Trophy hunter Riaan Naude, who frequently boasted about the elephants, giraffes, lions, and other wildlife he killed for fun, was murdered on the side of a road by two unknown gunmen. The proud 55-year-old South African man, who founded the for-profit animal hunting organization Pro Hunt Africa, was shot in the head and left for dead in his car on the side of the road. — Read the rest
When crafting a villain both onscreen and off, it's important to remember a couple of things. Villains are the protagonists of their own stories. In a villain's mind, their actions are justifiable. While the audience may not agree with their methods or reasoning, the villain believes their decisions are rooted in logic. They are in the right, and what we perceive as the hero is an obstacle for the villain to dismantle. For an actor, it can be easy to forget this when building a villainous performance, especially if it's their first time playing a baddie.
For Chris Hemsworth, there was an entirely different challenge to contend with. Most of the world associates him with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's beloved hammer-wielding space himbo, Thor. Fortunately, depending on how you interpreted his performance in director Joseph Kosinski's "Spiderhead," Hemsworth was more than game to play around with his take on morally compromised, smug pharmaceutical tester Steve Abnesti and try something new.
In "Spiderhead," it doesn't take long for audiences to see that something is incredibly screwed up at the swanky penitentiary. In order to reduce their prison time, the prisoners consent to undergo tests to help with chemical and hormone-based research. Chris Hemsworth's Steve Abnesti is always there watching with a pleasant smile and chillax demeanor. He comes across as the kind of guy that could convince you to do anything. Between Hemsworth's natural charisma and built-in audience expectations, the path to success was clear.
While speaking to ComingSoon.net, producer Eric Newman shared how the "Thor" star set the stage for how the team could mess with the audience:
"The idea of Chris using all of his charm and all of his charisma [and] his might to convince you that what you're doing is your choice when it's not. It seems, in a lot of ways, like an even bigger betrayal. And I think it's very effective with the audience, who are seeing a guy they've come to love as Thor, among other things. A character who has never played a bad guy playing a really bad guy."
Eric Newman compared the situation to Henry Fonda in "Once Upon a Time in America" and Robert Mitchum in "Night of the Hunter." Both played against type, embracing their inner villain with a gusto that shocked viewers at the time. While Chris Hemsworth's Abnesti isn't as overtly shocking in comparison, the role does push against how audiences have come to see the actor. Thor, especially in Taika Waititi's "Thor: Ragnarok" and the upcoming "Thor: Love and Thunder," leans big time into the much-beloved himbo character type. He also has a heart of gold, and he would do anything to help those he cares for with a big goofy smile.
Abnesti is the opposite. He is in on the ruse and has no qualms about exploiting the people he oversees. Abnesti is the type of person that would tell you everything is all fine right with a smile on his face before he slides a knife between your ribs. Hemsworth leans into his strengths here, using his natural charm and charisma we've come to know and love from his portrayal of Thor, and weaponizes it against the viewer well.
Read this next: Every MCU Post-Credits Sequence Ranked From Worst To Best
The post How Thor Set The Stage For Chris Hemsworth's Spiderhead Character appeared first on /Film.
In the fifth session of “Imagining a Better Online World: Exploring the Decentralized Web” – a joint series of events with Internet Archive, METRO Library Council, and Library Futures – “Decentralized Apps, the Metaverse, and the ‘Next Big Thing,’” Internet Archive Director of Partnerships Wendy Hanamura took a deep dive into the metaverse and NFTs through an exploration of virtual worlds with pioneering metaverse developer Jin.
In this engaging session, Hanamura and Jin explored the technologies that would transform the future and the world as we know it within Web 3.0: the immersive spaces and built communities of the metaverse. As indicated by participants, to some, NFT and metaverse means “cyberspace on steroids,” or “Second Life,” while for others it holds a more negative connotation. From the “read-only” Web 1.0 to the forthcoming “read-write-trust verifiable” future of Web 3.0, the evolution of the web is leading to an enhancement of reality to create new and augmented realities.
An NFT, or an entry on a blockchain, can be anything from a document to even a virtual representation of a physical space like the Internet Archive. Jin, for example, is able to create a complete virtual desktop where their entire life and memory lives in 3D, and where they conducted the virtual reality interview with Hanamura. From hacker spaces to raves to the virtual representation of the Internet Archive they built as a central space to conduct their work, Jin’s life is mediated and defined through their virtual world building.
What makes Jin’s world unique is their commitment to building with other people in the open source community in an “interesting, collaborative, co-creation.”
Within these worlds, one of the key provisions is interoperability: the ability to carry these worlds between each other. For Jin, this is still a work in progress, with new modes of interoperability still being built. In addition, privacy is a major concern – Web 3.0 provides a new form of privacy through avatars and other obscuring technology, but Jin cautions that due diligence is still warranted, just like in the real world.
The conversation ended with a discussion of the democratizing aspects of NFT creation and independent artists. As an artist, Jin’s first NFT earned him more money than he ever had previously in his career. One of the most exciting aspects of this kind of creation is the way it removes the middle person from the art market: rather than creating for museums or other art markets, Jin is able to reach their audience directly.
Jin ended the session on a positive note: “In virtual reality, you have a lot more bandwidth for empathy. There’s a lot of nuance that is lost in text-based communication platforms. It’s more asynchronous. The sense of presence, of being there with other people, you experience a lot of genuine and good connections… there’s a lot of genuine appreciation of art. That gives me hope.”
The post Decentralized Apps, the Metaverse, and the “Next Big Thing” appeared first on Internet Archive Blogs.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
If you have recently switched to Linux from Windows, the lack of C Drive, D Drive, and such familiar naming conventions may confuse you. But fret not, because once you understand how the Linux directory structure is laid out, all your doubts will be clarified.
![[Nightmarish Detour Review] THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER](https://i0.wp.com/www.nightmarishconjurings.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Thor-Love-and-Thunder_Payoff_1-Sht_v6_lg.jpg?resize=640%2C947&ssl=1)
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Christian Bale, with Tessa Thompson, Russell Crowe, and Taika Waititi. Waititi brings his unique brand of vibrant quirkiness to his second Thor film from the director’s seat, solidifying his grip as the defining voice of the franchise. In THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, Thor (Hemsworth) is seeking his place in the universe. Adrift in the universe and directionless, the eternal life of a god holds little promise for the god of thunder… but Thor perhaps doesn’t have as much time as he thinks. Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) seeks vengeance on divine forces across the universe. His goal is simple – to wipe out the gods. Thor must enlist the help of friends Valkyrie and Korg, as well as Jane Foster – his lost love – to stop Gorr.
The Thor franchise has been a tad tumultuous, so let’s take a moment to address it. With films that tend to rank a bit lower on any “Best of the MCU” list and a rocky franchise start with two films that hit an awkward fantasy tone, Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok came in like the proverbial wrecking ball and shocked the Thor story with a sharp tone shift. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER runs with this new energy and puts the Thor films on an apparent upswing.
Thor’s narrative, throughout every film, is one of self-realization and growth. In some form or fashion, each Thor film acts as a sort of coming-of-age story. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER maintains the central theme of Thor’s personal journey with a focus on matters of love and vulnerability. A very clear influence in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER is Taika Waititi’s own children and it lends a sweetness to the film that still comes from a grounded place.
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER is absolutely branded by Waititi. The soundtrack is simultaneously on-the-nose to the cheesiest degree, yet epic and fist-pump inducing. LOVE AND THUNDER is bold and brash and legitimately hilarious, if not a bit silly at times. Nothing is off-limits and every opportunity for a laugh is languished in. It’s the best time that families will have at the movies, this summer.
Performances are strong from Hemsworth and Portman and LOVE AND THUNDER gives a worthy redemption to Portman’s formerly bland love interest character. This is a better use of Portman’s talent and a proper adventure for fans. An absolute standout of the film is Christian Bale as Gorr, who is almost too terrifying to feature in what is obviously a family film. His presence is delightfully unsettling and its images of Gorr have haunted me in the days following my viewing of LOVE AND THUNDER. Once again, a Marvel film demonstrates capable horror chops (can we get THAT universe please?).
In fact, Bale is such an overpowering force in LOVE AND THUNDER that he is a perfect vessel to highlight the film’s balance problems. The story of Gorr is appropriately cynical for the current times. In response to the cruelty of the world and the averted gaze of powerful gods only concerned with staying in power, Gorr takes up the cause of eliminating the source of so much suffering. It’s cynical. It’s dark. Hell, as of now, it’s political. Bale plays Gorr straight in true terrifying fashion, with a deeply human core that audiences can’t help but empathize with. It’s a resonant chord that can’t quite find harmony with the neon bombast of the rest of LOVE AND THUNDER.
Independent of Gorr, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER gives itself permission to be silly and takes audiences on a fun ride. It knows what it is and does well in giving us that summer blockbuster feeling. But something is off. Like a sweet treat that has gone off. Or like biting into a squid ink noodle in a bowl of Froot Loops. It’s just out of place and the juxtaposition is obvious, but that doesn’t mean it goes down easy.
