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James Stewart Wasn’t The Obvious Choice For Mr. Smith Goes To Washington Columbia Pictures By Mike Shutt/Aug. 13, 2022 5:30 pm EST With certain cinematic performances, we could not possibly fathom another actor in the same part. Only Bette Davis could have played Margot Channing in “All About Eve.” Only Bruce Willis could have played John McClane in “Die Hard.” Only Samuel L. Jackson could have played Jules in “Pulp Fiction....

The cast continues to grow Netflix The rest of the cast of “Wicked” has been slowly filling out in recent months, with “Bridgerton” breakout star Jonathan Bailey joining last month as Fiyero, a prince who ends up being Elphaba’s love interest. Some major roles, including those of Madame Morrible, Nessarose, Boq, and Doctor Dillamond, have yet to be announced. The film adaptation of the much-loved play seems to be quite the undertaking, as “In the Heights” filmmaker Chu announced in April that the movie will be split into two parts....

Cunningham didn’t care HBO Liam Cunningham was first brought on the show for its second season, as an accomplice to Stannis, one of the brothers of the recently slain King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). His storyline in this introductory season sees him as a strangely honorable figure in the midst of the cruelty and backstabbing that makes up a lot of “Game of Thrones.” While Stannis plans to kill his other brother in the hopes of securing his own spot on the throne, Davos quietly fulfills his necessary duties....

Misery Proved James Caan Was Willing To Do What Many Other Actors Weren’t Columbia Pictures By Eric Vespe/July 7, 2022 5:58 pm EST “Misery” character Paul Sheldon isn’t a flashy role, at least not on paper. He’s a smart guy, to be sure, but he does spend 90% of his screen time on his back and it turns out that wasn’t a big selling point for the A-list stars of the late ’80s/early ’90s....

Pennyworth Is Now Titled Pennyworth: The Origin Of Batman’s Butler, The Funniest Title Change Of All Time HBO Max By Erin Brady/Aug. 10, 2022 1:59 pm EST /Film: the website where important entertainment news is discussed. We’ve been talking a lot about the bizarre changes being made over at Warner Bros. Discovery regarding HBO Max and the DC Extended Universe. However, this piece of news is perhaps the most important thing to have come out of the debacle since its beginning....

Persepolis Uses Animation To Tell A Coming-Of-Age Story In The Midst Of Iranian Revolution Diaphana Distribution By BJ Colangelo/Nov. 22, 2022 11:00 am EST (Welcome to Animation Celebration, a recurring feature where we explore the limitless possibilities of animation as a medium. In this edition: “Persepolis.”) I was a sophomore in college taking my first Women’s Literature class when I was first introduced to Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel, “Persepolis.” My professor was an adventurous woman who was clearly tired of rehashing Emily Brontë and Jane Austen year after year and wanted to try something new with our class....

Prey’s Predator Design Went Through A Surprising Number Of Iterations Hulu By Jeremy Mathai/Aug. 12, 2022 3:38 pm EST With every movie in the “Predator” franchise, each respective creative team has sought to revitalize and reinvent the eponymous creatures hunting our hapless group of humans in the hopes of living up to the original classic. Whether in the jungles of Vietnam or the streets of Los Angeles or otherworldly locations entirely, various protagonists have come up against the unstoppable might of the Yautja and only a very select few have ever walked away from those encounters — in part because of how different (subtly or otherwise) each antagonist has been carefully designed for each outing....

She-Hulk’s Smartphone Lockscreen Is One Of The Funniest Marvel Easter Eggs Yet Marvel Studios By Lyvie Scott/Sept. 8, 2022 10:54 am EST “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” has carved out a distinctively-meta niche in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, complete with enough fourth wall breaks and hero/villain in jokes to make even the most clued-up Marvel lovers feel seen. Of course, it won’t be every fan’s cup of tea, but it’s hard to deny that Jennifer Walters’ (Tatiana Maslany) casual obsession with Steve Rogers (a....

A lot to live up to Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Whitmire was to debut as the new voice of Kermit the Frog in the absolutely delightful “The Muppet Christmas Carol” in 1992. This meant not only having to embody one of the world’s most famous puppets but also doing so alongside legendary actor Michael Caine. Whitmire, a seasoned Muppeteer in his own right, was extremely nervous about his ability to live up to Henson’s legacy, according to the Guardian interview:...

