Housekeeping

We're trying out subheads like the word "housekeeping" at the top of each item because Google, gatekeepers of the internet, supposedly prefer it. If you don't like it, maybe we'll change it back.

Out Today

80 for Brady, in which Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno play four retirees who travel to the 2017 Super Bowl to watch their hero, Tom Brady. I talked with the film's director, Kyle Marvin, about how he ended up leading five of the GOATs in his very first feature directing gig — and what quarterbacking 80 for Brady taught him about life.

You can listen on Apple or Spotify or Google or here.

Is 80 for Brady Good?

It has a 65 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, but remember that most movie reviews are written by people who were placed in lockers by the football players at their high school. (Conflict of interest.) The audience score is 90 percent.

I agree with this review by New York Times critic Amy Nicholson, who called it a "stubbornly charming romp" and obviously got along with everyone, from the jocks to the nerds to the nu-metal kids and goths.

Also Out Today

Knock at the Cabin Door, the latest from M. Night Shyamalyn, which has a 69 percent from critics and a 75 percent audience store. Haven't seen it, but was pleasantly surprised by M. Night's last one, Old. (Very popular with goths.) Also Dave Bautista is in it and he's always good, right? Please don't put me back in my locker again, Dave Bautista.

199 Productions

Is the "I'll show them! I'll show them all!" title of Tom Brady's production company, which because he was picked 199th in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. 199 Productions developed 80 for Brady. See? Jocks have complexes, too.

How to Watch Skinamarink

You've probably heard about the horror sensation by Kyle Edward Ball, which is told from the perspective of a 4-year-old who awakes to discover his dad has disappeared, along with other crucial elements of his home.

The time-bending story is painfully boring to some and totally captivating to others, making for a unique theatrical experience. Now that the film is on Shudder, will it play as well on televisions and computer screens? Ball tells us why he thinks the answer is yes.

Circle of Sadness

The moving third episode of "The Last of Us," which has been widely praised as one of the best standalone episodes of television in years, is getting review-bombed on IMDb by people rating it 1 out of 10. The episode depicts a 20-year-relationship between two men who fall in love against the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse.

But as Screenrant notes, "Many of the comments on the episode speak out about the episode's 'agenda, 'pandering,' and 'alternate motives,' and are largely driven by blatant homophobia." Imagine just for a moment being the kind of person who would take time to do this.

Kele Okereke

Any Bloc Party fans out there? I listened to almost no one else from 2006-2008, so I'm very excited by this Hollywood Reporter story saying Kele Okereke, the band's singer-songwriter-guitarist, is adapting a play he co-wrote with Matt Jones, Leave to Remain, into a rom-com film called This Modern Love (which is also the name of one of the best Bloc Party songs).

Independent Entertainment, which was behind last year’s Harry Styles drama My Policeman, is helping develop the film, which is set between London and Provincetown, Massachusetts and follows two men who are about to get married but must deal with their families' interference. Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell will executive produce. Leave to Remain, as you may have guessed, is a Brexit reference.

This Modern Love: Here is a beautiful song.

Anna Kendrick Speaks

The Alice, Darling actress speaks directly to others who have been in abusive relationships when she told me, "It shouldn't take you getting thrown against a wall to know that you're in an abusive relationship and you deserve to leave." In a video interview with MovieMaker, which you can watch below, Kendrick told me how cathartic it was to do a movie about a woman whose mental health deteriorates as a result of an abusive relationship she's in — because she's been in one herself.

When Kendrick was in the throes of the relationship, she knew deep down that something was wrong, but she struggled to tell her friends, just like her character Alice does in Alice, Darling, directed by Mary Nighy and out in theaters now. "I really knew that if I told one person everything, they would be like, 'Babe, sweetie, no more. You have to get out.' And I knew that I couldn't handle that," she says.

"So I didn't do that. And I think that I have people that I'm close to that knew how much they could push and what I was ready to hear and what I wasn't ready to hear. And so I think that's really challenging."

Kate Moss Casts Herself

Or, rather, the famed supermodel has chosen the actress who will play her in the upcoming biopic Moss & Freud, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Her name is Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals, The Serpent) and she will star opposite Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express, The Kings Speech) as the artist Lucian Freud who did a famous painting of a naked and pregnant moss in 2002.

