More so than most, Disney has been willing to pull its theatrical offerings for a prime Disney+ debut in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Even with theaters making noises about reopening, some films just seem to be better-suited to streaming service, and one of those is The One and Only Ivan, a family-friendly story about a man and his gorilla.
An adaptation of Katherine Applegate’s beloved children’s book, The One and Only Ivan stars Bryan Cranston and a menagerie of talking CGI animals. Sam Rockwell voices his 400-pound silverback gorilla pal Ivan, with Angelina Jolie as Stella the Elephant and Danny DeVito as the voice of Bob the dog. The animals all live together in the Big Top Mall and Arcade, but have little recollection of how they got there.
Others in the cast include Helen Mirren, Brooklynn Prince, Ramon Rodriquez, Indira Varma, Phillipa Soo, Ron Funches, Ariana Greenblatt, and Chaka Khan. Thea Sharrock (Me Before You) directs from a script by Mike White (School of Rock), who also voices Frankie the seal.
The One and Only Ivan hits Disney+ on August 21st, and already looks a lot better than Dolittle.
SYNOPSIS: Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant and Bob the dog. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be.
A big part of every day is figuring out which rumors are worth posting, and which are just laughable. Okay, occasionally I’ll post the laughable ones, too, but not often. When it comes to superhero movies, the rumors are especially thick to wade through because so many fan-sites have begun making up stories to get clicks. Fortunately, a bunch of recent DC Films rumors has been debunked by Umberto Gonzalez over at TheWrap, so here they are because I’m guessing some of you have probably read them at a dubious site like We Got This Covered or from a joke like Grace Randolph.
Speaking of Randolph, she continues to be below the Mendoza Line when it comes to big scoops. She tweeted that a Batman Beyond movie was in the works, which is something that has been talked about quite a lot. However, she says it won’t be Terry McGinnis under the mask, but that Batgirl will take his place. This turns out to be untrue, although there’s a chance the character makes a cameo.
Randolph had also claimed Ryan Reynolds was in talks to return as Green Lantern in Ezra Miller’s The Flash movie, joining Michael Keaton in a film that would see Barry Allen racing through all of the old DC movies. That, too, was shot down as there are no negotiations for Reynolds to return. And why would he after spending so many years trashing his time as the emerald superhero? For that matter, why would WB want him back??
Sorry, Constantine fans. Gonzalez also says there are no plans for a live-action Constantine movie at this point, nor should you look for anything regarding Justice League: Rebirth. At least not right now.
There is no CONSTANTINE movie being developed at DC. #dcdebunkreport
Suffice it to say, the best thing to do is wait for news to break either from somebody involved with the film or from a trusted trade like Deadline, Variety, or The Hollywood Reporter. There are exceptions, but even then they should be taken with a grain of salt until backed-up by additional sourcing. I know, that takes some of the fun out of posting the wildest rumors out there, but it’s a lot better than being called out for spreading misinformation.
It has already been a stellar 2020 for Elisabeth Moss with her hit film The Invisible Man, and acclaim for her performance in Shirley. While she has a fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale coming next year, Moss has found time to fit another series into her schedule, and it will mark a reunion with a writer from her Mad Men days.
THR reports Moss will star in Candy, a miniseries from Mad Men and The Act writer Robin Veith, who will also exec-produce. The series is based on the true story of Candy Montgomery, someone those who follow true crime shows like Snapped will probably recognize. Montgomery was a seemingly normal Wylie, TX mother who in 1980 murdered her friend with an ax, striking her over 40 times. The case became a national scandal when Montgomery’s motives became clear, but even more with the unexpected verdict in her court case.
The Carol Montgomery story was captured most notably in film critic Joe Bob Briggs’ book, Evidence of Love: The Candy Montgomery Story, which was then adapted into a 1990 TV movie, A Killing in a Small Town.
The plan by producers is to approach premium networks and streaming services, so look for the series to end up on one of those. Hulu seems like a pretty good destination given Moss and Veith’s past history with the network.
