Latest Movie News From Moviefone |
- Every 'Friday the 13th' Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best
- The First Photos From the 'Warcraft' Movie Are Finally Here
- 'Grey's Anatomy' Alum T.R. Knight Joins Hulu's '11/22/63'
- Damon Lindelof Reveals How 'Tomorrowland' Is a Lot Like Hogwarts
- 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Director George Miller Teases Sequel
- 14 Times Liz Lemon Was Our Spirit Animal
- Disney, Pixar Films to Include More 'Female and Ethnic Characters'
- What's New on Netflix, TV, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: May 18 - May 24
- New Details on 'Fear the Walking Dead' Characters and 'Satisfying' Season 1
- New 'Steve Jobs' Trailer Already Has People Complaining and Comparing
- Why Was 'Pitch Perfect 2' Such a Shocking Box Office Smash?
- Remember When ABC Had 2 'Bachelors'? Loser Has Advice for 'The Bachelorettes'
- 'Game of Thrones': These Reactions to Sansa, Ramsay, Theon Wedding Just Make Us Feel Worse
- Louis C.K.'s Child Molestation 'SNL' Monologue Gets Angry Fans Talking
- In Memoriam: Don Draper, Enigmatic Advertising Legend
- 'Game of Thrones' Recap: Sick! Sansa Has Worst Wedding Night in 'Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken'
| Every 'Friday the 13th' Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best Posted:  Jason Voorhees, the number one cause of death for teenage campers, has been terrorizing Camp Crystal Lake for over thirty years. With 12 films, the hockey-masked killer has racked up quite the body count. Find out which movie tops the list as we rank 'em from worst to best. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The First Photos From the 'Warcraft' Movie Are Finally Here Posted:  A big-screen adaptation of massively popular online game "World of Warcraft" has been in the works for close to a decade, but now, the film is finally moving forward -- and the first official photos from the production are here to prove it.Director Duncan Jones ("Moon") shared some snaps from the flick on Twitter on Monday, revealing a look at actor Robert Kazinsky in character as Orgrim Doomhammer, leader of an army of orcs who clash with humans. The photos reveal an insane level of detail, down to Orgrim's craggy countenance; protruding, yellowing teeth; and mangled, pointed ears. Wired spoke to Jones about the character's impressive physique, revealing that while the creation was the result of visual effects, he would be "the most life-like CGI orc audiences have ever seen." After viewing the pictures, it's hard to argue with that assertion. According to Wired, "Orgrim's likeness comes from the masterminds at Industrial Light and Magic, who took concept art from Blizzard Entertainment-creators of the massive World of Warcraft videogame franchise on which Jones' film is based-and merged it with photographs and scans of Kazinsky to create the orc."The impressive results speak for themselves, and should encourage audiences that if this amount of attention is paid to just one character, the rest of the film should look stellar, too. Check out the full photos below.   "Warcraft" is due in theaters on June 10, 2016. [via: Duncan Jones, Wired] Photo credit: Duncan Jones/Legendary Pictures This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Grey's Anatomy' Alum T.R. Knight Joins Hulu's '11/22/63' Posted:  Hulu's upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's novel "11/22/63" has added another familiar face to its supporting cast, with T.R. Knight joining the ensemble.Knight, who was one of the original stars of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," will star alongside James Franco in the event series, which centers around a man named Jake Epping (Franco) who finds a time portal and travels back to 1958, and decides to try to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on the titular date. But Epping's efforts are thwarted by a host of obstacles, including Knight's character, Johnny Clayton. Per Deadline, Clayton is "a salesman in 1960s Texas who can't quite break up with his estranged wife Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon), even as she falls in love with Jake (Franco). Charismatic but controlling, Johnny confronts Jake in a tense encounter that puts Jake's double life at risk. But there's equal danger in what will happen if Jake and Sadie expose Johnny's own secrets." The Hulu original series, produced by J.J. Abrams's Bad Robot company, is set to premiere on the streaming service sometime in 2016. Nine hour-long episodes are planned. [via: Deadline] Photo credit: Getty Images for Point Foundation This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Damon Lindelof Reveals How 'Tomorrowland' Is a Lot Like Hogwarts Posted:  Damon Lindelof has time traveled so much during the past decade that it's a wonder he doesn't cruise around town in a souped-up DeLorean. Writer of the J.J. Abrams creations "LOST" and the "Star Trek" reboot, Lindelof's latest venture teams him with director Brad Bird (who can't write Pixar's "The Incredibles 2" fast enough) in their long awaited sci-fi adventure "Tomorrowland.""Tomorrowland" functions as one of those movies that doesn't quite fit into any one genre. There is of course sci-fi, but mixed in are adventure, action, drama, comedy, fantasy -- it's as if Lindelof and Bird threw a little bit of everything into a bowl, mixed it together, poured out the contents, baked it for two years and are now ready to serve it to audiences this weekend. During our conversation with Lindelof, we talk about how this movie came to fruition, where the pins came from, dealing with time travel (again), how they got George Clooney to do a summer movie (his last true summer movie was eight years ago in "Ocean's Thirteen"), and which scene absolutely needs to be seen in IMAX theaters. Moviefone: Since there are so many genres this movie can fit in, how did you pitch this to Disney? Damon Lindelof: Interestingly enough, as opposed to me saying, "I want a meeting with you guys, I have a pitch for you," it developed much more organically. I was having lunch with Sean Bailey who is the president of production at Disney and he asked me, "What do you think a Disney movie is? Because obviously we have Marvel," and this was before they bought Lucasfilm. I said, "Listen, I'll be honest with you, when I first heard there was going to be a "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, I thought it was the dumbest idea I'd ever heard and then I saw the trailer and it works because the ride feels familiar and you can do whatever story you want. There are no characters on that ride, just as long as there's a dog with keys in its teeth at some point, I feel like you've kind of earned the title. So, that's when you started looking inside the park for ideas? Right, so I would be looking inside the parks for great ideas and I said, "If there was a movie called 'Tomorrowland,' I don't know what it's about, but I'd go and see that." He said, "What would it be?" and I said, "For me, the jumping off point would be a 'Close Encounters' approach, which is, somebody sees something they weren't supposed to see and they come to feel this means something and need to know more about it and go in pursuit of it." Obviously, "Close Encounters" is a one-of-a-kind, iconic film, but there's no bad guy. The U.S. government is sort of a pseudo-bad guy, but