Latest Movie News From Moviefone |
- 17 Times Ron Swanson Was Our Hero
- Julia Roberts Will Produce and Star in 'Batkid' Movie
- 'Mission: Impossible 5' Release Date Bumped up to Summer 2015
- Fox May Make an 'X-Men' TV Series -- But Needs Marvel's Blessing
- Adam Sandler Lines Up All-Star Cast for His Netflix Movie 'Ridiculous 6'
- David Tennant to Play Villain in 'Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones'
- What's New on TV, Netflix Streaming, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: January 26 - February 1
- The 'Full House' Cast Reunited for Creator Jeff Franklin's Birthday (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
- Oscars 2015: It's a Real Race, But Not Between the Movies You Think
- Emma Watson Cast as Belle in Disney's Live-Action 'Beauty and the Beast'
- Recap of Revenge Episode 14: Escape To Witch Mountain
| 17 Times Ron Swanson Was Our Hero Posted: If there's one person on TV who always tells it like it is, it's Ron Swanson of "Parks and Recreation." We can't help but look to the meat loving, government hating, perpetually surly Pawneean's approach to life, considering his core values are basically food and being left alone. His ideas may be simple ones, but that doesn't make them any less powerful. We salute you, Ron Swanson.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Julia Roberts Will Produce and Star in 'Batkid' Movie Posted:  Miles Scott captured the world's attention in November 2013 when the then-5-year-old stormed the streets of San Francisco as Batkid, fulfilling his Make-A-Wish Foundation dream of becoming Batman as he battled leukemia in real life. Apparently, he also caught the eye of Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts, who is set to produce and star in a feature film about Miles. Deadline reports that Roberts is spearheading a dramatic adaptation of the documentary "Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World." The crowdfunded flick, which just had its premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah this weekend, was directed by Dana Nachman and revealed the behind-the-scenes work that went into fulfilling Miles's wish, which brought together tens of thousands of people to transform San Francisco into Gotham, and even moved President Barack Obama to get involved. The story generated international headlines, prompting Nachman to make the documentary, and eventually leading Roberts to sign on to tell Miles's story on the big screen. "It's thrilling to me that Ms. Roberts and her team watched our film and were so moved by it that they want to dedicate their time and creative capital to make sure the widest audience possible will know and love Miles' story and the spirit of this intimate special event that went global, as much as we do," Nachman told Deadline. No word yet on other casting or when production may begin. Stay tuned. [via: Deadline, h/t Vanity Fair] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Mission: Impossible 5' Release Date Bumped up to Summer 2015 Posted:  The fifth installment in Tom Cruise's uber-successful "Mission: Impossible" franchise has had its release date moved up: The flick will now premiere in July, instead of its planned holiday release. No official reason was given by Paramount for the switch, though perhaps the studio wanted to release the sure-to-be-blockbuster flick in the summer months, when big action movies dominate the box office. It could also want "Mission" to avoid getting swallowed by "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which opens on December 18, only a week ahead of "M:I 5"'s original Christmas Day release date. (And is directed by J.J. Abrams, who's also a producer on "M:I 5.") According to TheWrap, "M:I 5" will now go up against the "Point Break" remake, Ryan Reynolds's sci-fi flick "Self/Less," and boxing drama "Southpaw," starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Antoine Fuqua. In exchange for swapping out "Mission," Paramount has selected the animated film "Monster Trucks" to fill "M:I 5"'s December 25 slot. Cruise returns for his fifth outing in the series, re-teaming with his "Jack Reacher" director Christopher McQuarrie on the project. "Mission: Impossible 5" will now arrive in theaters on July 31. [via: TheWrap] Photo credit: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fox May Make an 'X-Men' TV Series -- But Needs Marvel's Blessing Posted:  It's been rumored that Fox wants to turn "X-Men" into a television series, and now one network executive is speaking out about the possibility for the first time. In an interview with TV Insider, Gary Newman revealed that Fox is indeed interested in making the mutant comic series into a TV show, and that the network is currently in negotiations to do so. There's one major hurdle standing in Fox's way, though: While the company owns the movie rights to the franchise, Marvel still owns the rights to the characters outright, and needs to grant Fox permission to use them again for television. Making that matter more complicated is Marvel's new owner, Disney, which also owns ABC and has been developing superhero-themed programming for that network ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Agent Carter"), along with Netflix ("Daredevil," "A.K.A. Jessica Jones," "Iron Fist," "Luke Cage"). Marvel may not want to extend the same courtesy to a