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Does anyone want to go into 'The Disappointments Room?'
2 hours ago
Clip It: Each day, Jon Davis looks at the world of trailers, featurettes, and clips and puts it all in perspective. My mother says that every room I walk into is The Disappointments Room. I know, I know sorry. But the title is begging for those kinds of jokes. Maybe it's all part of an insane marketing scheme. The filmmakers know that critics aren't going to want to take the bait and call The Disappointment Room a disappointment. It's just too obvious. No one wants to be a hack. So if the filmmakers reference a "disappointment" in the title, maybe reviewers will go a little easy. I don't know, guys, there are a lot of typical horror tropes here. An attractive blonde woman (Kate Beckinsale) and her son arrive at a new house for a new beginning. But something's wrong. There's a room in the house that "isn't in the floor plan. »
- Jon Davis
Review: 'Southside With You' turns the Obamas' first date into something larger
3 hours ago
First dates aren’t easy. There are so many variables that go into determining whether or not something is a “good” date that it’s impossible to control. If I’ve learned anything about dating during my 46 years on Earth (and that is debatable), I have learned that you have to give yourself up to it if it’s going to work at all. You cannot force a good date. You can only go into it open to whatever experience you’re going to have, and to whoever the person is that you’re spending that time with. On the surface, Southside With You is simply a film about a first date, opening with both people getting ready and ending as they say goodnight and head their own ways again. In this particular case, the first date is noteworthy because it’s between Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson, the future »
- Drew McWeeny
Delta was right to jettison Chris Rock's deeply-offensive 'Kill the Messenger'
3 hours ago
Delta, the same airline that received blowback after deeming Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara's tasteful love scenes in Carol too risqué for your delicate sensibilities, has now banished the 2008 Chris Rock comedy special Kill the Messenger from its planes, owing to the comedian's use of an anti-gay slur. The removal followed a complaint by Jeremy Foreshew, an employee of the gay "dating app" Grindr, who -- while watching the film on a Delta flight -- was appalled by a prolonged routine in which Rock explains how the relative offensiveness of the gay slur "faggot" depends on the "context" in which the word is used. In addition to alerting a flight attendant, who subsequently referred him to a Delta Human Resources manager to lodge a formal grievance, Foreshaw tweeted the following at the airline and Rock: Dear @Delta and @chrisrock: here's a list of when Faggots deserve to be called Faggots. »
- Chris Eggertsen
Will ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ visionary Henry Selick work with ‘Kubo’ studio again?
4 hours ago
Kubo and the Two Strings hit theaters this past weekend to ecstatic praise from critics and audiences alike, giving the many artists in Kubo’s closing credits cause to celebrate. But there is one notable filmmaker whom close watchers of the animation world will notice is not in those closing credits: Henry Selick. The celebrated animation director (known for The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach) helmed Coraline, the first feature from Kubo stop-motion studio Laika. That film put the unique company on the map. After Coraline’s success, Selick was expected to work on more Laika films, but he departed the Oregon-based studio about half a year after the movie’s release. According to a 2009 Variety report, the filmmaker moved on after his contract expired, as no new project emerged at Laika. A rep for Selick confirmed this account to HitFix. (Now the days of Laika »
- Emily Rome
‘James and the Giant Peach’ gets an Oscar-winning director for its live-action take
4 hours ago
Disney doesn’t look to be pulling the reins in on their live-action remakes anytime soon. (And who can blame them with The Jungle Book sitting pretty in spot no. 3 at the 2016 box office?) Now the House of Mouse is in early development on a live-action James and the Giant Peach. Oscar winner Sam Mendes is in talks to direct, Deadline reported Thursday. No word yet on whether a live-action take on the tale of James and the bugs he befriends would be more directly based on the 1996 Disney stop-motion film or on the source material, Roald Dahl’s 1961 children’s novel. This comes shortly after the release of another Dahl adaptation that Disney placed in the hands of another Oscar-winning director, Steven Spielberg’s The Bfg. Mendes is better known for his adult-geared fare — like American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and the two most recent 007 films — but he has delved into family-friendly entertainment. »