with our movie, you probably need there to be a bad guy. I said to him "'Tomorrowland' is Hogwarts, and the magicians don't want you to find it, but in this case, instead of magicians, you've got geniuses." Interesting. So what happened after that? When did the now ubiquitous pins come in to play? The next time I met with them, I think I had the idea of the pins, and I was pitching a much more international approach, like there would be five main characters who lived all over the world and each one of them came in contact with one of the pins and it was about them coming together. You mentioned "Pirates of the Caribbean," and that's obviously a huge franchise now that is driven by action and comedy. When you started putting the pieces together for "Tomorrowland," did it automatically become a sci-fi movie, given your background? I think the title "Tomorrowland" seems to conjure a sci-fi premise, but I kind of went out of my way to make this an adventure movie that used science fiction language. I said, "If this movie is going to work, probably fifteen percent of it is going to take place in Tomorrowland. I think again, following that "Close Encounters" approach, we're going to show you a lot less aliens. I wanted the majority of the movie to take place in the world that we know with evidence and hints of Tomorrowland and then ultimately end up there. You're always looking for ways to make the sci-fi accessible. Did you ever consider going 3D with this movie, or was it always 2D? We always wanted the movie to be in 2D. Brad kind of felt that if we were going to do it in 3D, we would need to shoot it in 3D because he didn't want to do the conversion, and if we're shooting it in 3D, we're probably going to be distracted from making it the best it can be, so we made the decision early on to keep it 2D. Let's switch to the actors. Britt Robertson really nails the role of Casey, and I know that a few other actresses were considered for that role before her. What was it about Britt that made her the perfect actress for the part? I think there are many aspects to it when you're casting for a part like this, where you have to essentially have to carry the movie for an hour by yourself before George Clooney even steps onto the screen and then it becomes about chemistry. I think for Britt, she had to be able to sell wonder and optimism in the face of pessimism. Once we had Raffey [Cassidy], who we cast before Britt, it was about flying Raffey over from the UK and putting them in a room together. We had narrowed it down to a couple of actresses for Casey, and Britt just crushed it with her. They just had great chemistry together. Then it just became undeniable. Considering George doesn't do summer movies, why do you think he was interested in the role of Frank? I think George totally embodies everything that the movie is about, and he's had great range in that he's both directed and performed intense dramatic roles but also comedic roles, and you kind of need someone who can do both of those things. More importantly, George as a guy, both in the movies he chooses to make as an actor and George Clooney the individual, is very idealistic. He identifies wrongs in society and says, "I'm not going to look at Darfur and say, 'Boy what a mess.' I'm going to look at Darfur and I'm going to get satellites to beam images of the tragedy and then goes to meet with world leaders to try and work on a resolution." So if we're going to George and ask him to be in a summer movie, which he doesn't do, there needs to be some kind of merit to it. So he jumped at the substance more than the sizzle? We're trying to capture the idealism of the movie, which some might perceive as a little corny, like, "Oh, there's a message to it," he just totally jumped on it on that level. Look, we all love superhero movies and sequels and I'm going to go pay to see every single one of those movies this summer, but if you're going to do something original, albeit based on an existing Disney property, it should have some value and I think that's what he wanted to do. Movie fans in particular like to nit-pick time travel. I noticed you sort of side-stepped the whole Doc Brown, "Back to the Future" thing about not interacting with your future self and so on. How did that develop to keep the future and the past and the present all separate? After season five of "LOST" and the "Star Trek" reboot, I was like, "I'm never doing time travel again, ever, ever, ever." Whether you do paradox or non-paradox, you just can't win. So with "Tomorrowland," it was like, what if it wasn't time travel but it was a machine they built that showed them and told them this is your definite future, but then the whole movie becomes about, well... is it? I was always catalyzed by this Arabian fable called "Appointment in Samarra," which is all about cheating death and, in many ways, is a time travel story. Basically, if you were told about the moment you were going to die and you knew about it in advance, could you avoid it? I always thought that would be a really cool story to tell in the context of a science fiction premise where you built a machine that did that. Finally, there are some really big scenes in this movie that stand out. Which scene do you think movie fans absolutely must see on the big screen, particularly in IMAX? I think Casey's extended pin sequence. She rides her bike out and touches the pin and takes this four minute ride through Tomorrowland that Brad designed as one contiguous shot without any cuts. I feel like that, in itself, is sort of worth the price of admission because we're putting this on an IMAX screen, we're not using IMAX cameras to shoot it, so we should probably justify it. As a fanboy and a moviegoer, I'd probably say, "Ok, I'm glad I saw it." "Tomorrowland" opens nationwide Friday, May 22nd. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Director George Miller Teases Sequel Posted:  Fans flocked to theaters this weekend to see "Mad Max: Fury Road," a reboot of the classic apocalyptic action series, dropping a collective $44.4 million at the domestic box office on the long-in-the-works flick. Based on those numbers, it seems that a sequel to the reenergized franchise is a no-brainer, and now, director George Miller himself has stated that audiences will be seeing more "Max" in the future.Miller, who just joined Twitter this weekend, didn't mince words with his first tweet ever, thanking fans and critics alike for the love, and revealing that a follow-up is indeed in the works. "We had a lot of fun making it..and there's more Max to come," Miller wrote on Sunday evening. While there's no greenlight yet from studio Warner Bros., an official announcement is all but a certainty. Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros., said in a statement that the studio was pleased with the film's opening weekend, and envisioned the movie having "some long legs" in theaters, with strong returns rolling in for weeks to come.That result should guarantee Miller and co. another shot at box office glory with a "Fury Road" follow-up. Here's hoping it doesn't take another 30 years to get off the ground. [via: George Miller] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 14 Times Liz Lemon Was Our Spirit Animal Posted: The hilarious Tina Fey's birthday lands on May 18, and we could think of no better way to celebrate then rounding up some classic Liz Lemon "30 Rock" moments. Whether she's praising the virtues of a microwaved donut or crying out of her mouth due to botched eye surgery, she just gets us, ya know? Here are 14 examples that prove we all have a little Liz Lemon inside of us.