Once again, it appears that Marvel – through this massive universal lens that we now must observe it – is struggling to nail down its audience. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER works as a family film. It’s a damn good family film. It is a film that should be able to reach beyond the younger crowd and into an adult fanbase. It does this just fine. However, certain elements seek to lift the film out of its family-friendly realm: Gorr and adult humor that goes a little beyond a wink and a nod – I’m talking about invitations to orgies and Hemsworth butt. The result isn’t bad, it’s just… off.
While it may struggle at times to get on firm footing, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER is a blast. Imperfect, for sure, but fun and sweet and brassy and absurd (in the best way possible). Go in and choose joy, the rainbow road will rise up to meet you. Don’t miss it.
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER strikes theaters on July 8, 2022.
All images courtesy Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
The post [Nightmarish Detour Review] THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER appeared first on Nightmarish Conjurings.
The oldies have been coming for your superhero movies for a few years now. Back in 2019, Martin Scorsese caused a stir when he said he didn't consider Marvel movies cinema and regarded them as something closer to theme parks. This sparked a furious backlash, with several younger filmmakers, including Kevin Smith, Taika Waititi, and James Gunn, kicking back against the legendary director.
Waititi gave the most irritating response: "Of course it's cinema! It's at the movies. It's in cinemas..." (via NME). Well, so was "Dirty Sanchez: The Movie," so maybe he was thinking of "cinema" more as a building where you watch movies rather than the art form Scorsese that discussed in his New York Times defense.
Smith, still flogging the Silent Bob thing in the upcoming "Clerks III," also chose to miss the point (via The Hollywood Reporter):
"For my money, I think Martin Scorsese made the biggest superhero movie ever, which was 'The Last Temptation of Christ.' Don't get much bigger of a superhero than Jesus."
Scorsese wasn't the only acclaimed director to speak out against superhero films in recent years. Francis Ford Coppola waded into the argument on Scorsese's side: "Martin was kind when he said it's not cinema. He didn't say it's despicable, which I say it is" (via The Guardian); while David Cronenberg doesn't mince his words when it comes to Batman (via Screen Crush):
"I think people who are saying 'The Dark Knight Rises' is, you know, supreme cinema art, I don't think they know what the f*** they're talking about."
More recently, Ridley Scott, Hollywood's sweariest director, gave his typically outspoken views on the matter.
Ridley Scott, currently working on his "Napoleon" biopic with Joaquin Phoenix, was as opinionated as ever when it came to the subject of superhero movies (via Deadline):
"Almost always, the best films are driven by characters, and we'll come to superheroes after this if you want, because I'll crush it. I'll f****** crush it. They're f****** boring as s***."
This might sound a bit rich coming from the man who made "Robin Hood" literally the most boring character ever to trudge onto a cinema screen, but since he also made "Alien," "Blade Runner," "Thelma & Louise," and many others, maybe I should shut my mouth. Asked what his specific beef about superhero movies was, he elaborated:
"Their scripts are not any f****** good. I think I've done three great scripted superhero movies. One would be 'Alien' with Sigourney Weaver. One would be f****** 'Gladiator,' and one would be Harrison Ford ['Blade Runner'] ... They're superhero movies. So, why don't the superhero movies have better stories?"
It's interesting to think about those titles in that way. They're not superhero movies in the strictest sense of the term, but maybe the reason they are so gripping is they are about regular mortals who have the strength, courage, and resolve to pull off super-heroic feats. You can also see this in recent films like "Everything Everywhere all at Once" and "RRR," which clearly tap into superhero concepts and action beats while telling involving stories with regular human beings, albeit ones who can skip between parallel universes or beat up angry mobs single-handedly.
I started watching through the Marvel movies again from the beginning with my kids recently, and I was surprised by just how formulaic the stories are. Maybe it wasn't so noticeable when watching them on first release, months or years apart, but it really stands out when seeing them in close proximity. I'd forgotten just how many situations involve near-invincible characters smashing each other through walls until it's time to move on to the next scene. They're fun, diverting, and perfectly cast, but there simply aren't any stakes. They all just blur into one, and I struggle to recall many standout scenes, while even the different energy brought by directors like Taika Waititi and James Gunn is quickly hammered into the Marvel Cinematic Universe house style.
So while I definitely come down firmly on the side of Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese, I think they could pick their words better. Dismissing a series of movies that brings happiness to billions of people as "theme parks" or "f****** boring as s***" is a little disrespectful, if not smacking of outright snobbery.
Let's put it another way. I'm a big football fan (soccer), the world's most popular team sport. I'm aware of its problems, but what I don't need is toffee-nosed rugby fans telling me their sport is fairer and morally superior to mine. That kind of talk is more likely to provoke a polite invite to insert their egg-shaped ball where the sun doesn't shine rather than a constructive chat. Scorsese is an intelligent guy with an incredible passion for film, and no doubt he'd love to convert some Marvel fans to the wonders of Powell and Pressburger, but calling superhero movies non-cinema is a bit of a conversation killer.
The Martin Scorsese kerfuffle and Ridley Scott's comments show there is a clear generation gap. Scorsese and Cronenberg are both 79, and Francis Ford Coppola and Scott are in their 80s, while whippersnappers Taika Waititi, Kevin Smith, and also James Gunn are 46, 51, and 55, respectively. In his Hollywood Reporter interview, Smith gave the clearest indication of why the gap makes such a difference:
"My feeling is, Martin Scorsese never sat in a movie theater with his dad and watched the movies of Steven Spielberg in the early '80s or George Lucas in the late '70s. He didn't feel that sense of magic and wonder."
Putting aside that Scorsese was hitting 40 in the early '80s, Smith is referring to movies like "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," part of the blockbuster trend that began with "Jaws" and contributed to the shift away from the auteur-led films of New Hollywood that Scorsese and Coppola were key figures in.
Scott's blunt takedown of superhero movies got Marvel fans frothing, but it didn't receive the same backlash as Scorsese's argument. The "Goodfellas" director went on to say he was more concerned with the way franchises crowd out smaller releases and leave little room for more character-driven films, which has damaging implications for the kind of movies filmmakers get to make in the future.
The older directors consumed their fare share of escapist media when they were kids; maybe not as much as Kevin Smith, but Coppola cited "Dracula" and "The Thief of Baghdad" as childhood favorites, while Cronenberg has spoken of his love for sci-fi and comic books growing up. I guess the difference was without the all-conquering franchises around, there was more room to appreciate the other stuff, too.
Read this next: /Film's Top 10 Movies Of 2021
The post Ridley Scott's Problem With Superhero Movies Comes Down To The Scripts appeared first on /Film.
The Backrooms creepypasta, which recently went viral thanks to Kane Pixel’s terrifying web series, and Fallout, Bethesda’s enduring RPG, are finally together thanks to this neat New Vegas mod which lets you design, build, and try to endure your own liminal spaces.
RELATED LINKS: Fallout: New Vegas mods, Fallout 5 release date, The best RPG games on PC 2022
If you think you waited way too long to get your garden going this year or if, like me, you live in a place where it rained nearly every day through spring and until the end of June, there is still hope for you yet. There are things you can plant now, and ways to get industrious with your garden, even if you have …
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for both volumes of "Stranger Things" season 4!
The fourth season of "Stranger Things" ended on a rather catastrophic note, with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) successfully opening four gates to the Upside Down and unleashing hell on Hawkins. This is a significant development in terms of the direction the show seems to be heading towards, as previous incursions were more or less manageable for the central group as they kept the Upside Down at bay. But this development ushers in horrors that are unavoidable on a large scale.
Although Vecna is grievously wounded (after being psychically attacked, shot, and pelted with Molotov cocktails), he is still alive and will not stop until he remakes Hawkins his own vision of a "perfect" world. The final scene offers us a glimpse of what's to come: Will (Noah Schnapp) senses it before everyone else, looking up at the sky, as ashy particles from the Upside Down float in the air like ominous snow.
Furthermore, the landscape of Hawkins is being altered for the worse at an accelerated rate, as the high-magnitude earthquake as the result of the gates opening has left the town looking like a hellscape. Smoke is billowing out of the crevices, plants are slowly shriveling up, and there's a lava-like substance visible just below the surface. So what does this exactly mean for the final season of "Stranger Things?"
Before the Duffer Brothers conceived the core storyline for "Stranger Things," they created a sci-fi horror concept called "Montauk," which was their original idea for the show. "Montauk" was supposed to function as a pitch book to better convey their vision for the show, replete with a 20-page pitch booklet and a mock trailer, both of which drew heavy inspiration from Stephen King novels and Steven Spielberg's sci-fi films.
According to the pitch book for "Montauk," the story follows a basic outline of Will's disappearance in season 1, leading to the town of Montauk being ripped apart due to another dimension merging into that of the town:
"The 'tear' or 'rip' that separates their world from ours will begin to spread across Montauk like a supernatural cancer. This cancer will manifest itself in increasingly bizarre paranormal ways. Electrical fields will be disrupted. Strange fungi will grow on structures and people. A heavy fog will drift in from the Atlantic. The temperature will plummet. Food will rot. Gravity will fluctuate. People will glimpse bizarre entities in their homes and businesses. There will be an escalating number of 'vanishings.' The entire town will become 'haunted' – and in grave danger. If people can disappear... can an entire town?"