- Emily Rome
Phooey. Kate Mara fancies 'Fantastic Four' follow-up
9 hours ago
Just weeks after Miles Teller admitted that he would be up for a Fantastic Four sequel, another star of the flop film confessed she’d do it again too. Kate Mara, who played Sue Storm in the 2015 box office disaster, explained she’d be interested in the prospects of reprising her role. Although if you watch the video below, her response on the topic is about as convincing as if you asked her whether she’d enjoy having her back scratched with a cheese grater. “I’d love to be a part of a Fantastic 4 sequel or whatever they may or may not have in store for us,” Mara told IGN. “We love working with each other. We would love to actually play these characters in another way.” Fantastic Four was a disaster critically and financially. It delivered a Rotten Tomato critics score of just 9 percent favorable and 19 percent favorable from the audience. »
- David Eckstein
'Love Boat' parody imagines a murderous high seas adventure
10 hours ago
There are no shortage of parodies floating around on YouTube. Some are funny, others, let’s just say those people should keep their day jobs. We’ve since come across one that’s not only a good laugh, but we’d actually like to see it come to fruition. The Love Boat was one of the great shows in the history of television. Where else could a bunch of D-list celebs fall in love, fall out of love and then fall back in love within an hour (less commercial interruptions)? With this parody, however, they take the show and turn it on its head. No longer is there Gene Rayburn, Jamie Farr or Charo, but it’s a cast of murderous fiends from great horror movies of yore. The video features ne'er-do-wells from Alien, Motel Hell and Salem’s Lot among others. The biggest laugh comes when you find out who the chief engineer is. »
- David Eckstein
'The Walking Dead': Does This New Footage Show That Negan Killed Darryl?
11 hours ago
While not quite the cliffhanger of “Who shot J.R.?”, the season finale of The Walking Dead left everyone wondering who Negan offed. Well, now there’s a hint in a Season 7 promo that could foretell the demise of Daryl. In the video posted above and below, we see Dwight riding Daryl’s motorcycle and wearing his trademark jacket. Whether Dwight just borrowed it, or if this is an indicator of greater peril for Norman Reedus’ character, we’ll just have to wait a couple more months to find out. Season 7 of The Walking Dead kicks off on October 23. »
- David Eckstein
This new 'Blair Witch' trailer is actually excruciating
13 hours ago
The advance buzz on Blair Witch (formerly known as The Woods before the project's true nature was unmasked at San Diego Comic-Con) is very strong, and it'll be interesting to see whether that can translate into the same kind of box office the first film in the series enjoyed ($140 million domestic in 1999). We've still got a few weeks before it hits theaters, but in the meantime, Collider has the exclusive on a new trailer that is actually, truly terrifying thanks to an extended crawl through a cramped tunnel. You've been warned, claustrophobes. Blair Witch hits theaters on September 16. »
- Chris Eggertsen
'Seinfeld' bosses, ranked
15 hours ago
In a couple of weeks, TV (The Book) will be in stores (though you can pre-order it now), featuring my and Matt Zoller Seitz's top 100 list of American TV shows and essays extolling their greatness. Most of the book was assembled with a Talmudic level of thoroughness. But scattered throughout are some shorter, sillier lists, which we assembled more on instinct and/or what made us laugh in the moment, on subjects like TV's best spies, best mustaches, and most important articles of clothing. Two of those lists involve TV's best and worst bosses, and a friend who has an advance copy asked me yesterday to go even more granular and rank the various Seinfeld bosses (considering only people who stuck around a while, as opposed to poor Mr. Tomasulo, who gave George a handicap-accessible bathroom). I didn't overthink it, but just went with my gut, and this is what resulted. »
- Alan Sepinwall
Review: How does 'Mr. Robot' get through an entire episode without Elliot?