Paul Mescal Is Irish, Damnit

The BBC received over 600 complaints after mistakenly referring to Paul Mescal as a "British actor" during a news segment about his Oscar nomination for his performance in Aftersun. The news chyron grouped Paul Mescal in with Bill Nighy, an actual British actor, who was nominated for Living. “The text should have said that Paul Mescal is Irish. We apologise for the mistake,” the BBC said in a statement.

"Jack Might've Lived"

With the help of National Geographic, James Cameron tested the conditions on that famous raft at the end of Titanic to put an end to the debate about whether Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack could have survived if he'd gotten on the raft with Rose. It's all captured in Nat Geo's upcoming Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron special, which was teased on Good Morning America. "Jack might've lived, but there's a lot of variables," Cameron says in the clip. Watch below.

.@GMA FIRST LOOK: @natgeo special “Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron” will settle the debate once and for all: could Jack have survived?@JimCameron@natgeotv pic.twitter.com/OkKCXaEkvF

— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 2, 2023

Documentary Deep-Dive

Vulture's Reeves Weidemen has a very interesting story about the evolution of the documentary film genre, and how it's recently transitioned into a new era. “People talk about the golden age of documentary, and it was exciting to be a part of that,” said Dan Cogan, producer of Oscar-winning Netflix doc Icarus. “It is also true that we left that age three or four years ago and we now live in the corporate age of documentary.”

Zach Braff Speaks

The 47-year-old actor broke down the making of his new movie A Good Person in an interview with The Guardian. He says his latest film, which stars Florence Pugh as a young woman spiraling through grief and loss, is as honest about where he's at in life now as his 2004 directorial debut Garden State was then.

Braff recently lost his father, sister, dog, and best friend all in the span of a few years. “I think both A Good Person and Garden State are authentically me in different times of my life. There are so many people making content, the second you start trying to be somebody else, I don’t think the odds are that it’s going to work out," he said.

Main Image: Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio in Aftersun courtesy of A24

Tom Brady, Movie Star: The GOAT's retirement from football today closely coincides with the release of the sweet new comedy 80 for Brady, in which he proves, in a surprisingly moving scene with Lily Tomlin, that he can actually act. Here's our talk with 80 for Brady director Kyle Marvin about getting Tom Brady in character as Tom Brady.

A Different Batman: New DC Films chief James Gunn detailed his 8- to 10-year plan yesterday for getting the DC Expanded Universe aligned. Instead of offering multiple, conflicting storylines, with different actors sometimes playing the same roles, all the films, TV shows and games will exist in one universe — with some exceptions. To wit: Both the Todd Phillips Joker films with Joaquin Phoenix and the Matt Reeves Batman films with Robert Pattinson will be part of something called Elseworlds.

What Now? The "Elseworlds" concept is a cool deep cut for comics fans — DC Elseworlds stories are tales that exist outside of the normal DC Universe, like the very scary graphic novel Gotham by Gaslight, in which Batman battled Jack the Ripper, and the magnificent Superman: Red Son, in which the Man of Steel landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas.

What Does This Have to Do With a New Batman? Since Robert Pattinson is now officially an "Elseworlds" Batman, it figures that the normal DC universe will need a brand-new Batman. "The introduction of the DCU's Batman is the Brave and the Bold," Gunn explained. "The Brave and the Bold is a story of Batman and his actual son, Damian Wayne." As in the comics, Damian Wayne is Bruce Wayne's son, but Bruce Wayne was unaware of this, for many years, which means their relationship is tricky. Damian grows up to be "a little assassin who Batman tries to get in line," Gunn explained.

Here's Gunn: Explaining all this.

Here are just a few of our plans. Up, up, and away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics pic.twitter.com/8XNDNLUEPq

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 31, 2023

May I Editorialize: Obviously it should be Tom Brady, right? [Ducks, dodges rotten fruit.]

I Know I Know: Many Ben Affleck fans will not doubt call for him to return as Batman, but please bear in mind that Ben Affleck is from Boston and would probably also be cool with Tom Brady playing Batman. And please also note that Gunn said "introduce," not "reintroduce."

Also: Gunn sounds pretty excited about a new Swamp Thing movie, too, and The Hollywood Reporter says James Mangold is in talks to direct. Mangold tweeted this late at night:

pic.twitter.com/WCDuFtucT6

— Mangold (@mang0ld) February 1, 2023

Huh? It's a picture of Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing, first introduced in a 1971 comic book, was the subject of a 1982 film directed by Wes Craven that I should really check out. It was also a short-lived 2019 series on the DC Universe app that is now available to stream. The swamp thing is a murky swamp creature antihero who goes on grim misadventures. James Mangold, of course, is about to release Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the last film to feature Harrison Ford in the iconic role of Dr. Henry Jones.

Anyhoo: In other IP news, there's a new featurette out about Season 3 of The Mandalorian. As you may know, "featurette" is French for "an ad disguised as a short documentary, and also there are too many Star Wars shows." And while we agree with this definition, we also love The Mandalorian, so here you go.

The Mandalorian Season 3 featurette.

Main image: Robert Pattison, formerly the new Batman, now the Elseworlds Batman.

R.I.P. Cindy Williams: The Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley star died on Monday at the age of 75. Her assistant told The New York Times that the actress had a brief illness before she died "peacefully," but did not give a specific cause of death. She was also in American Graffiti and appeared on Laugh-In and Saturday Night Live in the 70s. She kept acting in movies and television until her last credit in 2020 for Canaan Land.

AI Technology Strikes Again: This time, it's bringing back young Tom Hanks — and his Forrest Gump co-star Robin Wright. They're starring together again after 30 years in a new Robert Zemeckis movie called Here, which will follow them across generations. According to Variety, the AI technology will be used to de-age the stars to make them look younger and use a terrifying concept called AI-generated face replacement. The story takes place in New England, starting in the wilderness and moving through time as a house is built there, telling a story of "love, loss, hope, struggle and legacy."

Calling All To Kill a Mockingbird Fans: Who have a lot of money burning a hole in their pocket — Gregory Peck's script from the 1962 classic film is being put up for auction by Heritage Auctions along with a whole bunch of other items from Peck and his wife Veronique's estate. The bidding for the script starts at $4,000 when the auction goes live on Feb. 23, along with other old Hollywood artifacts like Peck's personal director's chair, an autographed photograph of Neil Armstrong signed to the Pecks, a poker table gifted to the Pecks by Frank Sinatra.

Rupert Grint Supports Potter 2.0: The Ron Weasley actor said he likes the idea of a Harry Potter television series, which has been rumored at Warner Bros. for multiple years. “I’d love to see Harry Potter be adapted into a TV show,” Grint told GQ UK. “I think it would really work. I’m sure the films will get remade, anyway.” He's ready to let go of Ron, though. "I think there’d be a feeling of passing the baton, letting someone else play Ron,” he said. “It’s weird because I’m protective over him, I could relate to him so much, and then I was picked to bring him to life. That’s hard to let go. But it would be nice to, as well.”

Death to Bane Dreams: Dave Bautista once dreamed of playing Bane, one of Batman’s iconic arch-nemeses previously played by Tom Hardy in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. But now the Knock at the Cabin star says those dreams are dead in a new interview with Insider.

A Talk With James Gunn: This is the decision Bautista came to after speaking with the DC Studios co-head: “I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors,” Bautista said. “You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don’t think you can do that with me." And I understand that. And, also, I have to say that I appreciate that because I don’t want to play a character that I can’t bring justice to it. I don’t think at this point in my career that I can bring justice to Bane anymore. I just don’t know if I could handle the physical part, and I don’t think I would have the longevity to plan ahead for films. So, I just don’t know if I’d be that guy."

J-Lo Wedding Industrial Complex: In this very interesting think-piece from Vulture, writer Rachel Handler breaks down the significance behind the fact that Jennifer Lopez has worn a wedding dress on-screen no less than nine times, including in The Wedding Planner, Marry Me, Selena, and her new movie Shotgun Wedding. She's also been married four times and engaged five times in real life. "If two is a coincidence, and three’s a pattern, then four is a cry for help," Handler writes. Fascinating.

Murder Mystery 2 Trailer: Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are back and ready for another miscommunicated crime spree in the trailer for Netflix's Murder Mystery sequel. They're in a familiar pickle — after the events of the first Murder Mystery, Nick and Audrey Spitz have become detectives and are working on getting their private eye business up and running. But when they’re invited to the tropical destination wedding of their pal the Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar), another mystery unfolds right before their eyes — and they realize they’re at the heart of it once again. Watch the trailer below.

