Christopher Nolan’s list of movies he has praised is expansive and filled with classics like 12 Angry Men, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lawrence of Arabia, and Blade Runner. And now you can add one of the biggest action franchises ever to that lineup. That’s right, Christopher Nolan loves the Fast & Furious movies and has no shame over it.
Nolan – both a creator and supporter of franchise movies – expressed his love of the Fast & Furious on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, also showing complete disbelief that the host had never seen a single entry in the 11-deep series. “I have no guilt about being a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise…A tremendous action franchise…You’ve never seen any of them? I watch those movies all the time. I love them. I’m amazed you’ve never seen one of them.” Nolan even had bit of a viewing order to recommend: “It’s only the last few where a specific arc and mythology develop. I would start with Tokyo Drift and watch it as its own thing.”
It’s one thing to learn that Christopher Nolan loves him some Fast & Furious – something he has discussed before, chiefly how there’s nothing wrong with how over-the-top the series has gotten – but that he never once uses the phrase “guilty pleasure” shows that even prestige directors also find value in pure entertainment, that there’s nothing wrong with turning your brain off and just enjoying the action. Considering the level of action Nolan has brought to the biggest screens imaginable, maybe it’s not a surprise he likes these movies after all…at least not a shock on the level of Stanley Kubrick loving White Men Can’t Jump!
Colbert also pressed Nolan on the confusing elements of Tenet, to which the director responded, “You’re not meant to understand everything in Tenet…It’s not all comprehensible.” Yeah, I feel the same way about most of the Fast & Furious movies…
Fortunately for Christopher Nolan, the Fast & Furious franchise has plenty of sequels and spin-offs lined up, keeping him busy at the multiplex for years to come.
Are you as big of a fan of the Fast & Furious movies as Christopher Nolan? Which is your favorite entry in the ongoing series? Let us know in the comments section below.
PLOT: A coming-of-Rage love story about a teenager and her crush, who happens to be a corpse. After a set of horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a journey to find love, happiness – and a few missing body parts.
REVIEW: It seems as though 2023’s obsession with Frankenstein is continuing into 2024 as we get yet another version of the Mary Shelley story. But this one feels decidedly more Weird Science than the more macabre tone of, say, the Kenneth Branagh version. And with Diablo Cody behind the words, I suppose that’s not exactly a surprise. Juno took over the world and pretty much-changed dialogue in teen cinema, so expectations were high for the film. And this is her return to the genre after a long absence. But, like Jennifer’s Body, Lisa Frankenstein feels more like lost potential than anything.
Lisa Frankenstein follows the title character as she obsesses over a grave and the man buried six feet deep. He’s brought back to life and they become a chaotic couple. The story progresses in a pretty basic way, and there’s not much energy to the proceedings. There’s a lull in the middle of the film where all the quirkiness gets sucked out of it and we’re just watching a standard high school romcom for a bit. Thankfully, things get back on track eventually, but it adds to the uneven storytelling. Lisa’s motivations are all over the place and feels disconnected from scene to scene.
Kathryn Newton has been impressive in everything she’s done to this point, and here is no different. Lisa is pretty much a Tim Burton character both in her demeanor and appearance and I was all for it. The movie is at its best when Newton is embracing the strangeness. Every time the script does her dirty, Newton makes the most of it. She’s absolutely wonderful. I love a good Frankenstein’s Monster and Cole Sprouse is great as The Creature. He pulls off some entertaining physical comedy that got a lot of laughs from my theater. The romance is a little iffy, but that’s less due to chemistry and more the awkward plot developments.
Liza Soberano is also really impressive as Lisa’s stepsister, Taffy. This could have easily been a more stereotypical role, yet they make her quite affable. Unfortunately, the writer feels the need to acknowledge it themselves, thus lessening the point of her character. Almost feels like Diablo Cody trying to pat herself on the back. Then there’s Carla Gugino who feels wasted in the role of Lisa’s stepmother. It’s stereotypical and doesn’t utilize her talents.
I had big expectations for Zelda Williams as she’s always come across as very intelligent, with an in-depth knowledge of film. And there was some stuff I enjoyed about this with the neon color scheme and fantastic costumes. But the look never matches the tone and there’s a lot of first-timer sloppiness. Most of the actors feel like they’re in different movies and there’s no real cohesiveness to the vision.
Now let’s get into the Diablo Cody of it all. The script is easily the worst aspect of the film and there are constantly elements introduced, that don’t amount to any plot progression. I kept waiting for the earring The Creature wears to be relevant, yet despite its prominent placement, it goes unnoticed by people who should notice it. The dialogue is stale and tired and I question how it was ever a trademark of hers. The number of PMS jokes almost made me think this was written by some dude in the 90s. And she doesn’t seem to understand the Frankenstein story, making the Creature more of a homicidal maniac versus a newly formed person, unable to control his emotions, strength, and impulses.
