Time to restock those frag grenades and fuel up the Warthog, the long-promised Halo TV series is finally a reality. Showtime has announced they’re bringing the popular Xbox shooter game franchise to their network as a scripted TV drama with Steven Spielberg on board as exec-producer. And shooting begins early next year so we won’t even have to wait long for it.
According to the network’s press statement, the series will have Kyle Killen (Awake) as a showrunner, Steven Spielberg exec-producing through Amblin Entertainment, and Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) directing multiple episodes. There will be 10 hour-long episodes in the first season.
“Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded,” said David Nevins, President and CEO of Showtime. “In the history of television, there simply has never been enough great science fiction. Kyle Killen’s scripts are thrilling, expansive and provocative, Rupert Wyatt is a wonderful, world-building director, and their vision of Halo will enthrall fans of the game while also drawing the uninitiated into a world of complex characters that populate this unique universe.”
For those who have never dropped into one of Halo‘s massive multiplayer battles, the series takes place in the 26th century as humanity faces an alien threat known as the Covenant. The lead character is known as Master Chief, an enhanced super-soldier who usually takes on the most dangerous missions. He has become one of the most iconic characters in video game history.
Halo has been adapted in numerous formats, short films, novels, comics. And it has nearly been adapted into a movie on a few occasions, as well, with Neill Blomkamp famously attached to one attempt before that fell through. As a TV series it has the potential to be bigger than Game of Thrones, and I can’t wait to see more of what Showtime has planned for it.
After turning stomachs with a series of gross-out horror flicks, Eli Roth has suddenly taken a turn towards the mainstream. So far not so good based on the reaction to his recent Death Wish remake, but there’s a better chance for success with The House with a Clock in its Walls, which has dropped a spooky new trailer.
Starring Cate Blanchett and Jack Black, who have been turning in a lot of fun performances lately, the film is based on the illustrated novel by John Bellairs and penned by Supernatural writer Eric Kripke. The story follows a young boy named Lewis who goes with his uncle to live in a magical house that contains a ticking heart which could lead to the world’s end.
This is the best trailer by far, and it’s full of the imaginative visuals we’ve never seen from Roth before. Sure, he came up with some imaginative ways to kill people in his earlier work, but this is him putting those horror skills to different use. And it looks like Blanchett and Black are having a ball. She plays the witch living next door while Black is Lewis’ uncle, a small-town warlock in his own right.
Here’s the synopsis: In the tradition of Amblin classics where fantastical events occur in the most unexpected places, Jack Black and two-time Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett star in The House with a Clock in Its Walls, from Amblin Entertainment. The magical adventure tells the spine-tingling tale of 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) who goes to live with his uncle in a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart. But his new town’s sleepy façade jolts to life with a secret world of warlocks and witches when Lewis accidentally awakens the dead.
Also starring Kyle MacLachlan, Owen Vaccaro, Colleen Camp, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Vanessa Anne Williams, and Sunny Suljic, The House with a Clock in its Walls opens September 21st.
I hated it when Christopher Plummer was recruited to replace Kevin Spacey in Ridley Scott’s forgettable All the Money in the World. He deserves better than that, especially as he enjoys the twilight years of his storied career. Plummer also deserves better than the flyweight roadtrip comedy, Boundaries, but at least in this case he’s able to bring a certain gleam to a well-worn story of dysfunctional family dynamics.
A film full of quirky characters, clichés, and metaphors galore, Boundaries clearly isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. They’ve unpacked the wheel from the trunk, popped that bad boy into place and are rolling with it on a cross-country journey in which family squabbles will be hashed out and life lessons learned. Plummer lights up the screen as Jack, a smoked-out hippie who has been kicked out of his retirement home for selling pot. The disreputable lout was a disappointing father to Laura (Vera Farmiga), who has grown into a neurotic with a weird obsession with adopting stray pets. She has so many they’re practically crawling up the walls, costing her boyfriends, and hiding away in her purse during visits to her shrink. She’s just got so much love to give, ya’ll. Her son Henry (Lewis MacDougall) is a social misfit who has taken to drawing unflattering nude pictures of random people in his life, usually his mother’s douchebag boyfriends. Gosh, it’s like he needs a man in his life or something. He’s also been kicked out, but out of school not a retirement community.
Because Jack needs a place to stay, and Laura needs money to send Henry to a new school, they embark on a leisurely West Coast road trip to her nutty sister’s (Kristen Schaal) home. Why not a plane? The better for Jack to bond with his estranged family bcause he “doesn’t have long left”, or something like that. In actuality it’s all a dope-selling adventure for him, and Jack has no qualms about roping young Lewis in as his partner with Laura completely unaware of her son’s corruption.
For a movie titled Boundaries nobody seems to have any. Jack is an unfiltered old coot ripped straight out of Grumpy Old Men. He’s brash but charming, and easily wins over Lewis who can’t understand why his mother kept grandpa away for so long. He’s also not afraid to throw a mean right hook when Laura’s lecherous ex-husband Leonard (Bobby Cannavale) comes sniffing around.
“I thought you were a Buddhist!”, Leonard says after a punch in the nose.
“I am, but you bring out the right wing Christian in me”, Jack replies, grinning.
I’m not sure anybody else could have made that line work other than Plummer. I wanted him to throw combinations afterwards.
Everyone’s problems seem complicated only in a Hollywood sense, in that they are easily solvable during a relatively quiet drive from Portland to Los Angeles. Along the way there are necessary diversions so Jack can sell off weed to his crunchy old hippie pals (Christopher Lloyd, Peter Fonda), a sect of Buddhist monks, or to random potheads under a bridge. None of these pit stops amount to much except to ramp up the quirk factor and prolong the journey. Worse, they distract from the movie’s greatest strength which is Farmiga and Plummer.
Both Farmiga and Plummer are capable of much more than this, but that also means they can easily knock this fluffy material out of the park. We haven’t seen this approachable, down-to-earth side from Farmiga in far too long since she’s been wrapped up in horror movies and thrillers, but she’s truly at her best when the characters are grounded and relatable. Even at the age of 88 (!!!), Plummer still has this boyish energy that has you believing he can run a drug operation from the backseat of a car and beat up Bobby Cannavale in a fight.
There’s a predictable scene in Boundaries where the car runs out of gas at an inopportune time, and so too does the film sputter along to its inevitably sappy conclusion. There’s even an emotionally resonant song and dance number between siblings to put a fine point on the whole thing. Director Shana Feste has skill with easily digestible melodrama (except for the choke-worthy Country Strong), and Boundaries goes down so smooth you’ll barely know it’s there.
One of the main reasons I still go to San Diego Comic-Con each year is the amazing stuff that happens away from the event. This year I’ve already got my eye on hitting a special pop-up shop celebrating the 25th anniversay of the release of Demolition Man. And if you’ve seen the movie then you probably know where the pop-up will be: yep, it’s at a Taco Bell.
Warner Bros. and Taco Bell are teaming up on the special pop-up honoring the 1993 sci-fi movie that starred Sylvester Stallone, a blond-haired Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock. The partnership will “offer a Demolition Man pop-up and a futuristic and upscale Taco Bell dining experience near the convention center” where exclusive Taco Bell and Demolition Man merchandise will be on sale.”
In case you forgot, Demolition Man starred Stallone as rebellious LAPD cop John Spartan who is frozen in cryo-crystals along with his nemesis, a terrorist named Simon Phoenix (Snipes). In the year 2032 Phoenix escapes, and the peaceful society needs help capturing him, so they release Spartan to help out. Suffice it to say, the rough ‘n rugged Spartan does not mesh with those snowflakes in the future. Well, one unique identifier in this futuristic society (besides the three seashells) is that all of the restaurants are Taco Bells.
So why this particular partnership between Comic-Con and Taco Bell? It’s all part of the latter’s announcement that they are bringing back Nacho Fries, which I guess weren’t on the menu for a while? The shop will be offering free food nightly beginning at 6pm for each night of Comic-Con, which starts on July 19th.
If I make it there, I’ll send pics. Assuming they use better quality meat than some of Demolition Man‘s other fine dining establishments. [SDCC Blog]
*NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival. Leave No Trace opens June 29th.*
Eight years ago Debra Granik arrived at Sundance with her sophomore feature, the Ozarks-set mystery Winter’s Bone. The woodsy thriller not only earned four Oscar nominations but saw the arrival of Jennifer Lawrence to the national scene. And now Granik is back with Leave No Trace, led by another talented new discovery, and taking a more personal look at the lives of those existing on society’s fringes. Only this time it’s seen through the lens of a father/daughter relationship at a crossroads.
