Today during the Big Game, Marvel Studios released the first trailer for the highly anticipated “DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE.”
Shawn Levy directs “DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE” which stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen.
Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and Lauren Shuler Donner produce with Louis D’Esposito, Wendy Jacobson, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, George Dewey, Simon Kinberg and Jonathon Komack Martin serving as executive producers. “DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE” is written by Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy.
Marvel Studios’ “DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE” opens in U.S. & Canadian movie theaters on July 26, and will be available in IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Cinemark XD and premium screens everywhere.
With only 11 days left in the month, January cinema continues its two traditions. And no, it’s not about drafty theatres. As many moviegoers bemoan, the wintery time is often a “dumping ground” for flicks that don’t quite have the needed “hook” to send folks trudging through the snow to the multiplex. Last weekend’s big releases weren’t made available to us, though the previous week’s “biggie” M3GAN did well with the public and the reviewers. The other tradition is the release to smaller markets of serious “award bait” films, and this is one of three today. It’s got a big “pedigree” cast with a few Oscar winners. And it’s the follow-up to the writer/director’s big award-winner from a couple of years ago, so hopes are high that he’ll grab some more gold with THE SON.
As opposed to that former flick that was set “across the pond”, this story starts in modern-day NYC in a plush high-rise apartment building. As business exec Peter Miller (Hugh Jackman) hurriedly tries to get ready to leave for his job in another fancy locale, there’s a buzz at his front door. Though she’s tending to their infant son, his young wife Bess (Vanessa Kirby) peers through the door’s peephole” and is surprised to find the first Mrs. Miller, Pete’s ex Kate (Laura Dern). Opening the door, he admonishes her for not calling first, but she fires back that he’s not returning her messages. Kate is concerned about their teenage son after his school tells her that he’s not attending classes. So where is he going when he leaves for school in the morning? Peter insists that he’ll look into it, and he’s good at his word. After calling the school Peter meets with his son Nicholas (Zen McGrath). The somber sixteen-year-old says that he just doesn’t “fit in” and pleads to move in with Peter after too many clashes with his mom Kate. After a long talk with Bess, they move Anthony into a spare bedroom. Peter believes that he’s enjoying his new surroundings, but while he’s at work Anthony expresses his resentment toward Bess for busting up his parents. This leads to a father/son “blow-up” which sends Anthony into his school-ditching behavior. His deep depression erupts with an attempt at self-harm. Peter and kate must unite in order to get their son the professional counseling he desperately needs. But can the two exes remain strong in the face of Anthony’s increasing anguish?
Though he’s not the title lead (well, maybe…), the film rests on Jackman’s considerable talents. Here he gets a chance to test his dramatic prowess after being lauded for his more physical roles, either in musicals or as a certain marvelous mutant. Jackman brings gravitas and humanity to Peter, as he shows us his struggle to connect with Anthony while not giving in to his guilt over starting a new family. We see that inner turmoil in his eyes as Peter tries to control events beyond his reign. Aside from the discomfort with his teen, he also has to work with his former love, who Dern bestows a prickly dignity. We see that Kate is pushing down her rage while struggling to be seen as more than the woman Peter left. But with a few fleeting glances, Dern shows us that Kate has the slimmest hope that some of the past can be revisited. This makes things trickier and more awkward for the current Mrs. Miller played with a serene empathy by Kirby. Her Bess wants to be there for Peter and makes an effort to connect with Anthony. However, when he tries to shove her into the “homewrecker” cliche, Bess will not take his insults. As for the accuser, McGrath as the troubled Anthony does his best to navigate this difficult role. The script makes him more of a cautionary character than a fleshed-out teen. The title son bounces between moody and angry, with nary a glimpse into his twisted emotions. Oh, as I hinted Jackman’s Peter could be considered the son, for a few minutes, when he joined his own pop for lunch during a business trip to DC. That father is played by the actor from the film of the same title, none other than Anthony Hopkins. His toxic bully is perhaps there to show us the source of Peter’s desire to be a nurturing parent, the opposite of the bile-spewing Miller senior.
