AD
Home Blog Page 1852

It’s Official! Disney’s Purchase Of 20th Century Fox Is Complete

By
John Nolan
-

It’s official! Disney has bought 20th Century Fox, the movie and film divisions of 21st Century Fox. The deal was expected to be completed before Christmas and now it is final, and the repercussions will be extensive. For the record, the deal includes FX Networks and National Geographic, 22 regional sports networks, as well Fox’s stake in Hulu and stakes in Sky and Star.
It doe not include Fox’s news and media outlets such as Fox News, Fox Sports, etc. The deal is said to be valued at near $70B.

You know what this means already. The potential for the X-Men to finally be brought over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as fans have long desired.  Does this mean a complete rebooting of the mutant-verse? What does it bode for X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Deadpool 2, and New Mutants? Would Disney even allow for an R-Rated Deadpool movie? Those who have been hoping to see the Fantastic Four finally have a chance at a successful movie franchise may also get their wish. But don’t forget other incredibly huge Fox properties that now make the jump to Disney, such as Alien, Predator, Planet of the Apes, Kingsman, Die Hard, and the highest-grossing movie of all-time, James Cameron’s Avatar. Think about that; as almost an afterthought Disney just gained the biggest single movie ever.

All of this new content will likely become an integral piece to Disney’s upcoming streaming network, due to launch in 2019. We may even see Hulu be folded into this service, as well. 

You don’t need to be told how big this is, arguably bigger than Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. There are going to be major changes to properties we all love based on this, so get ready.

Check out the full press release below, and expect more thoughts on this going forward.

The Walt Disney Company and Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Disney to acquire 21st Century Fox, including the Twentieth Century Fox Film and Television studios, along with cable and international TV businesses, for approximately $52.4 billion in stock (subject to adjustment). Building on Disney’s commitment to deliver the highest quality branded entertainment, the acquisition of these complementary assets would allow Disney to create more appealing content, build more direct relationships with consumers around the world and deliver a more compelling entertainment experience to consumers wherever and however they choose. Immediately prior to the acquisition, 21st Century Fox will separate the Fox Broadcasting network and stations, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network into a newly listed company that will be spun off to its shareholders.

