Latest Movie News From Moviefone |
- Lorde Sings 'South Park' Parody 'I Am Lorde Ya Ya Ya' on New Zealand TV (VIDEO)
- Penelope Cruz Is the Sexiest Woman Alive, According to Esquire
- Ben Affleck Was First Choice for 'Very Rough' Batman in 'Dawn of Justice'
- Fox Orders 6 More Episodes of 'Gotham' for Full Season
- 'American Horror Story' Will Return to Haunt Us for Season 5
- John Oliver Declares War on Pumpkin Spice (VIDEO)
- 'The Mortal Instruments' Franchise Will Continue as a TV Series
- What to Watch This Week: 'X-Men,' 'Tammy,' and 'Transparent'
- Marvel Is Plotting a 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Animated Series
- 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Star Dave Bautisa Cast in Next James Bond Movie
- Box Office: 'Gone Girl,' 'Dracula Untold,' and 'Addicted' Share the Wealth
- 'The Walking Dead' Season 5 Premiere Recap: You're the Butcher, or You're the Cattle
- 'Revenge' Season 4, Episode 3 Recap: A Family Affair
| Lorde Sings 'South Park' Parody 'I Am Lorde Ya Ya Ya' on New Zealand TV (VIDEO) Posted:  New Zealand songstress Lorde has taken her "South Park" parodies in stride, posting messages of approval on social media following two episodes of the foul-mouthed animated show that claimed that the musician was actually middle-aged male character Randy Marsh in disguise. Now, Lorde has once again proven she's a good sport by singing a parody song featured in the latest episode. During an interview with New Zealand television station TV3, the singer revealed that she watched last week's episode, "The Cissy," with some friends, and couldn't get enough of Randy's/Lorde's hit single. She told TV3 that she kept singing its refrain, "Ya ya ya ya ya I'm Lorde! Ya ya ya!," "for like an hour," offering up her own rendition of the tune. Lorde, who admitted to not having seen "South Park" previously, noted on Twitter and Instagram that it was "weird and cool" to be featured, and the episode was "surprisingly cute" and "also has a message of transgender acceptance."
[via: Uproxx, Billboard] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Penelope Cruz Is the Sexiest Woman Alive, According to Esquire Posted:
In a feature story about the Spanish beauty, the magazine notes that it's both her knockout looks and fiercely private personality that make her alluring.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ben Affleck Was First Choice for 'Very Rough' Batman in 'Dawn of Justice' Posted:  Fanboys may have flipped their lids when Ben Affleck was announced as the new Caped Crusader in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," but according to the film's producer, the actor was filmmakers' first choice for the part. During a discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, producer Charles Roven revealed that Affleck was at the top of the list for the role from the very beginning of the planning stages for the "Man of Steel" follow-up. "He was the first guy we went to. That's who we wanted," Roven told THR. "We knew that we wanted a very mature Batman, because we wanted to juxtapose him with this very young Superman. So we wanted a guy who was tougher, rugged, who had signs of life, who had lived a hard life, and we wanted the guy to have chops, for sure. So when we went down that list, there just weren't a tremendous number of guys who could carry that." Affleck's towering 6-foot-4 frame also played a part in his casting, Roven added, telling THR that filmmakers wanted "a guy with a big stature ... to tower over Superman. ... Superman needed to 'look up' to Batman." With star Henry Cavill standing at 6-foot-1, the juxtaposition with Affleck made sense, Roven said. The producer added that before Affleck accepted the role, he spoke with director Zack Snyder about the direction in which filmmakers planned on taking the character, looking for assurance about how this version of Batman and Bruce Wayne would differ from previous incarnations. Roven insisted that the Batman in "Dawn of Justice" would be "completely different." "He's much more of a social animal in the Bruce Wayne incarnation, but he's also an extremely rough guy in the Batman incarnation - very, very, very rough," Roven told THR. For more from Roven, check out the full discussion here. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" hits theaters on March 25, 2016. [via: The Hollywood Reporter] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fox Orders 6 More Episodes of 'Gotham' for Full Season Posted:  Who needs Batman? Fox's "Gotham," an origin series about the villains populating Bruce Wayne's hometown, is doing just fine without the Caped Crusader, so much so that the network has ordered an additional six episodes of the series, bringing it to a full 22-episode season. The freshman drama, which stars Ben McKenzie ("Southland," "The O.C.") as a young Jim Gordon, has been a ratings darling for Fox, setting records for its Live+7 numbers, and placing second only to ABC series "How to Get Away with Murder" as the highest-rated drama to debut during Premiere Week. "Murder" has also been picked up for a full season. "Gotham"'s situation is unique, however, in that it was initially ordered for 16 episodes (not the traditional 13, plus potential for a back nine), and the series was always meant to have a lower episode count than traditional TV shows. But Fox was so pleased with its performance, it went ahead and filled it out for a full season anyway. Collider reports that that could be a problem. The