Open world video games give players the chance to explore a universe for hundreds of hours without even completing the final mission, and this ambitious aesthetic gives gamers a seemingly endless amount of possibilities.
The upcoming action comedy Free Guy has Ryan Reynolds playing an NPC (non-playable character) who decides to break out of his daily rut and become a proactive participant in his neighborhood. NPCs usually are background characters in a video game who, if they are lucky, have a few words of dialogue before disappearing into the story, but Reynolds’ character has other things in mind!
The picture is directed by filmmaker (and Stranger Thingsexecutive producer) Shawn Levy, and Levy has Stranger Things’ Joe Keery on board as part of the ensemble. Lil Rel Howery, director Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit), and Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) round out the cast.
Reynolds, who recently made headlines thanks to a brilliant marketing move to plug his Aviation Gin brand, looks like he has another hit on his hands. Free Guy, penned by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn (Ready Player One), hits theaters July 3, 2020.Check out the trailer and tell us what you think!
The Expanse finds a new home in season four thanks to Prime Video. Cast member Steven Strait (Magic City) was already well versed with his character Holden and The Expanse universe before season one even started, as he told us he was an avid fan of the James S.A. Corey (the pseudonym of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) penned novels.
“We have the incredible luxury of having the authors of the books in our writer’s room which is incredibly unusual,” said Strait. “Who better to guide an adaptation of the original projects themselves. To me, as a fan of the books, that has been such an incredible security and collaborative effort that we have had with them. To have them available there all the time as this kind of encyclopedia of this world as they work with everyone involved to adapt this thing to a very different medium has been amazing.”
Click on the media bar to hear Strait discuss how the loyal fandom of The Expanse has impacted the show in a profoundly positive manner:
Season four of The Expanse comes out December 13 on Prime Video.
Frozen 2’s command of the top spot at the box office continues as it made $34.6 million over the weekend. Knives Out was a distant second with $14.1 million, followed by a third place finish from Ford v Ferrari ($6.5 million). Here’s the top 10:
Frozen 2– Feature, which has made over $337 million domestically, takes in $34.6 million.
December movies are usually relegated to holiday themed films (especially if they are on Netflix) or Oscar awards level type of narratives. But if you’re looking for an escapist horror feature, Black Christmas may do the trick.
Since its part of the Blumhouse Productions roster, Black Christmas has a shot of making a lasting impression,. A remake of the 1974 slasher flick, Black Christmas centers on a black-masked stalker who is killing sorority women at Hawthorne college. Directed by Sophia Takai (Always Shine), the feature is headlined by Imogen Poots (Green Room) as the sorority sister who suspects that this killer may actually be a series of murderers. Rounding out the ensemble are Lily Donoghue (Jane the Virgin), Aleyse Shannon (Charmed) and Brittany O’ Grady (The Messengers), and Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride). Black Christmas opens nationwide December 13.
Other films discussed in the latest episode of CinemAddicts include Seberg and Uncut Gems. Take a listen below!
Although the film was shot over the course of two months, the Sam Mendes-directed World War I drama 1917 has been structured and edited to make the film appear as if it’s a single two-hour take. When a similar technique was used for much of the Oscar-winning Birdman, audiences were polarized — some loved it, some hated it. Will 1917 meet the same fate? Mendes, who also produced and co-wrote the film, doesn’t think so, because he thinks viewers will get too wrapped up in the story to notice the single-take effect. (Click on the media bar below to hear Sam Mendes)
1917 will get a limited awards-qualifying release on Christmas Day, then open wider on January 10.
Originally published in 1868, Louisa May Alcott’sLittle Women has become one of the most enduring works of its time. It’s also become one of the most-adapted works of the era, as well. After debuting as a Broadway play in 1912, the first film adaptation followed in 1917. The new adaptation opening in theaters this month will be the eighth time the story has been filmed for the big screen. Greta Gerwig has written and directed this newest version, and she told us it’s a story that has had a tremendous impact on her life, so she was excited to give the story her own personal touch. (Click on the media bar below to hear Greta Gerwig)
Not content with merely showing Hollywood’s classic movies on its cable channel, TCM has been bringing some of those movies back into theaters for special screenings. The program’s been a success, and it will continue in 2020 with a lineup of 14 films. including Annie, Psycho, Fiddler on the Roof, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Close Encounters of the First Kind, and more. Another classic film to be screened next year as part of the series is a comedy that celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, Airplane! Part of the movie’s comedic DNA was its casting of hard-bitten dramatic actors like Robert Stack, Peter Graves, and Lloyd Bridges in roles that had them delivering deadpan jokes. Among that group of old-school actors was Leslie Nielsen, who had his career revitalized by the Zucker Brothers with Airplane and the Naked Gun movies. Before he passed away, Nielsen spoke with us about how and why that classic casting coup worked so well. (Click on the media bar below to hear Leslie Nielsen)
Another classic film being screened as part of the series is 1992’s A League of Their Own, which starred Tom Hanks as the manager of a women’s baseball team, with a group of players that included Geena Davis, Rosie O’Donnell, Lori Petty, and Madonna. Looking back, Hanks told us the thing that excited him the most about making the movie was getting the chance to play against the “nice guy” persona he’d cultivated in his ’80s movies. (Click on the media bar below to hear Tom Hanks)
We do love the irony of The Great American Baking Show being hosted by a Brit. However, we’ll give the producers a pass, because we love the irony of a baking show being hosted by a Spice Girl even more. Emma Bunton (aka Baby Spice) has joined the show for its fourth season — a special holiday edition — and she told us the ovens may be hot, but this year’s competition will be even hotter (and a lot of fun). (Click on the media bar below to hear Emma Bunton)
The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition premieres Thursday night on ABC.
After the #MeToo earthquake famously took down Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and his empire, a lot of people seemed to forget that the epicenter of the jolt was the series of scandals that rocked Fox News Channel, incidents that brought down the network’s chief (Roger Ailes) and its top host (Bill O’Reilly), and also costing the network tens of millions of dollars in settlements. Those incidents won’t be forgotten much longer — the highly anticipated film Bombshell tells their story in big-screen glory. Charlize Theron is an executive producer for the movie, and she also stars as Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. She says that the film is an amazing document of a time that literally started a revolution in the media industry … and beyond. (Click on the media bar below to hear Charlize Theron)
In its first two seasons, the acclaimed Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has claimed an incredible 16 Primetime Emmy Awards (out of an otherworldly 34 nominations). Rachel Brosnahan got one of those Emmys for playing the show’s title character, a 1950s housewife who takes up stand-up comedy. Those first two seasons will be a tough act to follow, but Brosnahan believes the show has done it admirably — in particular, she feels like her character’s got an incredible story arc in this new season. (Click on the media bar below to hear Rachel Brosnahan)
Season 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video
