Matt.weiland

When we created the Honest Trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier we were hard-pressed to find anything to fixate on and tear down because, let’s face it, that movie was pretty awesome. The gentlemen that we are, we graciously waved the white flag of surrender. However, at the time, we weren’t aware that the reason the movie was so good was because of us and our razor-sharp wit and handsome-but-still-approachable good looks.

It all started when a brave band of humor writers had the fearlessness to say, “Enough! The Phantom Menace and Twilight aren’t very good.” And the rest leads us to today, when The Winter Soldier co-director Joe Russo revealed to Collider that it was our own incessant nitpicking and cynicism that lead to their movie making sense.

“What’s so funny is that I’m an avid Honest Trailer watcher. I love it. It cracks me up. So…we used to sit in the room and go, ‘this is not going to end up in an Honest Trailer. This logic isn’t sound enough yet.’ We literally tried to Honest Trailer-proof the movie. Because what Honest Trailers really is, and I’ll say litmus test again, is ‘how sound is the logic in your film? How ridiculous are the buys that you’re asking the audience to make?’ So we would just comb through the script over and over again and go, ‘How do we shore up this logic? How do we shore up this logic?’ So it was a very helpful exercise for us.”

That’s awesome. As fans of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and film-making in general, we’re both shocked and proud that our voice managed to break through and make a difference out there. Moreover, it’s a reminder that your opinion matters and if you can get it out there, you too can do great things like prevent Captain America from fighting a guy who uses a freeze ray.

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

The post Honest Trailers Cited As Reason That ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ Was So Good appeared first on Screen Junkies.

well, okay, i can see how you’d easily be confused. famous chef has reviewed some seriously awful restaurants in his day. at least he managed to keep his clothes on and oops no i spoke too soon

This obituary appeared in the Spokesman Review last weekend. Richard A. Butt must have been a very cool guy, because anyone who willingly goes by the name Dick Butt for 93 years can't really be anything else.

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After spending last weekend in Italy for the Venice International Film Festival, 74-year old actor Al Pacino is currently making the rounds at the Toronto International Film Festival with his 35-year old actress girlfriend Lucila Solá. But while I’m sure that Pacino’s Q&A session yesterday at the TIFF was full of incredible insight for all of his fans and peers in attendance, it’s nothing compared to the little nugget that he dropped in an interview with Deadline’s Nancy Tartaglione. It turns out that Pacino, like most of us, thought that Guardians of the Galaxy was nonstop fun.

On Saturday, Pacino told Tartaglione that GotG was “the most entertaining, inventive, beautiful film,” so naturally, when she had the chance to speak with him again, the Deadline writer asked the Godfather star to not only elaborate on that statement, but also if he’d be up to join the Marvel Universe anytime soon. If anything, judging by his attire, personality and taste in women, he could probably play Tony Stark 30 years in the future.

He told me he’d seen the film with his young children. “It was not something I would readily go see, but my kids got me to go, and one has to draw the line at where prejudice starts and where it ends — that was good stuff!” He had even more praise: “I recognized the ingenious stuff they were doing; the invention, the attractiveness of the way they were performing it. It had Shakespearian feeling to it at times. I was caught up in the big screen, the great sound…” (Via Deadline)

The key to reading that quote is to imagine Pacino in a theater with his twin teenage sons, walking around and staring in amazement at all of the colors and action on the screen, before he placed his ear up to the speaker and motioned for the other theater patrons to try it. As for the big question, would he take a role in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 or simply any other Marvel movie, Pacino is totally down, so long as it doesn’t confuse the hell out of him.

“I would do anything that I could understand in terms of how I fit in it. And you know, of course if I could fit in it. Anything’s possible,” he told me. Then he winked, “You know, I did Dick Tracy and I got an Oscar nomination, so come on. I mean, what can I say?”

I don’t have an idea of who Pacino could play, and I don’t really care. If he shows up to work with even half of the awesomeness of Big Boy Caprice to put into his character, it’ll be an instant winner. Although, it would be pretty great if he played Kronos as himself, just an old dude in a black scarf shouting at everyone.

“So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.”
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

When you think of the best series of all time, there’s usually two — maybe three — shows that are seriously in the conversation: Breaking Bad, The Wire, and maybe The Sopranos. I think it’s a toss-up between The Wire and Breaking Bad, although it’s been a while since I watched The Wire. However, those of you who still haven’t seen The Wire or want to rewatch it and make up your mind on which is the best series of all time will soon have that opportunity, and to do so for the first time ever in HD.

Starting on Thursday, HBO Signature will begin rebroadcasting all five seasons of The Wire at 8:00 p.m. each weeknight. (If you have HBO, chances are you have HBO Signature — it’s one of the six or seven HBO channels that come with a subscription).

The Wire still hasn’t gotten a Blu-ray release, and while you can watch the series on Amazon Prime or HBO Go, this remastered The Wire is probably the best quality version of the series available.

In the meantime, David Simon’s next project, Show Me a Hero is coming together for HBO, and it looks fantastic.

Source: HBO Watch

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SNL has spent most of its offseason shedding cast members, including Mulaney star Nasim Pedrad and the show’s answer to Ann Veal, Brooks “Him?” Wheelan, but earlier this week, Lorne Michaels hired a new writer, UCB star Alison Rich, who’s also worked for Billy on the Street. So it seems like everything’s in place for the season premiere on September 27th, except for one thing: who’s hosting?

Since 2010, the premiere honor has gone to Amy Poehler, Alec Baldwin, Seth MacFarlane, and Tina Fey, who was there to promote, well, nothing really. Typically, hosts are picked based on whether they have a new show or movie they’d like to awkwardly mention during their monologue, but that’s not always the case, especially in the premiere. Sometimes it’s someone who had a big summer (like MacFarlane — Ted came out three months prior), other times it’s a big name who Lorne knows he can book. The person who I think will get the first post-Don Pardo “and your host…” intro fits both criteria.

TUMBLR

He’s on an NBC show, he’s a huge star thanks to roles in The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy, and his wife has already hosted, so she can tell him where to find the bathroom key so he doesn’t have to bother anyone. It has to be Chris Pratt. Reese Witherspoon, Denzel Washington, and Ben Affleck have movies coming out in late September and early October, but the only one who I think has a decent shot is the Gone Girl star. What’s working against him (and Reese and Amy) is that SNL very rarely has a repeat premiere host — in fact, it hasn’t happened since Tom Hanks in 1988 and 1996. So, sorry Michael Phelps, who hosted in 2008, your phone’s not gonna be ringing any time soon. As for the musical guest, I’m thinking either Iggy Azalea (nope) or Groot ft. Dave Bautista (yes please).

Spanish clothing retailer Zara was selling a blue-and-white-striped shirt with a six-pointed star over the left side of the chest that read "SHERIFF." The shirt, the store says, was intended for children aged three months to three years. Except, zoomed out on their website, the shirt looks like what Jewish prisoners during WWII would wear in concentration camps.

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Artist Trevor Grove of Sideshow Collectibles and his brother Troy Grove have teamed up to sculpt a stylized series of “toon-up figurines” in the likeness of characters from AMC’s hit television series Breaking Bad. More images from the collection are available on Facebook and deviantART.

The idea was to create a series of miniature (approximately 5″-6″ tall) stylized figures based on many of the characters from the show. These are the in-progress wax sculptures, along with some photoshop color composites we’ve done to better visualize the final outcome.

via Jason Scott

If you go to Children’s Place, you’ll find lots of overpriced T-shirts, including ones with the hottest fictional characters. That includes the Guardians Of The Galaxy, unless you’re a boy, in which case, for some reason, Gamora is not featured.

To give you an idea of how strange this is, here’s the shirt in question, found by a Twitter account:

Twitter

If you know anything about design, it’s a cluttered, messy and badly done shirt designed to cram in the entire team. Notice Rocket is just shoved in down in the corner there. Also, Drax appears to have been attacked by the dreaded villain Airbrush, or the artist mistook Dave Batista for Tor Johnson.

Still, we expect shoddy design from children’s clothes because, let’s face it, kids aren’t usually critiquing a picture on its framing or the arrangement of its visual elements. What’s weird is that Gamora is missing, and when you’re trying to cram in the whole team and leave her off at the same time, it’s a little awkward. What, would it have ruined the artist’s vision to stuff her in behind Star-Lord’s shoulder?

So, when asked about it, did Children’s Place say “Oh, we got them that way from the factory, ask Marvel?” or “Huh, that’s weird, we didn’t notice, we’ll ask our supplier?” No! They chose to say the one thing guaranteed to annoy the entire Internet:

Twitter

Which… really? It’d be one thing if this were a Turtles shirt and we were talking April O’Neil, but if the Power Rangers, the Planeteers, the Avengers, and the Justice League, plus who knows how many other hero teams aimed at kids, have taught us anything, it’s that kids don’t care if there’s a woman on the team. Realistically, if your kid sees a woman on his shirt and says “Ick! A vagina!”, your problems go well beyond clothing him, although we will warn you that you don’t find many fedoras that fit an eight-year-old.

Anyway, because I have delusions of being a real journalist and don’t mind being added to a few more watch lists, I poked around the Children’s Place website and looked at their licensed boys tees, and this does appear to be a consistent policy. Whether that’s due to Marvel not making them or Children’s Place not stocking them is unclear. And they may not sell; it’s not like Children’s Place backed this assertion up with any data. Still, come on, guys, at least have the awareness to pass the buck.

UPDATE: We’re getting a lot of comments that this isn’t just one store, but across the board. That indicates it’s a specific decision by Marvel, which is pretty strange. We’ve contacted Marvel PR to see if they can offer any insight.

While everyone else is busy coming up with yet another take on the "Disney Princesses as…" trope, we're over here thinking about dicks. More specifically: Disney Prince Peen. Here, we explore, in great detail, our best guesses for what the Disney Princes look like naked. NSFW due to cartoon nudity.

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As we’ve shared previously on Disney Parks Blog, a record number of Disney villains – more than 50 in all – are about to descend upon Disney’s Hollywood Studios for “Villains Unleashed,” a new separately ticketed event happening August 23, 2014. Among the baddies expected to attend are popular Disney antagonists like Hades, Cruella De Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficent, along with more rarely seen villains such as Dr. Hämsterviel, Shan Yu, Hector Barbossa, and Bowler Hat Guy.

This just in! We’ve learned that none other than “Number One Criminal” and “World’s Most Dangerous Frog,” Constantine, will also be showing up for “Villains Unleashed”! Constantine, last seen plotting the robbery of the century in Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted,” bears a striking resemblance to Kermit the Frog. This evil doppelganger is often up to no good, although according to him, “It’s not easy being mean.”

Constantine will be appearing exclusively during “Villains Unleashed,” August 23 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Look for him during the event, inside the Stage One Company Store location near Muppet*Vision 3D. Of course, you can also see him in “Muppets Most Wanted,” now available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and Digital HD.

“Villains Unleashed” is shaping up to be one hot ticket! Admission to this special event is $67 plus tax ($62 plus tax for children 3-9). Tickets are limited, so get yours before they’re gone!

For more news about “Villains Unleashed” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, read the posts below:

• Be Prepared for ‘Villains Unleashed’ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Take a Sneak Peek at the ‘Villains Unleashed’ Guest List at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• ‘Villains Unleashed’ Event Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios August 23

Master Criminal Constantine Confirmed for ‘Villains Unleashed’ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios by Shawn Slater: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

FOX

After totally screwing up their greatest scenes of the last year list, Entertainment Weekly asked their readers to name the best character on TV right now. The 75,000-plus people who voted have spoken, and they picked: not Sherlock Holmes or Sheldon Cooper or any of the clones on Orphan Black, which considering the fanbases those shows have, both online and in real life, were the obvious frontrunners. Instead, the trophy made of old issues of EW from the mid-1990s went to…

FOX

Yup, that’s right, Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers. I couldn’t agree more.

In the words of EW‘s Kyle Anderson, “All the good laugh lines go to Gene the hedonist and Louise the Machiavellian manipulator, but eldest Belcher kid Tina (Dan Mintz) is still the butt-obsessed heart of the show. And she doesn’t even need dialogue to do it: Somehow Mintz has spun Tina’s signature awkward-teen moan into a reliable catchphrase.” (Via)

It came down to Tina vs. Franklin and/or Bash, but no one could remember which one’s which.

Via EW

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Man, today is a real bummer. We’re all trying to come to terms with our grief over the man that Dustin brilliantly described as our “crazy uncle who wouldn’t shut up at the dinner table,” and we’ve all been coping with it in our own ways. Many of us on social media. But probably the most meaningful tribute to Robin Williams I’ve seen so far comes from Norm MacDonald — who previously tweeted poignant eulogies to Elaine Stritch and James Garner — in a story about his first time appearing on Letterman, and how Robin Williams tired to help out some punk kid from rural Ontario.

Try not to cry; maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.

It was my first stand-up appearance on Letterman and I had to follow the funniest man in the world. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

I was a punk kid from rural Ontario and I was in my dressing room, terrified. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

I was on the phone to a friend back home when the funniest man in the world ambled by. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

There was no one else on the floor. In shock, I told my friend who just walked by. Only the funniest man in the world. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

I guess he heard me say his name, cause in an instant he was at my side. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

He was a jewish tailor, taking my measurements. He went down on his knees, asked which way I dressed. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

I told my friend on the phone that the funniest man in the world was on his knees before me, measuring my inseam. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

My friend didn't believe me so I said, "Could you talk to my friend, sir. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

The funniest man in the world took the phone and for ten minutes took my friend's chinese food order. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

I laughed and laughed and it was like I was in a dream because no one else was there. No one. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

The place was out of Moo Shoo Pork, and there was nothing he could do about it. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

He angrily hung up on my friend and I was about to thank him when he said I hadn't even tried the jacket on. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

Then the funniest man on earth dressed me, a complete stranger, and i remember he ended with a windsor knot. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

He spoke mostly yiddish, but when he finished he was happy with his job and turned me to a mirror to present myself to me.#RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

No one witnessed any of this. No one. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

The funniest man alive was in my dressing room a good half-hour and was far funnier than the set I had to do soon.#RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

ll of a sudden it was, had to. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

When he left my dressing room, I felt alone. As alone as I ever remember feeling. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

Until today. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

Unacceptable. #RIPRobinWilliams—
Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) August 12, 2014

Axe™ is a brand of male perfume named after the tool with which most women would like to strike the young men who adorn themselves with Axe™. FYI, gentlemen, Axe™ is now about more than not getting laid.

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Gary Kiehne, conservative businessman and Republican candidate for Congress, wants you to think of real eastern Arizona values when you look at his new ads. Like pickup trucks and cowboy hats and men gesticulating and... say... what's going on with that young stud in the background over Kiehne's shoulder there?

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Rumored concept art for Star Wars mini-park planned for Disneyland Paris

It’s been no secret, with hints coming even from the upper echelons of Burbank, that Disney is looking to capitalize on their acquisition of the Star Wars franchise by expanding its presence in the theme parks. Right now that is essentially limited to a motion simulator attraction or two, a jedi-training school mini-show, and the 5 weekends that compose Star Wars Weekends out at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

For the last few years Rumors, including some on this site, have ranged from we’re getting a new attraction to perhaps a whole new theme park dedicated to Lucasfilm properties. Tea leaves were read, with the smallest of construction projects taken as a sign big changes were coming. But nothing was ever official, just obvious.

So it is a relief to hear Disney CEO Bob Iger finally speak out on today’s results call saying there will be a “far greater Star Wars presence in our parks.” Exactly what it is, will be announced in 2015. That’s the year of the first new Star Wars moving in a decade, which will be great synergy for the parks.

This means we can probably look forward to plenty of speculation, leaks, and rumor-mongering over the next few months. Anaheim is hosting the Star Wars Celebration in April of 2015 and there is also a D23 Expo in 2015 just a little over a year from now. Either could be the perfect time to make the big announcement.

That said, we may not have to wait until 2015 for the parks to start work on the expansion. Construction at Disney often starts ahead of project announcements (although not always it was almost a full two years after Avatar was announced before they finally closed Camp Minnie Mickey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom)

My big hope is they give Imagineering and the folks from Lucasfilm the budget they need to build in an environment as immersive and story rich as the new Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Orlando. Disney needs to fix Disney’s Hollywood Studios like it did DCA and they need an answer to Harry Potter here in Orlando just to show Disney is still at the top of the game. A huge Star Wars expansion of DHS would be just the ticket.

So the big question is, what would you like to see in an expanded Star Wars presence in the parks?

Bob Iger confirms large Star Wars presence coming to Disney Parks. originally posted on
The Disney Blog - Disney News and Information -- by fans, for fans . If you're reading this on a different site, please click the above link to read the original story. Thank you.

                          

fox

The world has been awash in terrific news about The Simpsons lately. There’s the 500+ episode marathon coming to FXX later this month, and the potentially Armageddon-causing Simpsons World website coming in October, and the Family Guy crossover episode that was it until today, when we got even more good news to sandwich between those two dates.

From a Buzzfeed interview with Conan O’Brien, which touched on the legacy of his episode, “Marge vs. The Monorail”:

Two days before I left to come to England, my phone rang and it was The Simpsons. And they said that they were doing a live show at the Hollywood Bowl, and all the actors are going to do the voices, and, ‘Would you be a special guest star and sing ‘The Monorail Song’ with the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Choir?’ And the answer there is ‘YES’, so I am going to do that I think in September.

Just so we’re clear on this: If the people at The Simpsons call you up — no matter who you are, even if you’re just regular old you and not the comedic genius responsible for writing the episode in question — and say “Hey, do you wanna perform ‘The Monorail Song’ with the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Choir at the Hollywood Bowl?” the correct answer is and always will be “YES.” That’s a no brainer.

The only downside to this whole thing, and I hesitate to even bring it up because it is such a bummer in an otherwise great piece of news, is that Conan was probably asked to do this because Phil Hartman isn’t around to perform it himself. Man, do I miss that guy.

Gather ’round, my friends, for it is the return of that most hallowed sport of football, however fleetingly interesting and inconsequential in this case.

Bills and Giants fans got to see Andre Reed and Michael Strahan enshrined into the Hall of Fame and now they’ll stick around Canton to watch their teams current starters play for a drive or two.

As is the case with all preseason games, the paramount concern is leaving with all players unscathed by injury. The Bills already lost Kiko Alonso this off-season. They can scarcely afford another key starter going down. The Giants may never get David Wilson back so he can forever dwell in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse because of fumbles. So here’s the remaining at as close to full strength as possible.

In the meantime, Eli Manning is learning a new offense, so hopefully he throws an interception in limited action so the New York media can freak out about his progress.

Anwan Glover, who played Slim Charles on The Wire, was reportedly stabbed multiple times early Sunday at Cafe Asia in Washington. After falling to the floor, he was stabbed once more in the torso before being taken to George Washington University Hospital.

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“How to Have Cybersex on the Internet” is a 1997 instructional VHS that demonstrates how to get the most out of the web surfing experience and explores the art of cybering. The minute-and-a-half long clip from the video features an enthusiastic and briefly topless (censored for YouTube) instructor. The tape was discovered in a Minnesota thrift store by Found Footage Festival curators Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett.

I’ll show you how to reach a cybersex climax. We’ll also visit others who have mastered the art of one-handed typing.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Marvel

I think if we can have a talking Raccoon, a giant tree man, and a guy who hangs out with ants coming to the big screen for Marvel, it’s time we start to look towards some of the odder corners of their history for some fresh characters. That’s where Squirrel Girl comes in, the latest name to be thrown around via trademark by Marvel for future use in their massive movie initiative.

If you aren’t familiar with this fan favorite, you might want to head over to Wikipedia for a refresher. Most know that she’s a member of the Great Lakes Avengers and quite the formidable opponent, but there’s more to explore there. From Bleeding Cool:

Created by Spider-Man co-creator, Steve Ditko, she has becme a fan favourite of later after being championed by Dan Slott – and then kidnapped by Brian Bendis as an ex-lover of Wolverine, and superpowered babysitter for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones.

Word is she’ll be popping up in one of Marvel’s television properties, either with Jessica Jones on Netflix or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. according to who you believe. I’d like to believe it’s all a bad dream and forget it ever happened.

This is the character that took my favorite villain, Doctor Doom, and made him a laughing stock. On top of that, she’s defeated Deadpool, Wolverine and even Thanos. The latter is possibly trouble for the future Avengers movies if that’s what is in store. Could this be that other mystery female lead in Age of Ultron? Is this what we have to look forward to?

Marvel

All the excitement I had from Comic-Con just died. I’m going to go drink and watch The Leftovers on repeat.

Via Bleeding Cool

(Via Bleeding Cool / The AV Club)

Yesterday we brought you the news that Girls star Allison Williams had been cast as the lead in NBC’s upcoming live musical, Peter Pan Live. But her dad brought some things we couldn’t to his version of the announcement. Namely, the NBC Nightly News anchor desk, gravitas, and a childhood photo of Allison dressed as Peter Pan.

Above, watch Brian Williams drop the news of his daughter’s new gig with a short and sweet announcement. He seems pretty calm for a guy whose daughter is destined to be chased by a sword-wielding, tights-wearing Christopher Walken on national television.

(Via Brian Stelter)

Previously the highlight of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games was The Queen dropping unexpected photobombs, but I think we can all agree the above twelve seconds of live sports magic during the Marathon has now taken the crown.

This kid gets all the respect.