And the Golden Globes are off to a pretty mild start, with host Nikki Glaser’s opening monologue playing fairly safe outside of one zinger aimed at Ben Affleck that got some decent laughs. After host Jo Koy got into some hot water for a few very mild jokes last year, Glaser avoided anything too controversial. Political jokes were kept to a minimum (outside of a mild dig at RFK Jr), with even P Diddy only getting the mildest treatment. If anyone was expecting a repeat of her Roast of Tom Brady jokes, the heaviest one we got was some shade thrown at Joker Folie a Deux.
Here are the night’s winners so far!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE SELENA GOMEZ (EMILIA PÉREZ) ARIANA GRANDE (WICKED) FELICITY JONES (THE BRUTALIST) MARGARET QUALLEY (THE SUBSTANCE) ISABELLA ROSSELLINI (CONCLAVE) ZOE SALDAÑA (EMILIA PÉREZ)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY KRISTEN BELL (NOBODY WANTS THIS) QUINTA BRUNSON (ABBOTT ELEMENTARY) AYO EDEBIRI (THE BEAR) SELENA GOMEZ (ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING) KATHRYN HAHN (AGATHA ALL ALONG) JEAN SMART (HACKS)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE YURA BORISOV (ANORA) KIERAN CULKIN (A REAL PAIN) EDWARD NORTON (A COMPLETE UNKNOWN) GUY PEARCE (THE BRUTALIST) JEREMY STRONG (THE APPRENTICE) DENZEL WASHINGTON (GLADIATOR II)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA DONALD GLOVER (MR. & MRS. SMITH) JAKE GYLLENHAAL (PRESUMED INNOCENT) GARY OLDMAN (SLOW HORSES) EDDIE REDMAYNE (THE DAY OF THE JACKAL) HIROYUKI SANADA (SHŌGUN) BILLY BOB THORNTON (LANDMAN)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE ON TELEVISION LIZA COLÓN-ZAYAS (THE BEAR) HANNAH EINBINDER (HACKS) DAKOTA FANNING (RIPLEY) JESSICA GUNNING (BABY REINDEER) ALLISON JANNEY (THE DIPLOMAT) KALI REIS (TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE ON TELEVISION TADANOBU ASANO (SHŌGUN) JAVIER BARDEM (MONSTERS: THE LYLE AND ERIK MENENDEZ STORY) HARRISON FORD (SHRINKING) JACK LOWDEN (SLOW HORSES) DIEGO LUNA (LA MÁQUINA) EBON MOSS-BACHRACH (THE BEAR)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY ADAM BRODY (NOBODY WANTS THIS) TED DANSON (A MAN ON THE INSIDE) STEVE MARTIN (ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING) JASON SEGEL (SHRINKING) MARTIN SHORT (ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING) JEREMY ALLEN WHITE (THE BEAR)
Lily-Rose Depp is clearly making a mark outside of her father Johnny’s legacy. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t given the chance to watch some of his movies as a young girl. In fact, one traumatized her to the point that she hasn’t forgotten the experience more than two decades later…and we’re not talking about A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Speaking with Harper’s Bazaar, Lily-Rose remembered being sat down to watch Johnny Depp’s 1990 film Edward Scissorhands when she was just three. One scene in particular — near the end where Edward is run back to his decrepit mansion by the citizens that grew to love him and his barbershop skills — was the one that she carried with her. “I was traumatised by it. Not because I thought he was scary, but because everyone was being so mean to him and I got really upset.”
That scene apparently left quite a mark on Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny and his one-time partner Vanessa Paradis. “I remember being petrified by that, which is weird, because I don’t have many memories from when I was that young…It’s a difficult childhood memory.” She even made a comparison between Edward Scissorhands and Count Orlok, adding, “Edward’s the good guy and Nosferatu’s kind of the bad guy, but there’s a part of me that feels a little bit of empathy for Nosferatu. I mean, am I sick for feeling that way?”
Edward Scissorhands is noted for being the first collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, launching the gothic partnership that has extended to eight films so far. When asked if she finds similarities between this and her own tendencies, she noted, “I guess you could say so. We’re very different actors, but of course you’re the product of your environment, and it’s a world I’ve always been very interested in.” We can only imagine which scene from Nosferatu Johnny Depp was most traumatized by…
While Lily-Rose and Johnny Depp have both appeared in Kevin Smith’s Tusk and Yoga Hosers, nothing substantial has put them on the screen together. Until we get that ultimate father-daughter pairing, you can still see Nosferatu in theaters, while many are still holding out hope that Johnny returns for another Pirates of the Caribbean.
