Latest Movie News From Moviefone |
- 'Supergirl' Is Moving to The CW for Season 2
- 'Gilmore Girls' Revival Wraps Filming, Luke and Lorelai Celebrate With Adorable Photo
- CBS Cancels 'CSI: Cyber,' Ending the 16-Year 'CSI' Franchise Run
- Lupita Nyong'o May Star in 'Black Panther'
- 5 TV Shows to Watch If You Miss College Life
- 'Pitch Perfect 3' Release Date Moved Up to July 2017
- Ben Affleck Reportedly Wants Jennifer Garner Back
- 5 TV Shows to Watch If You Love Witches & Everything Supernatural
- Blake Lively Slams Cannes for 'Jokes' About Rape, Woody Allen, Homophobia, Hitler
- Watch the 'X-Men: Apocalypse' Cast Go 'Beast Mode' in Dubsmash Video
- 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Episode 4 Photos Tease Tense Reunions
- 'Bridesmaids': 10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About the Hit Comedy
- 'Survivor' Suffers a Record Third Medical Evacuation, Thanks to Beef and Age
- 9 Things We Learned After Watching the First 20 Minutes of 'Assassin's Creed'
| 'Supergirl' Is Moving to The CW for Season 2 Posted:  "Supergirl" has been renewed for a second season, but it won't air on CBS: The superhero drama will fly on over to sister network The CW for its sophomore outing.News broke late Thursday afternoon about the move, which will unite "Supergirl" with her other super-themed friends on existing CW shows "The Flash," "Arrow," and "Legends of Tomorrow." Earlier this year, a "Flash"-"Supergirl" crossover was a critical and ratings hit, prompting speculation that "Supergirl" could make the permanent move to The CW should CBS balk at renewing the so-so-rated show. The series, starring Melissa Benoist as the titular heroine, has averaged 10.03 million overall viewers in live-plus-7 numbers in season one. When it was first in development, "Supergirl" seemed like a no-brainer to land at The CW, since it already fit that network's existing programming. But CBS wanted to court the superhero audience for itself, and scooped up the property. It seems like "Supergirl" was always a better counterpart for The CW's brand, though, and according to Variety, the fact that it's winding up there after all doesn't surprise industry analysts. This will be the first time that an on-air show has moved from CBS to The CW (which is co-owned by The Eye and Warner Bros.), though it's not the first time that CBS parent company networks have shuffled series. "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" famously was shopped at Showtime before that channel passed, only to be rescued by The CW (and become a fan favorite, critical darling, and "Golden Globe" winner) last fall. Sarah Michelle Gellar-starrer "Ringer" was also previously developed for CBS back in 2011, before landing at The CW. There's no word yet on when "Supergirl" may make its CW debut (or how much of its flashy cast -- including Calista Flockhart, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh, Jeremy Jordan, and David Harewood -- may make the transition to the lower-budget network). Stay tuned. [via: Variety] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Gilmore Girls' Revival Wraps Filming, Luke and Lorelai Celebrate With Adorable Photo Posted:  It looks like the "Gilmore Girls" revival has officially wrapped production, and stars Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson -- a.k.a. Lorelai and Luke -- celebrated by snapping a cute selfie to share with fans.Patterson posted the pic to social media early Thursday morning, posing all smiles with his arm around his longtime costar. And according to the actor, Graham is so good in the new episodes that she should expect some awards season love.
