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Staff Picks: A podcast, a Broadway ballad, and a punk publication both timely and timeless
44 minutes ago
On The Media podcast
Like everyone else I know, I spent last week a) drinking and b) slowly acclimating myself to the reality of the world in which we live. Last week’s news felt like a floodlight, too bright and too hot to look at directly. One of my first orders of business was to catch up on all of those podcasts with titles like “How Did This Happen” and “The Morning After” that I couldn’t bear to look at before. There is none that I’m more ready to listen to—both this weekend and in the coming months and years—than Wnyc’s On The Media, hosted by Bob Garfield and Brooke Gladstone. While ostensibly focused on journalism and technology, the show’s editorial confidence allows it to produce some of the most incisive, actionable reporting on politics and human communication anywhere. In the months leading »
- David Anthony, Clayton Purdom, Esther Zuckerman
Newswire: Emilia Clarke joins the Han Solo spinoff movie
6 hours ago
Variety reports that Christopher Miller and Phil Lord’s Han Solo movie has added Emilia Clarke to its star-studded cast. The Game Of Thrones actress joins Alden Ehrenreich, who’s taking over the role of everybody’s favorite space scoundrel from Harrison Ford, and Donald Glover, who was recently cast as Lando Calrissian.
Miller and Lord have been searching extensively for an actress to play the female lead in their solo Solo film, which is currently scheduled for May 25, 2018. Other actresses who’ve tested for the part included Zoe Kravitz and Tessa Thompson, as well as Kiersey Clemons and Jessica Henwick. Details about the character are being kept under wraps.
Despite being a newcomer to the Star Wars universe, Clarke is no stranger to CGI monsters and fantastic storytelling, being best known for playing dragon-wielding badass Daenerys Targaryen on HBO’s Game Of Thrones. Her previous film roles ...
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- William Hughes
Newswire: Tim & Eric, The Kids In The Hall, King Of The Hill lead this year’s Sf Sketchfest lineup
6 hours ago
Sf Sketchfest has just unleashed its massive, 17-day schedule of podcasts, stand-up shows, and live comedy events onto the world. Normally, we’d spend some time up top here talking about how the festival—scheduled for January 12 through January 29, 2017—is one of America’s longest-running and biggest comedy festivals, but honestly, this thing is huge, so we should probably just jump right into the events.
Topping the bill: the Kids In The Hall, who’ll be performing a live-read of Brain Candy, a movie that’s either a secret cult success, or at least part of the reason the troupe ultimately collapsed. (Probably both.) Also offering up a live read: the cast of King Of The Hill, with Mike Judge, Pamela Adlon, David Herman, Toby Huss, Kathy Najimy, and Stephen Root all taking the stage to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary.
That’s not the only ...
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- William Hughes
Newswire: Marc Forster is directing the live-action Winnie The Pooh film
7 hours ago
Out of all the projects to come out of Disney’s ongoing cycle of children’s lit remakes and fairy-tale spin-offs, few have been more intriguing than Christopher Robin, a largely live-action, decades-later sequel to A.A. Milne’s Winnie The Pooh stories that’s being scripted by Alex Ross Perry, the caustic indie writer-director of The Color Wheel, Listen Up Philip, and Queen of Earth. Some among the arthouse faithful had their fingers crossed in the hope that Perry might end up directing the film himself. After all, his Listen Up Philip producer, David Lowery, made a successful and similarly unlikely leap with Pete’s Dragon.
But alas, that’s not to be. As Variety reports, Christopher Robin is now set to be directed by Marc Forster. The Swiss journeyman director’s career has included the likes of Monster’s Ball, World War Z, The Kite Runner, and (relevant ...
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- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
Great Job, Internet!: Midnight, the stars, and Pence: Did The Shining predict Trump’s win?
7 hours ago
Yesterday, Mike Pence got the House Republicans together to figure out how one of those darn “selfie sticks” work. The result was a selfie of unmitigated terror: a sea of old, pasty faces, like some sort of chorus of the damned, frozen and oblivious. It immediately drew connections with Paul Ryan’s similarly forced selfie from earlier this year, and both were compared to another hellish image of the damned—the final shot of The Shining. A new video explores this connection more fully. The thesis: Did Stanley Kubrick predict the Trump/Pence win in The Shining? You decide.