I can’t help but look at Lisa Frankenstein and see all of the potential. Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse are fantastic leads and this could have easily been the Edward Scissorhands of the 2020s. And I’m not just talking about the set design. Unfortunately, the filmmakers seem at odds with the kind of film they’re making. There was a desperate need for surrealism to take over but, outside of the opening and drug-induced stupor, it’s a dull affair. While I could see this achieving some kind of cult status a la Jennifer’s Body, there’s not enough campiness.
LISA FRANKENSTEIN IS IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE ON FEBRUARY 9TH, 2024.
It’s hard to explain exactly what inspired this list. Maybe we just wanted to rave some more about Pixar. Maybe watching Avatar again and the new sequel Avatar: The Way of Water boggled our minds. Whatever it was, it’s done, and we can’t take it back (the delete key is broken). It is kind of strange that there are so many blue movie characters. If we wanted to do, say, Best Red Characters in Movies, it would just be five pictures of Hellboy and five pictures of Darth Maul. (This is not below my work ethic, by the way, so don’t act surprised when it happens.) Travel below to see our picks for the very best blue characters in movie history!
We usually don’t like to highlight characters that strictly sing their dialogue but there’s something about this Diva. The fact that we can’t understand anything she says helps matters. As does the way her head looks like a limp leg and how you can pump gas from her temples. We have no idea why these things work in her favor, they just do.
You know what our first wish would be if we rubbed this big bitch out of a bottle? 8 billion more wishes. Why does nobody ever think of this? our second wish would be that Robin Williams was still alive. Love that guy. The third… well… we can’t print that here. UPDATE: Seems we were foiled by a “No Wishes for More Wishes” rule. Okay, change the first wish to “I wish there was no rule against wishing for more wishes.” Eat it, Genie.
Exactly what is Gonzo? We get the frog, the pig, the bear, etc.., but what the hell is Gonzo? It’s his mystery that intrigues us. Here’s what we know – he likes to bang chickens. That’s it. UPDATE: So he’s an alien? That sucks, we liked him way more when he was a “whatever”. He just moved down a couple spots (NOTE: I’m too lazy to actually move him down a couple spots).
Love this film or not, Dory truly does have some of the funniest moments in Pixar history in Finding Nemo. It’s no surprise she became the central character in the follow-up, Finding Dory.
The teenage son of those blue folks Jake Sully and Neytiri, Lo’ak te Suli Tsyeyk’itan (that’s why we just call him Lo’ak) made his screen debut in Avatar: The Way of Water – and turned out to be such an interesting character that he’s going to replace his dad as the narrator on Avatar 3. That’s why we have kids, right? So they can handle the chores we don’t want to do anymore.
We sometimes wish John Goodman was Sully in real life. How awesome would it have been to see the big blue bastard stomping around on an episode of Treme, voicing his displeasure in regards to the political propaganda involved with hurricane Katrina? Real awesome, that’s how awesome.
It can easily be argued that the opening sequence in X2 is the single greatest scene in the history of comic book movies. And Nightcrawler owns that shit.
It’s hard to be taken seriously as an underwater hero in modern day fantasy. You’re always being looked down upon as either a wimp (Aquaman), a gigantic douche (The Sub-Mariner), or a hottie whose hair should be shorter so we can see your boobies (any mermaid ever). Abe not only looks badass, he’s got brains and skill to back it up. And he looks tasty on a plate with some chips.
Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen) in one epic motherf*cker. Dude can end wars with the pass of a hand, jump over to Mars when he’s bored to build high-end tourist retreats in seconds, and work on futuristic machinery while banging his girlfriend with multiple versions of his own penis. Why isn’t he number one? He got dumped for a dude dressed as an owl, won’t kill everyone we want him to, and is in desperate need of pants. Seriously though, we don’t know, we just like Mystique better…
The thing we love about Mystique (X-Men, X-Men United) is the fact that she chooses to be blue. She could walk around in Rebecca Romijn supermodel form and actually be even more dangerous than she is now, but refuses to conform to society’s norm. It’s that kind of dedication we like to see in the #1 spot.
Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle:
While it was far from a smash, more people have been discovering the charm of Angel Manuel Soto’s Blue Beetle since it hit MAX and VOD following it’s summer release. As far as superheroes go, it’s nice to get some blue representation out there, with him arguably being the first Blue superhero since Nightcrawler (would we count Mystique as a hero?).
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced today that they will begin presenting a new Oscar category, the first in over twenty years. The new award will recognize achievement in casting and will first be presented during the 2026 Oscar ceremony. Prior to this, the last new Oscar category was Best Animated Feature, which was announced in 2001, with Shrek taking home the inaugural award.
