Matthew Monagle
CBS Orders ‘S.W.A.T.’ Pilot From ‘Fast Five’ Director Justin Lin
Columbia Pictures
Last week, news broke that Fox would be adapting its sorta-but-not-really popular Behind Enemy Lines movie series for television, and countless people — myself included — wondered aloud if Hollywood needed to cool it with the small screen adaptations of middling action movies. Not to be outdone, CBS announced today that it would be moving forward with a similar adaptation, this time bringing the sorta-but-not-really 2003 movie S.W.A.T. to television.
Super Bowl 51 Gets a Coen Brothers ‘Easy Rider’ Commercial
While countless football fans — myself included — embark on a stomach and liver-related training regimen for next weekend, there is more to the Super Bowl than just the game on the field. The Super Bowl has always secretly been a big day for cinephiles as well, featuring big trailers for much-anticipated movies and clever commercials from some of the best filmmakers of our generation. Directors such as Doug Liman, Ridley Scott, and Judd Apatow have all directed Superbowl commercials, and now you can add two more big names to the mix: Joel and Ethan Coen.
Michael Fassbender Describes ‘Assassin’s Creed’ as a ‘Three-Film Arc’
BREAKING NEWS: After spending a bunch of money on a blockbuster motion picture, a Hollywood studio would like to turn that movie into its own franchise. This will come as quite a shock to the one person on the internet who is both familiar enough with the Assassin’s Creed franchise to get excited for the movie adaptation but who honestly believed that 20th Century Fox was taking a one-and-done approach with the film.
‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ Brings the Jingle Bells in a Special Holiday Greeting
A few weeks ago, I attended a holiday party where Nick Offerman’s ‘Yule Log’ played in the background for the entire evening. As people milled about the living room, passing appetizers and making polite introductions, the wise face of Nick Offerman beamed forth from the television, taking occasional sips from a glass of whisky and listening to the crackling fire. And despite years spent listening to Mannheim Steamroller and Frank Sinatra around the holidays, it was the silence of Nick Offerman’s fake living room that now sounds the most like Christmas to me.
The First Poster for ‘The Fate of the Furious’ Features Two Sad Bros
This has been a pretty busy week for fans of the Fast and the Furious franchise. Not only did we get an official title for the eight film in the series, The Fate of the Furious — which, for inexplicable reasons that continue to haunt the internet, did not spell ‘fate’ as ‘f8’ — we also got our first glimpse at new footage courtesy of a trailer tease and promises of a full theatrical trailer on Sunday evening.
Jyn Erso Rescues Herself in These New ‘Rogue One’ Clips
After months and months of anticipation, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story had its world premiere in Los Angeles last night, and the early reviews are absolutely glowing. Film critics and celebrities alike have commented on the blend of action and heart in the newest film — and, curiously, noted that a lot of the trailer footage did not find its way into the finished film — giving fans hope that Rogue One will be the next great thing to happen to the Star Wars universe. One more week, everyone. Tickets at the ready.
Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ Gets a Sequel Just in Time for Sundance
Al Gore is one of those people who gets me thinking about legacy. When Gore’s time on the earth comes to a close, how will he be remembered? As a solid vice president who lost one of the most hotly disputed elections of all time? Or as a champion of environmental conservationism? From the outside, it certainly appears that Gore is angling for the latter. Just this past weekend, it was announced by Paramount Pictures (via Variety) that Al Gore has been working on a sequel to his 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth and that the film was set to be the opening night film at next year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Will Smith Explains Why He Passed on ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ for ‘Suicide Squad’
I’ll admit, I was one of those people mildly excited for Independence Day: Resurgence. Not only did the film return both Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman — as well as the up-and-coming Maika Monroe — it was also a welcome trip down memory lane to the original Independence Day, one of the first really big blockbuster movies I remember seeing in theaters. I know I’m not the only one whose interest in the film was pure nostalgia; as it turns out, this link to the past is exactly why Will Smith chose not to come back for a second film.
Tim Miller Speaks Out Against Those ‘Deadpool 2’ Production Rumors
One of the stranger stories to end the year was the sudden departure of director Tim Miller from Deadpool 2, the sequel to 2016’s biggest breakout hit. Given the original film’s agonizing production history, it seemed like shooting a sequel would be a walk in the woods; instead, Miller’s decision to walk away from the project caught everyone by surprise, and rumors have swirled about creative differences ever since. Thankfully, Miller himself recently spoke at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects (via iO9) and put some of these rumors to bed.
Sony Sets a ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming 2’ Release Date
File this one under ‘Least Surprising News Stories of the Day’: right on the heels of releasing the first trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sony has announced the release date for Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, proving that no title is so awkward as to prevent Hollywood from slapping the number ‘2’ on it and calling it a day.
Gal Gadot Describes Her First ‘Wonder Woman’ Costume Experience
One of my favorite parts of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was Gal Gadot’s costume as Wonder Woman. Not only was it a much-needed splash of color in an otherwise monochrome film, it was also a nice departure from the overly bulky superhero costumes that have become the norm. Ben Affleck might be a great Batman, but there were times when he looked a little bit like Ralphie’s brother in A Christmas Story, too padded up to put his arms down, let alone fight his way through a warehouse of bad guys. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, looked every bit the agile warrior we were hoping for.
‘Kong: Skull Island’ Teases Its Next Theatrical Trailer
I’m not really sure how I feel about the new Hollywood trend of teasing out your trailers. On the one hand, it kind of takes the fun out of the equation; one of the best parts of coming back from a long day of meetings or classes is seeing that a brand new Star Wars spot has been dropped in your absence. On the other hand, though, it’s a real boon for cultural writers like me. Rogue One hints online that their next trailer will be released during the Olympics? You better believe we’ll be ready.