It was a long and messy road to get there, but when Jeopardy! announced that Ken Jennings would be joining Mayim Bialik as the official hosts of the classic quiz show, many people saw it as the Jeopardy! GOAT finally ascending to his rightful place behind the lectern following Alex Trebek’s death in 2020. And while we now know that Jennings and Trebek had spoken about the former contestant stepping in as host — at least temporarily amid Trebek’s battle with pancreatic cancer — a resurfaced Jeopardy! clip seems to prove that the hosting icon had thought about that succession plan years before it was necessary to put one into action.
A Jeopardy! fan happened upon an episode from 2014’s Battle of the Decades, in which Ken Jennings had returned to compete against 44 other former champions. There was inarguably a lot of talent to cross the stage over those five weeks, but Alex Trebek made an interesting comment to Jennings, as this fan pointed out:
I was watching an old game from 2014 and noticed Alex said this…@KenJennings @Jeopardy #jeopardy pic.twitter.com/8zoLJErp3eJuly 20, 2023
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Interestingly, Ken Jennings did not go on to win the Battle of the Decades — he came in second to Brad Rutter, who is still the biggest winner in Jeopardy! history — however, he was likely a more familiar face to fans, after becoming game show royalty in 2004, when he won 74 games of the quiz show in a row. His “celebrity” factor may have played into Alex Trebek’s futurecasting, as he and Jennings had the following exchange:
JENNINGS: I’ve been behind this podium a lot, and I feel really at home here.
TREBEK: How would you feel over [motions toward the host’s lectern]… No we won’t talk about that.
Ken Jennings revealed his final conversation with Alex Trebek, which occurred just a couple of days before he died. They spoke about Jennings going into the studio to rehearse, with the plan being for the former contestant to fill in for Trebek for a while, with the hopes that the host would be able to regain some strength and return. That never happened.
The show then became embroiled in controversy surrounding then-executive producer Mike Richards, who named himself permanent host before discrimination lawsuits and offensive comments he’d made on an old podcast resurfaced. Richards was fired by Sony after just one day of filming as Jeopardy!’s host, and Ken Jennings was called back to share duties with Mayim Bialik.
It’s safe to say that’s not exactly how Alex Trebek envisioned things going down, but especially after seeing that old clip from the Battle of the Decades, it certainly does seem like Jeopardy! has achieved the outcome that the iconic host foresaw nearly a decade ago.
The state of Jeopardy!’s upcoming season is unknown due to the WGA writer’s strike, but you can see Ken Jennings in action as the host of Jeopardy! Masters, which is currently re-airing on ABC at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesdays. All episodes are also available to stream with a Hulu subscription.
Tom Hiddleston is back and ready for more mayhem in the official trailer for Season 2 of the Disney+ original series “Loki.”
The trailer sees Hiddleston reprising his titular role as the god of mischief, sharing the screen with returning actor Owen Wilson and new cast member Ke Huy Quan. Set after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” the series will continue to follow the antihero as he works with the Time Variance Authority to track down superhero variants stoking chaos in different timelines of the multiverse.
Wilson reprises the role of Mobius M. Mobius, though his character arc in Season 2 takes a drastic turn given the loss of some of his memory in the Season 1 finale. Other returning actors include Eugene Cordero, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Tara Strong, Rafael Casal and more.
When Season 1 ended, Hiddleston was stuck in a reality he did not recognize after the multiverse was ravaged by the death of He Who Remains (played by Jonathan Majors).
One confirmed new addition to the cast is Quan, best known recently for his Oscar winning role as Waymond in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” He’s playing an undisclosed character, although the new trailer confirms he works for the Time Variance Authority. Another fresh face to the series is “Game of Thrones” actor Kate Dickie, who is set to appear as a villain.
“Loki” Season 2 will include six episodes penned by returning writer Eric Martin. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are each confirmed to direct an episode of the series, with Michael Waldron remaining attached to the show as its creator. Hiddleston, Waldron, Victoria Alonso, Louis D’Esposito and Kevin Feige also return as executive producers for the second season.
“Loki” Season 2 will be available for streaming on Disney+ starting October 6. Watch the trailer below.
More than a dozen sweaty people in various states of undress giggled as a capoeira instructor directed us to crawl around on the floor. Make eye contact, he told us as we tried to follow the flow of one another’s bodies. But it was hard not to stare at the sparkling blue Ionian Sea.
On one side of an open-air pavilion in Dhermi, a village on the Albanian Riviera, those waters glimmered under the summer sun, free of the yachts that crowd the Croatian and Greek shorelines to the north and south. On the other side, palm trees dotted the landscape. Behind them loomed the lush, green Ceraunian Mountains.
A sound check interrupted the class, an abrupt reminder of the larger reason we capoeira novices had gathered: Kala, a weeklong music-and-wellness festival. I was part of a crowd of about 3,500 mostly young people, resplendent in transparent flare pants, crop tops and cowboy boots, who had descended on Dhermi in late May and early June to sway and spin in the moonlight, hypnotized by the beats, and to pack our days with Kundalini yoga, breath work, massage and capoeira classes.
Across four stages, D.J.s like Hunee and Antal, CC:Disco!, Grace Sands and Daphni performed nightly, spinning techno and electronic beats mixed with funk, disco, jazz and more. A fifth stage, open during the daytime, beckoned from Gjipe, a canyon with soaring red cliffs, a short, scenic boat ride away.
In Dhermi, restaurants served fresh, delicious seafood and drinks at reasonable prices. Kala’s weeklong packages, which included tickets and accommodations, started at $370. (Similar U.S. festivals this year charged about $200 to $400 for a two- or three-day ticket, without lodging.) Residents joined in the fun, blasting their own music from bars, cars and balconies at night. And in the morning, some hung-over revelers were surprised to find themselves face to face with wandering goats on the village streets.
“I’ve gone from Ibiza, which got really built up, to Croatia, which got really busy. And I’ve spent a lot of time in India, and now Goa is super busy, too. And Greece is so expensive now,” said Annabel Turbutt-Day, 38, a corporate affairs director from London who drove to Kala from Tirana, Albania’s capital, with her partner and three friends. “Albania is still a little bit undiscovered, and a bit more affordable.”
From hermit state to hot spot
Since its debut in Albania in 2018, Kala has helped drive a boom in international tourism in Dhermi. Three more events have joined Dhermi’s summer dance card, with support from Mainstage Festivals, the company that runs Kala, including the upcoming Ion Festival, which takes place there from Sept. 6 to 13. The tourism season in Dhermi, which used to last about six weeks, now runs from the end of May through September.
Dhermi’s landscape was integral to Kala’s appeal: The beaches where people sunbathed during the day turned into parties that lasted till sunrise — and the cycle repeated every day.
Each open-air stage was its own little world — a cozy cove, a platform jutting into the sea, a vast space surrounded by palm trees. When I got tired of bobbing my head to the music in one spot, I could weave down the street through shouting, laughing festivalgoers and slip into a different crowd swaying to a different set.
Spontaneous parties formed in the streets, too. One evening, after hours of dancing, I devoured a slice of pizza while watching a trio of locals and visitors join hands and spin in a circle, first to Albanian songs and then to Justin Bieber’s “Sorry.”
Dhermi’s rising popularity has mirrored Albania’s as a whole. In 2022, a record 7.5 million people visited the country, spending around $3.1 billion, compared with 6.4 million and $2.4 billion in 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment. And in the first three months of 2023, Albania experienced a 54 percent jump in visitors compared with the same period in 2019, according to the World Tourism Organization.
Many of those tourists head straight for the resort towns and beaches of the Albanian Riviera, which are drawing European sun-and-sea seekers who find the Greek island of Corfu and Dubrovnik, Croatia, too expensive and crowded. On Instagram and TikTok, influencers compare Albania’s seascape to that of the Maldives or Bali.
At the same time, history buffs are flocking to Albania’s ancient Greek and Roman ruins, Ottoman-era architecture and the tens of thousands of repurposed concrete bunkers built by Enver Hoxha, who ruled the formerly Communist country with an iron fist for four decades. UNESCO World Heritage sites like the prehistoric ruins of Butrint and deep, ancient Lake Ohrid add to the attractions.
Outdoorsy types come to bicycle along the wild Vjosa River and hike in the Albanian Alps. Nearly 300 government-certified agritourism operators offer farm tours, wine tastings and homemade meals at properties growing cherries, walnuts, plums, quince and more.
Today’s tourist-friendly environment stands in sharp contrast to the Albania of the early 1990s as it emerged from four decades of isolation as one of the poorest countries behind the Iron Curtain. An economic crisis and a near descent into civil war followed. In early 1997, during a popular uprising, an estimated 550,000 weapons were looted from armories and at least 2,000 people died as government forces cracked down and insurgents battled. The United Nations finally sent in a multinational force to restore order. But all this left Albania with a reputation as a crime-ridden, dangerous country.
“The image of Albania was not the real one,” said Mirela Kumbaro, the country’s minister of tourism and environment. “It was only the bad parts.” Now, Albania want to show its “real face,” she said.
“Kala is one of our best ambassadors,” said Ms. Kumbaro, who had dropped by the festival for a news conference, following in the footsteps of other officials, including Prime Minister Edi Rama, who showed up to the first Kala in 2018 and later sent a pallet of free beer.
Gratitude and growing pains
Development in the Dhermi area has accelerated at a breakneck pace: Half of the adjacent village of Drymades seems to be a construction site. The influx of foreign visitors to a place that only a few decades ago was sealed off to the world has brought both prosperity and challenges.
“It’s been a 100 percent transformation,” said Erjon Shehaj, 46, whose family opened a 10-table restaurant in Dhermi in 2016. “When we started, there was nothing.” Today, they own and operate the Empire Beach Resort, a luxury hotel on the same land where the small restaurant once stood. The resort hosted the biggest stage of the festival and was booked solid all seven days.
“I’ve never encountered so many tourists in Albania,” said Anisa Koteci, 33, a lawyer, who was born in the country then emigrated with her family to London when she was 8. Returning to Albania for Kala for the first time in four years, she said, has been “a bit of a shock to the system.” The abundance of foreign visitors made her excited and happy, she said, but she also worried that Albania might become known as just a party destination. She called the wave of tourism a “stress test” for her homeland.
In Dhermi, the electricity or water was sometimes turned off at hotels without warning, and bathrooms in restaurants and bars were left uncleaned for long stretches. On the second day of the festival, one local shopkeeper wiped her brow and grumbled as she surveyed an endless line of impatient bathing-suit-clad tourists waiting to buy chips, water, beer and sunblock. She was running the grocery store and the adjacent currency exchange alone, she explained, because her brother had stayed up all night registering local SIM cards for tourists.
The flood of visitors is also raising fears about possible harm to the region’s flora and fauna. In the city of Vlore, about an hour’s drive from Dhermi, an airport construction project the government promotes as a way to bring more tourists to the Albanian Riviera has faced protests from environmental groups that say it could endanger sanctuaries for birds like flamingos and pelicans.
Tomi Gjikuria, 34, an entrepreneur and a D.J. who grew up in Dhermi, said he was happy with all the new business and hoped for more visitors, but wondered how all the new construction would affect the landscape.
“When I was a child, there was no tourism,” said Mr. Gjikuria, who operates a campsite called the Sea Turtle Camp on land that his family owns in Drymades.
“I have 5,000 square meters where I put a campsite,” he said. “I could have built a casino, but I don’t want to cut down the trees.”
A spirit of hospitality
Despite all the challenges of development, residents of Dhermi have kept the welcome mat out — even if it sometimes has had a few wrinkles.
Alan Crofton, the manager and director of Mainstage Festivals, recalled the fall of 2017, when he and Rob Searle, Kala’s creative director, went to Gjipe Canyon to ask the owner of a local campsite if they could use its beach during Kala. The man they met insisted that before they agreed to anything, they needed to break the ice by toasting each other with a shot of raki, a local liquor. One shot turned into several, until finally the man told Mr. Crofton and Mr. Searle — by then quite buzzed — that he would lease them a space for the festival, Mr. Crofton said.
But when Mr. Crofton and Mr. Searle returned several months later, they found out that their raki-toasting host was not actually the landowner. He was the security guard who looked after the campsite in the winter.
Andrea Kumi, 47, founded Havana Beach Club, a place that helped draw some of the area’s first waves of tourists, after moving to Dhermi, his father’s hometown, when he was 24. Mr. Kumi, who grew up in Vlore and Athens, began inviting world-famous D.J.s to perform at the club about 15 years ago.
Today, besides the Havana Beach Club, Mr. Kumi owns two other restaurants. As the area continues to change, Mr. Kumi said, everybody is trying their best to be gracious and helpful hosts. As an old saying in Albania goes: “Our house belongs to God and guests.”
He illustrated this point with a story. In 2009, Mr. Kumi persuaded the Dutch D.J. Tiësto to perform in Dhermi. There were no luxury hotels, so, eager to please, he rented a three-story, 80-foot yacht for Tiësto to sleep on, but the D.J. started feeling seasick as soon as he boarded.
All the hotel rooms in the area were booked with the thousands of guests who’d come to see Tiësto perform, so Mr. Kumi offered up his own bedroom in his family’s house in the hills. Tiësto accepted, and the next day, Mr. Kumi said, the D.J. joined his parents and nephew for homemade pancakes.
Cinema, is an art form that possesses a ability to transport us to diverse worlds, evoke a myriad of emotions, and boost our imagination. There are elements that shape our cinematic experiences, film genres hold a special place. They act as guiding stars, leading us through the vast expanse of movies and aiding us in navigating the diverse array of stories and themes available. In this blog, we delve into the captivating world of film genres, casting a spotlight on their significance and embarking on a journey to unravel the myriad facets that make them an indispensable part of the cinematic tapestry.
Understanding Film Genres
Film genres are akin to threads that intricately weave through the fabric of cinema, offering distinct flavors, tones, and narrative structures. They enable filmmakers to cater to different tastes and preferences, giving rise to a wide range of cinematic experiences. Whether we crave adrenaline-pumping action, uproarious laughter, gripping dramas, or heartwarming romances, there exists a genre tailored to satiate every cinematic longing.
Understanding and appreciating film genres provides us with deep insights into the art of storytelling. We come to recognize the purposeful creative decisions made by filmmakers to evoke emotions and engage viewers. Additionally, film genres play a vital role in shaping our expectations as an audience, enabling us to anticipate and immerse ourselves in narratives that align with our personal preferences.
Definition and Significance of Film Genres
Film genres can be best defined as categories or classifications that group movies based on shared themes, storytelling techniques, settings, and character archetypes. These genres provide a framework for filmmakers to shape their narratives and aid audiences in discerning the type of movie they can expect. The significance of film genres lies in their capacity to convey certain expectations to viewers, empowering them to make informed choices regarding the films they watch. Genres also serve as a shared language among filmmakers, critics, and enthusiasts, fostering discussions and analyses of movies based on common characteristics.
Evolution of Genres Over Time
Film genres have evolved and transformed over the course of cinematic history. In the early days of cinema, genres were more straightforward and limited in number, encompassing distinct categories such as Westerns, romantic comedies, and melodramas. However, as filmmaking techniques advanced and societal changes influenced storytelling, genres began to intermingle and hybridize. Novel genres emerged, such as science fiction and action-adventure, while existing genres expanded to encompass subgenres and experimental variations. The evolution of genres mirrors the dynamic nature of cinema, adapting to cultural shifts and technological progress to offer fresh and captivating narratives.
Role of Genres in Shaping Audience Expectations
Film genres play a pivotal role in shaping audience expectations. By identifying the genre of a movie, viewers can anticipate certain elements, themes, and storytelling conventions. For instance, in an action film, audiences expect exhilarating sequences, high-stakes conflicts, and intense physicality. Genres provide a framework for filmmakers to engage with their audience, enabling them to tap into familiar tropes and narrative structures while leaving room for creativity and innovation. Understanding genres empowers audiences to actively engage with the cinematic experience, appreciating the choices made by filmmakers and evaluating how a movie aligns with or defies genre conventions. Films can also be a great tool if you want to engage with a wider audience and Free Spiderman Movie theme template is perfect example for it.
Mainstream Film Genres
Action Films
Action films are renowned for their high-energy sequences, adrenaline-pumping stunts, and intense physicality. They often feature daring heroes, formidable villains, and an unyielding pursuit of excitement.
Characteristics and Popular Examples
Action films captivate viewers with their quick-paced plots chock-full of tension, adrenaline, and action-packed set pieces. These films enthral viewers with their tense combat, thrilling chase scenes, and stunning special effects. Larger-than-life characters, pulse-pounding action scenes, and jaw-dropping visuals are hallmarks of renowned series like James Bond, Mission: Impossible, and Fast & Furious that keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
Impact on Culture and Audience Appeal
Action movies have a substantial impact on popular culture, influencing entertainment trends across various mediums. They often become cultural touchstones, with memorable characters and catchphrases ingrained in the collective consciousness. Action films possess broad audience appeal, attracting viewers of all ages who seek exhilarating escapism and high-octane entertainment. They provide an adrenaline rush, transporting audiences into a world of danger and adventure. Action heroes become aspirational figures, embodying bravery, resilience, and resourcefulness. The box office success of action movies demonstrates their enduring popularity, as audiences flock to theatres to experience the thrills and spectacle these films offer. Moreover, action movies possess the ability to transcend cultural boundaries, with their universal themes of heroism and triumph resonating with viewers worldwide.
Comedy Films
Comedy films have an unparalleled ability to brighten our spirits and evoke infectious laughter. They embrace the joys and absurdities of life, offering a delightful escape from the realities of the world.
Elements of Humor and Notable Comedies
Comedy films encompass a range of elements that elicit laughter, including clever wordplay, witty banter, physical comedy, situational irony, and impeccable comedic timing. These elements are skillfully woven together by filmmakers and performers to create moments of levity and joy. Timeless classics such as “Annie Hall,” “Some Like It Hot,” and “Airplane!” exemplify the artistry and craftsmanship behind comedic storytelling.
Different Subgenres and Comedic Performers
Comedy movies span diverse subgenres, catering to various comedic styles and sensibilities. These include romantic comedies (rom-coms), slapstick comedy, dark comedy, satire, parody, and screwball comedy. Each subgenre brings its own distinct flavor to the comedic landscape, offering audiences a wide spectrum of laughter-inducing experiences. Furthermore, comedy films are often defined by the performances of talented comedic actors and actresses who bring characters to life with their impeccable timing and comedic prowess. From the physical humor of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to the rapid-fire wit of actors like Jim Carrey and Melissa McCarthy, comedic performers contribute their unique charm to the genre, leaving audiences in stitches and creating memorable comedic moments on the big screen.
Drama Films
For movie enthusiasts who appreciates for the art of storytelling, dramatic films offer a captivating cinematic experience. These films has remarkable ability to explore complex emotions and tell stories with profound emotional depth. With their rich character development and engaging plots, they have the power to deeply engage viewers and leave a lasting impact.
Emotional Depth and Narrative Structure:
Dramatic films can evoke strong emotions in viewers and are fundamentally about creating an emotional connection with them. These films deal with universal themes like love, family strife, atonement, and personal growth, which helps the viewer identify with the characters. Dramatic films have traditionally emphasised the internal conflicts, social connections, and character development through a character-driven format. This tactic promotes introspection and a careful examination of the human condition, resulting in a profoundly moving movie experience.
Exploration of Human Experiences and Societal Issues:
Dramatic films highlight the complexities of human existence and important social issues. They touch on topics including identity, societal injustice, moral dead ends, and family relationships. By addressing these issues, dramatic films invite audiences to reflect on their own lives and consider the greater societal and moral repercussions portrayed in the plot. These films promote empathy, stimulate self-reflection, and meaningful debates about important societal and human concerns. They may be family dramas that showcases complex relationship dynamics or courtroom dramas that raise difficult moral and legal questions.
Romance Films
Romantic films artfully capture the very essence of human connection, passion, and love. These movies intricately explore the complexities of relationships, with a particular emphasis on the emotional odyssey undertaken by two individuals as they embark on the path of love or navigate the obstacles that confront them. The romance genre encompasses a diverse array of narratives, from heartwarming accounts to deeply poignant stories, all of which strike a profound chord within us, drawing upon our own personal experiences.
Depiction of Love and Relationships
Love and relationships take center stage in these movies, exploring the various aspects of interpersonal bonds. Romantic movies picturize the excitement of new love, the complexities in relationship, the pain of breakups, and the power of love. These films often highlight the romantic experience of falling in love, the thrill of romantic gestures, and the intimacy that accompany sharing one’s life with another. By showcasing the emotions and complexities of relationships, they also capture the happiness, challenges that love brings.
Iconic Films and their impact
The impact of romantic movies is significant, with many iconic films leaving an indelible mark on audiences worldwide. These cinematic gems have become cultural milestones, shaping our perception of love on the big screen.
Numerous legendary influences on viewers across the world. From timeless classics like “Gone with the Wind” and “Casablanca” to modern favorites like “The Notebook” and “Titanic,” these films have left an enduring mark on our collective consciousness. These romantic movies not just entertain us but also evoke powerful emotions.
Niche and Hybrid Film Genres
While mainstream film genres dominate the box office, there exists a vibrant world of niche and hybrid film genres that cater to more specific interests and push the boundaries of traditional storytelling. These genres offer unique and alternative cinematic experiences, often blending elements from different genres or catering to a niche audience.
Science Fiction Movies
Science fiction movies have long captivated audiences with their imaginative concepts and futuristic worlds. These films transport viewers to unexplored realms of possibility, pushing the boundaries of what is known and introducing them to futuristic technologies, alien civilizations, and mind-bending concepts.
Imaginative Concepts and Futuristic Worlds
Science fiction films are renowned for their ability to construct fantastical settings and ideas that push the boundaries of human imagination. These films take us to unrealistic world, from cosmic space excursions to apocalyptic futures. Whether it’s exploring space in films like “2001: A Space Odyssey” or imaginary futuristic societies in films like “Blade Runner,” science fiction enables filmmakers to push the boundaries of creativity and present audiences with captivating visuals and concepts that defy our current conceptions of reality.
Influence on Technology and Popular Culture
Science fiction films have had a significant impact on both popular culture and technology. Science fiction films often reflect ideas and notions that have influenced actual innovation. For example, “Star Trek” series introduced ideas such as communicators & touch-screen user interfaces, which later inspired the design of contemporary smartphones and tablets. Science fiction has influenced popular culture, with its hit films like “Star Wars” and “The Matrix” inspiring fan bases. These films are now deeply ingrained in our culture and have affected art, literature, and fashion trends.
Horror Fiction Movies
Horror films have a special knack for making us jump out of our chairs and feel goosebumps down our spines. These flicks expertly exploit our worst phobias while building a terrifying environment. Let’s talk about the development of terror and suspense as well as the various subgenres and cult classics that make up the horror genre.
Creating Fear and Suspense
The art of evoking terror and suspense is at the core of horror films. Horror films elicit a variety of feelings, from spooky anticipation to heart-pounding panic, through brilliant storyline, evocative photography, and unsettling sound design. These films skillfully play with our psychological fears, using elements like darkness, jump scares, supernatural entities, or psychological torment to elicit a visceral reaction from the audience. By immersing viewers in a world of suspense, horror films engage our senses and keep us hooked, captivating us with the unknown and the terrifying.
Different Subgenres and Cult Classics
The horror genre encompasses various subgenres that caters to different audience tastes and preferences. From supernatural, psychological, slasher films to creature features, each sub-genre used different style to scare and storytelling techniques.
For instance, supernatural horror films like “The Exorcist” delve into the realm of the supernatural, exploring demonic possessions and haunted houses. Whereas, Psychological horror, delves into the depths of the human psyche, often blurring the lines between reality and illusion, its perfect example are movies like “Psycho” and “The Shining.” Cult classics such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Night of the Living Dead” have garnered dedicated followings and become emblematic of the genre’s impact and lasting influence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, every genre contributes its own distinct flair, enthralling audiences and having a lasting influence on culture. Film genres offer a rich tapestry of emotions and themes that continue to attract viewers worldwide, from side-splitting hilarity and action-packed thrills to sombre studies of the human experience.
Priyanshu is a copywriter who loves to tune into what makes people tick. He believes in presenting his ideas with flair and wit, which has made him an expert at standing on stage and charming the pants off of any audience he’s faced with. Priyanshu lives for learning as much as he can, so if you ever need help understanding something – just ask!
“We have concluded the object located on a beach near Jurien Bay in Western Australia is most likely debris from an expended third-stage of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle,” the Australian Space Agency said on social media.
The object is in storage, the agency said, noting that it was working with the Indian Space Research Organization to decide what to do next. A 1968 United Nations agreement requires countries to return recovered space debris to the country that owned it.
A civilian had reported the object to the police this month after it was found near Green Head, a coastal town of fewer than 300 people about 155 miles north of Perth that is known for its fishing and sea lions. The discovery came days after India successfully launched a rocket from its east coast, bound for the moon.
There is a lot of space junk floating around. The U.S. Department of Defense tracks more than 27,000 pieces of orbital debris, according to NASA. “Much more debris — too small to be tracked, but large enough to threaten human spaceflight and robotic missions — exists in the near-Earth space environment,” NASA’s website explains. In 2021, NASA said that there were about 23,000 pieces of debris larger than a softball orbiting the Earth.
It’s not the first piece of space junk to be found around the world. Last year, a sheep farmer in Australia found a pointy black piece of debris that was thought to have been from a SpaceX spacecraft. Earlier this year, investigators examined a giant metal ball that was found on a beach in Japan that turned out to be a buoy.
“I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together. With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony & I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, & gave it all new life as a singing duo. But it wasnt an act. Our relationship was very real,” she captioned an Instagram tribute on Monday, July 31, sharing a photo of her and Bennett hugging.
Gaga said Bennett taught her lessons “about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight.” She described the legendary musician as “an optimist” who was “always grateful.”
“I’ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye,” she wrote. “Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend. Our age difference didn’t matter– in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people. We were from two different stages in life entirely–inspired.”
She reflected on the prolonged grief of losing a close friend who suffered from Alzheimer’s. “An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a persons life,” she continued. “There’s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity. All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life. But, as that faded slowly I knew deep down he was sharing with me the most vulnerable moment in his life that he could–being willing to sing with me when his nature was changing so deeply. I’ll never forget this experience. I’ll never forget Tony Bennett.”
As she concluded her lengthy tribute, Gaga encouraged her fans to “take care of your elders” and embrace each moment with them. “I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical,” she wrote. “And pay attention to silence—some of my musical partner and I’s most meaningful exchanges were with no melody at all.”
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett attend MusiCares Person of the Year Gala on February 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock
Gaga and Bennett’s unexpected friendship began when they met at a benefit concert in 2011.
“It was the first time I heard Lady perform, and I could not believe the audience’s reaction. I went backstage, and she was there with her parents,” he recalled to Parade in 2014. “The first thing I said was, ‘Let’s do an album together.’ And she said, ‘OK.’ That quick. I just love what she did on this album. She’s up there with Ella Fitzgerald, who was the greatest singer in the world.”
She subsequently sang “The Lady Is a Tramp” with him on his Duets II album.
“I walked offstage sweating [at the aforementioned benefit concert], and they said, ‘Mr. Tony Bennett wants to meet you.’ My father got all choked up, and my mother said, ‘Oh, I need to fix my hair!’ We all had champagne. I was so happy to meet him,” Gaga told the outlet. “Working with Tony has reaffirmed everything I knew but that you start to forget when your life changes and it gets really noisy. For Tony, it’s all about great music.”
The musicians released their first joint album, Cheek to Cheek, in 2014. As they toured the record, Gaga told Parade that working with Bennett “saved” her life.
“I’m not going to say any names, but people get irrational when it comes to money — with how they treat you, with what they expect from you. … But if you help an artist, it doesn’t give you the right, once the artist is big, to take advantage of them. … I was so sad. I couldn’t sleep. I felt dead. And then I spent a lot of time with Tony. He wanted nothing but my friendship and my voice,” she said through tears. “It meant a lot to me, Tony. I don’t have many people I can relate to.”
Gaga and Bennett dropped their second album, Love for Sale, in 2021 when he was 95 years old. That same year, news broke that Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.
He performed his final concert with Gaga by his side at Radio City Music Hall in August 2021. CBS aired the show as a special titled One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.
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“He’s my friend. He’s my musical companion. And he’s the greatest singer in the whole world,” she said on stage. “And I’m counting on you, New York, to make him smile. So you better cheer. You better yell. You better laugh. You better cry. You better give your soul.”
Four years after becoming the first major media company to launch its own branded betting offering, Fox Corp. is pulling back in the space.
Fox and its partner, FanDuel owner Flutter Entertainment, said that they will shut down the Fox Bet service four years after launching it.
Fox entered the betting space in 2019, a year after the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to legalized sports betting in Murphy vs. NCAA. Fox Bet offered both free games (called Fox Bet Super 6), which it offered nationwide, and sought gambling licenses, which it received in Colorado, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Fox initially partnered with The Stars Group to launch the service, though when The Stars Group was acquired by FanDuel owner Flutter (helped in part by Fox), it sparked a lengthy arbitration between Flutter and Fox over the media company’s option to acquire a larger stake in the betting company. The arbitration was completed last year, with Fox given a 10-year option to acquire 18.6 percent of FanDuel for $3.7 billion.
Flutter will keep Fox Bet’s customer database and its licenses, while Fox will retain the Fox Bet brands, including the Fox Bet Super 6 brand name.
Fox will “launch an all new Fox Super 6 game later this summer,” per the companies. It is unclear what the new game will be, given the split from the online betting business.
Executives at the company, including CEO Lachlan Murdoch, had long touted the potential for sports betting to its business lines, in particular the obvious connection to its Fox Sports division. However, the option to acquire the stake in FanDuel gives the company economic exposure to one of the biggest players in the space, even if it means that it will no longer offer its own branded option.
Indie horror pic Talk To Me opened to £643,354 in UK and Irish cinemas, setting a new office box office record for Altitude Film Distribution.
The pic, directed by filmmaking duo Michael and Danny Philippou in their feature debut, was launched on 429 screens this past weekend. The total sees Talk To Me overtake Moonlight as Altitude’s biggest opener in the UK and Ireland. We understand the film will not be expanding.
Produced by Causeway Films (The Babadook) and acquired by Altitude from Bankside Films at Cannes in 2022, the pic follows a group of friends who, after discovering how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, become hooked on the new thrill until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
Across the pond, Talk To Me blew past box office projections grossing over $10 million on 2,340 screens during its opening weekend. The breakout pic by the first-time filmmaker brothers and popular YouTubers from Australia was number six at the US box office. Talk To Me debuted in the Midnight section at Sundance, where it sparked huge buzz among industry and critics. A24 picked it up for the US. In his review of the film out of Sundance, Deadline’s Damon Wise called the pic “unnerving and highly effective.”
Discussing today’s UK record, Lia Devlin, Managing Director of Distribution at Altitude, said: “The audience response to Talk To Me across the UK and Ireland has been fantastic, and we’re over the moon for Danny and Michael with how it has connected here and around the world. Since picking up the film in Cannes last year, we’ve known how atmospheric, smart, and entertaining the film is, alongside the consistent 4-star reviews that are playing out in cinemas right now. We are excited to see where word-of-mouth will take it.”
Deepika Padukone will be next seen in Fighter with Hrithik Roshan. This is her first collaboration with the actor.
Deepika Padukone is one of the most popular celebrities in Bollywood. She has undoubtedly a huge fan following. The Fighter actress on Monday set the internet on fire with her stunning photo, flaunting her toned physique. The actress left fans in awe as she flaunted her toned abs in a monochrome bikini. In no time the photo went viral on social media.
Taking to her Instagram handle, Deepika shared a photo in which she is seen wearing a monochrome print bikini. She has opted for smokey eyes and styled her hair in a bun style. There is no doubt that she is looking extremely hot. “Once upon a time…Not so long ago…,” her caption read. As soon as she shared the photo, fans rushed to the comment section. One of the fans wrote, “LITERALLY SLAYED I NEED HER WORKOUT ROUTINE BUTTON.” Another wrote, “Oh My God.” Many dropped fire emojis including Manish Malhotra.
Take a look at the photo here:
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh recently went to watch Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani. Taking to his Instagram handle on Sunday, Ranveer Singh shared a clip in which he panned the camera at his lady love Deepika Padukone grooving inside the car to the peppy tune of ‘What Jhumka’, one of the foot-tapping numbers from Karan Johar’s film. We see Deepika Padukone mimicking the dance steps only with her hands and expressions. Later in the video, Ranveer Singh asks Deepika to repeat after himself. He says, “Baby say this is Rocky Randhawa this side”. Deepika Padukone obliged him by mouthing the words in a manly voice. Then they both go on to say, “Hi babes! Love you from last life”. The two instantly burst into laughter. His caption read, “She LLLLLLLOVED it!!! @deepikapadukone #rockyaurranikipremkahani.”
On the work front, Deepika Padukone will be next seen in Fighter with Hrithik Roshan. This is her first collaboration with the actor. She also has Project K with Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan. The actress also has a cameo in Jawan.
Season 2 of WWII drama “World on Fire” has proved to be another success for popular South Asian-Canadian actor Ahad Raza Mir.
Created by Peter Bowker, Season 1 of the PBC Masterpiece production premiered on the BBC in 2019 and dealt with the war in Western Europe. In Season 2, the action shifts to the North African theater of war and one of the protagonists is Lieutenant Rajib Pal of the British Indian Army, played by Mir. The show is a ratings smash for the BBC, pulling in more than 3 million viewers when it debuted earlier this month.
Mir, who was most recently in Netflix’s “Resident Evil,” has a considerable body of work in Pakistan and has earned acclaim for his performances in “Parwaaz Hay Junoon” (2018), “Aangan” (2018), “Ehd-e-Wafa” (2019) and “Yeh Dil Mera” (2019). Series “Dhoop Ki Deewar,” where Mir starred alongside Sajal Aly, was a global success for streamer ZEE5. In Canada, Mir has built a reputation as a theater actor, including playing Tybalt in “Romeo and Juliet” (2014) and Lennox in “Macbeth” (2015).
“Peter has created real characters that feel real, and each character gets the importance that they deserve,” Mir tells Variety. “Most of my learning came from actually being on set, because our set was basically the desert. And that was a character on its own, which really helped feed into the fear and the the action element of it. And then the words on the page helped define the character, it organically came to life.”
North Africa was recreated in Northern Ireland on a set at a former Michelin factory in Ballymena, near Belfast. “When we got the call, I assumed we’re either gonna shoot in Spain or Abu Dhabi or Africa. And then they told me we’re shooting in Belfast, to which I went, ‘That makes no sense at all. What do you mean, they’re gonna do it all on set?’” Mir says.
When Mir got to the set, he saw that the factory was filled with sand. “It wasn’t a small little setting, it was just so huge that if you sprint it, it took you at least three or four minutes just to reach the end,” Mir says. “There was a lot of running around, and a lot of panic because we dealt with a lot of explosions. And doing that level of pyrotechnics and stuff was a first for me. So I was terrified to begin with. I didn’t have to act much when it came to the fear and the sweat on my face.”
Bowker told Variety that one of the objectives of Season 2 was to look at the conflict from multiple global perspectives, including that of India. Some 2.5 million South Asians fought as part of the British Indian Army in WWII. Christopher Nolan was accused in India of ignoring this in his film “Dunkirk,” while Sam Mendes’ “1917” featured a solitary Sikh soldier.
Mir says that sometimes South Asian characters do get sidelined, but in “World on Fire” it has been “fleshed out properly.”
“In this series, they really did give importance to it and I think there’s still more room for other characters and other people to join, I would say, if it goes on to do another season,” Mir says. “I learned so much history from doing this show that I actually myself had no idea about. There was the British Indian Army and they served. I didn’t really, to be honest, know the details of how they were treated, what they went through.”
He adds, “At the same time, I understand that there’s films like ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘1917’ that didn’t really play to the South Asian roles there — I don’t think they took that as an opportunity at all. But I think what ‘World on Fire’ has done is it has decided, ‘We’re going to tell everyone’s story.’ And that that’s one of the reasons I’m so proud to be part of this show.”
Next for Mir is another chance to play Hamlet at the Rose Theater in Brampton, Canada in October. In 2019, he starred in “Hamlet: A Ghost Story” for Canada’s The Shakespeare Company, and his interpretation won him a Betty Mitchell Award for outstanding performance by an actor.
“I’m a little nervous for that this time,” he says. “I was nervous last time, too, when I did the show. But I’m a little older now, I don’t know if I’m all that much wiser. But still, I’ve started going over the text again and I just look forward to being on stage.”
Mir is represented by Hamid Hussain and Muhammad Yaqoob at Action Consultancy.
The Loki era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has returned with a new bag of questions, theories, and mysteries.
With Loki Season 2 set to release on Disney+ on October 6, the Marvel faithful are ready to return to the series many consider the best in the MCU.
How will Loki deal with the knowledge of Kang back at the TVA? Will Kang play as big of a role as initially planned with the Jonathan Majors controversy? How will this new season follow the post-credits scene for Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania?
These are some of the questions fans are asking, and one of them may be answered with the new teaser poster for Loki Season 2.
Quantumania Post-Credits Costume in Loki Poster
Finally, fans have received the first Disney-released poster for Loki Season 2.
Marvel Studios
The poster highlights Tom Hiddleston’s title character pacing around Miss Minutes with various costumes and speeds.
Marvel Studios
One of these Loki costumes matches the early-1900s outfit seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Marvel Studios
This scene shows Loki and Mobius seemingly back on Earth (given the outfits) and in the crowd of a talk being given by one Victor Timely.
Timely is a 20th-century inventor played by Jonathan Majors. This seemingly confirms that this follows the Marvel Comics lore of Victor Timely being a pseudonym for Kang on Earth.
Marvel Studios
In the scene, Mobius seems unimpressed by Timely as Loki understands the weight of seeing a Kang Variant on Earth, knowing what he knows after the events of the Loki Season 1 finale.
The Hunt for Kang
The Quantumania post-credits scene, paired with the reference given on the teaser poster, points to a bit of a recon mission for Loki and Mobius as they seem to be tracking down different Variants of Kang the Conqueror.
Loki heard the story from He Who Remains, which mentions a 21st-century Earth scientist that discovers the existence of other universes and versions of himself. This is the first domino in a series of events that leads to the exposure of the Multiverse, the eventual Multiversal War, and the invention of the Time Variance Authority.
With this bowler hat-lead outfit from Loki, it seems like he is going back even further to investigate the origins of Kang on Earth. Since this outfit is just one of many seen on the poster, it implies that Loki will be making many stops along his journey to find the best path toward taking down Kang and preventing the impending Multiversal War.
Loki Fit of the Day
There are five unique outfits for Loki on this poster, with the two traditional Loki andTVA outfits (with and without the sportscoat) being used more than once. Along with the TVA sets and the early-1900s outfit are Loki’s TVA prisoner scrubs and the original “Glorious Purpose” suit from The Avengers (2012), reindeer games and all.
If the bowler outfit from the Quantumania post-credits scene suggests that Loki is combing through time to find traces of Kang, this could mean that fans will once again be revisiting 2012 and the Battle of New York.
To take a different approach to what these different outfits could mean, Loki in his TVA prisoner outfit could be a follow-up to the Loki Season 1 post-credits scene where Mobius does not seem to recognize his newfound friend after Sylvie takes control of the Sacred Timeline.
And, of course, these could all be different Loki Laufeysons as Variants are forever in play when dealing with the Time Variance Authority. Miss Minutes being present on this poster could hint at even more TVA in Season 2.
The nod to the Quantumania post-credits scene brings about mixed feelings as it points to connectivity between the projects, which fans love. It also makes a third-party reference to the return of Jonathan Majors as Kang in Loki Season 2.
The Majors controversy came after Quantumania was released and Loki Season 2 was filmed, so audiences know Majors will play some sort of role. The importance of that role is what is up in the air as Marvel Studios and fans alike await the full details of this sensitive legal situation.
Regardless, on October 6, the God of Mischief will be back as the red brand brings back one of its most beloved IPs in the post-Infinity Saga age. No one is going to complain about more Tom Hiddleston.
Zack Snyder, once at the helm of the expansive and darkly-tinged SnyderVerse, has emerged once more from the shadows, not as a director but as an avid supporter of the upcoming reboot of the DC Universe. In the dynamic realm of superhero cinema, legacies are built on daring ideas, memorable characters, and – most importantly – unwavering passion from those who breathe life into these tales.
Recently, Snyder exhibited his enthusiasm for the imminent DC Universe by sharing a promotional image from the much-anticipated film Blue Beetle. In the evocative image, audiences get a glimpse of Xolo Maridueña embodying the hero, Jaime Reyes, standing resiliently in the rain with his Blue Beetle attire. The hero’s sword, manifesting from his arm, adds a mystic touch. In response, Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto expressed his gratitude to Snyder through a heartfelt message, underscoring the importance of having the support of someone with such a storied history in the universe. The image came with a tweet from Snyder,
Looking forward to taking my kids to see Blue Beetle. #RepresentationMatters #BlueBeetle
Snyder’s engagement with the evolving DC Universe narrative doesn’t end with the legacy of his characters. He has been proactive in cheering for forthcoming projects. Notably, he took to social media to laud the movie The Flash. Moreover, in an age where transitions can be challenging, Snyder has shown remarkable camaraderie by endorsing the new leadership at DC Studios, co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
While the professional journey of Snyder with Warner Bros. took an unexpected turn post-SnyderVerse, his imprints on the DC Universe remain indelible. As 2024 approaches, audiences are eager to immerse themselves in a fresh slate of movies and TV shows that, intriguingly, will incorporate some of the characters from Snyder’s past vision. This interconnection to the prior universe speaks volumes about the enduring influence of his narrative choices.
The Blue Beetle Enigma: Fitting into DC Universe’s Expansive Narrative
Warner Bros.
James Gunn, while crafting the narrative for the reboot, made an interesting revelation. Despite Superman: Legacy being pegged as the new franchise’s inaugural full-length feature set for 2025, Blue Beetle will introduce the first superhero of the new DCU.
The path ahead for Blue Beetle isn’t entirely painted in rosy hues. Financial projections have stirred concerns about the movie’s commercial success. Yet, with Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes leading the narrative and the backing of industry stalwarts like Gunn and Safran, there’s a tangible optimism that Blue Beetle will pave the way for a promising future.
Details about how Blue Beetle will fit within the broader tapestry of the DC Universe remain under wraps. While Snyder’s narrative era reaches its twilight, audiences are left wondering how the new hero will integrate into the ever-evolving storyline.
As Gunn spearheads this reboot, he’s been progressively revealing a star-studded lineup, leaving fans abuzz with anticipation. With the talent and charisma of Maridueña in the mix, hopes are high for Blue Beetle to offer something both unique and engaging.
Fans should mark their calendars, for on Friday, August 18, Blue Beetle is set to make a grand landing in theaters. Be it a long-time fan or a newcomer, this new chapter promises to be a riveting ride.
Playstation writes: “With each PlayStation 5 system software release, we’ve introduced new features designed to enhance the many ways you can access your favorite content, navigate your console, or create new gaming memories with friends. Today, we’re thrilled to roll out a new PS5 system software beta that introduces new accessibility features as well as audio options that allow 3D Audio powered by Tempest 3D AudioTech to be enjoyed on compatible Dolby Atmos-enabled HDMI devices such as sound bars, TVs, or home theater systems. The beta also includes more options to quickly find games and console tips, new ways to connect with other players and customize your multiplayer sessions, and support for larger-capacity M.2 SSDs (up to 8TB).”
International cinema chain Vue says it has recorded its “best ever week” in large part due to the Barbie and Oppenheimer releases ten days ago.
The company says it surpassed its weekly admissions record by 40% across its eight European markets. Vue UK and Ireland beat its previous highest admissions week by 20%, besting the previous mark set during Skyfall’s opening week in 2012. The company didn’t reveal admission totals.
The momentum of the two movies has continued over their second weekend. The offshore take from this weekend was $122.2M in 69 markets, just 32% off opening. The international cume is $423.1M. Domestic was $93M this weekend for a running North America cume of $351.4M and a $774.5M global total.
The Greta Gerwig-directed pic maintained its No. 1 slot in 57 markets with exceptional holds in numerous markets including Taiwan (+37%), Germany (+29%), Hong Kong (+19%), Holland (+11%), Singapore (+10%), China (-11%), Australia (-11%), France (-20%), Argentina (-25%), Indonesia (-27%), Italy (-30%), Spain (-30%) and the UK (-32%).
As for Universal’s Oppenheimer, it too had an incredible hold overseas, dropping just 26% in 78 markets during the sophomore session for an estimated international box office weekend of $72.4M and an offshore cume $226.3M. Globally, this puts the running total on the Christopher Nolan pic at $400.4M.
Describing the records, Claire Arksey, Chief Operating Officer of Vue International, explained: “At Vue International, the largest privately owned cinema operator in Europe, we have seen our best week ever following the opening of Barbie and Oppenheimer. This record-breaking week beats Vue International’s previous overall weekly admissions record by an incredible 40% across our eight European markets.
“In Poland, our cinemas have also seen their best week on record and in the Netherlands, our cinemas have beaten their previous admissions record set during The Lion King’s opening week in 2019. Vue UK and Ireland has also beaten it’s previous highest admissions week by 20% which was set during Skyfall’s opening week in 2012.
“The second box office weekend for both films also showed signs of strong word of mouth, with Barbie and Oppenheimer admissions going up week on week in markets like Germany and The Netherlands. This is a strong indication that these films will have a sizeable audience in cinemas throughout the rest of the summer.”
The movies have proven an elixir for the global box office and come at a time of particular structural struggle in an international market such as the UK. Vue is hopeful the bounce will carry over across the summer.
“There’s more to come. We’re looking forward to seeing our customers continue to enjoy the big screen experience over the summer and beyond as other great titles are released this year: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Meg 2: The Trench, Napoleon and The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes.”
Vue operates in the UK and Ireland as Vue, with international operations in Denmark, Germany Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Netherlands and Taiwan.
With the auditions of season 4 already done, fans are left wondering about the Baddies East release date. It is an American reality television series spun out of the Bad Girls Club series. It follows the concept of featuring “Bad Girls” from different regions of the United States to tour in a “decked-out” tour bus. They navigate their own business and personal relationships while performing at the hottest clubs and parties to prove that they are the “baddest” girls around.
So, here’s all the Baddies East release date information we know so far, and all the details on when it is coming out.
Is there a Baddies East release date?
The Baddies East release date is predicted to arrive by Fall 2023. However, this window isn’t confirmed yet.
The spinoff series began in 2021 with Baddies ATL. It was followed by Baddies South, which covered the Southern regions of the states in 2022. Then came Baddies West, which aired its episodes from January 22, 2023, to May 21, 2023. But before its ending, the Zeus Network had already announced that Baddies is coming to the Eastern coast as well.
The release date of Baddies East is yet to be announced. But, looking at the pattern that Baddies West followed, we can predict that Baddies East could arrive sometime in Fall 2023.
The Auditions of Baddies West took place on October 23, October 30, and November 6 in 2022. Then, Baddies West arrived with its cast in January 2023. Similarly, Baddies East could arrive between September to November 2023 after its two episodes of Auditions aired on June 18 and June 25, 2023.
ComingSoon will provide an update to this story once we receive official details.
In the Baddies East Auditions, Executive Producer Natalie Nunn picked the cast of Season 4 alongside rap star Rubi Rose, reality star Tokyo Toni, and the Baddies West all-stars. Now, it will be interesting to see who gets chosen to hop on the tour bus and journey through the Eastern regions of the US.
Where is Baddies East coming out?
Baddies East is expected to come out on Zeus Network.
In entertainment elsewhere, check out when Daredevil: Born Again could arrive on the streaming platform. Also, read when Ironheart could release.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” had fantastic second weekends of $93 million and $46.2 million, respectively. In an alternate universe, those sophomore takes would be respectable openings. Instead, 10 days in “Barbie” domestic is at $350 million and “Oppenheimer” is $174 million.
This is fantastic news that could drive the summer to $4 billion, the magic number that exhibitors floated at April’s CinemaCon as a reasonable hope/best-case scenario. What the exhibitors didn’t predict, however, was a summer in which almost every franchise would fall short — sometimes, very short — of reasonable expectations. Two weeks ago, only an optimist would project as much as $3.6 million for the season.
Also unforeseen was the Barbenheimer effect and its ability to drive real excitement about going to the movies — followed by the actors’ and writers strikes’ delaying film releases and undercutting that momentum.
Through this weekend, summer 2023 grossed around $3.06 billion. Five weeks plus Labor Day remain and the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Paramount) opens Wednesday, with strong advance word.
The weekend’s $215 million total is up from $98 million is 2022. Year to date is up 20 percent, which projects to $8.9 billion. That might seem like a lowball figure, but we have to account for the prospect of many top fall and holiday films moving to next year.
This weekend, six films grossed above $10 million. That is exceedingly rare, even adjusting for higher ticket prices. Previous examples have fallen over Thanksgiving or Christmas, when top openings often overlap.
Also noted: Of those six, only one comes from a franchise. The last time we saw six titles over $10 million was over Thanksgiving 2018, when four of those movies were franchises.
We can put an asterisk next to “Haunted Mansion” (Disney), which is not part of a franchise but almost certainly was made in hopes that it could become one. Directed by the very talented Justin Simien, production cost was $150 million but it grossed just $24.2 million and only $9 million foreign. After “Indiana Jones,” “Elemental,” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, it is the studio’s fourth very expensive major disappointment this year.
“The Sound of Freedom” (Angel) fell only 37 percent to gross $12.4 million, with $149 million to date. It should reach $200 million domestic, which means it will surpass eight major-studio brand-name titles: the “Mission: Impossible,” “Indiana Jones,” “Transformers,” Fast X,” “John Wick,” and “Transformers” sequels, as well as Pixar’s “Elemental” and DC’s “The Flash.” Most of those films cost well over $200 million before marketing.
Despite the competition, and perhaps aided by “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” sellouts, Australian Sundance breakout “Talk to Me” took sixth place with just over $10 million. This exceeded expectations, with similar A24 low-budget entries normally falling below this level. However, A24 could draw on its reputation for genre taste as well as positive reviews, and the constant thirst for original horror films.
“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount) took fifth in its third weekend with $10.7 million. It stands at $448 million worldwide and will likely fall short of $600 million. The previous installment, 2019’s “Fallout,” grossed nearly $800 million. Already, it’s lost 1,130 theaters and it’s on fewer screens than “Sound of Freedom,” which added 126.
The surprise #10 film is Indian rom-com “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” (Moviegoers). Unlike many recent subcontinental films to do well domestically, it again is an original, non-franchise title. Sense a trend?
“Kokomo City”Magnolia Pictures/D. Smith
The specialized arena saw multiple new releases, led by a strong single-theater response to Magnolia’s trans sex workers documentary “Kokomo City,” which grossed over $16,000 in New York. National Geographic documentary “Bobi Wine: The People’s President (Variance) grossed $18,000 in two initial dates. Going wider with 581 theaters, the animated (and very well reviewed) “The First Slam Dunk” (GKids) saw $626,000.
“Asteroid City” and “Past Lives” gave hope for a specialized revival, but Christian Petzold’s “Afire” (Janus/Sideshow) could muster only $33,000 in 44 theaters. Searchlight’s more-commercial “Theater Camp,” which featured a slower-than-usual rollout to build word of mouth, grossed $635,000 and now is in 295 theaters for a per-theater average of $2,153. That compares to $3,600 with similar theaters for “Past Lives,” a far less expensive investment.
The Top 10
1. Barbie (Warner Bros. Discovery) Week 2; Last weekend #1
2. Oppenheimer (Universal) Week 2; Last weekend #2
$46,200,000 (-44%) in 3,647 (+37) theaters; PTA: $12,668; Cumulative: $174,060,000
3. Haunted Mansion (Disney) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 48; Est. budget: $150 million
$24,200,000 in 3,740 theaters; PTA: $6,471; Cumulative: $24,200,000
4. Sound of Freedom (Angel) Week 4; Last weekend #3
$12,409,000 (-37%) in 3,411 (+126) theaters); PTA: $3,638; Cumulative: $148,972,000
5. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One (Paramount) Week 3; Last weekend #4
$10,725,000 (-45%) in 3,191 (-1,130) theaters; PTA: $3,361; Cumulative: $139,233,000
6. Talk to Me (A24) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 76; Est. budget: $4.5 million
$10,029,000 in 2,340 theaters; PTA: $4,286; Cumulative: $10,029,000
7. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) Week 5; Last weekend #5
$4,000,000 (-40%) in 2,165 (-720) theaters; PTA: $1,848; Cumulative: $167,084,000
8. Elemental (Disney) Week 7; Last weekend #7
$3,400,000 (-41%) in 2,105 (-615) theaters; PTA: $1,615; Cumulative: $144,984,000
9. Insidious: The Red Door (Sony) Week 4; Last weekend #6
$3,175,000 (-52%) in 1,914 (-640) theaters; PTA: $1,659; Cumulative: $78,082,000
10. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Moviegoer) NEW
$1,574,000 in 360 theaters; PTA: $4,371; Cumulative: $1,574,000
Other specialized titles
Films (limited, expansions of limited, as well as awards-oriented releases) are listed by week in release, starting with those opened this week; after the first two weeks, only films with grosses over $5,000 are listed.
The First Slam Dunk (GKids) NEW – Metacrtitic: 87
$625,611 in 581 theaters; PTA: $1,077
Kokomo City (Magnolia) NEW – Metacrtitic: 78; Festivals include: Sundance, Berlin, South by Southwest 2023
$16,650 in 1 theaters; PTA: $16,650
The Essential Church (Atlas) NEW
$250,000 in theaters; PTA: $831
The Beasts (Greenwich) NEW – Metacrtitic: 82; Festivals include: Cannes 2022
$5,000 in 1 theater; PTA: $5,000
Bobi Wine: The People’s President (Variance) NEW – Festivals include: Venice, Telluride 2022
$18,200 in 2 theaters; PTA: $9,100
The Unknown Country (Music Box) NEW – Metacrtitic: 82; Festivals include: South by Southwest 2022
$10,127 in 3 theaters; PTA: $3,406
Sympathy for the Devil (IFC) NEW – Metacrtitic: 54
$5,400 in 28 theaters; PTA: $192
Theater Camp (Searchlight) Week 3
$634,000 in 295 (+244) theaters; PTA: $2,153; Cumulative: $1,506,000
Afire (Janus/Sideshow) Week 3
$32,815 in 44 (+36) theaters; Cumulative: $124,654
The Miracle Club (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 3
$103,152 in 121 (-150) theaters; Cumulative: $1,612,000
Lakota Nation vs. United States (IFC) Week 3
$6,000 in 16 (+13) theaters; Cumulative: $22,750
Have You Got It Yet? (Abramorama) Week 3
$17,739 in 26 (+23) theaters; Cumulative: $40,325
Asteroid City (Focus) Week 6; also on PVOD
$151,000 in 124 theaters (-170); Cumulative: $27,643,000
One thing we can say about Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles’s relationship is that it definitely happened! Whether or not you believe they were a PR couple joining forces to sell movie tickets, the 38-year-old director and the 29-year-old pop star made plenty of headlines over the course of their on-set romance.
The pair met on the set of Wilde’s film Don’t Worry Darling in October 2020 after the “As It Was” singer was brought in to replace Shia LaBeouf as the lead actor opposite Florence Pugh. According to multiple sources, their relationship quickly turned “romantic” and the rest is history.
Nearly two years later, the couple is “taking a break,” but the decision may not have been as mutual as first reported. From that casting drama to the alleged salad-dressing fight, here’s a complete timeline of Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde’s relationship.
September 11, 2020: It’s announced that Harry Styles will replace Shia LaBeouf in Olivia Wilde’s feature film Don’t Worry Darling due to “scheduling conflicts.” For all the drama that unfolded later, click here.
October 2020:DWD begins filming.
November 2020: Wilde announces that she and her fiancé of seven years, Jason Sudeikis, split toward the beginning of the year. “It’s been amicable and they’ve transitioned into a great coparenting routine,” a source told People. “The children are the priority and the heart of the family’s relationship.” The ex-couple share an eight-year-old son, Otis, and a five-year-old daughter, Daisy.
Wilde also gushes about casting Styles in DWD for his Vogue cover story, saying she “did a little victory dance” when he officially signed on. “To me, he’s very modern,” she said, “and I hope that this brand of confidence as a male that Harry has—truly devoid of any traces of toxic masculinity—is indicative of his generation and therefore the future of the world. I think he is in many ways championing that, spearheading that. It’s pretty powerful and kind of extraordinary to see someone in his position redefining what it can mean to be a man with confidence.”
January 4, 2021:Photos of Styles and Wilde attending a wedding together go viral online. A source told People, “They were affectionate around their friends, held hands, and looked very happy. They have dated for a few weeks.” The pair are also photographed returning to his home in LA with their luggage.
According to a source that spoke to People, their relationship blossomed on the set of DWD. “What started out as a close friendship quickly turned romantic,” the insider said at the time. “Everyone saw it coming. During breaks, he wasn’t able to stay away and visited her trailer.”
March 15, 2022: The couple steps out in London hand in hand.
Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde are seen in London on March 15, 2022.
A dog lover who has achieved internet fame for his desire to ‘become an animal’ has taken his first steps outside dressed head to toe in a bespoke collie costume worth more than £12,000.
Known only as Toco, the man spent two million Yen – which equates to £12,480 – on a lifelike costume to fulfil his lifelong fantasy of ‘becoming an animal’.
In some of his most recent updates to his almost 30,000 YouTube subscribers, Toco was seen playing in his backyard – on all fours – and attempting to perform tricks in exchange for fake dog food.
But he has now ventured into the outside world to meet other people and animals for the first time.
In a pair of surreal videos posted to his YouTube channel ‘I want to be an animal’, Toco is first seen being taken out for a walk on a leash, and is later seen sniffing at other dogs in a park before rolling around on the floor.
Toco has now ventured into the outside world to meet other people and animals for the first time
A woman is seen cuddling the man in the dog costume
Toco interacted with other dogs, walking on all fours and sniffing at them
Toco’s antics were seemingly well-received in the video by passers-by and other dogs, who seemed inquisitive above all else.
But despite having built a cult following, Toco is not yet ready to take off his mask.
The dog-lover said he has hidden his identity and his human face from the world because he doesn’t want to be judged by people he knows.
‘I don’t want my hobbies to be known,’ he said, ‘especially by the people I work with.’
‘They think it’s weird that I want to be a dog. For the same reason why I can’t show my real face.’
Then late last year, Toco told the Mirror he’s still not yet built up enough confidence to tell some of his closest friends about his hobby.
‘I rarely tell my friends because I am afraid they will think I am weird,’ he said. ‘My friends and family seemed very surprised to learn I became an animal.’
Toco said he enjoys ‘doing things that only dogs do’.
In September, Toco first attempted an outdoor walk. He said in a YouTube video documenting the experience he felt ‘nervous and a little scared’.
‘I’m wearing a leash because people are surprised when they see me. I’m very nervous,’ he said in the video.
‘Do you remember your dreams from when you are little? You want to be a hero or a wizard.
Making friends: Toco released a video showing him out and about – and admits to being ‘very nervous’
Toco said he wears sandals to protect his feet and the bottom of the costume from getting dirty, after spending almost £13,000 getting it custom-made
He spent $15,000 on the rough collie costume so he could fulfil his dream of turning into an animal
Toco suggested using a collie as he says ‘long-haired dogs can mislead the human figure’
A Japanese man who transforms into a dog using an ultra-realistic costume has said he hides his canine alter ego from his friends because he is worried they think it is weird
‘I remember writing in my grade school graduation book that I wanted to be a dog and walk outside.’
He noted how nice the wind felt in his fur, and rolled in the grass in his backyard.
Toco said he wears sandals to protect his feet and the bottom of the costume from getting dirty, after spending almost £13,000 getting it custom-made.
His now viral videos have attracted like-minded fans, with one saying: ‘You inspire us to fulfil our dreams too.’
Another wrote: ‘I hope I become the animal I want to be as well. You’re an inspiration to us.’
Japanese company Zeppet, which creates costumes for TV commercials and films, spent 40 days making the outfit.
A spokesman said: ‘Modelled after a collie dog, it reproduces the appearance of a real dog walking on four legs.’
LeGrand Crewse, co-founder and chief executive of Super73, recently showed off the company’s latest product, a diminutive motorized bike called the K1D. Aimed at riders 4 years old and up, the vehicle lacks pedals, in the spirit of a training bicycle, and has a throttle. The company calls the K1D an “electric balance bike.”
“But you can also call it a motorcycle,” Mr. Crewse said during a tour of the company’s 60,000-square-foot headquarters. In “normal mode” the K1D can go 13 miles per hour. “Then we have a race mode,” Mr. Crewse said — at 15 miles per hour.
The e-bike industry is already pushing the boundaries of youth transportation, and Super73 is an early darling among customers. The company aims to sell more than 25,000 units this year, a significant portion of them for teens, Mr. Crewse said. Unlike the K1D, most Super73 e-bikes come with pedals as well as a throttle-powered electric motor. What the company is selling, Mr. Crewse said, is a lifestyle, featuring “cool” products that are not subject to heavy regulation.
“Ride without restrictions,” the Super73 website declares, in bold letters. “No license, registration, or insurance required.”
Mr. Crewse added: “Actually no helmet requirement even, except for one class of bikes — and even then, specifically around younger age riders.”
State and federal laws essentially treat e-bikes as traditional bicycles so long as they don’t exceed speed limitations — although many e-bikes can easily be altered to do so. This laissez-faire oversight, Mr. Crewse said, “dovetails perfectly” with the ethos of the younger generation.
“If you think of Gen Z and millennials, if they can’t have instant gratification, they want nothing to do with it,” he said. “They’re not interested in taking time to learn something: ‘I’m not going to get my motorcycle license, I don’t want to go through this course that takes X-amount of hours — it’s too much of a hassle.’”
But law-enforcement officials and some safety experts worry that many e-bikes are dangerously unlike traditional bicycles: too fast for sidewalks and not built for the complexity and speed of roads. Some retailers decline to carry Super73 e-bikes or others like them, contending that they tempt young riders, untrained in road safety, to think they are safe mingling with high-speed auto traffic. Several children in their teens have died recently in e-bike accidents. Some e-bikes can travel at speeds that may qualify them as motor vehicles, but federal regulation has not kept up.
“There is pressure from the market to sell novel and interesting things that are faster and more fun,” said Christopher Cherry, a civil engineer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who studies e-bike safety.
Mr. Crewse entered the nascent e-bike industry more than a decade ago, when he began tinkering with ways to add motors to bicycles. In 2012 he toured China as a wide-eyed entrepreneur. “I booked a trip with no plans,” he recalled. “In that two-week period, I wound up meeting a whole bunch of people, went to a whole bunch of factories — relationships I still have today.”
In 2016 he co-founded Super73 with Michael Cannavo and Aaron Wong, with the aim of selling more stylish e-bikes that were not “for the geriatric crowd,” Mr. Crewse said; the typical Super73 model resembles a dirt bike or a minimotorcycle with pedals. “I read somewhere that something like 98 percent of people think they’ll look cool on a motorcycle,” he said. “We bring moto-heritage with youth culture.”
Many retailers initially would not carry the company’s first mass-produced Super73, introduced in 2017. “‘This is not a bike, this is not a bicycle,’” Mr. Crewse recalled being told by retailers. “We got laughed out of every place.”
PeopleForBikes, the trade group that represents traditional biking companies and e-bike manufacturers, has taken issue with Super73 and other manufacturers that sell products that can be reprogrammed to effectively become motor vehicles and not e-bikes at all.
Most of Super73’s models offer a re-programmable option, including the Z-Miami, which is small, comes in pink and, Mr. Crewse said, is “popular with younger riders.” Parental controls were not possible on existing models, he said, because of “a limitation of the current software.” He added, “That will absolutely happen in future software releases.”
He floated the prospect of e-bike training for young riders. “The motorcycle training program I took has literally saved my life,” he said. But he noted that requiring e-bike training could harm an industry that he credited with creating more sustainable transportation. “The question is, how much do we want to force,” he said.
A father of five, Mr. Crewse advised parents who buy an e-bike to invest in a high-quality helmet and other safety equipment. “The biggest thing is understanding the risk of a vehicle going 20 miles per hour,” he said. “There are consequences. Things can go wrong.”
Oscar-winning “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola applauded the unprecedented success of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” as “true one-offs” as a “victory for Cinema” in a recent social media post.
“I have yet to see them,” Coppola wrote of the latest blockbusters when responding to questions on his Instagram story. “But the fact that people are filling big theaters to see them and that they are neither sequels nor prequels, no number attached to them, meaning they are true one-offs, is a victory for Cinema.”
In the second weekend of release, “Barbie” earned an additional $93 million in its second weekend at the box office following its $162 million opening weekend, while “Oppenheimer” raked in $46.2 million this weekend after its $82.4 million opening. While both films both stand alone without an existing franchise, the “Barbenheimer” craze that drove audiences to theaters added to the debut’s success.
Coppola’s comments, which come as the “Conversation” filmmaker has become active on Instagram ahead of the release of his long-in-the-works film “Megalopolis,” follow his previous assertion that Marvel movies were bad for cinema.
“There used to be studio films,” Coppola told GQ in a 2022 interview. “Now there are Marvel pictures. And what is a Marvel picture? A Marvel picture is one prototype movie that is made over and over and over and over and over again to look different.”
Coppola also defended Martin Scorsese when the filmmaker came under fire for saying that films within the Marvel cinematic universe weren’t “real films,” with Coppola saying at a 2019 press conference that “Martin was being kind when he said it wasn’t cinema … He didn’t say it was despicable, which is what I say.”
Despite his previous cynicism, in responding to a subsequent question about what Coppola predicts the state of movies will look like in 10 years, the filmmaker responded with pure optimism.
“My hunch is that we’re on the verge of a golden age,” he concluded. “Wonderfully illuminating cinema seen in large theaters.”
Coppola is currently preparing for his ambitious passion project “Megalopolis” to finally hit the big screen after he began writing the script in the 1980s. Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman and Shia LaBeouf are among those in the ensemble.
Marjorie Kaplan, who previously spent 20 years as a senior executive at Discovery, is joining the board of U.K. commercial broadcaster ITV.
Kaplan will join as an independent non-executive director from Sept. 1. She currently a professional mentor and head of faculty at Merryck & Co., a global firm comprising experienced CEOs and top business leaders who help organizations accelerate the impact of leadership.
At Discovery, Kaplan oversaw growth at multiple major networks in the U.S., building new franchises and unlocking revenue opportunities across platforms. As president, global content, Kaplan was responsible for strategy, coordination and execution of the international division’s global content activities across the portfolio worldwide.
Kaplan is also a non-executive director of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE in Germany.
Andrew Cosslett, ITV chair, said: “Marjorie has exceptionally strong experience around content and audience strategy which will further strengthen the diverse mix of expertise and experience on the board.”
Kaplan added: “This is a vital time in the media industry and an exciting moment to be joining ITV as it adapts to the changes in the business while maintaining its leadership position in production, broadcasting and streaming. I look forward to partnering with the board and executive team as the company’s strategic transformation continues to gain momentum.”
Kaplan joins at a time when the U.K. TV industry is reeling from a tough advertising market. ITV’s total external revenues declined 2% to £1.63 billion ($2.11 billion), according to half year financial results released last week. The decline was offset by growth in ITV Studios and digital revenues.
Earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA) plunged to £133 million from £295 million during the same period last year. Statutory profit before tax was £45 million, a steep drop from the £219 million declared during the 2022 half yearly results.
Total ITV Studios revenue was up 8% to £1 billion, driven by the U.K., with an adjusted EBITA margin of 13%, while streamer ITVX continued to grow with monthly active users up 29% to 12.5 million and total streaming hours increasing 33% to 737 million hours, driving rising digital revenues. BritBox International subscribers grew 7% to 3.2 million.
“The First Slam Dunk” is a great basketball movie because it understands what’s great about basketball. When a character catches a pass, drives toward the paint, steps back, squares up and releases a clutch 3-pointer, the movie slows time, drops the sound and homes in on exactly the right detail — the perfect, crystalline swish of the ball passing through the basket and gently grazing the net.
Bringing all of the kinetic, over-the-top style of Japanese anime to bear on the granular, technical athleticism of high school ball, “The First Slam Dunk” is a one-of-a-kind sports drama somewhere between “Hoop Dreams” and “Dragon Ball Z.” You’d expect a movie with that title to have some pretty spectacular jams, and you’d be right. What surprised and delighted this N.B.A. obsessive is that it dazzles just as much with passes and rebounding. This feels like real basketball.
Based on the long-running and beloved Weekly Shonen Jump manga “Slam Dunk,” and written and directed by the manga’s writer and illustrator, Takehiko Inoue, “The First Slam Dunk” centers on the starting lineup of the Shohoku High School basketball team as it competes for the national championship. The entirety of the film’s two-hour run time takes place over the course of this one game, broken up by flashbacks that give insight into the lives of the players, including the troubled point guard Ryota (Shugo Nakamura) and the self-centered power forward Hanamichi (Subaru Kimura).
The flashbacks are well-written and add off-the-court dramatic interest, but it’s the basketball action that is the movie’s claim to excellence. Expertly staged and beautifully rendered using a combination of computer-generated imagery and traditional hand-drawn animation, it’s often so spectacular that I am eager to watch again.
The First Slam Dunk Rated PG-13 for mild language and some dark themes. In Japanese, with subtitles. Running time: 2 hours 4 minutes. In theaters.
Due to the conclusion of the MCU‘s latest Disney+ series, the Marvel library is now home to four “rotten” television shows.
The “rotten” title comes courtesy of the online entertainment review site, Rotten Tomatoes. And, while the shows deemed worthy of the label include all television shows bearing the Marvel brand, the latest addition happens to be Marvel Studios’ most recent Disney+ release, Secret Invasion.
Despite a compelling premise and a cast of both MCU veterans and Hollywood royalty, the Disney+ “espionage thriller” surrounding an imminent Skrull invasion left audiences confused and disappointed.
Set after the events of Blade: Trinity, Blade: The Series premiered in 2006 starring Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones as Blade, alongside Jill Wagner, Jessica Gower, and Nelson Lee.
The show only aired for one season; and while some reviews were positive, a common complaint was the absence of Wesley Snipes and watered-down elements.
Iron Fist – 37%
Marvel
Often deemed as one of the worst Marvel Netflix series, Iron Fist told the story of Danny Rand, a child survivor turned martial arts expert who employs a mystical power known as the “Iron Fist.”
The show first aired in 2017 and ran for two seasons. In addition to Finn Jones in the title role, Iron Fist also starred Rosario Dawson, David Wenham, and Jessica Henwick.
Inhumans – 11%
Marvel
The lowest-rated of all Marvel series on Rotten Tomatoes, Inhumans‘ eight-episode season on ABC was also its last due to scathing reviews and lackluster execution.
Joker: Folie à Deux is deep into its production process, with plenty of information including release timing and casting out there about this upcoming DC sequel.
After the original film became one of the most successful R-rated movies in history, breaking $1 billion at the box office and earning 11 Oscar nominations, anticipation is high for everything on the way this time around.
With basically all of Hollywood now shut down due to these strikes, Warner Bros. may be forced to push Joker 2 from its current release date depending on how far director Todd Phillips is in post-production.
While the strikes should be over by the time Joker 2 would gear up for its release, delays could come into play if the sequel needs to do any reshoots, which nearly every major superhero production these days does.
Thankfully, initial filming for Joker 2 wrapped in April 2023, with Phillips confirming the news in an Instagram post featuring pictures of stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga along with the following caption thanking the duo for their work:
“That’s a wrap. Thanks to these two (+ the entire cast) and the BEST crew that the film industry has to offer. From top to bottom. Gonna crawl into a cave now (edit room) and put it all together.”
Will Joker 2 Have Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn?
DC
Where there’s a Joker, more often than not, there’s some version of Harley Quinn. And that’s exactly the case for Joker 2, with Oscar-nominee and Grammy-winner Lady Gagataking on the iconic role of the Joker’s insane love interest.
Joker 2 will take a much different route than superhero movies of this day and age, as this sequel will actually be a full-blown musical.
Star Zazie Beetz commented on the film being a musical, noting that the decision “makes wonderful sense” while praising director Todd Phillips for his “creative approach to the character:”
“I actually think it makes wonderful sense. I wasn’t really surprised by that. Todd [Phillips] has always had a creative approach to the character. I love musicals, and I think of them as the characters are feeling and experiencing so much that they can only sing and dance about it, whether in sorrow or in joy.”
There have also been videos from the set released showing Lady Gaga putting her musical genius on display already, which only makes sense considering she’s a 13-time Grammy winner, an Oscar winner, and even an Oscar-nominated actress.
With the last movie dipping into classic jazz-style music from the 1950s and 1960s, Joker 2 should continue that theme with Gaga’s style of singing being at the forefront.
Who Is Cast in Joker 2?
DC
While only a trio of stars from the first movie are confirmed to be back for Joker 2, there will also be a host of newcomers joining this Elseworlds sequel for a wild and crazy ride.
Joaquin Phoenix – Arthur Fleck/Joker
Joaquin Phoenix
Unsurprisingly, Joaquin Phoenix will be back to play the titular Arthur Fleck (aka the Joke) after he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the original movie. And this time, all signs are pointing to his Joker being crazier than ever after fully evolving into the classic DC antagonist, especially now that he’s been hauled off to Arkham Asylum.
While story details are still mostly a mystery on where the Joker will go in this sequel, it’s a near guarantee that he’ll escape to start up a new round of mayhem in Gotham City.
Lady Gaga – Harley Quinn
Lady Gaga
DC Studios brought on Grammy-winner and Oscar-nominee Lady Gaga to embody this universe’s Harley Quinn, the Joker’s on/off love interest who is often seen inciting chaos alongside the Clown Prince of Crime.
Along with his role as Mad-Eye Moody in the Harry Potter series, Gleeson recently took the spotlight for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin alongside fellow DC star Colin Farrell and the MCU’s Barry Keoghan.
Catherine Keener
Catherine Keener
Two-time Oscar-nominee Catherine Keener will join the DC Universe with her first live-action superhero role.
She voiced the villainous Screenslaver in Disney and Pixar’sIncredibles 2 in 2018, and she also had notable roles in Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Shawn Levy’sThe Adam Project.
Jacob Lofland
Jacob Lofland
26-year-old Jacob Lofland plays an undisclosed role in Joker 2 as part of this all-star cast of actors.
Lofland’s biggest credits thus far come from the Maze Runner franchise, playing Aris in 2015’s The Scorch Trials and 2018’s The Death Cure.
Harry Lawtey
Harry Lawtey
Joker 2 will feature Harry Lawtey in an undisclosed supporting role, adding to the actor’s resume after appearing in just over a dozen other projects.
Currently, Lawtey is best known for his TV roles in Industry and You & Me, both of which feature him as a leading character.
Will Joker 2 Be Connected to The Batman?
DC
With DC going in a number of different directions with its various individual franchises, Joker 2 will not feature any connection whatsoever to Matt Reeves’ universe being built in The Batman.
For those looking for these two movies to crossover, it almost definitely will not become a reality unless some kind of crazy Multiversal storyline comes into place.
What Will Happen in Joker 2?
DC
Looking at how the Joker was thrown into Arkham Asylum at the end of his first movie, it’s no surprise that Joker 2 will take a trip back to the most famous prison/mental facility in DC Comics.
This location is where Joker 2 will largely take place, with the prison rumored to play a big role in the story after the Joker was first incarcerated at the end of his 2019 solo movie.
Rumors noted that in Joker 2, Harley Quinn will be seen as a patient of Arkham rather than the doctor assigned to help the Joker, taking a different direction from the story laid out in DC Comics for so many years in the prison.
While story details beyond that are scarce, this new adventure should be fairly contained as the iconic comic book pair work their way through the Asylum and learn about each other’s wild and insane tendencies.
And looking at the title Folie à Deux, which translates to “delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association,” the duo should have every opportunity to build on their insanity with Arkham serving as the focal point for the plot.
Joker 2 Trailer: When Will It Come Out?
DC
With Joker 2 having completed filming earlier this year, fans are curious to see when the film’s official first trailer will make its way to the public.
Looking back, the first Joker had its first proper trailer hit the internet on April 3, 2019, before the full movie came to theaters on October 4 of that same year, marking a 184-day window between releases.
While those windows have gotten much shorter in recent years for some movies, fans can probably expect something similar to what the original movie did when taking into account how early filming is done.
With Joker 2 not hitting theaters until October 4, 2024, the expectation is that a first trailer will arrive sometime in the April-May range next year before the film’s official promotional tour begins.
Even though the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes could potentially lead to some delays for the DC Universe, Joker 2 is far enough ahead that the DC faithful should not worry too much.
Apple has promised to fix a bug in iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices that may affect Screen Time restrictions for kids, The Wall Street Journal has reported. It affects a function called Downtime that allows parents to remotely set hours when kids can’t use their devices.
“We are aware that some users may be experiencing an issue where Screen Time settings are unexpectedly reset,” a spokesperson told the WSJ. “We take these reports very seriously and we have been, and will continue, making updates to improve the situation.”
Parents checking the feature have found that scheduled times have either reverted to older settings or been removed altogether — allowing kids to use their devices at will. One user changed his passcode to be sure his kids hadn’t guessed it, but found he needed to reset the feature “two or three times a week.” Suffice to say, kids don’t always report the issue in a timely fashion either. Around 2,300 people on an Apple discussion page on the subject said they experienced the same bug.
Apple knew about the issue before, but reported it fixed with the release of iOS 16.5 in May. However, WSJ reporters found the issue in subsequent releases and even in the iOS 17 beta.
Screen time was introduced in 2018 at Apple’s developer’s conference, allowing parents to remotely check their kid’s Activity Report and manage their app use time. They can also set a custom amount of time per app that kids can’t extend, or create a Downtime to block everything but selected software and phone calls for a set hourly range. Apple has yet to say when it will release a fix.
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“Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” the first part of Wuershan’s big-budget “Fengshen Trilogy,” topped the mainland Chinabox office for the second weekend and expanded its week-on-week haul by 35%.
‘Barbie’ also showed signs of resilience in a market where it opened a week earlier in a disappointing fifth place.
“Creation of the Gods I” grossed $57.6 million. according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That compares with $42.6 million in it opening frame and after 11 days in Chinese theaters, it has earned $156 million. Also, unlike its first weekend, “Creation of the Gods” was the winner on each day between Friday and Sunday.
The “Fengshen Trilogy” set out to be a mega scale blending of history, folklore and mythology from more than 3,000 years ago, that would be China’s answer to both “Lord of the Rings” and “Iron Man.” It counts of Barrie Osborne (“Lord of the Rings”) as production consultant and Bill Kong (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) among its executive producers.
The strong hold meant that it was a good distance ahead of “One and Only,” a youth which was the highest-ranked new release with a somewhat disappointing $36.2 million debut.
A youth comedy set in the street-dance milieu, directed by Da Peng, “One and Only” stars comedian Huang Bo and rising star Wang Yibo as well as a large supporting cast. Including revenues from its earlier previews, the film has $53.8 million in the bank.
Imax reported that “Creation of the Gods I”earned $5.5 million of its weekend total on its screens, reaching an Imax cumulative of $18.5 million, or some 12% of its China cumulative, from fewer than 1% of the country’s screens. “One and Only” also took $1.6 million on Imax screens in China.
The weekend’s surprise package was “Barbie.” The film remained in fifth place on its second weekend of release in China, with $7.3 million. But its week-on-week decline was a modest 11% compared with an opening of $8.2 million. After 10 days on release it has amassed $25.5 million.
While the film’s initial disappointment may have been explained by Chinese audiences’ relative unfamiliarity with the Barbie doll and muted infatuation with American pop culture, discussion of the movie has nevertheless become a hot topic.
“Barbie” has ignited discussion of feminism and female gender roles in a Chinese society that remains male-dominated and been a trending topic on social media for several days. “Barbie” also represents something of an antidote to Chinese cinema’s diet of patriotic (and frequently patriarchal) movie output.
Third place over the weekend belonged to “Chang An” (aka “Chang An 30,000 Miles”), a Chinese animation which is in its fourth weekend of release, which grossed $22.4 million over the latest weekend . After 23 days on release it has already accumulated $213 million, making it one of the top-scoring Chinese-produced animation titles of all time.
Fourth place belonged to “Never Say Never,” written and directed by actor Wang Baoqiang (“Lost in Thailand,” “Detective Chinatown”), with $12 million in its fourth weekend. Its cumulative now stands at $287 million after 25 days on release.
Artisan Gateway reports that total weekend box office was worth $147 million. That lifts the running total for 2023 to $4.90 billion, which the consultancy firm calculates is only 6% below the same point in pre-pandemic 2019.
On June 25, 1976, drive-in theatres across the country kept the 70s Satanic panic alive with The Omen. It’s a chilling tale of a couple who unwittingly adopt the son of Satan. It was the first of a trilogy of films (well, technically four if you count that TV movie) and certainly has some Rosemary’s Baby vibes to it. And let’s be honest, The Omen may very well be the reason why Look What Happened to Rosemary’s Baby aired on TV in October of that same year.
So, while everyone is anxiously awaiting the next episode of the podcast in August, journey back to April 2019 and listen to episode 29 of the Classic Horrors Club Podcast. Jeff and I talk about The Omen (1976), Damien: Omen II (1978) and The Final Conflict (1981). Join us and then make sure you’re ready for episode 83 in August as our 4th Annual Summer at the Drive-In continues with Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) and Reptilicus (1961)!
Finding a new movie to watch on Max has become a little more difficult now that HBO Max combined with discovery+, but we’ve put together a curated list of some of the new arrivals you should add to your queue ASAP. Below, you’ll find historical thrillers, underrated gems, Oscar-winning classics and even an action movie about a giant shark. Truly, something for everyone.
Check out our picks for the best new movies on Max in July 2023 below.
“Dunkirk”
Warner Bros.
One of Christopher Nolan’s very best films, “Dunkirk” is best described as a historical thriller. The film recounts the true World War II story of how the allied troops in Dunkirk were evacuated by sea in a harrowing event. Nolan splits the film up into three timelines – what’s happening on the beach, the boats coming in by sea, and the planes in the air above trying to provide support. It’s a thrilling and emotional film, anchored by supporting performances from Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Barry Keoghan and Harry Styles.
“Elizabethtown”
Paramount Pictures
Call it a hidden gem or a cult classic, but “Almost Famous” and “Jerry Maguire” filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s 2005 film “Elizabethtown” deserves another look. Considered by many to be a disappointment after a terrific string of hits from the writer-director, “Elizabethtown” is a sweet and idiosyncratic spin on a family drama as Orlando Bloom plays a young shoe designer whose career just crashed and burned. Contemplating suicide, he gets a call that his father has died and is tasked with bringing the body home to Oregon from Kentucky, so he postpones his deed and sets off on a journey of self-discovery – complete with a charming flight attendant played by Kirsten Dunst. Backed by an incredible soundtrack, the ensemble includes Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer, Jessica Biel and Paul Schneider.
“Under the Silver Lake”
A24
If you’re looking for a summer movie to watch that’s somewhat underrated, offbeat or downright odd, get thee to “Under the Silver Lake.” The 2018 film comes from “It Follows” filmmaker David Robert Mitchell and stars Andrew Garfield as a disenchanted man who, after a seemingly magical night with a young woman (played by Riley Keough), sets out to uncover the truth behind her apparent disappearance. This is a detective movie by way of aimless ennui, with a sharp commentary on toxic masculinity as it follows Garfield’s character down a series of cascading rabbit holes throughout Los Angeles.
“The Meg”
Warner Bros.
Prepare for “The Meg 2” by catching the first film in this unlikely franchise, “The Meg.” A comedic actioner, the film stars Jason Statham as a rescue diver who is recruited to investigate a strange disturbance in the sea that turns out to be a 75-foot-long megalodon shark that threatens the lives of many. It’s a summertime schlockfest in many respects, but “The Meg” is a fun time.
“Good Will Hunting”
Miramax
The film that launched Matt Damon and Ben Affleck onto the world’s stage – and the Oscars stage – remains a moving, artful drama over two decades later. In “Good Will Hunting,” Damon stars as a janitor at MIT who solves an unsolvable problem on a chalkboard, which puts him on the radar of a professor (played by Stellan Skarsgard) who subsequently takes him under his wing. But after a fight puts Will in front of a judge, he’s ordered to therapy sessions with a mild-mannered therapist who happens to be an old friend of the professor’s. Robin Williams gives an Oscar-winning turn as the therapist, while the ensemble is rounded out by Minnie Driver, Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck and Cole Hauser.
“Southside With You”
Miramax/Roadside
This little-seen indie is a remarkable take on the biopic, as it pulls back the curtain on the lives of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama by imagining a single day in their lives in 1989, when a meeting to discuss community organizing turns into a date. Parker Sawyers plays the former president while Tika Sumpter plays the former first lady, and Richard Tanne writes and directs this engaging drama that takes inspiration from Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy.
“The Skeleton Twins”
Roadside Attractions
Bill Hader has said that it was this Sundance hit that sparked HBO to want to work with the “SNL” alum on what would become his hit series “Barry.” In “The Skeleton Twins,” Hader plays a man who, after attempting suicide, is reunited with his twin sister (played by Kristen Wiig) in their hometown. The somewhat estranged siblings discover their lives have more in common than they thought, and Hader and Wiig both deliver tremendous performances that balance comedy with drama.
Wordleis a simple word-guessing game that tasks players with solving a five-word puzzle using letter position clues. Wordle presents the player with six rows of five empty boxes. Simply enter a random five-letter word and the website highlights certain letters in green if they are correct, yellow if they are correct but in the wrong spot, or grey if they are not in the word at all. With this information, players need to try to figure out the word within the six guesses to be successful.
These types of guessing games have been around for a long time. One of the originals was called Mastermind, where players are tasked with guessing a row of colored pegs that utilizes the same hint systems found in Wordle. If players would like to try the game for themselves, it can be found on the Wordle website, which creates a new puzzle every day, keeps track of players’ win streaks and guess distribution, and has a popular sharing ability.
Comedian Patton Oswalt scored a Wordle win-in-two, even though he only got a single misplaced letter from his starting word. He shared his win from July 15th on Twitter and called it “Lucky!“
Every Wordle Answer in 2023
With a new Wordle added every day, players may need a little help with the more difficult words, and having a strong starting word is important. Players may not have time to work out the puzzle solution every day, or perhaps they just want to keep their streak going but are having too much difficulty with the daily word. Whatever the reason, players can find every daily Wordle answer used so far in 2023 below.
Looking for last year’s answers? They’re all here below for archiving needs.
Simple games, like Wordle, are the perfect small distraction for the day. The game itself doesn’t take up too much time and is a nice break during the standard morning routine. Being able to compare with friends on social media sites makes Wordle even more addicting by adding the element of competition. With the win streak tracking feature and social media sharing button, Wordle is the perfect little puzzle to spend 3-5 minutes on during a workday.
Wordle is a web-based word-guessing game developed by Josh Wardle that took the world by storm in 2021. Players are given a five-letter word to guess and have six attempts to get the word correct. When they get a letter correct, it will mark itself as green if it’s in the correct position and yellow if it is the correct letter in the wrong position. A yellow letter also means that letter could appear more than once. Wordle was purchased by The New York Times Company in 2022 and added to their website and app, keeping the core game free to play as promised – with additional words and other bonuses available through subscription, and is available via browser, iOS, and Android.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie compared Donald Trump and his allies to the infamous Corleone family in “The Godfather” saga — but “with no experience.”
“It’s pretty brazen,” Christie said of the new obstruction charges brought against the former president while appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “These guys were acting like the Corleones with no experience.”
The new charges in the classified documents case, filed by special counsel Jack Smith last week, allege that Trump attempted to destroy evidence at his Mar-a-Lago estate after receiving a subpoena, accusing the former President of pressuring maintenance employee Carlos De Oliveira to delete surveillance footage alongside his valet Walt Nauta, who Christie likened to Fredo Corleone, the character played by John Cazale in “The Godfather” saga.
“The day after a grand jury subpoena is served, which includes the surveillance tapes, they go down to Mar-a-Lago and Walt Nauta appears to be the Fredo of this family,” Christie continued. “They send him to go down there, and they sent him to go and delete it.”
“This is bad stuff,” Christie said. “You can’t say there was no underlying potential crime here — this was the withholding of confidential classified information from the government after 18 months of asking Donald Trump to return it voluntarily.”
The former federal prosecutor went on to note that not only did Trump not return the classified documents voluntarily, but he also allegedly “lied about having it.” Christie also urged CNN anchor Kasie Hunt to consider the “potential impact on our troops and our intelligence officers by having this stuff just laying around and him willy nilly showing it to whoever he feels like to be a show-off on the back deck at Mar-a-Lago.”
“This is not what a former president should be doing and it’s certainly not something that someone who wants to be president should be doing,” Christie said.
Christie, who kicked off his second presidential campaign in June and is seeking the Republican bid alongside Trump, former VP Mike Pence and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, among others, also slammed Trump’s previous defense tactic of saying he could declassify any confidential documents as President.
“The ‘I can declassify whatever I want’ defense is not a defense,” Christie said. “You can declassify whatever you want when you’re president — you can’t do it by thinking about it, you can’t do it by mind-melding with the documents — there’s a process you have to go through to declassify and he knows that.”
You can watch the full video below.
“The ‘I can declassify whatever I want’ defense is not a defense.”
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie responds to the new obstruction charges the Justice Department leveled against former President Donald Trump in the classified documents case. @CNNSotu#CNNSOTUpic.twitter.com/Ajlct2JXHj
During their set at Fuji Rock on Saturday, Foo Fighters brought out special guest Alanis Morissette to assist with a tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor. They performed a collaborative cover of “Mandinka” from O’Connor’s 1987 debut album The Lion and the Cobra. Watch it happen here.
The performance at Fuji Rock was one of many tributes from the music world to O’Connor. Following news of her death, artists including Kate Bush, ANOHNI, Perfume Genius, Massive Attack, Tori Amos, Tegan and Sara, U2, Flea, Chuck D, and more.
This wasn’t the first time Morissette shared a stage with Dave Grohl. She performed with the band during the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts last year. Before Hawkins became a member of Foo Fighters, he performed in Morissette’s band.
On Sunday, Madonna posted on Instagram: “Love from family and friends is the best medicine. One month out of the hospital and I can reflect. As a mother you can really get caught up In the needs of your children and the seemingly endless giving… But when the chips were down my children really showed up for me. I saw a side to them I had never seen before. It made all the difference. So did the love and support from my friends.”
Referring to an image in the post of her holding a framed Polaroid, Madonna said that it was taken by Andy Warhol and shows Keith Haring wearing a jacket with Michael Jackson’s face painted on it, describing the image as a “perfect triangle of brilliance” and the artists as having “touched so many lives including my own.”
Madonna thanks her manager Guy Oseary for the gift, saying: “I sobbed when I opened this gift because I realized how lucky I am to be alive. And how fortunate I am to have known these people and so many others who are also gone. And thank you to all my angels who protected me and let me stay to finish doing my work.”
The post also has images of Madonna with her son David and daughter Lourdes.
Madonna’s previously scheduled European dates are slated to begin Oct. 14 in London and carry on through the European mainland for seven weeks before concluding with two more London dates on Dec. 5 and 6. The North American tour is currently scheduled to begin with two Brooklyn concerts on Dec. 13 and 14.
BC Parks says a child was killed by a falling tree at a campground site at Okanagan Lake Park Saturday. The child was taken to hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.
Depending upon your viewpoint, we have good news or bad: Assassin’s Creed Mirage will take around 20 hours to complete.
For some, this will be welcomed news, allowing people to dive headfirst into an Assassin’s Creed adventure, knowing they won’t have to dedicate months of their free time to get to the end.
This will be disappointing for others, though, as Assassin’s Creed games have traditionally offered a lot of bang for their buck and provided hundreds of hours of entertainment.
According to lead producer Fabian Salomon, however, who spoke to YouTuber Julien Chièze earlier this week, the upcoming Assassin’s Creed adventure can be completed in 20 hours if players rush through, and around 30 hours for players who take their time and complete every mission.
“Given that we do a lot of playtesting internally at Ubisoft, it’s part of our process, we really want to get as close as possible to the players, so we’ll say that the latest playtimes we’ve received average at around 20-23 hours,” Salomon said, as translated by PCGN.
“That can go up to 25-30 hours for the completionists, and we’ll say that those who will be rushing the game will be around 20 hours.”
Given prior instalments like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Odyssey roughly take around 60 hours to get through the main campaign – and double that if you commit to completing all the side missions and extra collectibles, too – that means Mirage will be around a fifth of the length of its predecessors.
ICYMI, rumor has it Ubisoft is rebooting Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag. According to recent reports, Ubisoft’s remake of the 2013 sea-shanty smasher is “still in its earliest stages” but reportedly involves the team based at Ubisoft Singapore.
If true, it’s an interesting decision, not least because Ubisoft is also set to debut another all-new swashbuckling franchise, Skull and Bones. Yes, the pirate adventure was recently delayed once again, but it’s nonetheless set to release sometime in 2023-2024 – which may give Ubisoft the litmus test it needs to assess the appetite for the Black Flag reboot.
The best Assassin’s Creed games often offer it all: A hero you can’t help but root for, oodles of intrigue, a beautiful part of the world to explore, and some of the best stealth and RPG combat up for grabs. Here are our picks of the best Assassin’s Creed games: every series entry ranked. Where does your favorite Assassin’s Creed tale rank?
Luke Grimes considers Hugh Grant his North Star when it comes to acting in romantic comedies.
Grimes, known for his role as Kayce Dutton in “Yellowstone,” stars as Jake in Netflix’s romantic comedy “Happiness for Beginners,” adapted from the novel of the same name by Katherine Center. The film, which is currently streaming, marks a shift in genre for the drama actor.
“[Hugh]’s absolutely incredible at the genre, and I could never be as good as him at that. But, you know, that was where I was trying to land the plane,” Grimes told TheWrap in an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike. “I just think he’s so good at being the straight guy, also being sort of quirky and funny enough in himself to carry it. He also lets the funny people be funny. A lot of my favorite rom-coms have Hugh Grant, and I talked to Vicki [Wight] the director, about it and I said ‘I’m gonna do my best Hugh Grant here.’”
Jake, a skilled doctor, ends up on a camping trip hiking through the Appalachian mountains with Helen (Ellie Kemper), his best friend Duncan’s sister. Even though they have guide Bennett (Ben Cook) to oversee their expedition, one of the campers (played by Nico Santos) breaks his leg in one of the film’s more serious scenes. For Grimes, the following moments were so comedic that he had a hard time filming them straight-faced.
“I always wanted to do a romantic comedy for exactly that reason. I used to watch them on DVDs where they’d have the extra feature and you would just watch the actors just crack up and like not be able to control their laughter,” he said. “I used to watch that and be like, ‘I want to do that so bad. That looks like so much fun.’ To be around that many funny people and be to the point where you’re on a movie that you’re trying to do your job and you can’t because you’re laughing. I wanted that experience and I got it with this movie.”
While Helen and Jake have known each other for a while through Duncan, it’s not until now that they have the chance to explore a romantic relationship because Helen has just recently gotten divorced.
“From the point of view of the character that I played, the whole time I’m thinking ‘Why doesn’t she want to be with me? I just don’t get it.’ I think the audience probably feels that a bit too and I think what you’re dealing with is someone who’s kind of going through a change of life and a lot of things and learning about herself and he’s learning about himself,” Grimes said. “He’s dealing with this exterior thing, which is sort of a debilitating thing, and I think it’s a nice resolve when the people that should be together get together, and that’s what’s great about rom-coms. That’s what we all want to see happen in rom-com, and I think it built nicely to that and it really pays off.”
Most of the cast of “Happiness for Beginners”: From L to R – Shayvawn Webster, Nico Santos, Luke Grimes, Bus Birney, Esteban Benito, Julia Shiplett, Ellie Kemper and Ben Cook (Netflix)
While Jake seems to have it all together on the surface, he has to tell Helen one night that he is losing his eyesight after she finds him lost in the woods after dark.
“I was actually nervous about that scene where I’m lost because I can’t see at night. I was thinking ‘How do we make this not feel cheesy?’ The whole time I just kept being like, ‘Is this OK? Is this weird? Like, are people gonna believe this?’” he said. “When me and Vicki and Elena were planning it out, we wrapped our heads around, ‘Let’s just lean into it.’ We’re really gonna lean in and, and, and just be as earnest as possible. For me, I come from a drama background and that scene was like a fish out of water from the rest of the movie, and I didn’t want it to feel false. I hope it didn’t, but that was sort of the pivotal more dramatic scene for me.”
Grimes also weighed in on the theatrical versus streaming release of romantic comedies and what works best for the genre.
“It’s all the wild west now. I think theaters are amusement park rides now, it’s got to be either Pixar or Marvel or something to actually make it work financially for a studio,” he said. “Coming up in this business and watching it change, you’re a little scared, but the great thing is there’s more opportunity for actors and artists to make things because there’s so many streaming platforms, and I think it’s a good thing. Actors should be working, writers should be writing, directors should be directing. There’s just more opportunity for all of that. I don’t really care where it comes out. I mean, obviously, I’m on a television show on a cable network that still has commercials. That’s like, [being] stuck in a time machine.”
“Happiness for Beginners” is streaming on Netflix.
“I will miss my friend forever,” she said of Bennett, who passed away on July 21. “I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together. With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony & I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, & gave it all new life as a singing duo. But it wasnt an act. Our relationship was very real.”
Gaga went on to share in her Instagram post how he taught her about music, life and maintaining a positive attitude.
“He also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight. ‘Straight ahead,’ he’d say,’” her post on Sunday continued. “He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude…Tony was always grateful. He served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world.”
The singer added that they had a “very long and powerful goodbye,” and although there was a large age gap between them, he was her “real true friend.”
“Our age difference didn’t matter – in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people. We were from two different stages in life entirely – inspired,” Gaga said. “Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful. An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a persons life. There’s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity. All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life. But, as that faded slowly I knew deep down he was sharing with me the most vulnerable moment in his life that he could – being willing to sing with me when his nature was changing so deeply. I’ll never forget this experience. I’ll never forget Tony Bennett.”
The legendary singer died in his hometown of New York City at the age of 96, his publicist Sylvia Weiner shared. “Tony left us today but he was still singing the other day at his piano and his last song was, ‘Because of You,’ his first #1 hit,” read a message to his official Facebook page.
While a cause of death was not given, Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, a diagnosis that was shared with the public five years later in 2021.
Still, he continued performing both in the recording studio and on tour. The neurologist who diagnosed him, Dr. Gayatri Devi at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, said at the time “He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder.”
One of those things was headlining two shows with Lady Gaga at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in August 2021. Shortly after, Bennett would announce he was canceling his fall tour.
The treasured American storyteller, singer and showman has received 20 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement honor in 2001, has sold around 60 million records and has charted albums in every decade since the 1950s.
He earned his final Grammy in April 2022 for his work with Gaga on the album Love for Sale, which was his second acclaimed collaboration with her and made him the second-oldest winner in history. Gaga performed the album’s title track “Love for Sale” solo as a tribute to Bennett during that year’s televised ceremony, after Bennett briefly introduced her over video, waving and sending a kiss. Gaga was left in tears after the moment: “I love you Tony, we miss you,” she said.
At the 2015 Grammys, the duo had the audience on its feet when they shared the stage to perform their duet title track “Cheek to Cheek” and Gaga ended the performance with a kiss on Bennett’s cheek. They took home the award for best traditional pop vocal album that year.
Gaga and Bennett first collaborated on “The Lady Is a Tramp” from Bennett’s 2011 Duets II.
Bennett was king of the duet, teaming over the years with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Billy Joel, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, George Michael and more on songs that contributed to the longevity of his storied career. “Tony abhorred demographics,” his oldest son Danny Bennett told The New York Times in 1999. “He believed he could play to the whole family. I told him that in order to do that, you have to go to them.”
John and Joel were among the Friday tributes. John, who recorded with Bennett for his 80th birthday on 2006’s Duets: An American Classic, wrote on Instagram, “Without doubt the classiest singer, man, and performer you will ever see. He’s irreplaceable. I loved and adored him.”
Joel, who recorded with Bennett on two of his albums and performed with him “New York State of Mind” at the closing of Shea Stadium 2008, wrote, “I will always be grateful for his outstanding contribution to the art of contemporary music. He was a joy to work with. His energy and enthusiasm for the material he was performing was infectious. He was also one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever known.”
The Amy Winehouse Foundation shared a photo of the pair and a note that read, in part, “Today marks the end of an era … A true star, a true gentleman and a wonderful friend and mentor to Amy.”
President Joe Biden wrote in a statement, “For more than 70 years, Tony Bennett didn’t just sing the classics – he himself was an American classic. Resisting the pull to adjust his style to fit in with the times, his distinct voice gave melody and rhythm about the good life, how the best is yet to come, the way you look tonight, and leaving your heart in San Francisco.”
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, shared a personal tribute about naming his son, Tony Bennett Sarandos, after the singer. “The truth is, I thought it was important to name my son after someone he could look up to and aspire to be like. Tony Bennett was an amazing figure who did what he loved for more years- than most of us hope to live. I asked him on his 86th birthday if he would ever retire. He said “Ted, I paint and I sing…retire from what?” He only just retired, he performed at Radio City Music Hall, “One More Time” at 95 years old, last November,” he wrote on Instagram. “The only thing that finally slowed him down was Alzheimer’s and even then he sang and performed for us and watching him , you knew that he loved to make the audience cheer.”
And Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer said in a statement, “There are few people in life who could surpass the achievements of the legendary artist Tony Bennett. His biography reads like an inspiring and principled socio cultural history of nearly a century. His artistry in recording and performing will be admired forever.”
In addition to his wife Susan Crow and son Danny, survivors include another son, Dae; daughters Joanna and Antonia; and nine grandchildren.
Viola Davis says she is opposed to filming her next movie amid the simmering actors’ and writers’ labor strikes — even though she has SAG-AFTRA’s blessing to do so.
The Oscar-winning actor’s move comes amid scrutiny over SAG-AFTRA’s decision to exempt some productions from the strike that are not affiliated with any major studios or streaming platforms. The dispensations have sparked questions in recent days.
Davis released a statement this weekend after her upcoming action-thriller “G20” was among dozens of independent projects granted waivers by the guild to move forward during the strike. Davis is attached to produce and star in the picture, which is partially backed by her company, JuVee Productions.
“I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike,” Davis said in a statement provided Sunday to the Los Angeles Times.
“I appreciate that the producers on the project agree with this decision. JuVee Productions and I stand in solidarity with actors, SAG/AFTRA and the WGA. “
Because Davis is such a vital part of the project, the current status of “G20” is unclear. When asked whether this means the production will shut down entirely until the strikes are over, Davis’ representative declined to comment further.
Though much of Hollywood has come to a standstill amid the writers’ and actors’ strikes, more than 40 productions have been granted waivers to continue shooting during the mass work stoppage. But whether actors are crossing a picket line by participating in those productions has become a point of contention in the industry.
Davis is not the only famous actor to speak out after SAG-AFTRA decided to exempt from the strike select projects that are not affiliated with any major studios or streaming platforms that make up the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. (Although “G20” is set to be distributed by Amazon Studios — which is part of the AMPTP — SAG-AFTRA gave it a pass because no members of the AMPTP are producing it, according to Deadline.)
Under the terms of the waiver, said projects are required to abide by the guidelines SAG-AFTRA has presented to the AMPTP in bargaining. The guild is fighting for higher wages, greater shares of revenue generated by streaming hits and limitations on the use of artificial intelligence, among other benefits and protections. The exempt productions must operate under these terms until the union and the AMPTP agree on and ratify a new contract.
In an Instagram video posted on Friday, actor and comedian Sarah Silverman said she was “pissed off” at the idea of movie stars continuing to work on independent projects when they “know the goal is to sell them to streaming” giants. She accused her peers of “scabbing” by working on those titles — SAG-AFTRA waivers be damned.
“I got offered an indie movie. I f— said no. And so did a bunch of my friends. And now some of my friends are saying yes, and I’m really pissed. Please explain to me why I shouldn’t be angry, because people are … sacrificing their livelihood for this cause. It’s called union strong. … We should see every movie star out there striking along.”
In a follow-up video, Silverman said she met with SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, who explained the union’s justification for granting the waivers. According to Silverman, SAG-AFTRA’s position is that — by allowing certain productions to move forward under its “ideal” working conditions — the union can prove to the AMPTP that such conditions are reasonable.
After hearing the SAG-AFTRA leaders out, Silverman doubled down on her stance.
“This cause is a work stoppage,” Silverman said. “That’s our power.”
“On the other … hand, I’m so happy that at least a whole bunch of crew members are going to be able to work on narrative projects,” Silverman added, acknowledging that the waivers are “a release valve for a whole bunch of people who have been paying a … price” for the strikes.
Silverman also questioned whether all of the exempt projects are truly independent, saying some productions carry a “real stink of loophole-iness.” The Times has reached out to SAG-AFTRA for comment.
Several other high-profile productions — including “Death of a Unicorn” and “Mother Mary” from Oscar-winning studio A24 and Mel Gibson’s “Flight Risk,” which is set to be distributed by Lionsgate — have received waivers from SAG-AFTRA.
While the waivers have certainly sparked debate among SAG-AFTRA members — many of whom voiced their opinions under Silverman’s Instagram posts — Silverman stated for the record that she is “extremely comfortable agreeing to disagree” while “working together, picketing and telling the AMPTP that they can … kick rocks.”
“The truth is, we all want the same thing,” she said.
“We want a swift end to this strike. We want to get back to work having won crucial new benefits. So whichever side of this particular issue you fall on, we can’t let disagreeing on it weaken our resolve.”
Times staff writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.
Funko officially unveiled a historic new MCU vinyl figure set that highlights the main three heroes of The Marvels.
Marketing for The Marvels aka Captain Marvel 2 has been ramping up in the past weeks. Marvel Studios recently released a new trailer for the upcoming Brie Larson-led sequel, showcasing fresh footage and hints about the movie’s story.
Funko released a new The Marvels Funko Pop! set that shows Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel, and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau in action.
Funko
This new set makes history as the first non-deluxe MCU Funko Moments set that included three characters. The other Funko Moments set under the Marvel banner only have one or two heroes and/or villains.
Interestingly, an earlier Avengers: Endgame Funko set also features three characters (Miek, Korg, and Thor), but it was labeled as a deluxe edition instead (this new Captain Marvel 2 set is a non-deluxe version).
Funko
Here are the other MCU Funko Moments set that only feature two characters.
There has been quite the talk of aliens due to the recent whistleblower leaks vaguely confirming their existence. At the same time, this news has undoubtedly had UFO enthusiasts and the public abuzz with speculation. Little is known about the degree of our interactions with travelers from another planet, or dimension if you want to get extra nerdy, but we want to know more and hope they come in peace.
Regardless, one thing for sure is that the interest in UFOs is higher than ever. With this in mind, we look at the best movies about UFOs, ranking up to our favorite.
15 Mars Attacks!
Warner Bros.
Mars Attacks! is far from a masterpiece, and it is the only film of Tim Burton’s that is considered a flop financially and with critics and audiences alike. This was primarily due to the disjointed nature of the movie, which felt more like a series of non-sequiturs that would rival an episode of Family Guy. However, what makes this such a fascinating UFO movie is just how much-wasted potential there is here, and the over-the-top performances from some of the greats become tragically comedic in their excess and lack of direction.
This is one of the most impressive casts ever ensembled for a comedy and includes the likes of Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox, and Jack Black, to name a few. To see all these actors ham it up in a film that would live in infamy for its failure is an excellent guilty pleasure worth revisiting.
14 The McPherson Tape
Axiom Films
Proclaimed to be the first found footage horror film, The McPherson Tapepresents the home movies of a family terrorized by a UFO and alien invasion on the night of a birthday party. The 1981 film was made on a shoestring budget of $6,500, so don’t expect high quality here, but this is a gem of a movie not just for its historical significance.
This is an unsettling experience that even had people fooled into believing it was an authentic account of aliens terrorizing a family. The grittiness of the film quality also adds to the unease and the sensation of accidentally stumbling upon lost media. Still, the low budget and date may make it more of a niche pick, but if you love found footage movies and aliens, this is a great one to check out.
13 Fire in the Sky
Paramount Pictures
Based on the book The Walton Experience, Fire in the Skyrecounts the claims of Travis Walton. Walton, a logger from Arizona, disappeared for two days and claimed his absence was due to being abducted by a UFO and experimented on.
Much like Walton’s story has its detractors regarding the validity of his claims, the film had similar reservations about its portrayal of an alien abduction. However, for those who believe there is alien life, the movie’s sensationalized account of Walton’s abduction adds suspense and horror to craft a frightening story of one man’s “close encounter of the fourth kind.”
12 Killer Clowns from Outer Space
Trans World Entertainment
If aliens exist, we don’t know what form they would take; sure, it could be your typical “greys,” but what if they took on the form of clowns? Killer Clowns from Outer Space is a wonderfully campy horror film where the UFO is a giant tent circus, and the aliens are clowns who store people in cotton candy.
This ’80s cult film is perfect if you want a more lighthearted and silly horror film to ponder the potential existence of aliens. There is a lot of love here, from the cool soundtrack (including an original theme from punk band The Dickies), the practical effects, to the nightmare-inducing design of the titular killer clowns.
11 Independence Day
20th Century Fox
An unprecedented spectacle for the time, which saw the film cruise to a massive $817.4 million globally, made Independence Day the second-highest-grossing film ever at the time. Combine this with an all-star cast including Will Smith and Bill Pullman, and the sci-fi spectacle has become synonymous with alien invasion films and Independence Day celebrations.
So why so low in our ranking? While the film was a triumph of effects, the story here is pretty cookie-cutter. Moreover, while the film still impresses today, its effects are not as stunning as they once were with the passage of time and improvement in practical and special effects. Still, this is, in many ways, a quintessential UFO movie worth a re-watch or checking out for the first time.
10 The War of the Worlds (1953)
Paramount Pictures
The War of The Worlds holds an interesting place in history after rising to notoriety for scarring a large portion of the populace when the original book was read and broadcasted on the radio waves. Many thought the horrific details of the invasion were authentic, and The War of The Worlds became infamous with how it reflected the effect of media on people as well as the real fear people harbored about aliens and UFOs.
For this entry, we are looking at the original film adaptation, released in 1953, directed by Byron Haskin and starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It may seem outdated by today’s standards, but at the time of release, the movie was praised for its special effects. This is a true classic in the science fiction genre that can still be enjoyed today.
9 District 9
Sony Pictures Releasing
District 9 is one of those films that appeared out of nowhere and instantly gained cult notoriety due to its unique take and the dystopian vision of alien invaders. Following Wikus van de Merwe, a bureaucrat tasked with relocating aliens to a new district, the man transforms into one of the aliens and learns more about their struggles.
While the hype around the film died down, and, in retrospect, many see it as a solid concept well done as opposed to the mindblower it was initially touted as. District 9 is still a wholly original approach toward UFOs and aliens. If you like your films ripe with social commentary, this should be on your watch list.
8 Edge of Tomorrow
Warner Bros. Pictures
Groundhog Day, but with Tom Cruise fighting aliens? We’re in! Edge of Tomorrow is a fun and enthralling sci-fi action film worth checking out. And even though Edge of Tomorrow is a popcorn flick with action being the primary draw, the technology, and concepts behind the alien invaders are an exciting take within the sci-fi genre. Moreover, Tom Cruise’s evolution as a character from a despicable coward to a hero is a joy to watch, and Emily Blunt gives an equally engaging performance as a battle-hardened hero to the people.
Warner Bros.
Contact may have been the less popular of two alien films in the theater, released at the same time as Men in Black, but the Jodie Foster-led film is understated in how well it explores the possibility of making contact with alien life. In addition, the film’s slow pacing focuses on science, morality, and faith in a meaningful and engaging manner.
This is a precursor to other films on the list that took a more philosophical approach to sci-fi and what encounters with alien life could entail, and how it could shape our perceptions of what it means to be human. Even if you are not into more contemplative work, Jodie Foster gives one of the best performances of her career as Dr. Ellie Arroway, an astronomer who discovers proof of alien existence.
6 Xtro
New Line Cinema
There will be a divisive line drawn on people who believe that Xtro deserves such a high spot on this list, but that tends to be the case with movies that find cult status years after their initial release. The story of Xtro is pretty straightforward, a man gets abducted by a UFO only to return three years later to his family, but they soon learn something is wrong.
This film excels in its experimental approach to horror, and some of the imagery here is… well, you have to watch it for yourself. But those who like a more outlandish horror experience will love the bizarre directions this one goes in. The film also spawned two sequels that are fun in their own right, though not nearly as effective. The third one even marks the film debut of Tom Hanks’ brother, Jim Hanks.
5 Nope
Universal Pictures
A bit more of a clever sociopolitical commentary piece for entry into the best UFO films, though that is to be expected with Jordan Peele behind the camera. Nopedrew various cinematic influences to craft its peculiar UFOs, which terrorize two horse wranglers (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer).
One can even go as far as to say that this sci-fi allegory for exploring themes of capitalism, greed, and materialism is Peele’s most disturbing film to date. Combining this with the defined visual direction, strong performances, and engaging story makes Nope a must-watch for sci-fi fans who love unique interpretations of UFOs.
4 Arrival
Paramount Pictures
This Amy Adams-led sci-fi drama focuses on language, exploring how we may learn to communicate with alien life. In particular, Arrivallooks at how language shapes our reality and perception of what it means to be human. The movie is smart, filled with twists, and weaves many concepts throughout its runtime.
Arrival was praised critically for its thought-provoking themes, ethereal visuals, and Amy Adams’ performance as linguistics expert Dr. Louise Banks. Those who like more challenging and contemplative works should add this to your UFO watch list.
3 Annihilation
Paramount Pictures
While the real meaning behind Annihilation is up for debate, taking the movie at face value, this female lead feature sees a group of scientists investigating an area deemed “The Shimmer.” Traversing a landscape with alien/altered flora and fauna, the team led by Lena (Natalie Portman) pushes towards the source of the mysterious force, a UFO.
Depending on who you ask, there are no aliens, there is no UFO, and the film is more an allegory for something else. Regardless of where you stand, the visual presence of the film, the phenomenal all-female cast, and the final confrontation within the ‘alien structure’ certainly makes Annihilation worthy of high standing on this list.
2 The Thing
Universal Pictures
John Carpenter’s masterpiece and arguably the most frightening vision of alien life committed to film, The Thingfollows R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) and his crew as they fight off an unknown threat that mimics its victims. The catalyst for this event is a crash-landed UFO, which is further explored in the prequel film of the same title released in 2011. The practical effects of The Thing stand up to this day and are one of the most significant examples of the effectiveness of practical effects over CGI.
While it bombed in the theaters and was considered a failure upon release, the horror fandom has embraced the movie as one of the best horror movies of the ’80s, if not of all time. This is an absolute must-watch for those interested in sci-fi horror.
1 Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Columbia Pictures
With the possibility of real UFOs, it is hard not to place a film like Close Encounters of the Third Kind at the top of the list. This thoughtful and suspenseful work by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg is not just a fan favorite. And it has also caught the praise of other filmmakers with names like Stanley Kubrick, Edgar Wright, Bong Joon-ho, and Spike Lee, touting its recognition as one of their all-time favorites.
Following a group of people, led by blue-collar worker Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), who attempt to contact aliens. The film utilized special effects that were groundbreaking for the time and memorable storytelling. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a classic, and many consider it Spielberg’s best work.
New images from the set of Amazon‘s upcoming Fallout TV show have shown off what appears to be the outside of a Vault Tech office.
The images, which are circulating on social media, appear to show the Vault Tech Logo outside of an office building, as well as an actor, dressed as a raider from the Fallout universe.
The Fallout series, which will be shown on Amazon Prime Video, is being produced by Kilter Films, the production company behind HBO’s Westworld.
The debut episode will be directed by Westworld co-creator and executive producer Jonathan Nolan, while Captain Marvel and Tomb Raider 2018 film co-writer Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and Silicon Valley co-executive producer Graham Wagner, have also been appointed as showrunners.
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Nolan, fellow Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy and Athena Wickham will executive produce the Fallout series for Kilter Films, along with Bethesda Game Studios game director Todd Howard and Bethesda Softworks‘ James Altman.
“Fallout is one of the greatest game series of all time,” Joy and Nolan said in a joint statement at the time. “Each chapter of this insanely imaginative story has cost us countless hours we could have spent with family and friends.
“So we’re incredibly excited to partner with Todd Howard and the rest of the brilliant lunatics at Bethesda to bring this massive, subversive, and darkly funny universe to life with Amazon Studios.”
After a year and a half of anticipation, Barbie, written by the talented duo of Greta Gerwig(who also served as the film’s director) and Noah Baumbach, has undeniably taken the world by storm. Garnering praise from its global press tour and earning rave reviews, Barbie swiftly acquired a reputation for being a truly extraordinary and innovative creation. Gerwig’s vision defied convention, eschewing the tired retelling of familiar stories, and instead delivered something refreshingly new.
As a result, Barbie shattered box-office records, boasting a remarkable $162 million domestic debut, making it not only the highest-grossing film of the year but also the most successful film ever directed by a woman.
In an era where most blockbusters prioritize spectacle over substance, Barbie distinguished itself by captivating audiences with its compelling narrative. Despite being based on the iconic fashion doll’s intellectual property, Gerwig and Baumbach weaved an idiosyncratic tale that defied expectations, delving into profound themes of sexism, self-determination, womanhood, and motherhood, all the while embracing a subtle and enchanting sense of humor. The film’s ability to draw viewers in with its compelling story, while retaining the essence of a beautifully artificial world, is something that cannot be understanded and deserves to be celebrated. It is what makes this IP a massive hit while other IPs, like superhero movies, struggle to stand.
During an insightful interview with The New York Times following the film’s premiere, Greta Gerwig offered invaluable insights into how filmmakers can pay homage to existing intellectual property while staying true to their own artistic vision.
How Did the ‘Barbie’ Preserve Gerwig’s Vision
When The New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan asked Gerwig about how she was able to create this blockbuster film that is challenging without the story getting “whittled down by studio notes,” Gerwig replied that the story was always clear to her and she had collaborators who believed in her vision fully.
“I was originally meant to just write it with Noah, and then we finished the script and that was the thing that made me want to direct it. It felt so clear to me: If they didn’t want to make that [version], I didn’t need to make it,” Gerwig said. “Margot [Robbie], as the producer and star, was really the first person to line up and say, ‘I want to do it her way.’ And then as we started adding collaborators and gathering more cast, suddenly there was a large number of people who were excited to do something that was this, excuse the pun, out of the box.”
The roadblock that came later in pre-production was finding a place to start taking the vision apart to rebuild it in the real world. “Part of me thinks that because it was all so idiosyncratic and so wild, it was almost like no one really knew where to start taking it apart,” Gerwig says. “Like, where are you going to start hacking away at how strange it was? Maybe because there was this sense of sheer joy behind it, it was this hard thing to say, “Oh no, we don’t want that thing that’s sheer joy.” People wanted it to exist, in all its weirdness.
Greta Gerwig and Ryan Gosling on the set of ‘Barbie’
Credit: Jaap Buitendijk
The story starts off with the stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) breaking the world of the film by asking the other Barbies, Kens, and Alan if they ever think about dying. From this moment, there is no going back to “normal,” which throws the entire tone of the film off. However, this works for the story.
“[Robbie’s] character tires to just keep the movie going normally again, but there’s no way to do it,” says Gerwig. “But yeah, I don’t know that anyone totally knew what the tone of this was going to be until it was all done. I mean, within the group of people who were deeply making it, we knew, but it was truly an act of faith for everyone else.”
“The way it played was something I could always kind of hear in my head and see in my mind’s eye but outside that group that was there, it was a little bit of white-knuckling,” Gerwig said about specific lines or jokes that were scattered throughout the film. But persevering in these moments that made the film resonate with diverse audiences across the world is what makes Barbie stands out something special.
Grewig explained her experience keeping these moments in the film and watching them play out in theaters across New York City, saying, “There were several jokes where I was like, ‘This might be for three or seven people, but I will keep it in for them!’ Here’s something else that will stick with me: When I was checking in on different screenings this weekend, there was another joke like that: ‘Remember Proust Barbie? That did not sell very well.’ And there were, like, two people in this screening who died at that joke. I was like, ‘Yes! It was for you, and you got it. I’m so glad that I was here to see that work in the wild.'”
Audiences want to exist in a world that is both for them and not for them. The films that tend to become blockbuster phenomena that become cornerstones for how Hollywood executives want to do movies are the ones that are inviting audiences in to explore something that they may or may not understand. These films are never trying to cater to everyone but are instead asking the audience to trust the film and the challenges that it presents.
We covered what filmmakers and executives can learn from the success of Barbie, but it is important for filmmakers like you, who may not have the name and notoriety of Gerwig and Baumbach, to continue to tell the stories that are important to you and that you fully realize. If you don’t believe that you’ve told the entire story in the film’s runtime, then you probably didn’t. Try to complete and fully story that you know, see, and believe in. Success isn’t built on half-baked ideas.
Barbie stands as a testament to the power of creativity and ingenuity, proving that even within the confines of established franchises, there exists ample room for storytellers to shape something truly extraordinary and meaningful.
Warning: This post contains MAJOR spoilers for Good Omens season 2!
Summary
Good Omens season 2 has left fans heartbroken as Aziraphale and Crowley go their separate ways, despite a long-awaited kiss.
Viewers expressed their love for the beautifully heartbreaking season and praised the writing, acting, and characters.
The ending sparked strong reactions, with fans joking about suing Neil Gaiman and expressing the need for therapy, but Gaiman himself responded, saying, “I’m not sorry.”
The heartbreaking ending of Good Omens season 2 has left fans utterly distraught. Returning to Prime Video four years after its freshman run, Good Omens season 2 brings the story of angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) beyond the book written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The season ends with the fan-favorite pairing going their separate ways, as Crowley shuns Aziraphale’s offer to join him up in Heaven and have his angelic status restored. Before they split, though, Crowley gives Aziraphale a long-awaited kiss.
The Good Omens season 2 ending, which finally makes Aziraphale and Crowley’s apparent romance clear, has left the show’s dedicated fan base in tatters. As the season was released in one fell swoop over the weekend, viewers have had several days to express their feelings. Check out a sampling of reactions below:
@aziiracrow outright declared Gaiman, who returned to produce and co-write the season alongside John Finnemore, “evil” while simultaneously declaring their love for the author and calling the season “the most beautifully heartbreaking thing i’ve ever seen.”
@hansoeii had a lot of praise for Good Omens season 2, though she admitted she was “still lightheaded from crying.” She also said, in a part addressed to Gaiman, that as much as he had “broken me: I love you so much.”
@ironasss appeared to reference another popular streaming show, Our Flag Means Death, in their assessment of the Good Omens season 2 ending, mentioning how odd it is to have two shows where two men “kissed but then their relationship was at least temporarily ruined because the blond one left.”
@aziracrow was far more succinct in their reaction, calling out Gaiman in all-caps while posting screencaps of Aziraphale and Crowley’s breakup.
@willbondspeare similarly got straight to the point in conveying their thoughts toward the ending, writing, “neil gaiman you owe me therapy for that ending.” A GIF of Tennant looking surly was added to the tweet as well.
While including a clip from the pivotal Good Omens scene, @miwiioo went further and joked that they would be “filing a class action lawsuit” against Gaiman, Tennant, and Sheen for “causing me severe mental trauma.”
For his part, Gaiman has been paying attention to all the reactions, and he had a pretty simple response for all the viewers yelling at him: “I’m not sorry.”
Why Good Omens Season 2’s Ending Is Sparking Such Colorful Reactions
Upon its release in 2019, the first season of Good Omens became an internet sensation thanks to the pairing of Aziraphale and Crowley, fondly dubbed the “Ineffable Husbands.” Gaiman and Pratchett’s novel was already beloved, and seeing Sheen and Tennant bring the characters to life with genuine chemistry and well-acted performances gave the property a new level of attention. While Aziraphale and Crowley never explicitly expressed their romantic feelings for each other, nor did they kiss, the queer subtext between the two was clear, and viewers were elated to see the representation they brought.
The announcement of Good Omens season 2 ignited hope that the bond between Aziraphale and Crowley would be further developed. Through six episodes, the two worked together to protect the amnesiac Supreme Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) from Heaven and Hell, and multiple flashbacks offered a deeper look at how Sheen and Tennant’s characters grew closer over several centuries. All of this culminated in the Good Omens season 2 finale, which saw Crowley make an impassioned speech to Aziraphale about the two of them being an “us” separate from Heaven and Hell.
For those who enjoyed the original novel and Good Omens season 1, it once seemed unlikely that there would ever be a more explicit expression of the love Crowley and Aziraphale share. Some would argue such a thing was never necessary, but in a day and age where queer projects are often abruptly cancelled, and beloved queer pairings don’t always come to fruition, Good Omens‘ open acceptance of the romance at its center comes as a very welcome victory for onscreen representation. Hopefully, it will be able to continue with a season 3.
Samantha Morton took aim at Harvey Weinstein in a new appearance on “The Louis Theroux Podcast,” claiming that the convicted rapist and former media mogul tried to derail her career after she turned down a role in “About Adam.” Morton explained that she wasn’t interested in the Kate Hudson-led rom-com due to its treatment of women, but Weinstein tried to pressure her into taking the job.
“I said, ‘I don’t like it,’” Morton said, recalling her initial discussions about the script. “‘I think the film is really misogynistic and I don’t want to be part of it.’ The casting director came back with, ‘You don’t say no to Harvey.’ Well it’s not to him. I just don’t want to do this film… and I had just worked with Stuart Townsend on ‘Under the Skin.’ It was just not interesting to me. I was uber-polite.”
She went on to say that Weinstein threatened to blackball her from future acting opportunities unless she took the role, but she stuck to her principles and refused to work on the film.
“I had a phone call saying, ‘You can’t say no,’” she said. “The ‘no’ wasn’t being listened to. So they kept coming back with this role and I was told unequivocally, ‘You’re not going to work again unless you do this role. I’m going to make your life hell. You will not work again.’”
Morton said that Weinstein’s alleged vendetta against her continued to haunt her career for years to come, although she is proud that she found ways to continue to work in independent films without his involvement.
“I forgot about it because it was years earlier,” she said. “And then all these years later, I realized that [when] I get an offer, get a letter from a director, if Miramax or then the Weinstein Company had anything to do with it, it was just awful for me… He had a reason, a deep-seated reason, to just try and destroy my career… He categorically couldn’t, because I kept working, doing independent cinema all over the world.”
