You remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the – woah! If there’s one thing we can’t shake from 1986’s Labyrinth, it’s not the remarkably inventive set design, the memorable characters from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop or the fantastic early performance from Jennifer Connelly. It’s the real scene-stealer and childhood-destroyer from Labyrinth – David Bowie’s junk. And if you thought you couldn’t rid your mind of it, imagine having to keep tabs on its size during filming.

Brian Henson – son of director Jim Henson – recently told ComicBook.com that Bowie’s “codpiece” actually changes sizes throughout the movie, which surely only the most devoted Labyrinth fans would have noticed. “The scene where it’s most prevalent I think, is the scene where David pretends he’s a beggar, and then pulls off the costume and stands up, and it’s the Goblin King. And that was, I think, maybe David’s first scene that we shot, so the codpiece was particularly big then, and then it got a little bit smaller. But the truth is yes, it’s absolutely deliberate. That’s from Brian Froud’s artwork.”

As for what David Bowie’s goblin represents – yes, it’s symbolic and not just for show – in Labyrinth, Henson added, “The codpiece represents male sexual aggression. Sarah is at a point in her life where she’s a child but she’s becoming a woman, she’s in that cusp period, and the character of Jareth is sort of an aggressive, adult, masculine sexuality, that is both terrifying to her and very attractive to her. So yes, it’s definitely part of the storytelling that he should have this codpiece that’s a masculine, sexual image, but nonetheless, they did shrink it a little bit a few days into the shoot.” From a character standpoint, it does make sense that Jareth’s masculinity and power would begin to dwindle as Sarah makes her way through the titular maze and defeats the Goblin King. We just never pictured it on the smaller end at all, what with the way Bowie flaunts it throughout Labyrinth.

David Bowie’s junk in Labyrinth is definitely the stuff of legend. Warwick Davis, who played a member of the Goblin Corps, said that the singer-actor stuffed upwards of seven pairs of socks down the front of his pants to enhance himself. While this might be slightly discredited by Henson, it does feel like a Bowie move.

Our own JimmyO recently visited the legendary Henson Studios, where he was able to discuss the recent 4K releases of both Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal with none other than Brian Henson and Toby Froud, who not only is the son of key Jim Henson collaborator Brian Froud and now works in puppetry but also played Toby – the kidnapped baby brother of Sarah – in Labyrinth.

What is the standout moment in Labyrinth for you and why can’t you shake the image of David Bowie’s codpiece?

The post David Bowie’s “codpiece” in Labyrinth has a much deeper meaning appeared first on JoBlo.

Things are going to get pretty Fallout-y this April. With Amazon Prime’s promising-looking TV adaptation due to hit the streamer April 12, Bethesda is leaping on its own bandwagon and releasing seven Fallout games, in one handy nuclear bomb.

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Things are going to get pretty Fallout-y this April. With Amazon Prime’s promising-looking TV adaptation due to hit the streamer April 12, Bethesda is leaping on its own bandwagon and releasing seven Fallout games, in one handy nuclear bomb.

Read more…

A24 will be giving Civil War, the latest film from Alex Garland, the director of Ex Machina, Annihilation, Devs, and Men, a theatrical release on April 12th – and with that release date just a couple months away, a new trailer for the film has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above.

The screenplay Garland wrote for Civil War digs into what happens when 19 states secede from the United States, with factions forming in the West and Florida. Meanwhile, the President says the conflict will be dealt with swiftly, but are things already impossible to control? While some choose to engage with the catastrophe head-on, others prefer to pretend like it’s not happening right outside their door. As the President sends the American military out to “resolve” matters in the West, people are left to despair as the world burns around them. Meanwhile, Kirsten Dunst’s character appears to be leading a team of journalists toward the U.S. Capitol, presumably to get answers about how they plan to quell the ongoing violence.

As mentioned in the synopsis, the film stars Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man), and she’s joined in the cast by Wagner Moura (Narcos), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), Stephen Henderson (Dune), Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina), Jesse Plemons (Power of Dog), and Nick Offerman (The Last of Us).  

A24 produced the film alongside Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich of DNA and Gregory Goodman. 

In addition to directing the films mentioned in the first paragraph, Garland has also written The Beach, 28 Days Later, Never Let Me Go, and Dredd, among others. (There have been claims that he directed Dredd as well.) A couple weeks ago, it was announced that Garland and 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle are working on a sequel called 28 Years Later, which may be the first entry in a trilogy of sequels.

What did you think of the new trailer for Civil War? Are you a fan of Alex Garland’s work, and will you be watching this movie on the big screen when it’s released in April? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Civil War: Alex Garland film starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny gets a new trailer appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s showtime! OK, so we have until the summer to find out what Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has in store, but Michael Keaton is ready for the world to see what the sequel has going for it. As he put it, the production was less “strange and unusual” than one of the most fun he’s had in a while.

Speaking with People, Michael Keaton hyped the production of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice by saying, “It’s the most fun I’ve had on set in a long time…On one hand, you’d go, ‘Well, of course it’s the most fun. It looks like fun.’ As you know, it doesn’t always work like that.” Fortunately, it has worked out in Keaton’s favor; and it may work out for viewers, too, as the filmmakers set out to capture so much of what made the first Beetlejuice – which had some of the most inventive practical effects and makeup of any ‘80s movie – so enduring. “The one thing that [director Tim Burton] and I decided on early, early, early on from the beginning, if we ever did it again, I was totally not interested in doing something where there was too much technology…It had to feel handmade…What made it fun was watching somebody in the corner actually holding something up for you, to watch everybody in the shrunken head room and say, ‘Those are people under there, operating these things, trying to get it right.’”

This “back to basics” approach has been teased before, but Keaton’s particular enthusiasm over Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s practical effects gives further evidence that, while being in front of a green screen can present limitless cinematic possibilities, it’s tough to top the authenticity and draw of doing things by hand.

As we all know, a Beetlejuice sequel has been in the works for well over 30 years, with Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian the original plan. The ghost with the most may not be catching any gnarly waves this time around, but instead will focus on…actually, we don’t really know! Plot details have been thin for the follow-up, but we do know that it does lean heavily into the family aspect. This makes sense, as Jenna Ortega will be playing Lydia Deetz’s (Winona Ryder) daughter and Beetlejuice (Keaton, of course) is now officially a married man to Monica Bellucci’s character.

Filming wrapped in November, while Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is currently slated for a September 6th release.

Do you think Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will live up to the original? Give us your predictions below!

The post Keaton promises Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will feel like original…but will it? appeared first on JoBlo.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article listing ten movies that – despite being well known – were difficult to find (legally) on any streaming service or even on disc. Those titles ranged from Ron Howard’s Cocoon to movies like Dawn of the Dead (the original). In the comments, many of our readers chimed in with their two cents on films they’ve found difficult to find over the years, so here are a few more challenging-to-find flicks, some of which may surprise you.

Dogma:

Now, unlike other movies on this list, there’s a legitimate reason why Dogma is so hard to find, and it goes back to the complicated way it was initially released in 1999. Kevin Smith’s film was originally made for Miramax Films, but the company that Disney owned at the time became worried about the risk of releasing a film deemed blasphemous. So, the heads of Miramax, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, released the movie on their own (through Lionsgate), meaning they owned the rights to it. With Harvey Weinstein now in prison, the former mogul has been holding onto the rights in a vain attempt to do something with the property to raise money. With him no longer on speaking terms with his brother Bob and Kevin Smith vowing never to associate with them again, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a re-release unless the rights are somehow pried from the Weinstein Brothers’ control. 

Shoot to Kill:

The late, great Sidney Poitier stars this underrated action thriller from 1987. In it, he plays an FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer. He’s forced to chase his prey into the remote Pacific Northwest, where he’s infiltrated a hiking group led by a woman (Kirstie Alley) whose boyfriend (Tom Berenger) is an expert tracker. To save her, the agent and the tracker must team up (in classic mismatched buddy fashion) to track down the killer. What’s cool about this one is that all of the men on the hike with Alley are played by guys who have played villains (Clancy Brown, Richard Masur, and Andrew Robinson), so you never know who the killer is. This was a Touchstone Pictures release, so Disney owns the rights. It’s out on DVD but has never been issued on Blu-ray, and it’s unavailable on any of Disney’s streaming services (not even on Star in Canada – which has most Touchstone movies). Of all the movies on the list, this is the one I’m most eager to see get re-released, as it’s a total gem. It’s Sidney Poitier’s only real-deal action movie, and despite being in his sixties at the time, he did many of his own stunts. His chemistry with Berenger in this is also really good. 

The Devils:

Ken Russell’s infamous film has a long history that explains why it’s never been issued on disc in North America. It’s an X-rated, surreal account of a catholic priest (played by Oliver Reed) who burned at the stake as a witch due to the hysterical accusations of a lusty, hunchbacked, maniacal nun, played by Vanessa Redgrave. In the UK, this is more of a cult movie so that you can find it on disc. It occasionally shows up in the US on The Criterion Channel (it’s streaming this month), but only in a dated transfer of the censored R-rated cut. Warner Bros, who owns the rights, has seemingly always been terrified of this film, but they won’t license it out either, despite interest from Criterion and other labels. 

The Cannonball Run:

You’d think that the third most popular film of 1981, and one that spawned two sequels, would be easier to find. If you grew up in the eighties, The Cannonball Run was everywhere, and the cast was jam-packed, including Burt Reynolds, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Farrah Fawcett, and even Jackie Chan. It’s about an illegal cross-country race and was a major blockbuster in its time. This one isn’t available because it was financed independently, while the sequels, which you can find, were not. One interesting thing about this movie is that Roger Moore plays a man who believes he’s…well…Roger Moore (or rather James Bond). EON Pictures were so upset that they included a clause in all future 007 contracts that actors could never wear a tuxedo in non-Bond projects while under contract. Moore himself had mixed feelings about the film, as one of the women who plays his companions in the movie, stuntwoman Heidi von Beltz, was left quadriplegic after a controversial accident during shooting. This is available on a DVD from HBO that was released in the 90s. 

Wired:

This controversial dramatization of Bob Woodward’s infamous account of John Belushi’s final days was roundly attacked by friends of the comedian back in 1989. Michael Chiklis plays Belushi in a performance that nearly ended his career – until he landed the lead in the series The Commish a few years later. Friends of Belushi’s took this movie so poorly that Dan Aykroyd had co-star JT Walsh blocked from a role in one of his movies years later. That said, the story has a happy ending as Chiklis, who’s gone on to a great career, ran into James Belushi, John’s brother, years later in a bar. He said the two had a drink and officially buried the hatchet after Chiklis apologized for taking a role in a movie that the family found hurtful. Of all the films on the list, maybe this is the only one that deserves the forced obscurity it’s found itself in, as its release serves no one. Also, it’s a bad movie. 

The post From Dogma to The Cannonball Run: more hard to find movies (keep your DVDs) appeared first on JoBlo.

We may not be getting a big-screen sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, but the saga will continue on Prime Video with Blade Runner 2099. Production on the live-action series is gearing up to start in April, but Deadline reports that a new director has been tapped to helm the first two episodes of Blade Runner 2099.

Game of Thrones director Jeremy Podeswa was originally tapped to helm Blade Runner 2099 but had to exit over scheduling conflicts. Deadline reports that Jonathan van Tulleken has signed on to replace him. In addition to directing the first two episodes of the sci-fi series, he will also serve as an executive producer. He recently came off directing the first two episodes of FX’s upcoming Shōgun series and has previously helmed episodes of Misfits, Trust, Upload, and The Changeling.

Blade Runner 2099 was originally slated to start shooting in Belfast last summer, but the Hollywood strikes put a stop to that. The push also found the series moving out of Belfast in favour of Prague. Shining Girls creator Silka Luisa is the writer, showrunner, and executive producer of the series. Original Blade Runner director Ridley Scott is also onboard as an executive producer through his Scott Free production banner.

“The original Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce Blade Runner 2099 to our global Prime Video customers,” said Amazon Studios head of global television Vernon Sanders when the project was announced in 2022. “We are honored to be able to present this continuation of the Blade Runner franchise, and are confident that by teaming up with Ridley, Alcon Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and the remarkably talented Silka Luisa, Blade Runner 2099 will uphold the intellect, themes, and spirit of its film predecessors.“

“We are delighted to continue our working relationship with our friends at Amazon. And we are beyond excited to continue to extend the Blade Runner canon into a new realm with the provocative storyline that Silka has created,” Alcon Entertainment co-CEOs and co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson said. “Audiences first discovered Ridley Scott’s brilliant vision for Blade Runner 40 years ago, and since then, it has become one of the most influential science-fiction films of all time. Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up sequel, Blade Runner 2049, then became one of the best-reviewed sequels of all time. So, we recognize that we have a very high bar to meet with this next installment. Together with Silka and our partners at Amazon, and Scott Free Productions, we hope that we can live up to that standard and delight audiences with the next generation of Blade Runner.“

While I’m disappointed that we won’t get to see Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 follow-up, I am curious to see what the Prime Video series will bring.

The post Blade Runner 2099: Jonathan Van Tulleken will serve as director of Prime Video series which starts shooting this April appeared first on JoBlo.

Plot: Franklin Anderson struggles to make new friends when he moves to a new state (possibly Minneapolis). However, after meeting Charlie Brown and entering a soap box derby race, Franklin learns valuable lessons about friendship and how winning isn’t everything.

Review: Moving to a new town is especially difficult when you’re a kid. In addition to being a social disadvantage in a school setting, your after-school playtime quickly becomes an exercise in manifesting imaginary friends. For Franklin Anderson, being popular was never an option. His dad moves around a lot, so Franklin jumps from one state to the next, living out of a suitcase and never settling in one place long enough to make honest-to-goodness friends. This pattern is about to change when he meets the Peanuts gang and learns that the traditional methods of making friends sometimes don’t apply.

Back in my day, we had specials like A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969), Snoopy Come Home (1972), It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), and more to keep us connected with the Peanuts gang. Today, Raymond S. Persi directs Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin as part of Apple TV+‘s revival of Peanuts cartoon specials, released during Black History Month, and focusing on one of the gang’s black characters, Franklin.

Right out of the gate, I’ll say Welcome Home, Franklin looks incredible! Thanks to the film’s 2D presentation, the special harkens back to more traditional animation methods. Immediately, the overall look of the film blew me away. In all my time reviewing animation for JoBlo, I’d never seen something look this good on my monitor. The vibrant colors pop off the screen, with dynamic lighting effects lending depth and atmosphere to the world. There’s a particular moment in the film when Franklin and Charlie Brown walk past a fence speckled with sunlight that had me rewinding the scene multiple times to bask in the beauty of the art. It’s nice to see Apple taking so much care with the Peanuts property, presenting the classic characters created by Charles M. Schulz in a way that demands your attention and warmly hugs your senses.

In addition to telling a touching tale about fostering new friendships, the film takes time to explore some of Franklin’s interests, including his love of Jazz and baseball and members of his family tree. By the movie’s end, he’s still a supporting character, but he’s given depth and feels like a more valued member of the Peanuts cast.

Throughout the film, Franklin attempts to make friends with A-tier members of the Peanuts gang, including the blanket-hugging Linus Van Pelt, the borderline villainous Lucille “Lucy” Van Pelt, and Snoopy, the beloved beagle who thinks he’s people. When Franklin’s attempts to appeal to the Van Pelt siblings fail, he stumbles upon Charlie Brown, the flagship human and emotional punching bag of the Peanuts crew. Without hesitation, Charlie Brown extends a hand of friendship to Franklin and invites him to be his partner for an upcoming soap box derby race. They view the race as an opportunity to make their mark in a town of talented kids, and the pressure of winning gets the better of them. Their bosom-buddy chemistry devolves, leaving them at odds and desperate to mend the rift. Their divide adds intense drama to an otherwise light-hearted story, with valuable lessons about acceptance abound.

Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin explores the complicated emotions that come with feeling othered by your peers and surroundings. The film treats its young audience respectfully by making Franklin’s plight simple yet nuanced enough to deliver a powerful message about friendship, patience, and tolerance. As an adult fan of the Peanuts gang, I loved reuniting with Charlie Brown and the rest of the kids. As I’d said, Schulz’s Peanuts never looked this good, and the poignant storytelling that made the classic animations so impactful exists here, too. Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin shines in its blending of nostalgia and animation that always stays in style.

Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin

GREAT

8

The post Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin Review appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s fair to say that Helldivers 2 is having a good week. Beating GTA V’s concurrent Steam players records, the extraction shooter is outdoing everyone’s expectations, including its own, and it seems this success is spilling over. Because if there’s one source that Helldivers owes the most to, it’s Starship Troopers,…

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It’s fair to say that Helldivers 2 is having a good week. Beating GTA V’s concurrent Steam players records, the extraction shooter is outdoing everyone’s expectations, including its own, and it seems this success is spilling over. Because if there’s one source that Helldivers owes the most to, it’s Starship Troopers,…

Read more…