We’re happy to offer our readers the chance to win Fast Xon Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital! The latest chapter of the Fast & Furious Saga stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, with Helen Mirren, with Brie Larson, with Rita Moreno, and Jason Statham, and Jason Momoa, and Charlize Theron. Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me) is director.
SYNOPSIS: Ever since their saga started on the streets of L.A.’s underground racing scene, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have overcome impossible odds to outsmart, out-nerve and outdrive every foe. Yet when the team took down a nefarious kingpin back in Brazil, they had no idea his son Dante (Jason Momoa) was watching from the shadows. More lethal than any other enemy they’ve faced, Dante now rises as a terrifying new nemesis who’s fueled by revenge and determined to shatter their family and destroy everything and everyone that Dom loves. From London and Brazil to Antarctica and Rome, new alliances are forged and old enemies resurface. But everything changes after Dom discovers his eight-year-old son is Dante’s ultimate target.
To enter, simply complete the Rafflepress contest form below. Winners will be selected this Friday, August 11th, and notified by email. Good luck!
Fast X is available now on digital, 4K and Blu-Ray.
Fairy tales get pretty dark as you get older. By that time, the illusion of “happily ever after” is long gone. There are no princes coming to sweep you off your feet, no princesses to save with a kiss. But, the best of these adult fairy tales are still pretty magical, and such is the case for the upcoming Apple series, The Changeling.
First announced in 2021, the series stars LaKeith Stanfield who can be seen right now in Haunted Mansion. The New York-set drama finds Stanfield as a struggling husband and new father as he searches through a nightmarish version of the city for his missing wife.
Also in the cast are Clark Backo, Adina Porter, Samuel T. Herring, Alexis Louder, Jared Abrahamson, and Malcolm Barrett.
Venom and Fifty Shades of Grey writer Kelly Marcel pens and showruns the series based on the novel by Victor LaValle. Queen & Slim director Melina Matsoukas helms the pilot episode and exec-produces.
Here’s the synopsis: Based on the acclaimed best-selling book of the same name by Victor LaValle, “The Changeling” is a fairytale for grown-ups. A horror story, a parenthood fable and a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didn’t know existed.
The Changeling premieres on Apple TV+ on September 8th.
Kevin Spacey is making a comeback in the way that is probably best for him right now, by being heard and not seen. A couple of weeks after being found “not guilty of all nine charges” in a sexual misconduct and abuse case, Spacey is back playing a villain in Control, a new thriller from writer/director Gene Fallaize.
The film features Spacey’s voice as a menacing bad guy who manages to take control of a government official’s smart car, trapping her inside. The official is Home Secretary Stella Simmons, played by Bridgerton actress Lauren Metcalfe. The cast also includes Mark Hampton as Prime Minister David Addams.
So did Fallaize have any qualms with casting Spacey given he’s basically persona non grata around Hollywood at the moment? Not at all. He told Variety…
“I don’t regret casting Kevin and I would do it all over again. When we met with Kevin, we said, you know, [the meeting] is for us as much as it is him. And we came away from there feeling nothing but good vibes and positivity and we didn’t get anything bad from him at all. So we said, ‘Okay, let’s go for it.’ It’s a risk but feel it’s a risk worth taking.“
No release date for Control yet but those negotiations are happening and we’ll let you know when there’s more news.
Are you ready for Ahsoka? The Disney+ series starring Rosario Dawson as the fan-favorite ex-Jedi hits Disney+ for a two-episode premiere on August 23rd. But first, Lucasfilm has dropped six new character posters that feature Ahsoka along with characters from the Light and Dark sides of the Force.
Of course, we’ve got Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, who is reportedly on a mission to find Ezra the missing Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) and the villainous Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) as a new threat emerges to the galaxy. We also see Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Star Wars Rebels heroes Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren, respectively. Sabine’s is interesting because she’s wielding Ezra’s lightsaber.
On the Dark side, we see the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Soll, a former Jedi now a mercenary. Ivanna Sakhno plays Soll’s apprentice, Shin Hati, while Diana Lee Inosanto returns as Morgan Elsbeth who tried to hire Din Djarin to kill Ahsoka in season two of The Mandalorian. Obviously, that didn’t work out for her.
Ahsoka is created by Dave Filoni, and he’ll direct episodes along with Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel and Rick Famuyiwa.
David Ayer has been pushing for quite some time to see the director’s cut of his 2016 film, Suicide Squad. Here’s the thing: nothing is the same over in the world of DC Comics movies. The Snyderverse from which it arrived is soon to be gone, replaced by a reboot from James Gunn. Even the release of Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League, while met with greater critical acclaim, seems to have left a bitter aftertaste in the mouth of Warner Bros. execs.
