Aerial photographer Robert B. Haas
encountered a magical moment in
Yucatan, Mexico when he looked down
from his plane and realized that a
bunch of flamingos were hanging out
in the shape of a giant flamingo. Source
The trailer for The Land suggests more of an atmospheric coming-of-age story than a routine crime drama, despite a premise involving a few teens finding a bag of drugs and launching a fledgling criminal enterprise. According to the synopsis: “Buddies Cisco, Boobie, Junior, and Patty Cake skateboard the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, dreaming of getting discovered by a sponsor and skating their way out of poverty.” That is, until they start selling drugs that aren’t theirs to sell and piss off local kingpin “Momma” (no, not that one).
But rather than showcasing scenes of escalating danger and violence, the trailer refreshingly leans on milieu, imaging the back alleys and abandoned buildings of Cleveland as one giant skate park. Too bad the preview also boasts one of those worrisome “featuring music by” title cards and some overly earnest dialogue like, “I wanna go somewhere with no rules and shred all ...
In many ways, there was nothing new about Girl Talk. Back in 2006, though, there was something bizarre and exciting in hearing the work of Greg Gillis, the Pittsburgh native behind the project. His breakthrough Night Ripper is, somehow, turning 10 years old today, and a decade removed it lives on as a definitive document … More »
Movies about demons, possessions, and exorcisms have always been very common. That’s because they’re such terrifying, malleable ideas with huge implications. A new show with those themes, Outcast, is coming in June—and the latest trailer will freak you out.
by Carli Velocci on Gizmodo, shared by Andrew Liptak to io9
Okay, a lot of people hate the word “moist.” It just sounds gross, but why does it repulse us? A new study published in the journal PLOS One may have some insight into why certain words make us cringe.
Last night’s Game of Thrones was a gamechanger for everyone involved, but it also gave fans a delightfully teasing glimpse at an infamous unseen location in Westeros: the Tower of Joy, the setting of one of the series’ most popular theories. Here’s a new video looking at how the show plans to use the Tower going forward.
American Apparel bids farewell from Hoboken {now for rent} The American Apparel retail location at 80 Hudson Street is currently looking for tenants to lease the space. The “Made in the USA” brand has...
It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. Send your pup out with as many advantages as possible.
Etsy seller Lebovski's Cocker Spaniel is ready for anything. He's wearing a suit of aluminum plate and mail armor. It has a ferocious-looking helmet featuring tusks for close-quarters combat. Now he will rule the dogpark with no rival to challenge him.
The world is only a few months away from the next Olympics, with the 2016 Summer Games set to commence in Rio De Janeiro on August 5. A chosen few will participate. Many more will watch, either in person or on television. And some will giggle as they imagine the leotard-clad gymnasts farting in each other’s faces. Ghost+Cow Films defines itself as “a Brooklyn-based film, music video, and commercial production company,” but that rather bland description makes no mention of the company’s longstanding commitment to flatulence-based comedy. These filmmakers have more than proven themselves as masters of the form with a series of videos in which genuine Olympic events are enhanced with artfully dubbed-in fart sounds. If nothing else, these videos prove that there is no endeavor so noble or admirable that it cannot be reduced to a laughingstock with the addition of some well-timed toots.
If you’ve been following along, you know that an online poll to name a UK polar research ship went viral, with the name Boaty McBoatface receiving by far the largest number of votes. However, the Science Minister declined to actually name the ship Boaty McBoatface. Today it was announced that the ship will be named the RRS Sir David Attenborough. Although not quite as funny, few would argue that the soft-spoken BBC broadcaster who taught us about nature doesn’t deserve the honor.
However, a small exploratory submarine that will be housed aboard the Sir David Attenborough has been named Boaty McBoatface, despite the fact that it is a submarine, and not a boat. Here’s to many years of scientific discoveries and blog posts ahead featuring the names Sir David Attenborough and Boaty McBoatface.
(Image credit: Natural Environment Research Council)
Over the course of a 22-year career, writer-director Kevin Smith has had all sorts of improbable showbiz adventures and worked with a number of A-list stars, including the notoriously difficult Bruce Willis. But there are few chapters in Smith’s life as curious as the one involving reclusive Minnesota funk genius Prince, who hired him to make a still-unreleased documentary back in 2002. Since the musician’s untimely death on April 21, fans have been sharing numerous anecdotes about the man’s eccentric, improbable life. Smith spends half an hour of his live concert film, An Evening With Kevin Smith, talking about his strange experiences with Prince, prompted by a question from an audience member. Smith never intended to make a movie with His Royal Badness. Originally, he just wanted to secure the rights to use “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World” in Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back ...
He was good in Hail Caeser. Could have done worse.
May the 4th has come and gone, but Phil Lord and Chris Miller have a belated Star Wars Day gift for us. The directors have just cast Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars spinoff, due out in 2018. The 26-year-old Ehrenreich broke out in a big way this year with a standout turn in Hail, Caesar!, directed by the Coen brothers.