Until Disney finally decides to do something with the Tron franchise, rumors about a new film are never going to go away. Back in 2017, we heard of a potential reboot that would star Jared Leto, and would steer away from the story established in Tron and the 2010 sequel, Tron: Legacy. Well, three years is an eternity in Hollywood, and Leto has a Morbius franchise to think of, but a new rumor from The DisInsider (judge accordingly) says that Tron film hasn’t been put on the shelf.
The rumor goes that Leto is still in talks to star in a new Tron, only now it’s expected to tie-in to the prior films and might see some familiar faces return. It’s unclear if the story would pull from the canceled third movie, which at the time was titled Tron: Ascension, or be something completely different.
It’s worth noting that a proposedTron series from 12 Years a Slave writer John Ridley was scrapped earlier this year. While it’s possible Disney wanted to save Tron for the big screen, it’s just as likely they are through with the expensive franchise and its low rewards.
In short, take all of this with a grain of salt until something is made official.
There are very few movies I want to watch on LSD. We Are Little Zombies is one of the few. This brightly colored and hilariously dark and weird coming of age film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. The brainchild of first-time Japanese director Makoto Nagahisa, We Are Little Zombies follows the turbulent and unfeeling lives of four thirteen-year-old orphans, all emotionally cut off after the deaths of their parents.
After meeting at a crematorium by chance, Hikari, Ikuko, Ishi, and Takemura, find that they all have a lot in common besides being recently orphaned children. They all are lost in their own worlds, regular society doesn’t understand them, and they all can’t seem to feel emotions anymore- they are like “little zombies.” They decide to form a band and through catchy lyrics and video games references, they take over the world before their grief catches up with them
Makoto Nagahisa’s creation is a vibrant and very stylized avant-garde piece. Think of it as if the children from a Wes Anderson film lived in Scott Pilgrim’s universe but it was directed by Bong Joon Ho on 50 tabs of acid. Believe it or not, that’s a compliment. Nagahisa’s passion and enthusiasm oozes out of every pore this movie has. However, there’s so much going on visually and sonically that the story of these grieving kids gets lost in the film’s aesthetics. For example, the 8-bit video game aesthetic that colors Hikari’s origin story gets old very fast. The ending doesn’t hit you the way it should because of its oversaturation and Nagahisa’s creative use of animation falls into the background.
Pulling from Kafka, 60’s psychedelic culture, anime, and of course video games, there’s always something to look at on-screen. We Are Little Zombies‘ crowning achievement might be its musical moments. Composed by the director, the musical sequences allow real emotion to shine through macabre satire that is the rest of the film. From the band’s breakout hit “We Are Little Zombies” to a cover of The actual Zombies “This Will Be Our Year,” the pop-punk fusion of the music adds a bright tone to an otherwise dark one.
Most films I wouldn’t recommend reading about or seeing the trailer in order to get the film’s full effect, but a little context might be good in this case. Once you understand that this is about the group’s journey to feel emotion again, the aesthetics land more. This doesn’t really effect the pacing, which lags during the third act, but it is helpful to know that it is going towards some emotional payoff. Overall, We Are Little Zombies is the psychedelic fever dream of the summer that just has a little growing up to do
We Are Little Zombies is available in virtual and live cinemas July 10th. Click here to see where it’s playing near you. Watch the trailer below.
Beautiful Italian locales, stories of young love and discovery…must be a Luca Guadagnino joint. While the Call Me By Your Name director took a sharp left with his Suspiria remake, his upcoming HBO series We Are Who We Are finds him back in his dramatic comfort zone.
While you won’t find Timothee Chalamet anywhere in this extremely brief teaser, Shazam and It star Jack Dylan Grazer fills the role of a teen on a coming-of-age journey. He plays an awkward 14-year-old from New York trying to get accustomed to his new life on a military base in Italy. In the footage we have, he’s joined by newcomer Jordan Kristine Seamon as another 14-year-old who has been stationed on the base for a few years.
The rest of the cast includes Chloe Sevigny, Kid Cudi, Alice Braga, Spence Moore II, Faith Alabi, Francesca Scorsese, Ben Taylor, Corey Knight, Tom Mercier, and Sebastiano Pigazzi.
Guadagnino co-wrote and directed all episodes of We Are Who We Are, which debuts on HBO this September.
