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‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ First Trailer: Disney Boldly Reimagines A Christmas Classic
43 minutes ago
Disney has made a killing at the box office by reimagining some of its greatest works, from “Alice in Wonderland” to “The Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast,” which remains the highest grossing film of 2017 (at least until “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” surpasses it). The company is set to do it again with a Christmas twist in next year’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.”
Directed by Lasse Hallström, the Christmas epic takes inspiration from both E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” and Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker.” Mackenzie Foy plays a young girl who is whisked away on an epic adventure through fantastical realms. Keira Knightley stars as the Sugar Plum Fairy, with Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and ballet dancer Misty Copeland featured in supporting roles.
“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” will be released in theaters November 2, 2018. Watch the first trailer below. »
- Zack Sharf
‘Ocean’s Eight’ First Trailer: Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock Plan the Heist of the Century
1 hour ago
George Clooney and Brad Pitt are about to meet their heist comedy match in Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett. The Oscar-winning actresses are front and center in the upcoming “Ocean’s 11” spin-off “Ocean’s Eight,” which also stars Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, and Awkwafina.
Bullock stars as Debbie Ocean, the estranged sister of Clooney’s Danny Ocean, who brings together a ragtag group of women to pull off the heist of the century at the Met Gala in New York City. The plan is to rob Debbie’s ex-lover. The supporting cast includes Richard Armitage and James Corden.
“The Hunger Games” director Gary Ross is behind the camera for the spin-off, while original director Steven Soderbergh has a producing credit. “Ocean’s Eight” opens in theaters June 8. Watch the first trailer.
Sign Up:Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. »
- Zack Sharf
‘Pitch Perfect 3’ Review: Tone-Deaf Franchise Entry Hits Another Low Note
6 hours ago
“Pitch Perfect 3” leans into its nostalgia from the very first needle drop: Director Trish Sie’s debut entry into the unlikely franchise kicks off with the Bellas – no more “Barden” attached to that moniker, because college is but a distant, sparkling memory to these a capella nerds now – working their way through an energetic and increasingly desperate rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” This desperation happens to make sense in context, but it’s a feeling that will only spread throughout the rest this mostly limp, tone-deaf entry in this musical series.
As the Bellas amiably chirp through their routine, it becomes obvious that this is no regular performance – for starters, they’re on a yacht, and everyone looks slightly uneasy. Then Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson, game as ever) blows said yacht up, launching “Pitch Perfect 3” into the bizarre imitation of a spy movie, set to the dulcet tones »
- Kate Erbland
‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’: How Rian Johnson and the VFX Team Created the Porgs, Snoke, and More
12 hours ago
For his first time out with the “Star Wars” universe, Rian Johnson populated “The Last Jedi” with a slew of new and old friends and foes, including several creature standouts: the adorable Porgs, the elegant Vulptices, the majestic Falthiers, the sinister Snoke, and the return of Master Yoda.
Read More:‘The Last Jedi’ Opens to $220 Million, No Matter What Disappointed Fanboys Say
“To the extent that I deal with visual effects, since I don’t have the technical know how, it’s on the design side,” Johnson said. “And I like simplicity of design. You don’t ever want the audience using unnecessary brain power figuring out what they’re looking at. So many of our conversations about the design stuff weren’t about making it look cool, they’re always going to make it look cool [at Industrial Light & Magic]. It was about knowing what we’re looking at.”
The Porgs
While scouting »
- Bill Desowitz
‘The Office’ Revival In the Works at NBC; Here’s Who Might Be Back
13 hours ago
“The Office” may soon be back open for business. Insiders confirm a report, first revealed by TV Line, that NBC is developing an updated version of the hit comedy, which originally ran for nine seasons (from 2005 to 2013).
Greg Daniels, who developed the U.S. “The Office” based on the U.K. series from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, is behind the potential revival. (Coincidentally, Daniels was also kicking the tires on potentially bringing back another one of his old shows, “King of the Hill”).
Read More:‘Will & Grace,’ ‘Young Sheldon’ Predicted To Be TV’s Biggest New Hits, According To Fall Awareness Study
The “Office” revival would once again take place at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, and include some of the supporting cast from the original, coupled with new stars. Such a move would continue the evolution of the show, which brought in new stars to fill the »
- Michael Schneider
The Best TV Ensembles of 2017 Demand Recognition Beyond the SAG Awards
14 hours ago
Judging an ensemble can be tricky, but it all comes down to what, exactly, you’re being asked to assess: Are you quantifiably measuring which cast members give the best individual performances, or are you judging how well a cast comes together overall? Are you counting award-worthy solo turns and rewarding the cast with the most? Or are you measuring the chemistry between a giant team all called upon to help create one specific story?
Read More:The Best TV Lines of 2017: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘The Leftovers,’ and More of the Year’s Most Memorable Quotes
Maybe you’re doing all of the above, you might be swayed toward giving one or the other more weight. Honestly, it seems likely these questions aren’t often consciously considered so much as they’re instinctually chosen by each voter when asked, “Which cast is best?”
So let’s give it a try: »
- Ben Travers
2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score
14 hours ago
As usual, several of Hollywood’s top composers offer multiple contenders for Best Original Score, among them usual suspects Hans Zimmer and Michael Giacchino. Zimmer’s experimental score for action spectacular “Dunkirk” was inspired by Christopher Nolan’s pocket watch, and an improvised piano riff was the spine for Denis Villeneuve’s dystopian epic “Blade Runner 2049.”
That score was composed in collaboration with his credited protege Benjamin Wallfisch, who also worked on “Dunkirk” along with Lorne Balfe, but only two could be submitted to the Academy, so Zimmer filed alone. Wallfisch also composed “It.”
Read More:Oscar 2017: It’s Hans Zimmer’s ‘Dunkirk’ vs. ‘Blade Runner 2049’ for Best Original Score
The creative collaboration between Zimmer and Wallfisch on “Blade Runner 2049” was co-equal (following the departure of Jóhann Jóhannsson because of “creative differences” with Villeneuve). After Zimmer created a haunting theme (which became “The Mesa”), the composers then »
- Anne Thompson and Bill Desowitz
‘Twin Peaks’ Christmas: Hear Dale Cooper and Others Sing Their Creepy Take On a Carol — Turn It On Podcast
15 hours ago
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: A body, dead, wrapped in plastic.
And so begins “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” as recorded in 1990 for Kroq-fm’s “The Kevin and Bean Show.” The morning drive radio program used to put out an annual Christmas album, and for the first one, Jack Nance, Dana Ashbrook, Frank Silva, Kyle MacLachlan, Kimmy Robertson, and Robert Bauer created their own rendition of the classic holiday tune. Among the highlights: Twelve cups of coffee, 11 cherry pies, eight dancing midgets, five dozen donuts, four talking logs, three possessed souls and two secret diaries. And of course, the dead body of Laura Palmer.
You can listen to that, and several more holiday songs from and inspired by TV shows, as part of Turn It On’s special Christmas episode! Listen below!
Among the songs: Julian Casablancas does a rendition of the “Saturday Night Live »
- Michael Schneider
‘Portlandia’ Season 8: Fred Armisen Lives Out Your Worst Sushi Nightmare in Exclusive Sketch — Watch
15 hours ago
When you see one chili on a sushi menu, you’re safe. Three is clearly very hot stuff, but two? Two could mean anything. Two could be just right — as its middle placement implies — or it could veer wildly into all-too-mild or far-too-spicy territory.
Fred Armisen learns this lesson the hard way in an exclusive sketch from the upcoming season of “Portlandia.” During a casual dinner with his wife (played by Carrie Brownstein), the couple is sent into a panic when learning just how spicy their sushi is labeled on the menu.
You gotta ask, Fred. You gotta ask.
Read More:‘Portlandia’ Season 8: Kath and Dave Highlight the Dos and Don’ts of Escape Rooms — Watch
The video below is not only a new look at the final season, but the third in a series of videos premiering before the Season 8 debut. IFC and IndieWire are partnering to bring »
- Ben Travers
Meryl Streep Says It Hurt to Be Attacked By Rose McGowan: ‘I Am Truly Sorry She Sees Me As An Adversary’
15 hours ago
Meryl Streep has released an official statement addressing remarks made by Rose McGowan in which she was criticized for taking part in the upcoming Golden Globes protest against Hollywood sexual harassment and abuse. McGowan put Streep and the protest on blast in a tweet published December 16. News broke last week that actresses were expected to wear all black on the Golden Globes red carpet to protest harassment and assault.
Read More:Rose McGowan Puts Meryl Streep and Golden Globes Protest on Blast: ‘I Despise Your Hypocrisy’
“Actresses, like Meryl Streep, who happily worked for The Pig Monster, are wearing black [at the] Golden Globes in a silent protest. Your silence is the problem,” McGowan wrote. “You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly and affect no real change. I despise your hypocrisy. Maybe you should all wear Marchesa.”
Streep writes that it hurt to be attacked by McGowan, noting that she wasn’t “deliberately silent. »
- Zack Sharf
2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Song
15 hours ago
“Remember Me” from Disney/Pixar’s animated musical “Coco” is the likeliest winner of the Best Original Song Oscar to come along in a while (it’s written by “Let It Go” songwriters Kristen Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez). With this category, the Academy music branch tends to lean into musicals and major pop stars singing songs over the closing credits. This year, 70 songs are eligible for the Oscars.
Also on the musical front, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice wrote the song “Evermore” for “Beauty and the Beast,” performed by Josh Groban, while “La La Land” lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Justin Paul wrote “This is Me” for “The Greatest Showman.”
Among established musicians, this year Sufjan Stevens wrote and sings “The Mystery of Love” for “Call My By Your Name,” while Elvis Costello sings haunting “You Shouldn’t Look at Me That Way” on the soundtrack for “Film »
- Anne Thompson
The iPhone Sean Baker Used to Film ‘Tangerine’ Will Be Immortalized By The Academy
15 hours ago
Sean Baker’s “Tangerine” may have failed to garner any Oscar nominations, but it is about to get something even better: A permanent spot in the new Academy Museum. The Academy has officially acquired one of the iPhones Baker and cinematographer Radium Cheung used to film the groundbreaking 2015 indie hit. The film was shot with three iPhone 5s smartphones.
Although “Tangerine” was not the first feature made entirely using an iPhone camera, it was inarguably the most successful and high profile release of its kind. The movie made a big splash at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival before landing two Gotham Award wins and an Indie Spirit Award for supporting actress Mya Taylor.
Baker and Cheung used the iPhone camera and the video app FiLMIC Pro to shoot “Tangerine.” The app allowed the filmmakers to better »
- Zack Sharf
The Best TV Lines of 2017: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘The Leftovers,’ and More of the Year’s Most Memorable Quotes
16 hours ago
As best of the year lists roll out across the internet, TV critics and fans are reflecting on everything they loved about the year in television. From their favorite shows to their favorite performances and even the most shocking moments, nearly every aspect of the small screen is admired — typically, in list form.
But while plenty of lists double up across various websites through a multitude of voices, one list is built collectively and shared immediately: the best TV lines of 2017.
Spearheaded each year by Variety TV Critic Mo Ryan, the annual tradition of honoring the best quotes of the year began early Monday afternoon with the hashtag #BestTVLines2017 and Ryan’s first selection:
“Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” @GameofThrones #BestTVLines2017
Join the annual tradition! Tweet your #BestTVLines2017! @sepinwall, your turn.
— Mo Ryan (@moryan) December 18, 2017
The quote — “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me. »
- Ben Travers
Oscars 2018: Academy Reveals Best Original Song Shortlist, Including Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Mystery of Love’
16 hours ago
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 70 original songs still in contention for the Oscar this year. Five of the shortlisted songs will earn nominations, which are set to be revealed on January 23. Original songs from “Call Me By Your Name,” “Battle of the Sexes,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and more all made the shortlist this year. “City of Stars” from “La La Land” took home the prize last year.
The following tracks have been included on the Oscars shortlist for Best Original Song:
“U.N.I (You And I)” from “And the Winner Isn’t”
“Love And Lies” from “Band Aid”
“If I Dare” from “Battle of the Sexes”
“Evermore” from “Beauty and the Beast”
“How Does A Moment Last Forever” from “Beauty and the Beast”
“Now Or Never” from “Bloodline: Now or Never”
“She” from “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story”
“Your Hand I Will »
- Zack Sharf
Matt Damon is Here to Remind You Some Men Are Good and Don’t Sexually Harass Women, Including Himself
16 hours ago
Another day, another unfortunate Matt Damon sexual harassment quote. The actor has been making the press rounds in support of “Downsizing,” and he keeps sharing his unpopular opinions on Hollywood’s sexual abuse and harassment problem. The actor’s latest thoughts have arrived in Business Insider, in which Damon wants everyone to know that there are also good men in Hollywood who would never even think of harassing women.
Read More:Matt Damon on Harvey Weinstein and Al Franken: Not All Sexual Misconduct ‘Belongs in the Same Category’
“We’re in this watershed moment and it’s great,” Damon says, “but I think one thing that’s not being talked about is there are a whole shitload of guys — the preponderance of men I’ve worked with — who don’t do this kind of thing and whose lives aren’t going to be affected.”
Damon says he’d be willing »
- Zack Sharf
Oscars 2018: Academy Shortlist Names Contenders for Visual Effects, Including ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ and ‘Dunkirk’
18 hours ago
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 90th Academy Awards. The list includes some expected heavy hitters, including “Dunkirk,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2,” alongside some pleasant surprises, like “Okja” and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.”
Notably missing are titles like “Wonder Woman,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Thor: Ragnarok,” all of which appeared on the list of 20 films in contention for the award, released earlier this month.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects
The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
“Dunkirk”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
“Okja”
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”
“War for the Planet of the Apes »
- Kate Erbland
Claes Bang ‘Hated That Monkey’ in Ruben Östlund’s ‘The Square’: Awards Season Spotlight Profile
18 hours ago
Given the many outrageous scenes in “The Square,” Ruben Östlund’s irreverent art world satire, Elizabeth Moss’ character owning a pet chimpanzee hardly even registered as out of the ordinary. For Claes Bang, however, it was a scene he won’t be forgetting anytime soon. “Shooting with that monkey was terrible. That’s a wild animal. In a flat. In Berlin. On a rainy day in October,” the actor told IndieWire during an interview for our Spotlight Awards series. Although there were handlers on set waiting in every corner of the room in case anything went wrong, that hardly served to reassure the actor. “I was terrified of that monkey. I hated that monkey.”
Bang plays a museum director named Christian, whose powerful position in the Stockholm art world has made him entitled and careless with women. “He’s challenged, which makes him do the odd thing here or there, »
- Jude Dry
James Mangold Bashes Film Writer After Negative ‘Logan’ Tweet: ‘You Seem Pompous to Me’
19 hours ago
James Mangold is not hiding his distaste for Hollywood Elsewhere founder and writer Jeff Wells. The “Logan” director lashed out against Wells on Twitter after the film writer made a jab at Mangold’s latest Wolverine film by calling it “too violent.”
Read More:‘Logan’: 10 Ways Hugh Jackman and James Mangold Convinced Fox to Make A Bold and Bloody Superhero Movie
Mangold replied to Wells by saying he could’ve predicted his negative reaction. Wells tried to amend his comment by linking to his article “Logan.” Wells’ piece isn’t exactly positive, although it does praise Dafne Keen’s breakout performance.
“Really? Jesus, Jeff. I’m gonna have to assume you have aspergers or otherwise I just can’t keep up the good will,” Mangold replied. “Aw, fuck it. Shove your self promoting links to your crooked prognostications up your pompous ass. And find a new hairstyle, that pomp is getting Trumpy. »
- Zack Sharf
The Best Twists, Shocking Moments, and Outrageous Scenes of 2017 TV, Ranked
19 hours ago
The best spoilers, twists, and surprises are different experiences on television than any other medium. Some are payoffs years in the making. Others rely on deft serialized storytelling to deliver maximum impact. Still more count on the intimate relationship between viewers and characters.
And yet some twists barely need any time at all. On the list below, there are moments fans have been waiting for since the first episode, as well as scenes pulled directly from the first episode. Some surprises are good for just the one episode in which they’re unveiled. You never know when something big is going to happen on TV, nor do you know how that twist might affect the future.
Read More:The Top 10 TV Shows of 2017
Twists are a big risk so they should be respected accordingly. Because they can irreparably ruin a show or make it come alive, it takes skill and foresight »
- Ben Travers, Hanh Nguyen, Steve Greene and Liz Shannon Miller
Amber Tamblyn, Asia Argento, and More React to Rose McGowan’s Criticism of Golden Globes Protestors’ ‘Hypocrisy’
19 hours ago
Some of Hollywood’s most outspoken women are responding to actress and filmmaker Rose McGowan’s recent denunciation of Golden Globe nominees who reportedly plan on wearing black at next month’s ceremony to demonstrate against industry-wide sexual misconduct. On December 17, Amber Tamblyn published a four-tweet thread reacting to McGowan’s initial claim that Meryl Streep and others would show “hypocrisy” with their “silent protest.”
Read More:Harvey Weinstein Sexual Assault Documentary in the Works at BBC
Tamblyn has written two New York Times op-eds addressing the alleged inappropriate behavior of powerful men in Hollywood; McGowan publicly stated on October 12 that she was raped by Harvey Weinstein and has been a long-time supporter of abused and harassed women in the industry. »
- Jenna Marotta
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