Charles Bramesco
No One Enjoyed the Cubs’ World Series Win More Than Bill Murray
Late last night, a little after the midnight hour, Hell froze over. Reports of pigs and other assorted swine growing wings and taking flight started pouring in from all over the country. Dogs and cats were living together — it was mass hysteria, all because the Chicago Cubs had finally won the World Series after a 108-year drought.
These Are the ‘Deadpool 2’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Working Titles to Look Out For
Nothing gums up the works during a high-profile film shoot quite like looky-loos poking around the set. When a big-name production gets up and going, the goal is to attract as little outside attention as possible, leading many crews to adopt “working titles” that conceal the true nature of the project. Most famously, George Lucas shot Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi under the codename “Blue Harvest” in an effort to give his legions of fans the slip. Christopher Nolan, perhaps in an effort to evade Batman geeks and summon Gilmore Girls geeks in one fell swoop, worked on The Dark Knight using the title “Rory’s First Kiss.” More recently, one of the production designers for Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters informed me during an interview that the remake shot as “Flapjack” while on set in Massachusetts.
James McAvoy Goes a Little Mad in New ‘Split’ Trailer
M. Night Shyamalan’s Split came as a welcome surprise when it debuted unannounced as the secret screening at last month’s Fantastic Fest, delighting audiences with a daring turn from James McAvoy (and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy and James McAvoy) as a mental patient harboring 23 distinct personalities in his head. Our own Britt Hayes was on the scene and reported back with a resoundingly positive review naming the new film as Shyamalan’s best in years. (Not an especially high bar, admittedly, but praise is praise.)
The New ‘Van Helsing’ Movie Will Be Part of Universal’s Monster Universe, Says Screenwriter
In their unending battle to compete with the box-office behemoth that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Universal tapped their deep roster of classic horror properties for interlocking remakes that could form one larger narrative tapestry. The recent Dracula Untold was intended to launch the Universal Universe, or whatever better thing they decide to call it, but lackluster ticket sales gave studio higher-ups pause. They’ve since redoubled their efforts, hiring Sofia Boutella to play their Mummy and Tom Cruise as the target of her curses, Russell Crowe as their Dr. Jekyll, Javier Bardem in the role of Frankenstein’s monster, and Johnny Depp as The Invisible Man. But even with such extensive plans already laid out, Universal continues to expand.
Anthony Weiner Collapses Into Self Like Dying Star in ‘Weiner’ Trailer
A real card, that Anthony Weiner. He was an unusually passionate — read: noisy — Democratic representative in Congress for twelve years, railing tirelessly to better New York’s 9th district through planned housing and government assistance programs. A noted proponent of LGBT causes and other urgent social issues, Weiner was well-liked by his constituents. Until the fateful day of May 27, 2011 when Weiner tweeted a photo of his dong-outline bulging through his briefs to a young woman who was following him on Twitter. (Though, c'mon, who hasn’t been there? Am I right, fellas?) It sparked a scandal and stuck Weiner with the stench of perversion, culminating in his resignation from Congress in June of that same year.
Man Arrested For Failing to Return VHS Copy of ‘Freddy Got Fingered’ 14 Years Ago
In precisely the sort of absurdist mix-up that sounds like something Tom Green would come up with, a North Carolina man has been arrested for failing to return a VHS copy of the Tom Green comedy Freddy Got Fingered 14 years ago. The Wrap relays the odd tale of James Meyers, the unfortunate soul that checked out a tape of the widely reviled but cult-beloved surrealist comedy at a video store in Kan
Cannes Film Festival Preps with Official Poster, First Selections
The biggest event on the global cinematic calendar is nearly upon us, with the 69th Cannes Film Festival set for May 11-22. The selection committee won’t release their picks for the titles screening In Competition and the festival’s many sidebar programs until mid-April, but to stoke the fires of anticipation just a little, they’ve gone and revealed the official poster for this year’s proceedings
Michael Mann Launches Book Imprint, Will Release ‘Heat’ Prequel
Michael Mann has always been a skilled translator of prose to the screen, having adapted such literary standards as The Last of the Mohicans, Manhunter, and Collateral for moviegoers too cool to be bothered to crack open a book, because reading is for nerds...
Watch Expert Marskman Keanu Reeves Shoot a Bunch of Stuff Training for ‘John Wick 2’
Over the course of a human life, a person’s coolness quotient should follow a basic pattern. Infants, with their constant crying and inability to clean their own buttocks, are decidedly uncool. Children occasionally say cool things, but are mostly little spaz-bots intent on making everything sticky...
‘Suicide Squad 2’ Confirmed, Will Smith and Director David Ayer Set to Return
The expression ‘burying the lede’ refers to the practice of hiding key information deep in the body of an article while front-loading less pressing details. Variety did just that in a new report on an upcoming film called Bright (more on that in a moment), but allow us to go right ahead and exhume the lede they buried: the schedule for Bright has been contoured to free up star Will Smith and direc