Skinamarink: You've likely heard about the success of the lo-fi horror film, told from the perspective of a 4-year-old whose father disappears, leaving him and his sister alone in a hellish house. But I was surprised to learn the story of tragic loss during the making of the film: Assistant director Josh Bookhalter died unexpectedly after shooting, leaving Skinamarink director Kyle Edward Ball in grief — and without crucial parts of the film. He tells his story to Joshua Encinias here.

Slamdance Winners: Congratulations to Linh Tran, whose film Waiting for the Light to Change won the Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature at Slamdance. The Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award went to Starring Jerry as Himself, directed by Law Chen. The Breakouts Feature Grand Jury Prize went to The Underbug, directed by Shujaat Saudagar, and the Episodes Grand Jury Prize went to Palookaville, directed by Theodore Collatos. The Unstoppable Grand Jury Prize went to Millstone, directed by Peter Hoffman Kimball. The AGBO Fellowship, which include $25,000 and mentorship from Slamdance veterans Joe and Anthony Russo, went to Tij D’Oyen, director of the short film "Lollygag." Ethan Eng, who received the award last year for his film Therapy Dogs and was a jury this year, was on hand to present the award. The full list of winners is here.

The Last of Us: Did everyone watch last night's phenomenal episode of the zombie apocalypse show? It told a breathtaking standalone story of unlikely love between a survivalist and survivor. (They're played by the always good Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, fast becoming one of my favorite actors between White Lotus and Welcome to Chippendales and this.) The episode, entitled "Long Long Time," stands beautifully on its own even if you never watch another episode of the series. But I think it would be hard to watch this one and not become invested.

Also This Weekend: Did anyone catch Michael B. Jordan, star of our latest cover story, hosting Saturday Night Live? He was very funny. Here we go:

"No, What Night Is It On?" Is what a kid in my Algebra II class said many years ago when someone asked him if he'd seen Saturday Night Live. At the time I thought he was very dumb but now I think he was pulling off a pretty masterful deadpan for a 15-year-old, and applaud him. Also he got an A in Algebra II and I had to repeat it so I think it's very possible he was smarter than me.

Also: People keep asking where they can get our Michael N. Jordan issue. The short answer is try your local Barnes & Noble. It's at many other locations, including newsstands, but the simplest answer is just Barnes & Noble, in the mall. Near the entrance.

The NC-17 Whisperer: The next time someone says "Hollywood isn't that weird," direct them to this New York Times story about how the new Brandon Cronenberg film Infinity Pool ended up cutting about five seconds from the NC-17 version shown at Sundance to earn a more palatable rating. The film's distributor, Neon, enlisted a consultant, Ethan Noble, "who specializes in helping films escape unwanted ratings and in guiding them through the formal appeal process," the Times explained. Among the offending scenes was a close-up of a man doing pretty much the main thing you can't show a man doing.

Skinamarinkydinkydoo-: Not cool how the movie has ruined this cute song for everybody.

Main image: Mia Goth in Infinity Pool.

But First: You may have noticed the new look here at MovieMaker.com. We honed it by posing in outfits in front of a three-way mirror while a snobby Beverly Hills shopkeeper brought us fabrics and our complicated love interest made deals on his mobile phone. Who who looks fancy now?

Rian Johnson Does: In addition to Glass Onion, he has a new Peacock series called Poker Face with Natasha Lyonne that's kind of a throwback to one-and-done (per episode) '70s detective shows. He also seems to be having fun with Robert Altman references, as he tells Joshua Encinias in this laid-back, '70s detective-style interrogation.

Out Today: Infinity Pool, the latest from Brandon Cronenberg, which MovieMaker's Margeaux Sippell describes as "good," "a thing of quality," and "undoubtedly the most disturbing film I’ve ever seen in my entire life." I can't wait to see it in a theater.

From Punk to the Penthouse: We meet a lot of cool behind-the-scenes people, but not many of them are more interesting than post house Sugar Studios' founder Jijo Reed. In this profile, he and I talk about his punk rock roots, his Hollywood rise and fall (including a Ferrari crash), and how he rebuilt his life and business from the ground up, eventually taking over the penthouse of the stunning Art Deco Wiltern building, one of my favorite L.A. landmarks. The stellar location allows filmmakers to do all their post at one fun location instead of driving all over the city. My favorite part of the interview, though, is when he talks about working on the trailer for Casino.

