Month: September 2024

2 Sep

Smile 2 gets a new poster; trailer tomorrow

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Writer/director Parker Finn's horror sequel Smile 2 is reportedly longer than its predecessor, with a 2 hour+ running time

In the middle of the pandemic, there was a massive push towards making streaming films. Paramount Plus was one of the many studios that opted to make movies specially tailored for their service, but once the pandemic eased and people started going back to theatres, some movies which tested particularly well in early screenings were given theatrical releases. 

The biggest success story to emerge from the streaming-to-theatrical pivot was Smile by director Parker Finn. A low-budget horror flick with a great hook, it made an astonishing $217 million worldwide on a $17 million budget. Now, the movie’s getting a sequel which expands the central premise, that a person is cursed by a supernatural entity to commit suicide (after flashing a demonic smile). This time, a pop star in the vein of Taylor Swift (played by rising star Naomi Scott) is passed the curse, with the first film’s Kyle Gallner co-starring. 

With the sequel due to be released on October 18th, the studio’s all set to release an all-new trailer, which drops tomorrow. Until then, to whet your appetite, Paramount’s put out an all-new poster:

Here’s the official Smile 2 synopsis: 

“About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.”

For more from “Skye Riley,” you can follow her on Instagram right here. Hopefully, Smile 2 will live up to the original, which I thought was a pretty nifty little sleeper hit and a total blast to watch with a raucous horror audience. With a prime release date just before Halloween, I expect this one to be a big hit (although the two-hour-plus running time seems excessive). 

The post Smile 2 gets a new poster; trailer tomorrow appeared first on JoBlo.

2 Sep

The Brutalist, Wolfs, Maria, and more score buzz & standing Os out of Venice and Telluride film festivals

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film festival

As the 51st Telluride Film Festival winds down and the 81st Venice Film Festival kicks off, both have been – as expected – host to a number of highly anticipated films, a good chunk of which have been met with praise. We already covered the raves for Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night out of Telluride that could thrust it into awards contention, but what else has blown audiences away on the festival circuit over the weekend? Let’s take a look!

The Venice Film Festival is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious festivals out there, so it’s no surprise that some serious Oscar contenders have already had their debuts. With Maria, Angelina Jolie is now an odds-on favorite for at least a nomination, starring as famed soprano Maria Callas. After an eight-minute standing ovation, we can already see her taking home the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. Tabloid gossip was part of Venice this year as well, as Brad Pitt – Jolie’s ex – also had a movie out: Wolfs, reuniting him onscreen with George Clooney for the first time in years. By most accounts, it’s their chemistry that serves as the backbone and helps propel it ahead of its release later this month.

But in the time it would take you to see both of those movies, you could have pretty much watch the entirety of The Brutalist, which stars Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor who emigrates to the United States. Reactions out of the Venice Film Festival are hailing it as a masterpiece, with some even comparing its epic scope to The Godfather and There Will Be Blood. That alone generates the sort of hype it needs and could position as a favorite for the most coveted award at the fest, the Golden Lion.

And of course the States has seen its share of well-received films right out of Telluride, Colorado. One that has gotten a lot of attention is Better Man, a musical biopic not of Eddie Vedder but Robbie Williams – and he’s played by a CG monkey! (Hey, it makes as much sense as Pharrell’s story – also debuting at Telluride – being told in Lego form.) Sean Baker’s Anora was also screened, although its debut came at the Cannes Film Festival, where it took home the Palme d’Or, the first American film to do so since The Tree of Life. We also can’t neglect to mention Memoir of a Snail (from Mary and Max’s Adam Elliot), RaMell Ross’ Nickel Boys and Andrea Arnold’s Bird.

Now, this is barely even scratching the surface of all that has screened at both the Venice and Telluride film festivals. But with awards season officially launched, reception at both – and all of the fests that will follow, chiefly TIFF – is always something to keep an eye on.

What are your most anticipated films out of Venice and Telluride this year? Give us your picks in the comments section below!

The post The Brutalist, Wolfs, Maria, and more score buzz & standing Os out of Venice and Telluride film festivals appeared first on JoBlo.

2 Sep

Mel Brooks got his beloved dog, Pongo, from legendary tough guy James Caan

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While he may be best remembered for his tough guy roles in classics like The Godfather and (Best Movie You Never Saw fave) Thief, actor James Caan had a soft side. Back in 1976, he did a cameo (as himself) in the underrated Mel Brooks comedy Silent Movie. The role led to an unlikely friendship with the director, helped by the fact that they only lived about a block away from each other. In his fabulous book, All About Me! (Buy it here), Brooks affectionately remembers how, around the time they were shooting Silent Movie, Caan’s dog gave birth to five puppies, and he offered one to Brooks, and his wife, the legendary actress Anne Bancroft.

“Anne and I took him up on that,” Brooks remembered. “We went to his house, and one of the pups left the pack and made his way over to us. So, instead of picking out a pup, he picked us!” They named him Pongo after the main dog in 101 Dalmatians. In the book, Brooks reveals that he had no idea, at first, that Pongo was a pit bull terrier and that for a while, he and Bancroft were worried due to stereotypes about the breed, but all for nought. “He never ever bit anyone and was a sweetheart of a dog,” says Brooks. Brooks remembers that his son Max (who would later go on to write World War Z) was particularly fond of Pongo (and vice versa), and when Caan died, Max put a tribute to both the actor and his former dog on Twitter:

Brooks says the only thing the dog ever did that bothered him was that, as they lived close to a hill, Pongo often used it to jump onto the roof of their living room, and would only come down when bribed with his favorite snack, Cheerios. “Pongo lived with us for a long, long time – almost fifteen years. And I still miss him.”

The post Mel Brooks got his beloved dog, Pongo, from legendary tough guy James Caan appeared first on JoBlo.

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