Month: April 2024

26 Apr

Aaron Sorkin states he’s writing a spiritual sequel to The Social Network about Facebook’s current influence on society

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the social network, sequel, aaron sorkin

Time was that you had to be a college student to have a Facebook profile. The website was simply a way of connecting people in schools across the country. When the site became open to absolutely anyone, it became a social platform in ways that exceeded people’s expectations. The famous site has become a hotbed of controversy with its ability to allow anyone to speak and post about whatever their heart desires and whatever comes to mind, regardless of public courtesy or discretion. David Fincher’s The Social Network explored the sinister roots of the site’s genesis and its rapid growth. Now, Aaron Sorkin has taken to the task of following up on his script with a sequel of sorts, exploring the unwavering influence it has on its users.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Sorkin broke the news of his work-in-progress when he appeared on the “live from DC” edition of The Town podcast. The West Wing creator stated,

Look, yeah, I’ll be writing about this. I blame Facebook for January 6.”

When a follow-up inquiry was made about why he blames Facebook, he responded, “You’re going to need to buy a movie ticket.” Sorkin was then asked if he meant he was writing it specifically as a feature film; he replied, “I’m trying. Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible. Because that is what will increase engagement. That is what will get you to — what they call inside the hallways of Facebook — ‘the infinite scroll’ … There’s supposed to be a constant tension at Facebook between growth and integrity. There isn’t. There’s just growth. If Mark Zuckerberg woke up tomorrow morning and realized there is nothing you can buy for $120 billion that you can’t buy for $119 billion dollars, ‘So how about if I make a little bit less money? I will tune up integrity and tune down growth.’ Yes, you can do that by switching a one to a zero.”

Sorkin was working on a script about the events of January 6th, but that project did not end up moving forward. He had always thought about doing a sequel to The Social Network that would expose more of the “dark side” of Facebook, especially if he was able to reunite with David Fincher on the project. In 2020, Sorkin told the Happy Sad Confused podcast, “People have been talking to me about [a sequel] because of what we’ve discovered is the dark side of Facebook. Do I want to write that movie? Yeah I do. I will only write it if [David Fincher] directs it. If Billy Wilder came back from the grave and said he wanted to direct it, I’d say I’d only do it with David.”

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26 Apr

Challengers scores $1.9 million at the box office in early previews

By . FilmTV No Comments
challengers

Luca Guadagnino isn’t exactly known for mainstream box office success, with credits on his resume like Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria and Bones and All. However, you take a young rising star like Zendaya and create a sexy love triangle around her in a sports setting, then as the late great Carl Weathers would say, “Baby, you got a stew going!” Guadagnino’s sports romance drama, Challengers, would open to $1.9 million at the box office in Thursday night previews.

According to Variety, while the R-rated film isn’t going to bust any blocks, as romance dramas rarely do, but the Amazon MGM movie is expected to win the weekend with an estimated $12 million to $15 million gross. Challengers is expected to overtake Civil War for the number one spot at the box office for the week. Civil War would enjoy two weeks at the top, becoming the biggest earner for the boutique production studio A24. Challengers has been well-reviewed by critics, sporting a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, although no audience score has been set yet.

Our own Chris Bumbray gave the film a favorable review, saying, “Where the film impresses the most is in its small moments between the characters. Information is relayed in such a believable way that every emotion hits hard. Whether it’s a simple glance or lack thereof, so much is said without words. Then the narrative, being bandied about like a jigsaw puzzle, comes together in a satisfying way. There’s a lot to break down and infer and each new scene changes the texture of those that came before it.” You can read the rest of his thoughts HERE.

The official synopsis from MGM reads,
“From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist – West Side Story), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor – The Crown) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.”

Luca Guadagnino directs a script from writer Justin Kuritzkes. Executive producers on the film include Bernard Bellew, Lorenzo Mieli and Kevin Ulrich. In addition to starring in the film, Zendaya is also on board as a producer, and she’s joined by Amy Pascal, the film’s director Luca Guadagnino and Rachel O’Connor. The theatrically released film has been rated R for “language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity.”

