I thought I’d reached a point of cynicism when it comes to Slay the Spire’s roguelite format. You can’t just take the framework and replace the cards with just anything! That’s silly. Except, no, I’m wrong, it totally works every single time, even when it’s pachinko. (Heck, does this mean Bookworm was the earlier…
The Harry Potter HBO series continues to shape up. The latest big-budget Harry Potter project has thousands of young actors looking to land the roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 32,000, to be exact. The series’ production says it’s adhering to the “canonical” ages of specific characters. Still, others are likely to change, including the Dursleys, who will be younger in the show. Gardiner says the cast will experience a “bigger sandpit to play in” when her Harry Potter TV series begins.
Now, according to Deadline, the new adaptation has added the Academy Award-winning costume designer of Emma Stone’s Poor Things, Holly Waddington. Her work from that film would also earn her wins from the BAFTA and the Costume Designers Guild Awards. Prior to Poor Things, Waddington credits included the well-received Florence Pugh starrer Lady Macbeth back in 2016, for which she won a BIFA. Additionally, her credits as assistant costume designer include Spielberg films Lincoln and War Horse, and she was costume designer on one episode of Hulu series The Great.
There’s been no official casting on the Harry Potter TV series yet, but Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) is said to be close to signing on to play Albus Dumbledore. The casting process for the three leading kids has begun. An open call was put out for children who are residents of the U.K. and Ireland and will be between the ages of 9 and 11 in April 2025 to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Succession’s Francesca Gardiner will serve as a writer and showrunner on the series, while Mark Mylod signed on to executive produce and direct multiple episodes. The project was originally developed for Max but made the leap to HBO (along with various other Max shows) in June.
It was said recently that HBO is considering Paapa Essiedu for the role of Professor Severus Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. The outlet’s sources say the actor has already been offered the part, but it’s unclear if negotiations have begun.
HBO wouldn’t confirm or deny, but did release a statement: “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.” If Essiedu does take on the role, he will be stepping into the shoes of the late Alan Rickman, who brought the devious potions master to life in the Harry Potter movies.
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It’s just part of the “bro code” to tell your buddy if you see their wife cheating on them – especially if the dude is a hunk. And that’s just the kind of guy Bill Murray is, although it’s probably expected that it’s tongue-in-cheek and meant to rib a friend over one famous Road House scene.
Bill Murray is just about one of the most unpredictable guys out there, but one thing that Mitch Glazer (a longtime friend who also co-wrote a small handful of Murray’s movies, including Scrooged) can always anticipate is a phone call any time Road House is on. That’s because Glazer’s wife, Kelly Lynch, plays the love interest to Patrick Swayze. Murray has told his tale of harassing Glazer many times before, but the Kelce brothers couldn’t help but ask him about it on their New Heights podcast.
Recounting in dramatic fashion his “diabolical” move with Road House, Bill Murray said, “One of the hardest things I ever had to do was to call a friend and – at a late hour; I mean very, very late – …and not without some back and forth: Should I? Shouldn’t I?…And as a friend, I did not identify myself. And I just said, ‘Hey, as a friend, I think you should probably turn on TBS right now because that son of a bitch Patrick Swayze slammin’ it to your wife up against a brick wall.” He added, “Swayze, may he rest in peace, did a lot of wonderful things, a beloved guy, but that was wrong what he did.”
Considering how many times Road House has played on TBS, we can’t imagine the damage to Mitch Glazer’s psyche Bill Murray has inflicted. We have to assume that at one point Glazer started checking the week’s listings and made a habit of putting his phone on Do Not Disturb.
Other than Scrooged, Mitch Glazer helped Bill Murray get back into the Christmas spirit – as much as he can, that is – with his Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas. But to show he’s still tight with the whole family, Kelly Lynch even had a brief cameo in Murray’s On the Rocks.
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Back as the end of 1999 came to a close, there was a whole lotta chatter about what would happen as the new decade began. Seriously, people were terrified that all sorts of calamities would happen. They didn’t. Actually very little happened besides people having to remember the correct year back when writing checks was common. But what if something did happen? Thankfully, we have the comedy stylings of Kyle Mooney making his directorial debut with Y2K. In the comedy-horror flick, a group of teens find out that all is not well on New Years Eve as they find themselves facing off against hilariously nightmarish situations. The film stars Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, Julian Dennison, and Fred Durst. Yep, the Limp Bizkit frontman, Mr. Fred Durst.
I recently had a fun conversation with Kyle Mooney, Jaeden Martell, and Julian Dennison. Kyle talked about taking on this feature for his directorial debut. He also chatted about what appealed to him about mixing frights and funny. For Jaeden, the actor talked about working in horror. And while this has scary elements, the comedy plays a major part in his latest. As for Julian, he discussed what he appreciated about the role and working on this particular project. The three gents were all very engaging, and it was a pleasure talking about the insanity of Y2K. And yes, the subject of how damn enjoyable Fred Durst was here. He’s a highlight in the film.