"That's a wrap! Just hand @thelaurengraham the Emmy now!" Patterson wrote, adding in the hashtag, #whatagreatride. We can only imagine how great it was, though with so many original cast members onboard -- Rory's former flames! Quirky Stars Hollow residents! Melissa freakin' McCarthy! -- it was bound to be excellent. The four mini-movie episodes, which will run for 90 minutes each, were all written and directed by "Gilmore" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband and producing partner, Dan Palladino, and each one focuses on a specific season of the year. There will be plenty of new characters along for the ride, too, though most of the particular plot points are being kept under wraps for now. What we do know is that Luke and Lorelai are still together (but not married), Rory is single and dating, Emily is dealing with the loss of Richard, and Stars Hollow is just as idiosyncratic as ever. It already sounded perfect, and now Patterson's photo has only fueled our excitement even more. There's no premiere date yet for the "Gilmore Girls" revival, but it's set to hit Netflix sometime later this year. Stay tuned. [via: Scott Patterson] Photo credit: AOL This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| CBS Cancels 'CSI: Cyber,' Ending the 16-Year 'CSI' Franchise Run Posted:  It's officially the end of an era at CBS, with the network canceling its latest -- and last remaining -- "CSI" property, "CSI: Cyber," bringing the once-revered franchise to an end."CSI: Cyber" ran for two abbreviated season on CBS, though it was never able to achieve the heights of its parent series, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," which exploded onto the scene in 2000 and was once the most-watched program on television, peaking at more than 26 million viewers in its heyday. In contrast, "Cyber" -- the third spinoff of the franchise, following "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: New York" -- scored only a fraction of those numbers throughout its short run, pulling in 10.46 million sets of eyeballs at the beginning of its first season, and starting its second with just 6.79 million viewers. According to Deadline, "Cyber" was hurt by its season two Sunday night timeslot, which frequently clashed with NFL games, though it performed better this spring when it was moved back to its original spot on Wednesdays. But even though it was produced in-house by CBS Television Studios, and made the network money thanks to international sales, it ultimately underperformed for The Eye (which is used to big numbers thanks to successful comedies like "The Big Bang Theory"), and was axed as a result. The original "CSI" ended its 15-season run in 2015. Star Ted Danson, who joined the veteran drama in its later years, moved over to "Cyber" for season two, though he had already planned on leaving the series following its sophomore outing, and will star in the NBC comedy pilot "The Good Place." "Cyber," which first premiered in the 2015 midseason, also starred then-newly-minted Oscar winner Patricia Arquette and James Van Der Beek. Its season (and series) finale aired back in March. [via: Deadline] Photo credit: Randee St. Nicholas/CBS This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Lupita Nyong'o May Star in 'Black Panther' Posted:  Lupita Nyong'o may be continuing her fruitful relationship with Disney: The Oscar-winning actress is reportedly in talks to star in Marvel's upcoming "Blank Panther" flick.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nyong'o is currently negotiating with the studio to appear alongside Chadwick Boseman in the hero's standalone film. No details about her role have been revealed, though THR reports that she'll be playing T'Challa/Black Panther's love interest. That love interest could be any number of characters featured in the "Black Panther" comics, with HitFix reporting that the most high-profile candidate, from a purely canonical standpoint, would be Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. "X-Men" mutant Storm. But since rival studio Fox has the exclusive film rights to the "X-Men" universe, Ororo is almost certainly out; instead, the site has a few other theories about who Nyong'o might play that are worth exploring (including a character similar to one who made her debut alongside Boseman in last week's "Captain America: Civil War"). If the actress does indeed join the flick, it will be her fourth collaboration with Disney, following her blockbuster success in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "The Jungle Book," and the upcoming drama "The Queen of Katwe." She's also set to reprise her "Force Awakens" role as Maz Kanata in 2017's "Episode VIII." It seems like the Mouse House is very much in the Lupita Nyong'o business, and we can't blame them. We just hope Marvel fans are ready to experience the actress's awesomeness when she sizzles onscreen opposite Boseman. "Black Panther," directed by Ryan Coogler ("Creed"), is due in theaters on February 2, 2018. [via: The Hollywood Reporter, HitFix] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 5 TV Shows to Watch If You Miss College Life Posted:
Fortunately, television will always be here to help you relive your glory days. These college-set series cover the good, the bad, and the hilariously pathetic parts of higher learning. For every randomly selected roommate who became an instant best friend, there was a mind-numbingly boring professor with a two-hour lecture on the origin of language. For every idyllic fall day on campus, there was a boxed macaroni-and-cheese mishap. And for every deep, personal revelation, there was a moment of being too hungover to get out of bed, let along get to class. When you're jonesing for a walk around the quad and some anything-can-happen hopefulness, turn to these five college TV shows. 1. 'Undeclared' (2001 - 2003) This short-lived Judd Apatow comedy series did for college what the critically acclaimed "Freaks and Geeks" did for high school. Future superstars like Seth Rogen, Charlie Hunnam, and Jason Segel navigate the wild west of the dorm tower, dealing with familiar struggles: a roommate's jealous high school boyfriend, demoralizing fraternity rush rituals, embarrassing part-time jobs, and being "sex-iled" to the common room, just to name a few. 2. 'Felicity' (1998 - 2002) Who'd have guessed that J.J. Abrams, the creative mind behind the cinematic revivals of Star Wars and Star Trek, would also have a beloved college relationship drama on his resume? "Felicity" was a star-making turn for both Keri Russell and Keri Russell's hair -- fans and the media completely lost it when she went from curly mane to gamine pixie cut in Season Two. It also launched the careers of Scott Foley, Greg Grunberg, and Jennifer Garner. The titular heroine spends much of the show stuck between accessible Noel and dream man Ben, but the series is fundamentally a coming-of-age story with more than romance on its mind. 3. 'Community' (2009 - 2015) Not everyone arrives on campus at 18 with a perfect transcript, an expensive pea coat, and a beanbag chair full of uncrushed dreams. "Community" is a tribute to the misfits. Joel McHale and his co-stars play a diverse group of unlikely friends who find their way to the same community college through all manner of mistakes and second chances. If you prefer your sincerity with a heavy dash of sarcasm and never met a pop-culture reference you didn't like, this is the college comedy for you. 4. 'A Different World' (1987 - 1993) "A Different World" moved away from its Huxtable roots after just one season when central character Denise was written out after actress Lisa Bonet became pregnant and left the show. Bonet's shoes were filled by unforgettable coeds like the refined and traditional Whitley, the geeky Dwayne, the mature Jaleesa, and the rest of the outspoken and tightly knit student body at the fictional, historically black Hillman College. 5. 'How to Get Away With Murder' (2014 - ) That's not a topic you'd find on many course listings, but getting away with murder is the most in-demand curriculum at Philadelphia's Middleton college. In the ShondaLand thriller, law professor Annalise Keating schools her exclusive group of eager pupils in the ways of manipulating witnesses, tampering with evidence, and literally burying bodies. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Pitch Perfect 3' Release Date Moved Up to July 2017 Posted:  "Pitch Perfect" fans will have a shorter wait to see more of the Barden Bellas: The release date for "Pitch Perfect 3" has moved up by two weeks.Studio Universal announced the switch earlier this week, revealing a new release date of July 21, 2017 for the threequel. The flick had originally been slated to debut on August 4, 2017, but it seems the studio is eager is get it into theaters earlier in order to capture a bigger portion of the summer movie-going crowd. It's not hard to see why, following the success of "Pitch Perfect 2," which stunned industry analysts by bowing to a whopping $69.2 million when it opened in May 2015. It eventually made more than $286 million worldwide during its theatrical run, more than doubling the haul of the 2012 original. No plot details have been revealed just yet, though most of the major stars are returning, including Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, and Hailee Steinfeld. Elizabeth Banks will also be back in the director's chair this time around, as will writer Kay Cannon. According to Variety, the release date switcheroo now has "Pitch Perfect 3" going up against Christopher Nolan's hotly-anticipated WWII drama "Dunkirk," sci-fi flick "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," and Fox's animated "The Story of Ferdinand." As the Bellas would say: Bring it aca-on. [via: Variety] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ben Affleck Reportedly Wants Jennifer Garner Back Posted:  Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have yet to file for divorce after announcing their separation last June, and according to a new report, there's a good reason: Affleck desperately wants Garner back.That's the scoop from People -- as trustworthy a source in the celebrity gossip sphere as they come -- which claims that two different insiders say the actor is extremely eager to reconcile with his estranged wife. Here's the key piece of People's report:
As far as celebrity breakups go, Garner certainly seems to have come off better in this particular instance, what with rampant rumors of infidelity on Affleck's part, and her revealing, triumphant interview with Vanity Fair, in which she called out her husband's coldness and made fun of his infamous back tattoo. (Which we're still not convinced is fake, no matter how many half-hearted denials Affleck offers. #TattooTruther for life.) After all that, it doesn't really seem like Garner would be willing to take Affleck back, does it? Well, maybe, maybe not. Gossip site Lainey theorizes that Garner's VF interview is actually a lot like Beyonce's explosive album "Lemonade," in which Queen Bey admonishes a lover (most likely her husband, Jay-Z) for cheating, but ultimately takes him back, with the relationship's power firmly back in her court. Could Garner's sympathy-garnering publicity tour be a scheme to win public approval before she takes back a groveling Affleck in an attempt to salvage her family? We have to stress that this is all entirely speculative, and the world may never know what's really happening with these two unless they come out and say so themselves. For now, the family is living together in London while Affleck shoots "Justice League: Part One." What happens next is anyone's guess. [via: People] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 5 TV Shows to Watch If You Love Witches & Everything Supernatural Posted:
'Salem' (2014 - ) Let's start with the witchiest of all witch shows -- the WGN's "Salem" is ready to stock you up on warty noses, frog-based potions, and hexes aplenty. And that's what makes this somewhat campy, horror-tinged drama so shamelessly watchable: It eagerly embraces the world of witches -- including the quasi-historic Salem trials -- and isn't afraid to get downright soap operatic. Ridiculous? Yes. Gory? Yes. Bloody good fun? You know the answer. 'American Horror Story' (2011 - ) FX's anthology series takes its place as the most intense show on the list, with each season offering a twisted take on an existing horror or supernatural trope. If witches are your cauldron of tea, the critically acclaimed second season of "American Horror Story," subtitled "Coven," showcases one of the most tightly structured witch tales since "Rosemary's Baby." Its stellar, estrogen-powered ensemble -- including Gabourey Sidibe, Kathy Bates, and Angela Bassett -- delivers historically inspired voodoo and witchcraft, strikingly creepy imagery, and even a bit of social commentary. 'Supernatural' (2005 - ) You knew this was coming, right? True to its title, the WB's long-running fantasy-drama-horror-adventure-mystery series casts a wide net on all things weird, including a whole monster mash of demons, werewolves, wendigos, vampires, dragons, banshees, wraiths ... you get the idea. In typical TV fashion, the two ghost-hunting leads just happen to be stupidly good looking, but the show's insanely long history -- well over 200 episodes in -- also lends "Supernatural" viewers a strange sense of comfort. The demon-snooping Winchesters are like two old friends cruising the country for the creepiest things it has to offer week in and week out, and (usually) nailing just the right balance of scary and silly. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997 - 2003) Without Buffy, there would be no Winchester brothers -- and no Whedon-verse, for that matter. For occult aficionados, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has it all. Between the bloodsucker slaying, star Sarah Michelle Gellar faces very relatable high-school drama -- the kind of problems you can't solve with a stake. Characters like the witchy Willow, villainous Spike, and vampire-turned-love-interest Angel make for an iconic and entertaining supporting cast in a show that somehow manages to be funny, irreverent, and emotional all at once. If you're in it for the creep factor, don't be fooled by the title -- zombies, witches, ghosts, robots, gods, demons, and just about all things metaphysical show up at least once. And even more important than vamps, it's all topped off with ample doses of heart and gender positivity. 'Dark Shadows' (1966 - 1971) In your quest for popcorn-friendly supernatural sustenance, don't be afraid to kick it old school -- and not 1997 "Buffy"-style old school. We're talking the granddaddy of supernatural soaps, 1966's "Dark Shadows." Forget what you know about the Tim Burton-Johnny Depp movie remake. The television show that started it all was a stylish, elevated Gothic drama that brought the concept of the sexy vampire -- Jonathan Frid's legendary Barnabas Collins -- to the mainstream with a scream. Before "Twilight" was a gleam in Stephenie Meyer's eye, "Dark Shadows" gave us vampire love affairs, surprising betrayals, and shocking trysts, peppered with the occasional werewolf, ghost, time-travel escapade, or visit to a parallel dimension. Give it a watch next time you're craving 1,225 episodes of subversion, pulp, and supernatural cat fights. Sources This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Blake Lively Slams Cannes for 'Jokes' About Rape, Woody Allen, Homophobia, Hitler Posted:
"He made three homophobic comments in a row. A Hitler joke. And a rape joke. It was all within 30 seconds ... What on Earth was happening? It was really confusing."
