Watch Alicia Vikander Become Lara Croft in new Tomb Raider Featurette

Alicia Vikander looks like the perfect choice to follow in Angelina Jolie’s footsteps to take on Lara Croft. We thought that when we heard the casting news, and we thought it again when we saw the teaser, and the trailer, and now we’re convinced of it after watching this robust behind-the-scenes featurette just released by Warner Bros. that details Vikander’s transformation into the intrepid adventurer. 

The new Tomb Raider,

Behold the Brutal First Trailer for The Punisher

Everyone was more or less in agreement that Jon Bernthal‘s Frank Castle made Daredevil’s season two irresistible. As the most ungoverned of Marvel’s superheroes, a mirthless, shattered veteran who gave Daredevil a jolt in the best way. Now Bernthal’s unhinged brute has his own series, and Netflix has delivered the first trailer for The Punisher for your viewing pleasure. 

As to be expected, The Punisher may exist in the same universe as the other Marvel characters we know and love,

It’s Happening: Damon Lindelof Teases Image From his Watchmen HBO Series

For those of us (and there are a lot of us) who adore “Watchmen,” the groundbreaking graphic novel by Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, we’ve long thought the best medium for the material would be a TV series. Zack Snyder gave the material his best shot with his 2009 feature film, but there’s just too much good stuff, and weirdness, in the source material to fit into a film. This is why word that Damon Lindelof,

Meet the Team Behind World’s First Fully Oil Painted Film, Loving Vincent

Every once in a while, a film comes along that profoundly alters how we perceive the images that flicker on the big screen. The animated biopic Loving Vincent , which recounts  the final weeks of  Dutch artist  Vincent Van Gogh’s life as a murder mystery, is definitely one of those game-changers. The Polish-U.K. co-production that opens Friday is the world’s first fully oil-painted feature. The project ,10 years in the making on a tight $5.5 million budget,

New Star Wars : The Last Jedi Hi-Resolution Images Tease Tense new Chapter

With the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi now inching ever closer (December 15), Disney’s starting to give us a bit more of a taste of what’s to come. They’ve calibrated the perfect equation on just how much material to dole out without giving too much away, and in their latest release, they’ve dropped some brand new, hi-resolution images that give us our clearest look at the cast, new characters and locations,

TIFF 2017: The Films That Made the Biggest Splash

While no clear Oscar frontrunner emerged from this year’s TIFF which closed Sept. 17 after an 11-day cavalcade of 339 films, there were no real clunkers, either. Sure, anticipated titles such as George Clooney’s Suburbicon and Alexander Payne’s Downsizing may have underwhelmed, but there were surprisingly solid showings from many studio releases and indies, pointing to a spread-the-wealth awards season.

Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water.

mother! Metaphors We Missed

Yesterday we broke down the finer points of mother! and it’s biblically based inspiration. The point is to shock and provoke, but the plot is layered over a Judeo-Christian allegory. God and Earth, Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel were all easy to spot, but as the plot progresses, the chaos makes it more difficult to recognize the allegory. Thanks to another day of musing (and prompting from eagle-eyes at Vulture) here are a few of the metaphors we missed.

Architect Who Inspired The Jetsons Passes Away

Ever wonder where Hanna-Barbera animators got their vision for the futuristic world of The Jetsons? A lot of the inspiration came from the forward thinking architectural designs of Gin Wong. Wong passed away this month at the age of 94. 

Wong emigrated from China at the age of 9. He eventually worked his way up to become president of highly respected Pereira & Associates architectural firm.

The Jetsons first aired in 1962 as Wong was making his mark on Los Angeles.

Hugh Jackman Channels Doomed Presidential Candidate Gary Hart in The Front Runner

Now that Hugh Jackman has hung up his Wolverine claws, you’re likely going to see him in a lot more films like writer/director Jason Reitman’s political The Front Runner, giving Jackman the chance to dig into a meaty role in a drama. Based on Matt Bai‘s 2014 book ‘All the Truth Is Out’, Reitman’s The Front Runner officially began production yesterday, and stars Jackman as Gary Hart, the Democratic politician who appeared to be the frontrunner for the 1988 presidential race when allegations of an extramarital affair with actress Donna Rice destroyed his campaign.

Talking to Legendary Organizer Dolores C. Heurta & Director Peter Bratt About Their Documentary Dolores

Not that many people know that Barack Obama’s “yes we can” slogan was translated from the Spanish “si se puede.” Even fewer know that the phrase, sometimes credited to United Farm Workers of America leader Cesar Chavez, was actually coined by the group’s co-founder, Dolores C. Huerta. This and much more is set straight in Dolores, the new documentary written and directed by Peter Bratt and executive produced by musician Carlos Santana.

