A few weeks ago Marvel pulled Deadpool 3 off of the 2024 calendar, with a likely release coming the following year. But that was during the SAG-AFTRA strike when everything was getting pushed. And now that it’s over…well, it’s time to start putting the plan back into place. Deadline reports that Shawn Levy’s Deadpool sequel is back in 2024, arriving on July 26th. That date sound familiar? There’s a good reason for that.
So the July 26th 2024 date that Deadpool 3 just took was previously held by Captain America: Brave New World. That film heads to February 14th 2025, causing even more shuffling to the Marvel schedule.
Marvel’s long-suffering Blade film with Mahershala Ali was tentatively set for the February 14th date, but it has now moved to November 7th 2025. Furthermore, supervillain flick Thunderbolts sees its date changed from December 20th 2024 to July 25th 2025.
As of now, 2024 is looking pretty quiet for Marvel. The strike really screwed things up, and now only one movie is arriving next year and that’s Deadpool 3. As far as TV goes, the only locked-in series is Echo which arrives in January. Something tells me this won’t last long and projects will be moved up.
The last time someone attempted a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender it was M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 movie and it’s still considered a punchline. But a new series is on the way and headed to Netflix from Albert Kim, original showrunner of the mega-popular animated Nickelodeon franchise, and it looks faithful to what its many fans want.
The new Avatar is led by Gordon Cormier as Aang, joined by Ian Ousley, Kiawentiio, Dallas Liu, and Ken Leung, with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Daniel Dae Kim.
Here’s the synopsis: Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope.
But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang (Gordon Cormier), a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka (Ian Ousley) and Katara (Kiawentiio), siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim). But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.”
Netflix will debut Avatar: The Last Airbender in 2024 for an eight-episode first season. This could be a good way to wash away the bad taste fans still have from Shyamalan’s film, because if this fails it’s doubtful anyone will try this again for a long time.
I am of the age where I was able to witness the retirement of “Mom & Pop” cinemas, smaller (or sometimes even bigger) theaters that were independently run and gave the audience a much-needed reprieve from their everyday problems. They had a different feel from today’s conglomerate-owned multiplexes as they were more intimate. Writer/Director Orson Oblowitz’s latest film Showdown at the Grand is a love letter to that dying breed as it critiques corporate greed, but also finds a way to remix it to have gonzo bloody action in it as well!
George Fuller (Terrence Howard) is the owner/proprietor of a classic picture house the Warner Grand, and his whole life has been dedicated to helping people enjoy the cinematic experience. On a daily basis, he hosts screenings of movies of the past, collects props and memorabilia which he displays at his theater, and overall is content with his life as it makes him happy. He’s been working on trying to get 90s action hero Claude Luc Hallyday (Dolph Lundgren) to come to his theater for a special screening of one of his many cult classic films (such titles as Necropolis,” “Moses vs. The Nazis,” and “Cyber Cartel” are a few) and make an appearance for his audience.
Unfortunately for him, the times are changing. In the offset of the COVID-19 pandemic, not everyone is eager to head to the theaters (something that rings true even today). To top his bad luck even more, rich developer Lynn (Amanda Righetti) wants his property so that her company can build luxury homes where his theater is. George is not interested in selling the business that has been in his family for eons, no matter how many zeroes come along with the potential check. After his first refusal, Lynn sends her henchmen Reed (Mike Ferguson) and Burton (Jon Sklaroff) to basically force him to sell his theater. First, they offer idle threats. And when that doesn’t work out, they rough up his friend Lucky (John Savage) pretty badly.
But does that make George back down? No, not at all! He fights back and equally puts the fear of god into them. For a while in Showdown At The Grand, George and Lunn play a little tit-for-tat with each other, but eventually, they’re going to have to have a full-out battle royale (hence the title of the movie). Of course, her goons attack the theater Assault on Precinct 13-style. It just happens to be on the day that Claude Luc Hallyday is at the theater for the special screening of his past movie. George has already made use of his crossbow and katana swords he’s collected, so why not use another weapon in your arsenal: a famous action star who knows how to fight? In the grand finale of Showdown At The Grand, it’s up to George and Claude to fight back against hordes of stormtrooper-looking bad guys armed with machetes. While the action doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it is highly entertaining. With George being a theater owner, you know at least one kill will have to be choking a bad guy with a reel of film.