The post Challengers scores $1.9 million at the box office in early previews appeared first on JoBlo.

26 Apr

What Happened to Rob Reiner?

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Very few directors have ever had the kind of run Rob Reiner did as a director between 1984 and 1992. Think about it. This is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery and A Few Good Men. Surely, that run alone would be enough to solidify him as one of the greatest Hollywood directors of all time? Those movies are so good it almost doesn’t matter how much money-losing crap he puts out now…and there is a lot of it… and North isn’t even the worst of it! So how did this man go from making a few great movies that defined and elevated our pop culture on so many different levels to suddenly pumping out nothing but heartless, soulless political flicks (did anyone see LBJ?) and rom-coms that are neither romantic nor comedic?

So, how did this jack of all genres become a master of none? Let’s find out: What Happened to…Rob Reiner?

rob reiner all in the family

But to truly understand what happened to Rob Reiner, we must go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when he was born on March 6th, 1947, in New York City to the late, great Carl and Estelle Reiner, the former being one of the leading and most acclaimed names in comedy of his time. That’s right; Rob Reiner is a nepo baby…although it is funny to think of someone nearly in their ‘80s as one. With a key connection in the industry, Reiner got small bits in major shows like That Girl, Batman, The Partridge Family, and Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. He made his first big screen appearance in 1967’s Enter Laughing…directed by his old man. One of his most key gigs in the decade was as a writer for comedy duo The Smothers Brothers’ variety show.

But it was on 1971’s groundbreaking sitcom All in the Family that Rob Reiner became a household name, playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic, the liberal (if sometimes empty) minded son-in-law to everybody’s favorite racist Archie Bunker. Meathead served as left-wing opposition to anything and everything Archie hilariously spit out, foreshadowing his real-life persona, when Meathead became a talking head on every political program from MSNBC to FOX NEWS. For the role, Reiner would win two Emmys. That same year, he married the late Penny Marshall, divorcing in 1981 before either one’s directing career took off. And while he would dabble in television a bit more by co-creating the short-lived sitcom The Super, it would be the big screen that would cement his name in American entertainment.

In 1984, Reiner created – alongside the likes of Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer – This Is Spinal Tap, also playing the director-within-the-director Marty DiBergi. Although not the first comedy mockumentary, Spinal Tap reinvigorated the genre and still remains the pinnacle. And yet, instead of latching solely onto this style of comedy as his father did, he would next direct The Sure Thing (1985), which was still a comedy but seemed out of character but would be part of one of his favorite genres as he got older – the rom com. And even then, Reiner defied expectations yet again by helming the Stephen King adaptation Stand By Me (1986), proving he could do coming-of-age and drama. Through the story of Stand By Me, Reiner said he most identified with Gordie (also the narrator), Wil Wheaton’s character who has to make a name for himself amid the pressures of following behind a much-admired family member. But Reiner need not worry because he was well out of Carl’s shadow by this point, even earning his first Golden Globe nod for Best Director.

Stand By Me

Two years later, he would establish Castle Rock Entertainment, so named after the town in Stand By Me. Rob Reiner ended the decade with what stand as two of the greatest romances ever put on film: 1987’s The Princess Bride and 1989’s When Harry Met Sally. Up to this point, Reiner had delivered exemplary modern examples of four different genres: mockumentary, rom-com, coming-of-age, and fantasy. He had crossed over, creating movies that virtually couldn’t offend anyone. And with Bride and Harry – which earned him another Golden Globe nod – he was undoubtedly one of the most recognizable directors on the scene. Then came mega hits Misery (1990) – winning an Oscar for Kathy Bates and A Few Good Men (1992) making him even more powerful. No genre was impossible for this man. It didn’t hurt that he would continue stepping in front of the camera as well throughout his entire career, with small roles in movies like Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Primary Colors (1998), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). When Harry Met Sally, however, had the distinction of being his biggest hit to date, taking in just under $100 million at the box office. Like The Princess Bride and 1995’s The American President, it was ranked as one of the 100 greatest romances by the American Film Institute.