24 August 2016 8:08 PM, PDT
A review of tonight's Mr. Robot coming up just as soon as I create an Angelfire fan page... "I didn't know I could do that." -Darlene A year ago, an episode like "Successor" — in which Elliot is entirely absent, along with his eponymous alter ego, while the focus is almost entirely on Darlene and her remaining comrades — would have been unthinkable. In season 1, Elliot was the show, and vice versa, and most of fsociety barely registered as more than vague shapes lingering on the edge of the frame (which, given the framing of Mr. Robot, rendered them particularly obscure). At this stage of season 2, though, it mostly works. It's not even that Mobley or Trenton or Cisco have transformed into vivid and exciting characters (though we're at least at the point where I remember their names), but that after spending so much time this summer inside Elliot's head — up to »
- Alan Sepinwall
When Marvel heroes smackdown on Twitter, we all win
24 August 2016 3:59 PM, PDT
The two Marvel characters have yet to meet on screen but Netflix's Jessica Jones and Daredevil sure do get chatty on Twitter. Netflix's Jessica Jones is a very dark show but her social media presence lightens the mood considerably using the character's snark to excellent effect. All of the Marvel/Netflix character accounts are utilized well but Jessica's stands out for a lot of reasons. Whether it's dropping viral content or interacting with fans, "she" always proves entertaining. But what happens when one fictional character's social account begins interacting with another? Truly wonderful, magical moments. They've done this before of course but this most recent exchange which began with Daredevil innocently trying to capitalize on a trending hashtag quickly devolved into fun jabs: Nothin' wrong with bloody knuckles. #MyNormalIn5Words pic.twitter.com/xxnRu0Gq4s — Daredevil (@Daredevil) August 22, 2016 @Daredevil You really need a hobby. #MyNormalIn5Words #WhiskeyIsAHobbyRight — Jessica Jones »
- Jill Pantozzi
Here’s 3 women up for ‘Captain Marvel’s’ director chair
24 August 2016 2:55 PM, PDT
We now know Brie Larson is playing Carol Danvers in Marvel Entertainment's Captain Marvel film but the studio has yet to decide on a director. Today there's more news on that front with three women apparently being considered. The last time we spoke of possible Captain Marvel directors there were three names in the mix. There's three again this time, but only one is the same. Last time it was New Zealand director Niki Caro (Whale Rider), Australian Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), and American Emily Carmichael (who recently joined Lumberjanes) being discussed. This time, The Hollywood Reporter says Caro, Lesli Linka Glatter, and Lorene Scafaria are on the shortlist. I had originally thought Marvel might announce both director and lead actor at Comic-Con last month. Only one of those got announced, but THR writes, "A decision won't be made anytime soon as Marvel is being very deliberate in its search, »
- Jill Pantozzi
Stay away from pools in the Hollywood Hills!
24 August 2016 2:44 PM, PDT
Clip It: Each day, Jon Davis looks at the world of trailers, featurettes, and clips and puts it all in perspective. The Blood in the Water trailer features two taglines. The first one is: "In the city of angels, no one gets ahead without being a little bad." As a citizen of Los Angeles, I can tell you that's simply not true. Just because the lead character in this movie sells drugs does not mean you have to do that if you want upward mobility here. Most, if not all, of the people I know don't sell drugs, and I've seen many of them do quite well for themselves. Some of them live in the Hills and I'm fairly certain they aren't pushing Oxycontin on the weekends. I'd go as far as to say that people who get ahead in this town tend not to be drug dealers. It's really »
- Jon Davis
Is Rey being set up as the villain of ‘Star Wars’?
