Matthew Monagle
Dwayne Johnson Gets Physical in These New ‘Jumanji’ Fight Photos
Last year, we published a video essay on Arnold Schwarzenegger that suggested that Arnold is much an auteur as the directors he has worked with. While most people still think of movies like Terminator and True Lies as the work of James Cameron, our own Matt Singer argued — and rather persuasively, I might add — that Arnold’s status as a cinematic auteur should be just as important a factor in how we evaluate his films. No matter who is behind the camera of an Arnold movie, you know the types of characters and narratives you are going to get.
According to Producer Frank Marshall, ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Is Still in the ‘Thinking Stages’
For a movie that hasn’t been written yet and is still four years away from its release, we sure seem to know a lot about the upcoming Indiana Jones movie. We know that both Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford will return, John Williams will write the score, George Lucas isn’t writing the story, and Indiana Jones will not get killed at the end of the movie. We also know that Disney is tinkering with giving the Indiana Jones franchise the Star Wars treatment, possibly exploring a combination of prequels, sequels, and standalone films all taking place in the Indiana Jones universe.
It’s Ghosts vs. Soldiers in This First Trailer for Netflix’s ‘Spectral’
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a sucker for movies where soldiers fight monsters. Aliens. Predator. Starship Troopers. Dog Soldiers. Heck, even mediocre films like Battle: Los Angeles are the cinematic equivalent of catnip to me. Take a group of hardened soldiers, throw them into a paranormal environment, and sit back and enjoy as the bullets start flying and everything falls apart. It’s like the best of war movies and the best of monster movies, all swirled together in one high-octane bundle of crazy.
Zack Snyder Shares a Closer Look at the ‘Batman v Superman’ ‘Knightmare’ Costume
Here’s something that bothered me about that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice nightmare sequence: why does he continue to wear the mask? I get the body armor; I can even set aside the whole ‘Batman-doesn’t-kill’ thing and accept the machine gun he wears during the sequence. But why the mask? If we assume that the world has ended, there’s no real reason for him to keep his civilian identity a secret, and it’s not like audiences were going to be confused at who Ben Affleck was playing in the movie. Has Bruce Wayne just gotten used to getting up every morning and putting on eye blac
This Trailer for ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ Is Absolutely Terrifying
A December release can be a tricky thing for a horror film. On the one hand, with the holidays just around the corner and award season in full swing, the overall demand for blood and monsters will never be lower. On the other hand, however, the right horror movie can serve as a smart piece of counter-programming for those tired of reruns of A Christmas Story on TBS or another politically charged conversation with the in-laws. Sometimes, even the best of us just want to slip away to the theater and watch a weird, messed up movie.
U.S. Court Dismisses MPAA Case Requiring Movies With Smoking to Be R-Rated
As times change, standards change, and we occasionally find ourselves bumping up against old traditions that need to retire. Even some of our most beloved childhood movies feature behavior and activities — smoking, strong language, casual misogyny — that went unnoticed and unappreciated by our older selves. Given the well-established health risks that smoking poses, one person recently took it upon himself to sue Hollywood in an attempt to get onscreen smoking banned. I’ll give a moment to guess who won.
Go Behind the Scenes with Joker and Harley Quinn in This ‘Suicide Squad’ Featurette
Listen, impressionable young men and women of the world, because this is important: you should not watch Suicide Squad and think that the Joker and Harley Quinn represent any kind of reasonable #RelationshipGoal. This is an abusive and possessive relationship, start to finish, and while there may be a more consensual love story scattered among the footage on the cutting room floor, we won’t know until we see it. This is a pretty important disclaimer to throw out there before we talk about this footage
‘Jurassic World 2’ Will Start Filming Next March
One of the peculiarities of the modern studio system is that we often know the date a movie will be released long before we know the date when a movie will actually go into production. For example, we’ve known since last year that Jurassic World 2 would be released in June of 2018, but here it is, the end of 2016, and we’re just now learning the timeline to actually make the darn thing. Production schedules, like box office gross, sometimes have a logic all their own.
The First ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Trailer Is a Lurid Dystopian Dream
This past weekend, Paramount Pictures kicked off the publicity tour for its upcoming Ghost in the Shell adaptation with a global launch party in Tokyo. Cast and crew were on hand to talk about the film; exhibitions of the film’s art and costume designs were on display for those in attendance. For the rest of us, something even better was announce: the first theatrical trailer for Ghost in the Shell is here, and it is not exactly short on style.
‘Kong: Skull Island’ Teases Its Next Theatrical Trailer
I’m not really sure how I feel about the new Hollywood trend of teasing out your trailers. On the one hand, it kind of takes the fun out of the equation; one of the best parts of coming back from a long day of meetings or classes is seeing that a brand new Star Wars spot has been dropped in your absence. On the other hand, though, it’s a real boon for cultural writers like me. Rogue One hints online that their next trailer will be released during the Olympics? You better believe we’ll be ready.
Want to See ‘Rogue One’ Early? Fly to the United Kingdom
How far would you go to see one of the most anticipated movies of the year a few days early? Would you drive to the theater on the other side of town? Drive to a neighboring city? Cross state boundaries? Or — gee, I don’t know — fly all the way from your hometown to the United Kingdom for a chance to see a movie like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 24 hours before everyone else?
New ‘Logan’ Photo Confirms the Identity of X-23
By now, you’ve all had a chance to watch, and re-watch, and re-re-watch, the trailer for Logan. What makes the film look so special — what separates it from the herd of superhero adaptations — is how little it looks like a superhero movie. If you knew nothing about Wolverine, you might think it’s just a fantasy or science-fiction story about an aging warrior tasked with looking after the future of his people. It’s an old tale in other genres but a breath of fresh air for a franchise typically more interested in fight scenes than pathos.