The American President, as unremarkable as it is now, has a lot of importance to it. For one, it was the rebound he needed after 1994’s North, the movie that showed that despite how diverse his filmography had been, he couldn’t nail the family movie night comedy (yes, Ebert truly “hated hated hated hated hated” it). The American President also gave him yet another Golden Globe nod for Best Director, making him one of the most nominated without a win. But it also marked the point where he truly began to show his politics, which has defined – and maybe even marred – him since. With an Aaron Sorkin script, the movie undeniably takes a liberal viewpoint under the stances of gun control and environmental protection.

Reiner’s leftist positions have proven to be one of his most domineering personality traits, often at this point appearing on panels to spread his opinions all around the mainstream media. Consider 2024’s God & Country, a documentary he produced that warns of the “weaponization of racism” through the world of Christian nationalism and the Trump era. Such a stance makes him a champion of the far left, which made him all the more welcome in Hollywood but pinned him as a public enemy to the other side… like good ol’ Fox News, who said he deserves an “Oscar for Best Performance for Religiophobia” and latched onto Reiner’s former “Meathead” nickname. This left-leaning documentary, which featured the criticism of an entire religion, was (somehow!) a box office bomb. But those who have followed Reiner’s trajectory know it’s not solely because of the subject matter.

When you look at the numbers, Rob Reiner has only had one movie since 1995 that has taken in more than $50 million domestically: 2007’s The Bucket List, which had the benefit of allowing him to reunite with Jack Nicholson fifteen years after A Few Good Men and also work with Morgan Freeman. It’s harmless, ineffective and inoffensive, like every one of his post-A Few Good Men movies. Even when it seemed like he wanted another challenge (1996’s ok but less than stellar courtroom drama Ghosts of Mississippi), he couldn’t grasp his glory days. The early 1990s were his heyday, playing with genres he had yet to: the horror thriller Misery (1990), again re-teaming with Stephen King (Stand By Me), who named it one of the best adaptations of his works, and the aforementioned A Few Good Men (1992). By that point, it was his biggest box office hit and was his only film to cross $100 million domestically.

Now he’s lucky to cross $15 million – and only three in nearly as many decades have done so: The Bucket List, 1999’s lame romance The Story of Us ($27.1 million) and 2003’s even lamer romance Alex & Emma ($14.2 million), and the mild success of those films were not due to Reiner but its stars. It’s just been a thin string of unremarkable, forgettable, tepid movies that pad out the tail end of his filmography: 2010’s Flipped tried the coming-of-age romance blend but never cracked the top 20 with its $1.75 million; 2012’s The Magic of Belle Isle reunited him with Freeman but falsely advertised “magic”, its limited run of less than 10 theaters letting it barely hit $100,000; 2014’s And So It Goes with Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton had too limited of a demographic; 2015’s Being Charlie you probably forgot even existed; and 2005’s Rumor Has It…which was a weird some-what sequel to The Graduate but did nothing with the plot.

rob reiner spinal tap

Lately, Mr. Reiner has been dedicating lots of his time to a podcast about JFK assassination conspiracy theory and even names names of 4 potential shooters. Rob Reiner has an extensive filmography, but he petered out, focusing less on challenging our views on the music industry, the film medium, relationships between men and women the fragility of youth, the corruption of our most respected systems, and the dangers of obsessive fans, than…fluff, filler and pushing his own political agenda. Recently, it was announced that they are making a sequel to Spinal Tap, which sounds like a great idea, but it probably isn’t. I am sure there is a ton of material about aging rock stars to play around with, but these types of sequels tend to let us all down and ruin the legacy.

Sometimes it best to leave the 80s in the 80s…especially when you are in your 80s. But I hope I am wrong and these elderly gentleman rock my socks off and make me laugh out loud. This meathead of a man became one of the most reliable and resourceful mid-tier directors of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men: classics all! That is one of the hottest streak of hits for a filmmaker ever and each one more unique and different than the next. They have also crossed generations as prime examples of each of their genres. And it takes a whole lot more than just being a “meathead” to do that.

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