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Disney, Pixar Films to Include More 'Female and Ethnic Characters' Posted:  Disney isn't known for tremendous diversity, but apparently that's about to change. John Lasseter, the legendary Disney Animation/Pixar boss, said Pixar and Disney are making efforts to expand story horizons to represent more of how our world actually looks."It's very important to us ... to have female and ethnic characters," Lasseter said today at a press conference (via Variety) "It's grown in importance over time. As you'll see in future films, we're really paying attention to that." Lasseter mentioned "Moana," which is coming out in November 2016, following a Polynesian navigator on an epic adventure. "It's pretty spectacular," Lasseter said. "I guess most people think of fairy tales as European fairy tales. We're trying to reach out and find origins of legends all over the world." The changes in what's on screen are directly related to who is behind the scenes. Lasseter said when he started in animation it was basically a boy's club; so the stories were tied to their perspectives. "We have been seeing more and more women, and more and more people from all over the world starting to work with [animation]. That's exciting. I think it will get reflected in the characters." Sounds great so far, but the No. 1 priority is still great storytelling. Just keep giving us that classic Disney/Pixar mix of humor and heart and lovable characters and it'll eventually stop being noteworthy when those lovable characters aren't all the same skin color. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| What's New on Netflix, TV, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: May 18 - May 24 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 "American Sniper" A lot of fans have been waiting for this one to come out. Bradley Cooper plays U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated war drama, which arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 19. You'll have to wait until June 16 for Netflix or Redbox, but if you pick up the Blu-Ray you get special features like "One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper" and "The Making of American Sniper." "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" They're back! The magical hot tub sends Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Duke 10 years into the future in this comedy sequel. It's out everywhere -- DVD, iTunes, Netflix, Redbox -- on May 19. "Leviathan" Looking for something a little more highbrow than a "Hot Tub" sequel? Consider "Leviathan," a bleak but powerful Russian drama from the director of "The Return." It boasts a 99 percent "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so go see what the critics are raving about. TV Worth Watching "The Bachelorette" (Monday on ABC at 9 p.m.) Yes, it's worth watching -- stop judging! How else are we supposed to feel better about ourselves? Britt and Kaitlyn signed on to be the first co-Bachelorettes, but one of them will get dumped before they can even dump the guys. Who will be the real rosemistress? Tune in for the most dramatic two-night premiere EVER! Or at least since the last one. To cleanse your drama palate, watch the "Dancing With the Stars" finale at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, right after the second night of "The Bachelorette." "Survivor" (Wednesday on CBS at 8 p.m.) This "Worlds Apart" season has not lived up to Jeff Probst's hype, but it still has a chance to end strong -- if Mike or Carolyn wins. And either one could still win. Watch the two-hour finale on May 20, and stay for the must-watch reunion to hear how Will and Dan answer for all the horrible things they've said. "Late Show With David Letterman" (Wednesday on CBS at 11:35 p.m.) It's hard to imagine we're about to live in a world without David Letterman on late-night television. Dave is saying goodbye on May 20, and we're expecting some big cameos and hopefully a few final stupid human tricks. New on Netflix "Between" This Netflix original series actually looks pretty amazing -- and they're teasing it out as an unbinge-able show, since one episode airs at a time, every Thursday at 8:30 p.m., starting this Thursday, May 21. That's the first of Season 1's six episodes following a plague that hits a small town, killing everyone over age 21. How demographically convenient! Check out the trailer: "Inglourious Basterds" Don't let the annoying title spelling scare you away -- Quentin Tarantino's 2009 WWII war film is a must watch. Brad Pitt headlines the cast, but Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Melanie Laurent, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger and Daniel Bruhl steal the show. Waltz won his first of two Tarantino Oscars as Col. Hans Landa and it's not hard to see why. Watch this on Netflix May 22. "The Boxtrolls" This stop-motion fantasy-comedy is based on the book "Here Be Monsters!" and it was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Watch the family film on Netflix May 23. New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital Only "Good Kill" (iTunes) Ethan Hawke plays Air Force pilot Tom Egan in this thoughtful modern war drama, which hits iTunes on May 22, the same day it's released in theaters. "The Aviator" (Amazon Prime) Leonardo DiCaprio leads an all-star cast as Howard Hughes in Martin Scorsese's epic biopic. This puppy was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won five, including Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn. Give it a watch on Amazon Prime starting May 18. "The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" (iTunes) Good ole SpongeBob SquarePants and friends come ashore to reclaim the secret Krabby Patties recipe from pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) in this superhero saga out on Digital HD on May 19. That's two week before the Blu-ray, DVD and VOD release of June 2. Check out this exclusive video showing Bill Fagerbakke hard at work as the voice of Patrick. That seriously has to be the best job in the world.  Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Details on 'Fear the Walking Dead' Characters and 'Satisfying' Season 1 Posted:  A specific premiere date for "The Walking Dead" spinoff "Fear the Walking Dead," has still yet to be released, but showrunner Dave Erickson is already talking about how long it may air on AMC.Robert Kirkman, who executive produces this show along with the main one, first gave the basic character rundown to Entertainment Weekly: "Fear" follows two schoolteachers, widow Madison (Kim Dickens) and divorced Travis (Cliff Curtis), who are very much in love. They both have kids from previous relationships: Madison has a high-achieving high-school daughter named Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and a dropout son named Nick (Frank Dillane); Travis has a son, Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie), who resents Travis for breaking up with his mom (Elizabeth Rodriguez). Dave Erickson talked to TVLine and The Hollywood Reporter about the feel of the first season and plan for what's to come.