Under the terms of the agreement, shareholders of 21st Century Fox will receive 0.2745 Disney shares for each 21st Century Fox share they hold (subject to adjustment for certain tax liabilities as described below). The exchange ratio was set based on a 30-day volume weighted average price of Disney stock. Disney will also assume approximately $13.7 billion of net debt of 21st Century Fox. The acquisition price implies a total equity value of approximately $52.4 billion and a total transaction value of approximately $66.1 billion (in each case based on the stated exchange ratio assuming no adjustment) for the business to be acquired by Disney, which includes consolidated assets along with a number of equity investments.>
>
Popular Entertainment Properties to Join Disney Family>
>
Combining with Disney are 21st Century Fox’s critically acclaimed film production businesses, including Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox 2000, which together offer diverse and compelling storytelling businesses and are the homes of Avatar, X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool, as well as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Hidden Figures, Gone Girl, The Shape of Water and The Martian—and its storied television creative units, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FX Productions and Fox21, which have brought The Americans, This Is Us, Modern Family, The Simpsons and so many more hit TV series to viewers across the globe. Disney will also acquire FX Networks, National Geographic Partners, Fox Sports Regional Networks, Fox Networks Group International, Star India and Fox’s interests in Hulu, Sky plc, Tata Sky and Endemol Shine Group.>
>
“The acquisition of this stellar collection of businesses from 21st Century Fox reflects the increasing consumer demand for a rich diversity of entertainment experiences that are more compelling, accessible and convenient than ever before,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “We’re honored and grateful that Rupert Murdoch has entrusted us with the future of businesses he spent a lifetime building, and we’re excited about this extraordinary opportunity to significantly increase our portfolio of well-loved franchises and branded content to greatly enhance our growing direct-to-consumer offerings. The deal will also substantially expand our international reach, allowing us to offer world-class storytelling and innovative distribution platforms to more consumers in key markets around the world.”>
>
“We are extremely proud of all that we have built at 21st Century Fox, and I firmly believe that this combination with Disney will unlock even more value for shareholders as the new Disney continues to set the pace in what is an exciting and dynamic industry,” said Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox. “Furthermore, I’m convinced that this combination, under Bob Iger’s leadership, will be one of the greatest companies in the world. I’m grateful and encouraged that Bob has agreed to stay on, and is committed to succeeding with a combined team that is second to none.”>
>
At the request of both 21st Century Fox and the Disney Board of Directors, Mr. Iger has agreed to continue as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company through the end of calendar year 2021.>
>
“When considering this strategic acquisition, it was important to the Board that Bob remain as Chairman and CEO through 2021 to provide the vision and proven leadership required to successfully complete and integrate such a massive, complex undertaking,” said Orin C. Smith, Lead Independent Director of the Disney Board. “We share the belief of our counterparts at 21st Century Fox that extending his tenure is in the best interests of our company and our shareholders, and will be critical to Disney’s ability to effectively drive long-term value from this extraordinary acquisition.”>
>
Benefits to Consumers>
>
The acquisition will enable Disney to accelerate its use of innovative technologies, including its BAMTECH platform, to create more ways for its storytellers to entertain and connect directly with audiences while providing more choices for how they consume content. The complementary offerings of each company enhance Disney’s development of films, television programming and related products to provide consumers with a more enjoyable and immersive entertainment experience.>
>
Bringing on board 21st Century Fox’s entertainment content and capabilities, along with its broad international footprint and a world-class team of managers and storytellers, will allow Disney to further its efforts to provide a more compelling entertainment experience through its direct-to-consumer (DTC) offerings. This transaction will enable Disney’s recently announced Disney and ESPN-branded DTC offerings, as well as Hulu, to create more appealing and engaging experiences, delivering content, entertainment and sports to consumers around the world wherever and however they want to enjoy it.>
>
The agreement also provides Disney with the opportunity to reunite the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool with the Marvel family under one roof and create richer, more complex worlds of inter-related characters and stories that audiences have shown they love. The addition of Avatar to its family of films also promises expanded opportunities for consumers to watch and experience storytelling within these extraordinary fantasy worlds. Already, guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort can experience the magic of Pandora—The World of Avatar, a new land inspired by the Fox film franchise that opened earlier this year. And through the incredible storytelling of National Geographic—whose mission is to explore and protect our planet and inspire new generations through education initiatives and resources—Disney will be able to offer more ways than ever before to bring kids and families the world and all that is in it.>
>
Enhancing Disney’s Worldwide Offerings>
>
Adding 21st Century Fox’s premier international properties enhances Disney’s position as a truly global entertainment company with authentic local production and consumer services across high-growth regions, including a richer array of local, national and global sporting events that ESPN can make available to fans around the world. The transaction boosts Disney’s international revenue mix and exposure.>
>
Disney’s international reach would greatly expand through the addition of Sky, which serves nearly 23 million households in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy; Fox Networks International, with more than 350 channels in 170 countries; and Star India, which operates 69 channels reaching 720 million viewers a month across India and more than 100 other countries.>
>
Prior to the close of the transaction, it is anticipated that 21st Century Fox will seek to complete its planned acquisition of the 61% of Sky it doesn’t already own. Sky is one of Europe’s most successful pay television and creative enterprises with innovative and high-quality direct-to-consumer platforms, resonant brands and a strong and respected leadership team. 21st Century Fox remains fully committed to completing the current Sky offer and anticipates that, subject to the necessary regulatory consents, the transaction will close by June 30, 2018. Assuming 21st Century Fox completes its acquisition of Sky prior to closing of the transaction, The Walt Disney Company would assume full ownership of Sky, including the assumption of its outstanding debt, upon closing.>
>
Transaction Highlights>
>
The acquisition is expected to yield at least $2 billion in cost savings from efficiencies realized through the combination of businesses, and to be accretive to earnings before the impact of purchase accounting for the second fiscal year after the close of the transaction.>
>
Terms of the transaction call for Disney to issue approximately 515 million new shares to 21st Century Fox shareholders, representing approximately a 25% stake in Disney on a pro forma basis. The per share consideration is subject to adjustment for certain tax liabilities arising from the spinoff and other transactions related to the acquisition. The initial exchange ratio of 0.2745 Disney shares for each 21st Century Fox share was set based on an estimate of such tax liabilities to be covered by an $8.5 billion cash dividend to 21st Century Fox from the company to be spun off. The exchange ratio will be adjusted immediately prior to closing of the acquisition based on an updated estimate of such tax liabilities. Such adjustment could increase or decrease the exchange ratio, depending upon whether the final estimate is lower or higher, respectively, than the initial estimate. However, if the final estimate of the tax liabilities is lower than the initial estimate, the first $2 billion of that adjustment will instead be made by net reduction in the amount of the cash dividend to 21st Century Fox from the company to be spun off. The amount of such tax liabilities will depend upon several factors, including tax rates in effect at the time of closing as well as the value of the company to be spun off.>
>
The Boards of Directors of Disney and 21st Century Fox have approved the transaction, which is subject to shareholder approval by 21st Century Fox and Disney shareholders, clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, a number of other non-United States merger and other regulatory reviews, and other customary closing conditions.>
>

SAG Awards: ‘Three Billboards’ Leads All With Four Nominations, ‘The Post’ Gets Shut Out

By
John Nolan
-

We’re on the long hard road to the Oscars, and that winding path just took another turn with the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for the best performances of 2017. Leading the way with four nominations was Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri including nods for Frances McDormand for Outstanding Actress and one for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Surprisingly, both Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson were nominated in the same category. Really? There wasn’t anybody else they could have put in there? Maybe Jason Mitchell or Garrett Hedlund for Mudbound?

