Music is one of humankind’s most potent art forms. Music can help heal the deepest depths of depression, call to higher powers for prosperity and nourishment, and, in Ned Benson’s upcoming dramatic comedy The Greatest Hits, facilitate traveling back in time to relive romantic memories. Today, Searchlight Pictures is proud to announce the release date of The GreatestHits, with the film coming to select theaters on April 5 and to Hulu on April 12.
Ned Benson, the director of films like Four Lean Hounds, The Westerner, Yes, and the Disappearance of Elenor Rigby trilogy, directs The Greatest Hits from his own script, with Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody, Murder on the Orient Express, Sing Street), David Corenswet (Superman: Legacy, Pearl, We Own This City), Justin H. Min (After Yang, Beef, The Umbrella Academy), and Austin Crute (Booksmart, Atlanta, Daybreak) leading the cast.
Here’s the official synopsis for The Greatest Hits courtesy of Searchlight Pictures:
Harriet (Lucy Boynton) finds art imitating life when she discovers certain songs can transport her back in time – literally. While she relives the past through romantic memories of her former boyfriend (David Corenswet), her time-traveling collides with a burgeoning new love interest in the present (Justin H. Min). As she takes her journey through the hypnotic connection between music and memory, she wonders – even if she could change the past, should she?
In addition to announcing The Greatest Hits release date, Searchlight Pictures shared a gallery of images from the upcoming film:
In the pics, Harriet is perusing a record shop, possibly searching for the next song to take her back in time. In the other images, Lucy Boynton, David Corenswet, and Justin H. Min embrace, creating heightened emotions and confusion as Harriet realizes she must choose between the two lovers.
If music could permit you to travel back in time, would you? What bands of songs would have the most significant impact on your journey? I would give anything to relive my first time attending All Tomorrow’s Parties New York, with bands like My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr., Lightning Bolt, Mogwai, The Silver Mountain Zion Orchestra, Shellac, Built to Spill, Tortois, and more shredding my soul and eardrums. Let us know where you’d go and what bands you’d listen to in the comments below.
Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have been busy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe lately, directing episodes of Moon Knight, Loki season 2, and the upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again – but before they entered the Marvel universe, they were known for making genre films like Resolution, Spring, The Endless, Synchronic, and Something in the Dirt. Variety reports that they’re executive producers on the upcoming sci-fi thriller Things Will Be Different, which stars Riley Dandy of Christmas Bloody Christmas and Adam David Thompson of A Walk Among the Tombstones. The film is set to have its world premiere at SXSW Film & TV Festival on March 11th, and in anticipation of that screening, a clip from Things Will Be Different has made its way online. You can check it out in the embed at the bottom of this article.
The feature directorial debut of Michael Felker, the film sees Dandy and Thompson taking on the roles of siblings Joseph and Sidney, who are on the run from the law. The mysterious farmhouse they are staying in inexplicably transports them through time. While attempting to return to their present, a cryptic force emerges and traps them on a strange plot of land, giving them a deathly ultimatum in order to escape.
Benson also happens to be in the cast, along with Chloe Skoczen (Get Me Back Up There) and Sarah Bolger (Emelie).
Things Will Be Different was produced by Felker (under his Last Life banner), Shane Spiegel, Jacob Rosenthal, and David Lawson Jr. of Rustic Films. Lawson provided the following statement: “Felker has been an irreplaceable member of the Rustic Films family since before we were even a company. He has been with us since day one when we filmed Resolution as our production assistant straight out of film school. When he came to us with this project, there was never a question of whether or not we would do everything in our power to help him make this the best film it could be. Rustic Films isn’t what it is today without Felker’s contributions over the years.“
Does Things Will Be Different sound interesting to you? Are you a fan of the works of Benson and Moorhead? Check out the clip, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
After being stuck with a day and date HBO Max release at the height of the pandemic, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two is getting a conventional theatrical release. This means audiences will finally get to experience the epic Frank Herbert adaptation the way it was meant to be seen: on the big screen (and in IMAX). While the first movie only opened to a modest $41 million, we fully expect the sequel to make double that this weekend. The obvious reason, of course, is that the movie won’t be available on MAX, but I also think word of mouth on this one will be stronger than it was for the first film. While Dune was great, it can’t be denied that there’s a massive quality jump in the sequel, with many saying it’s the Dark Knight compared to the first film’s Batman Begins and should establish Villeneuve as one of the biggest directors in the world.
So the question remains: will it crack $100 million this weekend? It seems unlikely at the moment, as this is a winter release, but anything is possible. However, even if it “only” makes $80 million, it’s worth remembering that it has very little competition over the next few weeks, Kung Fu Panda 4 hits theaters next weekend, but it’s going for a different audience than Dune is. In fact, the movie will have no real competition until Ghostbusters Frozen Empire in three weeks.
Otherwise, the box office should be relatively quiet this weekend, with holdover Bob Marley: One Love expected to make around $7 million, which should be good enough to put it just a bit ahead of the next batch of episodes opening for The Chosen, which should make around $6 million. Fourth place will likely be a battle between the faith-based Ordinary Angels, which seems bound to lose some of its audience to The Chosen, and Madame Web. Ordinary Angels should make about $4 million. In comparison, Madame Web should collapse into fifth place with under $3 million, pretty much ending any chance that the film has of crossing the $45 million mark at the domestic box office.
My predictions:
Dune: Part Two: $80 million
Bob Marley: One Love: $7 million
The Chosen Season 4: Episodes 7-8: $6 million
Ordinary Angles: $4 million
Madame Web: $3 million
Are you going to see Dune: Part Two this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
I actually interviewed Denis VIlleneuve in Montreal yesterday. Check out the interview tomorrow!
Made on a budget of less than $100,000, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (watch it HERE) earned more than $6 million during its global release in early 2023. One year later, the release of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is nearly upon us, as Fathom Events has announced that they’re teaming up with ITN Studios and Jagged Edge Productions to give the sequel a three-day theatrical run in the United States on March 26, 27, and 28. Tickets can be purchased online at Fathom Events or at participating theatre box offices. For a complete list of theatre locations, check out the Fathom Events website – but take note that theatres are subject to change.
Stuart Alson, President of ITN Studios, had this to say: “This sequel is a big step up and ITN is excited to share this movie with our fans.“
A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and the characters in it lapsed into the public domain at the start of last year, and that’s how Frake-Waterfield was able to make these movies happen, no permission required. In the build-up to the release of the first movie, the filmmaker explained to Variety that Pooh and Piglet (go) on a rampage after being abandoned by a college-bound Christopher Robin. “Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult. Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.”
Matt Leslie, writer/producer of Summer of 84, wrote the screenplay for the sequel, working from a story he crafted with Frake-Waterfield. Here’s the synopsis for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2: Deep within the 100-Acre-Wood, a destructive rage grows as Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Owl, and Tigger find their home and their lives endangered after Christopher Robin revealed their existence. Not wanting to live in the shadows any longer, the group decides to take the fight to the town of Ashdown, home of Christopher Robin, leaving a bloody trail of death and mayhem in their wake. Winnie and his savage friends will show everyone that they are deadlier, stronger, and smarter than anyone could ever imagine and get their revenge on Christopher Robin, once and for all.
The film stars Ryan Oliva, Scott Chambers, Eddy Mackenzie, Marcus Massey, Tallulah Evans, Kelly Rian Sanson, Simon Callow, Alec Newman, Nicola Wright, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Lewis Santer, Tade Adebaio, and Nichaela Farrel.
Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey are planning to create a cinematic universe with the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey films and other horror movies inspired by children’s stories, like Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare and Bambi: The Reckoning.
Will you be watching Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 during its three-day theatrical release? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Ken is far too sensitive to peer pressure, which is a good thing for Oscar fans because Ryan Gosling will officially perform “I’m Just Ken” at this year’s ceremony despite initially showing hesitancy. Now, will it stand as one of the best performances in Oscar history or will it go full Rob Lowe/Snow White?
I fully expect “I’m Just Ken” to be a showstopper, especially now that Gosling has confirmed he’ll be the one behind the mic and it won’t be given to somebody not even associated with the movie. However, admittedly sometimes that works out extremely well, as when Robin Williams performed “Blame Canada” from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. And while that song lost to Tarzan’s “You’ll Be In My Heart”, you can’t tell me you remember Phil Collins’ performance that night.
Another oddball performance for a song didn’t win but we still remember Ray Parker Jr. doing the title song from Ghostbusters, the presentation of which came off like an off-Broadway production of the movie that didn’t even attempt to get the cast on stage. Instead, we got Dom DeLuise as some sort of vampire (we think?)! The Little Mermaid’s two performances were also of the tight-budget variety, although we were spared absurd cameos. The ‘80s were a strange time in the movie industry…
Big productions can be dicey to be sure, running the risk of backfiring and taking away from what makes the song so good. Jumping to the ‘90s there was “That Thing You Do!” from its namesake movie, which somehow didn’t hit the mark despite the high energy of the performances and dance ensemble.
I really hope this doesn’t happen for “I’m Just Ken”, which is a huge production in Barbie and so almost has an obligation to match that on the stage of the Dolby Theatre. I don’t think Gosling will settle for anything less than complete dedication to bringing the song to life in front of a packed theater, using the camp factor to his advantage. After all, he has gone all in on its success so far…Too bad it has some competition for the gold…“I’m Just Ken” will be competing against songs from American Symphony, Flamin’ Hot, Killers of the Flower Moon, and, yes, Barbie, with “What Was I Made For?” the odds-on favorite. The 96th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 10th.
Are you looking forward to Ryan Gosling performing “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars? How do you think it will rank among the most over-the-top performances?
The historical comedy series The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is set to premiere with its first two episodes this Friday, March 1st, with the rest of the show’s six episodes being released on a weekly basis through Friday, March 29th – all of this exclusively on Apple TV+. In anticipation the show’s premiere, we’re proud to share an EXCLUSIVE clip from the first episode, and you can check it out in the embed above!
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin stars Noel Fielding of The Mighty Boosh and The Great British Bake Off in the titular role as the legendary British highwayman. Also in the cast are Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Ellie White (The Windsors), Marc Wootton (High & Dry), Duayne Boachie (Blue Story), Tamsin Greig (Episodes), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Dolly Wells (Doll & Em), Joe Wilkinson (The Cockfields), Mark Heap (Stardust), Geoffrey McGivern (Ghosts), Michael Fielding (The Mighty Boosh), Kiri Flaherty (Irish Crime), and Samuel Leakey (Gretel & Hansel). Not enough cast members for you? There are also guest stars Laura Checkley (Detectorists) as Sandra, Greg Davies (The Inbetweeners) as Leslie Duvall, Jessica Hynes (Shaun of the Dead) as The Reddlehag, Paul Kaye (Sexy Beast) as Ratclyff, Guz Khan (Four Weddings and a Funeral) as Gow, Diane Morgan (Motherland) as Maureen, Connor Swindells (Sex Education) as Tommy Silversides, and David Threlfall (Shameless) as Tom King.
Here’s the series synopsis: In The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, Dick Turpin (Noel Fielding) sets out on a journey of wildly absurd escapades when he’s made the reluctant leader of a band of outlaws — and tasked with outwitting corrupt lawman and self-appointed thief-taker Jonathan Wilde (Hugh Bonneville). In this irreverent retelling set in the 18th century, Turpin is the most famous but least likely of highway robbers, whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship and great hair. Together with his gang of lovable rogues, Turpin rides the highs and lows of his new endeavors, including a brush with celebrity, all whilst trying to escape the clutches of the thief-taker.
The series was written and created by Claire Downes, Stuart Lane, and Ian Jarvis. Produced by Apple TV+ and Big Talk Studios, part of ITV Studios, it’s executive produced by Fielding, Kenton Allen, Big Talk Studios, Victoria Grew, and Ben Palmer. Palmer and George Kane directed the episodes.
What did you think of our exclusive clip from The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin? Will you be watching this show on Apple TV+? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Austin Butler is going from blades to bikes as he goes from Dune: Part Two to the upcoming period drama, The Bikeriders. Butler revealed that his immediate start on The Bikeriders meant that he couldn’t shave his hair for Dune 2 as time was not allotted to have his hair grow back, so he’s actually wearing a prosthetic bald cap. He got to keep his blonde locks and Focus Features has now released the new trailer for The Bikeriders, which Butler stars in with Tom Hardy.
The official synopsis reads, “The Bikeriders is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members. Inspired by Danny Lyon’s iconic book, The Bikeriders immerses you in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of ’60s motorcycle riders. Kathy (Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who’s married to a wild, reckless bike rider named Benny (Butler), recounts the Vandals’ evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes, and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Hardy). Over the years, Kathy tries her best to navigate her husband’s untamed nature and his allegiance to Johnny, with whom she feels she must compete for Benny’s attention. As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, and the club threatens to become a more sinister gang, Kathy, Benny, and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other. Sarah Green, p.g.a., Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, p.g.a., and Arnon Milchan are the producers. The executive producers are Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Sam Hanson, David Kern, and Fred Berger.”
Produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, The Bikeriders features a cast that would make any Sons of Anarchy fan drool with envy. Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, Venom), Boyd Holbrook (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Jodie Comer (Free Guy, The Last Duel), Michael Shannon (The Flash, Take Shelter), Austin Butler (Elvis, Dune: Part Two), and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead, The Boondock Saints) lead the cast. Damon Herriman (Justified, Judy & Punch), Mike Faist (West Side Story, The Atlantic City Story), Karl Glusman (Devs, Nocturnal Animals), and others also star.
Almost eleven months have gone by since we heard that Julie Bowen – who played the character Claire Dunphy on 250 episodes of the ABC sitcom Modern Family – had signed on to star in the coming-of-age Satanic Panic thriller series Hysteria!, which is set up at the Peacock streaming service. Emjay Anthony (Physical), Chiara Aurelia (Cruel Summer), Kezii Curtis (Charm City Kings), Nikki Hahn (Magnum P.I.), and Anna Camp of the Pitch Perfect films joined the show soon after Bowen. Then genre icon Bruce Campbell signed on to play small town police chief Dandridge. Things have been quiet for a while, but now Deadline has revealed the names of several more Hysteria! cast members. They are Garret Dillahunt (The Last House on the Left remake), Nolan North (Pretty Little Liars), Elijah Richardson (Fantasy Football), Milly Shapiro (Hereditary), Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13), and Jessica Treska (Alex & Me). All of the newly announced cast members have recurring roles on the show.
If you want to know names: Dillahunt plays The Reverend, North portrays Gene, Richardson is Cliff, Shapiro plays Ingrid, Scagliotti is Officer Olsen, and Treska portrays Judith.
Written and executive produced by Matthew Scott Kane, Hysteria! will be exploring America’s dark history of mass hysteria through the shocking story of the teenage Satanic Panic. The series follows a group of 1980s high school misfits as they exploit the growing hysteria around teen occult activity. Here’s the full official synopsis: When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported “supernatural activity” triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.
Bowen’s character is Linda Campbell, “the mother of a teenage outcast. Linda experiences a series of supernatural disturbances that force her to question everything she knows about her son, as well as the growing threat of Satanism in their small Midwestern town.” Camp’s character is Tracy Whitehead, “a crusading Midwestern mother who has been the laughingstock of her community for years due to her extreme religious beliefs, but after a string of occult crimes and disturbances, she becomes a dangerous and unlikely leader of her small town.” And some more character details from Deadline: “Dylan Campbell (Anthony), Jordy (Aurelia), and Spud (Curtis) are a trio of outcasts who use their town’s Satanic Panic to their advantage by rebranding their heavy metal band Dethkrunch into a Satanic metal group, only to find themselves caught in the middle of a witch hunt. Faith (Hahn) is a sheltered teenage girl whose life is forever changed by a shocking, traumatic crime.” Campbell’s Chief Dandridge is “a small-town police chief whose understanding of his community is put to the test after a disturbing series of murders, disappearances, and unexplained phenomena.”
UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, is producing Hysteria! Kane serves as executive producer with Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. That may lead you to believe that Daley and Goldstein are going to direct the pilot episode, but that’s not the case. The first episode of Hysteria! is directed by Kong: Skull Island‘s Jordan Vogt-Roberts.
Are you interested in Hysteria!? What do you think of the newly announced cast members? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Garret Dillahunt, Nolan North, Elijah Richardson Among 6 Cast In Peacock's Satanic Panic Thriller Series 'Hysteria!' https://t.co/II1GU0tlJy
INTRO: The heat is back on for a third time in this episode of REVISITED, but after huge success with the first two installments, can lightning strike a third time in the massively popular Beverly Hills Cop series? Of course it can. I mean, the formulas there, the main star of the franchise is back and the poster has a kick-ass rollercoaster on it, which is pretty edgy…If you’re a ten year old. So, naturally, nothing could go wrong.
Well, look, the franchise has legs, with part four in post production at the time of writing this episode, and Netflix looking at a summer release for the movie. It’s a popular modern trend in Tinseltown, where legacy characters, or franchises, are being resurrected for final outings, or a continuation of the mythology to keep modern audiences interested in a known and historically lucrative IP. Indy may have not been able to draw a crowd like he used to, despite the (hopefully) final movie in Harrison Ford’s role as the adventurer being a fun, bat-shit crazy, but often dull entry in the series.
However, other fan-favorites such as Ghostbusters live on, with the well received and commercially successful Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021, being followed up by the cool looking, no pun intended, Frozen Empire, that’s set to hit cinemas at the end of March. The point is, if done well, legacy characters and movie franchises can be fun to revisit on the big, or small screen. However, if Universal ever dares to reboot, re-imagine or tinker with the Back to the Future series in case something is newly deemed offensive in them, like James Bond recently, I’ll be livid, but not surprised. However, threequels can be somewhat hit and miss, with some movies looking to make a quick buck by rolling out the cast for a quick cash grab at the expense of a solid movie. However, which way did Beverly Hills Cop III ultimately go? Well, strap yourselves into the spider ride as we find out, here on REVISITED!
SET-UP: When Beverly Hills Cop III hit cinemas in May, 1994, Eddie Murphy wasn’t necessarily on a hot streak of success at the box-office. Harlem Nights in 1989 divided critics and audiences, to say the least, while sequel Another 48 Hours from the following year couldn’t match the wit or charm of the first movie. Boomerang in 1992 was fun, but by then Murphy’s somewhat smug onscreen characters were perhaps starting to grate on audiences. At least, the box-office receipts from the time would suggest so.
When approached about starring in a threequel to one of his most successful movies, he may have ultimately seen some redemption in the form of Axel Foley – a way to win audiences back. After all, both Beverly Hills Copsone and two are riotously entertaining in their own right. We all love a fish-out-of-water story, and Murphy’s arrogant, witty, and charming central character is a blast to see at the time and also to revisit years later. So, surely with a decent director onboard (check!), Murphy’s return (double check!), plus fan favourites back and a cool story (triple ch…), actually, I’m not sure I can confirm that one. Anyway, most of the ingredients were there for a rollicking rollercoaster, pun intended, for part three.
However, when asked in 1989 about whether he would star in a third installment, Murphy poured scorn on if his return as Foley would be some kind of redemptive triumph, saying, “There’s no reason to do it. I don’t need the money and it’s not gonna break any new ground. How often can you have Axel Foley talk fast and get into a place he doesn’t belong? But these motherfuckers are developing scripts for it. They’re in pre-production. The only reason to do a Cop III is to beat the bank, and Paramount ain’t gonna write me no check as big as I want to do something like that. In fact, if I do a Cop III, you can safely say, ‘Ooh, he must have got a lot of money!’” Ouch. I guess he wasn’t that keen then, but I’m sure the reported $15 million dollar salary that Murphy was offered did indeed ‘beat the bank’.
Despite Murphy having reservations about kicking some ass and wise-cracking his way to that reported $15 million dollar pay cheque, the production did have its director in place. And he was, on paper at least, a solid choice – John Landis. Best known for hairy werewolf makeovers, Landis had already directed Murphy in 1993’s Trading Places and 1988’s Coming To America, but up until Beverly Hills Cop 3, he had mainly teamed up with Michael Jackson, again, for some nifty music videos. Also, as we’ll delve into a little later in this video, the relationship between Landis and Murphy wasn’t, by all accounts, too healthy.
So, with the man in the director’s chair chosen and the main star eventually onboard, the production could go ahead, but a multitude of script revisions and the availability of key actors had to be ironed out. Early script drafts would see Foley, Taggart and Rosewood travel to the good ol’ UK to rescue Captain Bogomil, who had been kidnapped and held hostage by terrorists during an International Police Convention. I guess this is a little too close to the second movie’s plot, which saw Bogomil gunned down by the Amazonian Bridget Nielsen. Plus, the pre-production stage slowed down to such a degree that both John Ashton and Ronny Cox had to drop out due to filming obligations elsewhere. Intriguingly, however, in an interview from 2012, Ronny Cox revealed another possible reason, saying, “They wanted me to be in Beverly Hills Cop III, but…I read the script”. It wasn’t looking good for the threequel, even at that early stage.
Fortunately for all involved, Judge Reinhold was back as gun-loving detective Billy Rosewood, plus another franchise favorite in the late great Gilbert R. Hill, as the tough talking Inspector Todd. However, that’s just about as notable as the cast gets, unless you count an appearance by John Travolta’s older brother, Joey, plus Eugene Collier and Jimmy Ortega. Thankfully the art world’s best espresso maker, Serge, is back but could he save the threequel from falling into the trend of part threes often being terrible? Well, the story is the key aspect of whether or not the movie would work and early drafts of the script saw Axel Foley dealing with his celebrity status and also, intriguingly, teaming up with either Sean Connery or John Cleese as Scotland Yard detectives. This, of course, never happened.
REVIEW: During the time that Beverly Hills Cop 2 was released it was pretty much guaranteed that a new Eddie Murphy movie would equate to box-office gold, such was his own golden touch when it came to picking a good project. Which brings us nicely to what is, arguably, a serious misfire for all involved. It was considered a surprise that Murphy had agreed to fill the wise-cracking shoes of Axel Foley again, and even more surprising that he would do so under the direction of John Landis. During a press conference in New York to promote Coming to America, Murphy was asked if he would ever consider working with Landis again, to which he replied, “Vic Morrow has a better chance of working with Landis than I do”. This somewhat tasteless comment refers to a horrific accident during the shooting of the segment Landis was directing for the Twilight Zone movie, in which Morrow died. Landis was eventually acquitted of involuntary manslaughter, but this just shows how fractious their relationship was.
This also probably explains why the threequel is a largely soulless, expensive, sporadically entertaining mess that tarnished the name of what was once a hugely enjoyable franchise. The plot sees Foley investigating a car theft ring, but he comes face to face with the men who kill his boss, Inspector Todd, during a raid on a chop shop. This leads him to pursue the killers to a theme park where they’re running a counterfeit money ring, and we subsequently get treated to some fairly well staged but lifeless set pieces. The plot also takes a detour to Beverly Hills, naturally, so that Judge Reinhold’s Billy Rosewood can tag along, but even the gun-toting detective can’t save the movie from threequel obscurity.
Unfortunately then, cheap gimmicks replace any real characterization and what could have been a rollocking Die Hard in Wonder World, turns into a lazy, uninspired attempt to round out the franchise. Murphy shoots a whole load of bad guys, which is appreciated, he also swears more than Joe Pesci in Casino, well almost, and even dresses up as an elephant at one point, shoving a poor kid into a fountain, and calling him a “little mothafucka”. You see, Murphy hadn’t gone soft, no, far from it…We’re supposed to buy into the idea that the movie is the genuine article, a worthy part three, but unfortunately, it’s simply awful.
LEGACY / NOW: Beverly Hills Cop III was released on May 25, 1994, and grossed $42.6 million dollars in the US, and $76.5 million at the foreign box office for a worldwide total of $119.2 million. It opened alongside the equally irritating The Flintstones, which opened at number one at the box office with Beverly Hills Cop III languishing in third behind Mel Gibson’s Maverick.
The film received negative reviews from critics, and was considered by them and Murphy himself as the weakest film in the trilogy, but also admitting in an interview from 1994 that the movie is, “different from the trilogy’s first installment because Axel is more mature and no longer the wisecracking rookie cop”. Landis, on the other hand, was more candid about his experience on this movie, saying that, “Cop 3 was a very strange experience. The script wasn’t any good, but I figured, “So what? I’ll make it funny with Eddie”. But then I discovered on the first day when I started giving Eddie some shtick, he said, “You know, John… Axel Foley is an adult now. He’s not a wiseass anymore”. The movie also has a very low approval rating of 11% based upon 56 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, if the stats from that website mean anything to you.
As always though, let us know your thoughts on Beverly Hills Cop III in the comments section and don’t despair because, as I’m sure you’re all aware, Murphy is back to redeem the franchise, hopefully, with the upcoming, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, due to be released by Netflix this summer. The main cast are all back so can the movie successfully put the mess of part three firmly in the past, and provide the perfect goodbye for such an iconic character? I can’t wait to find out! Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you awesome folk next time, here on REVISITED!
Netflix brings us the trailer for a sports film with an interesting twist. The Beautiful Game is based on a true story of a soccer event, The Homeless World Cup. The film stars Bill Nighy (Living, About Time), Micheal Ward (Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence), Susan Wokoma, Callum Scott Howells, Kit Young (Shadow and Bone, upcoming FX series, Alien), Sheyi Cole, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Robin Nazari, Aoi Okuyama, Cristina Rodlo, Tadashi Watanabe, Kazuhiro Muroyama and Valeria Golino.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads, “Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England’s homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Micheal Ward, Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he’s ready to let go of his past and become part of the team. Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup, The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances – where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything’s to play for.”
The movie comes from director Thea Sharrock (Me Before You, Wicked Little Letters) from a script by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Producers of the movie includes Blueprint Pictures’ Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin & Ben Knight with Anita Overland and Colin Farrell. Diarmuid McKeown, Claudine Farrell and Ollie Madden and Daniel Battsek for Film4 are on board as executive producers.
The Homeless World Cup Foundation was established in 2001 with the first Homeless World Cup taking place in Graz, Austria in 2003. The Foundation’s mission is to use football to support and inspire people who are homeless to change their own lives; and to change perceptions and attitudes towards people who are experiencing homelessness. The 2024 Homeless World Cup will take place in Seoul, S Korea. For more information about the Homeless World Cup, you can visit: www.homelessworldcup.org
