peter Dinklage reprising the title role he played on stage, and Haley Bennett also returning to the role of Roxanne. Brian Tyree Henry and Ben Mendelsohn are in the cast, as well.
The musical was written by Erica Schmidt, who happens to be Dinklage’s wife. Schmidt is an accomplished filmmaker and actress in her own right. She wrote the libretto, with much of the music and lyrics by The National.
Wright is the director behind such films as Oscar winner Darkest Hour, Hanna, Anna Karenina, and Atonement. His most recent film, the long-delayed The Woman in the Window, appears to be headed from Disney to Netflix.
Well, those of you who have been asking for Disney to release Mulan on Disney+ are getting your wish. Hope you’re ready to pay for it.
During an investor call today, Disney’s Bob Chapek revealed that the live-action Mulan will hit Disney+ on September 4th…for an additional “premiere” fee of $29.99. This date is in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the film to be pulled from the release schedule indefinitely. In countries where Disney+ is not available, Mulan will continue to open in theaters.
This is all in response to Warner Bros. decision to open Tenet on September 2nd through a staggered release plan internationally and in the U.S. Christopher Nolan’s thriller has been the guidepost for the rest of Hollywood, and we see Disney shaping its strategy to reflect a tricky situation. There is simply no guarantee of anything theatrical right now, domestically or abroad. Mulan is a movie that is expected to be a huge hit, but it will need foreign box office to succeed.
The question is whether American audiences will be willing to pay such a huge fee for Mulan? I think this question has been asked and answered already with the successes of Trolls World Tour and Scoob. When it comes to family movies, which Mulan should be considered, the price has not been an obstacle.
*UPDATE* A source has told Insider that Mulan’s $29.99 price tag allows for “continuous access to the film for as long as they remain subscribers to the service.” So this isn’t a one-time purchase and perhaps makes spending that much a bit easier to swallow.
If you have ever been scrolling away your nights and come across The Great British Bake Off (Or BBO) on Netflix, congratulations: you found one of the few the one reality shows that isn’t almost complete trash. BBO is sort of a completion, but in the nicest possible way as contestants compete in a cooking completion without stabbing each other in the backs. The show is charming as hell, and in most part due to comedy duo Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, who work together as “Mel and Sue.” Mel and Sue have been an active comedy team in the UK since the 1990s and have been in many British comedy shows and hosted their own daytime shows, and across the pond are a household name. Now it’s time we in the States, get to see them in action in NBC’s streaming service Peacock’s new show Hitmen.
Hitmen has a fairly simple premise, it’s about a pair of hitmen (or hitwomen in this case), who carry out various assassinations for a mob boss. The only issue is, they kinda suck at it. Each episode consists of Fran (Sue Perkins) and Jamie (Mel Giedroyc) as they are assigned to murder someone on the orders of their boss “Mr. K.” And somehow, they find a way to mess things up and spend most of the episode bickering with each other, while trying to pick up the pieces to kill their assignment (whether they lose the target, get locked out of their car, have a change of heart, or many other shenanigans), and eventually finish the job in a hilarious fashion.
Because the actual assassinations happen by the end of each episode, the real meat of each episode lies in the chemistry between our two leads. After all, Mel and Sue have been a comedic pair for decades at this point, so, Hitmen doesn’t suffer a lack of chemistry between Fran and Jamie. However, after the first two episodes, the formula of the show is clear, which takes some of the mystery away. However, there are a few episodes that make a nice detour to keep the show interesting. The one that really stands out in the 6-part series is the penultimate episode “Rivals,” when the two are forced to team up with their de facto rivals for their contract. This allows them to pair off with equally bumbling contract killers, including one that Sue has a crush on. Slowly but surely things get weird, but twist and turns in even more bizarre ways that the show has set up. Besides that episode, Hitmen just runs through the formula it sets up from the first episode.
Hitmen also tries to walk a tightrope of being a quirky sitcom-style comedy about the chattiness of Sue and Mel as contract killers and the weird antics they get into while waiting for Mr. K to give them the go-ahead to kill their charge after catching them, and also being a show about assassins who kill people. There are times where it feels like it’s trying to do a Pulp Fiction (maintaining great dialogue and terrible violence), but it doesn’t really work as well. Some of the killings are rough but also done for comical whims, and it needs to pick and choose which style Hitmen wanted to have. But once again, Sue and Mel are great and seem to effortlessly have a good time bringing these quirky characters to life.
Hitmen hits NBCU’s Peacock streaming service on August 6th.