Battle of the Sexes Editor Pamela Martin on Turning Emma Stone & Steve Carell Into Tennis Pros

When I heard that Emma Stone and Steve Carell were starring in a new movie about the legendary Battle of the Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, I rolled my eyes. I’m both a filmmaker and a tennis nut. (I got rid of my cable TV, literally, for 10 years because I couldn’t stop myself from watching the Tennis Channel). I winced at the thought of the obvious cutaways and close-ups the editor would need to rely on to hide the fact that Stone and Carell,

Darren Aronofsky Wanted Joaquin Phoenix to Play a Broke Batman in Batman: Year One

Darren Aronofsky recently shed some light on the wildest movie project that never was, and this coming from the writer/director behind the super wild mother! The future visionary behind Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan and more was tapped to direct Batman: Year One in the early 2000s, following the success of his feature film debut Pi. The project was eventually developed into Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins,

Here are Your Peak 2017 Emmy Moments & Winners

This year’s Emmy awards was one of the most exciting nights on television, and, as the show proved, there’s a ton of quality TV being made by a diverse group of talented storytellers.

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss broke the record for the most awards won by one actor for a single role. She is perfection as Selina Meyer in Veep, and has won for her portrayal six years running. The show also won for Outstanding Comedy Series,

See Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft in First Tomb Raider Footage

If there’s any actress who could follow Angelina Jolie, it’s Alicia Vikander. The Swedish star and Academy Award winner (for her brilliant turn as Gerda Wegener in The Danish Girl) has been the most intriguing part of every film she’s been in, including when she played the humanoid robot Ava in Ex Machina and activist Vera Brittain in Testament of Youth. Now Vikander is taking on a role made famous by Jolie;

Frank Castle Goes Full Rambo in new The Punisher Teaser

Netflix has kept details about their upcoming Daredevil spinoff, The Punisher, under lock and key. This is why this new teaser is so intriguing, as it gives us a glimpse of Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle in a brief but grisly sequence, that ends with Frank Castle telling the camera (which was attached to the helmet of a soldier who had been hunting him), “I’m coming for you.”  

The shaky,

The Ultimate ‘Final Girl’ Returns: Jamie Lee Curtis to Star in Halloween Reboot

In stellar casting news, Jamie Lee Curtis is returning to the role that kickstarted her career—Laurie Strode, the ultimate “Final Girl”—in the Halloween reboot. Along with this news, we also have the film’s brand new (and super brief) synopsis.

Curtis’s involvement in the reboot was revealed on Twitter, of course, where she’s wearing the very same outfit we last saw Laurie Strode donning in the iconic original. Naturally, over her right shoulder is Michael Myers,

Sebastian Stan Shot his Avengers: Infinity War Scenes Without Having Read the Script

Secrecy is the name of the game for studios, whether they’re filming multiple endings for Game of Thrones or, in the cast of the Russo brothers Avengers: Infinity War, keeping their own cast in the dark about what, exactly, the story is about. While filming for Infinity War wrapped this past July, some of the stars were kept in the dark about the actual story.

Darren Aronofsky’s mother! is a Brilliant Nightmare

mother! is the David Lynch style nightmare you had that time you fell asleep when your parents made you go to Sunday School with the flu. In fact, there’s a spurting heart scene that is reminiscent of the dinner in Eraserhead. It’s a startling moment that precedes a lengthy assault of disturbing imagery and was the last moment in the film in which I had enough air in my lungs to scream. 

How Documentary Now!’s Emmy Nominated Director Makes a Joke of Serious Films

Saturday Night Live is a mecca for comedians, where stars like Eddie Murphy, Amy Poehler, and Will Ferrell and writers like Conan O’Brien and Tina Fey took their careers to new heights. The show’s most memorable sketches have launched successful spin off projects like Wayne’s World and The Blues Brothers. Documentary Now! is one of the latest SNL inspired projects to unite the show’s alums outside Studio 8H.

Watch Chapter 1 of an Animated History of Game of Thrones

Imagine how incredibly helpful this would have been for folks who couldn’t keep the sprawling world of Westeros straight, especially those of us who didn’t read the books and aren’t as well versed in Game of Thrones history and lore? HBO has revealed the first chapter of Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms. This 45-minute special will be included in the season 7 Blu-Ray and DVD set,