Michonne’s Exit From ‘The Walking Dead’ Teases Rick Grimes’ Return
SPOILERS

By
Travis Hopson
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March 23, 2020

Danai Gurira’s seven seasons on The Walking Dead came to an end with last night’s episode, but she’s far from done playing the sword-wielding Michonne. We always knew that Michonne would be back, but her exit also teased the return of Andrew Lincoln as her former lover, Rick Grimes.

In last night’s episode titled “What We Become”, Michonne made a seafaring escape from the zombie apocalypse, to find her lost love, Rick. But it all began with the misguided Virgil (Kevin Carroll), who had kidnapped and drugged Michonne in an effort to help her. Which he did, incidentally, by leading her to a boat containing Rick’s familiar cowboy boots along with sketches of Michonne and what appears to be daughter Judith Grimes. So Michonne does the only thing she can do, which is to go off in search of Rick, who vanished a decade earlier.

When it was first revealed that Lincoln would leave the show after season 9, we knew it wasn’t meant to be forever. A trilogy of films centered on Rick Grimes is in the works, and this episode appears to be setting up a Rick/Michonne reunion there, or perhaps in a new series all to themselves?

Gurira wouldn’t confirm anything in her interview with Deadline, but did say this about Michonne’s departure and what it means…

“I thought it was beautiful that she got to, you know, kind of get cosmically rewarded for helping this weird guy, Virgil, who is played by a wonderful actor who I’ve always admired, Kevin Carroll. Rewarded by finding evidence that’s something she’s always suspected was true, which was that Rick didn’t die on that bridge. We’ll see what happens next or see if something happens.”

‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Will Have Robert Rodriguz As A Director
The 'Sin City' And 'Alita: Battle Angel' Director Is On Board For At Least One Episode

By
Travis Hopson
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March 22, 2020

The second season of The Mandalorian is shaping up to be bigger, possibly better, than the first. We’re about to see what the director of Sin City and Alita: Battle Angel can do with Baby Yoda, as /Film has confirmed Robert Rodriguez the Disney+ show’s crew of directors

The story was first reported by HN Entertainment and later verified. The rumors began to surface before that, however, with Rodriguez joined by Ford v Ferrari‘s James Mangold. The latter shot the report down, but Rodriguez stayed quiet. Now we know why. What’s unclear is whether he’s in for just one episode or if he’s around for the long haul.

Personally, I feel Rodriguez is long overdue to take on the world of Star Wars. He’s very similar to his pal, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau, as an indie filmmaker who keeps his feet in both worlds. He can do his indie stuff like Planet Terror, which is deep with his personal signature style, and blockbuster stuff of many stripes such as Spy Kids, Alita: Battle Angel, and Sin City. His breakthrough film, El Mariachi, and its big screen companion Desperado, are Westerns that would fit well with The Mandalorian‘s tone.

So with the additions of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano and now Rodriguez behind the camera there’s even more reason to get hyped over The Mandalorian‘s return this fall.

Review: ‘Hooking Up’
'All Sex, No Charm'

By
Cortland Jacoby
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In the new movie Hooking Up, Brittany Snow plays Darla, a sex addict newly fired from her magazine job for…. having sex on her boss’s desk. She’s forced to go to sex addiction meetings where she meets Bailey (Sam Richardson), a young cancer patient who instead of going to his support group wanders into Darla’s meeting. About to undergo treatment for testicular cancer, Bailey drunkenly rants about his breakup and how he soon won’t have any balls left. Intrigued by his predicament, Darla uses his plight as an opportunity to get her job back and invites him on a road trip. Instead of stopping at landmarks and sightseeing, they will stop in every place Darla has ever had sex. As they travel together, they bond and realize life isn’t as complicated as it seems.

Written by Nico Raineau and Lauren Schacher, with Raineau also directing, the film is technically a romantic sex comedy. However for a romantic sex comedy to work, you need chemistry and charisma. Brittany Snow hits all the right notes with this role. She’s quippy, no bullshit, and assertive. But there is no emotional appeal and had the character been a man, they would have definitely been “me-too-ed.” Unappealing characters continue with Sam Richardson’s Bailey. Normally very charming in projects like Veep and Detroiters, Richardson kind of coasts along throughout the film. Of the two characters, his should be somewhat likable and redemptive and he just falls flat. The story line of not being able to follow his dreams of becoming an illustrator completely doesn’t land the way it’s supposed to. The goal of a romantic comedy should be that the audience roots for the characters to be together by the end. Like a teenage boy fumbling to take off a girl’s bra, Hooking Up just couldn’t execute the job with the precision it needs.