And yet, Ayer won’t let it go. In a recent “tweet”…what do we call them now, “exes”? So stupid. Anyway, in a recent social media post, Ayer continued to beat the drum, reiterating that his version of Suicide Squad plays better with fans. Not only that, but he claims to have spoken with Gunn and a release could be coming…
“What’s your advice on how to navigate this situation with grace? There’s a genuine curiosity and interest from a lot of people,” wrote Ayer. “And I’m aware of there is another group of people that have fun mocking the film. Your comment is a perfect example of how many are magnetically drawn discussion to the 2016 film in a negative way. Have you ever had an experience in life that didn’t until the way you wanted, that dragged you, that made you rethink everything? I have.”
He continued, “All I know is my unseen film plays much better than the studio release. The interest in my cut being show seems real and organic. And Gunn told me it would have it’s time to be shared. He absolutely deserves to launch to launch his DC universe without more drama about old projects.”
I’ve been saying for years that the initial plan Ayer had for Suicide Squad, before WB execs started fucking with the movie, sounded a lot better than what we eventually got. The first trailer from Comic-Con looked like a very different movie. I’ll also point out that Suicide Squad was a hit, making over $700M and winning an Oscar, so Ayer doesn’t really have anything to prove.
What’s your advice on how to navigate this situation with grace? There’s a genuine curiosity and interest from a lot of people. And I’m aware of there is another group of people that have fun mocking the film. Your comment is a perfect example of how many are magnetically drawn… https://t.co/QZTZGUInAS
So how is Emerald Fennell following up her Oscar-winning film Promising Young Woman? With Saltburn, an Oxford University-set drama that Amazon Studios has big plans for. Not only will its world premiere be as the Opening Night film at BFI London Film Festival, but it’s been given an awards season theatrical release on November 24th.
A first-look image has arrived for Saltburn, which stars The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Barry Keoghan and Euphoria‘s Jacob Elordi. The film centers on an Oxford student who is drawn into the aristocratic world of his classmate and is invited to his family’s estate in Saltburn.
The cast includes Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, and Carey Mulligan.
Here is the synopsis: Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Blue Beetle could be a long-shot film for DC, considering how things have turned with Black Adam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, and The Flash. What chance does a movie with no huge stars and centering on a B-list character have? Well, while the odds may be long, don’t tell that to director Angel Manuel Soto, who is out there pumping up his movie like a champ. Considering the SAG strike keeps the actors from doing press, Soto is putting in the work. And he’s got big plans for the character that could keep Blue Beetle on screens for a long time.
The good news is that Blue Beetle WILL be part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU. Even better, Soto looks at this as the first in a planned trilogy centering on Jamie Reyes, played by star Xolo Maridueña.
“Of course, we can’t put everything in one movie, and that’s why this is the first act of a bigger saga,” said Soto to ThePlaylist. “There’s so much more to be said that I’m really looking forward to saying. We wanted to tell the movie in a way that felt like, what if Latin cinema embraced a superhero film? We spend time with Jamie, with his family; we know what’s at stake and how they behave. The Scarab is an intruder, so when it attaches to him and all hell breaks loose, the stakes are more personal, and you care more.”
Soto continues, “‘Blue Beetle’ [the first film] is Jamie’s story. We wanted to focus on him and his family. By the end of the movie, there will be questions about the scarab, and I hope to answer them. For the next film, I hope to tell the whole story of what happened to the scarab, where he comes from, why he was sent, and hopefully in the end, who they have to defeat.”
Early projections aren’t great, but since Blue Beetle is a bit lower in cost than the biggest DC movies, it has a better shot of over-performing. Focusing on the character’s Latino heritage is a smart move, as Jamie Reyes is the first Latino superhero lead ever on the big screen. If the target audience comes out to show their support, Blue Beetle could be huge.
Meanwhile, Soto also talked about his pitch for an origin movie for Bane, the powerhouse villain who infamously shattered Batman’s back, last seen on the big screen in The Dark Knight Rises. Soto compared Bane’s introduction to the misrepresentation Latin actors have faced in Hollywood movies.
“As far as Bane goes, it feels like he’s very misunderstood. We are used to being introduced to the world in movies as villains. It’s almost a given that we’re born that way. When we talk about the history of Latin America, nobody dares to question what happened before.”