Lily-Rose Depp is clearly making a mark outside of her father Johnny’s legacy. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t given the chance to watch some of his movies as a young girl. In fact, one traumatized her to the point that she hasn’t forgotten the experience more than two decades later…and we’re not talking about A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Speaking with Harper’s Bazaar, Lily-Rose remembered being sat down to watch Johnny Depp’s 1990 film Edward Scissorhands when she was just three. One scene in particular — near the end where Edward is run back to his decrepit mansion by the citizens that grew to love him and his barbershop skills — was the one that she carried with her. “I was traumatised by it. Not because I thought he was scary, but because everyone was being so mean to him and I got really upset.”
That scene apparently left quite a mark on Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny and his one-time partner Vanessa Paradis. “I remember being petrified by that, which is weird, because I don’t have many memories from when I was that young…It’s a difficult childhood memory.” She even made a comparison between Edward Scissorhands and Count Orlok, adding, “Edward’s the good guy and Nosferatu’s kind of the bad guy, but there’s a part of me that feels a little bit of empathy for Nosferatu. I mean, am I sick for feeling that way?”
Edward Scissorhands is noted for being the first collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, launching the gothic partnership that has extended to eight films so far. When asked if she finds similarities between this and her own tendencies, she noted, “I guess you could say so. We’re very different actors, but of course you’re the product of your environment, and it’s a world I’ve always been very interested in.” We can only imagine which scene from Nosferatu Johnny Depp was most traumatized by…
While Lily-Rose and Johnny Depp have both appeared in Kevin Smith’s Tusk and Yoga Hosers, nothing substantial has put them on the screen together. Until we get that ultimate father-daughter pairing, you can still see Nosferatu in theaters, while many are still holding out hope that Johnny returns for another Pirates of the Caribbean.
Five bucks won’t get you much at your local movie theater’s concession stand. You might be able to get out of there with some Nerds Clusters, but you’ll only have enough change left over to drop between the seats. And popcorn? You could swing a handful of butter but that’s a pretty odd purchase. But later this month, Cinemark will give moviegoers the chance to scarf down as much kernel-y goodness as they can handle for just $5, marking National Popcorn Day on January 19th with a Bring Your Own Bucket promo.
While January is typically a dumping ground after the post-Oscar rush, five dollars for popcorn is hard to pass up, especially if you can catch some awards contenders – unless, that is, you genuinely can’t wait to see Henry Danger: The Movie. But never mind that. The real catch is that you can fill pretty much anything you would find in your kitchen under the promo. But Cinemark isn’t completely insane here, after all, as they won’t let you bring in a trash bag or wheelbarrow; however, they did set the limit at a respectable 400 ounces, or around three times the amount that fit into the Gladiator II Colosseum bucket. With XL popcorn prices at the chain in the $12 neighborhood, that’s a solid deal.
We don’t mean to sound like we’re shilling for Cinemark, but any time there is a decent deal at the movie theater – especially when it comes to what many of us would consider overpriced concessions – we can’t help but look into it. Sadly, you can only fill your bucket once…
On the event and the star of the show, Cinemark’s SVP of Food & Beverage David Haywood stated, “Popcorn has always been the star of movie theater concessions, though popcorn vessels have become an award-worthy supporting actor. We are excited for everyone to get creative with this campaign and show off their choice of container while enjoying the iconic snack alongside a great film.” Unfortunately, Cinemark does reserve the right to turn away any customers who bring in any receptacle that might deem to be a “potential health risk” – so no organ transplant containers!
Will you be participating in Cinemark’s National Popcorn Day deal?
Five bucks won’t get you much at your local movie theater’s concession stand. You might be able to get out of there with some Nerds Clusters, but you’ll only have enough change left over to drop between the seats. And popcorn? You could swing a handful of butter but that’s a pretty odd purchase. But later this month, Cinemark will give moviegoers the chance to scarf down as much kernel-y goodness as they can handle for just $5, marking National Popcorn Day on January 19th with a Bring Your Own Bucket promo.
