Category Archives: Movies

Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape Of Water” wins Golden Lion at Venice

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By Creative Media Times

Fox Searchlight Pictures


“The Shape of Water”, Guillermo del Toro’s monster thriller took the top prize Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday. The Mexican filmmaker’s new movie is favorite and also one of the best reviewed films during the festival. The romantic fantasy film stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer.

Another prestigious award, the Grand Jury Prize, went to “Foxtrot” from Israeli filmmaker Samuel Maoz, while the Best Director went to French filmmaker Xavier Legrand for his family drama “Custody.”

Here’s the full list of winners:

Golden Lion:
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Grand Jury Prize:
“Foxtrot,” Samuel Maoz

Silver Lion for Best Director:
Xavier Legrand, “Custody”

Volpi Cup for Best Actress:
Charlotte Rampling, “Hannah”

Volpi Cup for Best Actor:
Kamel El Basha, “The Insult”

Best Screenplay:
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh
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“IT” Shatters Record: $13.5 Million On Thursday Night

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By Creative Media Times

Warner Bros. Pictures[


It looks like the film adaptation of Stephen King’s creepy novel could open even higher than the already lofty expectations. The horror film has opened to a massive $13.5 million on Thursday night, ranking third this year behind only Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” at $17 million, and “Beauty and the Beast,” with $16.3 million.

That is also the biggest preview gross for an R-rated film, beating Deadpool’s $12.7 million. Though New Line and Warner Bros. pic most likely won’t open as high as Deadpool’s $132 million over the weekend given that the wise-cracking superhero opened on a President’s holiday weekend, last night’s number is already the highest preview for a horror pic and for a film released in September.

Multiple weekend media forecasts suggest the film will open around $80 to $85 million, but don’t be surprised if “IT” goes above those estimates and if numbers hold, the film will obliterate multiple records.

The movie is also riding high with critics, currently at 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and 71 on Metacritic, both solid scores for the genre.

The film arrives at a perfect time after weeks of sluggish boxoffice business, and as well as months of high anticipation following record breaking trailer views.

Directed by Argentinian filmmaker Andrés Muschietti, the film tells the story of eight children in Derry, Maine, who are terrorized by the demonic Pennywise the Dancing Clown played by Bill Skarsgard.

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Families Collide In “Daddy’s Home 2” Trailer

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By Creative Media

Paramount Pictures

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are dealing with plenty of dad issues in the hilarious new trailer for “Daddy’s Home 2,” the sequel to the 2015 hit film Daddy’s Home.

The holiday themed film sees biological father Dusty (Wahlberg) and stepdad Brad (Ferrell) join forces to give the kids a great Christmas. But conflicts arise when Dusty’s tough guy dad (Mel Gibson), and Brad’s excessively affectionate dad (John Lithgow) came to visit for the holidays. More raucous arrives in the form of Roger (John Cena), who says he’s the kids’ “one true real dad.”

Directed by Sean Anders, and co-starring Linda Cardellini, John Cena, and Alessandra Ambrosio, “Daddy’s Home 2” is scheduled for release on November 10.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

In the sequel to the 2015 global smash, father and stepfather, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell) have joined forces to provide their kids with t he perfect Christmas. Their newfound partnership is put to the test when Dusty’s old-school, macho Dad (Mel Gibson) and Brad’s ultra-affectionate and emotional Dad (John Lithgow) arrive just in time to throw the holiday into complete chaos.

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Chilling New International Trailer For “The Snowman”

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Universal Pictures

Michael Fassbender is on a hunt for a serial killer in a new crime thriller horror film from director Tomas Alfredson “The Snowman.”

The Swedish filmmaker has so far delivered with “Let the Right One In” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and his latest looks like another winner.

Rebecca Ferguson, Chloe Sevigny, Val Kilmer, J.K. Simmons, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Toby Jones co-star, so there is some serious talent in involved in the film. Martin Scorsese was also once attached to direct the film back in 2013.

The Snowman is based on the novel of the same name by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø and it set to open on October 13.

Here’s the official synopsis of “The Snowman:”

When an elite crime squad’s lead detective (Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit (Ferguson), the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall.

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Director Colin Trevorrow Exits “Star Wars: Episode IX”

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Lucasfilm


Lucasfilm announced Tuesday that Colin Trevorrow will no longer be directing Star Wars: Episode IX. According to the statement, the split was a mutual decision.

Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX. Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ. We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon.

Lucasfilm currently has not announced a replacement. There is also no clear reason for decision, though according to The Hollywood Reporter,”script issues” was the main culprit. “Script issues have continued to be an issue during Episode IX’s development, with Trevorrow having had repeated stabs at multiple drafts.”

This is the second time this year that a high profile director has parted ways with Lucasfilm. Last June, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were also removed of their directing duties on the Han Solo prequel due to “creative differences.” The duo were replaced by Ron Howard.

Trevorrow directed Jurassic World (2015) which was a missive global hit, a success that partly influenced Lucasfilm to hire him for Episode IX. He also recently co-wrote the J. A. Bayona helmed Jurassic World sequel with Derek Connolly. But this summer, Trevorrow has not been as lucky. He directed this summer’s highly anticipated “The Book of Henry” which failed to spark at the boxoffice.

Principal photography for Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to start early 2018 with the film’s release scheduled to be May 24, 2019.

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‘Battle of the Sexes’ Premieres To Rave Reviews At Telluride

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Fox Searchlight Pictures


Emma Stone may be headed back to Oscar glory and make history after her latest film, ‘Battle of the Sexes’ premiered to rave reviews at the Telluride Film Festival. The sports comedy-drama film from directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) was written by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and stars Emma Stone as legendary tennis player Billie Jean King.