broadcast rival. "It's in negotiations," Newman told TV Insider of talks with Marvel. "We're cautiously optimistic, we had a good meeting with them. That will not be on a fast track creatively. This is just the deal, now we have to find the creative." While TV Insider reports that there are no writers currently attached to the project, The Hollywood Reporter hints that that may not quite be the case. According to THR, onetime "Star Trek 3" writers Patrick McKay and JD Payne are co-writing the "X-Men" TV treatment, and are slated to get a "created by" credit on the series along with "24" producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto. Fox declined to comment on THR's report. TV Insider also wrote that if the "X-Men" series does take off, it will be a long wait before audiences will get to see it: Newman told the site that the show wouldn't debut before the 2016-2017 season at the earliest. Stay tuned. [via: TV Insider, The Hollywood Reporter] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Adam Sandler Lines Up All-Star Cast for His Netflix Movie 'Ridiculous 6' Posted:  When Adam Sandler secured his lucrative deal with Netflix, it was unclear what the first project from this groundbreaking union would be. Well, The Wrap is reporting that the first film will be Sandler's long-gestating western comedy "Ridiculous 6." What's more, the site is reporting that Sandler has lined up an all-star cast. Apparently, with his first Netflix outing, Sandler wants to go big. "Ridiculous 6," co-written by Sandler and regular collaborator Tim Herlihy, will star Blake Shelton, Whitney Cummings, Luke Wilson, Steve Zahn, Nick Nolte, Danny Trejo, Chris Parnell, Lavell Crawford and returning Sandler favorites Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider (so I guess he patched up whatever beef he had with Sandler that kept him out of "Grown Ups 2"), Dan Aykroyd, Nick Swardson, Terry Crews, John Lovitz and Vanilla Ice. Whew, that's a lot of people. What's somewhat more iffy about the project is the fact that it's a comedic western, with the title an obvious riff on "The Magnificent Seven" (itself a western take on Akira Kurosawa's immortal "Seven Samurai"). This must have been the reason it had such a long and problematic production history, having first been developed at Sony before moving on to Paramount, who too reached an impasse with the expensive and unproven genre. This project seems even riskier coming so closely after "A Million Ways to Die in the West," Seth MacFarlane's costly bomb that was also a western comedy. Still, "A Million Ways to Die in the West" didn't have Vanilla Ice playing Mark Twain or Blake Shelton playing Wyatt Earp... So we're willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt, especially since we presumably won't have to pay for it, it will just appear on our Playstation 3 in 8 months (or whenever it comes out). This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| David Tennant to Play Villain in 'Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones' Posted:
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| What's New on TV, Netflix Streaming, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: January 26 - February 1 Posted:  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.New on DVD and Blu-ray "Fury" David Ayer's WWII action/drama boasts an all-star cast that includes Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, and Logan Lerman as members of a tank crew headed right into Nazi territory. Definitely for fans of gruesome war movies, so if that doesn't whet your whistle, keep on rolling. "The Book of Life" Guillermo del Toro produced this animated family film inspired by Mexican folkore. Although it got mixed reviews from critics, the animation alone makes it worth a look. And, hey, don't you need a break from "Frozen"? "Downton Abbey: Season 5" If you haven't caught up to all the "Upstairs Downstairs"-style drama in this PBS series, well, now's your chance. If you're just a diehard collector, the three-disc Blu-ray comes with 40 minutes of supplemental material. TV Worth Watching "Jane the Virgin" (CW, Monday at 9 p.m. EST) How many times do we have to tell you to tune in to this award-winning dramedy? Gina Rodriguez rocks as the titular Jane Villanueva, a pregnant young woman who's also, yes, a virgin. "Parenthood" (NBC, Thursday at 10 p.m. EST) It will be really hard to say goodbye to the Bravermans after six years of laughing and crying (and crying some more), but all good things must come to an end. Grab a box of Kleenex and get ready. New on Netflix "Chef" Jon Favreau wrote, directed, and stars in this foodie fantasia about a chef who decides to go rogue and start his own food truck. "Chef" has a robust cast that includes John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Sofía Vergara, Amy Sedaris, and Oliver Platt, among others. "The Interview" Yep, this bad boy popped up on Netflix late last week. If you haven't already paid to see it on all the other platforms it was already available on, now's your chance to see what all the fuss was about. "Stonehearst Asylum" Genre fans might dig this spooky period piece based on a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, although it got mixed reviews (at best). Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, David Thewlis, Ben Kingsley, and a whole host of fancy actors co-star, with Brad Anderson ("Session 9") in the director's chair. New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital Only "Army of Darkness" (Amazon Prime) The third installation in Sam Raimi's horror trilogy is endlessly quotable and very, very silly. Gimme some sugar, baby! "Middle of Nowhere" (iTunes) Before she made history with "Selma," Ava DuVernay snagged lots of Sundance attention for this indie about a woman who drops out of medical school when her husband is sentenced to a long stretch of time in jail. Emayatzy Corinealdi stars as Ruby, alongside Omari Hardwick as her husband Derek, and "Selma" leading man David Oyelowo as Brian, a bus driver who has Ruby rethinking everything she thought she knew. "Nightcrawler" (iTunes) Jake Gyllenhaal is creepy and greasy as a guy who will do anything to succeed in the gruesome world of freelance TV work -- the kind that requires getting up close and personal with fresh crime scenes. Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton co-star in this thriller from Dan Gilroy. Gilroy also snagged an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for this L.A. noir. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The 'Full House' Cast Reunited for Creator Jeff Franklin's Birthday (PHOTOS, VIDEO) Posted:  It seems like everywhere you look, the "Full House" cast is reuniting. Most recently, the gang got together to celebrate the birthday of show creator Jeff Franklin -- and bust out a rendition of the sitcom's classic theme song.Cast members of the beloved TGIF staple gathered on Saturday night to honor their onetime boss, posing for photos and even taking to the stage to sing "Everywhere You Look," the "Full House" theme song. Just about every major actor from the series -- minus the Olsen twins and Dave Coulier -- was there, including John Stamos (Uncle Jesse), Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky), Bob Saget (Danny), Candice Cameron Bure ( D.J.), Jodi Sweetin (Stephanie), and Andrea Barber (Kimmy Gibbler). Rumors have swirled since last summer that some sort of "Full House" reboot or spin-off is in the works, and the cast's continuing closeness only adds fuel to the fire. Could we see more from the Tanner clan soon? Maybe. Until that news is official, you can tide yourself over with the below photos and video for now. [via: Lori Loughlin, Andrea Barber, h/t ET Online] Photo credit: Lori Loughlin This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Oscars 2015: It's a Real Race, But Not Between the Movies You Think Posted:  Remember just a couple weeks ago, in the days leading up to the Oscar nominations, when there was so much handwringing about how, instead of the populist slate the Academy might have preferred, all the likely nominees were obscure little films that few moviegoers had seen, meaning there would be little rooting interest for viewers and the ratings for the Academy Awards ceremony would plummet? Well, that's not a problem anymore.There's finally one bona fide blockbuster among the Best Picture nominees: "American Sniper," which has grossed more than $200 million at this writing and may reach $300 million by the time the Oscar show is telecast, four weeks from now. What's more, there's a genuine cultural battle being fought, at least on the op-ed pages, in blogs, and on cable talk-fests, between "American Sniper" and "Selma." Not that this makes much sense; aside from Best Picture nominations and questions about their historical accuracy, the two films have little in common. Plus, the films aren't as easily shoehorned into political boxes as their supporters and detractors would suggest. After all, "Selma" is a portrait of a moment of moral decision in which neither the traditional right nor the establishment left comes off looking good. And "American Sniper," a film made by a conservative-minded director who nonetheless openly opposed the Iraq War, is confoundingly ambiguous. Clint Eastwood says his movie is an antiwar film, but try telling that to flag-wavers in the audience cheering on Bradley Cooper's Chris Kyle as he blows away the bad guys. Despite what Eastwood says, "Sniper" does not take an overt position on the morality of the Iraq War, of war in general, or of Chris Kyle's actions in combat, with the film noting only the toll that warfare seems to take on the warrior's soul and on his family back home. At any rate, the box office has already decided the battle between the two films in "Sniper"'s favor. "Selma" has taken in $39 million so far, just one-fifth of "Sniper"'s earnings, and it's not likely to do more than $90 million by the time the Academy Awards ceremony rolls around. If it does make that much, that would be a very good number for a movie with a $20 million budget that has no big stars and focuses on a painful moment in American history that most U.S. moviegoers are too young to remember. It also means there would be a lot of "Selma" fans around to watch the awards show. But they'll be far outnumbered by "American Sniper" fans. (Of course, you could be a fan of both...) And yet, none of this matters because neither film is going to win Best Picture. Sure, the sheer box office prominence of "American Sniper" will be impossible for Academy voters not to notice, and its six nominations over "Selma's" two gives it a statistical edge, but it's still not going to win any of