SYNOPSIS: Jack Dylan Grazer stars as shy and introverted fourteen-year-old Fraser, who moves from New York to a military base in Veneto with his mothers, Sarah (Chloë Sevigny) and Maggie (Alice Braga), who are both in the U.S. Army. Tom Mercier (Jonathan) plays Sarah’s assistant. Jordan Kristine Seamón stars as the seemingly bold and confident Caitlin, who has lived with her family on the base for several years and speaks Italian. Compared to her older brother Danny (Spence Moore II), Caitlin has the closer relationship with their father, Richard (Kid Cudi), and does not communicate well with her mother Jenny (Faith Alabi). Caitlin is the lynchpin of her group of friends, which includes Britney (Francesca Scorsese), an outspoken, witty, sexually uninhibited girl; the cheerful and good-natured Craig (Corey Knight), a soldier in his twenties; Sam (Ben Taylor), Caitlin’s possessive boyfriend, and Craig’s younger brother; Enrico (Sebastiano Pigazzi), a playful eighteen-year-old from Veneto, who has a weak spot for Britney; and Valentina (Beatrice Barichella), an Italian girl.
The Disney+ production of Hamilton might be the most-watched program on the planet. It might be personally responsible for thousands, maybe millions, of new subscriptions to the service. There’s no denying it; Hamilton has been absolutely gigantic for Disney. But you know what it won’t be for Disney? An Oscar nominee.
So, this story has sorta surprised me because anybody who knows the Academy rules would’ve seen this coming. Hamilton doesn’t meet the requirements of either a narrative feature or a documentary, and is ineligible for the Oscars. A member of the Academy confirmed it to Gregory Ellwood of ThePlaylist.
Here is the rule that keeps Hamilton out of contention: “Works that are essentially promotional or instructional are not eligible, nor are works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.”
I think there will be some haggling about this over the next few months. Hamilton is so extraordinarily popular and arrives at such a unique time, that we might see fans protest it being left out of the awards race. Whether the Academy folds under pressure is the question.
Hilary Swank has played characters who have soared the skies before, but not quite like how she does in the upcoming Netflix series, Away. From exec-producers Jason Katims, Matt Reeves, and Ed Zwick, the show finds Swank as astronaut Emma Green, the commander of NASA’s first mission to Mars.
But judging by this teaser, the series will mostly deal with Swank’s character as she copes with the idea of being away from her family when they need her, and the excitement of the journey she’s about to take. Josh Charles plays her husband and NASA engineer, with a cast that includes Talitha Bateman, Mark Ivanir, Ato Essandoh, Ray Panthaki, Vivian Wu, and Monique Curnen.
SYNOPSIS: From Executive Producer Jason Katims, the Netflix series Away is a thrilling, emotional drama on an epic scale that celebrates the incredible advancements humans can achieve and the personal sacrifices they must make along the way. As American astronaut Emma Green (Hilary Swank) prepares to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars, she must reconcile her decision to leave behind her husband (Josh Charles) and teenage daughter (Talitha Bateman) when they need her the most. As the crew’s journey into space intensifies, their personal dynamics and the effects of being away from their loved ones back on Earth become increasingly complex. Away shows that sometimes to reach for the stars, we must leave home behind. Created by Andrew Hinderaker, the series is executive produced by showrunner Jessica Goldberg, Jason Katims, Matt Reeves, Andrew Hinderaker, Edward Zwick, Hilary Swank, Adam Kassan and Jeni Mulein.
Think of the perfect summer movie. It’s got to be light and breezy, nothing too hard to get through. It’s definitely funny, maybe a little crude and witty. It would be even better if it was thought-provoking. Throw in some heart, some sun, and some charming personalities, and you would have a pretty enjoyable viewing experience. Well, Palm Springs is more than that. Produced by The Lonely Island of SNL fame and starring the troop’s own Andy Samberg, the Sundance darling not only reinvents the Groundhog Day scenario but brings a sweet, but never sappy, philosophical context to the genre.