site spoke with "Gotham" executive producer Danny Cannon this weekend at New York Comic-Con before the order announcement was made, and Cannon said that it would be a scramble for showrunners to figure out what to do should season one suddenly wind up with additional episodes. "We're aiming at 16 [episodes] right now and we have two other seasons figured out if they care to give us the go ahead," Cannon told Collider. "Once the ball started rolling on all these characters, and Commissioner Gordon's journey and Bruce Wayne's journey, once we figured that out we spread it out to fit those 16. If they were to change the order, we would have an emergency meeting." Looks like they'll have to schedule that meeting after all. Fox, meanwhile, was pleased with its decision, praising the show and its creators for their originality. "'Gotham' debuted as one of the most buzzed-about shows of the fall, and with good reason," Fox TV Group chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman said in a statement. "Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon have created an incredibly rich world, with characters that draw you in and a cast that brings to life these heroes and villains in a way we've never seen before." [via: Deadline, Collider] Photo credit: Fox This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'American Horror Story' Will Return to Haunt Us for Season 5 Posted:  The season premiere of "American Horror Story: Freak Show" is officially the most-watched episode in FX history -- and the stellar ratings have earned the series a fifth season. FX has released the numbers for the "Freak Show" season premiere's Live+3 ratings, and the episode has logged a whopping 13.36 million total viewers with encore runs factored in. Its first-run outing logged 10 million live viewers last week. Obviously, FX was pretty pleased with that showing, which has officially knocked off previous champ "Sons of Anarchy," which set the network's single-episode record last month with 10.6 million views (9.25 million live) for its seventh season debut. But while the motorcycle drama is ending after this season, "AHS" will continue, with FX announcing that it's ordered a fifth season of the Ryan Murphy horror anthology series. Season five of "American Horror Story" is set to debut one year from now, in October 2015. Entertainment Weekly writes that Murphy has offered fans hints at its theme during the first two episodes of "Freak Show." [via: Deadline, Entertainment Weekly] Photo credit: Michele K. Short/FX This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| John Oliver Declares War on Pumpkin Spice (VIDEO) Posted: "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver is passionate about a lot of things, but the latest object of his anger -- pumpkin spice -- seems a little out of place among his regular, more political topics. That's not to say his argument calling out the irrationality of America's very seasonal love for pumpkin and all of its flavorings is any less logical. Don't worry, there're plenty of jokes mixed in with his surprisingly cogent argument.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'The Mortal Instruments' Franchise Will Continue as a TV Series Posted:  "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" was a box office disappointment last year, delaying production of its sequel, "City of Ashes." But fans of the Cassandra Clare YA books will still have a chance to see an adaptation of the series, which is set to move to the small screen as a TV show. The Hollywood Reporter writes that "The Mortal Instruments" is being developed by production company Constantin Film as "a high-end drama series," which will begin production next year. No network is attached to the project yet. When it bowed in 2013, "The Mortal Instruments," which starred Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower, banked only $31 million at the domestic box office, a disappointing total that put its big screen follow-up on an indefinite hold. But now, Martin Moszkowicz, head of film and TV projects at Constantin, tells THR that a television adaptation will be more beneficial to Clare's stories. "It actually makes sense to do (the novels) as a TV series," Moszkowicz told the trade. "There was so much from the book that we had to leave out of the 'Mortal Instruments' film. In the series we'll be able to go deeper and explore this world in greater detail and depth." Moszkowicz also revealed plans for Constantin to develop some of its other properties for the small screen, including hit sci-fi/horror franchise "Resident Evil." No word yet on a timeline for that project. [via: The Hollywood Reporter, h/t The Dissolve] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| What to Watch This Week: 'X-Men,' 'Tammy,' and 'Transparent' Posted:
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Marvel Is Plotting a 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Animated Series Posted:  This summer's "Guardians of the Galaxy" was, ostensibly, a "surprise" smash. It wound up being the biggest hit not only of the summer, but of the entire year; a juggernaut that kept on raking in the dough. But it might not have been that much of a surprise, at least to the folks at Marvel and Disney, considering that an animated series is already well underway, set to debut on Disney XD (as part of a Marvel block, no less) in 2015.During New York Comic Con over the weekend, it was announced that Marvel and Disney will be rolling out an animated "Guardians of the Galaxy" series, partially as a stopgap between now and 2017's "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" (once again set to be written and directed by James Gunn). That's right -- Star Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot will be back in an all-new animated series. Of course, their respective movie star counterparts will most likely not be returning to voice their animated doppelgangers. But it's good to dream. This new series will be part of an all-Marvel block of programming for Disney XD, the more mature (and, it should be noted, male-oriented) Disney channel, set for debut sometime in 2015 (the exact date is unknown). Quite frankly, the hungry-hungry attitude towards anything "Guardians of the Galaxy"-related should make this quite a hit, although franchise fatigue could be a concern, although considering the property's comic book origins, and knowing how many different incarnations of a character can be going on at once, it should be OK. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Star Dave Bautisa Cast in Next James Bond Movie Posted:  One of the bigger surprises in this summer's "Guardians of the Galaxy," besides how cute the sentient tree creature ending up being, was wrestler Dave Bautista's performance as Drax the Destroyer, the thuggish warrior hell-bent on serving up some good, old fashioned revenge (for the murder of his family). He was tragic, funny, and showed amazing physicality in a handful of memorable action set pieces. And the actor looks like he'll be showing off some more of that prowess, as he is set to co-star in the still-untitled, Daniel Craig-led 24th Bond outing.Latino-Review is reporting on the casting decision, which will have Bautista face off against Craig, not as the film's main villain, but in an iconic henchman role that is already being compared to Jaws or Oddjob (from earlier in the series). If anyone can bring a potentially anemic role some much-needed dimension, then it's definitely Bautista. (Bautista is, on a side note, one of the sweetest human beings we've ever met, as well. The phrase "gentle giant" comes to mind.) Precious little is known about the upcoming James Bond film, except that it is being directed by Sam Mendes from a script by John Logan, both of whom collaborated on the last James Bond film, "Skyfall," by this writer's estimation one of the very best (if not the single best) Bond movie ever. Last week Lea Seydoux, from "Blue is the Warmest Color," was cast as one of the Bond girls, although, again, it's unclear whether or not she is a good girl or bad. Considering the movie is supposed to come out on November 5th, 2015, expect news of a title and the rest of the cast, very, very soon. Also something to keep in mind: that comes out a month before "Star Wars: Episode VII" and "Star Wars" has been filming since the beginning of the year. Get cracking Mendes and company! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Box Office: 'Gone Girl,' 'Dracula Untold,' and 'Addicted' Share the Wealth Posted:  Who won at the box office this weekend? Sure, "Gone Girl" earned the most money -- an estimated $26.8 million -- but several other movies could also plausibly claim victory and bragging rights by different measures of success. Overall, this was a good weekend for nearly every new film and many holdovers, with the total box office up 30 percent from the same weekend last year (and that was when "Captain Phillips" opened and "Gravity" was in its second weekend). And, like last weekend, the plenty-to-go-around results suggest that the long slump of summer and early fall is finally over.So, which movie enjoyed the strongest performance this weekend? Here are the contenders: "Gone Girl." Not only did the movie remain on top for a second weekend, holding off all newcomers, but it did so with better numbers than anyone expected. Its estimated $26.8 million is a good $2 or $3 million more than the most optimistic pundits had predicted; its take represents a fall-off from last weekend's debut of just 29 percent. The thriller seemed to draw love-it-or-hate-it responses, but people just couldn't stop talking about it. All that chatter (much of it thankfully spoiler-free) must have prompted newbies to go see what all the fuss was about. As a result, the movie has earned a 10-day total of $78.3 million, sending it well on its way to overtaking "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" ($127.5 million) as director David Fincher's biggest hit. "Dracula Untold." The second-place finisher, with an estimated $23.5 million, also outperformed expectations to become the weekend's top new release. A prequel of sorts - part horror film, part historical drama, part special-effects spectacle - the low star-power film was expected to stumble against horror holdover "Annabelle," a more straight-up scarefest. But it held its own and earned a healthy $8,125 per-screen average, almost as good as "Gone Girl" ($8,161). Only the Ben Affleck thriller's higher theater count (3,284 to 2,887) ensured its victory. Given an A- grade from CinemaScore, strong word-of-mouth should sustain "Dracula" until "Ouija" opens in a couple weeks. "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." Coming in third with an estimated $19.1 million, "Alexander" earned about $1 million more than expected and became the week's top family movie. Even so, older moviegoers continued to prove their box office clout, with viewers over 25 making