While January is typically a dumping ground after the post-Oscar rush, five dollars for popcorn is hard to pass up, especially if you can catch some awards contenders – unless, that is, you genuinely can’t wait to see Henry Danger: The Movie. But never mind that. The real catch is that you can fill pretty much anything you would find in your kitchen under the promo. But Cinemark isn’t completely insane here, after all, as they won’t let you bring in a trash bag or wheelbarrow; however, they did set the limit at a respectable 400 ounces, or around three times the amount that fit into the Gladiator II Colosseum bucket. With XL popcorn prices at the chain in the $12 neighborhood, that’s a solid deal.
We don’t mean to sound like we’re shilling for Cinemark, but any time there is a decent deal at the movie theater – especially when it comes to what many of us would consider overpriced concessions – we can’t help but look into it. Sadly, you can only fill your bucket once…
On the event and the star of the show, Cinemark’s SVP of Food & Beverage David Haywood stated, “Popcorn has always been the star of movie theater concessions, though popcorn vessels have become an award-worthy supporting actor. We are excited for everyone to get creative with this campaign and show off their choice of container while enjoying the iconic snack alongside a great film.” Unfortunately, Cinemark does reserve the right to turn away any customers who bring in any receptacle that might deem to be a “potential health risk” – so no organ transplant containers!
Will you be participating in Cinemark’s National Popcorn Day deal?
In our box office predictions earlier this week, we assumed that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would be able to pull ahead of Mufasa: The Lion King at the box office over the weekend, as had been the case throughout most of the holidays. However, Disney’s prequel, which opened to disappointing business just before Christmas, managed to pull ahead and gross a solid $23.8 million, posting a modest 35% week-to-week decline. By comparison, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 declined a slightly steeper 43% to hit $21.2 million. While it lost the battle, Sonic’s won the war, with it having a $187.5 million total compared to Mufasa’s $168.6 million. Paramount will likely consider Sonic a much bigger box office victory than Disney will consider Mufasa, as the Lion King prequel will likely only finish with a final gross that’s a fraction of the $600 million plus earned by its 2019 predecessor. Meanwhile, Sonic 3 has already overtaken the $148 million earned by the first movie in the franchise, and is only a million or so shy of the $190 million earned by Sonic 2, making it the highest-grossing movie in the series.
However, it should be said that Disney’s had a great year overall, with Moana 2 adding another $12 million-plus to its coffers this weekend, for a huge $425 million total. By the time it ends its domestic run, it will have doubled the first film’s $248 million domestic gross. Yet, it was narrowly beaten this weekend by Robert Eggers’s breakout horror hit, Nosferatu, which earned $13.2 million for a domestic gross just shy of $70 million. Could it pass $100 million domestically? At any rate, it will easily end its run as Focus Features’s highest-grossing film to date.
Despite being on PVOD, Universal’s Wicked continued to draw in big crowds, with it making $10.2 million for a $450 million domestic total. It will easily pass $500 million. Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown has also proven to be an adult-oriented hit, grossing just over $8 million this weekend for a $41.6 million total. It’s Searchlight’s highest-grossing film since the Disney merger in 2019. It should end its run with about $55-60 million domestically.
A24’s Babygirl, while not the breakout indie hit some expected, has done decent business for A24, making $4.49 million this weekend, which is a 0% decline from last weekend. While controversial, the buzz, be it positive or negative, is getting butts in seats. It’s made a decent $16 million so far, but could continue to do well in the weeks ahead if the movie nabs any Oscar nominations.
Meanwhile, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II has begun to wrap up its run, with it making $2.6 million this weekend for a $168 million domestic total. Unadjusted for inflation, it will end its run as Ridley Scott’s third-highest-grossing movie domestically, behind The Martian and the original Gladiator. Angel Studio’s Homestead earned $2.1 million for a $17.5 million total, with the box office dropping off as some viewers are complaining online about the movie being a bait-and-switch, as it’s essentially just a pilot for the studio’s latest streaming series. The top 10 was rounded out by Amazon/MGM’s The Fire Inside, which made $1.2 million for a $7.1 million gross.
Notably, the weekend’s biggest per-screen average went to A24’s The Brutalist, which earned $244.341 on only eight screens. The Robbie Williams biopic Better Mandidn’t fare as well, making $27k in six theaters, which doesn’t bode well for its wide break on Friday.
