Emma Stefansky
‘Cook Off!’ Trailer: Melissa McCarthy Leads the ‘Best in Show’ of Cooking Competition Mockumentaries
We all love The Great British Bake-Off (or, as it’s referred to in the States, The Great British Baking Show), and considering the competition show’s massive popularity even amongst people who can’t boil water without catching something on fire, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came up with a mockumentary version. Enter Cook Off!
‘IT’ Is Now the Biggest September Release in History
It is the adrenaline rush the box office sorely needed after a summer that could accurately be described as “pretty bad” — the new take on Stephen King’s doorstop of a novel is the best horror opening ever, the highest single-day box office for an R-rated movie, the lowest-budgeted movie to gross over $100 million in its opening weekend, and now it’s the biggest opening for a September movie in history.
Bryan Singer’s Queen Biopic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Has Found Its Fellow Band Members
Bryan Singer’s Queen biopic, aptly titled Bohemian Rhapsody, is kicking off, and now that it has a Freddie Mercury, it’s been hard at work casting the other three bandmates. Today, the three actors who will lend their support to Rami Malek’s Mercury, have been found.
Glenn Close Ready for Her Glenn Close-Up in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ Movie Musical
Glenn Close’s revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard has prompted Paramount to start pursuing a film adaptation — that is, a movie based on a musical that is itself based on another movie. And they want her to play the lead.
Classic ’80s Teen Adventure Film ‘License to Drive’ Gets a Female-Driven Reboot
Either a classic late 20th century teen film dies a classic late 20th century teen film, or it lives long enough to see itself become a female-led reboot. The reason I’m making this labored metaphor is because that’s exactly what’s happening to License to Drive, a fun teen adventure flick from 1988 that’s about to be rebooted with a pair of female leads.
John Boyega Says the Fans Will ‘Appreciate’ Carrie Fisher’s ‘Last Jedi’ Send-Off
Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s opening in theaters is guaranteed to be one of the most exciting events of the year, and also guaranteed to be overcast by the untimely death of Carrie Fisher. All of her work on the film was completed before she passed away, which may even make watching her onscreen even more difficult. We’ve heard that The Last Jedi greatly expands her role in the franchise, and in a way it gives the actress an appropriate send-off.
‘Wonder Woman’ Has Surpassed That Elusive $400 Million Mark Domestically
Wonder Woman, if you can believe it, is still breaking records and defying explanations more than two months after its release. On Tuesday, the film broke past the $400 million mark domestically, now in league with such box office juggernauts as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Avengers, The Dark Knight, and, uh, Shrek 2.
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ 4K Re-Release Trailer: Those Five Musical Notes Will Still Make You Tear Up
Close Encounters of the Third Kind will forever be one of sci-fi cinema’s most lasting cultural touchstones. One of Spielberg’s best, it’s a beautiful tale of wonder, obsession, and humanity’s relationship with the rest of the cosmos. It’s the kind of movie that posits that, rather than conquer us, all aliens really want to do is be our friends, and it’s coming back to theaters this September in a gorgeous 4K re-release.
Meet the Porgs, the Adorable New ‘Last Jedi’ Creatures You’re Going to Be Obsessed With (If You Aren’t Already)
One of the best things about Star Wars — given that it’s set in a galaxy far, far away full of fabulous planets and fantastic species — is how many weird alien creatures sneak their way into these movies. The original trilogy gave us wampas, banthas, Ewoks, and tauntauns, on Geonosis we saw Anakin, Padme, and Obi-wan fight the reek, the nexu, and (my favorite), the acklay, and The Force Awakens gave us a very thirsty happabore. Earlier this week, Lucasfilm gave us a closer behind-the-scenes look at The Last Jedi and while a lot of the stuff in there was cool, the best part was the porgs.
Warner Bros. Is Making Another ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ Reboot
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an undeniable sci-fi classic, the O.G. one-of-us-in-this-room-isn’t-human narrative, which is probably why it’s been remade so many, many times. The original 1954 novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney inspired the 1956 Don Siegel film, which was then remade in 1978, in 1993, and agin in 2007 with Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman (The Invasion). So it should come as no surprise that Warner Bros. is making plans to reboot the story for the modern era.
‘Home Again’ Trailer: Single Housewife Reese Witherspoon Falls for a Younger Guy, and, Oh God, I Dunno, Just Watch It
It’s no secret that Hollywood has an ageism issue. While most actresses over 45 are doomed to playing mothers, grandmothers, or not getting any work at all, male actors’ careers are easily extended into their more distinguished decades. The last time Tom Cruise had a female co-star close to his age was Miranda Otto in 2005’s War of the Worlds. Which is why it’s so refreshing these days to see actresses past their thirties get a younger love interest. Or, is it? The Home Again trailer is here to test that theory.
Cyndi Lauper Is Writing the Music for Broadway’s ‘Working Girl’
Hot off her success with the Tony Award-winning Kinky Boots, Cyndi Lauper is at it again on Broadway, this time lending her musical talents to a stage adaptation of 1988’s Working Girl.
New HBO NOW Releases: June 2017
It’s summer, which means it’s the perfect time of the year to stay inside all day and watch TV. Just kidding (mostly). Vitamin D is good for you. But if you find yourself with a long weekend or coming down with that dreaded of all ills, the summer cold, the one thing you won’t have to be is bored, thanks to modern technology and streaming services. And for you lucky who subscribe to HBO NOW, we have the full list of everything coming to the service this June, including new seasons of Veep, The Leftovers, T.J. Miller’s new standup special, and recent releases like Krampus and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
This Time Tom Cruise Isn’t the Only One Screaming in a New Clip and Featurette from ‘The Mummy’
Tom Cruise’s The Mummy is about to hit theaters and launch a new cinematic universe, which, arguably, was the first cinematic universe ever, according to Mummy director Alex Kurtzman in a new featurette. Universal seems pretty optimistic about the quality of The Mummy (or they wouldn’t have announced this whole shared universe thing just yet), which makes us hopeful too. And, come on, Tom Cruise has been in, like, maybe two truly terrible movies throughout his career.
Tom Cruise Just Confirmed ‘Top Gun 2’ Is Happening, May Start Production This Year
Some days it seems like a new sequel rumor hits the Internet every day. Whispers of Top Gun 2 have been floating around the stratosphere for a few years, with the movie even getting a screenwriter at one point, Val Kilmer vowing to return, and even a mysterious meeting with Jerry Bruckheimer. Sometimes, because of timing or lack of resources or myriad other reasons, sequels just don’t end up happening even if they’re hyped. But today brings good news for Top Gun 2 hopefuls: it’s definitely happening, and Tom Cruise himself says it’ll start filming within the next twelve months.
New Netflix Instant Releases: June 2017
It’s that time again: time to round up everything coming and going from all the streaming services at the start of the new month. Netflix has a pretty fantastic slate for this June, which includes their Cannes contender Okja, directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal. There’s also a few popular 2016 releases like Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World, and Catfight, that movie about Sandra Oh and Anne Heche beating the living daylights out of each other. And if you want to hear a bunch of animated plants sing Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence,” give Trolls a shot.
Mark Hamill Shares Another Photo From the First ‘Star Wars’ Shoot that Lucasfilm Kept Hidden for Years
Mark Hamill, like many stars who enjoy sharing glimpses of the days before they finally made it big, enjoys posting the occasional photo or two from the sets of Star Wars. Just a few days ago, he shared what might very well be the first ever photo taken of Luke Skywalker in costume out in the middle of the Tunisian desert. Today, another early photo of himself as the young Jedi was unearthed, and Hamill pointed out that Lucasfilm was not keen on letting the public see it for years.
Pennywise Floats Awkwardly Inside a Sewer Pipe in a New ‘It’ Remake Image
’Tis the season for images of movies that none of us will be able to see until months from now! The latest was a kind of Christmas present from the folks over at the remake of Stephen King’s It, but unfortunately it’s more awkward than scary. The image shows Pennywise — who else? — lurking inside a larger-than-life sewer pipe, seemingly floating somehow above the ground.
‘Reservoir Dogs’ Anniversary Screening and a Grateful Dead Documentary Added to Sundance
Sundance isn’t always about the new stuff. Every year, the Sundance Institute picks a few films to screen as special events, and this year, among the choices are Amir Bar-Lev’s Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip and Quentin Tarantino’s classic Reservoir Dogs.
Oscar Contenders Set Yet Another Record With 91 Eligible Original Songs
It’s a big year for the Oscars, and not just because of the movies. 2016 brought us a record-breaking 27 animated films eligible for Best Animated Feature, and today the Academy announced that there is a whopping 91 tracks eligible for Best Original Song.