With a different cast Showdown At The Grand wouldn’t be as fun. Terrance Howard (who better not retire like he says he will) elevates the film as he displays a theater owner who just wants to hold onto what he loves, he just happens to also be kickass with a crossbow and completely nails the “urban cowboy” look to a T. Dolph Lundgren continues his renaissance tour (whether that be Creed 2,The Expendables movies or Old Spice commercials) as plays the role of an aging action star flawlessly. Director Orson Oblowitz’s choice to splice “footage” of Lundgren’s Claude’s movies into various scenes that fit the narrative tone of the movie is also genius. Another great character in the film is actually the Warner Grand Theater itself. The set is a throwback to when single movie theaters were almost like palaces dedicated to the theater experience. It also makes great scenery for a siege film!
Is Showdown At The Grand over the top? Sure. Is it outlandish as hell? Absolutely! But that doesn’t mean that you won’t have a blast in an overexaggerated film about cinema and holding onto it (and what you love doing) and screw these big corporations! It’s ironic that a movie dedicated to the theater experience is getting an On Demand/streaming release because this is the type of movie that if released in theaters would have the potential to be a cult classic. That said, Showdown At The Grand is a fun ride!
Showdown At The Grand is currently available On Demand.
Veteran filmmaker Wim Wenders returned to Cannes this year with the critically-acclaimed Perfect Days. The response was overwhelmingly positive with the film earning the Prize Of The Ecumenical Jury and star Koji Yakusho winning Best Actor. But now the film is finally arriving into theaters with an exclusive engagement beginning tomorrow at Angelika Film Center.
Here is the official synopsis: Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.
Also in the cast are Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Yumi Okumura, and Sayuri Ishikawa. Wenders directs and co-writes the film with Takuma Takasaki, who is also a producer.
This is Wenders’ first feature since 2017’s Submergence. Prior to that, Wenders earned accolades for such films as Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire, and his “Road Movie trilogy”.
NEON will release Perfect Days into wider release in 2024.
Leave the Sadness behind and let the Joy ring, because today Pixar has dropped the first trailer for Inside Out 2. And this time, now-teenaged Riley has a new emotion to cope with. Here comes Anxiety!
Released in 2015, Inside Outcentered on 11-year-old Riley and the jumble of emotions swirling inside of her: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Anger (Lewis Black). But now as a 16-year-old, Riley must also deal with the arrival of the orange, frazzled Anxiety, voiced by Stranger Things star Maya Hawke.
Tony Hale replaces Bill Hader as the voice of Fear, while Liza Lapira takes over the voice of Disgust.
The film finds Riley struggling to adjust to the move from Minnesota to San Francisco, coupled with growing up into a young woman.
Kelsey Mann takes over as director of Inside Out 2 after acting as story supervisor on Onward and Monsters University. The script is by Meg LeFauve, who co-wrote the prior movie.
Here’s the official synopsis: Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone. Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen, “Inside Out 2” releases only in theaters Summer 2024.
In just a week and a half the horrors of Panem will return to screens with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, if the trailers have any indication of the final product then it’s going to be a visual feast just in time for Thanksgiving. I was unsure of how I’d feel about the future President Snow (played by Tom Blyth) in this flick, he’s obviously a detestable human being in the original films but this look at his younger self had me worried that I’d understand and empathize with where he ends up. This new poster released for the Dolby Cinema presentation of the film has lessened my worry….that smug look may as well be the poster for all capitalist greed and elitist evil.
Honestly, what has me more excited about this poster is the inclusion of Dolby Cinema itself. If you’ve ever been a fan of film for any amount of time you know the name Dolby, it’s plastered all over any home theater equipment you see, Dolby Atmos specifically. What I did not know was that certain theaters are running films in full Dolby, audio and video, given what’s purported to be the ultimate film viewing experience.
From Dolby:
Dolby Cinema offers guests the complete Dolby movie experience. Dolby Cinema unlocks the emotional impact of every film, allowing you to see the subtle details and ultra vivid colors of Dolby Vision, and hear the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos. Dolby Cinema is specially designed to elevate every type of movie experience – and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be no exception.