This is pretty much what happens to Hawkins at the end of season 4, with flora disintegrating, the weather conditions changing for the worse, and the town losing electricity after the earthquake hits. This could also provide a hint as to what could happen in the near future: the town could soon be swarming with creatures from the Upside Down (also prophesied by Dr. Brenner) and the missing cases mentioned above could be people either being whisked off to the Upside Down or being killed by the creatures in hideous fashion.
Up to this point, the townsfolk at Hawkins had a faint idea that something was not quite right with the town, thanks to the occasional missing persons and publicized events that were packaged as accidents (such as the events at Starcourt Mall in season 3). However, after the gruesome deaths of Chrissy, Patrick, and Fred (technically Max also counts, but she is alive), and the Upside Down bursting into our world, the townsfolk definitely understand that there's something bigger at play here.
However, given the town's willingness to blame Eddie (Joseph Quinn) and the Hellfire Club for the events, it is likely that most folks will give into moral panic in the face of what they do not understand. While the government and the federal agents might attempt to cover up these events as environmental disasters, the situation at Hawkins is far graver than that. While some of the population might take the "satan worshipper has opened the gateway to hell" route, others might be able to garner an understanding of the true nature of events.
No matter how they choose to react, it is easy to see that Hawkins is not safe anymore. As the vegetation of the area will soon be morphed, it is possible that the government might cut them off from the rest of the world to mitigate the situation. With nowhere to go, the town might have to band together to fight evil of a grand, terrifying scale.
Everyone in the core group of "Stranger Things" is indispensable, as each character has a key role to play in terms of the narrative. While Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is clearly the one doing all the supernatural heavy lifting, it is Will Byers who, despite not having any powers, always had an unfortunate connection to the entities of the Upside Down. The series kicked off with his disappearance, and Will has always been perceptive and sensitive since he was a child, leading to a strong psychic link with the shadow in the Upside Down after the particles invaded his body in season 1.
Will clearly has a connection to Vecna, despite never facing him one-to-one, and the latter might end up exploiting this connection in the final season to hurt Eleven and the others. Conversely, Will might prove to be a great weapon against Vecna, as he can clearly sense his thoughts, which might come in handy during a battle against him. Will's residual psychic link is a double-edged sword, for sure, spelling both potential hope and destruction for Hawkins at the same time.
While Max (Sadie Sink) had been clinically dead for over a minute (which is why Vecna's plan succeeds), her resurrection by Eleven creates an anomaly of sorts when it comes to the opening of the portal. Although there's no turning back time, there has to be a good reason why the show chose to keep Max alive, and she might prove instrumental in closing the portal for good, with the help of Eleven and the others. It is love that brings her back. More specifically, it is Eleven's love for Max, and the beautiful memories they have together as friends that help trigger her journey back to life, although the cost of such an act is yet to be revealed.
Volume 2 highlights this trope of "victory, but at what cost?" Max is in a coma, Eddie is dead, Hawkins has fallen, and the tearful reunions, no matter how lovely, are definitely short-lived. The battle is far from over, as fresh hells await the group — both personal and otherwise — with Vecna waiting to exploit their pain, and twisting the metaphorical knife further. However, will love be enough to save everyone at the gates of hell? The group's strength lies in their unflinching bonds to one another, but given the dire nature of things, we can probably expect some major deaths in the final season and a bittersweet ending.
One cannot help but evoke comparisons to the Battle of Hogwarts in this case. While Vecna isn't quite on par with Voldemort, he is obviously quite dangerous, as he hates humanity and wishes to obliterate mankind and create hell on earth. "Stranger Things" has always been about Vecna, as every event in Hawkins has been orchestrated by him from the start, from Will's disappearance to the creation of the Mind Flayer, which took the lives of countless people. There must be a way to defeat him, as everyone has a fatal flaw, and this means delving deeper into how Vecna came to possess his powers and how he can be defeated for good.
"Stranger Things" season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.
Read this next: 12 Shows Like Stranger Things You Definitely Need To Stream
The post What Does That Final Season 4 Scene Mean for the Future of Stranger Things? appeared first on /Film.
So who was Bunny Folger, really? One of the early episodes of the first season of "Only Murders in the Building" asked the question, "Who was Tim Kono?", but it's worth noting that midway through the second season, we're not much closer to getting a better understanding of who the latest victim, Arconia board president Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell), was. We know from last week's two-part premiere that Bunny had lived at the Arconia her whole life, that her family was connected to the architect of the building, and that she presumably had some kind of interest in erotic art. But what we've seen of Bunny through the first season was that she was, as Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) deemed in the closing moments of the finale, a "cranky old b**ch" who basically no one liked.
Now, one of the great joys of the first season of "Only Murders in the Building" was how often the show toyed around with form. It wasn't just a nod to how true-crime podcasts sometimes shake things up, but how television itself can do the same. The show's single best installment, "The Boy From 6B", was almost entirely wordless, as it was primarily filtered through the point of view of Theo Dimas (James Caverly), the deaf son of deli king and grave-robber Teddy Dimas (Nathan Lane). But other episodes shifted away from our core trio of Mabel, Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) to everyone from their hardcore fans to a tough-as-nails NYPD detective. So you can consider this a longwinded way of saying that this week's latest episode, "The Last Day of Bunny Folger," has a title that can be taken fairly literally: the installment primarily focuses on ... well, the last day of Bunny Folger, leading up to the moment of her death, meaning that this is primarily a showcase for the delightful and acidic Tony Award-winning Jayne Houdyshell.
But before we can get to Bunny, we must remind ourselves why we're going to revisit her last days: because at the end of the two-part premiere, our trio was told by her bird Mrs. Gambolini "I know who did it." Now, I'm going to tell you right up front something that should not shock you: Mrs. Gambolini doesn't actually have an answer to this tease (and if she does know who killed Bunny, she's not telling anyone yet). But Oliver is prepared for a podcast exclusive as he asks the bird who killed Bunny. Unfortunately for him, all she's willing to say is "F**k off, Oliver", which ... y'know, fair. Charles is too obsessed with the recent revelation that his dad slept with Bunny's mother back in the day, which could mean (but probably doesn't?) that he and Bunny were related. Let's hope not.
It doesn't really matter what our trio of podcasters tries to do, from wheedling or yelling at Mrs. Gambolini or doing hilarious impersonations of her to make the bird think she's back with her original owner. The bird ain't talking. And when the trio rifles through some other papers they took from Bunny's apartment, they see receipts from March 12, the day Bunny died. "We saw her that day," they note somewhat guiltily. (Put a pin in that.) And then Oliver muses into his recorder what it must have been like, as we cut from the present to March 12, in Bunny's apartment as she grumpily wakes up from bed, roused by Mrs. Gambolini herself. "I can't believe this is my last day," she mutters before pointedly adding "... as board president". (And yes, that "Savage" painting is hanging on her wall, too.)
I should note that "Only Murders in the Building" is a proudly very New York show, a point that you almost certainly are aware of. But if you weren't, watching Bunny go about her morning routine would be clue enough, since we get to see her hearing a radio DJ complain about (I believe, as a non-New Yorker) the actions of ex-Mayor Bill DeBlasio ("He works out in Park Slope, Brooklyn!"), and see the latest tribulations of the New York Knicks on the back page of a newspaper announcing that Jan (Amy Ryan) has been charged in the murder of Tim Kono. (I get the sense that many Knicks fans will pump their fist when Mrs. Gambolini says "Fire Dolan" in reference to the team owner.) But more specifically, we learn that Bunny has been Arconia board president for 29 years, and as tough-as-nails as she is, she's heartbroken to be leaving, planning to retire in Boca Raton, Florida. "I'm not gonna let those f**kers see me cry," she mutters while practicing her goodbye speech.
Never has Bunny been more charming than when we see her puttering around New York, such as when she shouts "Linsanity!" after successfully throwing some trash via a faux-jump shot. But she's back on her A game as a toughie when she returns to the Arconia and finds that our podcasting trio — and their biggest fans — are holding court in the courtyard with a celebration cake, retelling the events of the finale. I should note that a critical question I had in watching the last episode of season one and the first two installments of this season is how much time elapsed between Jan being arrested and Bunny being killed. Sam (Jaboukie Young-White) helpfully notes to Bunny that it's the "almost one-week anniversary" of the finale. But Bunny is unsurprisingly unmoved, citing a bylaw to end the party and stop the superfans from selling merchandise on the property.
The woman taking her place, Nina Lim (Christine Ko), shows up to support Bunny, but also for one last meeting of the minds before Bunny heads off for Boca. It becomes clear very quickly within this conversation that a) Nina is more than prepared to take over for Bunny, sounding equally as knowledgeable about what to do to ensure the Arconia looks great, and b) ...Bunny does not want to leave. Partly, she's skeptical that the very pregnant Nina can take over while balancing a newborn, but she clearly loves the job as much as she may present herself as a big ol' grouch. Uma (Jackie Hoffman) is surprised Bunny wants to move to Boca at all, even though Bunny is prepared to be a snowbird. Still, their love-hate relationship is such that the only way they can really say they'll miss each other is by lovingly saying "F**k you" to each other. After Uma leaves, it should be noted, Bunny gets a phone call from ... well, from someone who she recognizes, someone who has been calling her often, and someone who wants that "Savage" painting. "Stop calling!" Bunny shouts. Hmm.
Later, Bunny heads to the nearby Pickle Diner, where her usual waiter Ivan waits on her one last time. Following on the last scene, Ivan asks if Bunny's "friend" is showing up again — apparently, he was out the day before and she was joined at her table by someone. "Not my friend," Bunny says. Again: hmm. Before we can learn much more, Bunny sees that Oliver is at the diner with his son Will (Ryan Broussard), and the boy is following in his father's footsteps by directing a school play. Bunny knows him as the boy who broke an Arconia window at age 10. "And you still haven't paid for it," she snaps. Yet while Bunny is the Bunny we know to Oliver, she's much kinder to Ivan –— when she pays for her breakfast, she also gives him a massive tip in the form of a wad of money he should use to buy some DJ equipment. "Make me a promise: don't let yourself only love one thing," she says sadly, as we can easily imagine she's thinking of the Arconia itself. (Or maybe not! Who knows with this show and its surprises?)
Later that day, back at the Arconia, Bunny is joined on the elevator by Charles and Mabel, as they're prepping their nighttime celebration, the same one that will end up with them led out of the building in handcuffs. Before too long, the elevator gets stuck midway through its lift, and only Bunny is able to kickstart it back to life by breaking into the circuit box. "Bunny...you're a badass," Mabel says, slightly awed. (And she's slightly cowed when Bunny reminds her of the "cranky old b**ch" comment.) When Charles notes, sincerely, that they'd likely be lost without her, she realizes what's been fairly evident to those of us watching: Bunny doesn't want to go to Boca Raton, and she doesn't want to leave the Arconia.
... Which makes the surprise party being thrown in her apartment by her fellow board members a bit awkward. Though the others just want to party — with decorations emphasizing Bunny's retirement — she wants to focus on the meeting tasks. "But it's your last day," Nina says, to which Bunny snaps at her for being reminded again of leaving. Nina is less than pleased when Bunny says she's changed her mind and won't be leaving, pointing out — via Howard's meeting minutes — that leaving was Bunny's decision to begin with. Bunny wants the building preserved, but Nina wants it "modernized — monetized".
It's a good thing the meeting minutes captured it all down, because in the present, Mabel has gotten those same minutes from Howard offscreen. (That is, by the way, an interesting thing to consider: presumably, Howard wants the trio to think of Nina as being the potential culprit, but he seems awfully willing to share those meeting minutes!) And those minutes make Nina the prime suspect for our heroes. Back in the past, on the evening of Bunny's death, as she's cleaning up the mess from the would-be party, Bunny hears the din from Mabel's apartment next door as our podcasters revel in their victory.
But Bunny isn't there to crack down on them, instead offering a fancier bottle of champagne than the one Mabel had bought. Oliver, in return, hands Bunny the very same tie-dye hoodie sweatshirt that we saw her wearing in the first-season finale, encouraging her to don it in front of them. And after her kind peace offering, what do the podcasters do? Well ... close the door on her, even though it is painfully obvious that she wants to hang out with someone. "Only Murders" here is digging into one of the great dark-comedy sitcom tropes, which is having the audience look in at the main characters from a different point of view, so that we can get a better sense that the core group can seem like a flock of idiots and/or jerks from the outside in.
It's as much a testament to Houdyshell's performance as to the writing, but this episode does such a good job of humanizing Bunny — simply because we get to see her from her perspective, not from that of Oliver, Mabel, and Charles — that it's genuinely nasty (if not intentionally so) that we now see the main trio realize Bunny wanted to "join" them, and that she's still outside the door, eventually sobbing loudly. Of course, as soon as they open the door to awkwardly let her in, Bunny has vanished and so our trio decides ... to go to the roof to party.
"There's a chance we could've saved her life with a simple act of kindness," Charles intones on the podcast, and I think it's more than a chance, Charles! As the main trio rides up to the roof, we see a mysterious figure — only spotted via their black shoes and long pants — exit the other elevator and head to Bunny's apartment. (It's in her apartment, as she watches an old film noir, that we gather how Mrs. Gambolini knew the phrase "I know who did it" — the line is from that movie.) Bunny clearly knows her killer, greeting them with a confused "What the f**k do you want?" before being stabbed and eventually stumbling into Mabel's arms.
"The Last Day of Bunny Folger" offers both some valuable information and an excellent central performance from Jayne Houdyshell. If anything, the episode makes it clear that our podcasting trio really has even less clue this time around about what's happening than they did with Tim Kono. At least Mabel was close to Tim Kono, but as guilty as she, Oliver, and Charles feel (and should feel) about how they treated Bunny in what turned out to be a few of her final moments, they've yet to learn about Bunny's mysterious dining partner at the Pickle Diner – a safe bet for the same person who killed her, one imagines – or the significance of the painting to those involved. Could it be Nina? The clear answer is yes, in that anything is possible. But her pregnancy seems like a deal-breaker, though she's quite obviously ruthless. My thought here is that we should consider the possibility that the culprit is more than one person. Could it be that, similar to something like Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express", multiple people wanted Bunny gone and conspired to get her out of the picture? I would not be surprised.
OTHER THOUGHTS
— "Not the slapping one." Kind of a shame we only got to see Selena Gomez tease a Cher-like ability to slap someone and shout "Snap out of it!"
— "You are the most difficult animal I have ever directed, and I did a production of 'The Elephant Man' with a real elephant!" Of course you did, Oliver.
— "For a while, I thought you were the killer because Tim was behind in his building fees, and I distrust women in positions of power." Oh boy, Marv.
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The post Only Murders in the Building Explores Its Newest Victim's Past In A Compelling New Episode appeared first on /Film.
James Nix and his Jacksonville, Florida neighbor Jason Defelice have been feuding after Nix allegedly killed Defelice's rooster. According to Nix, the rooster attacked him. From Actions News JAX:
— Read the restHe explained his side of the story: "I just checked my mail and turn around and go, and I hear, 'Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!'
Whatever Greta Gerwig's got cooking in the (presumably hot pink) oven with "Barbie," it's going to be hard-pressed to compete with the wild set images and videos that've leaked during filming. The first official photos for the movie have been equally magnificent, not least of all the image of Ryan Gosling as the himbo Ken to Margot Robbie's Barbie, complete with white-blonde hair that makes him look like an alternate universe version of Gosling's somber stuntman Luke Glanton from "The Place Beyond the Pines."
"Barbie" marks Gerwig's third time behind the camera as a writer-director, coming after her terrific debut on 2017's "Lady Bird" and equally strong followup with 2019's "Little Women." With a pedigree like that, it's little wonder she was able to assemble a who's who of in-demand actors for her latest project, especially one that aspires to flip the very idea of a live-action "Barbie" movie on its head. Among those joining Robbie and Gosling in the cast are Simu Liu and America Ferrera, along with Issa Rae, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Michael Cera, Ncuti Gatwa, Rhea Perlman, Emerald Fennell, Alexandra Shipp, Hari Nef, Scott Evans, and Emma Mackey. Also onboard is Kate McKinnon, making this a most surprising reunion for her and her "Bombshell" co-star Robbie.
In case there was any doubt the "Barbie" cast is having a blast behind the scenes, Mackey put it to rest when interviewed by Empire Magazine. "Right in the beginning, we had a sleepover for the Barbies, which would involve playing games with Scott [Evans] and Ncuti [Gatwa]," said Mackey. She then took a moment to highlight her table tennis skills, adding, "I don't play games usually, because I get so competitive and angry. But Scott and I were top of the [table tennis] game."
There's a valid argument to be made that, in a better world, Greta Gerwig would have been free to channel her whimsical vision for "Barbie" into an original film devoid of any ties to a multi-media franchise. But at the same time, there's something inspired about her making a movie that seems to be borrowing a leaf from "The LEGO Movie" and using its brand as the springboard to produce an ode to the power of creativity and imagination. Indeed, if there's any filmmaker who's proven themselves up to the task of making an anti-corporate corporate product like that, it's someone like Gerwig.
For "Sex Education" alum Emma Mackey, switching gears to "Barbie" came as a relief after playing the tragic novelist and poet Emily Brontë in Frances O'Connor's biopic "Emily":
"It's great to do comedy, because 'Emily' was a sad, dark drama. 'Barbie' is light and funny and silly and American and pink."
According to Mackey, it also helps that Gerwig's fizzy, fanciful vision for "Barbie" is very much a reflection of who she is and what's she like to work with as a director:
"She's everything I could have dreamed of. She's so invested and precise, and so childishly delighted by what she's doing. Scorsese said, 'Never lose the amateur in you.' I see Greta behind her monitor laughing, and she'll reference something very niche and it will make total sense in that moment. Her mind is fizzing all the time. I love being around those kinds of people."
We'll see if life in plastic is, in fact, as fantastic as the film's cast and production leaks would have you believe when "Barbie" opens in theaters on July 21, 2023.
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The post The Cast of Barbie Kicked Off Filming with a Sleepover, Because of Course They Did appeared first on /Film.
In some ways, Hollywood roles are like kids' Halloween costumes: there are certain roles everyone either ends up doing or desperately wants to do if given the opportunity, like a cowboy, a pirate, or a medieval knight. Then there's playing a "Star Wars" character, more specifically a Jedi with a cool lightsaber. It's the type of role that would make any actor feel like a kid again no matter their age, and it's hard not to sympathize. After all, you get to do cool stunts, play with a lightsaber -- a real one -- and wear those cool outfits.
Unfortunately, the process after making the movie is less than perfect, with every single main actor in a "Star Wars" movie since 1999 being bullied to hell for simply existing, and driven to either disappear from the internet or even despise the franchise they once loved. But for a brief time, these actors get to fulfill childhood dreams, and they celebrate their casting accordingly. Don't believe me? Just ask Hayden Christensen.
During an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" to promote his triumphant return to as Vader in "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Christensen talked about being cast as Anakin Skywalker for 2002's "Attack of the Clones." Though the film was malignly received and Christensen in particular got a lot of hate for the role, he was still a young actor getting to play a dream part. So when the call came in that he had been cast as the young Skywalker, Christensen celebrated accordingly.
"I got the phone call while I was still in bed actually," Christensen recalls. "I remember coming out of the room, just an ear-to-ear grin on my face."
At the time, Christensen was living in an apartment in Vancouver with a friend, so rather than actually telling him the news about his casting, Christensen did what any red-blooded "Star Wars" fan would do: he "lit up an imaginary lightsaber." Then his roommate followed suit, put on John Williams' "Duel of the Fates," and ignited his own imaginary laser sword.
"We had a whole lightsaber battle as we were laughing and jumping all over the couch in the apartment," Christensen said. He added that his enthusiasm continued through filming, as he (like Laura Dern) could not stop "making the lightsaber sound effects when I was doing my lightsaber scenes."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" is currently streaming on Disney+.
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The post When Hayden Christensen Got Cast as Anakin Skywalker, He Celebrated Like a Star Wars Fanboy appeared first on /Film.
I'm not sure whether the MAGA cult attracts sociopaths or turns followers into sociopaths, but the end result is the same. It ends up with freakishly cruel governors insisting that small children must give birth after being impregnated by rapists.
After being pressed by CNN say whether or not she would allow the 10-year-old rape victim to get an abortion in South Dakota, Noem said: "I don't believe a tragic situation should be perpetuated by another tragedy. — Read the rest
Extra, extra, read all about it: the first full trailer for "Paper Girls" is here!
The new Prime Video series is based on Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang's comic book series of the same name, which made a splash when it debuted in 2015. A sci-fi story about four girls whose suburban newspaper route is disrupted when they accidentally time travel from 1988 to the present day, "Paper Girls" is funny, adventurous, and insightful in its take on growing up. Fans of the franchise have waited years for an adaptation, and it'll finally arrive in late July in the form of an eight-episode first season. Check out the trailer below.
In its opening moments, the trailer seems to have a "Stranger Things" motif going, with a group of ragtag '80s kids on bikes witnessing a freaky event in their small town. In actuality, "Stranger Things" reminded myself and other readers of "Paper Girls" when season 1 debuted the year after the first issues of the Image Comics. The comparisons will surely stick around, but the trailer for "Paper Girls" differentiates itself pretty quickly with a time-hopping plot featuring Ali Wong. The comedian appears as the older iteration of Erin (Riley Lai Nelet), the new girl on the Stony Stream paper route who immediately freaks out about the prospect of meeting her younger/older self.
The trailer also gives us a full look at the cast of characters, which in addition to Erin includes tomboy Mac (Sofia Rosinsky), gamer Tiffany (Camryn Jones), and field hockey player KJ (Fina Strazza). Despite possessing the particular brand of resourcefulness that comes with being 12-year-olds with jobs in the 1980s, the girls quickly find themselves of their element after accidentally ending up in 2019. "Who's she gonna call, time travel 911?" Mac says sarcastically as the group freaks out in future Erin's kitchen, only for an Alexa device to startle the group by responding.
The "Paper Girls" comics ran for 30 issues and got surprisingly deep into the particulars of a time war between factions from different eras. This plot is already apparent in the season 1 trailer, which shows groups of white-clad soldier types marching in formation and trying to zap at the girls with lasers. Mostly, though, the series looks like it could pull off an adventurous take on an idea that's always been the basis of great pop culture stories -- what your 12-year-old self might think of you now.
"Paper Girls" hits Prime Video on July 29, 2022.
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The post Paper Girls Trailer: The Acclaimed Sci-Fi Comic Heads to Prime Video appeared first on /Film.
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If you've ever seen a "John Wick" movie, you know that the titular character, played by Keanu Reeves, is the epitome of a cool lone wolf. He might be cautious, but he's also self-reliant and willing to get his hands dirty — all of which are easier to expect from Wick's character given Reeves' age. Yet even though the John Wick franchise is one of the most popular recent action series, with its latest installment having grossed over $326 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), the iconic hero might not have existed without the legacy of Western star John Wayne.
As the face of numerous American Westerns — and arguably the entire genre — John Wayne always seemed to play self-sufficient characters who could navigate the challenges of the American Frontier. While they may have made alliances or rescued heroines, John's characters rarely found companionship or fit into settler communities. Like Wick, they were loners at heart. Ultimately, these characters became such a popular type (and Westerns, as a whole, were so successful) that they influenced numerous filmmakers going forward, including John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad.
In an interview with Dianne Bennett, Derek Kolstad shared some insights into his decision to make Wick an older character. While discussing his appreciation of Westerns, Kolstad noted that "the young guy always gets his backside handed to him. The old guy seems like a cynic, but he isn't. He sees himself; he can be outside of time. He can ignore technology." In other words, youth leads to cockiness — a potentially fatal flaw that both Wayne and Wick are old (and wise) enough to evade.
Within his own blockbuster, Kolstad also noted that the Continental administration's retro technology allows viewers to "think how vast the world is. These systems have been in place for a long time." Although John Wick might be living in the 21st century, he, like John Wayne, must make his way through long-standing structures that are indifferent to his survival. In the grand scheme of things, both Johns are little more than specks of sand — a fact that motivates them towards self-preservation.
In the same interview, Kolstad shares that he admires "Die Hard" and "Point Blank" for their focus on determined characters rather than fancy gadgets. But as it turns out, John Wayne significantly influenced both of these films.
Simply in terms of conflict, "Die Hard" and "Point Blank" both feature lone protagonists who must struggle against hostile, coordinated, overwhelming forces that they do not fully understand — much like the hostility that Wayne's characters experienced time and time again on the frontier. Yet the DNA of Wayne's Westerns runs much deeper. In "Die Hard," hero John McClane spews endless cowboy-inspired phrases as he wanders solo through an unpredictable, dangerous environment — practically an 80s update of Wayne's classic formula. Likewise, villain Hans Gruber warns him that "[t]his time John Wayne does not walk off into the sunset with Grace Kelly" (via IMDb), a clear reference to the iconic films. Iconic Western star Clint Eastwood was even almost cast as John McClane. And while "Point Blank" is more neo-noir than Western, it still features a hypermasculine lone wolf who is double-crossed by those he trusts most — including his own wife — and sets out to defend his honor.
Sure, John Wayne's characters weren't the first to face betrayal or become lone wolves. But his popularity made the character type a staple, and as the decades have progressed, each new iconic iteration — whether McClane or Wick — builds upon Wayne's legacy.
Read this next: The 20 Best Westerns Of All Time
The post If It Weren't For John Wayne, We Might Not Have John Wick appeared first on /Film.
This is not a drill: Michael Mann has revealed that he is absolutely planning to turn his upcoming novel "Heat 2" into a movie. Not just any movie, mind you, but a large movie. For those who may not be aware, Mann has written a sequel to his 1995 crime thriller "Heat" that will be published as a novel next month. But the filmmaker's plans are ambitious and, should things go according to plan, they will extend to the screen as well.
Speaking with Empire recently, Mann revealed his plans to turn the book into a film. That will certainly present challenges as the book is both an immediate sequel and a prequel taking place seven years prior to the original film. Nevertheless, Mann sees it as one large film. Says Mann:
"It's totally planned to be a movie... Is it a modest movie? No. Is it a very expensive series? No. It's going to be one large movie."
Nearly three decades removed, "Heat" remains the gold standard for heist movies, so this could be an extremely exciting prospect. Heck, Al Pacino already gave his blessing to Timothee Chalamet to take up his role as Vincent Hanna in the follow-up. One could already see Warner Bros. putting the pieces in place.
"Heat" was a hit in its day, taking in $187 million at the global box office against a reported $60 million budget, to go along with widespread acclaim that has only grown in the years since its release. The movie has done well on cable and through its various home video editions over the years, with a 4K Ultra HD release coming later this year as well. Mann, in the same interview, mused that this sustained relevance in the pop culture landscape could very well pave way for the sequel:
"It's sustained in culture. It's known. I could delude myself into thinking that the whole world is familiar with it, but when you check out its prominence in home vid for over 20 years, this thing really has legs. People are still watching it, people are still talking about it. It's a brand. It's kind of a Heat universe, in a way. And that certainly justifies a very large ambitious movie."
There is no green light yet from Warner Bros., but one has to imagine that this could be something the studio would do with the right cast. Unfortunately, Mann has business to attend to first in the form of his "Ferrari" movie that is expected to film this year. After that? Fingers crossed for the continued adventures of Vincent Hanna and Neil McCauley.
"Heat 2" is set to hit bookstores on August 9, 2022.
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The post Michael Mann Plans to Turn His Heat 2 Novel Into 'One Large Movie' appeared first on /Film.
Back in 1999, a superhero film was released that gave us a look at what it would be like to have superpowers that were just sort of "meh." Does its characters save the world? I mean, yeah, pretty much. They're just not very good at it. That film was "Mystery Men," and it parodied the superhero genre in the best way, long before it ramped up to become the dominant cultural force in American cinema. The movie may not have slayed at the box office, but its fans still love it very much.
A little while back, in an interview with Comicbook.com, Ben Stiller, who played the rage-filled Mr. Furious in "Mystery Men," was asked about returning for a possible sequel. "That's the first I'm hearing of it, but sure," Stiller replied. "I'm all for it. I had fun doing it. Yeah, it would be a blast. It was a really, really fun cast. And there's still some rage and fury inside me somewhere, I think."
But Stiller isn't the only one who'd come back. /Film's own Ben Pearson recently spoke to Greg Kinnear for his upcoming Apple TV+ drama "Black Bird," and asked the actor about a possible return of his own. How such a reprisal would actually work, though, given what happens to his character in the first movie, is a ... mystery. Oh, come on. I had to.
/Film mentioned that superhero stories are driving our popular entertainment right now, and wondered if Kinnear would be willing to come back to play Captain Amazing's twin brother or a reconstructed version of the character if they did do a sequel. Kinnear responded:
"If Mr. Furious is coming back, then Captain Amazing is coming back. No question about it. Yeah. That's funny. That [movie] has such a crazy following. It was such an oddball experience making it, but God, I didn't know it was that long ago, but it was really fun. So yeah, sure, I'm back. I think I got Psycho-defrakulated in the original 'Mystery Men,' so they'd have to do some creative work, but that can always be figured out on the page."
If you don't remember, the Psycho-frakulator was created by Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) which created a cloud of ... something that I'm not even going to try and describe, but it twists reality and fries your brain and brings the victim's hallucinations into the real world. Let's just say things didn't turn out well for Captain Amazing:
"Mystery Men" also starred Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, Wes Studi, Geoffrey Rush, Lena Olin, Eddie Izzard, Claire Forlani, and Tom Waits. It was directed by Kinka Usher.
"Black Bird" will premiere with two episodes on Apple TV+ on July 8, 2022, with new episodes weekly on Friday through August 5.
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The post Greg Kinnear Says He Would Join Ben Stiller in Mystery Men 2 (If It Ever Gets Made) [Exclusive] appeared first on /Film.
Spoiler warning: This feature contains major plot spoilers for "Stranger Things" Season 4, Volume 2, now streaming on Netflix.
The penultimate season of "Stranger Things" hit Netflix this weekend and introduced even more traumatic and heartbreaking moments for Hawkins' young heroes. For most of Season 4, Volume 1, the once tight-knit group crafted three separate battle plans to save Hawkins which scattered them around the world. Hopper, Murray, and Joyce are in the Soviet Union. El is running for her life while trying to reclaim her powers. Mike, Will, and Argyle are looking for El as the courageous Eddie, Steve, Robin, Nancy, Lucas, Erica, and Max devise a scheme to take Vecna down with a ton of fire-power. Splitting up the core characters — and their new recruits — for seven previous episodes led fans to assume everyone would reunite to defeat Vecna in Volume 2.
In a way, they do, but it's hard not to feel the on-set limitations that shooting "Stranger Things" during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic brought. What is apparent is how much Netflix invested in the series' spectacular effects, visuals, and spine-tingling monster design. Thanks to its reportedly $30 million budget per episode, "Stranger Things" swings high for the finale's apocalyptic finish. While this season's battles are dripping in lush, crimson gothic vibes, some storyline choices hindered character beats while others nailed plot reveals.
Once Season 4, Volume 1 of "Stranger Things" revealed Vecna's identity, it was hard not to wonder what his nefarious plan for Hawkins was. Surprise! It's world domination! While his powers — connecting to others on the mortal plane through their feelings of hopelessness and then absorbing them — crafted a powerful metaphor about depression to explore, Vecna's reasoning for doing so ends up being nothing more than a familiar (and one-note) plot beat. We learn in Season 4, Volume 2 that Vecna only sought to kill four individuals to open four gates. With each murder, a gate from the Upside Down into Hawkins opens. Vecna wants to bring the Upside Down with him into Hawkins to destroy humanity. He then plans (somehow) to rebuild what remains of Earth into a plane he rules. Frankly, I don't know why the neutral evil Vecna would care to rule anyone, but at least this rationale showcases Henry's unquestioning belief in himself as a white cis male.
By "Piggyback," Vecna only had one kill left: Max. This ninth-hour battle setup by the Duffer Brothers, who wrote and directed the season finale, harkens back to the Hellfire Club's D&D campaign from earlier in the season. The odds of winning aren't good, but everyone risks one more roll of the dice, standing up to fight. Even if Vecna's motive for his sinister acts is disappointingly bland, its stakes pay off.
Despite Eddie's death feeling inevitable due to this season leaning on the character's desire to be as courageous and selfless as he is in a D&D campaign, it still hits hard. Of all the characters this season, Joseph Quinn's Eddie Munson brought such vivacity, pathos, and the best parts of the late '80s to early '90s era Christian Slater to "Stranger Things." More than most of the characters this season, he's not easily definable. On the surface, he's a guitar-shredding, metal-loving, perpetual senior who sings of anarchy and weed. It's easy to see how we're expected to feel about the counterculture character. Refreshingly, Eddie is also a deeply feeling individual who has profoundly vulnerable conversations with Chrissy and Dustin, too. He's aware of how he's perceived and plays into that expectation, even if it hurts his feelings — except when the town assumes he must be a murderer.
After helping Dustin reach safety in "Piggyback," Eddie reenters the battle against Vecna to better their team's odds of succeeding. He's killed by Vecna's bats. How he dies feels analogous to how everyone in his life treated him. The town and residents of Hawkins gossiped, physically and emotionally abused Eddie and slandered him. Over time, this ate away at his trust in others and himself. Only Dustin knows of the heart, the zaniness, and the bravery to inspire others to be their weirdest selves that is Eddie Munson.
Technically, during the finale of "Stranger Things" Season 4, Max dies. This time, the Hawkins teens and their ever-growing list of monster-fighting allies fail. The timing of Max's death is gut-wrenchingly unfair. Moments prior, Max and Lucas just reconciled and planned a movie date that will now never happen. Max says she can't see or feel anything, and the camera lingers on her until she takes what we think is her final breath, but as Lucas sobs over Max's body, El appears. We learn in "Piggyback" that El has gained more control of her ability to enter others' mindscapes. Like Vic in Joe Hill's "NOS4A2" novel, El's psychic powers now extend to reaching others on a plane that has physical repercussions in the real world.
El uses Max's fondest memories of life to resurrect Max. However, Vecna's attacks left Max mortally wounded with broken limbs and possible paralysis. Season 4 ends with Max in a coma. El fears that while her body is back, Max's life force is forever gone. Hopefully, the final season of "Stranger Things" will bring Sadie Sink's Max back to life so the two can hang out. Season 3's Max and El had such genuinely teen conversations about gender constructs, like why El doesn't need a guy's permission (especially Mike's) to make decisions and why Wonder Woman is important, that I'd love to see deepen in Season 5.
Most of "Stranger Things" Season 4 spends its time with a powerless Eleven. At first, it was intriguing to see how this version of El deals with conflict in the world. Despite wanting to, psychic-blasting a bully away in high school isn't an option for her. Seeing El struggle to adjust to "normal" life as she dealt with the emotional fallout from the Battle of Starcourt felt grounded. However, once El leaves the world of Lenora, California, and the evasion of military forces and Dr. Brenner's team begins, that storyline weakens. El's quest to regain her powers is less about self-discovery, a choice that would have landed the empowerment narrative the Duffer Brothers seemed to be going for, than about others instructing her how to heal. Dr. Brenner forces her to relive traumatic memories to regain her powers. Dr. Owen and Dr. Brenner discuss her fate while she's in the room, even though she could have addressed them. Her speech patterns frustratingly regress, infantilizing her.
While Season 4, Volume 2 doesn't ret-con this narrative misstep, it makes the wise choice to level up Eleven. By Season 4's end, El learns her powers can do more than harm others and communicate with them psychically. Her powers can bring someone back from the brink of death. While it's not clear yet how this works, we see El resurrect Max in the season finale, opening up power questions for Season 5 to handle.
Hands down, the best part about the Duffer Brothers' two-part Season 4 finale is how it thoughtfully connected the big bads of all prior seasons. During Eleven and Vecna's psychic battle, viewers learn an essential fact about the Upside Down. When El blasted Henry/One to bits years ago, the strength of her power also unlocked a gate to the Upside Down. The remains of Henry reformed in this world, rebuilding him into Vecna, an undead creature who still has a connection to the psychic powers he wielded in life. Vecna discovered mysterious particles in this realm that he then used to craft the Mind Flayer.
