Ronald.phillips

IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
Genre: Action / Adventure / Comedy / Drama
Size: 2.18 GB
Runtime: 1hr 58 min

Cheyenne, a wealthy former rock star (Penn), now bored and jaded in his retirement embarks on a quest to find his father's persecutor, an ex-Nazi war criminal now hiding out in the U.S. Learning his father is close to death, he travels to New York in the hope of being reconciled with him during his final hours, only to arrive too late. Having been estranged for over 30 years, it is only now in death that he learns the true extent of his father's humiliation in Auschwitz at the hands of former SS Officer Aloise Lange - an event he is determined to avenge. So begins a life-altering journey across the heartland of America to track down and confront his father's nemesis. As his quest unfolds, Cheyenne is reawakened by the people he encounters and his journey is transformed into one of reconciliation and self discovery. As his date with destiny arrives and he tracks down Lange, Cheyenne must finally decide if it is redemption he seeks ....or revenge. Starring two time Academy Award winner Sean Penn and marking the much-anticipated English-language debut of acclaimed director Paolo Sorrentino, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is a gripping examination of a man on the precipice of obsession.

Calling a man bald can now be classed as sexual harassment, a U.K. employment tribunal judge has ruled. From a report: Three members of the tribunal who decided on the ruling, and alluded to their own experience of hair loss, said that baldness was more prevalent in men than women. Therefore, they argued that the use of the word "bald" as an insult related to a "protected characteristic of sex." The tribunal compared calling a man bald to commenting on the size of woman's breasts, based on a 1995 case. The ruling, published Wednesday, was made on a case where the insult was alleged to have been used against Tony Finn, while he worked as an electrician for the British Bung Manufacturing Company. Finn had worked at the company, which manufactures wooden cask closures for the brewing industry, in Yorkshire in the northeast of England, for nearly 24 years. He was fired last year and the circumstances around his dismissal were also part of the case. Finn claimed that he was called a "bald c---" and was also threatened by his shift supervisor, Jamie King, in a dispute in July 2019.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

• Zack Snyder fans rigged the Oscars fan-favorite polls.

• The "Moon Knight" producers are moving on to "Fantastic Four" next.

• Sam Raimi won't direct Tom Holland's "Spider-Man 4."

• "The Boys" season 3 gets a poster ahead of Monday's trailer. 

• All that and more!

The Ninja Turtles Get A Friday The 13th Mash-Up

The folks at Nickelodeon decided to have a little but of fun with the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" today, which just so happens to be Friday the 13th. As we can see in the above artwork, the heroes in a half-shell were given a bit of a horror treatment with Casey Jones looming large, clearly meant to call to mind Jason Voorhees, the machete-wielding killer from the "Friday the 13th" films. Well played, Nickelodeon social media team.

Is This Why Legends Of Tomorrow And Batwoman Were Canceled?

The CW recently decided to cancel a ton of shows, with "Legends of Tomorrow" and "Batwoman" amongst the many series that didn't make the cut for renewals. So, why did the network cancel these shows? Well, The Hollywood Reporter states that "the leases on the soundstages for both DC Comics dramas was up and producers Warner Bros. TV did not want to extend them." That certainly accounts for at least one piece of the puzzle -- but is it the whole puzzle? It seems hard to imagine that a sound stage lease was the only thing keeping two shows from returning to the air. But this at least sheds some light on the situation.

The Flash Season 8 Into The Still Force Promo

Here is the official promo for the 15th episode of the eighth season of "The Flash" on The CW:

The Flash (Grant Gustin) gets an assist from XS (guest star Jessica Parker Kennedy). Meanwhile, CCPD enlists Chester (Brandon McKnight) for help when a mysterious device is found at a crime scene.

Eric Wallace directed the episode, which was written by Lauren Barnett and Christina M. Walker.

Moon Knight Producers Are Doing Marvel's Fantastic Four Movie Next

Marvel Studios has an interesting way of doing things. A producer is assigned a single project to work on at one time, and they see that project through to the end. With that in mind, the folks at ComicBook.com have some interesting news as producers Grant Curtis and Nick Pepin are moving on from "Moon Knight" and right into the upcoming "Fantastic Four" reboot. The news was confirmed by series head writer Jeremy Slater.

"My execs on Moon Knight are the same guys who are running Fantastic Four, so we had a lot of talks about it. I was like, 'I'm not going to pitch you for anything, because honestly you don't need my stink on it.'"

This tells us that one, Marvel Studios has faith in Curtis and Pepin as producers and two, "Fantastic Four" is clearly a top priority with them shifting to work on the long-awaited reboot. Now the big question is, who is going to direct it now that Jon Watts has departed the project? We may know sooner rather than later with the pieces seemingly coming together on the chessboard.

Psylocke Figure From Sideshow Collectibles

The folks at Sideshow Collectibles have unveiled a new Marvel collaboration in the form of a premium format figure depicting the mutant Psylocke. General audiences will likely know her from Oliva Munn's portrayal in 2016's "X-Men: Apocalypse." But this figure is more rooted in the comics and, for those who are interested, it is available for pre-order now and retails for a cool $625. Interested parties can get full details or pre-order by clicking here.

Sam Raimi Won't Direct Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4 For A Charming Reason

Sam Raimi, director of the original "Spider-Man" trilogy, recently made his return to superhero filmmaking with "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." But does he have a future with the franchise? Raimi recently spoke with The Los Angeles Times and the subject of him possibly directing Tom Holland's inevitable fourth "Spider-Man" film came up. Raimi, however, dismissed that idea, and it all has to do with Tobey Maguire.

"I love Spider-Man. And I love Tom Holland in the role. [But] if I made a Spider-Man movie, it would probably have to be with Tobey or he'd break my neck."

As tongue-in-cheek as this is, it's also quite charming. Maguire is Raimi's Spidey and since they never got to make their version of "Spider-Man 4," it might feel wrong of him to tackle the franchise with a different actor in the role. Here's hoping he and Maguire reunite elsewhere within the Spider-Verse.

Zack Snyder Fans Rigged The Oscars Fan Favorite And Cheer Moment Awards

This year's Oscars attempted to get some engagement from film fans who might not otherwise care about awards shows by including a couple of awards that were voted on by movie lovers on Twitter. This resulted in Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead" winning the Fan Favorite award, whereas the Cheer Moment went to Flash entering the Speedforce from "Justice League."

However, a new report from The Wrap indicates that fans of Snyder used automated online bot accounts to help push the vote in favor of these films. For now, it remains unclear if any investigation will take place on The Academy's part though that seems unlikely. These awards didn't actually come with an Oscar, as they were merely included as part of the ceremony. Still, it colors a couple of strange moments from this year's ceremony, bathing them in an ugly light.

The Boys Season 3 Gets An Interesting Poster, Trailer Drops Monday

Lastly, "The Boys" season 3 has received a new poster but a unique one at that, as this appears to be for an in-universe thing titled "Payback." The caption provided states that this "may or may not" make more sense once the trailer drops on Monday. The big thing there is that fans can expect a trailer come Monday, so be on the lookout for that. As for the poster, Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy is out front and center, and he figures to be a big part of the new season. We'll be sure to bring the trailer your way as soon as it drops on Monday but, for now, be sure to check out the new poster for yourself above.

Read this next: The 15 Best Batman: The Animated Series Episodes

The post Superhero Bits: The Zack Snyder Oscars Controversy, The Boys Season 3 Poster & More appeared first on /Film.

Tyler Hoechlin is a busy guy. Not only is he currently starring on "Superman & Lois," but he's going to be returning to reprise the role of Derek Hale in the upcoming "Teen Wolf: The Movie," according to TV Line. The film will continue the story of the series "Teen Wolf," which ran on MTV from 2011-2017.

Hoechlin isn't returning alone. Also in the upcoming Paramount+ film are Tyler Posey, Holland Roden, Crystal Reed, Shelley Hennig, Linden Ashby, Orny Adams, JR Bourne, Colton Haynes, Ryan Kelley, Melissa Ponzio, Ian Bohen, Khylin Rhambo, and Dylan Sprayberry. In addition, Vince Mattis will play the role of Eli Hale, the 15-year-old son of Hoechlin's character. 

Superwolf

Though I didn't watch the series, I couldn't help but be aware of it. I did watch the 1985 film starring Michael J. Fox. Stop laughing, because everyone had a thing for gentle supernatural comedy back then. I do know that the series was very different. It just wasn't in my viewing rotation when it was out.

Dylan O'Brien is one main cast member that isn't coming back for the movie to reprise the role of Stiles Stilinski, though he's wished the returning cast members well on the project. We don't have a release date for the Paramount+ film yet other than the fact that it will be sometimes in 2022, but we do have a synopsis. The new chapter for the "Teen Wolf" gang will take place just after the end of the sixth season of the series. Here is the info for you:

"...a terrifying evil has emerged in the town of Beacon Hills. The wolves are howling once again, calling for the return of Banshees, Werecoyotes, Hellhounds, Kitsunes, and every other shapeshifter in the night. But only a Werewolf like Scott McCall, no longer a teenager yet still an Alpha, can gather both new allies and reunite trusted friends to fight back against what could be the most powerful and deadliest enemy they've ever faced."