What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
In our box office predictions earlier this week, we assumed that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would be able to pull ahead of Mufasa: The Lion King at the box office over the weekend, as had been the case throughout most of the holidays. However, Disney’s prequel, which opened to disappointing business just before Christmas, managed to pull ahead and gross a solid $23.8 million, posting a modest 35% week-to-week decline. By comparison, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 declined a slightly steeper 43% to hit $21.2 million. While it lost the battle, Sonic’s won the war, with it having a $187.5 million total compared to Mufasa’s $168.6 million. Paramount will likely consider Sonic a much bigger box office victory than Disney will consider Mufasa, as the Lion King prequel will likely only finish with a final gross that’s a fraction of the $600 million plus earned by its 2019 predecessor. Meanwhile, Sonic 3 has already overtaken the $148 million earned by the first movie in the franchise, and is only a million or so shy of the $190 million earned by Sonic 2, making it the highest-grossing movie in the series.
However, it should be said that Disney’s had a great year overall, with Moana 2 adding another $12 million-plus to its coffers this weekend, for a huge $425 million total. By the time it ends its domestic run, it will have doubled the first film’s $248 million domestic gross. Yet, it was narrowly beaten this weekend by Robert Eggers’s breakout horror hit, Nosferatu, which earned $13.2 million for a domestic gross just shy of $70 million. Could it pass $100 million domestically? At any rate, it will easily end its run as Focus Features’s highest-grossing film to date.
Despite being on PVOD, Universal’s Wicked continued to draw in big crowds, with it making $10.2 million for a $450 million domestic total. It will easily pass $500 million. Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown has also proven to be an adult-oriented hit, grossing just over $8 million this weekend for a $41.6 million total. It’s Searchlight’s highest-grossing film since the Disney merger in 2019. It should end its run with about $55-60 million domestically.
A24’s Babygirl, while not the breakout indie hit some expected, has done decent business for A24, making $4.49 million this weekend, which is a 0% decline from last weekend. While controversial, the buzz, be it positive or negative, is getting butts in seats. It’s made a decent $16 million so far, but could continue to do well in the weeks ahead if the movie nabs any Oscar nominations.
Meanwhile, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II has begun to wrap up its run, with it making $2.6 million this weekend for a $168 million domestic total. Unadjusted for inflation, it will end its run as Ridley Scott’s third-highest-grossing movie domestically, behind The Martian and the original Gladiator. Angel Studio’s Homestead earned $2.1 million for a $17.5 million total, with the box office dropping off as some viewers are complaining online about the movie being a bait-and-switch, as it’s essentially just a pilot for the studio’s latest streaming series. The top 10 was rounded out by Amazon/MGM’s The Fire Inside, which made $1.2 million for a $7.1 million gross.
Notably, the weekend’s biggest per-screen average went to A24’s The Brutalist, which earned $244.341 on only eight screens. The Robbie Williams biopic Better Mandidn’t fare as well, making $27k in six theaters, which doesn’t bode well for its wide break on Friday.
What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
This week, David Fincher’s classic Se7en has been given a limited IMAX release in honour of its 30th anniversary and as a teaser for its upcoming 4K release on Tuesday. As someone who missed the original film in theaters, I was pretty excited to revisit Fincher’s classic via an IMAX screening, especially since I probably hadn’t seen the film in about twenty years or so.
One thing worth noting is that the screening I attended in downtown Montreal was at least three-quarters full, which is impressive considering it’s a movie that’s pretty much streaming everywhere. Folks like going to see these classics on the big screen, especially in the IMAX format, with the recent re-releases of Interstellar and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace also pulling in big bucks.
So how did it look?
Pretty incredible, if I do say so myself. I was a bit worried that Fincher, who was said to be going over the 4K transfer with a fine-tooth-comb, might be tempted to revise the movie’s visual style somewhat to bring it more in line with his later work. As we all know, Fincher’s long been an advocate of digital video, with everything post-Zodiac having a razor-sharp, digital video style that Fincher himself defended in the terrific documentary Side by Side, which compares and contrasts the benefits of celluloid vs film. Se7en was shot on 35mm film in a process called Super 35 by Darius Khondji, and some premium prints of the film were shipped to theatres using a bleach bypass system, which gave the film a unique look. When it was transferred to home video (and early DVD copies), this format was not used, with Fincher using the first DVD special edition and early Blu-ray releases to correct how it was featured.