The script also lacks charm. There’s a way to do a crude sex comedy that’s redeemable and delightful to watch, think of Sleeping With Other People and Trainwreck. This could be an issue of characterization or flat acting and chemistry, but when you watch characters that you can’t empathize with, do or say not-so-great things in an un-engaging way, the viewing experience feels monotonous after a while.

There are multiple threads in the film that are intriguing and had the lead’s chemistry worked, maybe the movie would have worked. But with Hooking Up, maybe its best that we move on and see other films.

Netflix, Oscilloscope, and Alamo Drafthouse Lead The Charge In Doing The Right Thing

By

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March 21, 2020

It’s so easy to see only darkness at times like this, let’s be honest things weren’t exactly feeling bright even before the Coronavirus crisis so it’s understandable for folks to feel like there’s not much good left in the world. Whenever things get that way I always try to remember that for every bad thing there are usually two or more good things happening, you just have to widen your view. This pandemic has is deeply affecting those who will never contract the virus, with social distancing businesses are shutting down left and right and while many are able to work from home an equal amount can’t. With production shutting down globally at this point and seeing as how film and TV production is a decidedly hands-on undertaking this crisis has hit these workers especially hard. It’s easy to think “oh, those Hollywood types will be fine, they’re rich!” but the truth is the percentage of millionaires in the film industry isn’t much different then it is in any other line of work. For every Tom Cruise there are 100’s of electricians, carpenters, drivers, stylists who get pennies on the dollar. In what I hope is a move that’s copied across the board three major players in the industry are doing the right thing and making sure those hit the hardest are getting the help they need.

Leading the monetary pack Netflix has created a $100 million dollar emergency support fund for workers in the creative industry. From their official press release:

“This community has supported Netflix through the good times, and we want to help them through these hard times, especially while governments are still figuring out what economic support they will provide. So we’ve created a $100 million fund to help with hardship in the creative community.”

Beloved art-house studio Oscilloscope has gotten creative and found a way to keep their revenue going while also making a difference to the affected. The company has released a deal they are calling the “Circle of Quarantine“, for $49.99 you can choose any 10 movies from the studio’s library. That cost is to own, not rent, so it’s a great deal regardless but if you need more motivation to expand your digital film shelf they have pledged to donate $10 of every sale to help movie theater employees via the Cinema Workers Solidarity Fund. These are men and women who are mostly low-waged, hourly workers and are often forgotten when we talk about the entertainment industry…that guy that rips your ticket? Yup, he’s in the film business, gets paid about $8/hour and hasn’t been able to work in weeks.

Last up is everyone’s favorite theater chain, the Alamo Drafthouse. Showing what it means to take care of your people, the original dinner and a movie cinema is donating $2 million dollars to its Alamo Community Fund which aims to assist it’s employees who are currently unable to work, which is roughly 80% of it’s total employment base. Drafthouse CEO Tim League issued a plea to his fellow industry leaders saying:

“The coronavirus pandemic is an existential threat to all cinema, but particularly independent and arthouse theaters. That’s why I’m asking for our friends and partners in the film and hospitality industries — if you believe companies like ours are vital to the welfare and strength of your businesses, please help us keep our people safe, strong, and ready to get back to work.”

The silver lining to any situations like this is that we are given a chance to see what humanity is capable of, we learn that contrary to popular belief people instinctively help each other. We’re all in this together, we can let things like this rip us apart or we can use it to prove the greatness that we are capable of.

They’ve set the example Hollywood, now it’s up to the rest of you to do what’s right.

Review: ‘Blow the Man Down’
Small-Town Crime Comedy Is A Breath Of Fresh Air

By
Cortland Jacoby
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Earlier this week, I said what every film critic says eventually, “I’m over what I’ve been seeing. I need a breath of fresh air.” Part of this is due to self-quarantine and the exorbitant amount of content I’ve seen in that last week and part of this is the quality of what I’ve been reviewing. Keep in mind most films are average, and I was tired of average now that Oscar season was over. Blow The Man Down, which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, blew me away. Dark, engaging, and brilliantly crafted, it’s the breath of fresh air that you want in this time of uncertainty. And it there’s zero chance that breath will get you sick.