He said, if he had known about Farrow's essay he would've deleted the joke. "I didn't want to hurt anybody. If I had known [the Woody Allen joke] could be misinterpreted, I wouldn't have said it." Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Watch the 'X-Men: Apocalypse' Cast Go 'Beast Mode' in Dubsmash Video Posted:
Wake yo ass u 'cause it's time to go beastmode! You know, in this post-Deadpool world of self-referential fourth-wall breaking, that might've been a good scene to put in the movie. Marvel stars do loooooove their dubsmash videos, and it seems like only a matter of time before one or more ends up in a movie. Speaking of things that should at least make the Blu-ray, did you read about that crotch punch Jennifer Lawrence gave Sophie Turner? They need to do audio commentary for the home release, sharing more stories like that. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Episode 4 Photos Tease Tense Reunions Posted:
HBO released a bunch of photos to tease the action, in addition to the "Book of the Stranger" trailer, which is right here: Here are the official photos from "Book of the Stranger":        So, based on the trailer and photos, we know we'll be seeing Petyr Baelish for the first time this season, visiting Robin Arryn and Yohn Royce in the Vale. (Sansa, you need to slice his littlefinger right off for setting up that Ramsay marriage.) We'll also see the not-so-happy reunion of Yara and Theon Greyjoy; a potentially not-so-happy sibling reunion between Margaery and Loras Tyrell; more from the Queen of Thorns, Olenna Tyrell, and new Hand of the King Kevan Lannister; and more from Cersei, Jaime, Tyrion, Varys, Jorah, Daario, Daenerys, and what looks like Sansa Stark, Brienne, and Pod arriving at ... Castle Black? Will Team Sansa turn right around after realizing Jon Snow is gone? The second big Season 6 trailer showed Davos and Sansa appearing to be on Bear Island, making a case for a fight in the North. So will they pick up support from Davos and start touring the north to get allies?Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Bridesmaids': 10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About the Hit Comedy Posted:  You can pinpoint the moment almost precisely when "Bridesmaids" changed comedy.Upon the movie's release five years ago this week (on May 13, 2011), it was that one notorious food-poisoning scene -- you know the one -- that proved that an all-female ensemble comedy could be just as raunchy and hilarious and heartfelt as any of producer Judd Apatow's bro-centric comedies. The result turned Melissa McCarthy into a breakout star, gave career boosts to costar/co-writer/co-producer Kristen Wiig and director Paul Feig, and launched a wave of hit R-rated comedies starring women. Still, as many times as you've watched the misadventures of Wiig's moody maid of honor, there's plenty you may not know about how the story came together, who almost starred in it, and which scenes were left out.  1. "Bridesmaids" came about because of Wiig's cameo as a hostile TV producer in Apatow's "Knocked Up." The director urged her to write a screenplay as a vehicle for herself to star in and offered to produce it.2. Wiig and writing partner Annie Mumolo (a fellow graduate of the Groundlings improv comedy troupe) spent four years writing "Bridesmaids" whenever Wiig had time off from "Saturday Night Live." She'd fly to Los Angeles, improvise scenes with Mumolo during marathon 12-hour sessions, then return to New York. 3. Mindy Kaling and Rose Byrne both tried out for the role of the bride, Lillian, before it ultimately went to fellow "SNL" vet Maya Rudolph. Byrne got the role she preferred, Helen, the bitchy rival to Wiig's Annie.  4. Future "Pitch Perfect" star Rebel Wilson auditioned for Megan, and while that role ultimately went to McCarthy, the filmmakers liked the Australian actress enough to cast her as Brynn, Annie's eccentric roommate. This was Wilson's first big Hollywood role. Busy Philipps, who'd co-starred on Feig and Apatow's TV show, "Freaks and Geeks," also auditioned to play Megan.5. Byrne, the only one of the six stars who didn't have an improvisational comedy background, had a hard time not cracking up on the set. She also proved the odd woman out when Wiig and Mumolo took the cast to a male strip club as a research trip/bonding experience. Wiig noted that Byrne was uneasy when the others bought her a lap dance. Byrne squirmed as the oily dancer got grease all over her expensive blouse and found herself chattering about Los Angeles traffic. "Totally unsexy," she recalled during an on-set interview. "I'm like the nerdy, frigid weirdo. But that was fun."  6. Early drafts of the script featured a bachelorette party sequence in Las Vegas, but just three weeks before shooting, producer Apatow nixed the scene, complaining that there had been too many recent movies (notably, "The Hangover") depicting similar Vegas debauchery. Over a single weekend, Wiig and Mumolo wrote the sequence featuring Wiig's mid-air freakout that keeps the wedding party from reaching Vegas. (That's Mumolo playing Wiig's anxious seatmate.) "We took something out, and we were nervous, and we ended up with something better," Mumolo recalled.7. Other scenes that were written but not filmed included a musical number and a scene where the characters fear they've discovered Lillian's corpse but abandon the body with a sigh of relief when they realize it's a stranger. One filmed sequence that was cut for length was Annie's blind date with a man who turns out to be a rageaholic, played by no less than Paul Rudd. 8. "Bridesmaids" cost a reported $32.5 million to produce. It grossed $169.1 million in North America and a total of $288.4 million worldwide, making it the biggest live-action hit to date in the careers of its six stars, director Feig, and producer Apatow.  