So, yes this is the same team from the lauded 2022 film THE FATHER. And again Florian Zeller is directing the screen version of his own stage play that has been adapted by Christopher Hampton. Can they expect the same accolades? Well, doubtful as this effort has little of the devasting impact of the earlier drama. The cast does their best with the unwieldy and often predictable family dynamic. The drama “beats” are telegraphed with all the subtlety of a basic cable TV film or even a “very special” afterschool special from the 70s. Speaking of that era, the script trods much of the same territory as the 1980 Oscar darling ORDINARY PEOPLE complete with a young lead even more twitchy and sullen than Timothy Hutton (it could’ve used an MTM ice queen, too). The film’s overall dark tone is nearly suffocating despite the attempts at levity with Jackman dancing to a 60s Tom Jones pop standard and taking time to toss around snacks with McGrath while watching a public domain cartoon. Most frustrating is the finale when two characters we thought were smart are easily manipulated. All the film’s earnestness and the end credit helpline info can’t ease the dreary emotional pummeling. And that’s what audiences are left with as the sun sets on THE SON.
Ryan Reynolds: Hey Hugh, you wanna play Wolverine one more time?
Hugh Jackman: Yeah, sure Ryan.
And with that DEADPOOL 3 is officially announced and the “Merc with the Mouth” will be back in theaters next year on September 6, 2024.
The announcement appeared on all of Reynolds and Jackman’s social feeds.
Reynolds appeared as Deadpool/Wade Wilson/Weapon XI in Jackman’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009.
The original 2016 DEADPOOL film was a huge and unexpected hit with fans, critics and audiences. Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
And if the excitement of the announcement wasn’t enough, John Krasinski went on Twitter and asked:
On August 31 Krasinksi (A QUIET PLACE 1 and 2) announced on Instagram the beginning of his film, IF. The film is an upcoming American fantasy comedy film written, directed, and produced by John Krasinski. It features an ensemble cast consisting of Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carell, Alan Kim, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Cailey Fleming, Louis Gossett Jr., and Bobby Moynihan.
Director Shawn Levy (REEL STEEL, THE ADAM PROJECT and FREE GUY) chimed in…
DEADPOOL 3 be rated R like its predecessors and will be set in the MCU. “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2,” and “Logan” arrived on Disney+ in the U.S. on July 22. DEADPOOL 1 & 2 brought in $1.6 billion globally.
Other Marvel films opening in 2024 are “Thunderbolts” in theaters July 26, 2024, “Captain America: New World Order” hits theaters May 3, 2024, and “Fantastic Four,” opens on November 8, 2024. Kevin Feige, producer and president of MARVEL STUDIOS, discussed the recent announcements, including the Multiverse Saga—the conclusion of Phase 4, the Phase 5 slate and the Phase 6 titles that include “Fantastic Four” and two new Avengers films: “The Kang Dynasty” and “Secret Wars,” during D23.
With Labor Day so close, and if you’d didn’t feel confident about a summer vacation, then here’s a bit of help in planning a Fall getaway. Sure, this could be considered a feature-length travelogue, but it’s a whole lot more than that. It’s certainly a history lesson with lots of “talking heads” sharing great insights and anecdotes. But really it’s a celebration and appreciation of a place we might not have fully embraced until it was withheld from us for nearly a year and a half. Ah, but it’s officially reopening this month, so prior to your travel itinerary why not head off to the local multiplex for a look back on all the wonders to be savored ON BROADWAY.