Ben Foster, who has often played characters who run against society’s norms, plays Will, a troubled ex-military vet living off the land in one of Oregon’s nature reserves. He’s not alone, he forages for food and shelter alongside his teenage daughter Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), and they seem happy existing in this world that is entirely their own. They are, also, one another’s world with there being almost no interaction from others. The only exception is when Will occasionally goes into town to pick up his VA check, which gives Tom just a tiny glimpse into a life she hasn’t experienced and doesn’t understand. Not that she seems to care, either. Her father keeps her healthy and active, while maintaining that a low profile is a must. This is a man with serious trust issues.
It’s safe to call Will paranoid, although he doesn’t seem dangerous. Granik, adapting from Peter Rock’s book that has a title I won’t reveal (it’s a little too revealing, seriously), is eager to point that Will isn’t dangerous. At least not to Tom. When their lives are torn asunder by the authorities, who force them to reintegrate into society, Will aggressively fights against it. It’s like he’s an animal gripping at the bars of his cage, eager to break free and return to the wild. And while that experience is painful enough for him, it’s nothing compared to the tiny changes occurring within Tom as she meets new people, finds new experiences, and learns there is more than just the comfortable Eden her father had raised her in.
While the setting, rugged characters, and strong-willed female lead will draw comparisons to Winter’s Bone, this is not that movie. There is no criminal element here, and the only mystery to solve has to do with Will’s past. Granik could have done more to reveal clearer details about him as he remains a mistrustful cipher throughout. His primary motivations look selfish; he always seems to want to do what he wants to do without concern for how it affects Tom. But I think that’s only looking at the surface of it, and peering deeper he’s encouraged by what he feels is best for them both. When seen from her perspective it doesn’t always look that way, but that’s what happens between parents and their children.
It’s important that Will not be seen as dangerous, just as it’s key to not have Tom be too naïve. McKenzie’s performance paints Tom as incredibly perceptive, a quick learner, and strong enough to endure her father’s harshness. Until she can’t, and eventually there comes a point when Tom must consider forging a life for herself, rather than just being part of her father’s. While certain aspects of Leave No Trace remain inscrutable, what’s undeniable is the hopefulness Granik finds in those who live off the grid.
Josephine Decker isn’t a director whose name has spread far beyond the arthouse and festival crowd, but that could soon be changing. She was an indie darling with her two most recent films, Butter on the Latch and the wildly experimental Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, which if I had to boil the latter down it’d be like a cross between Joe Swanberg and Terrence Malick. After a four year hiatus Decker returned to Sundance this year and made another huge splash with Madeline’s Madeline, and a new trailer for it has been released that is as stunning visually as anything I’ve ever seen.
Exploding with colors and energy that literally rips through the screen, the film stars indie fave Miranda July (The Future), Molly Parker (Lost in Space), and young newcomer Helena Howard in the title role. I can’t do justice to the far-out plot, so here’s the synopsis:
“Madeline got the part! She’s going to play the lead in a theater piece! Except the lead wears sweatpants like Madeline’s. And has a cat like Madeline’s. And is holding a steaming hot iron next to her mother’s face — like Madeline is.
“Madeline (newcomer Helena Howard) has become an integral part of a prestigious physical theater troupe. When the workshop’s ambitious director (Molly Parker) pushes the teenager to weave her rich interior world and troubled history with her mother (Miranda July) into their collective art, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. The resulting battle between imagination and appropriation spirals out of the rehearsal space and rips through all three women’s lives.”
Wonder Woman 1984 is filming now and expected to make quite a splash at Comic-Con next month. We aren’t likely to see any footage before then, but a couple of images have been released already, featuring the returning Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. But what many of us have been eager for is a first glimpse at Kristen Wiig as the villainess Cheetah, and now it has arrived albeit not in the way we expected.
Patty Jenkins revealed the first look at Wiig in the superhero sequel, and it’s a pretty benign image. Captioned “Enter Barbara Minerva”, the photo shows the character before she ever turns evil. She appears to be making her way through a museum, possibly staring at the statue of a cheetah? In the comics she’s an archaeologist with a vast fortune to her name, but rumors are her character could be tweaked for the movie, possibly making her a fan of Wonder Woman who becomes obsessed.
More please. I have no doubt Wiig will have fun with the character, but let’s hope she finds a way to make her a legit threat and not a joke.
The sequel to Top Gun is not only a real thing that exists in the world, but it’s filming now. And while it has Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer back in the cockpit as Maverick and Iceman, what the sequel really needs is some new blood. THR reports Miles Teller, Glen Powell, and Nicholas Hoult are up for a key role in Top Gun: Maverick, and that role reveals quite a lot about the story’s direction.
The part these three flyboys are up for would be the son of Maverick’s deceased wingman, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, previously played by Anthony Edwards. Best bet is the film will largely be about continuing Goose’s legacy through his son, which would mean whoever gets this role will be right at the forefront alongside Cruise. Teller is the biggest name by far, but he and Hoult are equals if we’re talking about blockbuster experience. And make no mistake, this film will probably be seen as the launch of a new franchise. Powell is probably best known for his comedic work in Scream Queens and Everybody Wants Some, but he went dramatic as John Glenn in Hidden Figures and wasn’t too terrible. He co-starred with Hoult in Netflix’s war film Sand Castle, and can be seen right now in rom-com Set It Up.
Apparently a final rounding of testing took place recently in Clearwater, FL, not only the home base of the Church of Scientology but where Cruise lives. I hope the movie is the only thing Cruise tested them on.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Top Gun: Maverick opens July 12th 2019.
Sony has their own special thing going on with their Spider-Man cinematic universe. You don’t see Fox building an X-Men universe without the X-Men, do you? Of course not, but that’s what Sony is trying to do while Spidey is off gallivanting with the Avengers as part of the MCU. And they seem to be putting together an impressive lineup of talent in order to make this universe a thing. The latest is Oscar winner Jared Leto who has signed on for their upcoming Morbius the Living Vampire movie.
Leto will star as the Spider-Man supporting character, a scientist named Michael Morbius who is infected by a rare blood disease and tries to cure himself. Instead he gives himself superhuman vampire-like qualities, and uses them as an antihero, albeit a very violent and flawed one. The film will be directed by Daniel Espinosa, best known for Safe House and the recent sci-fi movie Life. He broke out on to the scene with his crime thriller Snabba Cash, and also has the miserable Child 44 to his credit. Lost in Space writers Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama have finished up the script.
Leto may be on the verge of doing what is affectionately referred to as “Pulling a Brolin”, playing multiple comic book characters for different cinematic universes at the same time. He’ll likely return as his gangsta version of Joker in Suicide Squad 2, and possibly elsewhere within the DCEU. That is unless this new Sony gig is his way of bowing out? It’s not like Warner Bros. has a need for more Jokers at this point.
Add Morbius to Sony’s growing Spidey-verse that already includes Venom, Silver & Black, and proposed films for Nightwatch and Silk. [Variety]
Oh, the many faces of Josh Brolin. He has completely owned 2018 with epic performances in Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, and this week’s Sicario: Day of the Soldado. All have him playing tough guys of different kinds, but they don’t have anything on the character he plays next in The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter.
Brolin leads the latest comedy from Jody Hill, whose comedies Observe and Report, The Foot Fist Way, and HBO’s Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals all have a distinct voice. Not everybody digs Hill’s style, but with Brolin it’s an opportunity to win over an entirely new audience. The film centers on TV hunter Buck Ferguson who sets out on a very special episode with his trusted camera and estranged son by his side.
Along for the ride is frequent Hill collaborator Danny McBride, Montana Jordan as Buck’s son, plus Carrie Coon, Scoot McNairy, and Rory Scovel. Here’s the synopsis:
Buck Ferguson (Josh Brolin), famous for hunting whitetail deer, plans a special episode of his hunting show around a bonding weekend with his estranged son, Jaden (Montana Jordan). With trusted – but hapless – cameraman and friend Don (Danny McBride) in tow, Buck sets out for what soon becomes an unexpectedly epic adventure of father-son reconnection in the great outdoors.
The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter hits Netflix on July 6th.