9. At the 2012 Oscars, "Bridesmaids" received two nominations, for Best Original Screenplay and for Best Supporting Actress, for McCarthy.10. Early on after the film's success, Wiig announced her refusal to make a "Bridesmaids" sequel, believing there was no way to reunite the characters for a premise that would be as original and funny. For a while, Universal threatened to make a sequel without Wiig, though the studio apparently finally gave up on the idea. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Survivor' Suffers a Record Third Medical Evacuation, Thanks to Beef and Age Posted:  Blindsided by beef! "Survivor: Kaoh Rong," aka Season 32, is now down to its final four, and that last elimination was arguably the worst. Who wants to be kicked out of the game for eating too much? Joe Del Campo, a 71-year-old former FBI special agent, was evacuated from the game for medical reasons at the final five. His departure marked the third medevac of the season, which is a record for "Survivor."It came about in the strangest way, too. Unlike Caleb Reynolds, who collapsed in the heat of a challenge, or Neal Gottlieb, whose cuts and bruises got worse to the point of dangerous, Joe just ate too much. Seriously. He won the reward challenge, his first individual win, and when it came time to eat, he just overdid it on the steak kabobs. Cydney Gillon watched him eating and figured it wasn't going to come to a good end -- the body can't take a lot of food at once after being deprived.  The combination of too much food and Joe's advanced age left him constipated and feeling pressure on his bladder without being able to go. Eventually, medical was called and Joe left the game. That meant Aubry Bracco lost her second ally to a medevac, and her chances of winning lessened slightly. It also meant that Tai Trang never had to use his idol, and in fact no one used an idol all season.It has still been a good season, and it's interesting that the evacuations were all men, and the final four are mostly woman, with a woman looking most likely to pick up the million this coming Wednesday. Will it be Aubry, Cydney, or Michele Fitzgerald ... or will they keep Tai around because he betrayed so many allies? And is there any way for Mark the Chicken to pull out a win? His social game has been impeccable, convincing a tribe of starving people not to kill and cook him, so instead they overdose on food at reward challenges. Brilliant.  Jeff Probst teased the finale in hist post-episode talk with Entertainment Weekly, saying, "It's a very exciting finish. The drama is definitely not over. There will be more surprises, another Survivor first, tears, and a very fulfilling final Tribal Council. This should be a really good conclusion to what fans are telling me has been a really entertaining season."Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 9 Things We Learned After Watching the First 20 Minutes of 'Assassin's Creed' Posted:  The one genre Hollywood can't seem to crack is the video game adaptation.For every "Mortal Kombat" there's, well, a landfill of truly unwatchable misfires. "Assassin's Creed" is the latest adaptation to get the big-screen treatment, and it hopes to succeed where too many have failed. Michael Fassbender both produces and stars in the adaptation of the hit Ubisoft game, playing Callum Lynch, a troubled convict who, soon after seemingly being executed, wakes up to find himself a member of the Assassins -- a secret order of time-traveling killers (naturally) who revisit the past without the aid of a Flux Capacitor. With the even-more secret and dangerous Templars as his target, Callum must parkour and kick-punch and stab his way through history. (To say more about the plot would spoil the fun of finding it out for yourself, especially if you're unfamiliar with the incredibly popular -- and excellent -- game.)  "Assassin's Creed" reunites Fassbender with his "MacBeth" director Justin Kurzel (above), the latter of which recently screened both the first trailer -- which drops today -- and the first reel of the film for journalists in London. It's a ballsy move to show the first 20 minutes of a film that's very work-in-progress, but the director was nothing but confident about the presentation -- which serves as an origin story for Callum, who starts out as a young boy in New Mexico and grows up to become Fassbender after stumbling upon the aftermath of his mother's murder at the hands of his hooded, stab-happy father.The film opens with an eagle soaring through and around arid peaks, gliding over a bare-bones town in the desert before finding young Callum -- wearing a hoodie -- and embarking on a very long ride home on his BMX bike. The bike ride is very anti-climatic; given the significant time spent on Callum's back as he rides through town, one expects the action to reveal something important about the character's skillset or personality that not only establishes him as an ideal future member of this cabal of assassins, but also as someone the audience can truly invest in. (Outside of briefly popping a wheelie, we don't get to know much about this kid other than he's soon to become an orphan.) He finds his dead mother at the kitchen table, suffering from a very bloody neck wound. The cause? Callum's father, who stands near the body sporting the game's signature knife gauntlet weapon -- one his son will soon wield. From here, we jump forward in time to the moments before adult Callum's execution, which he spends adding new charcoal drawings to his cell's collection (pictured below).  