On this week’s episode of CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO, we’ll be playing music from superhero and comic book film and television scores. We’ll open the show with Henry Jackman’s new score to the brand new...Listen on PodTyrant

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I was wondering what was taking so long for Supergirl to get officially renewed for Season 2. We all hoped it was coming, but today it's official! Supergirl Season 2 is coming, and there's also a bit of other interesting news to come along with the announcement. The series is moving from CBS to The CW for its second season, which is pretty much where the series belonged all along. 

I imagine the reason why it took so long to announce was because of all the behind the scenes work involved making the major network change. Before the first season of Supergirl even had a network, there were rumors that it could land at either The CW or CBS. I wonder if The CW let CBS take it first to see if it would be a success there before they brought it into the fold with the rest of the DC TV universe. I think the real test came with The Flash crossover, which was a huge success for the series as it gave the show its biggest ratings.

I surprisingly fell hard for this series and I enjoyed watching the first season with my girls. It turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting it to be after that first trailer for the series hit. It's a wonderfully charming and action-packed superhero series that found its groove.

I can't wait to see what's in store for the second season, but I'm sure we'll definitely be seeing some more DC character crossover episodes.

Source: Variety 

Last week when I wrote about the how Fast & Furious director Justin Lin is going to direct a Space Jam sequel that will probably star LeBron James, I talked about how the first movie is...to put it nicely, not very good. Yes, '90s kids love it for nostalgic reasons, but have you rewatched it recently? It does not hold up AT ALL.

In any case, the first film's director, Joe Pytka, has some advice for Lin and James:

"Don't do it. It's doomed. Michael Jordan was the biggest star on the planet."

What he's getting at is that LeBron has been eclipsed this year by the Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry, who recently won the NBA's MVP award by unanimous vote for the first time in history (not even Jordan accomplished that feat). Pytka's implying that by the time Space Jam 2 actually hits theaters, LeBron might not be the mega-star that he is right now.

"When we did Space Jam, there was a perfect storm of players and ex-players available — Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing," says Pytka. "They all had a persona that complemented the film. There are none around like that now."

Look, I'm not interested in seeing Space Jam 2, but whether LeBron is the best current player in basketball at the moment is not the deciding factor of if this movie gets made. He's a huge superstar, has a hell of a lot better comedic timing than Jordan ever did (see: Trainwreck), and is one of the world's most successful athletes. I think people will still know who he is in two years. There are plenty of reasons not to make this movie, but LeBron's perceived lack of star power is not one of them. And those other guys he mentioned? They were great athletes in their own right, but they certainly weren't actors, and I think there are a crop of guys who are in the league now who grew up with new media, cell phone video cameras, and YouTube that have cultivated much better chances for being able to succeed in supporting roles than those old guys did back in the '90s.

Well, unfortunately, it happened. ABC has officially cancelled Marvel’s Agent Carter after two fantastic seasons. In my opinion, they cancelled the wrong Marvel series. Agent Carter was far superior to anything that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been doing, and it’s sad that such a great series has prematurely come to an end. For some strange reason, people just stopped watching! I guess fans should have seen this coming. After all, they literally buried Agent Carter in Captain America: Civil War. Oh well, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will go on.

I guess there’s kind of a silver lining to this news, though, and that is that Agent Carter star Hayley Atwell is set to star in a new series for ABC called Conviction, which just got a green light for the 2017-2017 season.

In Conviction, “Atwell stars as a lawyer and the former First Daughter Hayes Morrison, who is about to accept a job offered from her sexy nemesis, NY District Attorney Wayne Wallis (Eddie Cahill), to avoid jail time for cocaine possession and avoid hurting her mother’s Senate campaign. Working with his team at the new Conviction Integrity Unit will let her use her brilliant mind to turn over cases where there is credible suspicion of wrongful conviction, and give her a chance to turn things around with her high-powered political family.”

It sounds like it could be a decent series, but I would have much rather seen Agent Carter continue. 

Thanks to EW we have our first look at Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s wacky looking new project Son of Zorn. This is a live-action/animated hybrid series that revolves around a character named Zorn, who is voiced by Jason Sudeikis. Zorn is the “defender of the island nation of Zephyria, who returns to Orange County, takes a job selling industrial soap dispensers, and tries to reconnect with his teenage son (Johnny Pemberton) and ex-wife (Cheryl Hines), who is otherwise engaged (literally, to a psychology professor at an online university, played by Tim Meadows).”

This sounds like an awesome project that could prove to be pretty hilarious. It comes from the guys who gave us The LEGO Movie and 21 Jump Street, so we know that the great comedy is going to be there. Talking to EW about the series, Miller said:

“He tries to be a family man, but he is a barbarian warrior from another land who doesn’t quite fit in. The thing I like about this show is that while the premise is really outrageous and ridiculous, the tone of the show is finding the practical, real, understated minutia of daily life. And the parts of the show that feel the most interesting to me are the [ones that] play it relatively grounded for such a ridiculous concept.”

Lord talked about his favorite scenes in the series:

“My favorite scenes are Zorn in the break room at his office, putting cream cheese on a bagel with a sword and talking to weird strangers. Even though he’s a wild character, it’s all just really well-observed, funny, strange details about our life. Because he’s a foreigner, he’s highlighting what is ridiculous about the way we all live.”

This is sure to end up being being a wild and wacky show that will find a devoted fanbase. I think it’s great that Lord and Miller are able to get away with things that not many other filmmakers can. Lord realizes this and explained:

“I think we are addicted to the feeling of getting away with something. And when I see this show on the air, I’m going to think, ‘Why didn’t anyone stop us? This is crazy!’”

There will be 13 episodes of Son of Zorn in its first season, and the first is expected to air later this year or in early 2017. I can’t wait to see this!

I know that I am in the silent minority that enjoyed the two stand-alone Thor movies. However, just because I like them doesn’t mean that I can’t see their faults. One of the biggest offenses is the lack of comedy in the movies. No, Kat Dennings doesn’t count as comic relief.

Fortunately for us, it appears that things are going to be better in Thor: Ragnarok. No Natalie Portman, no Dennings, and a director that knows comedy. Director Taika Waititi was a perfect choice to take over this franchise.

In a bit of light-hearted fun, Waititi enlisted some help, via Twitter, from a couple of fellow Marvel directors to make sure he makes the perfect Marvel movie. Enjoy the madness.

@JamesGunn @MrPeytonReed Hey guys. When you're making one of these big movies, how many explosions are you supposed to put in? I have one.

— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016

@JamesGunn @MrPeytonReed And it's not so much an explosion - more of a "boink" sound.

— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016

@TaikaWaititi @JamesGunn Hmm. That's not gonna cut it, Taika. Check your contract. Marvel minimum is 42 onscreen explosions. Required!

— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) May 12, 2016

12. Add 11 school buses full of kids exploding & you’ll be good. People love that in superhero movies. https://t.co/4NH6FJf4jt

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 12, 2016

@TaikaWaititi @JamesGunn And they're strict! They didn't even count my Pym Tech explosion because "technically it's an IMplosion."

— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) May 12, 2016

Ahh got it, thanks! And do I have to put that purple dude in the floating chair in my movie? The magic glove guy. https://t.co/U8fFly4Ewg

— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016

Yes, but that’s not Marvel, that’s a new federal law. https://t.co/0Wk2RJreGq

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 12, 2016

@scottderrickson Hey man, don't tell anyone at Marvel but I'm freaking out. Strictly confidential!

— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016

Someone tell Jon Watts to join twitter. I need to know if he wants to swap titles. "Spiderman Ragnarok" and "Thor Homecoming" would rule.

— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016

@TaikaWaititi *Spider-Man, CAN'T FORGET THE HYPHEN

— Brady (@AKASpidey) May 12, 2016

S-Piderman. https://t.co/TXv3XjWSva

— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016

Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters November 3rd, 2017.

Ever since it was announced that Shane Black was developing a new Predator film with his Monster Squad co-writer Fred Dekker, I've been excited to see what he exactly he would do to make it fresh and relevant. Well, in a couple recent interviews with Comingsoon he opened up a little bit about what he is looking to do. When asked about the iconic look of the Predator and if Stan Winston's costume design would be changed, this is what he said:

“It’s not to ‘improve,’ it’s make it fun, make it different, make it organically different. So what’s the extension of it that makes sense, that’s exciting? There have been a lot of changes to Stan’s design over the years. These different Predator movies have done different things. Ultimately it’s not about design to me, it’s about the story you want to tell. There are people who are always going to agonize over Iron Man, what color his suit is. Maybe this weapon does a new thing, but if the story is not good I don’t give a sh*t what color the suit is. In ‘The Predator’ we’re doing a lot of upgrades to what you would consider to be the traditional Predator technology and look, but hopefully the story is what’s going to drag people in, not just the attention to the minutiae.”

I'm curious to see what he is planning for the new Predator costume design, but it's great to hear that his focus is on giving the film the best story possible. Producer John Davis previously expanded on that a bit when talking about the writing and how the perspective is going to be fresh:

“The writing is so fresh, the perspective is so fresh. I’m telling you, you’re going to get something you don’t expect and you’re going to say, ‘This is the most entertaining way to reinvent a franchise.’”

That's a comment that is sure to get fans excited for the film. Black previously revealed that the movie would be set in present day. We've also heard that Arnold Schwarzenegger was going to meet with Black regarding the film, we just know how exactly what his involvement will be in the film if anything pans out. Black previously had this to say about the project:

"I mean, there’s great Predator movies, but to actually play with the idea of making it an event, not necessarily in scale—it doesn’t have to be huge—but it just has to feel like a Predator movie you want to see in the summer and line up for it. And that’s what we’re going for. Let’s get back to the excitement and innovation of that original movie where it felt fresh. I just want to find a way to make it feel fresh and that’s what we’re trying to do."

Black has a history with Predator as he was not only hired to rework the original 1987 film, but he also ended up playing the character Hawkins. If anyone is going to respect the material and give us the best Predator movie possible, it's Black. 

The Predator is set to be released on March 2nd, 2018.

A college student named Raymond Luna from Covina, CA had to give a class presentation, so he asked his professor if he could give a presentation on the history of cosplay dressed up as Batman. His professor told him he could, so Luna showed up to class dressed up in Batman's armor from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I've gotta say, that is one pretty cool professor. I never had a professor that would allow that awesomeness when I was in college. 

He posted a few photos from the presentation on his Instagram account including a video of him surprising the class when he walked in all decked out at Batman. The other students in the class were ecstatic. Luna told BuzzFeed:

“I’m always excited when others approve of this. I know there was a time when cosplaying was frowned upon and looked at differently. Today, many people want to get in on the fun.”

Check out the photos and video below. Unfortunately, we don't get to see how the presentation turned out.

Tell me. Did you study?! You will!😂📖🙌

A video posted by ✌Raymond Luna 🇺🇸 (@tonystark626) on May 2, 2016 at 6:11pm PDT

Reviewing my speech before presenting it to the citizens of Gotham. 😂🙌📖📚

A photo posted by ✌Raymond Luna 🇺🇸 (@tonystark626) on May 2, 2016 at 4:37pm PDT

My class picture > Your class picture Definitely have to find another day to invade @mtsac 🙌🙌😁😁

A photo posted by ✌Raymond Luna 🇺🇸 (@tonystark626) on May 6, 2016 at 10:31am PDT

I feel we pull off #wonderbat pretty well. 💑💑😍😍 Wonder Woman: @wonderwoman_xoxo Media account: @thecosplayleaguers

A photo posted by ✌Raymond Luna 🇺🇸 (@tonystark626) on May 4, 2016 at 9:46am PDT

JUST HIT OVER 10,000 FOLLOWERS!!! 🙌🙌🙌👊💥👊💥 Thank you everyone for all the reposts and support!! Check out my media page as well 👉@thecosplayleaguers

A photo posted by ✌Raymond Luna 🇺🇸 (@tonystark626) on May 4, 2016 at 7:18pm PDT

Via: Fashionably Geek

“I may have one hunt left in me.”

I’ve got a trailer here for a new film called Hell of High Water that you’ve gotta check out. The story centers on two brothers named Toby and Tanner, played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who embark on a bank robbery spree to help save their mom's farm. Their actions put them on a collision course with a west Texas Ranger determined to take them down. That Texas ranger is played by none other than Jeff Bridges.

The movie was directed by David Mackenzie from a script written by Taylor Sheridan (Sicario). There’s some tremendous talent involved with bringing this story to the big screen, and it looks like it paid off because the movie looks great. I enjoy watching intense dramas like this that involve crime sprees, especially when it seems like the audience will be rooting for the criminals.

The movie is set to premiere at Cannes next week, and it will be released in theaters on August 12th.

Looks like Activision is trying to quietly roll out a Call of Duty entry without people noticing. IGN noticed Best Buy had listed a Modern Warfare Trilogygame for Xbox 360 and PS3...

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When Ben Affleck isn't dressing up as Batman and playing around in the DC universe, he's playing an autistic math genius who will kill people then do their taxes. I can't help but think that this is what Affleck's version of Bruce Wayne would be doing if he weren't Batman. The first trailer has been released for Affleck's new thriller The Accountant, and it looks like an incredibly good film. The trailer is actually really quite chilling and intense. 

The movie was directed by Gavin O’Connor (Miracle, Warrior), and it also has an incredible supporting cast that includes Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow. There's a lot of great talent attached to this project, and it looks like they've made a hell of a film that I'm 100% on board with. 

Christian Wolff (Affleck) is a math savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Behind the cover of a small-town CPA office, he works as a freelance accountant for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. With the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, run by Ray King (J.K. Simmons), starting to close in, Christian takes on a legitimate client: a state-of-the-art robotics company where an accounting clerk (Anna Kendrick) has discovered a discrepancy involving millions of dollars. But as Christian uncooks the books and gets closer to the truth, it is the body count that starts to rise.

The Accountant opens in theaters on October 14th.

This IMAX trailer that has been released for Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass has been the best thing I’ve seen from the film so far. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first movie, so my excitement level for the sequel has been kinda nonexistent. It's one of those film franchises that I just didn’t seem to connect with. I will be going to see it, though, because my little girls are excited and won't stop talking about it.  

The trailer includes an introduction from producer Tim Burton, and it features a lot of fun, whimsical new footage from the movie. The movie was directed by James Bobin (The Muppets) this time around, and here’s the synopsis:

Alice Kingsleigh (Wasikowska) has spent the past few years following in her father’s footsteps and sailing the high seas. Upon her return to London, she comes across a magical looking glass and returns to the fantastical realm of Underland and her friends the White Rabbit (Sheen), Absolem (Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Fry) and the Mad Hatter (Depp), who is not himself. The Hatter has lost his Muchness, so Mirana (Hathaway) sends Alice on a quest to borrow the Chronosphere, a metallic globe inside the chamber of the Grand Clock which powers all time. Returning to the past, she comes across friends – and enemies – at different points in their lives, and embarks on a perilous race to save the Hatter before time runs out.

Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter all reprise their roles from the first film. Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, and Timothy Spall are also back to voice their characters. The sequel also includes the new additions of Zanik Hightopp (Rhys Ifans), who is the Mad Hatter’s father, and Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen), a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.

Alice Through the Looking Glass opens in theaters on May 27th, 2016.

Travel #ThroughTheLookingGlass with Alice. Watch an exclusive look with a special message from Producer Tim Burton!https://t.co/ZDNkx2LTCR

— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) May 12, 2016

A few months ago Netflix revealed that they were developing a new original cyberpunk sci-fi series called Altered Carbon, and Variety is reporting that Joel Kinnaman (The Killing, RoboCop, Suicide Squad) has been cast in the lead role. The series is based on the book of the same name by Richard K. Morgan, and it sounds like it could make for a solid show. 

The futuristic series is set in the 25th century when the human mind has been digitized and the soul is transferable from one body to the next. Kinnaman will play Takeshi Kovacs, a former elite interstellar warrior known as an Envoy who has been imprisoned for 500 years and is downloaded into a future he had tried to stop. If he can solve a single murder in a world where technology has made death nearly obsolete, he’ll get a chance at a new life on Earth.

Netflix has hired Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik to direct the first of ten episodes for the series. Laeta Kalogridis is writing the series and also serving as its showrunner. She’s got a few interesting projects under her belt that include Pathfinder, Shutter Island, Terminator Genisys, and the upcoming James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez film adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel.

Kinnaman is a great actor who isn’t new to the Netflix family as he previously worked with them on the final season of The Killing and most recently played a major role in House of Cards season four. With Kinnaman and the rest of the talent on board to develop this series, Altered Carbon could really turn out to be an awesome show. I'm looking forward to it. 

The other day we learned that Warner Bros. was moving forward with development of their Booster Gold movie. DC TV writer and producer Greg Berlanti (Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow) has been rumored to be involved with this project for awhile now. His name was first brought up when a rumor hit that he was going to direct a Booster Gold and Blue Beetle team-up movie. It was recently reported that Berlanti was attached to the project as a producer and that he might jump on board as the director. It was also reported that Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class, Power Rangers) was brought on to write the script. Well, Berlanti has just confirmed that this is all true. He told THR:

“I’m attached to a few films [at Warner Bros.] now, and one, Booster Gold, is a DC property. Zack Stentz, who wrote an episode of Flash last year, just got the job, so he’s writing the script now. I’d probably direct that, or I would want to.”

There’s no mention of Blue Beetle being involved, but there’s always a chance that he could be. It would make complete sense to have a movie in which Booster Gold and Blue Beetle team up for a crazy adventure. Regardless of how they handle the film, it’s going to be very different from the dark and dreary DC movie universe that Zack Snyder has created. This will be more of a light-hearted comedy action adventure.

For those of you not familiar with Booster Gold here’s a description:

Booster Gold, AKA Michael Jon Carter, was a football hero and celebrity in the 25th Century who became publicly disgraced after he was caught gambling on his own games. With his reputation tarnished, Carter stole super-powered relics from the past and traveled back in time, with the plan to become a famous superhero. Though he began cocky, Booster eventually became a real hero.

Jamie Reyes is a teenager from El Paso, TX who, one night, fused with a piece of alien technology called the Scarab that was sent to Earth from an ancient cosmic race. The Scarab gives its host extraordinary powers and becomes a suit that equips the user with the ability to fly and a slew of other powers. The technology was sent under the guise of helping budding civilizations, but the Scarab’s true mission was to slowly overtake the host’s consciousness and take over the world. Due to damage from the journey, the technology and its powers fuse symbiotically with Reyes–with Reyes’ consciousness intact. Reyes then uses the suit to fight crime as the Blue Beetle.

Booster and Blue Beetle frequently partner up in the comics and are close allies, often pulled into more comedic shenanigans. The dynamic duo are also members of the Justice League and are being planted now to appear in a future JL movie down the road.”

It seems like WB is very serious about this project. I don’t know how exactly it will fit in with the studio’s current slate of DC films, but maybe it will just stand on its own. Not everything needs to be interconnected. In fact, I’d much rather this Booster Gold film be its own thing.

When people tell you Overwatch is a lot like a polished Team Fortress 2, they aren't lying! Kotaku shows us Korean pro Pine absolutely wrecking everyone...read more on Gametyrant

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I had a chance to see Indignation at Sundance earlier this year, and it was a joy to watch. The film was directed by James Schamus, who has produced several movies over the years and has written scripts for films such as Hulk and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. This is his first time directing a feature, and he did a wonderful job telling this coming-of-age story.

The story is based on a book of the same name by Philip Roth. The story follows a boy named Marcus, played by Logan Lerman. He is the Jewish atheist son of a butcher from New Jersey, and he enrolls in a small christian college in Ohio to avoid being drafted into the Korean War and to get away from his overbearing parents. It is here that the character is met with a variety of challenges such as anti-Semitism, sexual repression, and the ongoing war.

We have the first trailer for you to watch today for the film, and it makes the movie looks more serious than it really is, which is surprising. The movie is packed full of humor which is why I enjoyed it so much. Unfortunately, none of that humor is present in the trailer. As I said in my review:

It's a dramatic story but it's sprinkled with some fantastically fun humor and there are moments that are really quite charming. There's one relationship in particular that was incredibly entertaining and that was between Marcus and the dean of the college. There was one scene between the two characters that was incredible. In it they argue about religion, life, and dealing with problems Marcus is confronted with. The scene is 15 minutes long and the exchange of words between these two characters is brilliant. The whole audience roared in applause when it was over.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Based on Philip Roth’s late novel, Indignation takes place in 1951, as Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman), a brilliant working class Jewish boy from Newark, New Jersey, travels on scholarship to a small, conservative college in Ohio, thus exempting him from being drafted into the Korean War. But once there, Marcus’s growing infatuation with his beautiful classmate Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon), and his clashes with the college’s imposing Dean, Hawes Caudwell (Tracy Letts), put his and his family’s best laid plans to the ultimate test.

Indignation opens on July 29th, and I highly recommend you check it out when you get a chance. I think audiences will be pleasantly surprised with it.

I was watching Gattaca again recently and realized that the Andrew Niccol sci-fi masterpiece deserved its own Fun Facts list. This is one of my favorite movies, and if you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out on something special. This was the first film that Niccol made and for a first-time film project, he completely nailed it. He made a spectacular film, and even with the six films he’s made since, Gattaca is still his best.

A lot of the information here comes from Imdb, and I've included some of my own commentary as well as videos for you to watch. Here are 13 Fun Facts about Gattaca that you may not have known:

• Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman started dating during the filming of the movie. They eventually got married, but later divorced in 2005.
• There was a marketing campaign for the film when it was first released that included advertisements for people to call a number and have their children genetically engineered. Apparently thousands of people called, wanting to have their offspring genetically engineered. A Fake ad was placed in The Washington Post for a company offering to genetically alter embryos with the tagline "Children made to order." The ad came along with a list of genetic traits that could be added to the child.

• The film was voted the most accurate sci-fi film ever made by the scientists at NASA.
• Jude Law's middle name in the film is Eugene and he’s asked to be called by that name in the film. "Eugene" originated from the Greek language for "well born.” On top of that, the central theme to the story is “Eugenics" which is the science of improving the hereditary qualities of a race or breed. 
• The title of the of the film, "Gattaca" is composed entirely of the letters used to label the nucleotide bases of DNA. The four nitrogen bases of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine.
• The winding stairs in Jerome's apartment were made to have a helical structure, like DNA.

• The name of Thurman's character in the film is Irene Cassini. “Cassini is the surname of the 17th century Italian astronomer, Giovanni Domenico Cassini, who discovered the prominent gap in Saturn's main rings, as well as the icy moons, Iapetus, Dione, Rhea, and Tethys. The space mission in Gattaca is destined for Saturn.”
• The Marin County Civic Center, which was a filming location of the Gattaca Corporation, was also used in George Lucas's THX 1138.
• "The icons used to denote a Valid versus an In-Valid have significant meaning. On the scanners, an infinity symbol appears next a Valid's name, denoting their 'infinite potential.' Next to an In-Valid's name, a dagger appears. In taxonomy, a dagger next to a taxon indicates extinction. In addition, the dagger symbol resembles a cross, a reference to In-Valids being referred to as "God Children" (As Irene states when Vincent reveals his true identity to her)."
• To fully assume Jerome's identity, Vincent (at 5' 11") undergoes extension surgery in his legs to match Jerome's recorded height of 6' 1". In reality, Law and Hawke are both 5' 11".
• The original ending for Gattaca featured images of Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy and more. There was a statement stating that if genetic screening had existed in their lifetime, they would never have been born. Each photo came with a caption of what their genetic flaws were. For example, Einstein had dyslexia, Lincoln had Marfan’s Syndrome, and Kennedy had Addison's disease. It ended with stating that you, the viewer, wouldn't have existed, either. The ending was cut, because apparently test audiences were uncomfortable with the suggestion that they were genetically inferior.

• The original title of the movie was The Eighth Day, which is a reference to the Bibilical days of creation. When the movie was completed there was another movie released with that title, so Niccol was forced to change the title to Gattaca, which is a much better title in my opinion.
• As incredible a film as Gattaca is, it completely bombed at the box office when it was released, making only $12 million in theaters. The budget of the film was $36 million. It has since gained a strong following of fans.

Below you’ll find the original trailer for the film along with a behind-the-scenes featurette, and an embed with all of the deleted scenes.

Dolph Lundgren doesn't know much about superhero films, but he thinks he could make a good Cable. Speaking in an interview with Nerdist, Lundgren said he hasn't seen the first film, but he saw a picture of Cable and thinks he could pull off the role:

“That’s a good question. I haven’t watched a lot of these superhero movies; for some reason, I don’t know, I’m just busy making films. I did hear in…Deadpool, isn’t there a character named Cable that’s coming? Like, he’s a big guy? I guess I could kick some butt doing that, I suppose. We’ll see. When I saw the picture, he looks a little bit like Ivan Drago mixed with Gunner Jensen mixed with…I don’t know.”

The interviewer seemed wayyy more excited about the prospect than Lundgren, but maybe that's just Lundgren. Here's the big question though: could he do it? It's a little more than clear Lundgren isn't huge into the superhero genre (despite playing the title role in the original Punisher), but does the character Cable lend itself to his natural acting strengths? I actually think so! I could be dead wrong though, and I welcome your correction in the comments.

I haven't read J.G. Ballard's novel on which High-Rise is based, but considering the book's glowing reputation, I have to assume it has more depth to it than this adaptation, one of director Ben Wheatley's most inaccessible movies to date. It's a film you'd think would have a lot on its mind, but it's only really interested in creating a single metaphor about the effect of capitalism on social structures. It's a metaphor that's clearly laid out in the first ten minutes, and though things go off the rails in the story pretty quickly, there's not much else to this movie when all is said and done.

Tom Hiddleston plays Robert Laing, a neurologist who moves into a futuristic tower apartment complex that seems to lure residents in and never wants them to leave: with amenities like a squash courts, a swimming pool, and its own grocery store, why would they ever want to? Maybe because all of the tenants are about to boil over, locked in a literal class system that puts the rich above the poor in every way — and decisions from on high, along with hundreds of their bursting trash bags, trickle down and induce a slow burn of insanity across the entire building. Laing has the type of personality that allows him to move between levels easily, and in his travels he befriends a sensual single mother (Sienna Miller), the building's eccentric architect (Jeremy Irons), and a failed documentarian (Luke Evans) and his mega-pregnant wife (Elisabeth Moss).

A loosely defined revolution begins, but it quickly devolves into an increasing unpleasantness, in which rape and murder become commonplace and accepted actions. Wheatley forces the audience to wallow in this filth (both moral and physical, as the trash piles up, fires break out, the building deteriorates, and the production designer really earns his paycheck) for a punishing amount of time, stretching the story to an excruciating two hours that felt more like four. Gone is the complete mastery of tone the director showcased in movies like Kill List, replaced here by a meandering stroll through chaos.

I actively enjoy putting in the effort to read what a movie is trying to say under the surface, but when the result is hammering home the idea of the same central metaphor for essentially the whole run time, it's profoundly disappointing. This is a film that has so much potential for greatness — almost as if greatness itself is straining to reach out from inside the screen — but it never quite achieves it. For me, a film either needs to have fascinating themes or characters I can engage with; unfortunately on both accounts, High-Rise is a letdown.

The book that was turned into a movie is now becoming a full-fledged opera! Stephen King's The Shining is becoming an opera, and when I say that I should emphasize STEPHEN KING. While Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation version is more renowned, composer Paul Moravec tells NPR the original book lends itself more to opera:

“Stephen King’s original novel is all about love, death and power. And those are the three foundational components for an opera.”

The production will take place over three acts. Right now, the Minnesota Opera is in charge, but there are plans to travel so maybe you'll get to see it in your city! Until then, take a preview listen of what you can expect!