Talk about a “love letter”! The “big names” (above the play titles on the marquees) start things off with their childhood dreams and remembrances before the filmmakers begin hopping about, though there are lots of “ID” labels and dates (1969, 1972, etc.) for the stage novices. Now as for the history I mentioned, they really touch on the 1930s to 1960s “golden age”. Since there weren’t “archived performance videos” (which I believe is the standard now for all shows), we get some clips from the Hollywood adaptations, from A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE to WEST SIDE STORY. The story of the big revival really begins with the slump of the late sixties into the early seventies as most of the big showcase theatres were dark as the 42nd Street hub was taken over by crime, porn, and decay. It’s amazing to see the NYC-funded printed brouchures warning tourists to avoid the area before 6 PM, adorned with a sketch of the Grim Reaper’s cowled head. This leads into the “sidebar’ on the theatre owners, the Shuberts, and the boardroom battles that “busted up” the near-monopoly. An abudance of new archival footage and a few home movies takes us back to that era, beginning with “Pippin’ and the Public Theatres, along with shows “workshopped” out of town. Several iconicic shows are highlighted as milestones and “turning points’, particularly “A Chorus Line”, “Rent” and “Hamilton”. As things were changing for the better, the “dark times” are not neglected. Beloved theatres, including the original home to “Death of a Salesman” are not spared by the wrecking ball. Even more devastating is the AIDS crisis of the mid 1980s. Happily we do get to see much of the original cast actors on stage in video clips along with performances on the Tony Awards. Plus, to give the film a bit of urgency and a sense of the current period, the cameras follow an original play, “The Nap” as it prepared to make its bow. Oh the “giddy tension”!
Needless to say, this fun flick is pure nirvana to theatre geeks, though there’s a lot in there for us “movie geeks” since, in its final chapter, the “white way’ needs big “stars”, especially those from the small and big screens, to get people to plunk down the big bucks for tickets (the top price for tix in the late 60s was $9.90). It’s compelling stuff, even though there’s not a clear villain, although many stage vets are not enamored of the British transplants that led to “spectacle shows’, or those gentrifying the area (one show scribe seems to prefer the aging hookers to the neon-lit chain shops). It’s great to hear from Hugh Jackman and Helen Mirren, but some of today’s Broadway royalty (Nathan Lane, Sutton Foster) are notable for their absence. At least the directors and writers are well represented with a keen focus on the prolific, much-missed August Wilson. My only complaint about director Oren Jacoby’s obvious “labor of love” is that it aspires to take on too much. The mounting of “The Nap’ is worthy of its own feature doc as we’re not with them for the length out-of-town “try-outs” or the previews before opening night. Ditto for a flick just with the actor interviews. Or on the “Brit explosion”. Ah, but what’s there is so “choice”, with the makers really trying to illustration the whole share experience of “live theatre”. And with its “happy ending” postscript, we even get something of an optimistic conclusion. And can’t we all use that now? That’s especially true for those folks following a dream that lands them ON BROADWAY.
3 Out of 4
ON BROADWAY opens everywhere in select theatres and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas
REMINISCENCE stars Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton in a twisty sci-fi mystery that is part BLADE RUNNER, part TOTAL RECALL – both films loosely based on novels by imaginative science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick – which then goes Hitchcock by way of Chinatown with a deep noir flavor. Set in a flooded future Miami, where the streets are navigated like the canals of Venice and no one goes out until dark due to the heat, this is classic noir set in a gritty post-war, post climate-disaster dystopia. Essentially an homage to Hollywood classics, of the 1940s particularly, and packed with film references, REMINISCENSE is film noir wrapped in a sci-fi setting.
Dark, noirish, stylish, with that classic narration, it is a story of love, obsession, haunting memories, deception, illusions, and truth – and memories extracted by futuristic technology. If all that sounds like an intriguing brew, REMINISCENSE will hook you and take you for its twisty ride.
The mystery/thriller is the directorial debut of director/writer/producer Lisa Joy, the show-runner and co-creator of “Westworld” along with husband Jonathan Nolan. Joy, who was inspired by a wish to explore the power of memory in her original screenplay, brought many of her “Westworld” collaborators with her to this project, including director of photography Paul Cameron and star Thandiwe Newton. Angela Sarafyan, another “Westworld” cast member, also has a smaller role in the film.
Although REMINISCENSE is a sci-fi tale set in a climate-disaster future, film noir mystery is the aspect that dominants. The film is filled to the brim with film references, which is part of its fun, but it also delivers an interesting update on the classic femme fatale character. The twisty plot does not always completely makes sense but the film scores better on atmosphere and character as it blends elements of mystery, romance, thriller, and noir, with meditations on memory, time and illusions. The film aims high and while it does not really hit the mark, it does deliver good, if imperfect, entertainment for those who enjoy classic noir and sci-fi.