Jane Fonda: The actress-activist, who stars in the upcoming 80 for Brady, about some octogenarians who stalk a cherub-faced professional athlete, tells The Hollywood Reporter that she'll probably never quit acting because why would she? Acting, the article explains, helps her focus attention on causes important to her. “One feeds the other,” she said. “I recently thought, ‘Maybe I do want to quit acting.’ I mean, I’m 85. But then I realized, my platform matters. It brings people in that might not come in normally.”

Also: I learned from the article that Fonda spent her 82nd birthday in jail after getting arrested for a fifth time, which is probably the best way to spend your birthday. As long as you're getting arrested for something cool like taking part in a climate change protest, as was the case for Fonda.

Na'vi v. Thanos: Variety notes that Avatar: The Way of Water has earned $2.05 billion to surpass Avengers: Infinity War (which earned a palty and frankly embarrassing mere $2.052 billion) to become the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time. Oh but wait! The Way of Water still has not (and may never) surpass Avengers: Endgame, which earned $2.79 billion to hold the title of the second-highest-grossing film of all time. Oh but wait but wait but wait again, because the No. 1 film is the original Avatar, which earned $2.92 billion. And the fight isn't finished, because there are more Avengers and Avatar films to come. And both of you franchises better watch your backs because Tom Brady is just now getting into the movie game and he's very competitive.

Stop Fidgeting, Get Rid of Your Gum. Have a great weekend, everyone. May your kindhearted johns take you all for makeovers.

Main image: Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face, created by Rian Johnson.

Jeremy Renner, Hero: It turns out Jeremy Renner was trying to save his nephew from being run over by the same snowplow that ran over him on New Year's Day, according to the sheriff's report obtained by CNN via a public records request. Renner had originally been helping the nephew get his car out of the snow using the snowplow, which then began to slide off its track, pulling Renner underneath when he tried to stop it. Can this guy get any more heroic?

Razzies Apologize: The Razzies have rescinded the Worst Actress nomination they gave to 12-year-old Firestarter actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong after much uproar from people who don't like to see children bullied. Founder John Wilson has apologized and promised that the Razzies will no longer nominate actors under 18. “We have removed Armstrong’s name from the Final Ballot that our members will cast next month. We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices,” Wilson said in a statement.

Give Us More Succession: I am beyond excited that the trailer for Season 4 of Succession dropped this morning. It involves your usual shenanigans, like the Roys all but backstabbing their dad and still not getting the attention they want, but it also introduces a new element that was teased last season: Shiv and Tom might get a divorce. Oh, and Alexander Skarsgård's character Lukas Matsson might decide to pull out of the magic deal — surprise, surprise. I, personally, am eager to find out what new pickle our beloved Cousin Greg will find himself in this season. Can't wait to see how all this plays out when the season premieres March 26 on HBO Max. Watch the trailer below:

Pamela Anderson Speaks: About not having given her approval for the Hulu series Pam & Tommy to be made. To be clear, Pamela Anderson holds nothing against star Lily James. But she does hold something against Seth Rogen and the team who spearheaded the series about her infamous sex tape with then-husband Tommy Lee. "Assholes," she told Variety of the show's producers in a new cover story. "Salt on the wound. … You still owe me a public apology." She's setting the record straight with her own upcoming Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, and her new memoir, Love, Pamela.

No Comments Yet: MovieMaker reached out to reps for Seth Rogen and for the Hulu series Pam & Tommy for comment regarding Pamela Anderson's statements. We haven't heard back yet, but if we do, we'll give you an update.

Kevin Spacey Replaced: Ray Stevenson has replaced Kevin Spacey in 1242: Gateway to the West after the actor and the show parted ways last year due to his sexual assault charges in the U.K., according to The Hollywood Reporter. The drama film is about Genghis Khan, and Stevenson is hot off his role in the very popular film RRR. THR adds that Spacey was charged with five counts of sexual assault in the U.K. and has pleaded not guilty. He will have a trial in June.

Main Image: Pamela Anderson in Pamela, A Love Story courtesy of Netflix

 

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