Nestled in a quiet little town in Maine is a small fishing village, home to the Connolly sisters. Despite having just lost their mother who left them with very big bills to pay, Mary Beth (Morgan Saylor) dreams of college while Priscilla (Sophie Lowe) is content with her life working at the family’s fish market. After laying their mother to rest and receiving condolences from the Town’s matriarchs (June Squibb, Annette O’Toole, and Marceline Hugot), Mary Beth goes out drinking and comes into the clutches of Gorski. He’s charming, slightly creepy and working as the henchman for the town’s Bed and Brothel. After a skirmish between the two, Mary Beth ends up killing him, pulling Priscilla into the mess. While girls clean up the murder, another body is found on the banks of this little fishing town, calling into question the motives of the B and B owner Enid (Margo Martindale). As questions arise over who else in town is a murderer, the Connolly sisters learn more about their mother, their strength, and who really runs their town.

Not to sound like SNL’s Stefon but this film has everything: Fishing towns, sea shanties, June Squibb leading a group of elderly women, a tight script, female directors and esteemed character actress Margo Martindale running a brothel. It’s a film lover’s dream. Writer and directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Kurdy bring a Cohen brothers feel to their first feature. It’s dark with the slight sense of humor of quick edits and precisely constructed irony. The story is driven by women, but it doesn’t flaunt it. At its core is a sense of matriarchy, but it feels very natural.

Well executed and suspenseful, Martindale, Squibb, Hugot, and O’Toole elevate the material to a surprisingly fun level. Very rarely does a film feel lived in and that’s due to the character work and experience these master actresses clearly possess. If you don’t become obsessed with these performances by the film’s end, you’ll at least be questioning the pasts of the strong maternal figures in your own life.

You’ll be hooked from the film’s sea shanty opening to its sea shanty closing. The soundtrack throughout is jaunty and folksy yet suspenseful, perfectly setting the tone. It’s worth mentioning that Lowe and Saylor give strong performances as the Connolly Sisters, but are understandably overshadowed by outstanding matriarchs in this film. Though the stakes do feel slightly bigger than the payoff, the final product is too entertaining to really notice.

Destined to be one of the best-underrated films of the year, Blow The Man Down is the perfect distraction if you need to kill a couple of hours during quarantine. Luckily, you can watch it on Amazon Prime. You’re welcome.

‘The Lovebirds’ Will Go Straight To Streaming At Netflix
Paramount Also Moves Up 'Sonic The Hedgehog' Digital Release

By
Travis Hopson
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March 21, 2020

The Kumail Nanjiani/Issa Rae action-comedy The Lovebirds has found a new nest at Netflix. After having its world premiere at SXSW canceled, and its theatrical release pulled by Paramount, the film has been acquired by Netflix, who plan on bringing it straight to streaming.

Directed by Michael Showalter, The Lovebirds stars Nanjiani and Rae as a couple who find themselves embroiled in a murder plot. It had been scheduled to hit theaters on April 3rd, but due to theater closures nationwide its release was yanked by Paramount. Now under the Netflix banner, the film will skip theatrical entirely and go direct to streaming at a future date.

This continues the Paramount/Netflix relationship which began a couple of years ago when the streamer paid $50M for The Cloverfield Paradox. It continued when Netflix gained international distribution of Annihilation, as well as the Eddie Murphy sequel Beverly Hills Cop 4.

Meanwhile, Paramount has also announced that Sonic the Hedgehog will be available for digital platforms beginning March 31st, months ahead of its intended home release. The video game movie was a big win at the box office with $306M worldwide.

No, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Isn’t Skipping A Theatrical Release
Don't Believe The Earlier Reports

By
Travis Hopson
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March 20, 2020

Earlier today, a story surfaced at TheWrap which said Warner Bros. was considering a digital release of Wonder Woman 1984, the next major blockbuster still on the release schedule. With Marvel recently pulling Black Widow from its May slot, this didn’t seem all that far-fetched and may have even made sense with theaters closed for the long haul. Perhaps a day-and-date release, similar to what’s happening with Trolls World Tour, would be the path taken on the year’s biggest superhero film?

Despite the story spreading like wildfire through the Internet, with numerous sites penning thinkpieces on what a mistake skipping theatrical would be, there appears to be no factual basis to any of it. IndieWire spoke with Warner Bros. reps who state they will be “sticking with its original plan to release the film nationwide,” and Wonder Woman 1984 will receive a “full theatrical run” on June 5th, as intended.