Previously, Hawkins' young heroes assumed the Mind Flayer was one of many monsters native to the Upside Down. In reality, the creature is an extension of Vecna, a sinister tool he used to find Eleven in hopes that she'd join his realm and further his world domination scheme. If Eleven had only killed Henry, Hawkins would never have known of the Upside Down.
So much of what goes on in the Upside Down is unknown to the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana. In a very "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" way, the town is in a perpetual state of denial, handwaving strange events with explanations that don't quite add up or are rooted in sensationalism like Season 4's Satanic panic rationale. While there's no giant snake eating a high school in this season finale, the show does finally give the town indisputable proof that something supernatural is afoot. By Season 4's end, Hawkins is split in half. Although news outlets like the Hawkins Post report that it was a devastating earthquake that killed 22 people with others still unaccounted for (like our beloved Eddie), the sky is thundering with crimson storms. Plants are swept with ash. Darkness falls on the citizens of Hawkins.
Overall, pushing Hawkins into a dark dystopia setting works well. Not only does this choice bring apocalyptic stakes for the show's final season, but it creates compelling (albeit harrowing) consequences for our heroes. We see innocent people struggle to find food, clothing, and shelter. What the Hellfire teens do (or don't do) has repercussions for those outside their world-saving bubble, a fact they never had to wrestle with before.
Papa's death in Season 4 of "Stranger Things" didn't come off as much of a surprise. However, how El handled it certainly did. Similar to prior seasons' storylines, Papa and El reconcile only to have her captor betray her for his own goals. At this point, Papa's storyline felt tired. His character never grew and repeated the same mistakes over and over. In Season 4, El accepts Papa's help to regain her powers under the condition that he promises to let her do this her way. Of course, Papa straps his explosive-collar back onto El in the final hour, as he doesn't want to lose the chance to experiment further with El's capabilities.
El escapes his grasp while a fleet of special-ops agents tries to shoot her down. As she makes her getaway to the surprise arrival of the Surfer Boy Pizza van, she runs into a dying Papa. Although she decides to say her final goodbyes to him, she doesn't grant his quest for forgiveness. Papa asks her to understand why he did everything connected to the kidnapping and raising of psychic children with unstable powers for decades. She says nothing, leaving him to take his last breath alone and knowing that none of his "children" will give him the half-baked redemption he desperately wants. Good riddance, Papa!
Early in Season 4, Robin discusses with Steve how scary it is to flirt directly with Vickie, as she's unsure if her crush is queer, too. Additionally, she's unsure how she'll react to knowing Robin's sexuality. Fear of coming out in a small town during the '80s is a concern that the show handles fairly well despite never once (to its detriment) acknowledging that it's taking place during the height of the AIDS epidemic. In Volume 2, there's a straight-fakeout "reveal" in which Vickie kisses her boyfriend that lands weirdly. Yes, it makes sense that Robin, who is crushing hard on Vickie and is a worrier by nature, would see that and assume the worst. But the show, through Steve's response, could have suggested Vickie is bi. It almost goes there — but not quite.
Thankfully, Vickie returns in Season 4's final episode. She and Robin share an anxiously charming conversation while making sandwiches for Hawkins' citizens affected by the aftermath of Vecna. If the Duffer Brothers are going to keep this romance building slowly, it would be easy to write in an "accidental" hand touching and mutual blushing moment. Fingers crossed that Robin gets at least that in Season 5.
While I will never forgive the Duffer Brothers for killing off Eddie Munson, I loved that he got the honor of performing the most epic jam session ever. Despite knowing that Eddie loved to solo on the electric guitar, I honestly never imagined we'd see his gnarly "Master of Puppets" riffing in the Upside Down. Eddie brings all his thrashing love to the Metallica song, distracting Vecna's bats so that the heroes of Hawkins can destroy Vecna's body.
It's a beautiful addition to Eddie's final moments. He accomplishes something no one else in history can claim. That makes the burn of his too-soon demise sting a little bit less, as we know that he'll at least have that parting memory. Within days of the scene's release, millions of TikTok users praised and lovingly crafted tributes to Eddie's guitar skills.
While Eddie died in the Upside Down, it's possible he could return in some form to the show's final season. It's still unclear how a dead Henry came back to life after dying in the undead realm. Perhaps Eddie's heavy metal spirit will get an encore.
Jason's storyline was entirely unnecessary. He only served to antagonize the town. Season 4 already had the pressures of small-town murder and Satanic panic to do that. Like a classic Stephen King villain, Jason is a white conservative jock who quotes Bible passages to inspire widespread hysteria in Hawkins. Yet, the show never explores how this mindset infects the town with intolerance. Living in a post-Capitol Insurrection world, it's hard not to see the show's "apolitical" stance of framing the story as the weirdoes vs. a conservative mob as a cop-out.
Frustratingly, it gets worse. When Lucas attempts to convince Jason to trust him, Jason says he "should have known" Lucas would betray him. That mico-aggression acknowledges Jason's racism, but Lucas' Blackness never gets a voice. When they fight, Jason's attack choices depict the same anti-Black violence we've seen tragically countless times in the real world. It's as if the world of "Stranger Things" wants to evoke Black Lives Matter themes while handling them as if we exist in a world pre-George Floyd's murder. The fight's existence feels like a misguided attempt to give Lucas a "hero moment." However, it loses sight of how deeply triggering this encounter must have been for Lucas.
The worst part is no one asks why Lucas is hurt post-fight.
Seasons 1 and 2 of "Stranger Things" largely revolved around the disappearance and reappearance of Mike's best friend, Will Byers. When Will went missing, Mike called his house every night. A couple of years later, things have changed. Since Will moved away to California, Mike has only called him twice. When the two reunite after being apart for six months, Mike keeps dismissing Will each time he attempts to speak to him. Mike doesn't even notice when Will is sobbing beside him in a car. If he does, his not asking Will why proves a deeper shallowness in Mike's character than we've seen thus far.
Will even painted a D&D-inspired portrait of Mike with a heart on his shield. But once Will learns Mike feels insecure dating El, he tells Mike that El asked him to paint the portrait for him. Will then delivers an emotional speech expressing his feelings as "El." That almost coming-out moment goes over Mike's head. Thankfully, Jonathan hears that monologue and later embraces his brother, saying he loves him unconditionally.
Fans have theorized that Will is in love with Mike for some time. "Stranger Things" cast and crew promised that the "bread crumbs" were no accident, and Season 4 would confirm Will's sexuality. The show hinged marketing around Will coming out, leading many (myself included) to feel queerbaited. The Duffer Brothers have since stated that the duality of that speech will be explained in Season 5.
"Piggyback" ended with a panic-inducing reveal for diehard Will fans. Will's connection to the Mind Flayer, aka Vecna, is not broken. Seriously, can Will Byers ever catch a break? Minutes before the season finale's credits roll, Will tells Mike that now that he's back in Hawkins, he can sense Vecna's feelings and location. He knows Vecna is hurt and nearby.
Although it's unclear how this reveal will play out in the last season of "Stranger Things," it nevertheless shows the Duffer Brothers' decision to put Will's life at risk again. However, there's a chance Will's connection to Vecna could pave new roads for the character to explore, including having a more active role in the group's heroic adventures. For most of Season 4, Will sat in a car and acted as Mike's emotional support system and side-kick. My theory is that Will could become an empath and a detector of Vecna, an ability that the team could use to track Vecna's location. Fingers crossed that this reveal won't have Will used as bait, captive, or victim in Season 5.
Technically, Vecna won. Right before El blasts Vecna's mindscape form into particles, he tells her as much, too. Although El ultimately brought Max back to life, she was still dead for over a minute. Based on what we know so far about Vecna's plans, this means that it's wholly possible that Max's death still counted. Maybe one minute was all that it took for that fourth gate in Hawkins to open. Earlier in Season 4, Volume 2, Vecna shows Nancy a vision of Hawkins splitting in half with magma erupting through their hometown streets. As soon as the Hawkins teens battle with Vecna ends, the town is hit by a massive earthquake that looks a lot like the premonition Nancy saw, but the carnage soon stops.
Two days after the big battle in the Upside Down, Vecna's presence returns. His dark shadow eclipses the world of Hawkins, and even Will confirms that he's coming. Based on this ending, it seems like Vecna is recovering, and the four gates were opened.
Whether you love or hate Steve and Nancy's relationship, it's impossible to deny that the way Steve chose to confess his romantic feelings was surprisingly sweet. There was no dramatic confession of fated love or direct confrontation. Instead, Steve quietly tells Nancy of a "silly" daydream he has to one day be a father of six with an RV that the Harrington family will use to take summer vacations. When Nancy exclaims that six is a lot of kids, Steve nods to the cast of motley teens in the back of the RV he's driving. Charmingly, this dialogue adds more depth to babysitter Steve's investment in the teens of Hawkins. Whether or not Steve receives that happy ending, it's heartwarming that he gets to live a version of that dream out, albeit in a terror-filled landscape, throughout the past four seasons.
Later, Steve tells Nancy he always imagined she would be beside him. Importantly, he doesn't ask for anything more like how she feels about him or what their future might be. He tells her that he's closer to being the man she deserves and apologizes for how he acted when they were a couple. As the show continues its Steve-Nancy-Jonathan love triangle, it's refreshing to see a Steve who's secure in himself and respectful of Nancy's boundaries.