Y2K opens today at a theatre near you! Read our review!
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The Witcher 3 had a great open world, amazing quests, and excellent storytelling, but one of my favorite parts about it is still Gwent, the RPG’s in-universe card game. Now, a year after the standalone digital version was shutdown, the awesome mini-game is getting a physical tabletop release.
The Witcher 3 had a great open world, amazing quests, and excellent storytelling, but one of my favorite parts about it is still Gwent, the RPG’s in-universe card game. Now, a year after the standalone digital version was shutdown, the awesome mini-game is getting a physical tabletop release.
PLOT: A washed-up boxer (Michael Pitt) prepares for the biggest match of his career – his first in ten years – while trying to patch up the various frayed relationships in his life.
REVIEW: Day of the Fight marks actor Michael Pitt’s (billed here as Michael C. Pitt) first leading role in many years. A former heartthrob best known for The Dreamers, the American remake of Funny Games, and his role on Boardwalk Empire, he recently turned up in the underrated Benicio del Toro film Reptile but otherwise has been out of the spotlight for years. If you google his name, you can see that he had to deal with some personal issues we’re not going to dredge up here, but suffice it to say that Day of the Fight offers him a strong star vehicle that could help him make a comeback if the right people see it.
The movie is written and directed by Pitt’s former Boardwalk Empire co-star, Jack Huston, who makes his filmmaking debut. Sharing a title with the famous Stanley Kubrick short film, this is an elegiac, bittersweet story of a good-natured pugilist trying to set right a few of the mistakes he’s made in his life before jumping into the ring for one last-ditch shot at glory.
Pitt’s Mike Flannigan is a good-natured fighter who’s just gotten out of jail after a drunk driving accident that resulted in the death of a young boy. The former middleweight champion of the world, he now lives in a dodgy apartment with only a pet cat to keep him company while he pines for his ex-wife (Nicolette Robinson’s Jessica) and daughter. He’s been giving a last-ditch shot on an undercard match at Madison Square Garden due to some strings being pulled by his faithful trainer (a perfectly cast Ron Perlman). Unbeknownst to all, Flannigan is suffering from a brain aneurism in a tricky area that could rupture if he takes a hard blow to the head.
While the premise sounds predictable, with the film having heavy shades of The Wrestler, Huston’s execution is quite good for a directorial debut (it’s reminiscent of a movie directed by his grandfather – Fat City). Utilizing high contrast black and white cinematography by Peter Simonite, and a terrific cast of character actors, he’s mounted one heck of a starring vehicle for Pitt. Often dismissed as a pretty boy back in the day, Pitt looks more world-weary and slightly older than his forty-two years, making him an ideal choice to play the former boxer. Adopting a gentle, sweet nature, Flannigan is easy guy to like, such as when he intervenes at his boxing gym when a bullying boxer humiliates a beaten opponent, or when he gives his coat to a young girl he meets in the street.
Many of Pitt’s former Boardwalk Empire co-stars show up, including Steve Buscemi in a small role as Mike’s uncle, and Anatol Yusef as a bookie. Best of all is Joe Pesci in a strong role as Mike’s father, a former wannabe singing star who beat his son but is now suffering the ravages of a stroke. In an interesting twist, Huston actually uses real music Pesci recorded in the seventies for his character.
While the mournful tone of the film and the black-and-white shooting might limit Day of the Fight’s audience to the arthouse, it’s a thoroughly engaging movie that deserves more of a build-up. The fact that it never played Sundance or TIFF is a head-scratcher, as it’s better than a lot of movies I’ve seen at both festivals in recent years – but I digress. At any rate, Day of the Fight is well worth checking out and a welcome return to form for Pitt.
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The first season of Rogue Heroes was a diamond in the rough since it was only accessible through EPIX. Our own Alex Maidy enjoyed it immensely and said, “Rogue Heroes is a series that would have been a massive hit had it aired on Netflix or any of the bigger streaming platforms. Like Pennyworth before it, many who don’t often check out Epix are going to be at risk of missing a solid war story that doesn’t require a long-term investment.” Now season 2 has just dropped its trailer and will become available on MGM+.
The critically acclaimed hit drama series follows David Stirling (Connor Swindells) and Paddy Mayne (Jack O’Connell) in a dramatized account of how the British Army’s Special Air Service (SAS) unit was formed in the darkest days of World War II. In the second season, facing the threat of disbandment, SAS Rogue Heroes will see the unit trying to once again prove their significance. However, a surprise ally is found in the uptight and formal brother of David Stirling – William (Gwilym Lee). Will the fiery Paddy Mayne finally conform to following rules in order to protect the future of the unit, or will his dislike for authority be too significant an obstacle?
