‘In The Hand Of Dante’: Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, And Gerard Butler To Lead Scorsese-Produced Mob Film

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October 16, 2023

Martin Scorsese attaching his name to anything is already a big deal, but a mob movie with a star-studded cast? Kinda makes you wonder why he’s not doing it himself. But it’s still very good new for director Julian Schnabel, whose film In the Hand of Dante has Scorsese aboard as an exec-producer, and now a cast that any director would envy.

According to Deadline, In the Hand of Dante will star Gerard Butler, Jason Momoa, and Oscar Isaac.

Damn.

A SAG-AFTRA interim agreement (Are they giving these away like free candy or what?) has allowed production to begin in Italy during the strike. So what’s the movie about? A group of New York mobsters get their hands on an original manuscript of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, which is basically priceless.

The film is an adaptation of Nick Tosches’ book, and here’s the synopsis:

Deep inside the Vatican library, a priest discovers the rarest and most valuable art object ever found: the manuscript of “The Divine Comedy,” written in Dante’s own hand. Via Sicily, the manuscript makes its way from the priest to a mob boss in New York City, where a writer named Nick Tosches is called to authenticate the prize. For this writer, the temptation is too great: he steals the manuscript in a last-chance bid to have it all. Some will find it offensive; others will declare it transcendent; it is certain to be the most ragingly debated novel of the decade.

Schnabel is a painter and filmmaker who has frequently made movies set in the art world, including Basquiat and 2018’s At Eternity’s Gate.

‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ Trailer Features Anime And Video Game Chaos Set To Original ‘Mortal Kombat’ Theme

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Travis Hopson

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October 16, 2023

When Edgar Wright directed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World in 2010, fans who loved Bryan O’Malley’s anime-influenced comic were through the roof excited. The problem is they were pretty much the only ones who were. The film was an epic flop, but in the years since it has become a cult classic. How could it not with that incredible cast of rising stars, the heavy video game aesthetic, and a fun, light-hearted love story that everyone could enjoy. And now Netflix is tapping back into that vibe with Scott Pilgrim Takes Off a new animated series coming next month.

The series brings back all of the actors from the 2010 movie to provide the voices, which makes sense when you consider it’s a beloved favorite. The chaotic video game style of the source material is captured, as well, by the use of the original Mortal Kombat theme heard in this new trailer!

O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) co-showrun the series, with Wright aboard as an exec-producer and Abel Gongora (Star Wars: Visions) directing. Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Satya Bhabha, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Alison Pill, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber, Mae Whitman, and Ellen Wong are all back voicing their characters from the movie.

Here’s the synopsis: Scott Pilgrim meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers, and discovers he must defeat her seven evil exes in order to date her. But this time, things get even more complicated. Based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” revisits and reimagines the beloved cult classic, taking Ramona Flowers, her evil exes, Scott, and his friends off on a mysterious new action-packed journey to find love.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off hits Netflix on November 17th with eight total episodes.

‘American Fiction’ Trailer: Jeffrey Wright Is An Author Challenging Black Stereotypes In Cord Jefferson’s Satire

By

Travis Hopson

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October 16, 2023

With the Middleburg Film Festival right around the corner for us here in VA, one of the movies that everyone is eager to see is American Fiction. The feature debut by writer/director Cord Jefferson stars Jeffrey Wright, an actor who simply has never given a false performance ever, and centers on Thelonius “Monk” Ellison, a frustrated novelist fed up with an industry that cashes in on “Black” stereotypes.

The interesting thing is what Monk does about his frustration with a system that glorifies such stereotypes. Using a pseudonym, he writes a book filled with cliches about Black inner-city life, and to his horror watches as it becomes a bestseller.

Also in the cast are Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David, Issa Rae, and Sterling K. Brown.

Here’s the synopsis: AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

American Fiction took home the People’s Choice Award after its TIFF debut, suggesting a crowd-pleasing effort. MGM and Orion will release the film into theaters on December 15th, with an expansion on December 22nd.

‘X-Men 3’: Matthew Vaughn Says Halle Berry Was Tricked With Fake Script To Return As Storm

By

Travis Hopson

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October 16, 2023

The failure of X-Men: The Last Stand is the stuff of legend. Still by far the worst of all of Fox’s X-Men movies, it forced the studio to reevaluate everything going forward, which ultimately led to Matthew Vaughn reviving the franchise with X-Men: First Class in 2010. But that was not Vaughn’s first association with Marvel’s merry mutants, as he was originally set to direct The Last Stand before quitting and being replaced by Brett Ratner.

Vaughn spent last weekend at New York Comic-Con for his upcoming film, Argylle, and finally revealed the real reason why he quit The Last Stand. No, it’s not simply because the movie sucked, or because he was busy developing a solo Thor movie. It’s because of the shoddy treatment given to Oscar-winner Halle Berry, who was lured back to play Storm under the false impression that her role would be beefed up.