The funny thing about this, and why we didn’t post anything on it sooner, is the original source story was full of on-the-record quotes from WB execs dismissing the idea of going straight to digital. Anyone who had read the piece would’ve seen quotes like this…

“We’re looking to release the movie theatrically, that’s our plan,” said Warner President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldstein.

Or this from producer Charles Roven, “It’s ludicrous if you consider how big a movie this is. Everybody recognizes that, as interesting as streaming might be, if you want a huge, global worldwide box office, you’ve got to release it in a movie theater.”

So why did the story catch fire the way it did? Because the headline is the only thing that matters anymore, and a headline that suggests Wonder Woman 1984 is going straight to VOD is very clickable.

Here’s the deal: For now, Wonder Woman 1984 is set for June 5th, but the way things are going it may not be up to Warner Bros. whether they can release it then. They might have to move it back a few months, but at least for now we can expect to see Diana’s next adventure on the big screen.

Rosario Dawson Is Ahsoka Tano In ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2

By

Travis Hopson

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March 20, 2020

With fan-favorite Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano making her return in this week’s episode of The Clone Wars, the timing of this news couldn’t be better. Slashfilm was first to report that Rosario Dawson will play Tano in The Mandalorian season 2, making this the character’s first live-action appearance after popular appearances in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.

This is pretty much perfect casting, as Dawson has been part of some of pop culture’s biggest franchises already, whether it be Marvel’s Netflix shows or Sin City. Now she comes to Star Wars as the most popular character never to appear in a live-action theatrical film. Ahsoka Tano did, however, show up in the big screen animated prequel to The Clone Wars TV series back in 2008. Originally the padewan to Anakin Skywalker, Tano would eventually shun the Jedi Council after being framed for a crime, then go off on her own as a spy deep within the Rebel forces. She was last heard among the sea of voices aiding Rey in The Rise of Skywalker.

The last major appearance by Tano was in the season finale of Star Wars Rebels, in which she joined with Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren to search for the missing Ezra Bridger. With some rumors suggesting Sabine Wren could appear in The Mandalorian‘s second season, we could be seeing a continuation of that relationship. I’ve made it clear my hope WWE superstar Sasha Banks is playing Sabine, and now I want that more than ever. What a team they’d make!

The Mandalorian season 2 is set to arrive this October, assuming delays don’t push it back.

‘#FreeRayshawn’ Trailer: Stephan James, Laurence Fishburne Lead Antoine Fuqua’s Quibi Thriller

By

Travis Hopson

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March 20, 2020

Quibi is the upcoming streaming service that breaks all of its content into bite-sized chunks for mobile platforms. Despite the gimmicky setup, there’s a load of star-powered content that will be readily available at launch, and one that promises to get a lot of attention if #FreeRayshawn, a “Movie in Chapters” from exec-producer Antoine Fuqua and director Seith Mann.

Starring If Beale Street Could Talk and 21 Bridges‘ Stephan James, plus Laurence Fishburne, and Jasmine Cephas Jones, #FreeRayshawn follows a young Iraq War vet holed up in a New Orleans apartment with his girlfriend and child, claiming he has been framed by police on a drug charge. Fishburne plays a sympathetic cop who wants the standoff to end peacefully, while the situation blows up into a media frenzy.

I don’t know how this will play out on our mobile phones, but this trailer suggests a highly-cinematic story that could’ve been great on the big screen. It’ll be interesting to see how Quibi is received when it launches on April 6th.

Review: ‘Self Made: Inspired by the Life Of Madam C.J. Walker’
Octavia Spencer And Tiffany Haddish Shine In Netflix Drama On America's First Female Millionaire

By
Khalil Johnson
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Every Black History month our schools roll out the hits of usually the same black historical figures who have made a difference in America. Most of the time its someone Civil Rights leaders, abolitionists, and the occasional “first” black person to do… something. Sometimes Madame CJ Walker ends up on that list as she was one of the first self-made millionaires (hence the title), not just black women, but all women, but we really don’t get to hear that much about her because it’s within the limited scope of school Black History Month lessons. Lucky for us, Netflix is continuing it’s “Strong Black Lead” campaign and giving us a history lesson in their four-part limited series Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker.