ROGUE HEROES Season 2 is created, written and executive produced by Peaky Blinders‘ Steven Knight, alongside executive producers Karen Wilson, Emma Kingsman-Lloyd, Martin Haines and Nick Lambon. The series is distributed by MGM+.
Episode 1: January 12, 2025
As Paddy Mayne grapples with the death of his father, the capture of David Stirling, and trauma suffered from the war thus far – he must turn his attention to fighting the threat of disbandment of the SAS. The future of the unit comes under question as they spearhead the invasion of Europe.
Episode 2: January 19, 2025
Paddy leads the SAS (now temporarily named the SRS) into Augusta, but the group are surprised to find the town empty. Making a base in the Chisea Madre Church, the men meet a priest who delivers a proposition – directly from the Sicilian Mafia. Paddy’s abuse of the Priest and dismissive attitude to the proposition may mean that the men are left with more civilian enemies, than allies.
Episode 3: January 26, 2025
While the men of the SAS/SRS lead battle into Bagnara, in Berlin the issuing of a Commando Order from Hitler seeks to push the boundaries of war further and puts one of our soldiers in danger. The SAS work alongside the Italian resistance to hold the town of Termoli. Over in Gavi, David Stirling attempts to make his escape from captivity.
Episode 4: February 2, 2025
As Paddy adopts a different approach towards authority, the traumatic toll that the war is having on the men becomes more visible – particularly in Sergeant Reg Seekings. A captured soldier from the Regiment realises that the Commando Order issued by Hitler may have sealed his fate. Over at Gavi, whilst struggling during his time in solitary, David manages to find a creative way to cope.
Episode 5: February 16, 2025
As our captured soldier attempts to make his way back to the regiment, the men of the SAS receive a visit from 2 senior Generals. Bill worries that Paddy will cause trouble. Meanwhile at Gavi, with the political instability in Italy causing members of the Italian military to flee, David Stirling prepares to make another escape attempt.
Episode 6: February 23, 2025
The SAS return to Britain and are given some time to decompress from the events in Italy. Bill is shocked to hear about the intended role for the SAS in the invasion of France and makes his feelings known, much to the displeasure of the senior Generals. Over in Gavi, David’s attempt to escape is stalled by the arrival of German soldiers in the camp, leaving him playing a game of hide and seek.
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Adam Scott (Severance) and Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall) have the lead roles in the darkly comedic thriller The Saviors, which is currently filming in Los Angeles. Kevin Hamedani, who previously directed ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction and Junk, is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with Travis Betz. This one was was featured on the Blacklist way back in 2018, so it’s good to see it finally going into production.
The story centers on a suburban couple whose life spirals out of control when they rent their garage to mysterious tenants.
Matt Smith and Dan Gedman are financing and producing The Saviors under their new shingle of Highway 10. Adam Scott and Naomi Scott are producing for Great Scott Productions, while Nicholas Weinstock and Divya D’Souza do the same for Invention Studios, and Bradley Gallo and Michael Helfant produce for Amasia Entertainment. Deadwyler is an executive producer, as are Alyssa Roehrenbeck and Josh Sathre.
Smith and Gedman provided the following statement to Variety: “Kevin and Travis’ remarkable script is emblematic of the type of film we aim to make at Highway 10 – a compelling mystery with timely themes and unexpected humor. We were passionate that The Saviors would be our new company’s debut feature. Adam and Danielle are both incredible performers, and we are so excited to have them leading this bold and thought-provoking film.“
Weinstock added, “We at Invention are proud – and not embarrassed – to have been producing The Saviors with Kevin and his co-writer Travis and trying to get it made for more than seven years now, before this spectacular cast came together and made us look maybe a little less crazy. The best and boldest things take time, effort, and even exhaustion, especially in these skittish and downsized times; and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see such a brave and all-out awesome movie come to life thanks to the brilliance of Adam and Danielle and this phenomenal creative team.“
And the Scotts had this to say: “We couldn’t be more excited to finally get to make this bold, entertaining movie with the incomparable Danielle Deadwyler and visionary filmmaker Kevin Hamedani. Kevin’s take is wholly unique and we can’t wait to share it with audiences around the world.“
Does The Saviors sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this darkly comedic Adam Scott / Danielle Deadwyler thriller by leaving a comment below.
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A young film student contacts an artist to design a poster for his new documentary about a musician. The film student was named Todd Phillips, the musician was named GG Allin and the artist was named John Wayne Gacy… who happens to be an infamous serial killer known for dressing like a clown. This artistic contribution earned Gacy an “executive producer” credit and gave the documentary some dark twisted notoriety – not that GG Allin needed any. That’s right: the director of Joker got his start thanks to a real-life serial killing clown. Director Todd Phillips went on to bring us some of the most interesting and hilarious films of the past few decades. He was pumping out groundbreaking blockbusters left and right for years, surprising us all with classics like The Hangover and Joker and instantly disappointing us all with their sequels. But has Todd Phillips sung his last great cinematic song?