Stark Sentinels will be on the hunt for mutants in Invincible Iron Man The rise of Stark Sentinels in ‘Invincible Iron Man’ marks a pivotal moment for mutantkind’s upcoming war! 💥 Learn more about the impending might of Stark Sentinels here: https://t.co/L2yY8QMDwQ pic.twitter.com/qpUOJKLoSv— Iron Man (@Iron_Man) December 21, 2022 The current run of “Invincible Iron Man” in Marvel Comics is looking to shake things up. In particular, it looks like Stark tech is going to be used to hunt mutants, without Tony Stark’s blessing....

The Big Train Crash In Skyfall Was Not CGI And Cost More Than $2 Million MGM By Ryan Scott/Nov. 9, 2022 12:36 pm EST “Skyfall” celebrates its 10th anniversary this week (counting from its U.S. release anyway) and it was a pivotal moment in the “James Bond” franchise. It cemented Daniel Craig as a 007 for the ages and rebounded in glorious fashion from the disappointment that was “Quantum of Solace....

‘The feeling of an ancient world’ Mondo Witney Seibold’s review for /Film calls “Black Adam,” a “superhero movie, but worse” — a pithy summation of the mixed-to-negative critical consensus for the most recent entry in the DC Extended Universe. One way of drowning out such opinions, if you enjoyed the movie, would be to crank the “Black Adam” vinyl release, the latest in Mondo’s DC soundtrack series, once you get your hands on it next April....

Battles without and within Prime Video Well, might as well start with this. In one of the finale’s multiple fake-outs and deceptions, a fitting course of action given how much of Sauron’s activities during this time period in Middle-earth relies on courting suspicion and mistrust, the Stranger is finally given … well, not a name, per say, but a heavy implication that this was actually the wizard Gandalf all along....

One score to rule them all New Line Cinema McCreary had to look deeply into who Elrond was at this point in his story to find the right musical notes to put down on paper. “I had to let all that other stuff go and focus on who he is in the beginning of the story of ‘Rings of Power’ and create something that was a little more idealistic, and optimistic, and youthful, but a melody that turned around on itself....

The Voice Of Shrek’s Gingerbread Man Went On To Direct Shrek 2 And More Animated Hits DreamWorks Animation By BJ Colangelo/July 26, 2022 8:35 pm EST If you’re a millennial of a certain age, there’s a good chance that you’ve said “Shrek is love, Shrek is life” at least once in your life. The 2001 DreamWorks animated film put the company on the map, and proved that animated features from companies other than Disney could be not only profitable, but popular....

Why John Cleese Considers Fawlty Towers’ Suppressed Anger Funnier Than Real Anger BBC By Joe Roberts/Dec. 2, 2022 1:24 pm EST Basil Fawlty is one of those classic comedy characters that has truly stood the test of time. John Cleese’s embattled hotelier was a big hit for the BBC back in the 1970s and remains a beloved figure in the history of comedy. The “Monty Python” member, who these days seems to crop up in the news more for his thoughts on “cancel culture” than his comedic ventures, was given free rein by the BBC to make his sitcom following the widespread success of his comedy troupe and their absurdist sketches....

More victims, more mutilations 20th Century Studios I’m not going to pretend that “Predator 2” isn’t supposed to be silly, because it definitely is. The entire premise hinges on a “futuristic” Los Angeles that the Predator, nicknamed the City Hunter for this film, crash lands into. Going from the isolated jungle to the bustling city certainly is a big change, but after all, don’t all franchise sequels get bigger as they progress?...

A dark horror series The WB The first scene shows one of the teenagers, played by Armani Jackson, in a hospital bed. There’s some scruffing and snuffling coming from the bed next to him, and he leans over to pull back the curtain (with ominous music playing int he background, of course). When he pulls back the curtain, we see something messed up — it’s a ram with a gash along its belly … and through the gashes in its belly, you can see something writhing inside....

Are We Going To See Becoming Elizabeth Season 2? Starz By Shania Russell/Nov. 2, 2022 1:19 pm EST The Tudor dynasty is the TV gift that just keeps on giving. Ever since the breakout hit of Showtime’s 2007 period drama “The Tudors,” many a network has followed in their footsteps by sinking some cash into the world of frilled shirts, looming castles, and royal extravagance. The only thing more exciting than the realism and royal schadenfreude of “The Crown” is when you mix political and personal drama, dial up the dramatics and make it extra sexy....

Ballerina: Everything We Know So Far About The John Wick Spin-Off Starring Ana De Armas Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer By Sandy Schaefer/Dec. 14, 2022 12:38 pm EST Who could’ve predicted a humble B-movie about a retired assassin seeking revenge for the death of his puppy would birth one of the hottest franchises in Hollywood? Over three films and many, many creative kills (though it’s hard to top “death by library book”), the “John Wick” series has given us some of the best onscreen hand-to-hand combat and world-building in recent memory....