This noirish detective tale takes place in a dystopian future Miami, post-civil war and post-climate disaster, where streets are flooded by rising sea levels and life is lived at night to avoid the intolerable heat. Sunsets have become dawns, sunrises signal day’s end, and staying out past that has to be done in the shade, and not too late.
In this harsh world, Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) has built a business helping clients escape the dreary present to relive memories of a better time, using advanced technology and special skills he learned for interrogation when he served in the military during the war. The machine lets them access their memories, which are projected on a 3-D stage, as Nick safely guides and monitors his dreaming, drugged clients as they float in water-filled tank. Besides his reminiscencing clients, Nick uses his interrogation skills to help the local Miami police in investigations as a private detective.
Nick’s memory services should be a lucrative business in this grim world but Nick has a soft spot for his old veteran buddies, especially the wounded ones, and tends not to charge them, much to the dismay of his business partner and fellow war buddy Watts (Thandiwe Newton). The cynical, hard-drinking Watts is damaged goods, haunted by a fatal mistake she made during the war, memories she drowns in the bottle.
Nick and Watts operate their memory business out of a run-down warehouse space, off a side street that is always slightly flooded. But their routine lives are disrupted and everything changes after a beautiful woman named Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) turns up, seeking help remembering where she left her keys. It seems an odd request for what is probably an expensive service but Nick is too dazzled by Mae’s beauty to question the mysterious woman. Despite Watt’s worries, and a touch of jealousy due to the secret torch she is carrying for her co-worker, Nick quickly falls for Mae, and when she disappears, he falls into obsessed depression. The obsession takes Nick into a seedy underworld of criminal kingpins and corrupt cops in his search of Mae.
Actually, REMINISCENCE does not dwell much on either the climate-impacted world we see all around us or details of the civil war it references. Instead goes straight for its mystery thriller tale of obsession, love, damaged souls and the power of memory.
Hugh Jackman, as the film’s central character, plays a jaded soul who has his life upended by a mysterious woman, a character that draws on Humphrey Bogart in CASABLANCA and James Stewart in VERTIGO, among other influences, although Jackman handles his role well and creates his own character. He and Ferguson generate romantic chemistry in their scenes together, but we sense something hidden in Mae, which keep us guessing about her through the film.
While Hugh Jackman has the central role as the hardened detective with a soft heart who becomes obsessed with her, the film offers a different twist on the femme fatale character, one who goes beyond the usual one-dimensional type, a more interesting character than we expect. Mae, played well by Rebecca Ferguson, starts out like most noir femme fatales – appealing, mysterious, haunting but with a dangerous undercurrent. Classically these characters turn out to be either good or bad, but mostly are seen through the lens of the male gaze and point of view of the film’s protagonist. But Ferguson’s Mae is more complicated, more her own person, a woman coping with tough circumstances and using the tools she has to survive.
This femme fatale role is one you could easily see Thandiwe Newton in, but instead Newton plays the supporting part of Nick’s damaged partner, haunted by her past mistakes and harboring a secret longing for Nick. The casting is less expected, but gives Newton a rare chance to flex other acting muscles. Other cast members also lend good support, with Cliff Curtis a standout as corrupt cop Boothe, effectively menacing Jackman’s Nick and Ferguson’s Mae, and lingering in our memory even when not on screen.
REMINISCENCE is visually stunning, a future Miami where rising sea levels have flooded the streets and rising temperatures have driven life to the nighttime. Director of photography Paul Cameron gives is haunting, even majestic, images of this dark, watery world – images that will stick in your memory. In “Westworld,” Cameron created a visual world that was a perfect reference to the Western genre, with a sci-fi touches, and does the same here for the noir genre. Interior scenes are stylish and noir-drenched, with slanting light, abundant shadows and ever-present ceiling fans.