Stone, who recently won an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing an aspiring actress in last year’s La La Land, was in Colorado on Saturday to promote her new movie ahead of the film’s release later this month. Billie Jean King was also at the premiere screening.

The plot is loosely based on the eponymous battle of the sexes tennis match in 1973 when King was a 29, against Bobby Riggs (played in the film by Steve Carell,) then 55-years-old. King won the match in three sets, and the win became a milestone in public acceptance of women’s tennis. There was heavy media attention leading to the match as a few months earlier, Riggs won a similar match against Margaret Court, while King founded the Women’s Tennis Association.

Also in the film are Bill Pullman, Elisabeth Shue and Sarah Silverman. ‘Battle of the Sexes’ will again be screening at the Toronto International Film Festival next week, followed by a limited release on September 22.

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Summer 2017’s Top 10 Films At The U.S. Boxoffice

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By Creative Media Times

Labor Day weekend is here and its time to look back at the films that ruled the summer box office season. The season’s box-office has been trailing last year’s receipts for the past several weeks now, and the lack of marquee title last month exacerbates the slump. There’s a few franchise films that seemed sure bets on paper that eventually fell short, and there’s also some big budget studio films that relied on overseas market to recoup production costs.

As bad as that sounds, its not all bad news. Three superhero film came to save the day as Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spiderman: Homecoming all ending up in the top 3, Christopher Nolan’s high-risk gamble Dunkirk lived up to expectations, while Edgar Wright’s original, modestly budgeted film Baby Driver crossed $100 million.

Movie-going business is also expected to rebound next weekend, as analyst project an unusually high turnout for New Line/Warner Brothers release of Stephen King’s “IT”, with projections as high as $70 million, an extremely high bar for the horror genre. “IT” will be followed by more potential hits such as “Mother!”, “Kingsman The Golden Circle” and “Ninjago” all throughout September, proof that in the movie business, even with all the talk of box-office slump, there is always next week to look forward to.

Here’s the top 10 grossing films of summer 2017 at the US boxoffice:

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Paul Bettany Joins Han Solo Spinoff

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“The Outer Rim just got a little bit wilder,” director Ron Howard posted on twitter Friday, with the post accompanied by a picture of the two on the sets, hinting Paul Bettany’s involvement in his untitled Han Solo movie.

But it was the post the followed which confirmed it: “It’s my third opportunity to work with Paul. He’s a blast & so talented.” The two have worked together in A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code.

Though its not confirmed what role he will play in the film, fans speculate that he will play the character which Michael K. Williams vacated. Williams was supposed to play a “half-human, half-animal” in the film. Though Deadline is reporting that Bettany will be “playing a completely different character.”

Bettany is no stranger to big budget films, having appeared as Vision in Marvel films “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Captain America: Civil War”, a role he is set to bring back in next summer’s Avengers: Infinity War.

Ron Howard joined the project last June after original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were reportedly fired due to “creative differences.” Focusing on the adventures of Han Solo, and stars lden Ehrenreich in the title role, “Han Solo” is currently scheduled for release on May 25, 2018.

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New Trailer For Takashi Miike’s “Blade Of The Immortal”

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Takashi Miike’s latest film “Blade Of The Immortal” gets a red band treatment, fitting for its bloody content and its not for the squeamish. See trailer below.

For those unaware, keep in mind before watching the trailer that the legendary Japanese director is never one to shy away from blood and extreme violence that is stylistically a major part of his film’s themes which defined his career, and this trailer proves just that.

Based on the eponymous manga series by Hiroaki Samura, Blade of the Immortal is Miike’s 100th film. The film is set to premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas this month of September, and then later nationwide on November 3, 2017.

Here’s the synopsis for the film:

“Samurai Manji has taken a lot of lives, both innocent and guilty, and now lives life in feudal Japan as a criminal. After being cursed with immortality until he kills enough evil men, Manji meets a young girl who enlists him to be her body-guard. Swearing loyalty, protection and vengeance against the group of sword fighters who slaughtered her family, the unlikely duo set on a remarkable quest to make right against those who did them wrong.”

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“Downsizing” Opens Venice Film Festival

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Paramount Pictures


Alexander Payne‘s “Downsizing” opened the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 30 where the film was met with applause, and already there’s strong early buzz on the film’s awards potential.

The sci-fi comedy stars Matt Damon as an occupational therapist shrunken to four inches tall along with his wife, played by Kristen Wiig, as they search for a better life. Christoph Waltz also co-star as their aging partyboy neighbor. Jason Sudeikis, Laura Dern, Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris and Margo Martindale also star in the film.

Most of the reviews so far have been very positive. It currently have an 84 score on Metacritic.com and an 89% fresh rating from Rottentomatoes.com averaged from 18 reviews. Hollywood Reporter‘s Todd McCarthy called the film “captivating, funny and possessed of a surprise-filled zig-zag structure that makes it impossible to anticipate where it’s headed,” while Owen Gleiberman of Variety describes it as “a ticklish and resonant crowd-pleaser for grown-ups.” The Guardian raves about Payne: “He never puts a foot wrong, rustling up a picture that is as bright as a button and as sharp as a tack. Downsizing contains multitudes. Inside, it’s a giant.”

Many reviews so far praise Hong Chau, with Hollywood Reporter calling her performance “sensational in this unlikely role”, while Variety describes her Ngoc Lan as ” the film’s most surprising character.” Chau plays a Vietnamese activist shrunk against her will by the government.

These past few years, Venice Film Festival has launched award winning films as seen with “La La Land,” which opened last year’s festival, and “Birdman” which did so in 2014. The former went on to win six Oscar trophies, while the latter won Best Picture.

Downsizing will next be playing at the Toronto International Film Festival which should give clearer indication of the film’s critical consensus.

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