Stuck at her half sister’s wedding, Sarah is already over the day’s festivities. Firmly against the idea of marriage, she flirts with a few people at the reception before consuming all of the alcohol around her and sitting by herself. That changes when she meets a handsome stranger with a killer wedding dance routine. They leave, make out in the desert before being attacked by a mysterious stranger. You know, how most weddings go. In the confusion, her date, Nyles, crawls into a nearby cave where she follows him back to the … past. She wakes up on her sister’s wedding once again… and again and again. Turns out they are stuck in a time loop. Leaning on Nyles to teach her the ropes of her new reality, they grow closer trying to navigate the same day over and over again, hopefully learning something about their own past, presents, and futures in the process.
This film would not have worked if the script wasn’t as tight as it is. Written by Andy Siara and directed by Max Barbakow, each joke lands exactly to the desired effect. The writing feels clean, every word needed, every plot point thought over. This is the kind of film that lives or dies by the script and luckily this one is going to live a nice long life on a farm somewhere. I can see this film being debated in film classes, it’s philosophy and meaning way deeper than expected. Barbakow’s vision complements every intention that Siara’s script, the actors, and the genre has in mind, making sure a thought-provoking and well-intentioned comedy emerges. His direction is smart, using the beautiful California vistas to his advantage and really creating a world you want to live in. Combined with stellar performances, you understand why it broke the record for highest-selling Sundance film at $17.5 million and 69 cents.
Andy Samberg plays the jaded Nyles, so stuck in this time loop that you question how long he’s been living in it. Samberg plays a version of himself, but it completely works within the time loop genre. Since leaving SNL, he has never really strayed from his vulnerable side, redefining what a leading man is with as much un-toxic masculinity as possible. He dives head-on into this persona in Palm Springs. If you are in a time loop, of course the confines of gender, age, and size don’t really matter when looking for a sexual partner. Of course, giving money to one of those candy-selling scams isn’t going to matter. If you are in a time loop, every social convention ever invented doesn’t matter because nothing really would. This role couldn’t be played by Jake Gyllenhaal or Ryan Reynolds, because the zaniness and sweet nature of the character would seem insincere on anyone else. Forget Doc Brown or Pickle Rick. You’ll want to be stuck in time with Andy Samberg.
Cristin Milioti gives a powerhouse performance of her own, walking the line between accepting her new situation and being taken prisoner by it. She easily keeps up Samberg comedically, while still giving the film a more serious backbone. JK Simmons also gives a hilariously riveting performance as Roy, a fellow wedding guest stuck in the time loop. Though the academy award winner is in a supporting role here, each moment he gets he adds the Simmon’s charm he is known for.
As many of us have been stuck in quarantine over the past three months, reliving the same boring day over and over, Palm Springs couldn’t come at a better time. With the charm and wit of its leads, to the smart script and direction, to its fresh take on a worn-out genre, it might be the movie need right now. One that sneaks up on you and reminds you of what matters most.
Palm Springs is available for streaming on Hulu this Friday. Watch the trailer below.
There has been a lot of blowback recently against actors taking roles from under-represented people. We’ve seen white actors pull out from voicing black characters, and there’s been a push to have LGBTQ actors play LGBTQ characters. In light of that, the role Halle Berry had coming up sounded problematic, at best.
Speaking with her fans on Instagram (via Pink News), Berry says her upcoming film would’ve had had her playing a trans person, in this case a woman who has transitioned to a man.
“[The role is] a character where the woman is a trans character, so she’s a woman that transitioned into a man. She’s a character in a project I love that I might be doing.”
“This project got pitched to me right when I was the brink of making ‘Bruised,’ but I so was in the mindset of getting in the body to play that, and I don’t know how long I can play an MMA character, so I had to get that out… but this got pitched to me, and I thought, after I do this movie, that’s the character I’m going to play.”
“I want to experience that world, understand that world,” Berry added. “I want to deep dive in that in the way I did ‘Bruised.’ Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project, and that will require me cutting all of my hair off. That’s what I want to experience and understand and study and explore… it’s really important to me to tell stories, and that’s a woman, that’s a female story – it changes to a man, but I want to understand the why and how of that. I want to get into it.”
Nothing against Berry being interested in what would undoubtedly be a challenging role, but I think the moment may have passed for this kind of thing. Fortunately, Berry has seen the heat she’s already taking for this, and released a statement that she’s pulling out of the role…
Berry’s statement reads, “As a cisgender woman, I now understand that I should not have considered this role, and that the transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories.”
