Charles Bramesco
Spider-Man Hits the Bodega in His Latest Teaser
Spider-Man’s a true New Yorker: he understands when to take the 6 train versus rolling the dice on the 2nd Avenue subway, he knows where to get the Bronx’s best chopped cheese, and when he needs a snack in a pinch, he hits up his friendly neighborhood bodega. In the latest promotional spot for the umpteenth reboot Spider-Man: Homecoming, the web-head is late to a big NBA Finals watching party at Tony Stark’s place. (The commercial was written to air specifically during the basketball playoffs this year.) But when he ducks into a nearby bodega — for those uninitiated, it’s really just a corner convenience store, but immeasurably better in every way — he has a chance encounter.
Why’s Everyone Talking About ‘The Babadook’? Explaining the Internet’s New Weirdest Joke
There‘s a new gay icon in Hollywood currently enjoying a moment of enhanced visibility. If you find Ellen too squeaky-clean, Neil Patrick Harris too eager-to-please, or Lance Bass too Lance Bass, then you’re in luck, because a new LGBT champion has emerged from the shadows to capture the hearts of millions. He’s here, he’s queer, and he wants to eat the child that cracked open his cursed pop-up book: good citizens of the Internet, the Babadook has burst out of the closet, and he’s hungry.
Universal Bets on Two More Dark Universe Movies Before the First Even Hits Theaters
Here’s how bubble economics works: when a specific commodity appears to be growing in value, investors funnel more money into it and that artificially inflates the value even further, which cycles back and attracts even more investor money. Eventually, however, the chickens must come home to roost and the actual value of that commodity must be recognized. If the return-on-investment potential fails to live up to the hype created around it, then a lot of people stand to lose a lot of money very quickly. Remember Kazaa, from way back when it looked like it was literally impossible to lose money by investing in online companies? Me neither!
Trot About the Globe with Tom Cruise in New ‘The Mummy’ Featurette
Aside from the unceasing public scrutiny, being an A-list actor doesn’t seem so bad. You get paid obscene amounts of money, meet interesting people, and get to travel all across this green Earth in the name of work. And today, you can share in that last part with none other than professional shirtless runner Tom Cruise! Universal will unwrap The Mummy a week from this Friday, and to further stoke excitement for the launch of their new, hilariously-named Dark Universe, the studio has unveiled a video featurette in which star Cruise brings the viewer on a tour of the far-flung locations on which the film was shot.
A New Cut of ’Spider-Man 3’ Appeared Online This Weekend, But How Different Is It?
Spider-Man 3 truly is The Godfather III of its franchise: widely reviled as the weak point in a strong trilogy, fascinating in its own embarrassing and imperfect way, appreciated by some for what it is, but largely forgotten when compared to its towering predecessors. (More delightful still, this makes Topher Grace the Sofia Coppola of Spider-Man 3 by default.) But perhaps the film is due for a bit of a reappraisal, as an upcoming rerelease of the original trilogy has promised a recut version of the third installment. And in a fleeting surprise this past weekend, that new “editor’s cut” of the film popped up online for anyone to pore over.
So Who’s ‘The Last Jedi,’ Anyway? Here’s a Hint From the ‘Star Wars’ Team
For those who engage in it, speculating on the significance of obscure clues in the Star Wars universe has gone beyond a hobby and grown into a way of life. Even something as simple as a three-word phrase — one word of which is “the” — can spark months of obsessive investigation. And while George Lucas’ disciples will have to wait until December to finally learn the identity of The Last Jedi’s title figure, that has not stopped the dogged gumshoes of Vanity Fair from pumping key figures for information.
Robot Dragons, Anthony Hopkins Steal Scenes in ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ International Trailer
Seeing an international trailer for a Hollywood-made blockbuster can be an unexpectedly illuminating experience. Taking note of what elements get subtracted or added when appealing to a global audience speaks volumes about what studios and ad executives think will play across the Atlantic and Pacific. For instance, when advertising a mega-budgeted action assault, it’s best to frontload the universal: and in the instance of Transformers: The Last Knight, the cultural-divide spanning material happens to be the “comedy” of an alien robot dinosaur spitting out a chewed-up car covered in viscous green slime.
Introducing ‘Ni’ihau,’ the Latest Subject of a Whitewashing Controversy
It’s been a whopping one-and-a-half months since Ghost in the Shell came to theaters and reignited the conversation over why, oh why we‘re still casting white actors in nonwhite roles, so we’re overdue for another dose of outrage! Luckily, the new film Ni’ihau has arrived just in time to kindly oblige us by freely misinterpreting when not outright rewriting one of the most sensitive chapters in American history. Here’s a quick litmus test to establish whether or not you’re prepared to run a movie studio: when you hear the name Kanahele, do you picture a native Hawaiian, or a guy who looks like he just missed out on the lead role in Me Before You?
A ‘Hellboy’ Reboot’s in the Works — But Without Ron Perlman or Guillermo Del Toro
The fate of Hellboy has long been trapped in development hell, boy. Franchise director Guillermo Del Toro and star Ron Perlman were both interested in another installment, but legal complications made that tricky, then there was scheduling stuff, then the studio was being uncooperative, you name it. Del Toro said it was definitely gonna happen, then that it wouldn’t happen, then that it might happen, then that it probably wouldn’t but hey you never know, then that yes, there absolutely 100% will not be a Hellboy 3. And he’s holding true to those final words, because there won’t be a third chapter of his Hellboy franchise — as the new one’s gonna be a [deep breath] reboot.
Does This Random Reddit User Actually Know the First Act of ‘The Last Jedi’?
Truth is in perilously short supply these days, and whether in the spheres of politics or entertainment, reporters have had to adapt. It’s no longer enough to ferret out the actual reality of a situation and relay that to readers; writers must get out in front of and directly interface with the flurries of half-facts and hearsay that swirl around any major story. So the read on a new cache of purportedly leaked information regarding the upcoming Star Wars film is not so much “We may now know what happens in The Last Jedi” as much as it is “A Reddit user wants us to believe he knows what happens in The Last Jedi.”
Watch Mark Hamill Surprise Some ‘Star Wars’ Superfans For a Good Cause
For a guy whose entire acting career has been overshadowed by one role he played decades ago, Mark Hamill’s got a pretty good attitude. He loves Star Wars, and what’s more, he loves how much the people who love Star Wars love Star Wars. A regular fixture at conventions and other fan events, Hamill regularly gets in on the fun and mingles with his adoring public. And in a new video from Lucasfilms’ charity arm Force for Change, he gives a handful of diehard devotees the surprise of their lives.
The Black and White Cut of ‘Logan’ Is Headed to Theaters – Here’s How to See It
Black-and-white re-edits of crowd-pleasing action blockbusters — so hot right now. George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road exploded heads across the globe upon release in 2015, and though the oversaturated coloration gave the film its distinctive post-apocalyptic look, rumors that Miller had planned a monochromatic cut of the film compelled fans to demand just that. The so-called ‘Black and Chrome’ edit drained all the color from the film, leaving something sparser and bleaker. And now Logan will be the latest to undergo a similar process, rendering a gritty and tough superhero picture as something even grittier and tougher. [Spits out mouthful of nails.]