There are some notable snubs but the biggest have to be Steven Spielberg’s The Post, which was completely shut out, and Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk which only earned one nomination for Outstanding Stunt Ensemble. In another stunner, Daniel Kaluuya’s performance in Get Out was chosen ahead of Tom Hanks for The Post, Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread, Andrew Garfield in Breathe, and Jake Gyllenhaal for Stronger. I think we can count on Kaluuya being in the mix for an Oscar, especially since he also was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Full list of nominees for both film and television are below:

Motion Picture Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Judi Dench, “Victoria & Abdul”
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson,”Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Hong Chau, “Downsizing”
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture
“The Big Sick”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Mudbound”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“Baby Driver”
“Dunkirk”
“Logan”
“Wonder Woman”
“War for the Planet of the Apes”
Television Awards
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock”
Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”
Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”
Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”
Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”
Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”
Claire Foy, “The Crown”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Marc Maron, “GLOW”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
Alison Brie, “GLOW”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Stranger Things”
“This Is Us”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
“Black-ish”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“GLOW”
“Orange is the New Black”
“Veep”
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
“Game of Thrones”
“GLOW”
“Homeland”
“Stranger Things”
“The Walking Dead”

Ike Barinholtz’s Political Satire ‘The Oath’ Casts Tiffany Haddish And John Cho

By
John Nolan
-

Ike Barinholtz’s upcoming satire The Oath might have been perfectly fine on its own. He’s a funny guy as we’ve seen on The Mindy Project, Suicide Squad, Neighbors, and other films where he tends to be a supporting player. But now that he has added Girls Trip breakout Tiffany Haddish and John Cho, who recently gave the best performance of his career in Columbus, Barinholtz may have the makings of something great on his hands.

Haddish and Cho have joined The Oath, which Barinholtz will write, direct, produce, and star in. The film is a pretty timely one, takes place in an America sharply divided down political lines and where citizens are forced to take an oath of loyalty. The political satire will follow one man as he tries to get through  Thanksgiving without destroying his family.

Also joining the cast are Carrie Brownstein, Meredith Hagner, Billy Magnussen, Nora Dunn, Jon Barinholtz, and Chris Ellis, with filming set to begin this week. [THR]

‘Mad To Be Normal’ Trailer: David Tennant & Elisabeth Moss Let The Madness In

By
John Nolan
-

In Jessica Jones we saw David Tennant do all sorts of crazy things to mess with her head. Now we’re going to see him go to some unusual  lengths to try and help people with mental illness in Mad to be Normal, in which plays real life psychiatrist R.D. Liang, a controversial figure who used LSD as and other psychedelic drugs as part of his treatment.

Directed by Robert Mullan, the film explores Liang’s wild life as London’s most famous (and infamous) doctor. The Scottish psychiatrist opened a “safe haven” for schizophrenic patients at Kingsley Hall, where his anti-psychiatry, medicine-free treatments, which often included experimentation with LSD, made him an enemy to the medical establishment.  Elisabeth Moss plays his lover, a fictional character created for this story. Here’s the official synopsis:


There was no more charismatic or controversial a figure during the swinging ’60s than Scottish psychiatrist R D Laing. Dubbed “the white Martin Luther King” and the “high priest of anti-psychiatry”, Laing was as famous as Dylan. In 1965, he established Kingsley Hall in East London as a medication-free community for those seriously affected by schizophrenia. His methods, which involved experimenting with LSD on his patients and practicing a form of self-healing known as metanoia, flew in the face of a medical establishment that considered Laing a dangerous radical. Mad To Be Normal offers a powerful account of Laing’s Kingsley Hall experiment with a stunning performance from David Tennant that truly gets under the skin of an utterly compelling figure. Tennant’s nuanced, complex work conveys a sense of Laing’s immense personal charm and the combination of intelligence and arrogance that made him equally revered and reviled. The film also captures the darker side of a mercurial man who rarely made it easy for those who dared to get close to him, especially his lover Angie (Elisabeth Moss). A magnificent ensemble cast includes heartrending performances from Michael Gambon and Gabriel Byrne.


Mad to be Normal hits VOD on February 16th.

‘The Clapper’ Trailer: Ed Helms Gets Famous For Being Nobody

By
John Nolan
-

There was a time when Dito Montiel looked like an up and coming director. He had just directed the indie darling A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, which helped introduce the world to Shia LaBeouf and Channing Tatum. Then…well, it’s been a string of star-studded failures. Seriously, he’s worked with everyone from Dwayne Johnson to Robin Williams in his final screen role. But movies like Empire State, The Son of No One, Man Down, Boulevard, and Fighting (which I kinda like, f’real) failed to make any noise. And now Montiel is back with The Clapper, a romance with a solid cast, an intriguing premise, and probably nobody will see it.

Ed Helms stars as a regular dude who becomes an instant celebrity over his job as a seat filler for late night infomercials. But his newfound fame threatens to destroy everything, including the relationship he’s building with a gas station cashier played by Amanda Seyfried.

That’s…kinda interesting, right? And it doesn’t look bad, just kinda bland and one-note, which is how most of Montiel’s movies play.  The Clapper hits VOD on January 26th 2018 and co-stars Tracy Morgan, Leah Remini, Adam Levine, and Brenda Vaccaro.

Even Ezra Miller Jokes About The “Martha” Scene From ‘Batman V Superman’

By
John Nolan
-

While I think Batman v Superman took more crap than it deserved, there’s no denying how dumb one particular scene was. You know the one. Batman has Superman beat, he’s about to send him to meet ol’ Pa Kent in Heaven, and….”Martha!!!”

The “Martha” moment. Supes screams out his mother’s name like a punk, and Bats realizes they share that in common. With both of their moms being named Martha, the two heroes reconcile in a matter of moments, Bats realizes the error of his ways, and they run off to fight Doomsday with a little help from Wonder Woman, who is lucky she wasn’t named Martha of Themyscira.

It’s stupid, and even Justice League‘s Ezra Miller knows it. In the below video, taken from an interview place in Japan, the cast is asked which other hero on the team they’d like to play. Miller, deciding to have some fun with the question, manages to work in a jab at the “Martha” scene, which is great if you ask me. It deserves to be ridiculed.

Attend A Free DC Screening Of Ridley Scott’s ‘All The Money In The World’

By
John Nolan
-

We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free advance screening of Ridley Scott’s anticipated kidnapping drama, All the Money in the World. The film stars Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg, Charlie Plummer, and Christopher Plummer.

SYNOPSIS: ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD follows the kidnapping of 16-year- old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Christopher Plummer) to pay the ransom. When Getty Sr. refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son’s captors become increasingly volatile and brutal. With her son’s life in the balance, Gail and Getty’s advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money.


The screening takes place on Monday, December 18th at 7:00pm at Landmark E Street Cinema. If you’d like to attend, simply register at the Sony Pictures ticketing site here and download one Admit-Two pass. Please remember that all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure receiving a seat. Enjoy the show!

All the Money in the World opens Christmas Day.

‘The Goonies’, ‘Superman’, ‘Memento’ & More Added To National Film Registry

By
John Nolan
-

Along with winning the Oscar for Best Picture, the greatest achievement a film can receive is to be added to the National Film Registry. To qualify it must be at least ten years old and the National Film Preservation Board must find it to be  “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. It’s that time of year when a batch of new classics, some well-known and some far from it, are set aside to assure they are around for future generations.


So don’t expect to find Soul Plane on the list.

I’m going to rattle off some of my favorites that made the cut, and there are a ton of them. The Goonies pretty much had to be there, didn’t it?  And the same goes for Die Hard, one of the ultimate action movie franchises and holiday movies, so it fills two niches.  A film I truly love and is still relevant today, Ace in the Hole, was added to the Registry. The same goes for Superman, which laid the groundwork for the superhero movie dominance we’ve seen over the last decade. The powerful civil rights documentary 4 Little Girls, La Bamba, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and Christopher Nolan’s Memento all deserve to be there and I don’t think there will be any beef with that. 

Oh, and Titanic got in. Eh, I guess so. Some people like it and I hear it did okay at the box office.

See the full list below!

Ace in the Hole (aka Big Carnival) (1951)
Based on the infamous 1925 case of Kentucky cave explorer Floyd Collins, who became trapped underground and whose gripping saga created a national sensation lasting two weeks before Collins died. A deeply cynical look at journalism, “Ace in the Hole” features Kirk Douglas as a once-famous New York reporter, now a down-and-out has been in Albuquerque. Douglas plots a return to national prominence by milking the story of a man trapped in a Native American cave dwelling as a riveting human-interest story, complete with a tourist-laden, carnival atmosphere outside the rescue scene. The callously indifferent wife of the stricken miner is no more sympathetic: “I don’t go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.” Providing a rare moral contrast is Porter Hall, who plays Douglas’ ethical editor appalled at his reporter’s actions. Such a scathing tale of media manipulation might have helped turn this brilliant film into a critical and commercial failure, which later led Paramount to reissue the film under a new title, “The Big Carnival.”
Boulevard Nights (1979)
“Boulevard Nights” had its genesis in a screenplay by UCLA student Desmond Nakano about Mexican-American youth and the lowrider culture. Director Michael Pressman and cinematographer John Bailey shot the film in the barrios of East Los Angeles with the active participation of the local community (including car clubs and gang members). This street-level strategy using mostly non-professional actors produced a documentary-style depiction of the tough choices faced by Chicano youth as they come of age and try to escape or navigate gang life (“Two brothers…the street was their playground and their battleground”). In addition to “Boulevard Nights,” this era featured several films chronicling youth gangs and rebellion — “The Warriors” (1979), “Over the Edge” (1979), “Walk Proud” (1979) and “The Outsiders” (1983). The film faced protests and criticism from some Latinos who saw outsider filmmakers, albeit well-intentioned, adopting an anthropological perspective with an excessive focus on gangs and violent neighborhoods. Nevertheless, “Boulevard Nights” stands out as a pioneering snapshot of East L.A. and enjoys semi-cult status in the lowrider community.
Die Hard (1988)
In this now-classic slam-bang thriller, Bruce Willis stars as a New York cop who faces off, alone, against a team of terrorists inside a high-tech, high-rise Los Angeles office tower. Gripping action sequences and well-crafted humor made this film a huge hit and launched Willis as a major box-office star. Alan Rickman, as witty insouciant terrorist and “exceptional thief” Hans Gruber, serves as Willis’ memorable foe. Because the film is set during the Christmas season, many people now consider “Die Hard” a necessary part of their annual holiday viewing, a counterpoint to other holiday staples such as “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Dumbo (1941)
Disney’s charming, trademark animation finds a perfect subject in this timeless tale of a little elephant with oversize ears who lacks a certain confidence until he learns — with the help of a friendly mouse — that his giant lobes enable him to fly. Disney’s fourth feature film gained immediate classic status thanks to its lovely drawing, original score (which would go on to win the Oscar that year) and enduring message of always believing in yourself.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Iowa farmer Kevin Costner one day hears a voice telling him to turn a small corner of his land into a baseball diamond: “If you build it, they will come.” “They” are the 1919 Black Sox team led by the legendary Shoeless Joe Jackson. Although ostensibly about the great American pastime, baseball here serves as a metaphor for more profound issues. Leonard Maltin lauded “Field of Dreams” as “a story of redemption and faith, in the tradition of the best Hollywood fantasies with moments of pure magic.”
4 Little Girls (1997)
An important documentary concerning America’s civil rights struggle, “4 Little Girls” revisits the horrific story of the young children who died in the 1963 firebombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Director Spike Lee first became interested in the story as a student at NYU when he read a 1983 New York Times Magazine article by Howell Raines. Lee combines his experience in fiction filmmaking with documentary techniques, sensitively rendered interviews, photos and home movies to tell the story. The timing of this production was important due to the ages of the key witnesses and relatives and the need to refresh viewers’ memories regarding a dark period in U.S. history.
Fuentes Family Home Movies Collection (1920s-1930s)
Longtime Corpus Christi, Texas, residents Antonio Rodríguez Fuentes (1895-1988) and Josefina Barrera Fuentes (1898-1993) were very active in their local Mexican-American community. Their collection of home movies — mostly from the 1920s and shot on 9.5 mm amateur film format — are among the earliest visual records of the Mexican-American community in Texas and among the first recorded by Mexican-American filmmakers. As with the best home movies, the images provide a priceless snapshot of time and place, including parades, holidays, fashions and the rituals of daily life. The beautiful images also reflect the traditionally fluid nature of the U.S.-Mexico border. The collection is a joint project between the Texas Archive of the Moving Image and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
Winning the 1947 Academy Award for best picture and considered daring at the time, “Gentleman’s Agreement” was one of the first films to directly explore the still-timely topic of religious-based discrimination. Philip Green (Gregory Peck), a Gentile, is a renowned magazine writer. In order to obtain firsthand knowledge of anti-Semitism, he decides to pose as a Jew. What he discovers about society, and even his own friends and colleagues, radically alters his perspective and throws his own life into turmoil. Director Elia Kazan masterfully crafts scenes that reveal bigotry both overt and often insidiously subtle. The film was based on a book by Laura Z. Hobson.
The Goonies (1985)
The fingerprints of executive producer Steven Spielberg visibly mark every second of “The Goonies,” with the plot sporting a narrative structure and many themes characteristic of his work. Spielberg penned the original story, hand-selected director Richard Donner and hired Chris Columbus (who had written the 1983 “Gremlins”) to do the offbeat screenplay. With its keen focus on kids of agency and adventure, “The Goonies” protagonists are Tom Sawyeresque outsiders on a magical treasure hunt, and the story lands in the continuum between where “Our Gang” quests leave off and the darker spaces of Netflix’s recent “Stranger Things” pick up.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
Though it would be Spencer Tracy’s last film and the second film for which Katharine Hepburn would win an Academy Award for best actress, even these movie milestones are somewhat overshadowed by the then-novel plot of the 1967 “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Hepburn and Tracy play an older married couple whose progressiveness is challenged when their daughter (Katharine Houghton, Hepburn’s real-life niece) brings home a new fiancé, who happens to be black. Celebrated actor Sidney Poitier plays the young man with his customary on-screen charisma, fire and grace.
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
One of the earliest “creepy clown” movies, “He Who Gets Slapped” was the first film produced completely by the MGM studio, though not the first released. The film features Lon Chaney in a memorable role as a scientist who is humiliated when a rival and his wife steal his ideas just as he is to present them to the Academy of Sciences. He then becomes a masochistic circus clown where the highlight of his act is being repeatedly slapped. One of many stand-out scenes occurs during a circus performance where Chaney spots those who betrayed him and tries to call them out, but his fellow clowns are doing their normal crowd-pleasing routine of slapping him in the face. Filled with nightmarish vignettes, this landmark film from the silent era was directed by Victor Sjöström (newly arrived from Sweden and using an anglicized last name of Seastrom) and also features Norma Shearer and John Gilbert, each on the cusp of stardom.
Interior New York Subway, 14th Street to 42nd Street (1905)
This early actuality film documents New York City’s newest marvel, the subway, less than seven months after its opening. However, the film is not as simple as it first appears. It required coordinating three trains: the one we watch, the one carrying the camera and a third (glimpsed on the parallel track) to carry a bank of lights. The artistic flair is the vision of legendary cameraman G.W. “Billy” Bitzer.
La Bamba (1987)
“La Bamba” is a biopic of the life of rock star Ritchie Valens, rock’s first Mexican-American superstar. Directed by Luis Valdez, “La Bamba” (the film draws its name from Valens’ signature song) charts Valens’ meteoric rise as a musician and his tragic death at age 17 in a 1959 plane crash, along with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. Lou Diamond Phillips stars as the late Valens. The film’s success not only reinvigorated interest in Valens’ brief but notable musical legacy, it also brought the title tune back to the charts (in a cover version by Los Lobos) 28 years after its first appearance.
Lives of Performers (1972)
Yvonne Rainer was born in San Francisco in 1934. At a very young age, Rainer’s father introduced her to films and her mother introduced her to ballet. She moved to New York in 1956, where she studied dance at the Martha Graham School while also learning ballet at Ballet Arts. Much like other choreographers of her era, Rainer sought to blur the stark line separating dancers from non-dancers. Her work has been described as “foundational across multiple disciplines and movements: dance, cinema, feminism, minimalism, conceptual art and postmodernism.” “Lives of Performers” has been characterized as “a stark and revealing examination of romantic alliances … the dilemma of a man who can’t choose between two women and makes them both suffer.”
Memento (2000)
This innovative detective-murder, psychological puzzle (and director Christopher Nolan’s breakthrough film) tells its story in non-linear stops and starts in order to put the audience in a position approximating the hero’s short-term amnesia. Guy Pearce tries to avenge his wife’s murder but his anterograde amnesia forces him to rely on sticky notes, tattoos and Polaroids. Nolan recounts, “My solution to telling the story subjectively was to deny the audience the same information that the protagonist is denied, and my approach to doing that was to effectively tell the story backwards … so the story is told as a series of flashbacks which go further and further back in time.” According to Nolan, he frequently intercut between the black-and-white “objective” sequences and “subjective” sequences in color. The goal was to show the conflict between how humans see and experience objective versus subjective and the complex relationship between imagination and memory.
Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
Considered the “quintessential” Howard Hawks male melodrama by many, “Only Angels Have Wings” stars Cary Grant as the tough-talking head of a cut-rate air freight company in the Andes. Grant has a dangerous business to run and spurns romantic entanglements, fearing women blanch at the inherent danger. Displaced showgirl Jean Arthur arrives and tries to prove him wrong. Along with sparkling dialogue from Grant, Arthur and renowned character actor Thomas Mitchell, “Only Angels Have Wings” captivates with dazzling air sequences featuring landings on canyon rims, ups and downs and perilous flights through foggy mountain passes.
The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918)
Having virtually established animation as a viable medium through films such as “Little Nemo” (1911) and “Gertie the Dinosaur” (1914), newspaper cartoonist Winsor McCay produced this propaganda short (combining animation, editorial cartoon and live-action documentary techniques) to stir Americans into action after a German submarine sank the British liner RMS Lusitania in 1915, killing 1,198 passengers and crew, including 128 Americans. McCay was upset with the isolationist sentiment present in the country and at his employer, the Hearst newspapers chain. It took McCay nearly two years working on his own to produce the film, debuting a year after America entered the war. Nevertheless, this is a significant film historically and a notable early example of animation being used for a purpose other than comedy. In his seminal “American Silent Film,” William K. Everson called the film “a wartime film that was both anti-German propaganda and an attempt to provide a documentary reconstruction of a major news event not covered by regular newsreel cameramen. The incredibly detailed drawings of the Lusitania, intercut with inserts of newspaper headlines relative to the notable victims, and strongly-worded editorializing sub-titles concerning the bestiality of the Hun, make this a fascinating and seldom-repeated experiment.”
Spartacus (1960)
Even among the mega epics being produced by Hollywood at the time (such as “The Ten Commandments” and “Cleopatra”), “Spartacus” stands out for its sheer grandeur and remarkable cast (Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov), as well as for Stanley Kubrick’s masterful direction. The film is also credited with helping to end the notorious Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s – its producer, Douglas, hired then-blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo to author the script, which was based on a book by another blacklisted author, Howard Fast.
Superman (1978)
Director Richard Donner’s treatment of the famous superhero was not the first time the character had been on the big screen. Kirk Alyn played the role back in a 1948 serial and George Reeves appeared in both theatrical and TV versions in the 1950s. However, for many, Christopher Reeve remains the definitive Man of Steel. This film, an “origins” story, recounts Superman’s journey to Earth as a boy, his move from Smallville to Metropolis and his emergence as a true American hero. Beautiful in its sweep, score and special effects, which create a sense of awe and wonder, “Superman” — as the tag line reads — makes you “believe a man can fly.”
Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)
Charlotte Zwerin’s insightful documentary of the jazz pianist-composer Thelonious Monk blends together excellent interviews with those who knew him best and riveting concert performances, many shot in the 1960s by Christian Blackwood. Reviewing the film in The New York Times, Stephen Holden noted, “Charlotte Zwerin’s remarkable documentary … reminds us again and again that Monk was as important a jazz composer as he was a pianist.”
Time and Dreams (1976)
Created in 1976 by Mort Jordan, a student at Temple University, “Time and Dreams” is a unique and personal elegiac approach to the civil rights movement. The filmmaker has described “Time and Dreams” as a personal journey back to his Alabama home, where he contrasts two societies: the nostalgia some residents have for past values versus the deferred dreams of those who are well past waiting for their time to fully participate in the promise of their own dreams. Through vignettes and personal testimonies, the film portrays Greene County, Alabama, as its people move toward understanding and cooperation in a time of social change.
Titanic (1997)
James Cameron’s epic retold the story of the great maritime disaster and made mega-stars of both its leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Their upstairs-downstairs romance transported the audience to another world and time via spectacular sweeping scenes in the bow of the ship and beyond. The film cost $200 million to produce, leading many to predict a historic box office disaster, but “Titanic” became one of the top-grossing films of all-time and a cultural touchstone of the era. Newsweek’s David Ansen spoke of how Cameron managed to fulfill expectations for the film: “When Cameron’s camera pulls back from a closeup of the exuberant DiCaprio at the bow of the ship and lifts to peer down from the sky at the Titanic passing majestically underneath, you feel the kind of jaw-dropping delight you felt as a child overwhelmed by the sheer size of Hollywood’s dreams. ‘Titanic’ is big, bold, touchingly uncynical filmmaking.”
To Sleep with Anger (1990)
Beginning with his UCLA student film, the austere neo-realistic “Killer of Sheep,” director Charles Burnett has carved out a distinctive and exalted niche in American independent cinema. Burnett often sets his films on a small scale but deftly explores universal themes, including the power to endure and the rewards and burdens of family. Critic Leonard Maltin called “To Sleep with Anger” an “evocative domestic drama about the effect storyteller/trickster (Danny) Glover has on the various members of a black family. More than just a portrait of contemporary black society, it’s a story of cultural differences between parents and children of how individuals learn (or don’t learn) from experience, and of how there should be no place for those who cause violence and strife.”
Wanda (1971)
Film and TV actress Barbara Loden wrote and directed this affecting and insightful character study about an uneducated, passive woman from the coal-mining region of Pennsylvania, where the cinema verite-like film was shot. The title character possesses critically low self-esteem, leaves her kids and husband and then drifts aimlessly into a series of one-night stands and a dangerous relationship with a bank robber. Today, many consider this low-budget study of loneliness and personal isolation one of the finest works of independent cinema during the 1970s.
With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain (1937-1938)
This advocacy documentary about the Lincoln Brigade was shot during the Spanish Civil War to raise funds for bringing wounded American volunteers home. Some 2,800 Americans enlisted in the International Brigades to fight against fascism in defense of the Spanish Republic. The film was directed by Henri Cartier-Bresson with Herbert Kline and additional photography was provided by Jacques Lemare and Robert Capa. This film is held at New York University’s Tamiment Library and is part of a vast collection of materials in the Abraham Lincoln Brigades Archive.


‘The Gifted’ S1E10 Recap: “eXploited”

By
John Nolan
-

Last week The Gifted ended on a surprise cliffhanger.  The Strucker kids learn about the devastating “Fenris” powers after their father reveals to them about their mutant lineage.  Their first trial run at holding hands nearly brings the Mutant Underground headquarters to the ground and killing everyone in it.  Now Andy and Lauren are the de facto muscle for the group, and if left unchecked, could do a world of harm.  The Mutant Underground learned about Trask and stages a rescue operation to get mutants who will become “hounds” out of there.  Sentinel Service is hip to their plans and launches a full strike force against them.  In the end, Laura, Andy, Dreamer, and Blink are all captured while the rest of the Mutant Underground has to retreat in defeat.

This week was an interesting episode.  We finally got to see the “evil mad scientist” side of Doctor Campbell as not only does he experiment on Laura and Andy, but he is willing to torture/kill others just to get the young mutant’s compliance.  Reed and Caitlin visited Agent Turner’s house to appeal to his humanity with mixed results.  The Mutant Underground tried to launch another rescue attempt at Trask Industries, only for one of their own to have an ulterior motive.

Let’s take a look at a few highlights from this week’s episode “eXploited:”

Flashbacks:

We’re now used to the show beginning with Flashback.  Much like Lost took some getting used to with how they incorporated flashbacks into the show, the same can be said for The Gifted.  This week’s flashback focuses on Esme, our favorite telepathic mutant who needs to rescue her family from Trask Industries.  Not so long ago, in the aftermath of the 7/15 attack, there was much of the same racial demagoguing we saw after 9/11 and in the age of Trump.  In fact, there’s a senator in the flashback who is giving his best “Latino Trump” impression, complete with demonizing mutants.  In the aftermath of his rally, he is treated by his new staffer “Stephanie” (who we know as Esme).  It’s clear she’s trying to get in to see how the other side is viewing, or perhaps to use her telepathic powers to influence policy for the racist politician.  However, none of that can come true as she receives a telepathic warning that Sentinel Services knows who she is, and they are after her.  She is forced to do a mad dash through the crowd at the rally and it turns out that it’s too many voices in her head to block out.  Although it’s painful, she powers through and escapes.

Doctor Campbell Experiments On The Strucker Kids:

Actor Garret Dillahun plays creepy well.  His stints on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The 4400 as well a Burn Notice show that he’s perfectly capable of snapping any given second.  His character, for the most part, has hidden behind either Agent Turner or behind his mutant hounds.  This week, he gets his hands dirty in order to try and discover the powers the Strucker children have and just how strong they are.  
He locks them in an adamantium room (nice call to the events of the Wolverine solo and X2 movies) and orders them to use their powers.  The siblings will have no part of whatever he has planned, so they refuse to hold hands.  Campbell then decides to use Blink and Dreamer as bait.  Still, the kids are hesitant.  However, Cambell the turns the gun on Dreamer and shoots her through the chest, our first casualty of the Mutant Underground.  With that, the two decide they have to oblige and hold hands.  While their power isn’t enough to destroy the unbreakable adamantium, the entire building feels the force of their power.

Reed and Caitlin Go to Agent Turner’s House:

Thanks to Esme’s planting the bug in their ear (more on that later), the Strucker’s head to Agent Turner’s house to have a “chat” with him.  Agent Turner has just arrived home and needs to unwind with his wife.  After all, he has a stress-inducing job.  Just as his wife is ready to pour him a drink, Reed and Caitlin come to the door with a gun in hand.  While this may seem at first like a threating visit, they actually do come just to talk instead of “talk.”  They try and implore him as parents to not let Trask Industries experiment on their children.  Turner, however, is headstrong and even when they leave is ready to arrest them.  However, their plan wasn’t to reach Turner, it was to reach his wife.  She is horrified by what her husband is doing to not only people, but children.  She tearfully pleads with his to look at what he is doing in the name of his deceased daughter.
This has a payoff as later on, Turner comes with an order to remove the mutants from Trask and place them back into Sentinel Service’s custody at a federal penitentiary.  For the last few episodes he has turned a blind eye to Doctor Campbell’s methods, but thanks to his wife talking with him (and him seeing what Campbell has done to Dreamer, he changes his attitude.  As a result, Turner has all mutants leave in his custody.  But it doesn’t go as neat as one would hope for….

Esme’s True Intentions Are Revealed:
For the last few episodes, Esme’s presence has continued to grow.  She went from a background mutant, to a new person who wanted to go to war with Sentinel Services in order to get her family back from their custody.  This week’s episode she finally makes her presence (and true intentions) known.  She was the girl from the flashback, whose telepathic powers seemed to overwhelm her at first.  In the present day, she’s in complete control over her powers.  This week’s episode, she’s manipulative.  She convinces Reed and Caitlin to go talk with Agent Turner, making them look like they are sneaking behind the Mutant Underground’s back.  
Her real plan was trying to get her family back by any means necessary.  After she uses a taser on Marcos, she enacts her plan.  Using her full telepathic powers, she forces the guards to turn against each other, shooting their fellow Sentinel Services agents.  As the mutants escape, we get to meet her family.  She has two other sisters that were in custody who have the same power.  Comic fans realize that she is one of the “Stepford Cuckoos,” a group of quintuplets who share a hive mind of telepathic powers.  While the Cuckoos are members of the X-Men in the comics, it looks like they are not on the good guys’ side (since they just murdered a bunch of people) and at odds with both the Mutant Underground and Sentinel Services.
Next week, Agent Turner once again goes on the offensive.

‘The 15:17 To Paris’ Trailer: Clint Eastwood Directs Real-Life Terror Survivors

By
John Nolan
-

That Clint Eastwood’s next film behind the camera is inspired by true events shouldn’t come as a shock. He’s often preferred to chronicle real people and their real accomplishments. But he’s taking it to another level with The 15:17 to Paris, a film that will not only be about the survivors of a deadly terrorist attack, but it will star them as well.

Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos will play versions of themselves in the film, which details how the three friends thwarted the 2015 Thalys terrorist attack on a train bound for Paris. We’ve seen untrained actors used in major feature films before but nothing quite like this, and here’s hoping Eastwood isn’t going too far in his quest for authenticity. The trio will be joined by professional actors you might have heard of: Jenna Fischer, Tony Hale, Judy Greer, and Thomas Lennon. Here’s the official synopsis:

In the early evening of August 21, 2015, the world watched in stunned silence as the media reported a thwarted terrorist attack on Thalys train #9364 bound for Paris—an attempt prevented by three courageous young Americans traveling through Europe.  The film follows the course of the friends’ lives, from the struggles of childhood through finding their footing in life, to the series of unlikely events leading up to the attack.  Throughout the harrowing ordeal, their friendship never wavers, making it their greatest weapon and allowing them to save the lives of the more than 500 passengers on board.

The 15:17 to Paris opens February 9th 2018. Check out the trailer below.

1...1,8511,8521,853...1,879Page 1,852 of 1,879
Want To Advertise With Punch Drunk Critics?
Contact us: info@punchdrunkcritics.com
Facebook Instagram Mail Twitter Youtube
© Copyright 2020 PDC Entertainment