There are sure to be some crowds, especially given the tumbleweeds blowing in the cinema as of late there are plenty of people itching to get to the theater. Make sure to pre-order your tickets, if you’re in the DC area the AMC Hoffman Center has the full Dolby load out.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will come to theaters Friday, Nov. 17, and fans can take their experience with the film to the next level by pre-ordering tickets for the film in Dolby Cinema here: https://dolbylabs.co/thehungergames
Official Synopsis:
Experience the story of The Hunger Games — 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.
Maybe you missed it, but the SAG-AFTRA strike is over! And that means to expect a flurry of announcements as productions get rolling again. One of the first major films to plant a new flag is Venom 3, which Sony has now set for a November 8th 2024 release. The Marvel sequel had previously been pegged for July 14th, but the strike made that an impossibility.
Tom Hardy is obviously back as Eddie Brock, the struggling journalist who turned “lethal protector” when bonded with a very-hungry alien symbiote. Hardy also developed the Venom 3 story and co-wrote the script with the film’s director, Kelly Marcel.
2018’s Venomwas a huge hit for Sony with $856M worldwide, establishing their Marvel spinoff universe with Spider-Man adjacent characters. 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage fared less successfully with $506M but also arrived at a tough time for theaters in general. Expect more details on the Venom 3 storyline and Hardy’s co-stars to arrive soon. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple had previously been cast but it’s unclear if that will stick considering all of the delays. [Deadline]
Arriving five years after Paul Feig’s reboot, Ghostbusters: Afterlife didn’t fare much better at the box office. However, it was better-received by fans who appreciated its ties to the first two classic movies. Much of the original cast returned for emotional cameos, while director Jason Reitman, son of director Ivan Reitman, told a story that passed the torch to a new generation. And now that story continues with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd return from the previous movie, with the action moving to a frozen New York City, setting of the first two films. New additions to the cast include Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind.
And yes, you do get the younger generation of Ghostbusters teaming up once again with Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Akroyd to solve the mysterious “death chill” that has hit the city.
Once again Reitman and Gil Kenan teamed up on the script, but this time it’s Kenan who is behind the camera. He’s got plenty of experience with family-friendly supernatural comedies as the director of Monster House.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire opens on March 29th 2024. Will it keep the nostalgic charm of its predecessor?
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again, and with the start of the holiday season it should come as no surprise that we’re getting a flood of Christmas themed trailers. Today’s latest, Candy Cane Lane, gives us one of my favorite brands of Eddie Murphy. I know I’ll get some hate for this but I really love “Dad mode” Eddie, obviously 80s Axel Foley Murphy will always be the pinnacle form for the legendary comic but I almost always enjoy movies where he plays the dad, I’m not even 100% sure why.
Candy Cane Lane seems like a pretty standard holiday film at first. Murphy is out to make sure he has the best decorated house on the block, it becomes apparent very quickly that this isn’t going to stay down the road you are expecting. After signing off on a Christmas decoration package at a specialty store he quickly realizes he signed a deal with an elf. Sure, it doesn’t sound as bad as a deal with the devil, but once you realize this elf turns people into tiny figurines to include in Christmas displays it becomes more more sinister.
The film features Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross as the parents of the central family and Jillian Bell (who I’m really hit or miss on) as Pepper, the mischievous elf out to imprison Eddie. With a supporting cast featuring the likes of Nick Offerman and Ken Marino it’s hard for me to imagine this film not being a good way to spend 90 minutes of your holiday season.
Candy Cane Lane debuts on Prime Video December 1st, 2023
Official Synopsis: A man is determined to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest. He makes a pact with an elf to help him win–and the elf casts a spell that brings the 12 days of Christmas to life, which brings unexpected chaos to town.
The Marvels arrives with everyone pretty much already having written it off. Ostensibly the sequel to 2019’s $1.1B-grossing Captain Marvel, the film arrives with Marvel knocked on its back foot for the first time. Analyst projections are pretty dire, and that this film is led by by three actresses, not to mention a woman director in Nia DaCosta, a certain toxic segment of the audience already hates it without having seen a single frame. And you know what? To watch The Marvels and its spirited, devil-may-care, take-no-prisoners approach to humor and girl power superheroics is to forget about all of the other outside nonsense. It’s been a long time since a Marvel movie has just been fun for the sake of being fun, and in this case, odd for the sake of being odd.