up 44 percent of "Alexander's" audience, according to studio polling. Add this to "Gone Girl" and some of the other more clearly grown-up-oriented movies this weekend, and it's clear that the kids have gone back to school and left the multiplex as a playground for adults. "Annabelle." It slipped two slots to No. 4 and lost 56 percent of its business from last week's debut - a typical second-week drop for a horror film. Still, it performed as expected (an estimated $16.4 million) and took in a 10-day total of $62.2 million, about ten times what it cost to make. "Addicted." Despite minimal marketing and a debut in just 846 venues, this erotic thriller was the surprise hit of the week, scoring an estimated $7.6 million and finishing at No. 7. Clearly targeted at adults, especially African-American women, "Addicted" boasted a per-screen average of $8,983, the best of any wide-release movie this week. Give credit to bestselling erotic novelist Zane (whose 2001 book was adapted for the film), to distributor Lionsgate (whose not-too-subtly-named Codeblack division seems to know how to reach its target African-American audience), to star Sharon Leal (building on the fanbase she started with her role in Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?" movies), and to director Bille Woodruff, who was smart enough to put actors like Boris Kodjoe and Tyson Beckford on ample display for female viewers. "Kill the Messenger." With an estimated $939,000 take, from 374 screens, this drama starring Jeremy Renner as real-life investigative journalist Gary Webb was the week's top new independent movie. "Whiplash." This much-buzzed feature from Sundance, starring Miles Teller as a musical prodigy, was the week's top new platform release, earning an estimated $143,503 on just six screens. Watch for its nationwide haul to build, along with its awards prospects, over the next few weeks. "St. Vincent." You'd think a movie starring Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy would be unbeatable, and you'd be right. The film debuted with an estimated $121,054 on just four screens, giving it the best per-screen average of the week at $30,264. ("Whiplash" wasn't far behind, with $23,917 per screen.) Again, this bodes well both for its awards hopes and its box office prospects as the movie expands nationwide in the coming weeks. About the only movie that didn't share in this weekend's bounty was "The Judge." The Robert Downey Jr.-Robert Duvall drama opened in fifth place with an estimated $13.3 million, about $2 million less than expected. Audiences liked it better than critics did (viewers gave it a very good A- grade at CinemaScore), but the movie played to the older crowd that still takes reviews seriously. Some 85 percent of the ticketbuyers were over 25, so maybe the movie was too reliant on older filmgoers. The movie also proved, as did "The Soloist" a few years ago, that Downey isn't much of a box office draw when he takes of his Iron Man armor or his Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap. Apparently, "The Judge" needed more adulterous couples, family slapstick, or medieval vampires. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'The Walking Dead' Season 5 Premiere Recap: You're the Butcher, or You're the Cattle Posted:  It's been pretty clear over the past four seasons of "The Walking Dead" that the titular zombies are merely sideline characters in their own apocalypse, as the human stars of the show - and the crazy, high stakes drama that they manufacture - have been the main focus of the series since its inception. So it was a pleasant surprise to see a huge horde of the undead play such a key role in Sunday's fifth season premiere, as zombies overtook an explosion-rattled Terminus to finish the job that Carol (Melissa McBride) started.Yes, we finally learn the truth about Terminus - yep, they're definitely cannibals - only to see the settlement destroyed by episode's end, as Rick (Andrew Lincoln) makes good on his vow at the close of season four to prove that their captors were "screwing with the wrong people." But it's Carol who sets that plot in motion, thanks to an ingenious plan to infiltrate the settlement via the aforementioned group of walkers, and a pair of well-placed gunshots that bust open a propane tank and then light it on fire, starting season five with a literal bang. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. The episode begins with a flashback (denoted by a "Then" title card) to brothers Gareth (Andrew J. West) and Alex (Tate Ellington, who was killed by Rick in the season four finale) hunched in a train car not unlike the one Rick's group winds up in, listening to their people being tortured. Flash forward to "Now," with Rick's gang readying to duke it out with the Terminites using makeshift weapons, only to wind up with Rick, Glenn (Steven Yeun), Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), and Daryl (Norman Reedus) gagged and bound and hunched over a trough, waiting for their throats to be slit. The foursome survive the encounter, thanks to Carol's aforementioned firebomb, which sets Gareth in a tizzy and leaves Rick (who'd snagged a sharp scrap of wood from the train car) to take out the guys about to kill them. Rick's manifestation into a calculated killing machine -- which began in the season four finale when he chomped on a guy's throat -- continues in this episode, as he encourages Bob to leave the dead Terminus goons to turn into zombies, then instructs the