I guess I wasn't as aware of the doings of this series as I thought I was. Werecoyotes? Kitsunes? Huh. It sounds like I have to do a marathon before "Teen Wolf: The Movie" comes out on Paramount+. The show did win 13 Teen Choice Awards. I'm a sucker for a "terrifying evil," and this sounds extremely weird. I like weird. 

Read this next: 14 Remakes That Are Better Than The Original

The post Tyler Hoechlin to Reprise His Role as Derek Hale for Teen Wolf: The Movie appeared first on /Film.

Love and marriage, love and marriage ... go together like a horse and carriage ... The theme song to "Married... with Children" has lived rent-free in my mind since childhood, when I would catch reruns of the hit Fox TV series on my tube TV late at night, adjusting the foil-covered antenna for better reception. Because it's 2022 and everything old is new again, there's a new "Married... with Children" in the works, reuniting the dysfunctional fictional Bundy family for the first time since the series went off the air (though the cast reunited in 2012 for Fox's 25th anniversary celebration). 

According to Deadline, an animated series with original stars Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate, Ed O'Neill, and David Faustino is being pitched to networks and streamers, written by "Family Guy" executive producer Alex Carter, who will be the series showrunner. 

Bringing Back The Bundys

The folks at Sony Pictures Television, which owns and distributes the original series, have apparently been working on the new series for over a year. It was important to have the original four members of the Bundy clan involved, so they made sure to close deals with the funny four before looking for a home for the show. "Married... With Children" followed the Bundy family of Chicago, Illinois, led by perpetually lazy patriarch Al (O'Neill), who works as a women's shoe salesman despite really hating women. His wife, Peggy (Sagal) would often beg him for money and attention, while their children Kelly (Applegate) and Bud (Faustino) were regularly getting into some kind of trouble that dear old Dad wanted no part of. 

The series debuted in 1987 and ran for 10 years and 11 seasons, serving as a kind of counter-offering to loving sitcom families on other networks. It was one of the first scripted original series on Fox, which in 1987 was still a new network, and its boundary-pushing, provocative comedy helped make the channel stand out from its competitors. The series was created by Michael G. Moye and the late Ron Leavitt, and though some of its episodes have aged poorly, its willingness to test the boundaries of good taste meant that a lot of the bits are still bitingly funny today. "Married... with Children" is still popular in syndication and on streaming, so talks of a follow-up have been around for some time. Part of the problem with making a full-blown revival happen was the casts' busy schedules, but an animated series helped make that revival a possibility. After all, lines can be recorded just about anywhere. There's no word yet on where the "Married... with Children" series will air, though its original home on Fox is a possibility, as are Hulu and Peacock, where the reruns currently stream. Regardless of where it ends up, I can't wait to spend more time with Peggy, Kelly, Al, and Bud, and see just how warped their view of 2022 happens to be. 

Read this next: 12 Shows Like Stranger Things You Definitely Need To Stream

The post An Animated Married... with Children Revival is in the Works with the Original Cast on Board appeared first on /Film.

We lost one of the all-time great character actors today, as the consistently fantastic Fred Ward passed away at the age of 79. For just shy of 50 years, Ward performed across just about every genre possible on both the big and small screens. Trying to encapsulate someone's life's work with a short listicle is already an impossible task, made even more difficult when there's a multitude of incredible performances to choose from. You could ask anyone to name Fred Ward's five best roles, and every single choice would be correct. Whether it's the farcical comedy of "Big Business" or the hard-to-find NC-17 "Henry & June," Fred Ward could truly do it all, and did so with ease. And so, in honor of his memory, we're highlighting five of his very best roles, and where you can watch them to say farewell to a beloved favorite.

The Right Stuff

Adapted from the Tom Wolfe novel of the same name, "The Right Stuff" looks at the early years of America's space program, and the so-called Mercury Seven astronauts. The film highlights the dangers, difficulties, and frustrations NASA endured in the early years of space travel, as well as the interpersonal issues put upon the astronauts' families during a time of great political unrest as well as massive social and technological changes. Ward plays the real-life Gus Grissom, adding a level of humanity to a man that many criticized after the Mercury-Redstone 4 made a splash landing and sank. The man was in danger of drowning and yet everyone blamed him for the mission's failure. Ward's performance is compelling, to say the least, but he helped position Grissom in a more nuanced and empathetic light.

"The Right Stuff" is currently available to stream on HBO Max.

Tremors 2: Aftershocks

It may sound sacrilegious to recommend "Tremors 2: Aftershocks" over the original "Tremors" movie, but "Aftershocks" is truly Ward's film. He returns as the lovable Earl Bassett, who has been hired to deal with a subterranean infestation of Graboids (that's the name of the actual monsters in "Tremors") at a Mexican oilfield. Bacon didn't return to reprise his role as Val McKee in order to star in "Apollo 13," which allowed Ward to take on a starring solo performance. In quite possibly the best possible decision, Bassett recruits Michael Gross' Burt Gummer to join him on his mission, setting him up to take over for the rest of the franchise. "Tremors 2: Aftershocks" may have gone direct-to-video, but it is a worthy successor to the original film, namely because of Ward and Gross' delightful performances and the introduction of the above-ground-Graboids known as "Shriekers." If you love the original "Tremors" but have been wary about the rest of the franchise, take solace in knowing that the sequel is just as fun as the original.

You can catch "Tremors 2: Aftershocks" on Starz or the Starz premium add-on through Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Hulu, Sling, and others.

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

There's an untrue assumption that in order for a film to be successful, it must be profitable, which is probably why "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" is still criminally underseen. Ward stars in the titular role as a New York police officer who awakens after a mysterious accident with a new identity, new face, and a new mission as part of a secret unit deployed to investigate a dangerous industrialist. He's taught martial arts to become an assassin, and watching Ward transform into an action star is an absolute joy. For the most part, "Remo Williams" was supposed to be America's answer to James Bond, but it does follow the unfortunate trend of treating Asian martial arts masters as an offensive mystical stereotype, which is something worth calling out. Based on the series of "The Destroyer" paperback novels, "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" may not have fared well at the box office, but it remains one of the best showcases of Ward's immeasurable talent.

"Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" is available to watch on Tubi

Miami Blues

Ward thrived in genre-bending films, and the neo-noir, black comedy, crime drama "Miami Blues" is no exception. Full disclosure, I almost highlighted his film noir/creature feature performance in HBO's "Cast a Deadly Spell," but that film features an unforgivable moment of transphobia that sours the fun of the rest of the film. "Miami Blues," on the other hand, hasn't aged nearly as poorly. Ward plays Sgt. Hoke Moseley, who is trying his hardest to bring to justice the sociopath Frederick J. Frenger Jr. (Alec Baldwin) who was recently released from prison and can't seem to keep himself out of trouble. Ward's comedic chops effortlessly weave with his tough-as-nails detective performance and keeps the tone of the film fun and inviting despite the fact Baldwin murders like ... a lot of people.

"Miami Blues" is available for free on Tubi TV and PlutoTV.

The Prince Of Pennsylvania

I'm a sucker for a good "bad dad" performance and Fred Ward gives one of the best in the forgotten gem "The Prince of Pennsylvania." Ward plays a real hardass jerk whose wife is cheating on him and his son (Keanu Reeves with a hilariously bad wannabe punk haircut) is disillusioned by the life his father has set up for him. After falling in love with an older woman, his son decides that he's going to kidnap his dad and steal his money as a way to set up for the future he wants. Critics hated the film, with Roger Ebert saying the flick "forces realistic characters into an absurd plot, and expects us to accept the plot because we believe in the characters." No shade to the critic king, but that's exactly why this movie works. Ward and Reeves make every moment count, and no line is too absurd for them not to make work. Ward is committed to the absurdity of the plot, with an especially great moment screaming about Cheez-Whiz while his kidnapper wears a cheap Freddy Krueger mask. It rules.  

Okay, so, "The Prince of Pennsylvania" isn't streaming anywhere for free, but this movie is one that no one ever talks about and is definitely worth the Apple TV+ or Prime Video rental fee of $1.99.

Read this next: /Film's Top 10 Movies Of 2021

The post 5 of Fred Ward's Best Roles, and Where You Can Watch Them appeared first on /Film.

As an adult, I’ve often desired to retreat to a time when I possessed a child-like wonder towards the world. Where I was enveloped by innocence and unaware of what was to come. Unfortunately, life isn’t rainbows and butterflies. Eventually, we all enter adulthood and those perfect, untarnished moments begin to fade away. In Eskil Vogt‘s latest film, THE INNOCENTS, he explores the concept of morality and the loss of innocence when a group of children becomes aware that they possess special powers.

In THE INNOCENTS, we meet four children, Ida, Anna, Aisha, and Ben, who during the summer holiday form a friendship with one another. Out of sight from the adults, they discover they have hidden powers. While exploring their newfound abilities in the nearby forest and playgrounds, their innocent play takes a dark turn and strange, insidious things begin to happen.

You know a movie has made a lasting impression when you can’t shake it off. That was my experience with THE INNOCENTS. Not only is it one of the best films of the year but it’s also a film that will leave its mark on all those who watch it. On the surface, THE INNOCENTS look harmless. Drenched in a summertime glow, lush foliage, and blue skies, it’s hard to imagine the horrors that are about to unfold. The deeper the film goes, the more that sense of comfort and safety begins to dissipate only to be replaced with a darker, more dangerous situation.

The film primarily focuses on the relationship between Ida and Anna. They are sisters and what becomes apparent early on in the film is Ida’s tightrope walk with morality. Anna has regressive autism and is non-verbal, and Ida resents her because she doesn’t receive the same type of attention from her parents that Anna does. In response, Ida pushes the boundaries by inflicting pain upon her sister as revenge. When Ida meets Ben, another kid who lives in their apartment complex, they quickly form a friendship. But when Ben starts exhibiting alarming behavioral tendencies and then starts focusing them on Anna, Ida finds herself at a crossroads between right and wrong and good vs evil.

On the other hand, we have Anna and Aisha who form an unbreakable bond. As mentioned before, Anna is non-verbal and autistic, but is able to have her words flow through Aisha as a conduit of sorts. Their relationship is pure and gentle, though Anna does possess a strong power, something that we see come into focus the further into the story we get. What I appreciate about this movie is that we really get to know these characters. With them breaking off into pairs, it allows the audience to form a deeper connection to who these children are. It’s almost like we are bystanders eavesdropping on a secret conversation that we aren’t supposed to be a part of.

For such young actors, ranging from ages 7to 11 years old, each and every one of them performed superbly. Special mention goes to both Alva Brynsmo Ramstad (“Anna”) and Sam Ashraf (“Ben”) for their performances as they navigated the more complex and disturbing elements of the film. However, I do need to mention one concern and that’s with the portrayal of the autistic character, Anna. A part of me wonders why an older autistic child wasn’t considered for the role in order to give a more accurate portrayal of the character. Additionally, the trope of autistic individuals having superpowers is overdone and only reinforces the notion that autistic people are only valued when they possess special abilities. Though I know Vogt was coming from a good place and spent time with families of autistic children while also deep-diving into research on regressive autism, this is still an issue that should be discussed so that in the future there is better representation that doesn’t slide back into these tropes.

Though considered a horror movie, THE INNOCENTS doesn’t follow the traditional beats of most scary films. Instead, it finds itself comfortably in the “art-house horror” sub-genre. Vogt is more focused on a slow build of dread and discomfort as opposed to jump scares and gore. That being said, the film does have a scene that features one of the most brutal animal deaths I’ve ever seen on screen. Surprisingly, it’s not there for shock value but instead used as a powerful and pivotal element that sets the course for what’s to come. It’s a moment that one can never come back from and we are witness to how that impacts the entire group. But be forewarned, it’s incredibly difficult to watch especially if you are a cat-lover.

THE INNOCENTS is a study on the loss of innocence, the delicate area between childhood and adulthood, and the secrets of children, all set against the backdrop of an “elevated” horror film. Beautifully constructed, Vogt leans into the stunning visuals and then juxtaposes them with disturbing imagery. Outside my concerns about how the character of Anna is presented, THE INNOCENTS is an unyielding tale of morality that’ll have you never looking at children the same again.

THE INNOCENTS is now available in select theaters and everywhere you rent movies from IFC Midnight.

The post [Movie Review] THE INNOCENTS appeared first on Nightmarish Conjurings.

In the leaked Supreme Court draft that reverses Roe v. Wade, Justice Alito defends the majority opinion by saying the Constitution does not mention abortion. But the constitution doesn't mention women at all. When it was written, women were considered the property of white male landowners, the only people who counted in America at the time. — Read the rest

Music fans have argued for decades about the origin of punk music, with some claiming it began in New York City with the Ramones, while others claim it all began in London with the Sex Pistols. Though they both originated in the mid-1970s, it's impossible to deny the strong political statement of the Sex Pistols, whose songs were a primal scream against authority and commercialism. The Sex Pistols created a punk revolution in 1976 London that soon spread throughout the world, with an ethos that spits in the face of propriety and worships at the altar of anger. The band's lyrics pointed out the inequities of living in the U.K., and their hit "God Save the Queen" was banned by both the BBC and most independent radio stations, making it one of the most-banned songs in U.K. history. The wild ride of the Sex Pistols was over almost as soon as it began, however, as band in-fighting and rampant drug use led their chaos to become truly destructive. By the time bassist Sid Vicious was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen and then found dead himself a few months later in 1979, the band was already headed for the end. 

The new FX limited series "Pistol" tells the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols, based largely on the memoir "Lonely Boy: Tales From a Sex Pistol" by founding member and guitarist Steve Jones. It follows Jones (played by Toby Wallace) as he forms his band with the help of manager Malcolm McLaren (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and counter-culture fashion icon Vivienne Westwood (Talulah Riley). He soon teams up with John Lydon (Anson Boon), who changes his name to Johnny Rotten and becomes the band's explosive lead singer. Paul Cook (Jacob Slater) is their hardworking drummer, and Glen Matlock (Christian Lees) is the original bass guitarist who doesn't quite fit the Pistols' look and is replaced by Rotten's old friend, Sid Vicious (Louis Partridge). The who's-who of the 1970s London punk scene are all here, including The Pretenders' lead singer and guitarist Chrissie Hynde (Sydney Chandler), fashion and punk political protester Jordan (Maisie Williams), and New York groupie-slash-heroin-hookup Nancy Spungen (Emma Appleton). 

The six-episode limited series is directed by Danny Boyle, who more than proved he understands the punk ethos with his seminal 1996 film "Trainspotting." The series was created by Craig Pearce, best known for his work creating "Romeo + Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge!" with director Baz Luhrman. "Pistol" is a wildly kinetic, often brutal depiction of the three years of the Sex Pistol's reign, showcasing the highs and lows of leading the punk revolution. It's loud, chaotic, and extremely messy, just like the Pistols themselves. (It should be noted that Rotten tried to sue the other surviving members of the band, who are involved in the series, to not use the Pistol's music but a judge found in favor of the rest of the Pistols, so there are lots of great Sex Pistols music in the series and it's mostly approved by the band.)

Never Mind The Bollocks...

There's no shortage of great media digging into the debauchery of the Sex Pistols, like the 1986 biopic "Sid and Nancy" and the 2000 documentary "The Filth and the Fury," but this is the first time the story has felt truly personal or relatable. By following Jones, one of the less rambunctious members of the band, the audience is provided a window into this wild world. Wallace plays him with a kind of tortured boy-next-door vibe, a surprisingly sensitive lad despite his Jim Morrison-esque coif and tendency to wear lots of leather. He develops a close friendship with Hynde when she teaches him how to be better at guitar, and Wallace and Chandler have killer chemistry that's especially evident when their friendship turns into something more. Chandler in particular is a standout as Hynde, who serves as one of the anchors that the chaotic Pistols swirl around. There are plenty of opportunities to reduce the women of this story to tropes, and thankfully the series doesn't do that. They are each complex, nuanced individuals, just like their male counterparts. Even Spungen has moments of depth, something rarely afforded her in other retellings that only show her at her most depraved.

The series progresses chronologically, for the most part, starting with the formation of the band and Jones' introduction to McLaren, Westwood, and the rest of the SEX crew. SEX was Westwood and McLaren's punk fetish boutique, offering latex and leather clothes that would give the Queen a sheer heart attack. Westwood would go on to be a world-recognized fashion designer, but when she was lending her outfits to the Pistols and their groupies in order to get them seen, she was still just beginning her career. When everyone's just starting out, there's a whimsical quality to the series, as if it's a coming-of-age story told through the greasy lens of punk rock. 

There are moments where the horrific reality of being poor and disenfranchised in 1970s England becomes all too real, though, reminding the audience that the controversial lyrics and provocative outfits mean something. A powerful subplot follows Pauline (Bianca Stephens), a young woman who was raped by one of the staff in a mental institution and then forced to have an abortion. She becomes the inspiration for the Sex Pistol's song "Bodies," and her interactions with the various counter-culture characters give us great insight into who they really are, while also showing the true depths of disenfranchisement in the U.K. Pauline and Rotten have a kind of beautiful friendship, and the way the two highlight the full spectrum of poverty and mistreatment by the system is brilliant. 

The performances really sell the characters, especially in their more extreme moments. Everyone gives it their all, though Boon steals every scene he's in as the near-feral Johnny Rotten. He's a spark plug, a lightning strike, a bolt of pure energy delivered unto the world to shake it up and tell us all what's what. Though many people only know Rotten through his on-stage persona and performances, where he's a spitting, fighting maniac, the series shows him with a softer side, too. He's angry because he gives a damn, and that empathy is what makes the music matter. 

No Future For Me

One thing that's important to remember about the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols is that most of the band members were rather young. Vicious was only 21 when he died, and the rest of the band were similarly in their early twenties. They were barely young adults, fresh out of adolescence and trying to survive in a real meat-grinder of a world. It's no wonder that several members turned to drugs and alcohol to chase away their pain, though the series wisely doesn't glorify these moments. Some of the early partying is depicted as simply youthful exploration and celebration, but once the drugs and alcohol become an escape, the tone changes drastically. The hopelessness of being poor and uneducated really starts to set in, even among these infamous rock stars. 

The romance between Sid and Nancy is one of the most well-known parts of the Pistols' story, a tragic love that feels ripped from Shakespeare. The series handles it delicately, portraying them as two lost souls who found one another, for better and worse. Because Nancy's murder was never solved, the series guesses at what actually happened based on the testimony of other band members and a hotel clerk, and it paints Sid in a fairly sympathetic light. Nancy is also sympathetic, a deeply damaged young woman that decided to fight back. One moment where Nancy thanks Hynde for being the first person to ever show her kindness is heart-wrenching, especially when we know how it all ends. 

What's especially impressive is that on top of depicting these larger-than-life characters in ways that actually feel relatable, the series is so steeped in punk rock aesthetics that it feels like stepping sideways through time. Boyle and his team have recreated the look and feel of the late 1970s and early 1980s not only through costuming and production design, but through cinematography as well. There are lots of bold cuts, awkward angles, and film effects that make the footage look older and dirtier. This isn't a simple noise filter, but feels baked in from the start. The music also feels as if it were considered from the very beginning, and there aren't any weird or unnecessary needle drops, just some great concert recreation footage and some neat compilations of the fictional version of the band alongside archival footage of the real thing. 

"Pistol" is a feral scream against the establishment that feels timely despite being about events that took place more than 40 years ago. Some things change, but apparently, the need for punk remains the same. The series ends on a surprisingly hopeful note, given the tragedy of it all, and it's a great reminder that rebellion is something that starts inside of us all. Never mind the bollocks, and make sure to check out "Pistol" when all six episodes drop on Hulu on May 31, 2022.

/Film Rating: 9 out of 10

"Pistol" premieres Tuesday, May 31, 2022, with a full season drop on Hulu.

Read this next: The 19 Greatest Movie Couples Of All Time Ranked

The post Pistol Review: A Punk Rock Miniseries as Raw and Powerful as the Band that Inspired It appeared first on /Film.

At the end of 2019, writer/director Lulu Wang's film "The Farewell" had made its way onto multiple critics' top-ten lists, and it was even a favorite of former POTUS Barack Obama. A gentle, sad, sweet film, "The Farewell" tell the story of a young woman named Billi (Awkwafina) who has just been rejected for a Guggenheim Fellowship and  finds herself adrift. When she receives news that her grandmother Nai Nai (Zhao Shu-zhen) is dying, she goes to China to say farewell. Given the nature of her family, however, Nai Nai has not been told of her prognosis, and Billi is asked to keep the grim truth hidden. The rest of the film is a tragicomic series of excuses to throw big farewell parties for a placid and kind grandma and trying to keep her away from the phone in case the doctor calls. 

Because Nai Nai is unaware of her fate, her casual and kind advice is finally and profoundly listened to. "The Farewell" climaxes when Billi tells Nai Nai of her failure at Guggenheim, and her grandmother compares her to a bull ramming its horns repeatedly into the corner of a room. To be clear, she tells Billi not to get hung up on what she hasn't accomplished. It's a moment of deep compassion and understanding in a film full of emotional warmth, honest sadness, and eventual hope and sunlight. Awkwafina's performance was so striking that it earned her a Golden Globe and much more awards recognition otherwise. 

Awkwafina's acclaimed performance actually came as quite a surprise to Wang herself. While "The Farewell" is her sixth acting credit, Awkwafina was still better known in 2019 for her rap videos and raunchy humor. In a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, Wang pointed out that when she was casting "The Farewell," neither "Crazy Rich Asians" nor "Ocean's 8" had been released yet, making Awkwafina's "My Vag" music video the thing she was best known for. When Wang heard that Awkwafina wanted to read for the part of Billi, she was a little taken aback. 

'The Girl Who Did 'My Vag' Wants To Read For This?!'

If Awkwafina was interested, Wang was concerned that her script was being read as a farce. Awkwafina had previously played herself in the MTV series "Girl Code" and had a voice role in the animated comedy "Storks," so Wang was concerned her reputation wouldn't be good for the movie. The filmmaker recalled:

"I think my reaction was, 'The girl who did 'My Vag"'wants to read for this?!' She'd finished 'Crazy Rich Asians' but it hadn't come out. I don't think she'd done 'Ocean's 8.' I just knew her music videos, because my brother was a fan. When they suggested her, the first thought I had was, 'Guys, I thought we were on the same page here. No broad comedy!'"

As the Rolling Stone interview points out, Wang and Awkwafina actually had a lot in common. They were both raised primarily by Chinese grandmothers, and both of them understood the half-in-half-out nature of the Chinese American experience. In China, they are seen as too American, and in America, they are seen as too Chinese. Awkwafina was sent a few scenes to read and sent Wang videos of her audition. Wang was startled at how good a job she did, projecting her natural New York roots while also meshing well with the outsider vibe her character had:

"And when you saw how wonderfully raw she was, how she just sort of oozed Queens, it was like, 'Oh, she could be the black sheep of this family, easily,' Energetically, she wasn't going to fit in with everybody else. That was the contrast we needed."

Real Acting

Wang explained further in a separate interview she had with Screen Daily. talking about how Billi needed to be a character, and that "The Farewell" should not become a vehicle for a star's personality. "The Farewell" was a personal project for Wang, as it was based on her own true story (she had previously told the story on an episode of "This American Life"). While Wang appreciated Awkwafina's enthusiasm, it would take proof to see if she could play the part: 

"Someone can be passionate about the role but you don't know how they come across on screen. I didn't know if she could do a dramatic part. She sent in a scene, and it felt very lived-in. It wasn't like somebody acting, I felt like I saw Billi on screen."

Billi was a bit of a challenge for both Wang and for Awkwafina. Billi was based on Wang, but had to emerge as a complete character otherwise. This meant that Billi had to become Awkwafina's creation, forcing a balance between the performer and her established personality. Awkwafina was, in short, required to really act. Luckily, Wang had some advice for her: 

"I just told her this clearly, 'Don't think about this as playing me. Billi is not me, so don't study me. Dig up your feelings from yourself in her, your feelings about family.'

And that's how Awkwafina was able to deliver what will undoubtedly be one of the best performances of her career.

"The Farewell" is available to stream on Kanopy, Fubo, Showtime, DirecTV, and Spectrum. Awkwafina's next film will be "Renfield," due in theaters April 14, 2023. Meanwhile, Wang is currently working on the TV series "Expats," starring Nicole Kidman and set to debut on Amazon Video.

Read this next: The Best Movies Of 2021

The post Awkwafina's Audition For The Farewell Wasn't What Lulu Wang Was Expecting appeared first on /Film.

If you’ve ever wondered how you’d fare in the stressful circumstances of a failing spaceship, new space survival simulation game Tin Can helps you find out. Soaring through space in the titular Tin Can, a tiny escape pod full of failing systems, you must manage your power resources and shift components around in an attempt to keep yourself alive until you can reach safety.

Forced to evacuate from a colony transport ship, you are left drifting in your pod with no sign of rescue. Much like popular space game FTL: Faster Than Light, you must now decide which systems are crucial for your survival at any one time. Can you afford to switch off the emergency lights to make sure the oxygen generator stays up and running? Is it okay to disable temperature control to ensure that the radiation shielding is solid?

Your character, controlled from a first-person perspective, will suffer what developer Tin Can Studio describes as ‘real medical symptoms’ as a result of problems aboard the ship, rather than relying on heath bars to determine your current status. A lack of oxygen, for example, will make the player breathe faster and will also cause your vision to blur and your movements to slow until you eventually lose consciousness.

RELATED LINKS: Best space games, Best survival games, Best simulation games

In a world driven almost exclusively by a cycle of regenerating IP, you're bound to see your favorite franchise reboot itself at least once in your lifetime. Such is the case with "Star Trek," which has effectively resurrected its "Original Series" characters twice: in J.J. Abrams' alternate reality-set "Trek" films, and in the shows "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." That means that there are at least three interpretations of Captain James T. Kirk — and of his first officer, Spock.

This has become a prickly subject for some fans, especially those protective over the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, and his formidable legacy. Nimoy will always be the OG, but that doesn't mean that Zachary Quinto and Ethan Peck — his successors in the Abramsverse and in the prime timeline shows, respectively — aren't worth celebrating in kind. The truth is, the "Trek" universe has been careful when it comes to Spock. They don't take Nimoy's legacy lightly, and neither do Quinto and Peck. 

Nimoy Laid The Foundation

It's hard to find any fault in Nimoy's interpretation of Spock, given that the character wouldn't exist at all without the late actor. Nimoy was the inspiration behind Spock's most iconic quirks, even providing the inspiration for the Vulcan salute and efficient nerve pinch. But there are quite a few intangible reasons why Spock has become such a timeless figure, and most of them can be traced back to Nimoy's grounded, gentle approach to the character.

There's a reason why Spock — and, by extension, Nimoy — resonates with so many people. He's an outcast wherever he goes: his half-human heritage makes him an aberration on Vulcan, and his staunch constraint over his emotions has the same effect on the U.S.S. Enterprise. He's constantly at war with himself, struggling to reconcile his two identities, but Nimoy lent such a dignity and grace to the character that one hardly notices — except, of course, in episodes that used that conflict as a conceit.

The Spock of the original series is rarely entirely aloof or entirely reliant on his emotions. He does lose control every once in a while, as seen in episodes like "Amok Time," but he strives to express the best parts of his humanity in tandem with the virtues of logic whenever possible. He knows himself, he knows his duty, and he's resigned to it, but rarely with any bitterness or regret. He's essentially the best of two worlds, and on a show that leaned into the psychedelic camp of the '70s, Spock was more than a straight man. He was the heart of "The Original Series," and he'd go on to represent the franchise at its absolute best.

Zachary Quinto Explored New Territory

When it comes to Spock, Leonard Nimoy left some truly massive shoes to fill. Taking on such an enigmatic character couldn't have been an easy task for Zachary Quinto. Fortunately for him, Nimoy personally approved of his casting, and was there to answer any questions he had about Spock when preparing for the "Star Trek" reboot.

Not every Trekkie is a fan of Abrams' reimagined Enterprise crew, but Quinto's Spock is both a comfortable reminder of the past (especially when he and Nimoy's Spock meet face to face) and a fresh take on what makes the character so compelling. One notable change in the Kelvin timeline is Spock's more volatile nature: What was once a mostly-internalized conflict between his human and Vulcan halves plays out ostensibly throughout the "Trek" reboot. Quinto's Spock may be the most soulful and soft-spoken, but his grasp on his emotions is precarious at best. His adventures on the Enterprise force him to reckon with all kinds of devastating emotions, some of them beyond even his understanding.

We've seen Spock lose control before, but usually while under the influence of one alien substance or another. In "Star Trek," he's grappling with the destruction of his planet, the loss of his mother, and an interspecies relationship all at the same time. To see his depth of emotion brought to the surface so organically, and by way of Quinto's fierce commitment, is always such a treat. Quinto really does capture the essence of the man that Nimoy built from the ground up, and he doesn't seem afraid to inform the character with a few of his own experiences too.

Ethan Peck Forged A Path On His Own

Unlike Quinto, Ethan Peck was pretty much on his own when it came to his version of Spock. His casting in "Star Trek: Discovery" was announced three years after the death of Leonard Nimoy, and almost a decade after Quinto first delivered his own take on Spock. Peck would have two previous versions of the character to contend with, but also two versions that could inform his own.

Peck's approach to the character was a strategic, moment-to-moment exploration, a process that he detailed to /Film's Jacob Hall:

"In the beginning, when I was working on 'Discovery' ... it was really kind of like, who am I speaking to? Am I feeling open with them? Is this a moment of pure logic? Is this a time to be emotionless and calculating, coldly so? Or is this a moment with Michael Burnham, let's say, or Captain Pike, when I can be a little bit more expressive and let something through, or can't help myself but to let something through?"

Peck puts a lot of work into his version of Spock, and it definitely shows ... not in a bad way, of course. It's more like Peck has absorbed everything he could from Nimoy, distilled the essence of his Spock, and let it live on in his own performance. That Peck is portraying a younger version of the character definitely softens the blow of any discrepancies — but for the record, there are very, very few.

Peck has a ways to go (roughly ten in-universe years) before he becomes the Spock of the "Original Series," and watching him bridge that gap bit by bit is insanely gratifying. It goes to show that different or new isn't necessarily bad, and the same can be said for Quinto's Spock. It's not about doing a parody of Nimoy, but about keeping his legacy fresh and alive. The character can evolve without tarnishing the work that came before. And by that logic, there is no "bad" or even "lesser" Spock: Just different Spocks for different times. 

Read this next: The 14 Best Sci-Fi Shows On Amazon Prime

The post There Has Never Been a Bad Spock Actor appeared first on /Film.

Before his untimely death last September at the age of 61, comedian Norm Macdonald filmed a final stand-up special in his living room. The one-hour special, shot in a single take, will be released on Netflix on May 30, 2022, under the title of "Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special."

While it's not unusual for musicians or actors to release work posthumously, it's something of a rarity for a deceased comedian to have a special come out like this. Macdonald had an existing relationship with Netflix, which was the platform for his talk show, "Norm Macdonald Has a Show." His producing partner, Lori Jo Hoekstra, who worked with him on that show and his ABC sitcom, "Norm," revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that Macdonald has shot the special before he was hospitalized in 2020. Hoekstra said:

"His test results were not good, so during the heart of [the] pandemic and literally the night before going in for a procedure, he wanted to get this on tape just in case — as he put it — things went south. It was his intention to have a special to share if something happened."

'He Ended Up Watching It Before He Passed Away'

Macdonald was diagnosed with leukemia in 2012 but had not gone public with it, so it came as a shock to many when he suddenly passed. The "Saturday Night Live" alum and co-writer and star of the film "Dirty Work," directed by the late Bob Saget, was working on material for a new Netflix special and had hoped to shoot the material in front of a live audience. After his hospital procedure in 2020, he wound up shelving the footage until a year later when he became much more ill. Hoekstra explained to THR:

"He ended up getting sicker last August and September and he remembered he had shot this and asked me to find it so he could watch it. He ended up watching it before he passed away."

Hoekstra also highlighted the unprecedented nature of "Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special" as a posthumous release, saying, "From the various conversations I've had within our circle of friends in comedy and producing, no one has heard of any comparison to this [situation] — not even close." The special will feature clips of several other "SNL" alums, like Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, and David Spade, as well as high-profile comedians and talk show hosts such as Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, and Conan O'Brien, paying tribute to Macdonald.

For fans of Macdonald and his characteristically dry sense of humor, "Nothing Special" presents one last chance to hear new material from him, and it's good to know that he was able to see the special and sign off on it before he passed. "He worked so hard," Hoekstra added, "and it really would've bothered him to have done all that work and not been able to show everybody."

"Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special" hits Netflix on Monday, May 30, 2022.

Read this next: The 13 Best Comedy Shows On Amazon Prime Right Now

The post Norm Macdonald Shot a Secret Netflix Stand-Up Special to Be Released After His Death appeared first on /Film.

Elon Musk has roiled today's pre-market trading session by placing his Twitter takeover deal on a temporary hold.

To wit, Twitter had estimated in a filing on Monday that false or spam accounts represented less than 5 percent of its 229 million monetizable daily users in Q1 2022.

Elon Musk cited Reuters' reporting on this matter to place the Twitter takeover deal on a hold today:

Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of usershttps://t.co/Y2t0QMuuyn

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2022

And the reaction from the market has been brutal, with Twitter shares having crashed over 20 percent at the time of writing.

Bear in mind that Hindenburg Research had revealed its short position on Twitter earlier this week, citing the probability of deal renegotiation.

Specifically, the short-seller believes that Twitter's offer price of $54.20 per share is chronically overvalued. The research house is betting on deal renegotiation, where Musk gets to utilize his substantial leverage to strike a much more aggressive bargain with Twitter's board. According to the tabulation by Hindenburg Research, Twitter's fair value was around $31.40 toward the start of this week. This meant that Musk's current offer price of $54.20 was overvalued by as much as 72 percent.

Crucially, Hindenburg Research believes that if the deal goes ahead in its present form, it will introduce nosebleed leverage of as much as 8.6x EBITDA. This would make a revival of the social media giant's financial health that much more challenging.

Today's development might be a ploy by Musk to pressure Twitter's board to accept a lower offer price, exactly as Hindenburg Research has theorized.

Readers should note that given the specter of sizable liquidation from Musk to finance his takeover deal of the social media giant, Tesla shares have been tanking of late, with the stock down over 17 percent in just the past 5 days alone. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that today's news is extracting a positive reaction on Tesla, with the stock currently up around 5 percent in early pre-market trading.

The post The Short-seller Hindenburg Research Was Right: Twitter Crashes as Elon Musk Puts Takeover Deal on Hold Amid Reports of Sizable Fake Accounts by Rohail Saleem appeared first on Wccftech.

Saber Interactive have launched their cinematic co-op survival horror Evil Dead: The Game today, Friday the 13th. No idea why they chose that date. Must be Bruce Campbell’s birthday or something.

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We’re heading into sunscreen season, and as we crack open those fresh bottles (or peel the wrapper off those spray cans) there are a bunch of myths about sunscreen that it’s time to leave behind. I’ll spoil the ending for you: Sunscreen works, and the best kind to use is the kind you’ll actually wear. But there are…

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No one is going to claim that the 2013 remake of "Carrie" is the best adaptation of Stephen King's 1974 novel of the same name. That slot is reserved for Brian De Palma's 1978 cinematic adaptation, with Sissy Spacek occupying the role of the eponymous telekinetic teen killer. But the charms of "Boys Don't Cry" director Kimberly Peirce's take on the blood-drenched prom queen can't be totally dismissed. For one, it has an absolutely stacked cast: Chloë Grace Moretz stars as the shy, sheltered Carrie White; Julianne Moore plays her unstable, ultra-religious mother Margaret; character actress supreme Judy Greer plays the sympathetic gym teacher Miss Desjardin.

As a whole, Peirce's film is a fairly loyal remake of De Palma's, with the only major detractions occurring during the film's very first and last few moments. We are introduced to Carrie not in the girl's locker room where she gets her first period, but rather during her birth. Margaret delivers Carrie alone in her bedroom, and at first plans on killing the infant. She quickly changes her mind, though, choosing instead to raise Carrie in a staunchly conservative household as penance for her sexual sins. This is why Carrie later freaks out when she gets her first period — her mother believes female sexuality is repugnant in all its expressions, and as such never informed her daughter of her body's biology. Her mother believes Carrie's menstruation has marked her for the devil, burgeoning telekinetic powers notwithstanding.

But what about the 2013 film's ending? Well, it turns out there are two versions out there. While the theatrical version is creepy in its own right, the alternate ending is a hellish nightmare vision that incorporates and revamps the very best aspects of De Palma's.

Carrie's Original Ending

Everyone knows how the rest of the story goes: Carrie endures ruthless bullying, religious torment, and is eventually doused in a bucket of pig's blood when the prom queen vote is rigged in her favor. A massacre ensues, Carrie killing her bullies and anyone who stands in her way before burning the entire school down. Unlike in Brian De Palma's version, Miss Desjardin is spared by Carrie instead of being cut in half by a falling basketball hoop. But all Carrie's enemies, including popular girl Chris (Portia Doubleday) and her boyfriend, Billy (Alex Russell), are ruthlessly killed using her paranormal abilities. She then turns her attention to Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde), one of her former bullies who persuaded her boyfriend, Tommy (Ansel Elgort), to take Carrie to prom in the first place. But when she senses Sue's sincere regret for what happened (along with the fact that Sue is currently pregnant), Carrie spares her as well. When the doomed prom queen arrives back home to wash off the blood — porcine and human — she is confronted by her mother, who stabs her in the back with a knife. Before she can cause more harm to her, Carrie remorsefully sends knives and other sharp objects hurling through the air, stabbing her mother to death. Her own stab wound proves to be fatal, though, and Carrie eventually succumbs to her injuries.

Feeling guilty about Carrie's demise and the cruel prank that set her off, Sue visits her former classmate's grave. It's been vandalized, with bright red graffiti reading "CARRIE WHITE BURNS IN HELL." Sue places a single white rose under the gravestone. As she walks away, the stone begins to crack and Carrie's anguished cry from beyond the grave can be heard.

This is where the story ends in the theatrical version of Peirce's adaptation. If this sounds underwhelming compared to King's paranormal state of emergency or De Palma's final jump scare, all you have to do is seek out the film's alternate ending for a truly chilling last scream.

The Chilling Alternate Ending

After she leaves Carrie's grave, the alternate ending flashes forward to the pregnant Sue's delivery day. In the hospital room about to give birth, she becomes instantly uneasy. "Something doesn't feel right," she says to the attending physician. She's told that everything will be okay and that she needs to focus on pushing. As she does so, it's clear she's in terrible distress, but her worries are dismissed, the doctors intuiting that she's simply unprepared for the reality of a natural delivery. "It hurts! Please help me," Sue cries. As the doctors practically hold her down, it appears she's finally given birth. But instead of a fresh-faced baby emerging from her womb, a blood-coated arm does. It's clear this is Carrie exacting her revenge, bending at the elbow to grab Sue's wrist as she screams in horror.

Then, there's another cut. Sue, still pregnant, shrieks and sobs in her bedroom. "It's okay," her mother says, holding her hysterical daughter. "Wake up, baby! It's over," she pleads. It's clear this is just one of many episodes Sue continues to endure, no doubt a sign of PTSD from the massacre. With Sue still expecting, however, the scene truly evokes terror — is this all just a recurring nightmare, or some sort of prophecy? Will Carrie actually return?

Parallels To Brian De Palma's Classic 1978 Adaptation

While the 2013 remake's original ending evokes Brian De Palma's conclusion by way of Sue visiting Carrie's grave, it does fall flat without the revelation that even the survivors of Carrie's wrath are irreparably affected by her rampage. As such, the alternate ending offers both a direct allusion to the 1978 film's final fright while adding its own original imagery. At the very end of De Palma's film, Sue visits Carrie's grave — only to have her dead classmate's hand emerge from the ground and grab her arm. Similarly, this encounter is just a nightmare, one Sue's mother desperately tries to awake her from.

While Sue isn't pregnant in the Stephen King novel or De Palma's adaptation, this detail included by screenwriters Lawrence D. Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa imbues the film with a uniquely terrifying slant. Carrie's hand still appears to clutch Sue's arm, this time coming from within her own body. This echoes the nightmare sequence in David Cronenberg's "The Fly," where Seth Brundle's (Jeff Goldblum) girlfriend, Ronnie (Geena Davis), envisions giving birth to an enormous maggot.

Particularly when it comes to anxieties of motherhood and child-rearing, it's natural to fear that the ugliest aspects of our own selves might be passed down to our children. The alternate ending of the 2013 remake of "Carrie" is a cautionary one: If we raise our children to be as cruel and uncaring as we are, we will only breed more hurt, misunderstood, and ultimately vengeful children like Carrie. It's a general toss-up as to whether these offspring might develop telekinetic abilities, though. 

Read this next: All 59 Stephen King Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

The post The Carrie Alternate Ending Makes for a Very Different Movie appeared first on /Film.

The crew of the Airforce C-130 that was flown to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusettes to pick up a motorcycle has been disciplined for their unauthorized use of military hardware. The exciting part, to me, is they were picking up an early 1970s BMW R75/5, a very slow, fun, but not terribly valuable motorcycle. — Read the rest

Stephen King movie adaptations have been around pretty much as long as there have been Stephen King books. Time and time again, Hollywood returns to the horror master's work, to adapt, or re-adapt, his tales of terror for new audiences. Sometimes, these adaptations work out. But as is often the case when there is oversaturation, quantity does not always equal quality. It's not enough to just slap King's name somewhere on the poster. You have to dig down into the root of his work. The reason King has been so successful for so long isn't just because he writes entertaining stories. No, despite what some critics may say about the author's pop-pulp sensibilities, King is a damn fine writer who is uniquely skilled at creating memorable characters. It's the characters that really drive King's work, not the scares. He has a way of making his creations seem real, and relatable. This, in turn, makes the horror all the more effective — if we can believe in the reality of his characters, then we're bound to be concerned when scary things come calling for them.

"Firestarter" was King's eighth published novel, and like his first book "Carrie," it followed a young girl with psychic powers. Supernaturally gifted children are a staple of King's work, and like poor Carrie White, "Firestarter" character Charlie McGee is tormented. She's a child on the run, pursued by a secretive government agency that wants to get its hands on her pyrokinetic powers. You see, Charlie can start fires with her mind. How terrifying must that be? To be both blessed and cursed with such awe-inspiring powers? Digging into the psychology of that is paramount. Or at least it would be, in a better adaptation. Sadly, Keith Thomas' "Firestarter" — the second film adaptation of King's book — doesn't bother with any of that. It doesn't bother with much of anything, really. The film flies by, and while that can often be a blessing, here it feels like a curse. There's no meat on these bones. Or, more appropriately, this fire has no spark. By the time "Firestarter" ends, it feels like the pilot for a TV series that will probably never happen. 

Screenwriter Scott Teems keeps the basic outline of King's book but reworks it, changing the timeline a bit, and modernizing it in clumsy ways ("I want wifi!" Charlie, who has been denied the internet her whole life, screams at one point). When we first meet Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who is quite good here, but ultimately failed by the material), she's living with her parents Andy (Zac Efron, weirdly bland here) and Vicky (Sydney Lemmon, slightly better if underused). An opening credits sequence informs us that Andy and Vicky both possess psychic abilities, and those abilities were heightened thanks to an experimental drug called Lot 6. A mysterious organization, officially known as DSI but colloquially referred to as The Shop, ran the experiments, and turned Andy and Vicky into superpowered beings. The idea of reframing "Firestarter" as a superhero story isn't a bad one, especially in our current age when superhero flicks are constant. But aside from a brief moment where a character tells Charlie she's a "real-life superhero," not a whole lot is done with this concept. 

After the experiments, Andy and Vicky had a daughter, Charlie. And she inherited their powers — and gained some of her own, like conjuring up flames when she gets particularly angry or emotional. Her powers are dangerous; so dangerous they even worry her parents — the film opens with an extended dream sequence that involves Zac Efron holding a baby that literally catches fire in his hands. But worse than all that, the parents are worried people from The Shop want to come snatch Charlie away to study her. And they're right. 

You're A Firestarter, Twisted Firestarter

The Shop has a new leader — Hollister (Gloria Reuben), who definitely wants to get her hands on Charlie. Reuben's character feels like a casualty of some heavy editing, because she's set up to be the film's big bad but she barely has anything to do. Who is she? What are her motivations? What is her character? Who knows! She just shows up from time to time. She also recruits a mysterious badass named Rainbird (Michael Greyeyes) to track down Charlie. Greyeyes is a phenomenal actor — just see his incredible turn in "Wild Indian." When I heard he was cast in this role, I was excited. But unfortunately, as is the case with Reuben's character, the film leaves him stranded. Greyeyes does manage to make an impression with his few moments — he's suitably cool and scary. But his motivations never really make sense, and the way the film wraps up his story is downright baffling. 

After a series of unfortunate events at school (events that include the world's worst teacher, who simply stands around saying nothing as bullies mock Charlie mercilessly), Charlie and Andy end up on the run. And then ... the movie just sort of ends. To be fair, "Firestarter" is not exactly one of King's best books, nor is it one of his sprawling tomes that spans thousands of pages. But there's definitely plenty of material to work with, and the new "Firestarter" doesn't seem interested in that. Again: you get the distinct impression that this is a secret TV pilot, and that everyone involved is saving stuff for the series, should it get picked up. 

Here's the thing: the previous "Firestarter" movie, starring Drew Barrymore, wasn't very good, to begin with. This new take on the material is a bit more successful. But that's not really saying much. There are occasional bursts of life, like a sequence where Charlie more or less Bourne Identities herself into The Shop. And there are more than a few gnarly, nasty moments showing hideous burns that are the result of Charlie's power. Blanketing all of this is a killer, propulsive score from John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies (honestly, the score is the best part of the whole movie). "Firestarter" isn't offensively bad. It's not likely to make you angry, or have you calling it the worst dang thing you've ever seen. But it is aggressively average, bordering on mediocre. There's nothing fiery here. It's lukewarm at best.

/Film Rating: 5 out of 10

Read this next: 12 Shows Like Stranger Things You Definitely Need To Stream

The post Firestarter Review: The Latest Stephen King Adaptation is Lukewarm at Best appeared first on /Film.

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Over 20 years ago, "American Psycho" changed the way we looked at Phil Collins, Huey Lewis and the News, plastic rain macs, and business cards. Is it even possible now to hear "Sussudio" on the radio without picturing Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) giving himself a gun show in the mirror while engaged in a threesome?

Canadian director Mary Harron ("I Shot Andy Warhol"), who also co-wrote the screenplay, toned down the gut-churning violence of Bret Easton Ellis's controversial novel to create a black comedy takedown of hollow consumerism. It served as an astute companion piece to "Fight Club" from the previous year, with both films tapping into the western culture's ennui and angst just before 9/11 changed everything.

Two decades on, "American Psycho" has aged far better than its contemporary. I remember strutting out of "Fight Club" at the local cineplex at the time; energized by the movie, I flipped off the usher, trashed a popcorn machine, and chucked a brick through the foyer window, all before realizing the irony of buying into an anti-consumerist, anti-corporate, anti-capitalist call-to-arms by a major Hollywood studio, all wrapped up in a glossy $60 million package... original motion picture soundtrack also available wherever records are sold.

As a result, David Fincher's gung-ho exercise in pop-anarchic posturing has dated far more than "American Psycho," largely because Harron's film wasn't trying to make such an aggressive in-yer-face statement in the first place. It just calmly observed and let the viewer make the connections to its themes and concerns.

Of course, audiences without their satirical hat on could just view "American Psycho" as a horror, but both the novel and movie were always pitch-black comedies, although the appallingly violent content of the book sometimes distracted from that fact. As a result, its detractors were too busy lambasting the author for writing such sadistic filth rather than putting their outrage to one side and consider what he was actually saying about modern society.

So while Harron and her co-screenwriter Guinevere Turner (who has a small role in the film) considerably stripped back the sex and violence, the novel's horrifying reputation still preceded the production when it came to working out costumes and props.

So What Happens In American Psycho Again?

It's the late '80s, and we are introduced to our unreliable narrator for the evening: Patrick Bateman (Bale) is a slick, wealthy, impeccably groomed associate working for a Wall Street investment banking company. We're never really sure what his job entails, because he spends most of his time returning video tapes, eating at fancy restaurants, and trying to get suspicious cranberry juice stains out of his expensive bed linen.

Bateman is also a complete psychopath. At night, he trawls the streets of Manhattan looking for victims, or picking up prostitutes to maim back in the comfort of his swanky apartment. Things begin seriously unraveling when Bateman becomes murderously jealous of Paul Allen (Jared Leto), a colleague with a better business card than his, who has no problem getting reservations at the hottest new eatery, Dorsia. He kills him with an ax before assuming his identity to commit more murders.

The strain of keeping up appearances with his friends, juggling his fiancé (Reese Witherspoon) and his over-medicated lover (Samantha Mathis), and satisfying his nightly bloodlust becomes too much for Bateman to handle, and he becomes increasingly distanced from reality. To make matters worse, a private eye (Willem Dafoe) is sniffing around over Allen's disappearance.

"American Psycho" looks a treat. Harron and her production team invest in the clean lines, bare modernist interiors, and muted colors of a late '80s yuppie lifestyle mag, providing a suitably anonymous environment for Bale to cut loose with his incredible performance as Bateman. I usually find Bale quite a dull actor, but he doesn't hold anything back here and he's hilarious. His portrayal isn't just a caricature, though, as he really teases out Bateman's intense insecurities and desperation to fit in.

As with the novel, Harron is ambiguous about whether Bateman is actually committing these brutal murders or if they are just a series of morbid, frustrated daydreams. I think she tips her hand a little heavily towards the latter, but that is beside the point. Bateman's fantasies are a product of his environment: in his dog-eat-dog world of aggressive capitalism, the logical (if extreme) end game is murdering those around you.

How The Novel's Reputation Caused Problems Sourcing Props

Bateman gives us an exhaustive rundown of his morning cleansing routine at the start of "American Psycho," stating "I believe in taking care of myself." Bateman uses a whole bunch of cleansers, moisturizers, gels, oils, and exfoliating scrubs to keep him looking pristine. He takes it very seriously, so it's a small but important detail that all the products in his shower and bathroom cabinet are real brands, the kind of reassuringly pricey-but-mainstream names that Bateman would choose. 

The problem was that the reputation of "American Psycho" preceded it, making it sometimes tricky to get approval to use certain manufacturer's products in the film. In many cases, Harron had to look further afield (via The Guardian):

"'We were able to use French cosmetics,' Harron says, referring to her uphill battle to get product approvals. 'European companies were much more open to us.' Most of the film's clothing, for instance, came from Cerruti and Vivienne Westwood, because American designers like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren 'didn't want to be associated with anything so horrible.' In an ironic marketing strategy, ['American Psycho'] German distributor will use this image of a taut-bodied, well-groomed, and somewhat homoerotic Bale to sell the actor as a sex symbol. Go figure."

That's why you see French brands like L'Occitane if you look closely enough in Bateman's bathroom. Another notable item in the opening scene is Bateman's underwear; Calvin Klein were originally onboard to supply his tighty-whities, but pulled out at the last minute before Perry Ellis stepped in.

It wasn't just American brands that were wary of their products getting tainted by association with a psychopath. Cerruti were okay with Bateman wearing their threads, just not when he was hacking people up. Commes des Garcons weren't happy with Bateman using one of their overnight bags to get rid of a corpse, so he ended up using a Jean Paul Gaultier one instead. The famous watchmakers Rolex were cool with all characters other than Bateman wearing their time pieces, resulting in the line "Don't touch the Rolex" changing to "Don't touch the watch" (via 3oneseven).

The attention to authenticity obviously struck a chord. You can find many articles which positively appraise Bateman's morning routine, for guys who presumably want to attain that certain yuppie psycho look. Even 20 years on, Patrick Bateman is still a man for our times.

Read this next: 16 Horror Movies That Ruined Everyday Activities

The post Why Sourcing Props For American Psycho Was a Major Struggle appeared first on /Film.

When "The Expendables" first started ramping up its marketing campaign, I remember people being excited to see which '80s action stars were going to be a part of the project. There was a significant amount of hype surrounding the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger ("Predator") would be in the film, marking his first screen appearance since "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," alongside "Rocky" star Sylvester Stallone "Die Hard" detective Bruce Willis. (I'm not counting the poorly aged CG rendering in the "Terminator: Salvation" finale.)

We pretty much knew it was going to be a quick little scene, given that Schwarzenegger was still the Governor of California at the time, and that's exactly what it was: an amusing, if not groan-worthy little cameo that was essentially a harbinger of what was to come with this series' overly self-referential nature. But once his term was over, it seemed like the "Total Recall" star was ready to get back to making movies again.

By the time "The Expendables 2" came out, Schwarzenegger was finally joining in on the action, even if he wasn't a primary member of the mercenary team. You get the predictable onslaught of references, along with the "Terminator" star ripping off a car door, and it's good fun for what it is. Once we got to "The Expendables 3," it was clear that Schwarzenegger's Trench would have a place in this series, it just wouldn't feature a substantial role — despite being one of the biggest names in the cast. So why isn't Schwarzenegger down to keep the fun going?

You Only Like Me For My One-Liners

According to Vanity Fair, Schwarzenegger initially showed no interest to returning to do another "Expendables" movie when it appeared that Stallone was going to leave the project:

"There is no Expendables without Sly...I would never do the movie without him, no."

We now know that Stallone has no plans to exit the franchise, but even with that update, Schwarzenegger told Entertainment Weekly that he ultimately has no interest due to how "The Expendables 3" handled his character:

"You know, I think the first and second one were terrific...But, the third one, I thought my part was not written well. It was also not playing well in the movie, as far as I was concerned. Maybe other people believed differently. But I didn't believe that I had any value in the movie. I love the franchise, by the way. I think it's a spectacular franchise, The Expendables. I think that Sly has good ideas, what he wants to do with it, and I think if they write a really good script [in] which my part is very well-developed, I would do it. If not, then I won't do it."

Given the star-studded ensemble, I see his point about being left in the dust. When you have that many names vying for attention, some members of the cast are bound to get less screen time dedicated to their characters. Unlike some of the other members of the cast, Schwarzenegger's Trench is about 90 percent steeped in the hallmarks of his action oeuvre. At least Stallone's Barney Ross resembles something of a character. At a certain point, the "Terminator" actor would run out of repeating his greatest hits before having to draw inspiration from "The 6th Day" or "Collateral Damage." I don't see a lot of opportunity for growth if he returned for the upcoming "Expendables 4," or "Expend4bles" as we should be calling it.

All things considered, I'm glad that Schwarzenegger left the series on good terms with Stallone. Given a queer-coded moment in the final scene, I'd personally be down for a Schwarzenegger and Jet Li spin-off where they lay out a bunch of henchmen "Commando" style, followed by the pair sipping cocktails on the beach. It'll never happen, but one can dream.

Read this next: The 18 Best Action Movie Actors Ranked

The post The Reason Arnold Schwarzenegger Walked Away From The Expendables Franchise appeared first on /Film.

Fred Ward, a constant reliable presence over the years as an established character actor who elevated every movie he appeared in, died Sunday, May 8, 2022, at the age of 79. First reported by critic Alan Sepinwall on Twitter and subsequently confirmed by the late actor's publicist Ron Hofmann, Ward's death at least gives movie fans the opportunity to celebrate decades of commanding performances throughout a broad range of genres and budgets. Most widely known for bringing a rugged, experienced, and tangible texture to his roles in movies such as "Escape from Alcatraz," "The Right Stuff," "Tremors," and many more, perhaps his most fondly-remembered performance among certain fans might just be the 1985 action/adventure film "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins." Planned as the first of an entire series of films based on the original "The Destroyer" novels (yes, studios putting the cart before the horse was never only a recent phenomenon!), the film was meant to boost the actor into leading man territory ... until its lackluster critical and box office performance put an end to that.

Undaunted, Ward went on to enjoy widespread success through various movie and television appearances, carving out his own unique niche and refusing to be pigeonholed into any sort of box whatsoever. With his first major acting gig in "Escape from Alcatraz" (opposite Clint Eastwood, no less), a bit role in "The Incredible Hulk" series, and his tricky performance as astronaut Gus Grissom in "The Right Stuff" (among many other roles) already under his belt, the veteran performer leveraged his early success to bring a specific sense of authenticity, earnestness, and emotion to otherwise no-nonsense characters — many of whom might not have contained quite as many layers on the page.

Fred Ward Dead At 79

Born in San Diego in 1942, Fred Ward lived a rich and multifaceted life before ever even arriving in Hollywood. First serving in the United States Air Force, THR also notes that he made ends meet working as a boxer, a lumberjack in Alaska, a cook, and a construction worker in San Francisco before making the leap to dubbing films in Rome, acting as a mime, and acting in various projects by Roberto Rossellini. It should come as no surprise that the actor brought this lunch-pail, quintessentially American, blue-collar spirit to his acting career, as well.

All told, Ward worked under a dizzying array of name-brand directors such as Don Siegel, Philip Kaufman, and Robert Altman, leading to some of the most fascinating collaborations and thoroughly entertaining movies of his entire oeuvre. But lest any viewer think that the actor only ever brushed shoulders with the most self-serious and prestigious talent in the industry, Ward never hesitated to bring the exact same level of commitment and verve to otherwise silly roles, as well. Few others would've turned in as great a performance as he did in 2001's "Joe Dirt," credited simply as "Joe's Dad" in the 2001 David Spade-starring vehicle. And as /Film's own Chris Evangelista pointed out, "Cast A Dead Spell" features Ward as H.P. Lovecraft himself ... but with a hilarious twist, naturally.

So many great Fred Ward roles, but don't forget CAST A DEADLY SPELL, which is now streaming on HBO Max. Ward plays H.P. Lovecraft! But a fictional H.P. Lovecraft who is also a private eye in a world full of monsters and magic. pic.twitter.com/h55Bdu5jJs

— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) May 13, 2022

Having climbed the Statue of Liberty, made it to outer space, and fought side-by-side with Kevin Bacon to fend off hungry worm-monsters — which really only scrapes the surface of his tireless work throughout such an incredibly prolific career — it's fair to say that most will never lead as charmed a cinematic life as Fred Ward. He's survived by his wife of 27 years, Marie-France Ward, and his son, Django Ward.

Read this next: Batman Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

The post Fred Ward, Veteran Character Actor and Star of Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Has Died at 79 appeared first on /Film.

Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special streams on Netflix this month.

Related:
Dolmen Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S
DEADCRAFT Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S
Outward: Definitive Edition Is Now Available For Xbox Series X|S

Microsoft has begun testing Microsoft Edge’s Secure Network feature – essentially a built-in VPN service – with select Insiders in the Canary channel. Secure Network is powered by Cloudflare, and as the name suggests, it’s meant to add a layer of security and privacy by encrypting your data as you browse the web.

When Microsoft Edge Secure Network is enabled, your data is encrypted and your IP address is masked, so no one can identify you or your exact location. Traffic is routed through one of Cloudflare’s servers in order to protect your identity. However, unlike a dedicated VPN, you can’t change your location to somewhere completely different. Microsoft says that you’ll be connected to a Cloudflare data center, so when you browse the web, you still see the websites and experiences you’d expect for your region. Your precise location is masked, but you probably won’t be able to use this to bypass geo-restrictions.

In this initial testing phase, Microsoft is giving users 1GB of free bandwidth in Secure Network mode, which is pretty typical for free VPN services. You should get 1GB per month, and it renews automatically. Microsoft’s wording seems to suggest that this free bandwidth may change as the feature expands, but there’s no indication that you’ll get more or less data once the feature is actually available.

In order to keep track of how much data you’ve used, you’ll need to be signed into Edge with your Microsoft account in order to use Edge’s VPN service. Again, the wording used by Microsoft seems to suggest this is only the case during the preview stage, but it seems likely this will be how it works in the future, too. Microsoft assures users that no personally identifiable information is sent over the network, and even diagnostic data related to the service is only kept for 25 hours, at the most.

if you want to test this right now, you’ll need to install the Canary channel of Microsoft Edge and hope that you’ve been selected to be part of the test. It’s only available to a handful of people, so not everyone is going to be able to try it yet. If you’re one of the lucky few, you can find the Secure Network feature in the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.

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Souce: Microsoft

The post Microsoft Edge’s built-in VPN is now available in the Canary channel appeared first on XDA.

With how much Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel seems to be enjoying Elden Ring, we shouldn't be surprised if his next new project after Queen's Wish features plenty of experimental ideas and inventive systems. And I, for one, am all for it. But in the meantime, we can check out another one of his blog posts dedicated to FromSoftware's latest action-RPG.

It touches on the game's shockingly high completion rate, its perceived level of difficulty, some of its issues and how developers should approach dealing with them, and more. Here's an excerpt to get you started:

I've already written about Elden Ring. It's such a big, unique, popular game that not picking it apart a bit is game-writer malpractice.

Even if you hate From Software games, and many do, if you care about game design as an art, it's worth a good look. It's such a big, successful title, with so much strangeness, that there's a lot to learn. Even its mistakes are fascinating.

Elden Ring Is Undeniable

Elden Ring has had massive sales.

The people who bought it liked it. The retention rate for this game is incredibly good. Almost 40% of players beat Malenia, the toughest boss in the game, who is way in the back in a secret dungeon. Normally, a game is considered amazing if 40% of players play it for more than a few hours.

It also got good reviews, for what that's worth.

It's a strange, jagged, extremely challenging game, but masses of people bought it and loved it. That means that Elden Ring is undeniable. A huge segment of the gaming public is saying, "This is weird, but we LIKE it."

Games like this are a treasure, because they are a valuable reality check. It's all great for writers to blog and tweet and proclaim what the "True meaning of vidya gaems" is, but Elden Ring is a chance to compare our musings with actual, you know, reality.

NOTE: The lessons to be learned are positive ones. As in, it says that developers are ALLOWED to do a certain thing, not that they HAVE to do it. So if you don't like this sort of game, you're safe. The huge success of titles like this helps expand the window of what can be considered.

Robert Triggs, writing for AndroidAuthority: In 2022, there's now a multifaceted argument in favor of a new approach to smartphone manufacturing. One which focuses on long-term support for both hardware and software. Core to this line of thinking is that smartphone hardware has hit a plateau. From the mid-range to flagships, hardware is now more than powerful enough to last several years without going obsolete. The days of rampant year-on-year improvements are long gone, whether you're looking at bleeding-edge performance, cameras, or battery life. This isn't to say we don't yearn for those yearly gains, but they no longer suddenly mark older models for obsolescence even if they materialize. As such, modern smartphones deserve long-term software support above and beyond semi-annual security patches. Not to mention the increasingly compelling sustainability and right-to-repair arguments regarding raw materials and e-waste. It's increasingly hard to justify the production of throwaway electronics built to last just a handful of years. Simultaneously, sky-high prices and a squeeze in the cost of living have cast new light on the need for easier access to repair programs and spare parts. Not forgetting the popularity of refurbished handsets. Long-term support doesn't have to be an unprofitable venture for smartphone manufacturers either. Official repair channels bring in revenue over time, and it's possible to factor long-term support into the retail price of a handset. Then there's the whole avenue of hardware-as-a-service to explore.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.