In a statement, current Academy president Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer said: “Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate. We congratulate our casting directors branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process.“
Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Coleman, and Debra Zane, three governors of the Academy’s casting director branch, added, “On behalf of the members of the casting directors branch, we’d like to thank the board of governors, the awards committee and Academy leadership for their support. This award is a deserved acknowledgment of our casting directors’ exceptional talents and a testament to the dedicated efforts of our branch.” The specifics regarding eligibility and voting for the first casting Oscar will be announced in April 2025 as part of the rules for the 98th Academy Awards.
Do casting directors deserve an Oscar category for themselves? Certainly, but many have been wondering when stunt performers and stunt coordinators will be recognized as well. Those who have called for a stunt Oscar include John Wick director Chad Stahelski, who said last summer that talks with the Academy have actually been quite positive. “We’ve been meeting with members of the Academy and actually having these conversations, and, to be honest, it’s been nothing but incredibly positive, incredibly instructional,” Stahelski said. “I think, for the first time, we’ve made real movement forward to making this happen.” The director added that he could see it happening in the next three or four years at the latest.
Awards ceremonies haven’t been the ratings juggernauts they once were, with the Oscars steadily falling for the last decade. Speaking just from an audience perspective, I’d imagine that most would be much more interested in a stunt category rather than casting. Throughout the nearly four-hour telecast, most viewers simply don’t care about categories outside the major ones, but stunts might prove to be an exception.
THR reports that HBO is developing yet another Game of Thrones prequel series. This one will be a prequel to House of the Dragon and tell the story of Aegon Targaryen’s brutal conquest of Westeros.
Mattson Tomlin, who co-wrote The Batman Part II with Matt Reeves, is set to pen the Game of Thrones prequel. Aegon Targaryen, who has been mentioned frequently in the franchise, conquered Westeros with his sister wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, and three dragons. With the exception of Dorne, Aegon took control of the continent within just two years, later founding the city of King’s Landing, constructing the Red Keep, and forging the Iron Throne from the swords of his defeated enemies. His descendants would go on to rule for centuries.
THR’s sources have described the Aegon prequel series as a “back to basics” approach to the franchise, although they’re not entirely sure what that means. Since Game of Thrones concluded, HBO has been developing a variety of projects set in the same universe. The first, and so far only, spinoff series to be released is House of the Dragon. The series is set 200 years before the events of the flagship series and chronicles the war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons. The second season is expected to debut this summer.
HBO is also moving forward with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, based on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas. “A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,” reads the synopsis. “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.” The studio hopes to start shooting the spinoff this spring.
As for the potential Aegon series, there’s no guarantee it will actually move any further, as HBO has developed many Game of Thrones projects that have been shelved.
Putting a fresh spin on one of the greatest movies of all time can’t be an easy task, but Kevin Williamson is up for the challenge. Deadline reports that the Scream writer is developing a TV series reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, and I can already hear the cries of sacrilege.
Based on Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story It Had to Be Murder, Rear Window starred Jimmy Stewart as a photographer in a wheelchair who spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, played by Grace Kelly. To be fair, the iconic film was remade before with the 1998 made-for-TV movie starring Christopher Reeve. There’s also Disturbia, which was at least partially inspired by the Hitchcock film.
Kevin Williamson and his producer banner, Outerbanks Entertainment, finalized an overall deal with Universal Television in December, with the Rear Window series just one of four major projects he will be developing. There’s also The It Girl, based on the novel of the same name by Ruth Ware, which follows a woman on the search for answers a decade after the murder of her friend. Williamson will co-write the script with Sarah L. Thompson. Williamson is also writing The Waterfront, a family crime drama which follows a dysfunctional clan struggling to keep their crumbling fishing empire afloat. The fourth project is The Game, an adaptation of the David Fincher movie. Original screenwriters John Brancato and Michael Ferris are adapting the project, which is still in internal development.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the Universal Television family,” Williamson said. “When making television, it’s so important to have partners who believe, support and inspire you. In Universal Television I have found exactly that. I’m excited to be working with such an amazing team doing what I love to do.” Erin Underhill, President of Universal Television, added, “Kevin is a prolific and brilliant creator with a proven track record of producing iconic hits for both the big and small screen. He’s a trusted collaborator whose imagination is boundless and inspiring. We love our creative partnership with Kevin and his terrific team at Outerbanks. We think fans will love everything they are cooking up.“
The Rear Window TV series will obviously have to expand on the story, but there will be many hurdles to overcome if the project even wants to come close to the Hitchcock movie.
Ol’ Brian Johnson has come a long way from the halls of Shermer High School. Prime Video, Skydance Television, and Paramount Television Studios have announced that Anthony Michael Hall has joined the cast of Reacher season 3 as a series regular.