He was born in New York City circa 1970 and started to make waves with a documentary he made while a student at NYU. It went on to become one of the highest-grossing student films ever. Todd’s attraction to chaos and controversy was evident from the start because the subject of this banned documentary was punk rock icon, GG Allin. This man’s dedication to anarchy made Joker seem like a Saturday morning cartoon and Todd Phillips’ film showed it all. The doc was called Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies.
Phillips would continue his documentary hot streak by co-directing Frat House which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. This college fraternity flick would allow Todd to make more college frat flicks like Road Trip and Old School. This resulted in what scholars have called The Frat Pack, which, for a time, changed the way Hollywood made comedy and who they would cast to tell the jokes. This elite circle of cinematic comedians seemed to center around superstars like Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, but really, it was all thanks to Todd.
He would next write and direct Starsky & Hutch, which was surprisingly decent, followed up by the forgettable School For Scoundrels. He directed a little bit of Borat but dropped out due to creative differences but still received an Oscar nomination for helping craft the screenplay. Then came The Hangover in 2008. I still remember sitting in a packed theatre with constant laughter; everyone in that audience could feel that we were witnessing something special, the chemistry of the cast, the delivery of the jokes, the outrageous situations, and its tone and attitude were refreshingly rebellious. It was a masterclass in cinematic comedy. We loved the Frat Pack stuff, but it was time to wake up and feel this beautiful cinematic hangover, which just happens to be from the same joker who gave us those Frat Pack movies. The Hangover became a Golden Globe-nominated blockbuster with over $400 million at the box office. But it seemed like the mega success hit Todd a little too fast and furious, which led to misguided sequels and the forgettable weak Hangover imitation called Due Date, which made lots of money but gave us a feeling like Todd Phillips was now stuck as an artist. He couldn’t keep making Hangover clones forever… even though Hangover Part Three is an underrated course correction, overshadowed by the atrocious Part Two.
It was time to try something different, which is what War Dogs was. Sometimes, when you are known for comedies and want to get dramatic, you need transition films, movies that have drama at their core but still dip a toe or a whole foot into comedy just enough for the marketing team to allow a few laughs in the trailer. War Dogs is an interesting film that didn’t get enough attention. It asks questions and gets dark, revealing to many that Todd Phillips was not just “that Hangover dude”, not just a “comedian” with a camera but a full-fledged filmmaker. Phillips has even spoken out against “woke” culture and criticized how there are unofficial rules in comedy now and everyone is too focused on being politically correct which has forced him to take a few steps away from the genre. Even though nothing could prepare us for the next film and the next “joke” that Mr. Phillips would tell.
Joker is an arthouse film disguised as a comic book movie and a comic book movie disguised as an arthouse film. It is a Scorsese-influenced character study/commentary on mental health and society and was a pop cultural juggernaut of monumental proportions, making a billion dollars, winning Oscars and sparking fear and conversation that only the most powerful of art can produce. It was the perfect movie at the perfect time. It seemed like Todd’s whole career was leading to the moment to make a film about a broken man trying to tell a broken joke in a broken society. Beautiful, haunting and instantly iconic, Phillips directs a complex protagonist with grace. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime film that should never ever get a sequel, be – regrettably – it did… he Hangover Part Two’d the Joker to the point of no return.
This brings us to Joker: Folie a Deux,a musical mess of a movie that seems to hate itself and everything the original stood for or at least hates its audience for liking the first one. Once again, it looks beautiful but that just isn’t enough. I don’t even mind it being a musical. Joker 1 was very musical, so it makes sense. It is the lack of soul and the brutal unravelling of what we thought was an interesting character. But I guess the joke is on us. Maybe years from now, we will finally be enlightened enough to understand what Todd wanted to say with Joker 2. I think Quentin Tarantino said it best, “The Joker directed that movie.” And when you think of it like that… Todd Phillips told the ultimate cinematic joke and became the Joker himself… which is something only a madman or a genius could do, and maybe you need to be a little of both to make a movie like Todd.
He is the man who taught us that comedies don’t always have to be shot in a flat, conservative style. Todd lets his lights, his colours, and his camera help tell the joke and bring out the emotion needed with every angle and every movement. The visuals of comedies can be just as cinematic and dramatic as dramas or action. Todd Phillips changed the way we look at the comedy genre twice with Old School and Hangover. And sure, that musical Joker sequel was a horrendous flop, and sure, his Hulk Hogan biopic is probably never gonna happen, but that won’t keep him down. I know this man has a few more beautiful, disgusting, disturbing poetic, and hilarious jokes to tell and some more great films to make.
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