“I went into one of the executive’s offices, and I saw an ‘X3’ script, and I immediately knew it was a lot fatter. I was like, what the hell is this draft? He went, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ and I’m like, ‘No, no. I’m the director. I’m worrying about this draft’. He wouldn’t tell me, so I grabbed it literally — it was like a crazy moment — opened the first page, and it said, ‘Africa. Storm. Kids dying of no water. She creates a thunderstorm and saves all these children.’”

Vaughn continued by saying the execs promised him that script would be “thrown in the bin” after Berry agreed to return. And Vaughn says that was a key reason he left, and who could blame him?

“‘Wow, you’re gonna do that to an Oscar-winning actress who plays Storm? I’m outta here.’ So I quit at that point”, he said.

Berry must’ve been pissed, however, she did return briefly to play Storm in X-Men: Days of Future Past, a film Vaughn actually developed before turning the reins over to disgraced director Bryan Singer. We finally got to see Bery and Vaughn work together properly in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, in which she played Ginger, the weapons expert of the Statesman. Perhaps with Vaughn still working on Kingsman 3, we’ll get to see Berry return to the big screen in that role? There’s also an outside chance we see her as Storm again in Deadpool 3, where Fox cameos are almost certain to be a major thing. [Collider]

Matthew Vaughn Says ‘Kick-Ass’ Reboot Is Happening With Entirely New Cast

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Travis Hopson

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October 16, 2023

Kick-Ass might finally be making a comeback. While attending New York Comic-Con to promote his upcoming spy movie, Argylle, director Matthew Vaughn told fans that the superhero reboot he first teased in 2018 is indeed happening…

“Kick-Ass changed people’s perception of what a superhero film is. We’re doing it again,” Vaughn reportedly said, per EW. “None of the other characters from the other Kick-Ass are in it, though we’d like to have them back after the reboot. I can’t really talk about it, but it’s fun!”

The original Kick-Ass debuted in 2010and it definitely was a shot in the eye to the Marvel-style of superhero movie that was just beginning to become dominant. An adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic book, the film starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a regular kid who decided to become a real-life superhero. Also in the cast were Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Nicolas Cage. The first movie was a hit with $96M, while a sequel released in 2013 definitely was not.

Vaughn has suggested a new Kick-Ass would center on Patience Lee, the African-American single mother who took up the mantle in the comics reboot. There had also been plans for projects center on Hit-Girl, the incredibly popular breakout character played by Moretz, but those never went anywhere.

I feel like the moment for Kick-Ass has passed. Like most of Mark Millar’s comics, it was hot for the moment because of the way it stood opposed to the status quo. But being an edgy, hot take version of Marvel/DC has been done to death. The Boys sorta has that market cornered, no?

Box Office: Taylor Swift Asserts Dominance With ‘The Eras Tour’ Record-Breaking $128M Global Debut

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Travis Hopson

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October 15, 2023

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour– $96M

The jury is still out on the final tally for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour concert movie, but it’s looking like a $96M domestic debut, with $128M worldwide. That’s a goddamn lot of Swifties who showed up for the movie, directed by Swift herself, and it places right up there with the record October opening of Joker with $96.2M. It’s already the highest-grossing concert film of all-time. Sorry, Justin Bieber! This is after a massive $39M Friday launch, which is A LOT more than what any other film made for the entire weekend. Then again, there were no other major films that dared even cross Swift’s path, and who can blame them?

2. The Exorcist: Believer– $11M/$44.9M

The first of two horror films still in the Top 5, The Exorcist: Believer has managed a decent $44.9M domestic after two weeks, and $84M worldwide. But as I said last week, this doesn’t go far enough to cover the $200M Universal paid for the rights, and as such we’re not going to see director David Gordon Green returning for any sequels.

3. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie– $7M/$49.8M

4. Saw X– $5.7M/$41.4M

5. The Creator– $4.3M/$32.4M

The $79M worldwide tally for Gareth Edwards’ The Creator is really bumming me out. Just sayin’.

6. A Haunting in Venice– $2.05M/$38.9M

7. The Blind– $2.02M/$13.9M

8. The Nun II– $1.6M/$83.7M

9. The Equalizer 3– $960K/$90.5M

10. Dumb Money– $920K/$12.6M

31 Days of Horror: Day 15 ‘Madhouse’ (1981)
Directed by: Ovidio Assonitis

By
Ronny Sharpes
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Synopsis: A woman is pursued by her murderous, psychopathic identical twin sister in the days leading up to their birthday,

In Madhouse, Julia Sullivan (Trish Everly) is a teacher at a school for deaf children. She has a successful doctor boyfriend. Seems like everything is going well but there’s a darkside to this. For years she has battled mental issues caused by the abuse inflicted on her at the hand of her twin sister. Now, that sister who is suffering from a skin virus causing her to be deformed and deranged is back in her life making threats leading up to their birthday. As the day draws closer, the people around Julia are slowly being killed off by a mysterious gloved person.

This flick is an Italian cult slasher touted as being “Banned overseas”. It was part of the Video Nasties list of the early 80’s due to a few choice scenes involving a killer Cujo-esque dog meeting a hand drill and an axe turning a person’s back into hamburger. I never really dug into the Video Nasties list so I figured now would be an ideal time to dip my toe in. I regret that decision.

I’m not really sure what I expected from a director that is known for ripping off The Exorcist with Beyond the Door (1974). The story itself is kind of interesting and the parts that drag are propped up by a subplot involving a murderous dog. The twist is telegraphed and the seasoned genre viewer will probably be able to figure it out in the first 20 minutes or so. There is one irritating, slightly offensive character whose on-screen death was celebrated by me though. I’m looking at you Mr. Kimura. Really the only reason for viewing this is the two gory death scenes that got it banned in the first place and even those aren’t really worth the time. There might be a few out there that consider this a classic but I don’t fall into that category. Hey, they can’t all be winners, right?

Now, I can’t in good conscience recommend this one but if you really feel the need, it can currently be streamed on Tubi.

Join me again tomorrow and hopefully, we can find some hidden gems as we continue this strange little journey down the horror rabbit hole.

Cinema Royale: Talking ‘The Royal Hotel’, ‘Totally Killer’, And ‘The Burial’ (Special Guest: Karen Peterson)

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Travis Hopson

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October 15, 2023

On the latest episode of Cinema Royale, I’m joined by Citizen Dame and Variety writer Karen Peterson on a trio of recent films. First up is the outback thriller The Royal Hotel starring Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, and Hugo Weaving. Then we go back to the 1980s with the sci-fi slasher comedy Totally Killer starring Kiernan Shipka! And while we didn’t exactly plan it at first, Karen and I also chatted about The Burial, a legal drama pairing up Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones!

All of this and more, of course! You know how we do!

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New ‘Migration’ Trailer Features Taylor Swift’s Re-Recorded Single “Out Of The Woods”

By

Travis Hopson

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October 15, 2023

Taylor Swift is set to rule the weekend with the gigantic debut of her concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. And that makes this the perfect time for Illumination to grab as many Swifties as possible with the trailer for their new animated film, Migration, which features Swift track “Out of the Woods (Taylor’s Version)” which comes from the re-recorded album “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” due for release later this month.

Swift recently made the decision to re-recorded her earliest albums to regain control of her music, in response to a legal dispute.

Migration centers on a family of mallards and their wild journey to the Bahamas. The film was penned by The White Lotus creator Mike White and features the voices of Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, Carol Kane, and Danny DeVito.

Here’s the synopsis:The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip, via New York City, to tropical Jamaica.

As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends and accomplish more than they ever thought possible, while teaching them more about each other—and themselves—than they ever imagined.

The film is directed by Benjamin Renner, who earned accolades for the 2012 animated movie Ernest & Celestine.

Migration opens in theaters on December 22nd.

Marvel May Have Scrapped Its ‘Wonder Man’ Series With Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

By

Travis Hopson

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October 15, 2023

Is Marvel’s Wonder Man series with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II doomed, or due to be scrapped and restarted like Daredevil: Born Again? In the past few days, we’ve learned of the huge problems at Marvel TV that have led to a number of shows being shelved or repackaged, with the studio finally giving up their previous method of making television in favor of a more traditional approach. And now a new The Watch podcast sheds more light on the mounting issues that may have consumed one more series.

The news comes from the podcast’s guest, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios author Joanna Robinson, who along with her co-author have interviewed more than 100 Marvel sources for the new book. And she drops what we’ll call a rumor for now, that Marvel is “trashing” the Wonder Man series from Shang-Chi and Avengers: Kang Dynasty director Destin Daniel Cretton.It’s unclear whether this means the show is dead, or just getting retooled like Daredevil: Born Again. Robinson added that “a lot of stuff” is “going to go in the can.”

I’ll just add my two cents here that Robinson feeling confident enough to say this, in the wake of this week’s Marvel TV reporting, means a lot. Understandably, there’s a lot more scrutiny on news regarding this issue right now, and to be disproven would not do anything good for the prospects of her book.

Wonder Man is set to star Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, in the comics a key member of the Avengers with rather unique ties to Vision and Scarlet Witch. He’s also a superhero with a Hollywood acting career, an aspect that would’ve been played into in the series. Ben Kingsley is expected to return as failed super-villain/actor Trevor Slattery, seen in Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi. Demetrius Grosse and Ed Harris were also cast.

It’s been made clear by Disney already that Marvel TV output would be scaled back, and this could be part of that movement. We’ll just have to wait and see because if true, confirmation should come fairly quickly.