24 August 2016 1:16 PM, PDT
While much is known about Rey, there is still a lot to be unearthed about the Star Wars hero. The question is: When we finally get to the bottom of who she is, what will we find? One theory being put forth is that perhaps Rey is not the do-gooder she seems. Rather, maybe just maybe, she’s playing the long con and is actually evil. The fan theory is based on Rey’s ability to quickly tap into her Jedi powers and the fact that the Dark Side is already reaching out to her. Plus there are some curious similarities to her personal history and that of Darth Vader. Check out the video above or below and see what you think. »
- David Eckstein
Did 'Stranger Things' mean to be a metaphor for girls going through puberty? - She Said, She Said
24 August 2016 12:53 PM, PDT
She Said/She Said is a (usually) daily video featuring HitFix Harpy Donna Dickens and HitFix Weekend Editor Jill Pantozzi discussing current events in geek news. ******************* Stranger Things is the gift that keeps on giving. Somehow a little show about monsters and government spooks has not only drawn the laser-eyed focus of Netflix-watchers, but it’s given us a cornucopia of layers to dig through. From the characters and the setting, to all the Easter eggs and fan theories, Stranger Things is like an onion…or a parfait. Ostensibly a story about a young boy who goes missing in the fall of 1983, the Duffer Brothers have concocted a great coming-of-age story for pre-teen boys. But is it also a metaphor for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) also shedding the carapace of childhood for the awkward terror of adolescence? I’d argue yes. In the video above (and below) Donna Dickens and »
- Donna Dickens
Director Doug Liman drops 'Gambit' to jump into DC's 'Dark Universe'
24 August 2016 12:50 PM, PDT
It’s starting to feel like there’s something very wrong with the Gambit movie. Is that fair? The thing’s gone through a number of different directors at this point, and it doesn’t feel like it’s any closer to actually happening. I’ve talked to directors who got close and then backed away, and I have yet to be able to pin down exactly what’s going on here. Considering this is a major release for Fox, it’s got Channing Tatum attached, and anything X-Men related is given pretty much any resources they need, it is shocking that it’s this hard to get a filmmaker to say yes to the job. Doug Liman is the latest guy to jump ship, and in his case, he’s got a pretty great plan B, one that I’ve been curious about since Guillermo Del Toro first mentioned it years ago. »
- Drew McWeeny
British Embassy hilariously responded with a ‘Star Trek’ gif to White House History tweet
24 August 2016 12:37 PM, PDT
What is it that’s so glee-inducing about government agencies and diplomatic offices using pop culture memes? Is it that the sheen of formality of these official bodies is shattered a bit? Is it the comfort of knowing that the women and men leading us have a grip on the modern zeitgeist and technology? In any case, whatever it is that makes this so delightful, today we got a fun display of an official embassy account tweeting out gifs of our favorite characters. When the White House Historical Association posted a tweet about British troops setting fire to the White House 202 years ago today, the official account of the British Embassy in the U.S. responded with a Captain Picard facepalm gif and the note “Well this is a little embarrassing”: .@WhiteHouseHstry Well this is a little embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/CKlR2B5AkO — British Embassy (@UKinUSA) August 24, 2016 This got even better, »
- Emily Rome
If you are interested, Liam Hemsworth is half naked in 'The Dressmaker'
24 August 2016 12:30 PM, PDT
Clip It: Each day, Jon Davis looks at the world of trailers, featurettes, and clips and puts it all in perspective. The Dressmaker is coming! And she's bringing her sewing kit and a whole lot of trouble. Kate Winslet plays a dressmaker who's returned to her hometown to teach the locals some lessons in the art of fashion and love. And she's going to swoop up a hunk of her own along the way. Excuse me while I barf. Truthfully, my ten-year-old self is screaming at me for watching The Dressmaker trailer all the way through. And he would never forgive me for watching The Dressmaker movie. He'd wonder what went wrong in life that I would even consider it. But I'm an adult now, and -- oh, who am I kidding. I haven't matured that much. The film's signature moments are the ones that responsible adults think are naughty »
- Jon Davis
John Krasinski: Chris Hemsworth ended my superhero dreams
24 August 2016 12:18 PM, PDT
Chris Hemsworth doesn’t know his own powers. The man who was perfectly cast to play Thor is so strong, he can defeat Captain America with simple politeness, or at least this is how John Krasinski recalled his Captain America screen test. During an interview on Conan O’Brien’s late night talk show, Krasinski explained exactly what happened during his audition. He was about halfway through putting on the Captain America suit when things for the self-professed superhero fan went south in a hurry. “[I was] feeling pretty good about myself…All of a sudden, Chris Hemsworth walked by as Thor, and he’s like, ‘Hey mate.’ And I went, ‘I’m good, this is stupid. It’s ok, I’m not Captain America,’” Krasinski said. Krasinski didn’t let this experience deter him from fighting evildoers, not by a long shot. In fact, he’s starring in the new Jack »
- David Eckstein
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