After helping lead Gary Oldman to his first Best Actor Academy Award win for Darkest Hour, Joe Wright is moving in a different direction with an adaptation of A.J. Finn’s bestselling book, The Woman in the Window. And he’ll look to take Amy Adams to an Oscar victory just as he did for Oldman.
Adams has agreed to star in the film which has a script by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright/actor Tracy Letts. The Hitchcockian plot centers on New York City recluse Dr. Anna Fox, who drinks her days and nights away watching classic movies and paying too much attention to her neighbors. When a seemingly idyllic couple moves into the house across from her, she spies them closely until she witnesses something shocking that changes her life.
Next up for Adams is another thriller adaptation, HBO’s Sharp Objects based on the book by Gillian Flynn. [Deadline]
Every time LAIKA releases another of their tremendous stop-motion animated movies we praise their creativity but lament the box office never matches the amount of work they put into them. 2016’s Oscar nominated Kubo and the Two Strings, which received some of the year’s best reviews, topped out at only $77M worldwide, the lowest of their four completed films. Hopefully that will change with their fifth movie, which has been announced today by LAIKA President Travis Knight and Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, who also revealed the voice cast.
LAIKA will team up with Annapurna for an untitled movie they are simply calling “Film Five”. Chris Butler, who directed ParaNorman, will get behind the camera for what is being described as: “Bursting with humor, heart, and a profound message of acceptance and finding one’s place, the animation team at LAIKA is thrilled to be bringing this globetrotting comedy-adventure to life.”
The voice cast will be led by Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, and Zach Galifianakis. Here’s what Knight had to say about the upcoming project:
“Our next film represents an evolutionary shift for LAIKA. It’s an exciting bridge to our future. Director Chris Butler and the wizards at LAIKA have crafted a moving work of art, layered with wit and imagination and soul. Plus it’s really, really funny. It’s a privilege to partner with Megan and her exceptional team at Annapurna to bring this beautiful original story to the world.”
I think the most notable thing about this announcement is LAIKA’s shift away from Focus Features, which has distributed all four of their films: Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo, all decreasing in box office over the years. Going to Annapurna may be a way for them to try and correct that. While it may seem an odd move switching to a smaller, more niche distributor they also have more experience marketing to their core audience.
Winnie the Pooh fans have it good right now, what with Goodbye Christopher Robin in theaters just a few months ago, and the upcoming Christopher Robin movie on the way. The movies shouldn’t be confused with one another despite the titles, as they take a very different approach to A.A. Milne’s classic characters. The latter dropped a brief teaser last month that gave us a look at the live-action bear, but a new image courtesy of EW reveals a few of his pals.
Eeyore (Brad Garrett), Piglet (Nick Mohammed), and Tigger (Chris O’Dowd) are getting some sun in this first look at Pooh’s best friends from the Hundred Acre Wood. The film stars Ewan McGregor as a grown up Christopher Robin who has gained a family but also lost all sense of imagination. As complications pile up, that’s when Pooh and his pals re-enter Christopher’s life. Apparently there’s nothing that can solve life’s problems quite like a day at the beach.
Directed by Marc Forster with Hayley Atwell, Mark Gatiss, Jim Cummings, Toby Jones, Peter Capaldi, and Sophie Okenedo co-starring, Christopher Robin opens August 3rd.
Marvel movies are infamous for the plethora of characters rumored to appear, might appear, or almost appeared. It’s gotten worse since the films went cosmic, and the one character mentioned the most is Adam Warlock, the number of rumors about him are so many they even be too much for the perfect being to calculate. He was reportedly very close to being in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and now Avengers: Infinity War writers say they almost made him part of the already jam-packed film.
Writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus tell Entertainment Tonight the reason Adam Warlock wasn’t part of the 200+ Infinity War characters (give or take a few) is because he’s just got too complicated of a history. That’s putting it mildly, and rather than explain it you should just read this.
Markus said, “We didn’t introduce Adam Warlock, because it’s a massive backbend and you practically have to make an Adam Warlock movie to introduce him. He just can’t walk onscreen. So, there was a brief moment where we were like, Ehhh…, and then we were like– [He points to the movie’s poster.] We have that many characters already! And then there were others we couldn’t use. Like, Silver Surfer would have been useful, but we can’t touch him. Currently.”
I like that hopeful “currently” he adds at the end there.
So nope, no Adam Warlock, and I think that was a smart idea. Adam Warlock is such a huge force in the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe that he really does need a movie of his own. However, we have seen various teases of him in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies so somebody at Marvel is preparing us for Warlock’s arrival.
Marion Cotillard has been keeping a low profile lately, at least here in the States. Her last two films, Ismael’s Ghosts and her partner Guillaume Canet’s Rock ‘n Roll were both French productions that barely crossed over here. But Cannes is around the corner and Cotillard can usually be counted on to be there with a new project, and this year’s it’s Vanessa Filho’s directorial debut, Angel Face, which now has its first trailer.
Premiering in the festival’s prestigious Un Certain Regard section, Angel Face takes place near the French Riviera where a single mother gives in to her personal demons and abandons her 8-year-old daughter for a man she just met. Based on this footage we could be looking at one of the festival’s breakout films, and perhaps the role that will get Cotillard back in the awards discussion. It looks a little bit like Sean Baker’s The Florida Project, actually.
Here’s the synopsis: The film stars Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) as Marlene, a single mother who lives with her 8-year-old daughter, Elli, in a small town near the French Riviera. One day, Marlene suddenly chooses to abandon her daughter for a man she has just met during yet another night of excess. Elli must confront her mother’s demons to get her back.
Cannes kicks off on May 8th. Next up for Cotillard is a voice role in Stephen Gaghan’s The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle. We’ll put up a subtitled version of the trailer as soon as it becomes available.
Casting Jude Law to play Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel was a huge coup, but if you thought that meant he’d be flying around in super-tights alongside Brie Larson you may have to think again. As we’ve seen in the past, Marvel has no problem changing characters so they are vastly different from their comic book counterparts, and it sounds like the same is happening for Mar-Vell, who remains one of the most iconic superheroes in Marvel Comics history.
Speaking with Uproxx, Kevin Feige revealed that only some aspects of Mar-Vell’s character will be used so that the focus can stay on Brie Larson as Carol Danvers…
“I knew some about him, but it was definitely Carol Danvers who was most interesting to us and why we choose her. But as that character connects to the origin of Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel? We’re pulling from some of that for inspiration.”
Disappointing, but it’s easy to understand why. Carol Danvers is a much simpler character to explain to audiences and is more recognizable. Mar-Vell has been dead for decades, meeting his fate in the classic The Death of Captain Marvel comic. Like Feige, most people probably know little or nothing about him.
That chatterbox Feige also talked about the reason for so many past characters making their return. We already know the story is set in the 1990s, but that doesn’t explain why younger versions of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury (pre eyepatch), Djimon Hounsou’s Korath, Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser and Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson are all coming back. He tells io9…
“It was the backstory of those characters crossing over into Kree mythology, and Kree lore, that just made it made it work. And I always think it’s fun to see, most obviously with Fury in Captain Marvel, but also to a certain extent you’ll see with Ronan and Korath, characters the way they were before they became the icons that you have seen in other films. And it’s just fun to see people in different environments.”
The Kree are an alien race that Ronan and both Captain Marvels belong to. They are natural enemies to the shapeshifting Skrulls, who we know will be chief antagonists in the Captain Marvel movie. So it sounds like we’ll get to see how Nick Fury loses an eye, how Ronan decided to join forces with Thanos, and maybe a Kree-Skrull War tease?
Marvel continues to roll out more footage from Avengers: Infinity War, but they’re doing it in a slightly different way than in years past. Rather than offer a ton of different clips, there have been a handful but not too many, they are slowly expanding on the footage we’ve already seen in smaller pieces.
Last night on Jimmy Kimmel’s show another version of the Cap, Falcon, and Black Widow fight with Proxima Midnight (played by Carrie Coon) and Corvus Glaive (Michael James Shaw) was shown. This is the longest look at the battle yet and is completely unedited from what I can tell. Hopefully that helps you decide whether to watch it or not. If you do, you’ll see how Black Widow has really become an elite fighter nearly as good as Cap, which I never perceived her as before.
Oh, and in case you missed it? Infinity War is already “Certified Fresh” at Rotten Tomatoes. Shocker, I know. You’ll find my review there, as well, but it’s easier to just go here.
Last week was a doozy on The Flash. After trying to find the remaining bus metahumans, Team Flash faced off yet again against DeVoe. Needless to say, it did not go so well. They not only lost the remaining bus meta Edwin, who has the ability to teleport between dimensions, but they also lost someone near and dear to them. Ralph, who was so focused on stopping and killing DeVoe, tried to take him on by himself, and that didn’t go so well as DeVoe killed him by taking over his body. Team Flash surely took a big loss. How will they get back up?