the top prizes. (Sorry Bradley Cooper, but Best Actor will almost certainly go to Michael Keaton's comeback role in "Birdman" or Eddie Redmayne's physical transformation into the paralyzed Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything.") Rather, the race still belongs to "Boyhood" and "Birdman," with "The Grand Budapest Hotel" close behind. At this point, "Boyhood" and "Birdman" are neck-and-neck. Sure, "Boyhood" has won nearly every precursor award except two, but they're big ones: the Producers Guild Award and the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble (the SAG equivalent of Best Picture). Given out this past Saturday, the PGA prize went to "Birdman," and so did the SAG prize the next day. The PGA prize is a strong indicator of the eventual Oscar Best Picture trophy (which also goes to a film's producers); the last seven PGA winners, and 18 out of the last 25, have gone on to win the Oscar. As for the SAG award, there's a strong overlap between the SAG membership and the actor's branch of the Academy, the biggest professional bloc among Academy voters. They're not a majority, but Sunday's win suggests "Birdman" has a lot more Academy support than previously estimated. Actually the Academy already seemed to have shown "Birdman" more love than "Boyhood," granting Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu's surreal comedy nine nominations to six for RIchard Linklater's drama. (Yes, that's the same number as "American Sniper," but "Boyhood" earned a directing nomination for Linklater, while "Sniper" failed to do so for Clint Eastwood. Historically, it's very rare for a film to win Best Picture without a Best Director nomination.) Meanwhile, "Budapest" remains a potential spoiler. It has nine nominations, like "Birdman," and it's won a handful of precursor awards, including Best Comedy at the Golden Globes and Critic's Choice Awards earlier this month. Until the weekend after the Oscar nominations, it was, for almost all of 2014, the top-grossing film among this year's Best Picture nominees, with a take of $59 million. (It's since been surpassed by "The Imitation Game," with $61 million, and of course, "American Sniper.") The Academy's traditional lack of respect for comedies will hurt "Budapest" even more than it will the semi-dramatic "Birdman," perhaps leaving the field open for "Boyhood," but at least "Budapest" still has some numbers in its favor. So by all means, "American Sniper" fans, come swell the ranks of Oscar-show viewers, drive up the ratings, and convince the Academy governors that expanding the Best Picture category from five nominees to as many as 10 wasn't a mistake. But don't be surprised if "Sniper" doesn't win much, and don't blame its losses on liberal politics. After all, "Selma" isn't going to take the brass ring either. In the likelihood of their shared eventual snubbing by the Academy, maybe "American Sniper" and "Selma" fans can at last find common ground. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Emma Watson Cast as Belle in Disney's Live-Action 'Beauty and the Beast' Posted:  There is perfect casting and then there's this -- Emma Watson, best known as Hermione Granger from the "Harry Potter" films (and who has essayed tremendous roles in both "Noah" and "The Bling Ring" in the years since) will star as Belle in Disney's live action musical version of their groundbreaking "Beauty and the Beast." What's interesting about this is that Watson was all set to play the same character in a Warner Bros production entitled "Beauty," which was overseen by Guillermo del Toro. When del Toro left the project last June, Warner Bros started to waffle and Disney came courting the young star for their version of the story. (According to The Wrap, they did so with del Toro's blessing.) This is going to be a big musical version of the story, very much in keeping with Disney's animated feature, the first-ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. This new production is being directed by Bill Condon, who wrote the Academy Award-winning big screen adaptation of "Chicago" and who wrote and directed "Dreamgirls" (it was Condon who pitched the live action version as a straight adaptation of the musical), with a script by "Perks of Being a Wallflower" writer Stephen Chbosky (Watson starred in Chosky's filmed version of his best-selling novel). This movie is going to be huge; not only was the movie a commercial smash (almost $400 million worldwide in early-'90s dollars) and critical darling (it screened, in an incomplete form, at the New York Film Festival to a standing ovation) but it also inspired a musical that ran on Broadway for more than 5,000 performances (and has been staged in 115 additional cities). Watson is also really excited, taking to Facebook to proclaim, " "I'm finally able to tell you ... that I will be playing Belle in Disney's new live-action 'Beauty and the Beast'! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I'll get to dance to 'Be Our Guest' and sing 'Something There'. My six-year-old self is on the ceiling - heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can't wait for you to see it. Emma xx." We can't wait to see it either, Emma! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Recap of Revenge Episode 14: Escape To Witch Mountain Posted:  This week's episode of "Revenge" was amazing for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the fact that David now has a scruffy goatee (good god no), Victoria's found herself a new enemy, and -- most importantly -- Kim Richards guest starred. That's the Kim Richards, everyone's favorite turtle-obsessed reality star from "Real Housewives of Beverley Hills." We are not worthy. Of course there are plenty of other story lines from the episode that we can't wait to sink our teeth into, so check out our recap of "Revenge" right here, right now. Emily Helps Unlock Louise's Memory, Remains Revengey While Doing So Important news: Nolan is now a married man. Yep, this jaunty fellow tied the knot with Louise Ellis, and you know what that means: time to throw a party. Louise and Nolan might not be in love, but they love the idea of mixing business and pleasure at Emily's mansion with a giant reception. The problem? Louise's mom, Penelope Ellis, recently dropped the bomb that Louise murdered her father, and she's willing to release the police report if her daughter doesn't play ball. Said report states that Louise pushed her dad to his death at the age of thirteen, but she has no memory of the event, which brings us to Emily. This full time revenger / part-time socialite hacks into Louise's brain by threatening to stab her hand with a dagger (just go with it), and after a few near-misses Louise has a slightly confusing flashback to her father falling. Thanks to the alarming trip down memory lane, Louise assumes she killed here pop and flees her wedding reception, leaving Emily no choice but to change into a terrible polyester suit and chase her down at a psychiatric facility. While there, Em tells Louise that her mother forged the police report, and that the real report proves her innocent. Phew, what a load off. Also, can we all agree that Louise has the worst family ever? Victoria Makes A New Enemy, Kim Richards Slays There's a new villain in The Hamptons! Please give a warm welcome (and a freshly toasted lobster roll) to Natalie Waters, a sinister new socialite who has one mission: to make Victoria's life miserable. We know what you're thinking -- between her husband being shivved to death, her lover trying to murder her, and her son being shot multiple times, Victoria deserves a break. But it's time for this matriarch to reclaim her spot as the HBIC. Victoria and Natalie come head-to-head at a brunch for the foundation Victoria's starting in Daniel's honor (it's for the children, everyone), and Natalie makes it clear that she's vying for Victoria's throne. But don't worry -- when Natalie tries to prevent Victoria's friends (including Kim Richards, bless) from donating funds, Victoria goes full throttle revengey and threatens to expose all their secrets. In other words, she's back! Margaux Gets Revenge, Ben Flirts with Emily, and Jack Remains Incredibly Emo Last week, Margaux LeMarchal hired a private investigator to dig up evidence against Emily (we blame the hormones). This week, Emily finds out about Margaux's plan when the tabloids publish photos of herself and David, and imply that they're romantically involved (annnd there goes lunch). Yep, Margaux seems dead set taking Em down, but will she succeed? Keep reading. For now, let's talk about Officer Ben. This stand up citizen is super obsessed with Emily, and (despite our warnings) it seems like Emily's returning the favor. In fact, she even asks Ben for advice about whether to morph back into Amanda Clarke, to which he replies "examine your subconscious." Deep. As if that's not upsetting enough, Ben and Jack are presented with medals of honor for being such wonderful cops (has no one on the police force been watching this show?), which prompts Jack to have a full blown emotional breakdown. Basically, he quits the force (what will the people of Montauk do without him?), dabbles in bartending while at Nolan's party, and then tells Margaux all about his feelings in what can only be described as a bonding session. So, what else happens at this soiree? So many things. Not only does Emily decide to keep her fake identity, she kisses Ben while Jack watches with tears in his eyes. Plus, Victoria gets a mysterious call saying that there's been a death in the family (the horror!), and -- most importantly -- Louise accuses her mom of cheating on and murdering her dad! All in all, a great episode with happy endings for mostly everyone...except Jack. You see, Margaux does find evidence against Emily...and it definitely involves The Artist Formerly Known As PoPo Porter killing an FBI agent. Burning Questions: 1. Which of Victoria's family members died? There aren't that many left, but it better not be Charlotte... 2. Will Margaux use her evidence against Emily even though it implicates Jack? 3. Are Emily and Ben dating or is this just casual? Praying for the former due to non-negotiable "Team Jack" affiliations. 4. Now that Louise's plot has wrapped up, will she stay on the show? 5. Who is this Natalie character, and how will she fit into the rest of the season? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
The cast for upcoming Netflix series "Marvel's A.K.A. Jessica Jones" is shaping up nicely, with David Tennant signing on to play the villain.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Moviefone Blog To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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