Because to be perfectly honest, The Marvels is so much better the stranger it gets. The tired old Marvel formula is shot out of the airlock with a Freaky Friday-esque storyline full of laughs, female bonding, kitty cats, and a surprising amount of song. DaCosta instantly captures the infectious vibe of Disney’s Ms. Marvelseries with the introduction of that show’s star, Iman Vellani, as teen hero Kamala Khan. The Captain Marvel fanatic finds all of her dreams coming true when her light-based powers get jumbled with that of her idol, Carol Danvers, played once again by star Brie Larson, and Monica Rambeau, who gained her abilities after being pulled through a hex in WandaVision. The result of this mix-up finds the women trading places with one another any time they use their powers at the same moment, which causes lots of headaches and property damage, especially for Kamala’s poor, judgmental family.
The screenplay by DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Krasik is all over the map, which is both a blessing and a curse. While the narrative is out of control, it actually serves well Zawe Ashton as the movie’s villain, Dar-Benn, a Kree warrior with a pretty legit ax to grind against Carol, who she has nicknamed “The Annihilator”. With her Accuser’s hammer and one of the powerful Quantum bangles similar to Kamala’s, she has her sights set on attacking everyone close to Carol. And that leads us on an intergalactic goose chase to some truly weird planets, including one where everyone communicates in song, making this basically Marvel’s first big screen musical? It’s so bizarre, but also colorful and well-choreographed and so unlike anything else in the MCU. Some are going to love it, as I did, while others are going to wonder what the Hell it is they’re watching.
To be fair, The Marvels is going to be very polarizing. For all of the talk that we want Marvel films to be less formulaic, fans don’t always support it when they get it. This is a movie that is at times a teen comedy, a female road movie (set in outer space, obviously), and often looks absolutely nothing like an American superhero film. It’s all the better for being so unpredictable. When the trio of ladies engage in what is basically a slumber party montage (set to the tune of Beastie Boys’ “Intergalactic”), you can already see the toxic dude bros scrambling to lower the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score. But count me in the group that absolutely loved it for not following in Captain Marvel‘s footsteps when it would’ve been easier, and probably more profitable, to just give us more of the same.
This is a true case of the ensemble being more than any one individual performance. Larson, Parris, and Vellani all bring something different to the table and their chemistry is to the moon awesome. I don’t know if there’s an actor more enjoyable to watch right now than Vellani. As Kamala, she brings youthful energy, admiration, and a tiny bit of teen rebellion to the team. Larson’s Carol Danvers is still the self-serious centerpiece but we’re given a pretty good reason why this time, as she’s carrying a burden of universal proportions. We do get to see Carol cut loose and enjoy herself, though, encouraged by the irresistable presence of Kamala. And Parris has the biggest emotional burden to carry as Monica copes with her estrangement from Carol, the death of her mother, her own death during “The Blip”, her crazy light-spectrum powers, and even more. If one character emerges as newly-important to the MCU it’s Monica, and we can see her becoming a bigger factor down the line.
Of course, we can’t forget Samuel L. Jackson who returns as Nick Fury. He spends most of the film in comic relief mode, managing Kamala’s distraught family and literally herding cats..or Flerken, the strange feline species of Carol’s pet Goose. Jackson gets to fire off some crowd-pleasing vulgarities and it’s a role that’s perfectly suited to him at this stage of the MCU. Fury had a major role to play in the not-so-good Secret Invasion series and this is a nice pivot for him.
Clocking in at 105 minutes, The Marvelsis easily the shortest MCU movie and that’s a good thing. While some aspects could’ve used a deeper look, it’s actually better that the action and comedy keep moving too fast for us to ponder them. This isn’t going to rank up there with the all-time best Marvel films, but The Marvels is a blast that is sure to surprise those who have an open mind to something that walks confidently on the weird side.
The Marvels opens in theaters on November 10th.
Note: Obviously, you’re sticking around for the post-credits. There’s only one to wait for, and you definitely don’t want to miss it.