One feels both classic Hollywood and the Nolan influence in this world. In REMINISCENCE’s Miami, most people live in a sodden world but the wealthy live in the few dry spots, real estate they grabbed early on, behind flood walls that keep out the water, adding an income-inequality edge to their tough lives. Some scenes take place in the off-shore, where houses on stilts are now islands and in a similarly flooded New Orleans. The images create an effective, complete alternate world.
You have got to love film noir to really give in to REMINISCENCE, and if the genre does not appeal, this film is likely not for you. Although this is a sci-fi tale set in a climate-disaster future – and the imagery of that world is impressive and memorable – REMINISCENCE is the film noir mystery at its heart. Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson deliver nice performances, as well as Thandiwe Newton and Cliff Curtis, in the film’s twisty thriller blend of mystery, obsession, and romance, with meditations on memory, time and illusions. The film aims high, and while it does not really hit that mark, it does deliver good entertainment for those up for its classic noir/sci-fi mash-up.
REMINISCENCE opens Friday, August 20, at the Chase Cinema and various other theaters.
Watch The trailer for the upcoming movie REMINISCENCE.
From writer/director/producer Lisa Joy, Warner Bros. Pictures’ action thriller starS Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandie Newton.
Nick Bannister (Jackman), a private investigator of the mind, navigates the darkly alluring world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories. Living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, his life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae (Ferguson). A simple matter of lost and found becomes a dangerous obsession. As Bannister fights to find the truth about Mae’s disappearance, he uncovers a violent conspiracy, and must ultimately answer the question: how far would you go to hold on to the ones you love?
Alongside Oscar nominee Jackman (“Les Misérables,” “The Greatest Showman”), Ferguson (upcoming “Dune,” the “Mission: Impossible” films) and Newton, (“Solo: A Star Wars Story”), the film stars Cliff Curtis (“The Meg,” “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”), Oscar nominee Marina de Tavira (“Roma”), Daniel Wu (TV’s “Into the Badlands,” “Warcraft”), Mojean Aria (TV’s “See” and “Dead Lucky”), Brett Cullen (“Joker”), Natalie Martinez (“The Stand” and “The Fugitive” series), Angela Sarafyan (“Westworld”) and Nico Parker (“Dumbo”).
Joy (“Westworld”) makes her feature film directing debut with “Reminisence,” and directs from her own original screenplay. The film is produced by Joy, Jonathan Nolan, Michael De Luca and Aaron Ryder. The executive producers are Athena Wickham, Elishia Holmes and Scott Lumpkin.
Joy’s creative team includes several of her “Westworld” collaborators, including director of photography Paul Cameron, production designer Howard Cummings, editor Mark Yoshikawa and composer Ramin Djawadi, along with costume designer Jennifer Starzyk (“Bill & Ted Face the Music”).
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Kilter Films / Michael De Luca / Filmnation Production, a Film by Lisa Joy, “Reminiscence.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is set for release nationwide in theaters on August 20, 2021 and will be available on HBO Max in UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos on supported devices for 31 days from theatrical release.
“Reminiscence” is rated PG-13 for strong violence, drug material throughout, sexual content and some strong language.
If the standard of a great scene is one where you can watch the external action and see everything going on within the internal life of the characters, then every scene in Cory Finley’s sophomore feature, Bad Education, is a great one. Whether it be the cast, the editing, the direction, or the sound, what Finley’s debut feature, Thoroughbreds was missing in subtlety Bad Education has in spades. It’s one of the most satisfying films over the year.
Admittedly, Bad Education is the type of story you can’t help but fall in love with. Follows the true story of the investigation of a huge embezzlement scheme at Roslyn High School in 2002, perpetrated by Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), uncovered by a student at Roslyn who “followed the money,” (Geraldine Viswanathan). It’s the type of story that prioritizes character and craft over the stylistic trappings of Thoroughbreds.
The pared-down, realistic style of Bad Education is immediately useful to the storytelling. Everything feels so business as usual, that Finley and scriptwriter Mike Makowsky are able to hide so many pieces of information in specific details. It’s a film that asks the audience to figure it out.