AMC already gave a green light to FTWD Season 2, but we'll have to see what they do for episode counts, and where they place the show in the 2016 schedule. The main show also started with six episodes, then upped to 13 in Season 2, then went to the 16-episode format it retains into Season 6, which premieres in October. It's a good point to bring up how the main TWD show is tied to Kirkman's comic, which gives a hint on its direction, but FTWD is completely untethered so it's hard to know where it will go or how long it might be around. Are you getting excited for "Fear" or just afraid that it might, you know, bite? Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New 'Steve Jobs' Trailer Already Has People Complaining and Comparing Posted:  Another Steve Jobs movie? Already? That seems to be the main knee-jerk reaction to the first "Steve Jobs" trailer, which was released May 17 during the big "Mad Men" finale. The Ashton Kutcher movie "Jobs" came out in 2013 and pretty much bombed. This new "Steve Jobs" movie stars Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet, with a high-profile team including director Danny Boyle and writer Aaron Sorkin. It looks like classic Oscar bait, and some fans seem to think that's why it exists, while others think it could be a palate-cleanser after the failure of "Jobs."The new trailer makes Jobs seem like a rock star, focusing on his back facing an empty theater -- then an adoring audience -- and hides that Fassbender is even playing the role until the final shots. Here are some early reactions:
Yes, really. It's a shame this one is coming out after the Kutcher version, since the names involved (especially Boyle and Sorkin) give us more hope for the storytelling. But because of its second place status, "Steve Jobs" will continue to be compared to "Jobs." (Maybe that'll end up boosting its status.) "Steve Jobs" will be released on October 9, 2015, four days after the fourth anniversary of the Apple founder's death. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Why Was 'Pitch Perfect 2' Such a Shocking Box Office Smash? Posted:  It was supposed to be close."Pitch Perfect 2" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" were both expected to open in the mid-40s, with the a cappella musical having a slight edge. In fact, "Mad Max" did open in line with predictions, grossing an estimated $44.4 million. But "PP2" opened with an estimated $70.3 million -- about $15 million more than the most optimistic projections, and about $5 million more than the original 2012 movie earned during its entire North American run. This sort of thing almost never happens. But perhaps better than asking how "PP2" became such a runaway success might be asking why everyone so grossly underestimated its chances. Some possible reasons: It's the women, stupid. Both the industry and the pundits who watch it have a long history of accepting the conventional wisdom that female-driven movies don't open big, and that female moviegoers don't buy tickets. Every time a movie comes along that proves this notion wrong (from "Bridesmaids" to "Cinderella"), it's considered a fluke, rather than evidence of an underserved audience responding to one of the few well-executed movies tailored to its interests. (As it turned out, the "PP2" audience was 75 percent women and girls.) So the Hollywood studios simply doesn't make many such movies because it assumes they'll fail, and on the rare occasion that they do make one, they're always surprised when it's a hit. A corollary to the notion that women don't sell (or buy) tickets is the idea that overseas audiences aren't interested, either. But "PP2" had already opened at No. 1 in Australia (perhaps not coincidentally, home of Aussie native and "PP2" star Rebel Wilson), so pundits shouldn't have been shocked that it would do proportionally well here, either. Considering how foreign grosses now drive Hollywood's filmmaking choices, maybe the studios should recognize that the international success of a movie like "PP2" isn't any more of a fluke than it's domestic success. The off-screen fanbase. The first "Pitch Perfect" may have been just a modest hit in theaters, but it had a huge life beyond its theatrical run, thanks to word of mouth that has only escalated over the past three years. It sold $100 million worth of DVDs (this at a time when the DVD market is supposedly dead), spawned a smash soundtrack, and was replayed endlessly on premium cable. No doubt these were all factors in greenlighting a sequel, but still, it's not apparent from the first film's ticket sales alone how large and avid a fanbase the Bellas have. It's too big to be dismissed as just a cult. The execution. Perhaps pundits saw the other female-driven movies currently playing -- notably, "Hot Pursuit" and "The Age of Adaline" -- and thought the market was already saturated. But "Adaline" isn't a comedy, and audiences didn't much care for "Hot Pursuit." If moviegoers were hungry for a comedy that actually delivers -- no matter whether it's male- or female-oriented -- "PP2" had the market all to itself. The movie earned a very high A- at CinemaScore, suggesting that audience are delighted and that word-of-mouth is strong. The talent. Wilson's Fat Amy was the first film's breakout character, and the fearless comic actress ups the ante this time. Co-star Anna Kendrick is relentlessly charming on and off-screen, and she's been tirelessly promoting the film in magazine interviews and talk-show segments that have gone viral. And director/producer/co-star Elizabeth Banks confirms the savvy that marked her production of the first film. A lot of Hollywood was wondering whether she could pull it off and turn her first directing project into a hit -- again, largely because Hollywood is always fascinated when a woman steps behind the camera, since it happens so seldom -- but now, you can bet she'll be asked to helm "Pitch Perfect 3" in a heartbeat. Indeed, rather than being stunned by the success of "PP2," we should be marveling that "Mad Max" did as well as it did. After all, it's the sequel to a franchise whose last installment came out 30 years ago, its lead isn't a proven box office draw (sorry, Tom Hardy fans, but it's true), it's a hard R that's extreme violence is surely keeping some viewers away ("PP2" is rated a more welcoming PG-13), it's opening against a still-strong "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (which came in third this weekend, with an estimated $38.8 million), and while critics have raved about "Fury Road," audiences haven't been as impressed (it earned a so-so B+ from CinemaScore). For a movie to have all those strikes against it and still open in the mid-40s is a stellar achievement. One nice paradox: For months, this column has noted that the studios' strategy of counterprogramming almost never works. Just because a testosterone-heavy action film is opening doesn't mean that women will feel compelled to come to the multiplex as well if a female-driven film is opening as well. (Last week's lackluster debut of "Hot Pursuit," opposite the still-massive "Ultron," bore this out.) This weekend's results, however, show that counterprogramming can work if both movies are well-made and compelling enough. But it's the guy-friendly "Mad Max: Fury Road" that was the counterprogramming, while "Pitch Perfect 2" was the main event. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Remember When ABC Had 2 'Bachelors'? Loser Has Advice for 'The Bachelorettes' Posted: Have we already forgotten not only Byron Velvick but also the ill-fated Jay Overbye? Byron found love (for a while, anyway) with Mary Delgado, but real estate broker Jay got dumped on the first night when the ladies chose to continue dating pro fisherman Byron. It was a close one, though, and Jay lost by just one vote. Jay Overbye had a lot to say to Huffington Post in their new "Here To Make Friends" podcast -- and you can listen to it all over here. Back then, they were going with new Bachelors, not recycled people from previous seasons, and Jay explained how he got the bittersweet casting news:
 Jay, who is engaged now, said it was awful to be rejected on national television, but Byron was a great guy about it. Jay said he was also so exhausted by the long night that he just wanted to get to bed. But his one regret, he said, is he didn't stop to say goodbye to everyone, because he wasn't sure if it was OK. Jay had some wise words on learning from rejection, and also offered some advice for the new Bachelorettes: "It sounds like such an adage, but you really have to open your heart." And? "You've gotta be careful with your alcohol." Truth.Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Game of Thrones': These Reactions to Sansa, Ramsay, Theon Wedding Just Make Us Feel Worse Posted:  So good luck getting to sleep last night after the latest traumatizing wedding on "Game of Thrones." They do know how to throw a party ... badly. We were disgusted by Ramsay Bolton's (and the show's) wedding night treatment of Sansa Stark in Season 5, Episode 6, but encouraged by the equally frustrated and disgusted reaction of (most) fans online. Yeah, this is an adaptation of a certain storyline in the books, but Sansa has been through so much already and we thought this was her season to be "badass" like Arya, not be tortured further for sport. The episode's writer, Bryan Cogman, and main actress Sophie Turner, weighed in on the episode and their words did not make us feel better. Quite the opposite.Sophie empathized with her character but, as an actress, she didn't hide her excitement at tackling such difficult material. She knows more than we do about what's to come, and since this trauma is fresh for fans, it's a bit uncomfortable to read about how much she loved the scene. It's also frustrating to hear that she was basically tricked into this, first told Sansa would get a love interest this season. Ramsay as a love interest? Not even a funny joke. Here's what Sophie told Entertainment Weekly:
 Sophie said this season Sansa has to figure out Ramsay's intentions and try to please him. Ugh. Moving on to producer/writer Bryan Cogman. He reacted to the question of "How could you do this to Sansa?" with (in part), "It's pretty intense and awful and the character will have to deal with it." No kidding.However, he seems to see a huge difference in how the story is told in the book -- with Ramsay, Theon, and another character, Sansa's old friend Jeyne. In the book, Ramsay makes Theon have sex with his bride. EW said Cogman looked horrified at the idea of going that route on TV. "No!" he said. "Lord no. No-no-no-no-no. No. It's still a shared form of abuse that they have to endure, Sansa and Theon. But it's not the extreme torture and humiliation that scene in the book is." Really, though? Because it kind of is extreme torture and humiliation to change the story to include Sansa in her old home with Theon there -- the guy who took over Winterfell and (she thinks) killed her younger brothers -- as she's raped by the son of the man who killed her older brother. Cogman also called it a turning point for Sansa and maybe a bonding point for her and Theon, as if they are peers in this. Yes, Ramsay tortured Theon and chopped off Little Theon, but Theon is not innocent of evil action, like Sansa. And even though he didn't kill Bran and Rickon, he had two other little boys killed as decoys. This is not a "shared form of abuse," as if Sansa and Theon are both to blame for the Boltons taking over Winterfell. We feel sorry for Theon, but that doesn't mean he and Sansa are the same. So the disgust remains. But we'll still watch GoT, because if we needed the story to go our way every time we probably would've 1) never finished the books (so far) and 2) stopped watching after Season 1. We just hope Sansa can finally take charge and reclaim Winterfell and get rid of all of the trash around her. But even if she does get revenge, she will still have been raped as a virgin in her family home. Sucks to be Sansa. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Louis C.K.'s Child Molestation 'SNL' Monologue Gets Angry Fans Talking Posted:  There's nothing like outrage over outrage -- it's so meta. Louis C.K. was host of "Saturday Night Live's" finale on May 16, and he did his job as a comedian: He touched a nerve, then fondled it, and left fans either laughing in appreciation or just squirming in discomfort. After the show, the real show began online, as a few viewers expressed disgust with Louis' monologue on child molestation and racism, and still more bashed the bashers with the classic reminder that this is what comedians do.The jokes in question came during Louis' monologue, when he discussed growing up in the 1970s. He described his own "mild racism" (giving examples, including having to convince himself he wasn't scared of a black guy in a hoodie) and really went into detail about the town child molester. He said it was a true story that his neighborhood had a child molester, and he compared his own love for Mounds bars to what young boys must be like for pedophiles. He'd give up Mounds bars if he'd go to jail otherwise, but apparently little kids are too good to give up. As Louis put it... Watch the monologue here: He joked that it's probably his last show, and congratulated the audience for getting through it, but reaction has been mixed online. If you go to a site like People, which tends to be more family oriented, most of the commenters are disgusted, but on Twitter and YouTube the results seem to heavily fall into the "lighten up" column. Here are some reactions: Most of the tweets are repeats of questions like "Did Louis C.K. go too far?" Apparently he went just far enough to get everyone talking, which had to be the objective. Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| In Memoriam: Don Draper, Enigmatic Advertising Legend Posted:  [SPOILER ALERT: This article contains references to plot points in the series finale of "Mad Men," the May 17 episode "Person to Person."]Donald Francis Draper, a legendary ad man and a creative director at several top New York advertising agencies throughout the 1960s, finally met his fate, on a day in October 1970. What that fate was proved ambiguous; he was last seen on a California hilltop, smiling mysteriously. Draper was born Dick Whitman in late 1925 in rural Illinois, the son of farmer Archie Whitman and a prostitute who died in childbirth. Whitman's childhood, according to the few times he ever spoke about it (including during one memorably agonizing pitch meeting with Hershey's Chocolate that all but cost Don Draper his job) was a Dickensian nightmare, marked by his father's alcoholism and the resentment of his stepmother, Abigail, who routinely referred to him as "whore's child." Shortly before the birth of his half-brother Adam, the 10-year-old Dick saw his drunken father killed by a kick in the face from a spooked horse. Abigail took up Mack Johnson, and the family moved to a brothel in Philadelphia that Johnson ran. There, as a teenager, the sickly Dick was nursed back to health by a prostitute named Aimee, who then raped the boy. It's no wonder he sought to leave behind the family, his childhood, and even his name, ever in search of a fresh start. He got that chance in 1950 during the Korean War. As an Army enlistee, he met the real Donald Francis Draper, a lieutenant from California. During a wartime accident involving a stray cigarette lighter and a puddle of spilled gasoline, Whitman accidentally blew up his commanding officer. With the real Draper's body burned beyond recognition, Whitman switched their dog tags, assumed Draper's identity, and claimed the dead man's Purple Heart. He accompanied the body of the supposed Dick Whitman on a train back home but never got off. He let his family think he was dead, and no one believed teenage Adam when he claimed he saw his brother through the train car window, still alive. (Adam committed suicide in 1960 after tracking his brother down, only to have the former Dick spurn him and try to buy his silence.) The new Don Draper was working as a used car salesman when the real Draper's widow, Anna, tracked him down. Miraculously, the two became friends, with Dick vowing to support Anna for the rest of her life. In return, she kept his secret and became the only person with whom he ever felt completely at home. Her death from cancer in 1965 would be one of the most devastating losses of his life. But he remained close to her niece, Stephanie, who would ultimately bring Don to that fateful hilltop retreat and abandon him there. Draper moved to New York, where he found work as a salesman and copywriter for the Heller fur company while attending City College at night. It was there that he met two people who would change his life. One was a model, Betty Hofstadt, a Bryn Mawr graduate raised in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion, whom he met at a photo shoot for a Heller ad. They were wed in 1954 and had three children: Sally (born 1954), Robert (1957), and Eugene (1963). The other fateful meeting was with Roger Sterling, a senior partner at the Sterling Cooper advertising agency, who came into the store to purchase a gift (it turned out to be for his new mistress, Sterling Cooper office manager Joan Holloway). Draper slipped his portfolio in the box with the fur, a move Sterling found presumptuous, but after another encounter with Draper, one that involved many martinis, Draper persuaded Sterling to hire him. Within a few years, Draper was Sterling Cooper's creative director. Draper seemed to have it all -- a good salary, a house in the suburbs (Ossining, N.Y.), a beautiful wife and children, and the acclaim of his peers in the advertising world. He created the famous "It's Toasted" campaign for Lucky Strike cigarettes, named Kodak's rotating slide projector tray the Carousel, and won a Clio for his cinematic, kiddie-Western-style commercial for Glo-Coat floor polish. Draper even managed to save his agency from ruin more than once -- though he also nearly brought it to ruin several times as well. When McCann-Erickson threatened to absorb Sterling Cooper in 1963, Draper led the defection that resulted in the creation of new firm Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, in which he was a senior partner. He also spearheaded the 1968 merger with rival firm Cutler Gleason & Chaough that spawned Sterling Cooper & Partners. But Draper also cost Sterling Cooper a lucrative military contract (because he feared the background check required of him), made the bold but controversial move of rejecting all tobacco clients in an infamous 1966 open letter in the New York Times, and alienated Hershey with his lurid admissions about his childhood. When McCann-Erickson finally did absorb Sterling Cooper & Partners in 1970, he tried to rally the troops for another revolt, but the effort was fruitless. Within months, three of five former Sterling Cooper partners -- Pete Campbell, Joan Holloway Harris, and Draper himself -- left the firm. For all his personal and professional success, Draper was never satisfied with his life and repeatedly sought to escape -- at the movies, through heavy drinking, via travel, and especially through infidelity. His womanizing led to a brief separation from Betty in 1962. When she learned his true identity, she divorced him for good in 1964. She married rising New York State Republican operative Henry Francis in 1965. Draper married