The video concludes with a fact more horrifying than anything in Kubrick’s classic: the fact that Mike Pence does not know how condoms work. It urges viewers to donate to Planned Parenthood.
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- Clayton Purdom
Newswire: MGM’s musical adaptation of Valley Girl totally hires a director
7 hours ago
The carcass of the 1980s has not yet been picked clean, so MGM is going forward with its musical adaptation of Martha Coolidge’s well-remembered 1983 cult film Valley Girl. And now, the project even has a director: Rachel Goldenberg, probably best known for helming the 2015 Lifetime movie A Deadly Adoption with Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. (Goldenberg has also directed episodes of The Mindy Project and Angie Tribeca.) Matt Smith will produce this newfangled Valley Girl, and Goldenberg will direct from a script by Amy Talkington, who also appears to be working on a Private Benjamin reboot.
In the original independent sleeper hit, Nicolas Cage plays a Hollywood punk rocker named Randy who falls in love with Julie (Deborah Foreman), a resident of the San Fernando Valley, famed at the time for its unique slang and fashion. Considering that Valley Girl was made to cash in on an ...
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- Joe Blevins
Newswire: Get Involved, Internet: Help Shelley Duvall get back on her feet
8 hours ago
Yesterday we reported on Dr. Phil McGraw’s ongoing efforts to further monetize his own lack of shame by trotting a clearly mentally ill Shelley Duvall out in front of the cameras under the pretense of offering her some of his signature brand of exploitative “help.” Numerous people criticized McGraw’s “therapy” as an obvious ratings grab, including Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of Duvall’s The Shining director, Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick posted a scathing letter on Twitter yesterday denouncing Dr. Phil for posting excerpts from Duvall’s interview, and displaying her illness to the world as part of his “utterly heartless form of entertainment.”
Now, Kubrick is putting together an effort to give some concrete assistance to Duvall. Kubrick has organized a GoFundMe drive in the actress’ name, in the hope that the funds might put her “back on the road to independence.” Kubrick’s post doesn’t list any »
- William Hughes
Newswire: AMC considers raising ticket prices on big-budget blockbusters
8 hours ago
In what could, if we’re feeling charitable, be interpreted as a refreshing burst of corporate honesty, the AMC theater chain might soon be skipping past all its various movie-going upsells like 3-D, IMAX, and chairs that are actually comfortable to sit in, and just start charging people more for tickets to big-budget blockbuster movies. (To be fair, they’ll probably still offer all that other stuff, too.) The news comes shortly after AMC purchased European chain Odeon & Uci, which already practices the variable pricing model, charging more for “tentpole” movies in their first few days of release.
Per AMC CFO Craig Ramsey: “[Odeon & Uci] are further advanced in variable pricing, where tentpole movies are priced up on release. That’s something we’ve talked about in the U.S. We expect to learn a lot with what they’ve done. We think it will position us to ...
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- William Hughes
Newswire: There’s only one film that Paul Verhoeven can’t defend, and it’s not Showgirls
8 hours ago
Although some might argue that Showgirls doesn’t really need defending, thank you very much, Paul Verhoeven still asserts his utter lack of shame over having directed possibly the most ridiculous sex scene in American cinema in a new profile in The Hollywood Reporter.
Discussing his new film Elle—which comes recommended by The A.V. Club’s Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, who calls it “one of the most corrosive and fruitfully challenging works of art in recent memory”—Verhoeven reminisces on his European comeback after bottoming out in Hollywood in the early 2000s. Of that critically-reviled period, he appears to be of two minds. “I’ve never done a movie that in retrospect I cannot defend,” he says, before adding the somewhat contradictory statement, “I can defend Showgirls, but not Hollow Man.”
Perhaps Kevin Bacon ghost-directed the film in his invisible state? Either way, its heartening to see Verhoeven defend his »
- Katie Rife
Newswire: Chloë Grace Moretz chooses to star in gay conversion drama
9 hours ago
When Chloë Grace Moretz dropped out of Universal’s live-action Little Mermaid remake, she reportedly did so in order to “reassess who I am and find myself within my roles again.” Now in addition to appearing in the previously announced Suspiria remake, Moretz has also signed on to star as the lead in a gay conversion drama based on Emily M. Danforth’s coming-of-age novel, The Miseducation Of Cameron Post. The film is helmed by Desiree Akhavan, the writer, director, and star of Appropriate Behavior, and it will likely give Moretz more meaty material than playing a mute mermaid.