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In addition to being one of the greatest actors of his generation, Jack Lemmon was also one of the more prolific. From the start of his film career in 1954 up until his appearance in Blake Edwards' "Days of Wine and Roses" in 1962, Lemmon appeared in 18 feature films, excellent in each one. By 1962, Lemmon had also appeared in multiple Hollywood classics, including the deliciously genderqueer "Some Like it Hot" and the heartbreaking and glorious "The Apartment," both for his longtime collaborator Billy Wilder.
"Days of Wine and Roses" was a more downbeat affair than some of Lemmon's comedy films, examining the struggles associated with alcoholism and detoxification. Lemmon plays a PR executive who, along with his eventual wife (Lee Remick), find themselves engaging in more and more "social drinking" until they are drunk most of the time and losing their ability to function. He is fired. She starts fires. Eventually, Lemmon finds himself in rehab while Remick stays enslaved to the bottle. The ending is difficult and tragic, acknowledging that alcoholism is a disease and a constant struggle. "Days of Wine and Roses" makes a good companion piece to Wilder's own alcoholism drama "The Lost Weekend," which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1945. "Roses" scored Oscar nominations for Lemmon and for Remick.
Working on "Roses" wasn't the most pleasant experience for Lemmon and, in a 1983 appearance on "The Tonight Show," he revealed that a certain scene in the movie was one of the more physically grueling experiences he had to endure. He described to host Johnny Carson the horrors of the greenhouse scene ... and that he need to do it more than once.
Johnny Carson handily describes the scene to his "Tonight Show" audience: Lemmon's character has fallen off the wagon, and he goes to his greenhouse to find a bottle of whiskey he had stashed in one of the potted plants. Only Lemmon can't quite remember which potted plant the booze was hidden in, and -- in an extended sequence marked by two unbroken shots -- he grows frustrated to the point of smashing things. According to Lemmon's response, the length of the takes was utterly grueling:
"It was the worst experience I've ever had, professionally. And it's the only time it ever happened to me. But, the only way you can do a scene like that, you can't pick it up in the middle. And Blake Edwards, the director -- who did a marvelous job in it -- very wisely only had one cut. But even in the second half of it, we would go back and start it all over again in the very beginning, so that you could get into it. So by the end of the day -- we took a whole day -- I was totally exhausted but completely elated because I really felt I had done the best work that I could possibly do."
The greenhouse scene was a challenge, but one Lemmon felt he was not only equal to, but met with aplomb. Lemmon recalls the pride he took in his work, but also the dark, horrifying moment when a bout of bad news forced Lemmon to do the entire scene all over again.
Recall that when shooting on 35mm film, prints need to be sent to the lab to be developed before the filmmakers could view the dailies and see how they turned out. The dailies -- the rushes -- would be wound onto reels, and projectionists would have to screen them in private screening rooms back at the studio (digital filmmaking has streamlined the process somewhat). This whole process, however, would sometimes result in lab accidents and the loss of footage -- which is exactly what happened on "Roses." Says Lemmon:
"[E]verybody was just thrilled with it, we couldn't wait to come in the next day and see the rushes, to see how it was. And I got in the next morning all ready for the next scene, and I went out on the set and it was like an iceberg. Everybody was just, you know, sitting [depressed] like that. The film had been ruined in the lab. And we had to do it all day long, all over again. And I'll never know whether it was as good as the first crack or not."
The final performance in "Roses" is certainly impressive, but the Lemmon performance lost in the lab may have been -- if the actor is to be believed -- even better. Regardless, Lemmon received an Oscar nomination, his fourth (including a win in 1956 for "Mister Roberts"). Lemmon did not win the Oscar that year (losing, perhaps fairly, to Gregory Peck in "To Kill a Mockingbird"), but he would win Best Actor in 1974 for "Save the Tiger" and receive three additional nominations beyond.
Lemmon was always dedicated and relatable and frequently gave his all. "Roses" is one of his more intense performances. It's currently streaming on The Criterion Channel.
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As of October 2022, Microsoft will stop offering free Xbox 360 titles through Games with Gold. The company announced the change in an email sent out to Xbox Live Gold subscribers in the US, Canada and other parts of the world. “We have reached the limit of our ability to bring Xbox 360 games to the catalog,” the company states in the message. “However, Games with Gold will continue to include exciting Xbox One titles and exclusive savings each month.”
The email adds that Xbox users can redownload any 360 titles they claimed through Games with Gold regardless of whether they continue to subscribe to Xbox Live Gold.
"No other Xbox Live Gold benefits will be impacted by this change," a Microsoft spokesperson told Engadget. “We’re always looking at ways to evolve the Xbox experience based on community engagement, feedback and shifting company priorities. We have reached the limit of our ability to bring new games to the catalog from the past due to licensing and technical constraints. We will continue to focus on providing Xbox One titles through the Games with Gold program."
Introduced in 2013, Microsoft added Games with Gold to Xbox Live Gold in response to the success of Sony’s PS Plus service, which was the first to offer free monthly games to customers. Microsoft later extended the perk to include the Xbox One. In recent years, the allure of the bonus has waned with the introduction of Xbox Game Pass. After Microsoft recently dropped the Xbox Live Gold requirement to play free-to-play games online, it felt like the company was preparing to reconfigure the service, and this announcement adds to that. See the full email from Microsoft above.
Update 12:47PM ET: Added comment from Microsoft.
"Stranger Things" season 4, volume 2 is finally out on Netflix. If you haven't watched the last two episodes (or at least an hour into episode 9), look away. There are spoilers ahead. You have been warned, so don't send a Demodog after me or anything.
/Film participated in a roundtable interview with Joseph Quinn who plays Eddie Munson in the series, who told us how the whole guitar scene came together. If you haven't watched and don't care about spoilers, here's the deal. Eddie and Dustin (the cutest pairing after Steve and Dustin) have put nails in trash can lids to make spiked shields and gathered weapons ... including his ax. Guitar, I mean.
As part of a four-phase plan to defeat Vecna, Eddie and Dustin are charged with distracting the bat monsters while Nancy, Steve, and Robin hunt down and kill the otherworldly villain. Max plans to act as Vecna bait while Lucas guards her and Erica coordinates the teams. Standing on top of Eddie's Upside Down trailer, Dustin plugs in the amp and keeps an eye on the approaching Demobats while Eddie absolutely shreds Metallica's "Master of Puppets." I'm talking serious guitar here, and I live with a guitar player who shreds, so I know of what I speak.
Quinn recalled that he read the scripts for volume 1 and got a couple of "quite elusive texts" from showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer, asking if he played guitar. He replied yes, but they didn't message back. Then he got the scripts for the final episodes, and he read them ... and then went out and bought a guitar to start "practicing a lot."
Quinn revealed that this was the first scene they shot when they got back after the Christmas break, adding:
"We were still quite deep in the throes of the pandemic and it still felt a little scary. I remember it was a really lovely atmosphere on set, because it felt like the first time that the crew and myself had been in an environment where there was live music being played and it was great fun and everyone was quite excited to be there."
Remember concerts? Sigh. The before times. Watching felt a little like going back to one, complete with bat monsters. He continued:
"The scale of it was just hilarious. We had these drone shots and we were playing 'Master of Puppets' in the Upside Down. That doesn't happen every day and so it felt very fun. I was overwhelmed by just the inventiveness of that whole sequence and their brilliance to put that in. I don't think there's very many worlds where a Metallica concert wouldn't feel ridiculous as a crescendo to a season. It feels totally earned and it feels silly, but it feels right and it feels just inspired and I felt so lucky to be able to have a [part of it]."
Wanting to stage an epic moment around a particular song is one thing, but actually getting the clearance to use the song is another. Nora Felder, the music supervisor for "Stranger Things," has previously said that she had to put together a detailed breakdown of the scenes in which she wanted to feature Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill," because the artist is very selective about licensing her music.
Speaking to Variety, Felder said that she was more confident about getting clearance to use "Master of Puppets" for Eddie's guitar solo, since they had learned while clearing the use of "The Four Horsemen" in season 2 that Metallica are fans of "Stranger Things." In fact, the Duffer Brothers had even woven that specific song into the script during pre-production. Felder explained:
"It was another one of those 'it has to be this song,' moments. This part of the story was anticipated to be a pivotal and especially hair-raising scene in which Eddie heroically stood tall for the fight of his life. I believe the Duffer Brothers felt that playing 'Master of Puppets' throughout the extended scene was the clear choice. No other song was discussed further, and we jumped in to clear it straight away."
Needless to say, Metallica saw the epic potential of the sequence and signed off on the use of "Master of Puppets." Though it's not actually Joseph Quinn you hear playing in the show, he did have to learn to play the song so his performance looked convincing. "Joseph did take time to learn the guitar riff and was actually playing along to a guide track," Felder confirmed. "Everyone thought he did a great job."
"Stranger Things" season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
Read this next: How Stranger Things Has Affected Each Of Its Young Actors
The post Here's How That Epic Stranger Things 4 Guitar Scene Came Together appeared first on /Film.
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