A priest enters to give him last rights after discussing a key Robert Frost poem that has thematic ties to the film's more cerebral undertones, all before Callum is administered lethal injection in one of the reel's more chilling (and dramatically realistic) scenes. Callum awakens to find Sophia Rikkin (Marion Cotillard) speaking cryptically about why Callum was spared and what she wants with him. Unable to use his legs properly, Callum stumbles off a gurney and into a secret facility -- all concrete and cold steel -- to discover that his the bloodlines of his past is key to whatever future he has left. Fans of the game will be glad to know that the epic "leap of faith" has made it to the screen -- we glimpsed the game's signature move in action. The fight scenes are shaky-cam violent and not afraid to push what looks like PG-13 action to the edge. (Though it is a bit weird that, with such a high body count as a result of stabbing, not one bad guy bled in the footage screened. That could be because the filmmakers are going the route of CG blood to be added in post.) A POV shot from the perspective of Fassbender manning a bow and arrow really blew the crowd away, as the first-person viewpoint is a popular one in video games. And Fassbender strikes a powerful figure while wearing the game series' iconic attire. He looks to be having genuine fun in the role. While it is too early to tell how this all adds up in the final product, it's clear from jump street that Fassbender is very invested in the material -- which his director reiterated during a post-screening Q & A, adding that the actor-producer was surgical with his notes as the filmmakers shaped the story. Here are more insights we learned about the "Assassin's Creed:"  1. The film features all new characters, "designed and created from an original story," revealed the director. But he insisted that "the concepts of the game and the spirit of the game is there ... the idea of having access to your memories, the idea of history and who you are. It's an origin story, so it's about a man who discovers who he is, and the fact that these lives lead back through the years and year and generations and generations." 2. For Kurzel, the game's themes are what drew him to the film. "I think it's the idea that you are defined by your history. Our characters have no idea who they are -- actually, they belong to a tribe that is 5,000 years old. So that concept is very cinematic." 3. When it came to adapting the game, the director did not feel any constraints imposed upon him by Ubisoft. "I didn't feel like we were adapting a video game," Kurzel said. "It wasn't as if we were looking at the [game's] Bible and saying, 'We have to have this and this and this.' But I think it's the ideas in the game that make it so popular. It's so human and rich and universal and we're really just extending on that." 4. Fassbender got involved with the film very early on in the process, and brought his "MacBeth" director with him. Kurzel was approached for "Assassin's Creed" while he was still editing "MacBeth." 5. The filmmakers were committed to grounding the action by keeping the stunts as practical as possible. "We didn't want our assassins to float through the air. We want them to land with a thump. [Fassbender] was very keen on doing a lot of stuntwork himself and for it to feel real. I just didn't want to be in a parking lot with a huge green screen." 6. Discussions are currently underway in regards to how much of the film will be presented in IMAX. 7. If you like first-person shots, then you can expect the film to deliver on more of that. "We put a lot of GoPros on blades and on the arrows and it wasn't to imitate the point of view of the game. It was actually to make you feel the point of view of Cal." 8. A key piece of tech from the game, the Animus, gets a big-budget upgrade. Here, it serves like a swing-arm attached to the assassin, moving him around a virtual-reality environment as the person using it travels to that physical environment in the past. The film will blend scenes in the Animus room with those from the past, adding an interesting dynamic to the action as Cal battles in both the present and during the Spanish Inquisition. 9. And yes, the filmmakers have discussed -- "over a couple glasses of wine" -- about a sequel. "Where do we go next," Kurzel said. "It's a delicious cocktail of possibilities. The idea that Michael can go in any kind of time period and play different ancestors is very exciting. You could go for a second or third film, but we're just trying to finish this one." "Assassin's Creed" hits theaters Dec. 21. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Ah, sweet college -- the perfect fusion of freedom and dependence, childhood and adulthood, midterms and hangovers. For many students, it takes escaping high school and heading off to college to find out who they really are and who they really want to be. It's okay to miss it sometimes, or even most of the time.
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