Anthony Michael Hall will play Zachary Beck, “a formidable and successful businessman, Beck is a widow and single father of a 20-year-old son, Richard. He is the owner of a rug import company that Reacher and his cohorts suspect is a cover for a more nefarious operation.” Another new addition to the cast of the third season is Sonya Cassidy (The Man Who Fell to Earth), who will be playing Susan Duffy, “an extremely intelligent and tough DEA agent from Boston with a sharp and sarcastic sense of humor.“
Reacher season 3 is currently shooting in Toronto and is based on Persuader, the seventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. “Jack Reacher lives for the moment. Without a home. Without commitment. And with a burning desire to right wrongs – and rewrite his own agonizing past,” reads the synopsis of Persuader. “DEA Susan Duffy is living for the future, knowing that she has made a terrible mistake by putting one of her own female agents into a death trap within a heavily guarded Maine mansion. Staging a brilliant ruse, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise. Trying to rescue an agent whose time is running out, Reacher enters a crime lord’s waterfront fortress. There, he will find a world of secrecy and violence – and confront some unfinished business from his own past.“
Reacher stars Alan Richardson as the title character, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life. He travels the country as a drifter, carrying no phone and only the barest of essentials. Maria Stern will also be returning as Frances Neagley, a corporate security professional who served with Reacher in the Army’s 110th Special Investigations Unit. The series has proven to be quite a success for Prime Video, with the second season doubling its audience and reigning supreme as the #1 title on the streaming service during its premiere weekend.
As a long-time fan of Anthony Michael Hall, it’s exciting to see him joining Reacher; and speaking of Hall, you’ll want to check back here tomorrow as we’ll be dropping a pretty spectacular interview with the actor.
Fresh off the well received wrestling dramaThe Iron Claw and soon to be seen in the comedy Ricky Stanicky, Zac Efron has now signed on to star in the thriller Famous for director Jody Hill – and he’ll be playing dual roles in the film, which is based on a novel by Blake Crouch!
Scripted by Chad Hodge, who created the short-lived, Crouch-inspired TV series Wayward Pines back in 2015, Famous has the following synopsis: Lance Dunkquist has one asset that’s about to change his life – he has the face of a movie star. And not just any movie star – Lance is the spitting image of a Hollywood icon, James Jansen. Lance is about to travel to Los Angeles to make his dream come true. Lance is going to be famous, no matter what it takes… The film aims to be a “provocative and highly entertaining Los Angeles-set thriller that explores the dark side of celebrity, and the lengths people will go to attain it.”
Efron will be playing both overzealous fan Lance Dunkquist and Hollywood heartthrob James Jansen.
Copies of Crouch’s novel can be purchased at THIS LINK. It has the following description: “My name is Lancelot Blue Dunkquist, and the best thing about me is, when you doll me up right, I look just like the movie star, James Jansen.” Meet Lance. 38-years-old. Works a meaningless job. Still lives above his parents’ garage. By all accounts, a world-class loser. Except for one glaring exception… He has a million-dollar face. Lance has been mistaken twenty-eight times for the Oscar-winning movie star, James Jansen, and for the last 10 years, he’s saved his money, studied Jansen’s films, his moves, his idiosyncrasies, even the way he speaks. Now, after an unceremonious termination from his job, Lance has decided that the time has come to go after his dream. From New York’s ridiculous avant-garde, off-off Broadway scene, to the surreal glitter of Los Angeles, follow Lance on his madcap journey of self-abandonment to become his likeness. Part comedy, part human tragedy, and part suspense, the world through the eyes of Lancelot Blue Dunkquist is like none you’ve ever seen.
Mr. Robot creator / Leave the World Behind director Sam Esmail is producing Famous with Chad Hamilton for Esmail Corp. The company’s Nick Krishnamurthy serves as executive producer. Black Bear will be presenting Famous to potential international distributors at the upcoming European Film Market, while CAA Media Finance and WME Independent represent the U.S. rights.
Jody Hill’s previous directing credits include The Foot Fist Way, Observe and Report, The Legacy of a Whitetail DeerHunter, and episodes of Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, The Righteous Gemstones, and Peacemaker.
Does Famous sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this Zac Efron / Jody Hill / Blake Crouch / Chad Hodge / Sam Esmail team-up by leaving a comment below.
Video game publisher Krafton released a report that seemed to imply underwater survival sim Subnautica 2 would be a multiplayer-focused live-service game, which disappointed and frustrated many fans. But now the devs have quickly clarified that no, this isn’t the case and instead the game is going to just receive…
Video game publisher Krafton released a report that seemed to imply underwater survival sim Subnautica 2 would be a multiplayer-focused live-service game, which disappointed and frustrated many fans. But now the devs have quickly clarified that no, this isn’t the case and instead the game is going to just receive…