Now, it has to be said that Se7en certainly had a pretty extensive restoration done, as a movie shot in Super 35 (which is somewhat lower resolution than other 35mm stocks) shouldn’t look so pristine, with the IMAX version being rather jaw-dropping. However, as far as I’m concerned, this is a restoration done right, as it still looks like it was shot on film (there’s a modest layer of grain visible in some shots). It certainly doesn’t reek of the kind of revisionist filmmaking some have accused James Cameron of doing. Se7en looks better than ever, but it also looks like a movie shot in 1995, thank God.
As for the quality of the film, I actually found the experience of watching it somewhat bittersweet. Why on earth would I call Se7en bittersweet? It’s because I was struck by the fact that a movie like this would never be made nowadays, at least not by a major studio. Sure, a director on Fincher’s level might be able to push something like this through (although he’d be crucified on social media for the movie’s extreme content), but in 1995 Fincher was just an up-and-comer, and in fact suffered from the fact that his feature debut, Alien 3, was considered something of a disaster. A studio would never allow an untested director to make something so black-hearted and nihilistic.
What’s ever crazier is that back in 1995, we almost took movies like this for granted. Even though 2024 was a perfectly good year for movies, was there anything this year that came out that was as good as Se7en? Film, as an art form, has gotten “safe”, and it’s unthinkable that, in this era of “second screen content,” something like Se7en would not only hit theaters, but also be a major hit (it was one of the 10 highest grossing movies of the year in ’95). Sure, one could argue that a movie like Longlegs follows in the Se7en tradition, but, with no offence meant to that movie, Longlegs is like a romantic comedy compared to Se7en, which is even more extreme than I remembered it being. Nowadays, social media would have a field day with Se7en, and even back in ’95 the movie was controversial. But, the discourse was different. People let art be art, and even though the movie was attacked in some quarters, people by and large respected Fincher’s vision, and even those who hated it initially came around years later (Denzel Washington is one of them). Nowadays, you’d have people running out of Se7en in tears, posting on TikTok about how they have PTSD after watching it. One cringes imagining the kinds of think pieces we’d have to read…
Suffice it to say that if Se7en happens to be playing anywhere near you, I highly recommend seeing it on an IMAX screen. It’s an incredible theatrical experience, and I can’t wait to pick this one up in 4K. As for the future of film, I hope the people who green-light movies sit up and pay attention when a movie like Se7en can still pull in a big audience theatrically despite being so readily available at home. Deadline states that it made just under a million dollars this weekend on only 200 screens, with most venues only playing it once or twice a day as it’s sharing screens with Nosferatu. What’s the lesson? It’s that back in the day, a studio would allow a director to make a feel-bad movie on a grand scale, ignoring the fact that the content would make it controversial. Heck, a little controversy wasn’t even considered a bad thing like it seems to be now. The fact is, people don’t always want to feel good when they go see a movie. If they did, movies like Se7en wouldn’t become classics that still manage to fill theaters thirty years down the line.
This week, David Fincher’s classic Se7en has been given a limited IMAX release in honour of its 30th anniversary and as a teaser for its upcoming 4K release on Tuesday. As someone who missed the original film in theaters, I was pretty excited to revisit Fincher’s classic via an IMAX screening, especially since I probably hadn’t seen the film in about twenty years or so.
One thing worth noting is that the screening I attended in downtown Montreal was at least three-quarters full, which is impressive considering it’s a movie that’s pretty much streaming everywhere. Folks like going to see these classics on the big screen, especially in the IMAX format, with the recent re-releases of Interstellar and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace also pulling in big bucks.
So how did it look?
Pretty incredible, if I do say so myself. I was a bit worried that Fincher, who was said to be going over the 4K transfer with a fine-tooth-comb, might be tempted to revise the movie’s visual style somewhat to bring it more in line with his later work. As we all know, Fincher’s long been an advocate of digital video, with everything post-Zodiac having a razor-sharp, digital video style that Fincher himself defended in the terrific documentary Side by Side, which compares and contrasts the benefits of celluloid vs film. Se7en was shot on 35mm film in a process called Super 35 by Darius Khondji, and some premium prints of the film were shipped to theatres using a bleach bypass system, which gave the film a unique look. When it was transferred to home video (and early DVD copies), this format was not used, with Fincher using the first DVD special edition and early Blu-ray releases to correct how it was featured.
Now, it has to be said that Se7en certainly had a pretty extensive restoration done, as a movie shot in Super 35 (which is somewhat lower resolution than other 35mm stocks) shouldn’t look so pristine, with the IMAX version being rather jaw-dropping. However, as far as I’m concerned, this is a restoration done right, as it still looks like it was shot on film (there’s a modest layer of grain visible in some shots). It certainly doesn’t reek of the kind of revisionist filmmaking some have accused James Cameron of doing. Se7en looks better than ever, but it also looks like a movie shot in 1995, thank God.
As for the quality of the film, I actually found the experience of watching it somewhat bittersweet. Why on earth would I call Se7en bittersweet? It’s because I was struck by the fact that a movie like this would never be made nowadays, at least not by a major studio. Sure, a director on Fincher’s level might be able to push something like this through (although he’d be crucified on social media for the movie’s extreme content), but in 1995 Fincher was just an up-and-comer, and in fact suffered from the fact that his feature debut, Alien 3, was considered something of a disaster. A studio would never allow an untested director to make something so black-hearted and nihilistic.
What’s ever crazier is that back in 1995, we almost took movies like this for granted. Even though 2024 was a perfectly good year for movies, was there anything this year that came out that was as good as Se7en? Film, as an art form, has gotten “safe”, and it’s unthinkable that, in this era of “second screen content,” something like Se7en would not only hit theaters, but also be a major hit (it was one of the 10 highest grossing movies of the year in ’95). Sure, one could argue that a movie like Longlegs follows in the Se7en tradition, but, with no offence meant to that movie, Longlegs is like a romantic comedy compared to Se7en, which is even more extreme than I remembered it being. Nowadays, social media would have a field day with Se7en, and even back in ’95 the movie was controversial. But, the discourse was different. People let art be art, and even though the movie was attacked in some quarters, people by and large respected Fincher’s vision, and even those who hated it initially came around years later (Denzel Washington is one of them). Nowadays, you’d have people running out of Se7en in tears, posting on TikTok about how they have PTSD after watching it. One cringes imagining the kinds of think pieces we’d have to read…
Suffice it to say that if Se7en happens to be playing anywhere near you, I highly recommend seeing it on an IMAX screen. It’s an incredible theatrical experience, and I can’t wait to pick this one up in 4K. As for the future of film, I hope the people who green-light movies sit up and pay attention when a movie like Se7en can still pull in a big audience theatrically despite being so readily available at home. Deadline states that it made just under a million dollars this weekend on only 200 screens, with most venues only playing it once or twice a day as it’s sharing screens with Nosferatu. What’s the lesson? It’s that back in the day, a studio would allow a director to make a feel-bad movie on a grand scale, ignoring the fact that the content would make it controversial. Heck, a little controversy wasn’t even considered a bad thing like it seems to be now. The fact is, people don’t always want to feel good when they go see a movie. If they did, movies like Se7en wouldn’t become classics that still manage to fill theaters thirty years down the line.
For over 60 years, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has been given out as the highest honor a civilian can get. Joining U.S. President Joe Biden’s list this year – his final in office – are some of our own favorite performers, including Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington.
The official White House website noted the philanthropic works of Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington – those in the fight against Parkinson’s and serving as a national spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, respectively – as key reasons for receiving the Medal of Freedom. Both have continued to fight the good fight for decades, so it is pretty amazing to see them recognized on this prestigious level. Notably, Denzel Washington was set to receive the Medal of Freedom in 2022 but could not attend due to contracting Covid-19.
Both Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington have made plenty of headlines as of late. Fox – who left the screen to focus on his health and activism, raising over $2 billion for Parkinson’s research – has recently considered returning to acting if the part was right. As far as other recent honors, Fox was bestowed the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022. Meanwhile, Washington saw the release of Gladiator II and has teased his own imminent retirement. In 2019, Washington earned the AFI Life Achievement Award.
In his opening remarks at the ceremony, President Biden stated, “For the final time as president I have the honor of bestowing the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, to a group of extraordinary — truly extraordinary people who gave their sacred effort to shape the culture and the cause of America.”
Other recipients included U2 singer Bono, retired NBA superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson and William Sanford Nye, who we all know best as Bill Nye the Science Guy. Also on the entertainment and athletic front, Joe Biden has previously awarded the Medal of Freedom to the likes of TV host Phil Donahue, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and Olympian Simone Biles.
Michael J. Fox’s famous Back to the Future co-star, Christopher Lloyd, was among those who congratulated him:
