Possibly the greatest collection of films for a modern classic showcase is about to take place at the TCM Classic Film Festival. The Wrap has revealed that the channel Turner Classic Movies, which is dedicated to unaltered, unedited film broadcasts of renowned movies in the history of cinema, has revealed the list of titles and guest appearances that will be featured at this year’s festival. The festival this year will be commemorating the 30th anniversary of the network. The TCM Classic Festival will be taking place in Los Angeles on April 18-21.

The event will screen the world premiere of a brand-new restoration of the 1995 film Se7en, the dark crime thriller starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Director David Fincher will be there personally to unveil the film in IMAX. Another big screening will be the director’s cut of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which will play after Steven Spielberg makes an appearance for a conversation with UCLA Film School’s Howard Suber.

Additionally, Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman will also be making guest appearances during a screening of their 1994 drama from Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption. Diane Lane is set to be interviewed by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz with a following showing of her 1979 feature, A Little Romance. Director Nancy Meyers will be introducing the world premiere restoration of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 film North by Northwest, and Alexander Payne is set to introduce the John Wayne feature, The Searchers from 1956.

Also in honor of its 30th anniversary, director Gillian Armstrong’s adaptation of Little Women will screen with appearances by Trini Alvarado, Samantha Mathis, and Eric Stoltz. And finally, earlier this year, it was announced that Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film Pulp Fiction is set to screen with Vincent Vega himself, John Travolta, in attendance at the showing, which is set to take place at the TCL Chinese Theatre in 35mm.

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PLOT: Former child stars from Nickelodeon look back on their time with the network, sharing troubling stories about their relationship with programming guru Dan Schneider. 

REVIEW: I must admit to complete ignorance regarding Nickelodeon’s empire of kids’ programming from the ’90s and 2000s. For one thing, I was born in ’81, so by the time these shows got popular, I was too old. For another, I’m Canadian and we don’t have Nickelodeon here. I remember when Good Burger came out in 1996, I had no idea why it was considered such a big deal, as I’d never heard of Kenan and Kel. Yet, over the last decade or so, working in the entertainment journalism sphere, I couldn’t help but hear a lot of whispers about Dan Schneider, the producer who ran a mini-empire of kids programming on the network. 

Of course, we’ve all had a front-row seat to the tragedy of Amanda Bynes, with her becoming a cautionary tale for any parent thinking about putting their child in acting. Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV shines a light on the many abuses suffered by the children who worked on many of Nickelodeon’s shows, with Schneider coming off as an emotionally abusive tyrant. One thing that’s important to note is that while there was indeed sexual abuse behind the scenes, as far as this documentary goes, Schneider’s name is still clear in that regard. More may come out at a later date, with Bynes having yet to give her side of the story, but in terms of sexual inappropriateness, the worst is Schneider’s constant use of sexually suggestive humour in his kid’s shows, but not more than that.

Even still, it’s hard to think of Schneider’s career ever bouncing back from this, with him accused of a litany of abuses from both his former child stars and adult colleagues. He’s depicted as sexist and emotionally abusive, although perhaps the worst about him is still to come, with the show acknowledging there’s a whole story waiting to be told about an effort to get Amanda Bynes emancipated from her parents that ended with him blocked from working actively on any of her shows. 

However, Schneider’s story isn’t the most harrowing one in this documentary series. The series reveals that a pedophile named Jason Handy worked on the set as a production assistant and committed several crimes against children while under the network’s employ. Another horrifying story involves a dialogue coach/ actor named Brian Peck, a staple of Schneider’s shows. While working for the network, he became obsessed with one of the rising stars, Drake Bell, and sexually abused him, leading to him going to jail for 16 months before being allowed to resume his career working on other children’s programming (despite being on the sex offenders registry).

Quiet on the Set is generating a ton of press because it features Bell telling his story for the first time, and it’s a difficult one to hear. While he doesn’t blame Schneider (and, in fact, holds him in high regard), he admits Peck was able to run amuck, with him able to ice out Bell’s father, whose concerns about Peck grooming his son were dismissed as homophobia. Bell really does come off as a tragic, broken figure here, with him having been accused of his own inappropriate relationship with a minor over the last few years, making any major redemption for him rather unlikely. 

What’s especially difficult to reckon with is that Peck’s Hollywood friends rallied around him despite knowing full well he was guilty. James Marsden, in particular, emerges as a less-than-admirable person here, along with Boy Meets World stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong, who have since acknowledged their support of Peck and apologized (Marsden has said nothing). 

Indeed, Quiet on Set proves that kids TV, until recently, was shockingly lax about the way its child stars were protected. Who knows if things have improved, but any parent considering putting their child in showbiz may want to give this a watch. It’s harrowing but necessary. 

Dan Schneider

GREAT

8

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The first trailer for Doctor Who Season 14 is ready to invite Whovians on a thrilling adventure through time and space alongside the fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education, Barbie), and his mysterious companion, Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson! Gatwa and Gibson debuted as the BBC’s latest gallivanters of the galaxy in the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials, introducing fans to a bold new era of timey-wimey goodness.

Russell T Davies, who spearheaded Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010, returns to the series for seasons 14 and 15 to showrun, write, and executive produce the new episodes, with co-production handled by Bad Wolf. When Doctor Who season 14 gets underway, Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper), singer Bonnie Langford (EastEnders, Doctor Who), Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter, Frozen, Hamilton), and Indira Varma (Obsession, Silent Hours, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning) join Gatwa and Gibson for eight episodes of running from aliens, monsters, twisted historical figures, and more.

In today’s Doctor Who Season 14 trailer, Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor and Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday continue the journey, which started in the latest Doctor Who Special “Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Street.” While traveling through time, the Doctor and Ruby walk alongside dinosaurs, go full-on Bridgerton for a lavish party, encounter space monsters, go to war with aliens, and meet vile villains.

In a twist to the Doctor Who formula, Gibson only stars in Season 14, with actress Varara Sethu (Jurassic Park: Dominion, Andor, Hard Sun) joining the Doctor for Season 15. Sethu is already filming her turn as the Doctor’s next companion for Season 15. Sethu is known to many as Cinta from the Disney+ Star Wars series Andor. The Indiana-born British actress also plays Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri in the Sky Original series Strike Back, focusing on Section 20, a secretive unit of British military intelligence. In Sky’s Stirke Back, a special operations personnel conducts several high-risk missions across the globe.

While it’s common for Doctor Who to introduce new companions to the series, one season could seem like insufficient time to spend with Ruby Sunday. In her debut episode, Gibson’s Ruby Sunday is a delightful, spirited character, sharing plenty of chemistry with Gatwa’s suave and adventuresome Doctor. Fans will undoubtedly speculate what led to her exiting the show but will assuredly welcome Varada Sethu to the fold.

What do you think about today’s Doctor Who Season 14 trailer? New episodes of Doctor Who drop in May on the BBC in the U.K. and Disney+ internationally.

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Undawn is a zombie survival shooter that launched in June 2023 on mobile and PC, but I don’t blame you for knowing anything about it. According to Reuters, the game, which appears to have been on very few people’s radar, didn’t perform well for Chinese conglomerate Tencent, despite Oscar-winning actor Will Smith…

Read more…

Undawn is an open-world zombie survival shooter that launched in June 2023 on mobile and PC, but I don’t blame you for not knowing anything about it. According to Reuters, the game, which appears to have been on very few people’s radar, didn’t perform well for Chinese conglomerate Tencent, despite Oscar-winning actor…

Read more…

Road House is a very big deal in my family so I was initially concerned when a remake was announced. Thankfully, after watching the film, my worries have been cast aside as I had an absolute blast with it. (You can check out Bumbray’s review HERE!) This is just as dumb and fun as the original. Sure, it lacks that 80s charm, but it’s replaced with a modern beachside aesthetic that works. And Conor McGregor is chewing so much scenery that I question how the sets were even standing by the end.

Daniela Melchior and Lukas Gage were nice enough to chat with me about the film. I, of course, had to inquire how much experience they had with the original film. They talked about not comparing themselves with the performances from the original and trying to carve out a path for themselves. I also had to make sure to ask Daniela how difficult driving a speedboat was compared to her time driving race cars in Fast X. Overall, I had a great time talking with these two and it sure sounds like the Road House set was an absolute blast.

Road House synopsis:

Road House stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and his penchant for violence, in this adrenaline-fueled actioner. Dalton is barely scraping by on the reputation that still precedes him when he is spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), owner of a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. She hires him to be her new bouncer in hopes of stopping a violent gang, working for crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen), from destroying her beloved bar. Even five to one, Brandt’s crew is no match for Dalton’s skills. But the stakes get higher with the
arrival of ruthless gun-for-hire, Knox (Conor McGregor). As the brutal brawls and bloodshed escalate, the tropical Keys prove more dangerous than anything Dalton ever faced in the Octagon.

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May the Force be with your ability to control your bowels when Alamo Drafthouse hosts a nine-film Star Wars marathon on May 3-4, resulting in 21 hours worth of adventure in a galaxy far, far away. This year’s May the 4th celebration is about endurance when the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission location in San Francisco screens every movie in the Skywalker Saga back-to-back. The reason to buy a pack of adult diapers begins on May 3 with The Phantom Menace and ends the next day with The Rise of Skywalker.

While 21 hours of Star Wars is child’s play for many hardcore fans, casual padawans can rest knowing there will be breaks and “unlimited coffee and water” to keep you going throughout the experience. Marathon attendees can also enjoy Star Wars-themed food items, an elaborate Star Wars-themed lobby for socializing and photo ops, games, and trivia sessions between each chapter of the beloved space opera.

But wait, there’s more! Audience members can purchase unique marathon-inspired merchandise, including pint glasses and T-shirts. Additionally, the 501st Legion, a group of costumed enthusiasts known for their local charity and volunteer work, will march through the theater to make the experience more memorable and raise awareness for their worthy cause.

“Some of us grew up with the original trilogy, some of us with the prequels, and some with the sequels,” said Alamo Drafthouse CEO Michael Kustermann. “This event brings all fans together for one epic celebration, and that really is a testament to the power of cinema and the theatrical experience, as well as the incredible impact Star Wars has had on pop culture.”

How many Star Wars movies can you endure before running to the nearest restroom at lightspeed? What’s the longest movie marathon you’ve ever experienced in theaters or at home? I once watched The Burbs nine times in a row while packing to move out of my parent’s house, though I’m unsure if that counts. Do you want to attend the Alamo Drafthouse Star Wars marathon? What color lightsaber will you wield for the event? My favorite is Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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There probably aren’t too many movie fans that aren’t looking forward to Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, his passion project that is decades in the making. And while we have gotten a lot of news in terms of plot, casting, title design, and more, it still feels sort of surreal that Megalopolis will finally be released later this year. But if we want any further details about what to expect, one of its stars, Adam Driver, can only tease.

Driver, who plays a character named Caesar in Megalopolis, described the film as such: “It’s kind of undefinable, which feels very general until you watch the movie. Then my answer will be perfect. There’s not a lot of precedent for it and it’s wild on a big scale, which is what’s really unique about it.” That’s not a whole lot but that Driver suggests there has been practically no other film like it absolutely lends to the buzz around the film, which is currently in post-production and due out near the end of the year.

As far as working with the director, Driver noted, “He’s a visionary. He’s very much Francis, in a way, where he’s investigated every way of how people can do something and is trying not to get stuck on the right answer. That’s an idea that’s moving to me – and one that reflects Francis.”

Coppola has put so much on the line for Megalopolis, putting up a lot of his own dough to finance the project. While obviously a monumental risk – the budget has been pegged upwards of $120 million – the director knows that this will allow him to create exactly the film he has been envisioning since the 1980s. And with Coppola being 85 by the time the film comes out, there likely won’t be more opportunities for him to do a project of this scope.

Not surprisingly, such a film as Megalopolis has attracted a star cast. In addition to Driver, the film features Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whitaker, Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Talia Shire, and so many more. With this level of cast, the return from a 13-year hiatus from Coppola and the sheer magnitude of the film, we hope – for the director and ourselves – that Megalopolis was worth the wait.

Where does Megalopolis rank on your list of most anticipated films of 2024? Let us know in the comments section below.

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PLOT: The life and career of Gene Wilder are remembered by his friends and colleagues. 

REVIEW: Gene Wilder was a one-of-a-kind talent. While it seems like he’s mostly remembered these days for playing Willy Wonka (with his performance inspiring Timothee Chalamet’s recent take), there was a lot more to him than just that one film. For one thing, his cinematic partnership with Mel Brooks resulted in three all-time classics: The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Plus, he and Richard Pryor made an iconic mismatched duo in a slew of films (some better than others), while Wilder directed several highly successful films on his own. 

In this loving tribute to the late icon, director Ron Frank pulls back the curtain to dip into both Wilder’s creative process and sometimes tragic life. Pulling from an audiobook he recorded of his memoirs, the film is distinguished because Wilder himself tells much of the story. If you’ve read his book or seen enough of the movies he had a creative hand in (which was most of his films), you’ll know that Wilder was an eternal optimist. It’s gratifying to hear here, through a telling interview with his widow Karen Wilder, that even during his years-long battle with Alzheimer’s, he mainly remained upbeat. She notes that one of the curious blessings of the disease was that by the time he was diagnosed, he was already quite far along in its course, so he was spared some of the grief that comes with an early diagnosis and was never too aware of the fact that he was slipping away.

Most of Wilder’s living colleagues are interviewed here, including the still-spry Mel Brooks, who tearfully remembers Wilder as one of his best friends and breaks down at the memory of his friend’s final days. The film is careful to note the near symbiotic relationship the two had, with them building off each other’s success. Brooks (and his late wife Anne Bancroft) discovered Wilder, giving him a star-making role in The Producers. But, when Brooks had a disaster on the set of Blazing Saddles with the actor initially hired to play The Waco Kid, Wilder up and quit the film he was working on to fly directly to the set and play the part (to perfection). The movie notes that Young Frankenstein was their baby, with Wilder and Brooks co-writing the film. That movie’s success spawned Wilder’s career as a writer-director with The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, The World’s Greatest Lover, and more (he had a massive hit with The Woman in Red in 1984). 

For the most part, the film is a love fest, with no one having a bad word to say about Wilder. In later years, he became famous for his on-screen partnership with the volatile Richard Pryor, starring in two stone-cold classics, Silver Streak and Stir Crazy. Much was made about how the men, offscreen, weren’t that close, Pryor’s daughter says that during their last two films, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Another You, her father was desperately ill with multiple sclerosis, and Wilder always supported him and tried to make life easier for his co-star, something which Pryor always appreciated. Thus, their partnership ended on a note of mutual respect despite their ups and downs. 

The movie also dips into Wilder’s tragic romance with the brilliant Gilda Radner, who died of cancer just a few years after they were married. The film also tracks the happy marriage he had in his latter years with a speech therapist for deaf people that he hired to help him on See No Evil, Hear No Evil (where he played a deaf man). Indeed, Wilder seemed like a one-of-a-kind man, being one of the few Hollywood icons without any real skeletons in his closet. It’s nice to know that Wilder was as special off-screen as on-screen. 

Remembering Gene Wilder

GREAT

8

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The early numbers are coming in for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s preview night. Deadline is reporting that the movie made about $4.7 million last night from previews that started at 2 pm While that’s better than Kung Fu Panda 4 performed a few weeks ago (before opening to $58 million) it’s only marginally higher than Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s preview figures from 2021, with that film making $4.5 million for a $45 million opening. Let’s not forget that film was hampered by the pandemic. November 2021 was the height of the Omicron wave, and movies were tanking left and right. Everyone seemed to think Afterlife would have doubled its business were it not for the pandemic. Deadline’s sources seem wary of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire opening on that level, with many believing the preview night is front-loaded (we’re predicting a $40 million finish). 

With a budget of about $100 million, Sony will no doubt be expecting the film to finish with at least a $100 million domestic total and double that overseas to green light any more sequels. It remains to be seen if the more cooly received than its predecessor sequel will manage to hit those numbers. On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s got the dreaded rotten rating at only 45%, Yikes.

Meanwhile, Neon has yet to report any numbers on their Sydney Sweeney-led horror flick Immaculate. Still, Deadline says the exit surveys have been pretty negative, with mainstream audiences seemingly liking the film less than critics. It’s scored a pretty impressive (for a horror flick) 78% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, Dune: Part Two continues to do well, making $2.2 million last night compared to Kung Fu Panda’s $1.7 million, although the latter film will no doubt crank out more business over the weekend thanks to family matinees.

So, what did you think of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? In my review, I gave it a 6/10, and found it an entertaining sequel (even if it spends too much time trying to expand the franchise). Tomorrow I’ll be posting my Ghostbusters Movies Ranked article, so I’m curious to hear what you all thought. Let me know in the talkbacks! 

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