With Team Flash losing not only Ralph but also Killer Frost, they are in a bit of a slump. Caitlin, who spent years resenting her evil metahuman alter ego, realized that she had genuine affection for her icy Mr. Hyde persona. Wells is also having problems. Having spent the last few episodes using the “thinking cap” to further enhance his intelligence (to the point where he became addicted to it), he infused Dark Matter into it. The downside of Wells trying to enhance himself is that it backfired and now he’s losing his intelligence. Because he kept his Dark Matter usage a secret from the team, Cisco wants to develop one for himself, something he doesn’t want Cisco to use so he doesn’t lose his intelligence as well. Iris and Barry are going back to their therapist to try and make sense of Ralph’s loss as he’s become a part of the Team Flash family. Iris is opening up with the therapist. Barry, not too much. He’s dealt with a lot of loss throughout the years, so he’s acting like he’s over Ralph’s death. We know the real deal though.
Team Flash gets a dimensional alert telling them that DeVoe is going after one of the remaining bus metas: Fallout, the person who generates nuclear energy that could destroy a city. If he gains Fallout’s power, he could do some serious damage. Barry realizes that he needs to get some help to transport Fallout to a safe location. Cisco and Barry teleport to Earth-X where the Leonard Snart Earth-X doppelganger is still fighting Nazis. Because Snart in that earth is Captain Cold there as well, he can use his cold gun to help cool down Fallout if he goes nuclear while being transported. Little do they know, he’s also doing battle with Laurel Lance from Earth-X, who goes by “Siren-X,” and is a member of the Nazi bad guys that were taken down during the crossover episode. While they transport back to Earth-1, Siren-X follows them back through the breach. This Laurel Lance not only has the ability to use her power to have sonic screams, but she also has an echo ability to hear people from a far distance away, and she knows about Fallout, and she could use a bomb.
Snart agrees to help them, as long as he gets back in time to for his wedding to Ray Terrill (yay LGBT representation). Snart chats with Team Flash to get updates on what’s going on and notices that Killer Frost is gone, but also learns about Ralph. Snart isn’t buying that Barry is OK with his death and they have a long conversation about losing people. Snart reveals that he’s lost thousands of people on Earth-X, and the only way to move past their loss is to grieve it. Barry says he’s OK, but we and Snart know that he’s not over it.
The team prepares to move Fallout with Snart’s help. They put him in a protective suit and douse themselves with anti-radiation medication. Of course, DeVoe shows up. Barry uses the sonic pitchfork to stop DeVoe, but now within Ralph body, he’s impervious to the weapon. This causes Barry to have a crisis and freeze. Lucky for everyone, Sirin-X shows up and attacks all of them. She then escapes with Fallout, Joe, and Iris.
DeVoe returns back to his lair upset. He predicted everything that was going to happen. He predicted Siren-X would come and that Barry would defeat her, allowing him to escape with Fallout. However, with all his analysis and intelligence, he couldn’t predict Barry having strong emotions over Ralph, something his wife points out. However, DeVoe silences her because he’s “the one who thinks.” This is going to cause a problem between the married couple now.
Siren-X takes Fallout, Joe, and Iris to the police headquarters where Fallout starts to go radioactive. Barry, Captain Cole, and Caitlin (with her own Captain Cold gun- why did they even need Snart?) head there to face against her. Barry once again freezes in battle. However, Snart convinces him to snap out of it and lead. He manages to knock out Siren-X and then Snart and Caitlin cool down Fallout, saving the day. Barry then leaves everyone so that he can properly grieve in peace, letting out a big ugly cry.
In the aftermath, Snart bids the team farewell so that he can attend his own wedding. Caitlin discovers that Killer Frost may not be lost as some of her genes still have the Killer Frost metahuman gene. She just has to find a way to get her back. As for Fallout, he’s not out the woods. Although he was taken to an ARGUS facility, DeVoe knows where it is and is free to try and find him. But is his wife still on board?
Next week, Team Flash has to stop DeVoe before he enacts his next plan.
It’s looking increasingly likely that Danny Boyle’s untitled musical rom-com will take precedent over the upcoming James Bond film, and every new casting move is a reminder where his priorities are. The latest addition to the cast is Blade Runner 2 breakout Ana de Armas, joining a cast that includes Lily James, Himesh Patel, Kate McKinnon, and Ed Sheeran who is reportedly still in talks.
What de Armas’ role will be is unclear but then the plot is still something of a mystery. It was previously reported the story would center on a man who wakes up to discover he’s the only one who can remember The Beatles’ music. Sheeran would write original songs for the film if he signs on. Richard Curtis wrote the screenplay.