Megan Calvet in1965, before her rise to soap opera stardom, while she was still his secretary at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. He proved no more capable of being faithful to Megan than to Betty. They divorced in 1970, and Calvet's $1 million divorce settlement enabled her to launch her showbiz career in earnest. Draper's retirement from advertising was yet another impulsive effort to escape and reinvent himself. He simply walked out of a 1970 meeting with Miller beer and never returned to the office. He drove ever westward, divesting himself of possessions and psychic baggage. For a time, he joined with a group of gearheads in Utah, speed-testing custom muscle cars in the desert. He nearly returned to New York when he learned from Sally that Betty was dying of lung cancer, but his ex-wife persuaded him not to return or fight for custody. He made it all the way out to California and found himself stranded by Stephanie at an encounter group retreat, feeling sorry for himself and feeling utterly alone. "I broke all my vows, I scandalized my child, I took another man's name, and I made nothing of it," he said in an alarming phone call to Peggy Olson, the McCann copy chief who'd started out as Draper's secretary a decade earlier. But he reached a breakthrough of sorts, listening to a fellow attendee named Leonard, who lamented that his own family ignored him and seemed not to love him. Perhaps realizing that he at least still had people who cared for him and missed him, he wrapped Leonard in a tearful embrace. He was last seen at the retreat, wearing a white tunic, meditating and chanting "Om" among a group of fellow chanters on a hilltop, with a serene smile on his face. Cut to the famous 1971 Coca-Cola ad featuring a group of young flower-children singing "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" on a similar hillside. Was Don smiling because he'd finally abandoned the rat race, his self-destructive ways, and his psychic traumas for good? Or was he smiling because he'd just come up with the idea for that ad? Did he return to New York and McCann to work on the Coke campaign, as Peggy had urged him to do? Had he embraced his true self as country boy or as ad man? The "Mad Men" ending was deliberately vague, while strongly hinting at the latter possibility. Either way, it appeared DIck Whitman/Don Draper had finally found inner peace, having learned to accept the fact that you can't escape who you are. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Game of Thrones' Recap: Sick! Sansa Has Worst Wedding Night in 'Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken' Posted:  Seriously? If it wasn't official before, it is now after "Game of Thrones" Season 5, Episode 6: Ramsay Snow Bolton is The New Worst. Even worse than Joffrey. Ramsay doesn't seem to be the only one who gets off on Sansa Stark suffering. The showrunners seem to like it too. In "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken," Sansa was -- unfortunately -- bent and broken in all the wrong ways. Her wedding night looked a bit like Daenerys Targaryen's wedding back in Season 1. But there will be no love story ahead with Ramsay. Instead, Ramsay is already showing his true colors. Theon Greyjoy gave Sansa away out in the godswood, then was forced to watch as virgin Sansa was disrobed and done from behind. Sick. Joffrey would probably be just as bad, but Sansa being raped in her home of Winterfell as Theon watched? "Disturbing" doesn't quite cover it. "Horrifying" gets close. Then again, it was a "Game of Thrones" wedding, so it would be headline news if it didn't feature deaths, rapes, or general creepiness. Congrats on keeping that record strong. If only she had run from the altar. But Sansa was alone and she didn't know the truth about Ramsay. She still thought Roose Bolton was the bad one. If only she had stuck with her hell-no answer when Littlefinger first suggested this marriage. Meanwhile, Littlefinger was back in King's Landing, plotting with Cersei Lannister to destroy the Boltons, with Petyr named Warden of the North. Cersei still wants Sansa to die, and Littlefinger at least played along on that front.Jaime and Bronn fought the Sand Snakes down in Dorne (very cool fight, but is Bronn in trouble from that slash?) so it's not looking good for Myrcella to come back to King's Landing. Things are even worse for Tyrion and Jorah "Can't Catch a Break" Mormont, who have just been abducted by slavers. Tyrion was at least quick-thinking enough to trick them into bringing them to Meereen to make Jorah fight in the pits. It buys them some time and maybe they can catch Dany's eye before Jorah is slaughtered. Then again, he has greyscale so his options may be 1) die slowly of greyscale or 2) die quickly in the fighting pits. Sucks to be Jorah. Are you traumatized by Sansa's wedding night? Is there a way for her to get justice from this or is it too late? She's already been raped, so it's not like even if she kills them she can be unraped. This show sometimes... Read on for a full recap of Episode 6:  ARYAIn the House of Black and White, Arya's story continued with her still silently washing the dead. It's so weird to see her with her hair like that. She already looks like someone else. Again. (Side note: The squeaky doors in this place could use some WD-40.) Arya asked the girl what they're doing with the bodies, she still didn't know. The girl told her she'd know in time but she failed her first test of the game of faces. The girl shared her own story. Sort of. She said she was from Westeros and her father's heir until her father remarried and her stepmother didn't want a rival. She sought help from the faceless men and she'd been serving them ever since. She told a whole story then asked Arya if it was true or a lie. Another test. Jaqen woke her up with the continued question "Who are you?" She told the truth, with some twists, She was slapped for any lies, because he could tell. She was hit repeatedly for saying she hated The Hound. Awwww. She was lying to herself on that one. Later, a man approached her in the house basically begging for help to end the life of his suffering daughter. Arya told the dying girl she used to be like her. (Not really, though.) She told a story about drinking the water from the fountain for healing. Arya gave the water to the dying girl to end her pain, but with a lie to ease her suffering more. Jaqen watched from afar, then led her down the stairs for the next part of her training. She sees columns of faces. It's creepy, like The Governor's fish tank heads on "The Walking Dead." Jaqen said a girl is not ready to become No One but she is ready to become someone else. Interesting.  JORAH & TYRIONPoor Jorah did another greyscale check at the start of his story. Tyrion still doesn't seem to know, and they bickered. Tyrion also explained what he was doing out there to begin with, that he killed his father. "He was f--king the woman I loved." Tyrion said, miserable as Jorah is, at least his father was a good man. Jorah didn't know his father died, so he asked for details. The Mormonts just have bad luck as a family, it seems. During their walk, Tyrion asked why Jorah backed Daenerys, when the Mormonts didn't fight with them. Jorah told the story of a girl walking into a fire -- then walking out alive and unhurt with dragons. "Have you ever heard baby dragons singing?" "No." "It's hard to be a cynic after that." (Plus, she's hot.) Tyrion asked what happens if Dany does become ruler of Westeros, and how is she really the rightful heir? They were interrupted when Jorah saw slave ships. Slavers found them and punched Jorah. He cannot catch a break. They wanted to cut Tyrion's throat and save his "cock" for its magical powers but Tyrion thought quickly, as usual, and saved himself at least until they find "a cock merchant." (!) They were heading to Volantis, not Meereen, and mentioned how Dany reopened the fighting pits, which have never been for free men. Tyrion thought fast again and said Jorah is one of the great fighters of Westeros. He's talking their way into Meereen so Dany can save them. Jorah picked it up and said he killed a Dothraki blood rider in single combat. Lots of lies and truth tonight. How can you tell the difference, if you don't already know? Jorah was telling the truth, but did Tyrion even know?  KING'S LANDINGLittlefinger showed up in King's Landing and ran into the new and not-so-improved Lancel Lannister. Lancel gave him an update on putting the godless on the run, and Lancel warned him about the lack of love for fleshmasters nowadays. Petyr asked Cersei if it was wise to arrest the heir to Highgarden (aka Loras). Cersei tried to distance herself, saying it was The Faith that arrested him under the king's orders. They got on the topic of Lysa Arryn and her son. If war comes to Westeros will the lords of the Vale fight for their king, she asked. He has always counseled loyalty to the throne ... which isn't quite a yes. On an interesting note, Littlefinger chose to tell Cersei that Sansa was alive and well at Winterfell, and betrothed to Ramsay Bolton. Cersei was pissed and planned to kill the Boltons, so Littlefinger suggested Ser Kevan or Ser Jaime stepping in with armies. Littlefinger could send forces from The Vale and, in return, he wants to be Warden of the North. (As Sansa's husband?) Cersei still wants Sansa's head on a spike. Littlefinger pretended to go along with that, but there's no way. Right? He loves her. In another sick way.  TYRELLS IN TROUBLELady Olenna Tyrell: "You can smell the sh-t from five miles away." LOVE HER. The real queen took a carriage back to King's Landing. Margaery called in the big guns to help her brother, Ser Loras Tyrell. Olenna called for a meeting with Cersei, and that meeting was everything. The famously tart tongued Queen of Thornes vs. the Famous Tart, Queen Cersei. They sparred over Ser Loras, who was then shown facing The High Sparrow with questions about Renly Baratheon. Loras lied about laying with Renly or any other men. Queen Margaery was then called forward to answer questions too. No queens are exempt from testimony. Queen M said all the charges against Loras were lies. She swore he was innocent. Then Olyvar the brothel guy came in and said he was a squire for Loras and slept with him, and Margaery saw them; he even pinpointed the Dorne-shaped mark on Loras' leg. Cersei's mock horror and pretend to stand up for the Tyrells was amazing but now Loras and Margaery face trial. More truth and lies.  DORNETrystane Martell wants to marry Myrcella Baratheon/Lannister. They seem to be in love. Prince Doran watched them walking together in the Water Gardens and he said they have to be protected. The Captain remembers how to use his ax, and he'll need it. Bronn sang his way into Dorne, in disguise on horseback alongside Jaime. They looked adorable in their matching outfits, but their plan to just kidnap a princess who did not want to be kidnapped was ... flawed. They arrived in the Water Gardens and there were introductions between Bronn, Jaime, Myrcella and Trystane but it quickly turned into "something stupid" when Trys stood up to Bronn. Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes (sounds like a band name) repeated the episode title -- the words of House Martell -- unbowed, unbent, unbroken. It's war. The Sand Snakes interrupted Jaime and Bronn and there was a fight right there in the Water Gardens. One of the Sand Snakes tried to abduct Myrcella but the Captain stopped the fighting. (To Jaime: "When you were whole, it would've been a good fight.") Bronn insulted one of the Snakes as a little girl, but got slashed. Poison? Will he be OK?  SANSA & RAMSAYMiranda bathed Sansa before her wedding and warned about the women who came before her. Ramsay gets bored easily, you know. Sansa called out Miranda on loving Ramsay, saying she can't frighten Sansa. Yeah, but ... Ramsay flaying might frighten her. Good for Sansa for standing up for herself, though. Sansa looked lovely in her wintry wedding dress, but this is not a nice day for a Stark wedding. Theon was there to escort her but she wouldn't touch him, at first. It was actually a beautiful set up out by the godswood. If you have to marry a sadist, you could do worse for a location. It's a sad, bittersweet ceremony. Alfie Allen is such a good actor, he continuously makes us feel sorry for Theon. Sansa paused before accepting Ramsay, but in the end she said "I take this man." Ugh. They showed the start of the wedding night, with Ramsay asking (in front of Theon) why was she still a virgin? She complimented Tyrion on being kind. Ramsay pushed for honesty, then told Sansa to take off her clothes. He had Theon stay to watch, saying Theon has known Sansa since she was a girl; now watch her become a woman. Oh boy. Sansa's life just keeps getting worse. This is appalling. #SaveSansa Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook. 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