It’s been a few months since we first heard Ehrenreich was in the mix to play Han Solo, and a few weeks since we heard he’d become the frontrunner. Today, TheWrap reports that Ehrenreich is in the process of closing his deal for the Han Solo spinoff due out May 25, 2018. Lord, Miller, and Lucasfilm cast a very wide net, with literally thousands of actors auditioning for the part. Han Solo is such an iconic character — and one so closely identified with Harrison Ford — that finding the right actor seemed like a tricky proposition. But the naturally charismatic Ehrenreich seems like a great fit.
Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan wrote the script for the Han Solo spinoff. Plot details are (no surprise) being kept under lock and key, but word is the Han Solo spinoff will follow the roguish hero as he links up with the Rebel Alliance. His trusty partner Chewbacca will play a key role, and some have speculated that Han will brush up against notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett. But we might get to see Ehrenreich shoot first before that — rumor has it he’ll debut in this December’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Ehrenreich has been kicking around since Steven Spielberg discovered him at a friend’s bat mitzvah in the 2000s. He made his feature film debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro, and has since popped up in the supernatural YA romance Beautiful Creatures, Chan-wook Park’s Stoker, and Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. But it was his scene-stealing turn in February’s Hail, Caesar! that really made him the white-hot rising star du jour. In an ensemble lousy with A-listers like George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, and Channing Tatum, Ehrenreich emerged as the film’s most pleasant surprise. Check out one of his best scenes from the movie below.
by Shep McAllister on Deals, shared by Shep McAllister to io9
If your movie theater of choice is operated by Regal, this discounted gift card essentially amounts to ten free dollars. That’s like a free large popcorn (hopefully)!
Redhawk realized his failing vision caused things to morph, so he started to play with morphing software and thought, “What if I morphed an image onto itself?”
“It’s an artistic expression of the confusion I go through with my vision loss…
Not enough data getting sent to the brain, and it tries to fill in the blanks with false information, so you can’t trust what your eyes or brain are telling you.”
HBO’s new music industry drama Vinyl, from Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger, has hit up R&B crooner Trey Songz for a cover of David Bowie’s “Life on Mars?”, which’ll be featured on Sunday’s episode. Trey was very humbled to be asked. Here’s what he said in an ...
For a never-before-seen look at how an opera singer is able to produce such an amazing sound, German baritone Michael Volle performed Song to the Evening Star from Wagner’s Tannhäuser during an MRI scan. The technique uses magnetic fields and radio waves to see right through the human body, and is able to capture movement resulting in this fascinating, but freaky footage.
In the hours after we learned of Prince's death last week, one video seemed to go more viral than any others: Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Steve Winwood paying tribute to George Harrison at the 2004 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. During their performance together, Prince ended what was otherwise … More »
2. "A 19-year-old volunteer firefighter is facing 18 arson charges for allegedly starting a whole bunch of a fires in small town Alberta—including one that burned down an old-timey wooden rail bridge on Tuesday."
Fire officials emphasized "support and understanding" for the Schalm family, and said counselling will be available.
Not too long after Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit opened in theaters, Chris Pineconfirmed that was his first and last time playing Tom Clancy’s hero. Since Kenneth Branagh’s film was the lowest grossing Jack Ryan picture to date, that news didn’t come as a shock to anyone. Shadow Recruit performed well overseas, but the thriller only made around $50 million in the states. The movie itself is a fine thriller, it just wasn’t exciting enough to leave audiences craving more adventures with Jack Ryan.
However, the character will soon return in an Amazon series. Last September, Amazon won the bidding war for the Jack Ryan show, and now they’ve found their star, John Krasinski (13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi).
Learn more about the Jack Ryan TV series below.
The Jack Ryan television series is the latest project from Paramount TV. They most recently worked on Fox’s Minority Report, which was quickly canceled, and have plans for TV adaptations of Fatal Attraction, Shooter, Galaxy Quest, and Narc. Set in present day, the Jack Ryan television series isn’t an adaptation of a specific novel of Clancy’s, unlike the previous film adaptations, but the show will be heavily inspired by the late author’s work. The project was conceived by
The project was conceived by Carlton Cuse (The Strain) and Lost writer Graham Roland, and they’ll be working with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, Paramount TV, Amazon, and Skydance on the series. Platinum Dunes’ Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, in addition to the franchise’s longtime producer, Mace Neufeld, will also produce the show.
Deadline reports the Amazon series has yet to receive the official greenlight, but the initial plan was to make it a straight-to-order series, which, as the outlet says, is more than likely to happen now with Krasinski’s involvement. The Office star will make for the fifth actor to play Clancy’s character, following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October), Harrison Ford (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger), Ben Affleck (The Sum of All Fears), and Chris Pine.
After Krasinski’s performance in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, it’s easy to imagine the actor as Jack Ryan. He’s shown quite a bit of range over these past few years, both in front of and behind the camera, but his turn in Michael Bay‘s film displayed a new side of the actor, proving that, if the day ever came, he’d make for a convincing action star. Jack Ryan has more brains than muscle, so he’s not exactly a typical action hero, but Krasinksi should do a fine job with the role.