The book follows a recently orphaned girl named Cameron Post who is sent to live with her conservative aunt and grandmother in rural Montana. When Cameron’s intimate relationship with a female friend is outed, her aunt sends her to a conversion therapy camp designed to “cure” her homosexuality. Although the »
- Caroline Siede
Newswire: Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday” dress fetches $4.8 million at auction
9 hours ago
It’s one of the most unforgettable, uncomfortable moments of 20th century pop culture: Marilyn Monroe serenading President John F. Kennedy as he turned 45 with a sultry, breathy rendition of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” in May 1962. Considering that Monroe and Kennedy were widely rumored to have been lovers, this might have been some of the most brazenly inappropriate public flirting of all time.
Monroe’s gown from that evening—a skintight, flesh-colored, crystal-bedecked Jean Louis creation based on a Bob Mackie sketch—became an icon in its own right. And this week, the souffle gauze garment brought in a whopping $4.8 million at auction, far exceeding the $3 million guide price. Purchased on Thursday by the RIpley’s Believe It Or Not museum chain (presumably as a future exhibit), the clingy dress was the centerpiece of an extensive, three-day auction of Monroe’s possessions at Julien’s ...
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- Joe Blevins
Newswire: Sith Lord Steve Bannon: “Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That’s power.”
10 hours ago
If you’ve ever wondered who would watch Star Wars and say to themselves, “hey, that Darth Vader guy is all right,” that question now has an answer. And it’s an obvious one: Steve Bannon, of course. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published just this afternoon, Bannon—Donald Trump’s third campaign manager who is now being proposed for the position of chief strategist for the incoming administration—names some of his political role models, and they’re right out of an episode of South Park.
Sitting inside the earthbound Death Star that is apparently Trump Tower on the day The New York Times described as “disarray” for the Trump team, Bannon was asked how he felt about his reputation as a liberal boogeyman. After searching his feelings, Bannon replied:
Darkness is good. Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That’s power. It only helps us when they »
- Katie Rife
Newswire: Here’s what’s coming to Amazon Prime in December
10 hours ago
Amazon is getting ready to bring two of its more critically well-regarded TV shows back to Prime. Golden Globe winner Mozart In The Jungle and Philip K. Dick adaptation The Man In The High Castle are returning to the service next month for third and second seasons, respectively, offering up orchestral dramedy and Nazi-themed paranoia in presumably equal parts.
But if the thought of America being suddenly conquered by fascists flies too far into the realm of fantasy for your tastes, Amazon’s still got you covered. Folks with kids might want to tune into Lost In Oz, a new children’s series set in L. Frank Baum’s world of magical shoes and confidence-deficient lions. Folks without kids, on the other hand (or just ones that just really love Hollywood history cut with New Yorker angst) might check out Woody Allen’s latest, Café Society.
Speaking of movies, Amazon »
- William Hughes
Newswire: New streaming service Brown Sugar says it’s “like Netflix, only blacker”
11 hours ago
If firing up your Netflix app tends to instill in you the desire to pull on a cardigan and send a contribution to Mike Pence’s office, it might be time to balance that out with a new media source. Maybe something that will stir up some less-complacent, more-revolutionary feelings in your soul. Could be what you’re looking for is Bounce TV’s new streaming service, Brown Sugar, which caters to aficionados of ’70s-era blaxploitation films Shaft, Foxy Brown, and Across 110th Street.
“Brown Sugar is just like Netflix, only blacker,” genre mainstay Pam Grier says in a statement. “These movies are entertaining and fun, but they were also empowering to the black community as they depicted African Americans as strong leading characters and heroes for the first time.”
Serious music and film consumers who have yet to dip into this enormous and extremely entertaining well of cinema will »
- Dennis DiClaudio
What Are You Watching?: Enjoying the lifestyles of the rich and imaginary
11 hours ago
What Are You Watching? is a weekly space for The A.V Club’s film critics and readers to share their thoughts, observations, and opinions on movies new and old.
