James Cameron is Feeling Very Good About his “Avatar” Sequels
You would have to put James Cameron at the top of the list of people who are champions of the movie theater experience. His latest film, Avatar: The Way of Water, was designed with exacting detail and, over the course of years, to be seen on the biggest screen possible. The irreplaceable value of the theatrical experience has long been one of Cameron’s most consistent messages to film lovers.
Speaking with Variety before last night’s Golden Globes,
Golden Globes Highlights: From Angela Bassett to “The Fabelmans” to “The White Lotus”
The 80th Golden Globes have come and gone, but we’re here to give you the highlights and the full list of winners.
Steven Spielberg came home with two major awards for his auto-biographical feature The Fabelmans—the globe for Best Picture, Drama, and Best Director. Spielberg’s win for Best Picture bested the likes of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water and Todd Field’s Tár,
New “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” Photos Reveal the MCU’s New Boss Villain & More
In the new trailer for director Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the stakes of the MCU’s first Phase 5 film are clear. On the hand, you’ve got the Lang/Van Dyne/Pym family, consisting of Scott (Paul Rudd) and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). As the film opens, things for this super-family are going pretty well—Scott had a new book coming out,
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” Trailer Unleashes Marvel’s New Big Bad
The new trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opens with one man reaching out across time and space (quantum space, in this case) to connect with another. “You’re an interesting man, Scott Lang,” a voice says at the trailer’s opening, listing some of the most salient facts of Scott Lang’s life; he’s an Avenger, he’s the father to a daughter, and, here’s the kicker, that Scott has lost a lot of time over the years (while half of the living universe was snapped out of existence by Thanos for five years,
Hugh Jackman Will Train Hard For 6 Months To Return as Wolverine in “Deadpool 3”
By now, you’ve heard that Hugh Jackman will be reprising his most iconic role as everybody’s favorite adamantium-clawed mutant Wolverine for Deadpool 3. After years of comical badgering from his former and future screen partner, Ryan Reynolds, Jackman finally found a way back to the character that he had said such a declarative goodbye to in James Mangold’s excellent 2017 film Logan, which found Jackman’s mutant laying down his life to save Laura (Dafne Keen),
“Avatar: The Way of Water” Swims Past “Jurassic World” as Seventh-Highest Grossing Film Ever
The alien wonders of Pandora have overtaken the Jurassic splendor (and dangers) of Isla Nublar. James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water has officially surpassed Jurassic World as the seventh-highest-grossing film in history. The Way of Water has now hauled in $1.708 billion globally, which moves it past Jurassic World‘s $1.67 billion.
Cameron’s epic—he’s got three more if he gets to tell the entire Pandora saga—has been in theaters for four weeks.
Denis Villeneuve Adds Tim Blake Nelson to “Dune: Part Two”
Despite the fact that Dune: Part Two wrapped filming in mid-December, co-writer/director Denis Villeneuve is still adding key people to the film. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that ace character actor Tim Blake Nelson has joined the cast for Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s legendary sci-fi saga.
Butler joins newcomers Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, and Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV.
“Renfield” Trailer Finds Nic Cage’s Dracula Tormenting Nicholas Hoult’s Servant
Imagine the most toxic relationship you’ve ever been in. Now imagine that you’re finally ready to take the steps necessary to distance yourself from this person after years and years of abuse. Now, imagine if the person you’re trying to rid yourself of is freakin’ Dracula.
This is the conceit of Renfield, director Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War)’s film about Dracula’s long-serving henchmen finally trying to break away from his master after centuries of brutal servitude.
“M3GAN” Review Round-Up: A Murderous Toy Robot Delivers a Campy Creepy, January Jolt
There’s a new murder-doll on the scene, friends, and she’s fabulous.
The reviews are in for the toy robot run-amok horror film M3GAN, and for those looking for a campy, creepy jolt to start your year, you’re in luck—the film is getting some stellar notices.
Director Gerard Johnstone’s film (from a story by horror master James Wan and a script from Akela Cooper) centers on a brilliant robotics engineer named Gemma (Alison Williams) who creates an A.I.-backed toy robot for her recently orphaned niece,
Hugh Jackman to Academy: Please Don’t Give Ryan Reynolds an Oscar Nom
Oh, Hugh.
The feud between Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds continues, and while we all know it’s not real, it’s still, even after all these years, a consistent source of joy. The first volley of the new year in their ongoing game of comically feigned spite comes from Jackman, who took to Twitter to post a video imploring the Academy to please, please not give Reynolds an Oscar nomination.
