Matthew Monagle
‘Warcraft’ and ‘Suicide Squad’ Among Those Cut From the VFX Oscar Shortlist
With all due respect to the major acting and directing categories, I’ve come to really appreciate the Academy Awards’ technical categories in recent years. Whereas the performances and movies at the top of the program are often culled from a predictable pool of art films and auteur projects, the VFX Oscars tend to be a bit more egalitarian in nature, honoring whatever movies are the most impressive regardless of overall quality. This is often how populist film genres not typically noticed by the Academy — action, science-fiction, fantasy — slip into Oscar contention.
Tom Cruise Is Only Mostly Dead in the First Trailer for ‘The Mummy’
Every year, when the bottom drops out of the summer movie season and audiences decide to stay home and watch television instead, some well-meaning critic will publish an article asking if cinema is dead. And every year, I pose the same question in response: “Is Tom Cruise still an action star?” As long as Tom Cruise is running across multiplex screens — fighting rogue nations, government consiparcies, and even the occasional mummy — there is still hope for cinema. Then, when Cruise’s career is done and Hollywood is in ashes, then, cinema, you have my permission to die.
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
Ewan McGregor Explains Why He Nearly Turned Down ‘Star Wars’
Over the past few years, there has been a small but noticeable attempt to rehabilitate the image of the Star Wars prequels in popular culture. Last November, for example, the A.V. Club published an article on why the Star Wars prequels don’t deserve our hatred. Similar pieces have been published in The Mary Sue, USA Today, and many other websites and online publications. It just goes to show that there is a lid for every pot, no matter how misshapen that pot may be.
‘Deadpool 2’ Is Rumored to Begin Production in January
This hasn’t been a great month for Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool 2. Between the departure of director Tim Miller and the loss of composer Junkie XL, the sequel to the breakout superhero hit has been losing momentum at a time where it should be locking in the moving parts for the next iteration of the film. That still hasn’t stopped 20th Century Fox from pushing forward with the sequel, which apparently will begin shooting as early as January 2017, production problems be darned.
The Secret Ingredient Is Magic in the New ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Clip
Do you prefer pie or strudel? It’s a valid question. If you ask the faceless horde over at Yahoo! Answers, the correct response is pie (and it isn’t really even that close). But if you ask Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them character — and noted muggle — Jacob Kowalski, there’s nothing that hits the spot quite like a piping hot strudel for dinner. The secret ingredient? Why, magic, of course.
‘Big Hero 6’ Actor Ryan Potter Just Used YouTube to Audition for the Role of Robin in ‘Batman’
One of the big questions surrounding that standalone Ben Affleck Batman movie is whether they will bring a version of Robin into the fold. Thanks to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we know that the character of Robin exists in the DC Cinematic Universe, but the level of violence in that film seemed at odds with the more lighthearted camaraderie that comes with an adolescent sidekick. Then again, a recent interview with DC Films’ Geoff Johns described Batman as a less grim figure going forward. Could Robin play a key role in making DC’s Batman more of a superhero and less of a vigilante in a cape?
Eddie Murphy Gets Serious in the First ‘Mr. Church’ Trailer
Now that we have a little bit of distance from movies like Norbit and Meet Dave, it’s probably time to start thinking about an Eddie Murphy renaissance. In his day, Murphy has been an award-winning comedian, a movie star and a serious dramatic lead; a few bad decisions over the last decade should not be enough to unravel his talent as a perform
The ‘Fast 8’ Cast Photo Is the Very Definition of Cool
Throughout the production of Fast 8, the cast and crew of the upcoming Fast and the Furious sequel have used their Fridays as a time to share some pretty great photos and video on the movie’s Facebook page. Some of these posts have been behind-the-scenes videos of a shot in progress; others have been footage of the cast involved in charity work in the various countries they have visited. Each post not only suggests the size and scale of the movie, but the impact of the film series on the entire world.
Seth Rogen Has His Eye on ‘Sausage Party 2’, More R-Rated Animated Movies
With Sausage Party setting an August box office record this past weekend, that sound you hear is doors across Hollywood opening for R-rated animated movies. This is probably an overdue development. Movies from studios like Pixar and Studio Ghibli have long been praised by people of all ages for the maturity of their themes; it was only a matter of time until someone with a proven track record and a bit of vision — a filthy, filthy vision — pushed animated movies right off into the deep end.
Margot Robbie Wants to Play Harley Quinn ‘Forever’
By now, you’ve probably had a chance to see Suicide Squad in theaters. And whether you liked it, hated it, or fell somewhere in between (this last category applies directly to me), you probably walked away impressed with the manic energy actress Margot Robbie brought to the character of Harley Quinn. She was unquestionably the highlight of the film and one of the few things capable of uniting Suicide Squad fans and opponents alik
Michael Keaton Thinks the ‘Beetlejuice 2’ Ship Has Sailed
How’s this for awkward timing: just as an entire generation of moviegoers are rediscovering their love for Winona Ryder thanks to Stranger Things, her chances at reappearing in the role that made her famous may be dying on the vine. The last time we checked in on Beetlejuice 2, it was Ryder who thought the sequel might actually be happening. Now it is Michael Keaton, her costar from the original film, who seems determined to put the final nail in the coffin.