Boyle’s film is slated to open next year on September 13th. De Armas will be seen next in the British thriller Three Seconds alongside Clive Owen, Rosamund Pike, and Joel Kinnaman. [Deadline]
*No need to fear. I’ve kept this review totally spoiler free.*
It may be odd to consider that Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel’s epic superhero jam they’ve been building up to for a decade, isn’t really an Avengers movie at all. They are in it, of course, and we’ve been speculating on which of them would make it out alive for months. But they aren’t what this movie is about at all. This movie completely, utterly, belongs to Josh Brolin’s warmongering villain Thanos, who has been teased since The Avengers all the way back in 2012.
That’s a lot of build for one bad guy so he better kick ass, right? Thanos delivers, in every way possible. While not as complex as Black Panther‘s Erik Killmonger, he’s not painfully thin and unimpressive like Ultron was. He is the perfect vessel with which the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it is destroyed and reshaped. Nothing that comes after him will be the same, and everything that came before him seems tame by comparison.
Chock-a-block with nearly two dozen characters, Infinity War is a tricky balancing act for directors James and Anthony Russo. They basically have two goals that must be accomplished: introduce the stakes, and keep Thanos looking invincible. They manage to pull off both with surprising ease given the humongous cast, while also keeping the tone light enough that we aren’t weighed down by the constant threat the heroes face. This movie is funny, especially when Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy are around, but then Thanos shows up to remind you what they are supposed to be fighting for.
It’s all about the Infinity Stones, those colorful McGuffins that have been littering the MCU since the beginning. They’re not so pointless now; they are the most powerful objects in the universe and brought together they would give Thanos the ability to destroy the entire universe. But his goals aren’t as “simple” as that. Right from the beginning, after a surprisingly lean intro that speaks to the film’s serious tone, we learn that Thanos’ plan is rooted in nihilistic quasi-religious dogma that would see the universe remade in his image.
The maximum amount of juggling is necessary to completely capture the scope of Thanos’ scheme. There are five Infinity Stones left out there, two of which are on Earth, the rest scattered throughout space. We get an idea of how ruthless Thanos can be in the opening scene, a devastating display that is going to leave audiences stunned at the a destruction left in his wake. It’s Marvel’s way of saying “The gloves are off this time, kiddos”.
On Earth, Thanos sends his “children” the Black Order, all nearly as powerful as he, to find the Stones’ location. This naturally puts them at odds with the Avengers, who are in a state of disarray after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wong (Benedict Wong), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) are the first Earthbound heroes to face the Black Order’s onslaught, which leaves Manhattan in ruins and the heroes backpedaling. Meanwhile, Captain America (Chris Evans) has been off the grid with his team: Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, really given a boost in this film) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie), but they answer the call when other teammates’ lives are threatened.
One of the most surprising aspects is how many Avengers get their own little story arcs to follow. While they all can’t share in the spotlight, Vision (Paul Bettany) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) play a major role and see their relationship arrive in a place that comic book fans will recognize, but others may be taken aback by. As odd as the pairing might be they have the most emotional arc of them all, when before they were two of the most under-served characters.
The Russos, along with screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus, do a solid job of keeping the characters consistent and their continuity straight. For those who loved the new comedic Thor (Chris Hemsworth) seen in Thor: Ragnarok, you’ll be pleased at this version’s wisecracks alongside Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and sullen teenaged Groot (Vin Diesel). Black Panther fans also get a trip to Wakanda and the cool-as-Hell meeting between geniuses Bruce Banner and Shuri (Letitia Wright). Seeing some of these characters paired up for the first time is a big part of the thrill and Infinity War’s massive appeal. Who doesn’t want to see Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) be a smartass to fellow smartass Tony Stark?
There’s so much going on that it can be daunting. The Avengers are basically split up four ways, meaning four story points to follow. Plus, you have Thanos and his story which intersects on a personal level with so many characters, especially in the Guardians. We dig deep into his past to learn the origin of his twisted philosophy; it’s almost like a biopic about the creation of a genocidal madman. And all the while there is still this “race-the-clock” momentum as the teams scramble to stop Thanos from touching down on Earth and slaughtering everybody. That’s okay, he does plenty of slaughtering along the way, and again, some of it is stunning.
While Thanos is the MVP his crew the Black Order aren’t quite as impressive. As a big fan of Cull Obsidian (known as Black Dwarf in the comics, they shouldn’t have changed the name) I was disappointed by the big man in this film. It’s also clear where the screenplay cuts corners to bring the Avengers together. It’s a necessary evil with so many characters to assemble, otherwise we’d be looking at a four hour movie.
Still, these are minor complaints for a superhero movie that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I was both grinning with glee and terrified at the prospect that any of my favorite heroes could be killed off at any moment. Avengers: Infinity War is everything promised; it is a blockbuster spectacle shot up with adrenaline and when it’s over you’ll know the Marvel Universe will never be the same, and that makes the future tremendously exciting.