“Avatar 3” Will Introduce Evil Fire Na’vi
Avatar: The Way of Water greatly expanded the world of the alien planet of Pandora (technically, it’s an extrasolar moon) and its native inhabitants, the Na’vi. In the first film, James Cameron introduced us to the Omaticaya, the Na’vi forest tribe. In The Way of Water, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and their family having to flee the forest for the coast, we met the ocean-based Metkayina tribe.
“M3GAN” Featurette Introduces You to The Scariest Toy Since Chucky
Let’s take a moment to listen to the way the cast and director Gerard Johnstone describe the titular robot toy in M3GAN. “Best friend,” says star Violet McGraw. “Homeschool teacher,” describes Johnstone. “The ideal companion,” says star Allison Williams. Producer James Wan says, “she has so much personality.” Co-star Jen Van Epps enthuses, “She’s just this effervescent beaming ray of light.” And then, after a beat, Epps adds, “until she goes batsh*t crazy.”
“Evil Dead Rise” Teaser Reveals Return to Iconic Horror Franchise
“Mommy loves you to death.” This is the hard-to-beat tagline for writer/director Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, a return to the horror franchise started by Sam Raimi. A new teaser for Cronin’s film reveals a little girl named Kassie (Nell Fisher) tip-toeing to the front door in the middle of the night. Who does she spy on the other side through the peephole? Her own mother, splattered in blood, looking quite unwell. “You don’t look so good,
Marvel’s Stan Lee Documentary Will Explore the Life & Legacy of a Legend
For all you Marvel fans, you might have missed this announcement over the holidays, and it’s a big one—there’s a Stan Lee documentary coming to Disney+ in 2023. Marvel revealed the news on what would have been Lee’s 100th birthday on December 28. Stan Lee will explore the legendary comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer’s life and legacy, which includes some of the most iconic characters of all time. Just think about the superheroes Lee co-created;
“Babylon” Production Designer Florencia Martin Conjures Hollywood’s Decadent Early Days
She designed Paul Thomas Anderson’s flashback to 1970s-era L.A. in Licorice Pizza and shaped the fifties look inhabited by Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Now, production designer Florencia Martin takes viewers back to 1920s Hollywood in Oscar-winning writer/director Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, which immerses Margot Robbie’s Nellie LaRoy and Brad Pitt’s Jack Conrad in the gloriously decadent early days of silent film. Chazelle, a stickler for authenticity, shot at Old Hollywood locations,
“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” Composer Chanda Dancy on Scoring Whitney Houston’s Complex Life
When the shortlist for the 2023 Oscars was announced, composer Chanda Dancy was included for her work on the film Devotion. If she is nominated, she’ll make history as the first Black female composer to be nominated for an Academy Award. Dancy brings that winning streak into 2023 with her score for the new film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Naomi Ackie as Houston.
Why Every Digital Costume in “Avatar: The Way of Water” Really Exists
Daring adventures, illuminating discoveries, and unbelievable wonders are hallmarks of James Cameron’s blockbuster films. In trademark fashion, Avatar: The Way of Water is a technological feat that developed new filmmaking tools in production. Yet, costume designer Deborah L. Scott (Titanic, Back to the Future, Avatar, E.T.) said that is all secondary to Cameron’s driving force. “Jim doesn’t like sci-fi that much,” she noted. “You can see it even in Aliens.
Best of 2022: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Hair Department Head Camille Friend on The Sequel’s Stunning Looks
Both 2018’s Black Panther and this year’s Wakanda Forever have hugely impacted popular culture, not least by expanding the acceptance and expression of Afro-Futurism in everything from fashion and hairstyles to architecture. Both production designer Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth E. Carter won Oscars for their work on the first film and are in the running for a return to the podium with Wakanda Forever.
Best of 2022: How The “Babylon” Sound Team Built a Sonic Bacchanal
It’s that time of year—we look back on a few of our favorite interviews from 2022 in our annual year-end list.
The opening sequence to Damien Chazelle’s Babylon (in theaters today) hits you like one of the many lines of powder its characters will ingest. It’s eye-opening, choreographed chaos, leaving you with an intensely euphoric feeling – quite fitting for a story that revisits Hollywood’s infancy of the 1920s and ‘30s when La La Land was a sandbox of drugs,
Best of 2022: “The Woman King” Director Gina Prince-Bythewood on Her Singular, Sweeping Historical Epic
It’s that time of year—we look back on a few of our favorite interviews from 2022 in our annual year-end list.
When director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s most recent film, The Old Guard, premiered on Netflix in July of 2020, the critically acclaimed action drama became one of the top 10 original launches in the platform’s history. Prince-Bythewood is following that with one of the most anticipated films of 2022,