It turns out that some of the ideas Soto had for Bane were instead incorporated into the Blue Beetle villain Carapax, played by Raoul Trujillo.
“Much like Carapax, Bane’s a product of his environment,” said Soto. “He is, in his own right, a hero. That’s how I pitched it. DC appreciated it, but they called me in because they wanted ‘Blue Beetle.’ While I was working on Carapax, I thought, I don’t know if I’ll ever make a Bane movie. Let me take what I loved about Bane, about the backstory that I wanted to explore, and give it to Carapax. It’s the history of the Caribbean, the Antilles, a history that’s been brushed off. I think that what Bane represents is the history of interventionism in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
I’m a huge fan of Soto following his debut film, Charm City Kings. It pisses me off to learn it’s no longer on the MAX streaming platform, removed way too soon like so many other titles. If Blue Beetle is half as good, we’re in for a real treat. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to speak with him about this film before it opens on August 18th. Fingers crossed.
Looking creator director Andrew Haigh has been out of the spotlight for a bit, but he hasn’t gone away. A couple of years ago he directed the BBC series The North Water with Jack O’Connell, Colin Farrell, and Stephen Graham. But it has been five years since his last feature film, the English coming-of-age drama Lean On Pete, and now Haigh is back with and targeting the awards season with All of Us Strangers.
Fox Searchlight has set a December 22nd release date for All of Us Strangers, which is led by Fleabag‘s Andrew Scott and Oscar-nominated Aftersun star Paul Mescal. A first look at the film features both actors. Also in the cast are Claire Foy and Jamie Bell.
Here’s the synopsis: One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (a screenwriter, played by Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with his mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) that punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As Adam and Harry get closer, Adam is pulled back to his childhood home, where it appears his long-dead parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) are both living and look the same age as the day they died thirty years before.
A bit of a departure for Haigh, but this is definitely shaping up to be one of the most-anticipated movies of the season.
James Gunn might be finished with Marvel for the time being, but arguably the most popular of his Guardians of the Galaxy is having more adventures than ever. A new season ofI Am Groot gives everyone’s favorite Baby Groot more time in the spotlight all to himself.
Writer/director Kirsten Lepore returns to chart Baby Groot’s mischief across five new episodes, which includes trying to find enough money for the universe’s most awesome ice cream truck, playing around in the snow, causing an accidental lava flow, and all while being watched by…well, The Watcher. Pretty cool.
And of course, Vin Diesel is back voicing Groot in what is probably the role people like him best for. Sorry, Dominic Toretto.
Here’s the synopsis: The troublemaking twig returns to mischief in the second season of “I Am Groot.” This time, Baby Groot finds himself exploring the universe and beyond aboard the Guardians’ spaceships, coming face-to-face—or nose-to-nose—with new and colorful creatures and environments.
I Am Groot season two hits Disney+ on September 6th.
It’s a Barbie world and we’re all just living in it. Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster smash continues to pack houses which must be a dream to exhibitors everywhere. Add another $53M to the domestic total, which is now up to $459M. But worldwide it has already surpassed $1B billion after just three weeks, making Gerwig the first female director to ever do so on a solo project.
It was a huge debut for Meg 2: The Trench. Here’s the thing; with writers and actors on strike and not doing any press, movies that have an established audience or recognizable brand are going to thrive. Barbie is a popualar brand, Christopher Nolan is a brand unto himself, and The Meg was a $530M summer hit just a couple of years ago. That has meant a lot, obviously, because the sequel opened with $30M domestic and a worldwide haul of $142M without Jason Statham out there doing any press.
3. Oppenheimer– $28.7M/$228.5M
Not one to be ignored in the Barbenheimer craze, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has hit $552M worldwide.
The Turtles are back! Just seven years after the second of the live-action Michael Bay-produced films, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem arrived with a $43M 5-day opening weekend. That’s a huge win for Paramount/Nickelodeon and the $70M animated film, which takes the popular Turtles in a direction that has been sorely missing: by leaning into the youthful teenage aspect of the characters. The decision to bring on Seth Rogen, perpetually a big kid with an obvious love of the franchise, was a smart move. As well was the decision to really hype the film at Comic-Con last month when so many studios stayed home.
5. Haunted Mansion– $8.9M/$42M
$59M worldwide after two weeks is a rickety start for Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Perhaps it’s time to give up on this one?
6. Sound of Freedom– $7M/$163.4M
7. Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part 1– $6.4M/$151M
8. Talk to Me– $6.2M/$22.1M
9. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny– $1.5M/$170.6M