others to kill any and all Terminites they see. Later, when the group escapes the burning, zombie-riddled settlement, Rick is determined to double back, telling the others, "It's not over until they're all dead." Thankfully, he abandons that plan, but not before the rest of the group exchange nervous glances, eyebrows raised. That insatiable bloodlust will no doubt come back to haunt the gang in future episodes. Speaking of bloodlust, Carol has once again proven herself to be a major badass thanks to her quick thinking and willingness to sic walkers on the living, as she does with Mary (Denise Crosby), last seen serving up grilled chunks of mystery meat (surprise: it was human flesh!) to Rick and co. in the season four finale. As she sneaks into Terminus (thanks to some slathered-on zombie guts, a callback to one of the grosser moments of season one), Carol stumbles upon the eerie message "Never again, never trust, we first, always," and learns its origins from Mary. Terminus did start out as a sanctuary, she explains, but was taken over by people who raped and killed members of their group, leading them to adopt the motto, "You're the butcher, or you're the cattle." Unfortunately for Mary and the rest of Terminus, they wind up on the cattle side of that equation, as Carol casually unleashes the undead on them and leaves the settlement in disarray. It remains to be seen whether we'll hear from any of the Terminites again, though considering Gareth's fate was left on an ambiguous note, I'm betting that he'll make at least one additional appearance this season. As for where all this leaves Rick's gang, that, too, is unclear, since they're once again on the move. The plan will no doubt be to continue to Washington, D.C., where Eugene (Josh McDermitt) has claimed that a cure for the zombie plague is waiting, but that journey will certainly be a long, strenuous one. Based on the previews for next week, we're about to meet Gabriel Stokes, a.k.a. The Preacher (played by "The Wire" alum Seth Gilliam), so Rick's group won't be left alone for long. Other thoughts: - You may have noticed that your DVR was set until 10:01 p.m., and that's because "TWD" saved its biggest bomshell for the episode's extra seconds: Morgan (Lennie James) is still alive! (Did anyone else shriek with delight, or was that just me?) It seems he's gotten over some of the issues he was working through way back in season three - he's suited up in protective gear and wearing a mask, he's actually outside - but is he going to join up with the group? He's tailing them, but how far behind is he? Judging by how spaced out his two previous appearances were (the first was in the pilot, for those who don't remember), it may be a while before we get those answers. - "The chick with the sword and the kid in the hat" = an oversimplified, yet still perfect, description of Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Carl (Chandler Riggs). - The Terminus resident that Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) holds captive gets in some good lines, describing his fellow Terminites as "Just a--holes I stay alive with." He also notes that "Horrible s-t stacks up day after day" during the zombie apocalypse, which could be the tagline for "TWD." - Speaking of that guy, he helps Tyreese get over his "I can't kill people/zombies anymore because I was an accomplice in the murder of a child" syndrome, which sprung from Carol taking out Lizzie last season after the little psychopath killed her own sister. Threatening to strangle baby Judith is just too cruel, even for a cannibal. - ICYMI: The body on the slab that the Terminites are fussing over when Rick and co. are awaiting slit throats is Alex. Apparently, you don't waste perfectly good food in Terminus, even if that food is your brother. I guess the family that eats together stays together, huh? - This week's award for Best Zombie in a Walking Dead Episode goes to Burning Zombie No. 1, who walks over to a terrified Terminite, knocks him over, and begins feasting on his face, all while aflame. Disgustingly awesome. - Eugene describes the zombie cure as coming from his research into fighting disease with other diseases, a solution that leaves the others (justifiably) skeptical. "It does sound pretty badass," he says smugly of his plan. Sure, buddy. - Daryl's tearful reunion with Carol in the woods outside Terminus - sprinting to her and throwing his arms around her in silent joy - may be one of the emotional highlights of the entire series. - Co-creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman has promised plenty of bloodshed this season, and yet, aside from some random Terminites, no major characters were killed off during this episode. While I'm happy to see that Rick and co. were spared from dealing with yet another devastating loss, I know that this good luck won't last long - and probably not even through next week. I'll see you then. Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Revenge' Season 4, Episode 3 Recap: A Family Affair Posted:
1. Did David recognize Emily? His face definitely looked all kinds of confused, but then again it's hard to tell what he's thinking due to that unruly facial hair. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new DVDs and Blu-rays, to what's streaming on Netflix, we've got you covered.
Another day, another pearl-clutching episode of "| You are subscribed to email updates from The Moviefone Blog To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment