Epic Rap Battles of History has James Bond facing off against Austin Powers. I used to be over these rap battle videos, but the production values and lyrics of the recent crop have gotten me back on board. I think the winner of this rap battle is Bond, James Bond.
Side note: I would love for them to do new Bond films as Cold War-period spy films. But with the flop of Man From U.N.C.L.E. I doubt that will happen.
We have posted a couple videos by remix master melodysheep (John D. Boswell) before, but this afternoon I fell all the way down the rabbit hole and found these (admittedly old) classic PBS remixes. In a project for PBS Digital Studios, Mr. Boswell made remixes paying tribute to shows that, if you are a Gen-Xer or an older millennial, you probably watched on a shitty old tv that still had knobs and dials.
Beyond the novelty and nostalgia factor, which is strong, a couple of these are pretty good songs. Like, if the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood song “Sing Together” came on the radio, I probably wouldn’t change the station. And, for some reason, the Bob Ross remix “Happy Little Clouds” is incredibly empowering and inspiring. I think hearing sweet Bob Ross tell me “This is your world/You’re the creator” every morning would significantly increase my daily productivity, and it’s not even some weird ASMR thing. On the other hand, while she was a boss, Julia Child was not necessarily known for her lyrical voice.
You can watch all of melodysheep's PBS remixes below, or check out his extensive library of remixes (including his Symphony of Science series) here. The man is prolific.
Four new TV spots for the upcoming Ghostbusters movie have been released. They feature a good amount of new footage from the film, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man makes a comeback to wreak some havoc in New York City.
With the reveal of the giant ghost Rowan being the main villain, I didn't think we would see Stay Puft, but I guess I was wrong. It's so weird to me that early on when director Paul Feig jumped on board to make the film he wanted to separate itself from the original film, but the more I see and learn of it, the more the movie is just trying to implement as much as they can from the original film. As big of a fan as I am of Stay Puft, I couldn't help but groan at the fact that the character is being forced into this movie.
Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth star in the film. It also features cameos from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts.
Ghostbusters is set to debut in theaters on July 15th. You're either going to love or hate what you're about to watch in these new TV spots. I'm interested in seeing how exactly this movie will be received by audiences after it's released. Do you think it's going to bomb or be a huge success?
There's not a lot of information that has been officially released regarding Michael Bay's Transformers: The Last Knight. We know that Megatron will be back in his original form, Bumblebee got a new look, and we have speculated that Galvatron will be the big bad villain. Now thanks to JoBlo, we have some possible information regarding the story and some of the characters. There's actually some interesting stuff here, so if you're intrigued, then read ahead!
According to the site, the story centers around Optimus Prime as he is looking for his home planet of Cybertron, which is now a dead planet. On his journey, he learns that he was the one actually responsible for destroying Cybertron, but he finds a way to bring it back to life. In order to do that, he has to have some kind of artifact that can be found on earth. What is this artifact that he needs? The report explains:
Somehow the artifact ties into Merlin, the magician of King Arthur lore. Apparently, the power of magic was given to Merlin by a Transformer and somehow the artifact ties into this. As far as what the artifact is, we can’t say, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it has something to do with the famed sword Excaliber (I mean, they did make sure to include a sword in the new logo, didn't they?). That’s just speculation on my part, but it sounds reasonable. Of course, we’ve seen the effects of time travel in these films already and are aware of Transformers visiting Earth throughout the planets existence, so that certainly fits with the universe they’ve created and now it appears that the story will add British Mythology to the narrative.
That definitely puts on interesting spin on things! It obviously ties into the title of the film, The Last Knight. I've been a fan of the King Arthur and Excalibur legend since I first heard the story as a kid. As much as I don't really care for this Transformers film franchise, the fact that the Arthur legend could play a part in this next movie intrigues me and sparks my interest.
As far as some of the other characters go, Hound, Crosshairs, and Drift will be returning. They have settled on Earth and have made a home living in the Badlands of South Dakota, which will serve as their base of operations. The report also says that the Dinobots will be back with an addition of "mini-dinobots," whatever those will be.
There will also be three new Transformer characters, which are described as having English origins. One character is called The Creator, "who is said to have ties to the origins of the Transformers." There's another character with an English accent named Cogman, "whose alt-mode is an Astin Martin," and there's a Transformer named Squeaks who transforms into a Vespa. I guess there's a good chance that Anthony Hopkins could be voicing one of these characters, most likely The Creator.
So unfortunately, there's no mention of Unicron. Mark Wahlberg is back to reprise his role of Cade Yeager in the film, as is Josh Duhamel as Lt. Col William Lennox.
That's all the information we have now, but we'll continue to keep you updated as more details are released. The Last Knight is set to open on June 23rd, 2017.
Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for Tom Cruise's upcoming action thriller Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. I thought the first film was awesome, and the upcoming sequel looks like it's going to at least be just as good. Reacher is such a great, fun, and interesting character, and I've enjoyed Cruise's portrayal of him.
The movie is said to be based on the 18th book in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series which shares the title of the movie. Edward Zwick, who previously directed Cruise in The Last Samurai, is directing the film. Here is the description of that book that will give an idea of what the plot might entail:
Former military cop Jack Reacher makes it all the way from snowbound South Dakota to his destination in northeastern Virginia, near Washington, D.C.: the headquarters of his old unit, the 110th MP. The old stone building is the closest thing to a home he ever had.
Reacher is there to meet—in person—the new commanding officer, Major Susan Turner, so far just a warm, intriguing voice on the phone.
But it isn’t Turner behind the CO’s desk. And Reacher is hit with two pieces of shocking news, one with serious criminal consequences, and one too personal to even think about.
When threatened, you can run or fight.
Reacher fights, aiming to find Turner and clear his name, barely a step ahead of the army, and the FBI, and the D.C. Metro police, and four unidentified thugs.
Combining an intricate puzzle of a plot and an exciting chase for truth and justice, Lee Child puts Reacher through his paces—and makes him question who he is, what he’s done, and the very future of his untethered life on the open road.
Unfortunately, the trailer that was released premiered on Entertainment Tonight, so it's got all the annoying talking during the trailer. Studios seriously need to stop premiering stuff on ET. It's not doing their movies any favors. It also includes Cobie Smulders talking about her role in the film.
Cruise is also joined by a few new cast members who include Danika Yarosh, Patrick Heusinger, Aldis Hodge, Austin Hebert, and Holt McCallany. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back hits theaters on October 21st.
I have never been a fan of Aquaman. He's just one of those superhero characters that I've never cared about or had interest in. Sorry Aquaman fans, but that's just how it is. However, I am a huge fan of director James Wan, and I'm actually kind of stoked that he is going to be the one who is developing the character's solo film. Wan has yet to let me down with any of his films, and even though Aquaman isn't my jam, I'm still pumped to see what he does with it.
Not long ago there was a rumor that the director was looking to drop out of the project, but that doesn't seem like the case at all as he seems genuinely excited to make the movie. During a recent interview with CBR, Wan talked a little bit about the inspiration behind the Aquaman film he's making and how he wants to give audiences something fun and unexpected. Here's what he had to say:
"I'm a big fan of what Geoff Johns did with his new take on 'Aquaman,' with the New 52. I think for the first time, we get to see Aquaman as a superhero that definitely isn't the butt of superhero jokes, right? I think that there's something very exciting about that. I actually do think there's something kind of fun, as well, to take a character where people don't quite know what to expect from him, or rather the expectation of him is quite low. I always say, it's very difficult when you're tackling something like 'Spider-Man' or 'Batman' that has been done so many times before. Whereas, it's actually really refreshing to take on something like 'Aquaman,' that no one has really seen before in this context, and make it your own."
One thing that will prove to be a challenge for Wan is shooting the film in water because the majority of the movie will most likely be set in the ocean. When asked how prepared he was for the task of shooting on or under water, Wan was humorously replied:
"I will answer that with this little anecdote from The Conjuring 2. We have a sequence in the movie where the set is flooded, it's waterlogged, and there's a lot of rain in this movie. Every time I'm out in the rain, and I'm in this sunken, flooded set, the only thing that's going through my brain is, 'F*ck, I have to put up with this for an entire movie. This is going to suck.' I'll leave it at that -- how's that?"
Whenever Wan talks about the movie, it sparks confidence and excitement because we know he's going to give us something unique that we've never seen before. The guy is a great filmmaker and storyteller and if anyone can bring a respectable Aquaman to the big screen, it's him.
Aquaman is set to be released on July 27th, 2018.
Paramount Pictures and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have been trying to get a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie into production for years. It's been over 20 years since the third film was released, and they are banking on the fans wanting to see Eddie Murphy back in the role of Axel Foley.
It's been a long time since Murphy has made a film that has actually been good. The guy used to be so freakin' funny, and it would be great to see him back doing those fun edgy films again. Maybe Beverly Hills Cop 4 can bring that funny Murphy that we all love back again.
According to Variety, the studio has hired Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to direct the film. I'm not familiar with these two guys at all, but they directed an award-winning drama called Black. Hey! They've gotta be better than Brett Ratner, who was attached to the project early on in development.
Their film Black centers on "a 15-year-old girl in a gang in Brussels who must choose between loyalty and love when she falls for a Moroccan boy from a rival gang." Even though it in no way resembles an action/comedy film, it was good enough to win an award and get them the directing gig.
When Ratner was on board to direct from a script by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), the story revolved around Axel Foley returning to his native Detroit during the coldest winter on record. There's no word on if that's the general plotline they are going to go with, but it sounds fun.
Beverly Hills Cop was some of the funniest stuff that Murphy did, and I really hope that in this next installment the actor brings that hilarity back.
Director Mike Cahill is a very talented director who has made the amazing sci-fi films Another Earth and I Origins. Both of those films were great, but I especially loved I Origins. That's a must see film that you've gotta check out if you haven't already.
The next project that Cahill is taking on seems like another awesome project for him. It's called Doctors, and it's based on a graphic novel written by Dash Shaw. This is definitely the kind of story that is right in line with his style.
If you're not familiar with the story, it tells of "a doctor and his team who can go into a dead person’s consciousness in the form of a memory and temporarily bring them back to life. When a woman hires the doctor to bring back her mother, the act poses an unintended question: What happens when the dead don't want to return?"
It's a fascinating concept, and Cahill is the perfect director to adapt this story to the big screen. David Goyer is producing the film for 20th Century Fox, and screenwriter Ben Jacoby, who is working with Goyer on a prequel to The Omen, is writing the script for Doctors.
There's a great team of talent attached to this project, and I'm excited to see how it all comes together. Both of the films that Cahill have made have been very smart sci-fi films that are thought-provoking, and we can expect the same thing from Doctors.
Source: THR
Last week we saw Supergirl stunt woman Jessie Graff completely destroy the American Ninja Warrior course. Now we get to see a T. Rex take it on! Well, it's someone dressed up as a T. Rex, and he does a lot better than I expected for someone wearing a costume that has little arms. It's absolutely hilarious watching this T. Rex attempt to work his way through the course. Want to see how well he actually did? Watch the video below!
Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Entertainment are producing a new film project that centers on news reporter Walter Cronkite and the Vietnam War. According to Deadline, Spielberg'sBridge of Spies screenwriter Matt Charman pitched the film and is also writing the script.
According to the report, the story focuses on "Cronkite’s relationship with the Vietnam War and the role that America’s most trusted newsman played in turning public opinion against the increasingly un-winnable conflict. So influential was the CBS Evening News anchor that then-President Lyndon Baines Johnson is believed to have remarked, 'If I’ve lost Walter Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.'"
Spielberg is only attached as a producer on the project. He's currently prepping to shoot Ready Player One, and after that he's looking to direct a film called The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara with his Bridge of Spies and The BFG star Mark Rylance. That movie tells the story of a young Jewish boy in Bologna, Italy in 1858 who, "having been secretly baptized, is forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents’ struggle to free their son becomes part of a larger political battle that pits the Papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification."
If Spielberg can make room in his schedule after the script is written, there's a chance that he could end up directing the Walter Cronkite film. I know a few bits and pieces about Cronkite and the Vietnam War, but in case you're wondering a little more about the role the reporter played during the war, the report offers the following:
1968 was a year of great upheaval in the U.S., with the assassinations of Dr Martin Luther King and Senator Robert F. Kennedy; the violence witnessed at the Democratic convention in Chicago and, of course, the ongoing war in Vietnam. Cronkite had already journeyed to Vietnam once before in 1965 in a carefully stage-managed visit designed to prove to him and other attending media that progress was being made. In 1968, however, Cronkite returned to South East Asia to see the war for himself and the consequences of the Tet Offensive. What he found convinced him, in his own words during his special report, to say, “It seems now, more certain than ever, that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate.” That devastating sentence shifted the tide of public opinion against the war and only weeks later LBJ announced he would not be running for re-election in that year’s Presidential race.
That moment also revolutionised network news in America. It was arguably the first-ever editorialised, opinionated report on U.S. televised news, heralding the age- years later- of the 24-hour-news cycle and mass media machine around us today.
This is one of those film projects that has Oscar nominations written all over it, so it might be in Spielberg's best interest to direct it if he's able to.
We saw a ton of cool stuff at Warner Bros closed door event for Injustice 2! Unfortunately, we can't show you any of it, but we can talk about it until the cows come home....read more on Gametyrant
Sometimes the ending of a movie can leave audience members confused and left to wonder what it means. In some cases, I enjoy movies that leave you left thinking, like the end of Christopher Nolan's Inception. Screen Rant's most recent video focuses on ten movies with endings that some people might find confusing and offers an explanation. I don't think all of them are really that confusing, but some of the films including in the video are The Thing, Birdman, Total Recall, Guardians of the Galaxy, Batman v Superman, and Deadpool. I don't think Deadpool was confusing at all, but it's on the list anyway. Here the note that came along with the video:
Movies often end on cliffhangers or by hinting towards things to come, but sometimes those endings can be quite dense and confusing for audiences. Examples are particularly prominent in - although not exclusive to - the world of comic book movies, because the endings will often hint towards new characters from the comic books that mainstream movie audiences might not be familiar with.Of course, these days, movies don't necessarily "end" at the point that they're traditionally supposed to. Back in the day, a movie would end and the rolling of the credits would be the cue for audiences to stop watching, but mid and post-credits scenes are extremely common these days - and these scenes can often explain (or at least hint towards) the future of the franchise in question.In this video, we'll take a look at ten movies that ended in a way that suggested "something" was going to happen in the future - whether it be in a credits scene or otherwise - and we'll explain exactly what that "something" is going to be. Please note that there will be some spoilers for a number of movies released in 2016.
I'm curious to know how many of these films actually confused you. Are there any other movies that you think should have been on this list?
A couple months ago DreamWorks animation gave us our first look at Guillermo Del Toro's Netflix series Trollhunters. This is a project I've been pretty excited about, and now I have even more reason to be excited as it's just been announced that Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy), and Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) are attached to star in the animated series.
Yelchin voices a character named Jim, who discovers a mysterious amulet in the story; Grammar will take on the role of "a kindly troll who helps Jim"; and Perlman is providing the voice of a troll named Bular, who is described as “a sinister troll who targets Jim and his friends for battle.”
The project started out as a feature film adaptation of the young adult novel that Del Toro worked on with author Daniel Kraus and this is the synopsis:
DreamWorks TROLLHUNTERS will unleash a new, fantastical world wrapped around the residents of the fictional suburb of Arcadia who make a startling discovery that the world beneath their hometown is as vast and mind-blowing as anything on the surface. A global must-see viewing event for the entire family, DreamWorks TROLLHUNTERS will bring viewers of all ages around the world into the rich and creative mind of Guillermo del Toro.
It's also explained that the "startling discovery" in the fantasy series is that there's a "hidden battle between good trolls and bad, the outcome of which will impact their lives forever.” The recent statement that was released also states that the series will feature “stunning visuals and ambitious, complex storytelling” that “raises the bar for family series as a global must-see viewing event for the entire family.”
It's cool to see Del Toro and Perlman teaming up on another project, and the addition of Grammer and Yelchin is just the icing on the cake. Del Toro has got himself a talented cast of actors!
Trollhunters is set to be released on Netflix in December 2016. We'll fill you in on more details as they become available.
As an American, there's already a lot I don't understand about soccer (and I played it in high school for two years), and this only adds to the confusion! i09 brings us the news today that Wayne Rooney and other British soccer players are appearing in these half movie half commercial spots that are as strange as they are hilarious!
They have one for X-Men: Apocalypse...
One for Independence Day: Resurgence...
And even one for Deadpool!
I'm not really sure why this is happening? I know Copa America is going on right now...but what does Manchester United have to do with any of that?! Someone with the knowledge fill me in!
During my time at E3 yesterday I was able to spend a little bit of time playing an incredibly fun little game called Cuphead. The first thing that drew me to it was...read more on Gametyrant
Steven Spielberg is not looking to break fans' hearts once more when he returns to direct Indiana Jones 5. The director tells THR that his film will be a tribute to fans and, more importantly, won't make them cry...
“I think this one is straight down the pike for the fans...The one thing I will tell you is I’m not killing off Harrison [Ford] at the end of it."
That's good to hear, as I don't think anyone wants to relive that tragedy from Star Wars: The Force Awakens again! So it's confirmed the actor is safe for one of his known franchises, but will we be able to say the same for Blade Runner 2?!
You may be shocked to know this but George Lucas had a contingency plan in the event that the original Star Wars was a flop at the box office. This sequel was about as low budget as you can get and was titled Splinter of the Mind's Eye. The film ended up becoming a novel and among other things lacked Han Solo and had a ton of sexual tension between Luke and Leia.
Another great video by Rejected Movie Ideas
So here's a new thing in the film industry. NBC Universal has acquired Dreamworks animation and have announced plans to "resurrect Shrek." This doesn't mean they are rebooting him, and it also doesn't mean they are remaking him. Instead they are going to continue on the storyline of sequels with a new creative direction. I guess it's kind of like Doctor Who?
Collider reports that Chris Meledandri (director of Minions) will be helping steer the franchise in a new direction. Hopefully that doesn't mean Shrek will be speaking incoherently and craving bananas.
I know I shouldn't have such a strong opinion on this, but you can't make the Shrek franchise any worse. After number two the film series went to garbage incredibly quickly! The original still remains to be one of my favorite movies, despite the Internet's best efforts to soil my memory of the beloved Ogre.
Let's hope whatever we see next has layers not unlike an onion.
Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven remake is a great example of breezy summer filmmaking at its best, with an excellent combination of humor, action, and intelligence. The two sequels never quite captured the lightning of that 2001 movie, but now a different director is lining up a different cast for a continuation that could bring back that vibe in a big way.
Gary Ross (The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit) is directing Ocean's Eight (formerly known as Ocean's Ocho), a sequel in which Sandra Bullock plays George Clooney's character's ex-con sister who recruits her own team to steal a necklace from the Met Ball and frame a villainous gallery owner. Joining Bullock (so far) are Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, and Elizabeth Banks, so assuming all of those ladies are on Bullock's team and aren't playing the villain, there are still three slots left to fill.
In a new interview with Slashfilm, Ross spoke about his collaboration with Soderbergh on the new movie:
I think it’s a pretty similar tone. You know, Steven Soderbergh and I are incredibly close friends, and we would not have done this if we weren’t. I don’t think he would’ve wanted anyone to do it if we weren’t. This is very much an extension and a continuation. He’s a producer on the movie. In one way or another, this has been a 20-year conversation between Steven and I, collaborating in ways the whole world doesn’t know about: I helped him on the previous Ocean’s Eleven films; he shot second unit on The Hunger Games; I’ve done ADR lines for him; and he reads all my scripts. It’s a very long, ongoing collaboration. This, I think, is a very seamless process. We’re different filmmakers, obviously, so there will be those differences, but one of the things I’m drawn to is the amazing tone Steven was able to create, and we discuss that a lot. We discuss the cinema a lot, the shooting style, the rhythm, the editing style, and the music. We discuss it all. I’m in no way trying to reinvent the tone, and I’m thrilled and honored to be extending it. It’s really fun to work with.
I wouldn't have really expected it from his filmography, but if he's that close with Soderbergh, maybe he is the perfect guy to try to bring a slight twist to that formula and recapture the tone of that trilogy. What do you think about this movie?
I know you don't have to watch this video to know that Magneto would absolutely destroy Shredder in a fight, but you should anyway. Machinima shows us the extremely brutal throw down which you can see below.