Executive produced by LeBron James (yes that LeBron James), Kasi Lemmons (who directed last year’s Harriet and directs the first two episodes of Self Made), and Madame CJ Walker herself, Octavia Spencer, Self Made shows the rags to riches tale of Sarah Breedlove born just a few years after the end of American slavery, and during reconstruction, had dreams of launching her own hair care product and transformed it into a mega-empire complete with warehouses, and a sales force of more than 200 young black women entrepreneurs. She even lived next door to Rockefeller.

Shortly after Emancipation, many blacks are moving from the South in search of opportunities, and young clothes washer Sarah (Octavia Spencer) who has lost her hair due to stress of a former husband, befriends local hair care entrepreneur Addie Malone (Carmen Ejogo) and discovers the wonder of her hair growth formula. At that point, a bright light goes off for Sara and she decides to get into the hair care business. Partnering with her new husband Charles James (Blair Underwood), her daughter Lelia (Tiffany Haddish), her right-hand-man Ransom (Kevin Carroll) and countless others, they set out to get into the hair care business. At first, it’s trying to sell door to door, then setting up a warehouse/beauty school in her home, and then blossom it into an empire. But it’s not without hardships for Sarah in her journey to Madame CJ. For one, here and Addie had a rivalry for the ages with plenty of backstabbing and one-upping each other to become the top boss in the haircare business. To quote rapper Xzibit: “Sometimes the business end of this shit will turn your friends (or in this case family) against you.”

The cast is stellar. Spencer continues to remind you why she has an Oscar and other awards on her shelf as she shines as Madame CJ Walker. Blair Underwood (who I’m convinced is a vampire as he has not aged much since LA Law) is great as her complicated husband, who wants a seat at the table, but feels neglected and emasculated as a husband supporting his wife’s business at a time when women’s rights were still frowned upon. Carmen Ejogo plays the right amount of nasty to Spencer as her business rival Addie. Garrett Morris, the elder statesman of the group reminds us in the story that this takes place not far after slavery has ended and although imparts wisdom to everyone, he also lets you know that things could be much worse. Even Bill Bellamy is in this as an “investor” with a troubled past. The big star of the movie surprisingly is Tiffany Haddish who plays against her usual typecast as Walker’s young daughter Addie. While some of her funny loudness bleeds through a little, she actually gets to show her range as she wants to support her mother and her business and family ideas, but at the same time has to exist as a closeted lesbian at the turn of the century who just wants to live her life the way she sees fit, something people still struggle with now in 2020 and is unheard of in the 1900s. Don’t be surprised if Haddish continues to try and stab in the more serious and dramatic territory for roles, she really does a great job.

While the story of Madame CJ Walker is one that needs to be told, the presentation sometimes doesn’t work. For some reason, we have the mindset that all black movies have to incorporate hip hop into it. This is a film based in the 1900s with stellar production design, yet at least twice an episode we have to hear some variation of mumble rap that drastically throws things off. There’s talk of juke joints, why not have some culturally relevant music of the times? Self Made also engages in some surrealism that feels out of place. Whether its showing Madame CJ Walker in a boxing match against Addie to give a visual display of their rivalry and going head to head against each other, or Walkers dream of opening her warehouse complete with a musical number and dancers. Sure, it’s visually interesting, but it doesn’t really add anything to the story. Just the drama of the back and forth between Walker and Addie works better with their words and actions. An interesting choice, but just feels weird in the rest of the serious moments of the show.

However, Self Made works well by offering a glimpse of black life in a post-slavery world. Most people think there’s slavery, emancipation, and then civil rights based on our education. In fact, there was a period in time when there were black congressmen and many black businesses that thrived before Jim Crow came in effect. In fact, Walker gives her investment pitches to a room full of black businessmen and not white banks. Having Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois appears to show a world of black intellectuals that is also a wonderful thing to display. Existing in this time period also shows the colorism and sexism that existed within black spaces as well. Much of CJ Walker and Addie Malone’s rivalry stems from Malone’s refusal to work with her because she wasn’t light-skinned enough. Walker also had her share of sexism from black men as well, who laughed her off because she was a woman and beauty products “don’t sell.” It shows how life was, good and bad for a young black woman to make and achieve her dream, which leads to satisfying storytelling. At 4 episodes, Self Made manages to keep you engaged with the fascinating story of a fascinating individual who doesn’t get as much credit as she should.