Tuesday starts in Chicago. We are stuck in traffic on the way to O’Hare in the thickest fog. My son, who is in preschool, recites the planets and minor planets in order of distance from the sun at increasing volume. The flight is terrifying: first the takeoff into the fog, and then some bad turbulence, which the plane hits while I’m trying to take a piss in the aft lavatory. Then, finally, Los Angeles, which in fact resembles a parody of Los Angeles. I deplane and, upon exiting the jet bridge, am greeted by the sight of a barefoot first-class passenger in an upward lotus pose. I am taken by an Armenian cabbie to the wrong address, and »
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
Watch This: David Mamet toned it down for the screen in The Spanish Prisoner
11 hours ago
One week a month, Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by the week’s new releases or premieres. This week: In honor of Kenneth Lonergan’s magnificent Manchester By The Sea, we’re giving a standing ovation to other movies written and/or directed by playwrights.
The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
Playwright David Mamet is best known for quick, profane, tough-talking dialogue, captured in his iconic work, Glengarry Glen Ross. When Ggr went to the big screen, he wrote the screenplay, but let James Foley take the helm. Mamet stayed closer to some of his other productions, like his thriller con debut, House Of Games, which was also in the dark and chatty vein. But one of Mamet’s most successful efforts—while still a con, of course—is almost a complete departure from his usual brand, namely due to its quiet, thoughtful pace.
The Spanish Prisoner is named after a ...
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- Gwen Ihnat
Newswire: The Stargate reboot is doomed
11 hours ago
It’s been a bad couple of years for explosion enthusiast Roland Emmerich. First, his gay rights drama Stonewall spawned accusations of whitewashing before being quickly forgotten by audiences. Then, his and frequent collaborator Dean Devlin’s Independence Day sequel, Resurgence, got blasted out of theaters by a giant laser beam of critical revulsion and audience indifference.
Now it sounds like Emmerich and Devlin’s plans to resurrect another one of their “I’ll Watch It If It’s On TNT” classics has also dried up. According to an interview Devlin recently gave to Empire, the Stargate reboot the production team has been floating since 2014 probably won’t be happening. “It looked good for a couple of months,” Devlin said. “But now it’s not looking so good.”
Originally released in 1994, Stargate eventually spawned three popular TV series and a bunch of spinoff movies, all of which Emmerich ...
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- William Hughes
Income Disposal: Today’s best deals: The X-Files, Overwatch, and $20 off Amazon Prime
12 hours ago
Our friends from Kinja Deals are taking over Income Disposal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, The A.V. Club and Gizmodo Media Group may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. We want your feedback.
Amazon Prime, $79—new members only
Just in time for Black Friday (and ostensibly to commemorate the premiere of The Grand Tour), Amazon’s discounting one-year Prime memberships to $79 today, for new members only.
In the past, there have been loopholes for existing members to take advantage of these sporadic Prime discounts, but unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case this time around. That said, if you haven’t yet joined Prime, this is a fantastic opportunity.
Need convincing? We’ve compiled a rapidly expanding ...
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- Shep McAllister
Newswire: Isla Fisher says there’s going to be a Wedding Crashers sequel
16 hours ago
Isla Fisher is currently making the rounds promoting her work in Tom Ford’s psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals, but she hasn’t forgotten her comedy roots. During an interview on NBC’s Today recently, Fisher revealed that there’s a Wedding Crashers sequel that’s apparently in the works.
According to the actress—who had one of her first big breaks as the slightly unhinged object of Vince Vaughn’s affections in the 2005 comedy—Vaughn recently told her at a party that “apparently we’re going to be making a sequel.” We’re not sure how reliable “Vince Vaughn party chat” is in terms of securing funding or a timetable—Fisher notes that she probably shouldn’t even be announcing the news on TV—but you can watch her make the statement yourself (to Tony Danza, who claims to be a big fan of her husband, Sacha Baron Cohen ...
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- William Hughes
Interview: James L. Brooks on capturing the teen experience from Say Anything... to The Edge Of Seventeen
17 November 2016 10:00 PM, PST
We have James L. Brooks to thank for many things: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons, Broadcast News, and one of the most iconic scenes in the history of teen movies. Brooks was an executive producer on Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything..., which gave us John Cusack holding a boom box aloft so the sounds of Peter Gabriel could drift into the object of his affection’s window. The entertainment legend now has his name on another film about the anxiety of adolescence, The Edge Of Seventeen. Written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, Edge follows the prickly Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), something of a loner—partly of her own design—who relies on her best friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), for solace. When Krista starts dating Darian (Blake Jenner), who happens to be Krista’s annoyingly popular older brother, Nadine descends into a self-destructive tailspin. The film deftly unpacks »
- Esther Zuckerman
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