It also serves to be familiar, to anyone who has stepped foot inside of a public school. There’s a quiet tension to the way that human flaws are sitting beneath the professionalism of the environment and all that paper. So much paper just rotting away. Bad Education thrives on details like this, the camera focusing on a waterlogged ceiling or a modern art painting hanging on a wall it shouldn’t be on.
Similarly, Bad Education is focused on the details of a character’s face and how much of the face we can see. Early in the film, Frank and Pam are shot from behind, later they are seen in profile, and lastly, devastatingly, they are seen straight on. Jackman and Janney take those close-ups and run with them. They are so good, very specific line readings will become lodged in your head, so illuminating of the characters that they transcend the physical action of the scene. It’s not just Jackman and Janney though. Viswanathan is incredible, Ray Romano continues his fantastic career renaissance in a small role and Hari Dhillon shines in a few scenes as Viswanathan’s father. There’s such kindness to their scenes together that contrasts brilliantly with the pitch black storytelling (on that note watch out for the smoothie Jackman is drinking).
When all of this detail comes together, it’s pretty much unstoppable. There’s a scene near the beginning of the second act where Viswanathan’s student reporter speaks to Allison Janney, that is so excellently crafted from all the parties involved that it becomes a wonderful surprise that the film is only getting started.You’d be hard-pressed to find a better film than Bad Education right now. It’s a wonderful reminder that films like this can not only still be made but also excelled at. As much as the trailers might suggest, this isn’t a funny film. There’s no element of ironic wit to be found here. Just true to life wit that takes its characters and craft seriously.
Inspired by true events, the film stars Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman and Academy Award winner Allison Janney. The story follows Frank Tassone (Jackman) and Pam Gluckin (Janney) who reign over a popular Long Island school district on the verge of the nation’s top spot, spurring record college admissions and soaring property values. But when an embezzlement scheme surfaces that threatens to destroy all they’ve built, Frank is forced to maintain order and secrecy — by whatever means necessary.The Bad Education score, by composer Michael Abels, is a vital part of the film’s fabric; a brilliant and intense telling the story through his music. https://www.hbo.com/movies/bad-education
“The score is an homage to great classical concert music, evoking the rigorous world of competitive academia, and its high level of training and discipline,” explained Abels about his approach to the composition. “But as this structured world begins to unravel in the film, the score also includes stark, minimalist cues driven primarily by percussion.
Michael Abels is a composer/producer best known for his scores for writer/director Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning film GET OUT, and highly anticipated follow-up US, for which Abels was awarded “Discovery of the Year” at the 2019 World Soundtrack Awards. Abels’ score for US was also shortlisted for the 2020 Oscars, received a Critics’ Choice nomination, an NAACP Image Award nomination, multiple critics’ awards, and was named “Score of the Decade” by online publication The Wrap. As a concert composer, Abels has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet The Composer, and the Sphinx Organization, among others. His orchestral works have been performed by the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and many more. As guest conductor of GET OUT IN CONCERT, Abels has led orchestras including National Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony. Several of his orchestral works have been recorded by the Chicago Sinfonietta on the Cedille label, including Delights & Dances and Global Warming. Abels is co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, an advocacy group to increase visibility of composers of color in film, game and streaming media. Abels’ first ballet, FALLING SKY, commissioned by Butler University, premiered on February 6, 2020. Following its Toronto International Film Festival 2019 premiere, the Hugh Jackman film BAD EDUCATION will premiere on HBO on April 25, with the soundtrack set to be released through WaterTower Music. The film ALL DAY AND A NIGHT, written and directed by Black Panther scribe Joe Robert Cole, starring Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) and Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), will stream on Netflix from May 1st. Upcoming projects include a diverse mix of concert work, film, and an opera.