This week officially kicks off blockbuster summer with the release of Captain America: Civil War. And the Marvel Studios sequel is just one of a bunch of movies you should be excited to see this season. Later this week we’ll highlight a selection of movies that might be flying under your radar this summer, indie comedies and dramas that may not get the barrage of marketing that studios dish out this season. But this edition of the /Film 2016 Summer Movie Preview will focus on the studio and blockbuster releases you should be excited about.
The movies in the /Film 2016 Summer Movie Preview are in chronological order by release date. So without further adieu, here’s the movies we are excited about and think you should be too.
Captain America: Civil War
Release Date: May 6
It’s the comic book blockbuster to kick off the summer season, so of course it’s going to be on the list. Most of us here at /Film have already seen the Marvel Studios sequel, but I’m personally excited to see it again. Plus, we know tons of you are looking forward to seeing it. There’s probably no need to even remind you that it’s coming out at this point. We just want to make sure you’re ready to start the endless stream of summer movies that begins this weekend. If you want to know how good Captain America: Civil War is, read my full review right here.
Even though a movie based on the Rovio mobile game that feature birds being slingshotted into structures in order to smash the green pigs who stole their eggs doesn’t sound like it has the makings of a decent movie, the trailers have done a decent job of convincing us otherwise. The Angry Birds Movie actually looks like a solid comedy, and it’s hard to go wrong with a voice cast that includes talent like Jason Sudeikis, Danny McBride, Josh Gad, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, Peter Dinklage, Keegan-Michael Key, Kate McKinnon, Tony Hale, Ike Barinholtz, Hannibal Buress and many more.
Comedy sequels are hard to pull off without losing the special something that made the first film worth watching. However, if the trailers for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising are any indicator, we just might have a worthy follow-up in store. Sure, the concept is essentially a rehash of the first movie with a sorority instead of a fraternity, but with Chloe Grace Moretz stretching her comedic chops as an adult actress now, we’re excited to see how she holds her own against the likes of Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron.
If there’s one thing Shane Black knows how to do better than anything else, it’s write dark comedies featuring odd pairs. From Lethal Weapon to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the screenwriter and director has delivered some great duos who get caught up in some seriously dangerous situations. The Nice Guys looks like Black will be back doing what he does best, and the pairing of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling feels surprisingly perfect. Both have impeccable comedic timing, and the ’70s setting only adds to the film’s wild style. This one could be the sleeper hit of the summer.
The X-Men franchise continues on the modified timeline that was altered in X-Men: Days of Future Past. This time we get to meet the younger versions of familiar X-Men like Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler while meeting new mutants like Psylocke. But the real draw of this one is seeing the iconic Marvel Comics villain Apocalypse on the big screen for the first time. Even though the early trailers left me concerned about the film’s quality, the most recent trailer seems to be on the right track. It’ll be tough to top just how good Days of Future Past was, but it should be exciting to see how this takes the franchise in a new direction.
For years now we’ve been reporting on the on-again, off-again development of The Jim Henson Company’s The Happytime Murders, a puppet noir described as “Avenue Q meets L.A. Confidential.” The project got a shot in the arm last year when STX Entertainment scooped it up, and now it’s taking another big step forward by casting its first human. Jamie Foxx is in early talks to play the human half of the detective duo investigating a streak of puppet murders.
The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the Jamie Foxx Happytime Murders casting news. Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson and director of The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, is on board to direct, as he has been since 2008. Erich and Jon Hoeber (Red, Battleship) wrote the latest version of the script, following earlier drafts by Todd Berger (It’s a Disaster) and Dee Robertson.
The trade describes the project as a “dark, R-rated” action comedy and explains the plot as follows:
Happytime takes place in a world where humans and puppets coexist, with the puppets viewed as second-class citizens. When the puppet castmembers of 1980s children’s TV show The Happytime Gang begin turning up dead, an alcoholic, disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes the case with his former human partner.
Deadline has a little more to add, describing Foxx’s character as a “type-A, take-no-prisoners human with a secret” and his partner as “a crass, hard-drinking puppet with a connection to one of the victims.” The similarities to Avenue Q and L.A. Confidential are obvious, but The Happytime Murders also sounds a bit like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, only with puppets instead of cartoons and an edgy R-rating instead of a family-friendly PG.
Foxx seems like a pretty great choice for the role. Not only is he the kind of big-name actor that could help a long-developing project like this pick up some steam, he’s a versatile talent who can switch between serious and silly. He was last seen in Annie and Horrible Bosses 2 (and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, about which the less said the better), and is now shooting Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver with Ansel Elgort and Kevin Spacey. Also on his to-do list is Robin Hood: Origins, a gritty retelling of the classic legend.
In many ways, there was nothing new about Girl Talk. Back in 2006, though, there was something bizarre and exciting in hearing the work of Greg Gillis, the Pittsburgh native behind the project. His breakthrough Night Ripper is, somehow, turning 10 years old today, and a decade removed it lives on as a definitive document … More »
In the hours after we learned of Prince's death last week, one video seemed to go more viral than any others: Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Steve Winwood paying tribute to George Harrison at the 2004 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. During their performance together, Prince ended what was otherwise … More »