Over the weekend, “Hugh Jackman The Man, The Music, The Show” dazzled the Hollywood Bowl, playing the final 2 shows on the current leg of his sold out North American tour, and it was nothing short of spectacular. Outfitted in a sparkling silver Tom Ford jacket, Jackman hit the stage to perform all of his greatest hits from his film and Broadway career. The opening numbers included “The Greatest Show” and “Come Alive” from The Greatest Showman (2017), and the 17,000+ sold out crowd at the Hollywood Bowl was ready for him!
Hugh Jackman has made a massive, A-list name for himself as an acting-singing-dancing triple-threat and all of it was on display for the live shows. Along with The Greatest Showman, Jackman performed selections from Les Miserables (2012), in which he starred as Valjean, and also from his Tony-winning Broadway show “The Boy from Oz,” playing Peter Allen (2003). Peppered in between were selections that ranged from Broadway shows Beauty and The Beast (Gaston), and Dear Evan Hanson (You Will Be Found) to some of his favorite old Hollywood musicals (Singing in the Rain, 42nd Street, Guys and Dolls).
But it wasn’t just the great songs. Jackman has a stage presence like no other. He owns the stage, telling personal stories, show-biz stories, and interacting with the audience in a way that doesn’t seem possible when the ratio is 17,000 to 1. This was most evident in the stage extension built to get Jackman even closer to the fans, even pulling one young fan on stage to dance with him.
Also evident is Jackman’s love for his native Australia. He’s completely earnest when performing the Boy from Oz numbers, fully in character as Peter Allen, with an even more classic Aussie accent than his own. During another segment of the show, he introduces Aboriginal musicians and elders (Olive Knight, Paul Rider Boon, Nate Mundraby and Clifton Bieundurry) in tribute to Australia and his heritage, which felt even more magical under the stars of the Hollywood Bowl.
But the guests didn’t stop there. In one of the highlights of the show, Jackman’s Greatest Showman co-star Keala Settle performed “This is Me” with the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus and joined Jackman on “From Now On”, both numbers she performed in the film.
By the end of the night, the entire Hollywood Bowl was on its feet, desperate for more, making it absolutely clear that Hugh Jackman is indeed, the greatest showman.
MISSING LINK is an enjoyable effort
from the folks at Laika studios with irresistible
stop-motion look, an outstanding voice cast and the signature cheekily innocent
wit that have become their hallmarks. It may not be Laika’s best, but it’s
still highly recommended.
MISSING LINK opens with a hilarious sequence where
our fearless explorer hero Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) fails to prove the
existence of the Loch Ness monster due to a broken camera. He soon receives a mysterious telegram which sends him to the
Pacific Northwest in search of the legendary “missing link” (aka Bigfoot aka
Sasquatch) that connects modern man to the apes. Frost hopes that this discovery means he’ll earn
membership in the Optimates Club, an exclusive society reserved for the best adventurers
and explorers. Turns out the telegram is from Mr. Link himself (Zack Galifinakis) and what he really wants is for Sir Frost to assist him on a journey to find
his long-lost relatives he’s convinced reside in the fabled valley of
Shangri-La. Mr. Link (who prefers to be called Susan) is 8 feet tall, 630
lbs, and covered in fur but he is funny, sweet, making him the world’s most lovable
legend. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), our brave trio
of explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to
the far reaches of the world to help their furry friend, but Optimates anti-evolution chief Lord
Piggot-Dunceb (Stephen Fry) has hired hit man Stank (Timothy Olyphant) to stop them.
Laika Studio does their best to keep the magic of stop motion animation alive, and here they have once again fabricated an imaginative and colorful world, though one less spooky or dream-like than in their previous films BOXTROLLS and KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS. It also lacks the depth of those earlier films. This is the first film from the studio that does not have a child character at the center of it. Instead, it has a comic actor – that man-child Zack Galifinakis, who does have some funny lines, especially the charmingly literal way he responds to Sir Frost’s figures of speech. Jackman’s portrayal of Sir Lionel Frost is a humorous enough blend of Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones and he and Galifinakis have playful chemistry, but the simple plot mechanics and often tired jokes could have benefited from some rewriting. Still, MISING LINK is silly, colorful, and a fun enough way to pass 95 minutes.
