Jacob Hall
‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Trailer: A Kung Fu Panda Meets His Father
By the time Kung Fu Panda 3 hits theaters, it’ll have been five years since the previous adventure of Jack Black’s Po and his martial artist animal buddies. For the kids weened on the first two movies, that’s practically a lifetime. Considering the diminishing creative (but certainly not financial) returns between Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2, will anyone care about this movie when it ultimately lurches into theaters? Consider that question as soon as you click play on the trailer above.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Jurassic World’ Has the Biggest Opening of All Time
Everyone knew that Jurassic World was going to open big, but no one saw this coming. The fourth film in the beloved dinosaur-centric franchise had the second biggest domestic opening of all time, the biggest June opening of all time, and, with $511 million worldwide, the biggest international opening of all time. It also broke a bunch of records that we’ll get to in a few minutes. This was supposed to be the summer of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Unless something goes horribly wrong, this is officially the summer of Jurassic World.
‘Pitch Perfect 3’ is Officially Happening With Series Screenwriter Kay Cannon
The original Pitch Perfect grossed a modest $65 million at the domestic box office, which was just enough to justify a sequel. Three years later, Pitch Perfect 2 has just passed $160 million on a budget of only $29 million, so yeah, of course Universal is officially moving forward with Pitch Perfect 3. It turns out that a combination of snarky comedy and a capella remixes of pop hits is a license to print money. So much money.
Cameron Crowe Apologizes For ‘Aloha’, Casting Emma Stone as a Native Hawaiian
Aloha may have opened to scathing reviews and poor box office, but the latest film from writer/director Cameron Crowe did touch a nerve. It just so happened to a nerve that no one ever wants to touch. Despite being set on Hawaii, the cast is chock-full of the whitest white people in Hollywood, including Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski and Alec Baldwin. That wouldn’t have been a problem if the only character with a distinctly Hawaiian background wasn’t played by the ludicrously pale Emma Stone. Yes, Stone was cast as a character named Allison Ng, so you can see why feathers were ruffled, especially since Hollywood already has a poor track record with racial representation in movies.
‘The Good Dinosaur’ Trailer: Pixar Rewrites History With a Charming Adventure
Like all of Pixar’s teaser trailers, the first preview for The Good Dinosaur is all about mood, emphasizing a distinct feeling over characters and plot. But as the title implies, it’s really all about dinosaurs. Colorful, adorable dinosaurs who, thanks to director Peter Sohn and the Pixar braintrust, aren’t wiped out by an apocalyptic asteroid 66 million years ago and live on to have all kinds of adventures. Take that, science!
Disney Planning TV Channels Centered Around Marvel and ‘Star Wars’
Acquiring Lucasfilm and Marvel were just two minor steps in Disney’s grand plan to eventually own everything you love and control your life as Entertainment Overlord Supreme of the Planet Earth. But to be fair, they are a benevolent god. A caring god. A god that wants to make its riches available to you, should you want to indulge yourself. So prepare thyself: TV channels based entire on Marvel and Star Wars content may be coming.
‘The Fugitive’ Is Going Back on the Run, But Will Harrison Ford Return?
It should come as no surprise that Warner Bros. is planning to resurrect The Fugitive in some capacity. After all, a major film studio returning to the well of the comfortably familiar for a remake or a reboot (or a reboot of a remake) is pretty par for the course these days. What makes this news ever-so-slightly interesting is the suggestion that this may be a continuation of some kind, featuring the same characters that Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones played in the iconic 1993 film.
‘Sesame Street’ Parodies ‘Avengers 2’ With ‘The Aveggies’
At some point, we’re not sure when, Sesame Street stopped being a low-key educational children’s program and started being an educational children’s program that finds time to create internet-friendly parodies of whatever pop culture event is huge in a given week. So yeah, of course the show has made an Avengers-themed sketch and of course it’s called The Aveggies: Age of Bon Bon and of course it recasts Cookie Monster as the Hulk.
‘Avengers 2’ DVD to Include Extended Edition and Alternate Ending
Avengers: Age of Ultron doesn’t hit American theaters for another week, but Marvel’s latest superhero epic opens today in many theaters around the world. This means that you need to tread cautiously if you want to avoid spoilers, but it also means that Amazon.co.uk is already offering its users the chance to pre-order the film on Blu-ray and DVD. We know that the window between theatrical and home releases are shrinking, but that’s just ludicrous. However, it’s the details about the disc that should get fans stroking their chins and saying “Hmmm.”
‘Sesame Street’ Parodies ‘Game of Thrones’ With ‘Game of Chairs’
Because there is nothing small children still learning to read love more than ultra-violent fantasy epics, Sesame Street has created a Game of Thrones parody. And we’re not talking about a simple excuse to dress up some Muppets in medieval garb. There are some serious George R.R. Martin deep cuts in this strange little sketch, which marks the first and probably last time that Sesame Street will obliquely reference brutal massacres, beheadings, and regicide.
Disney Is Making a Live Action ‘Winnie the Pooh’ Movie
It was inevitable: Disney is making a live action Winnie the Pooh movie because of course Disney would make a live action Winnie the Pooh movie. The studio’s tactic of bringing their animated properties into the live action realm has already paid off with Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent and Cinderella, so why not pay another visit to the Hundred Acre Wood and let a live action Christopher Robin hang out with a CGI Piglet?
David Letterman Joins Billy Eichner For a Very Special Edition of ‘Billy on the Street’
With David Letterman departing The Late Show to make way for Stephen Colbert, the entire world waits with bated breath to see what this living legend will do after his final episode airs this May. Thankfully, we have people like Billy Eichner around to accost strangers and collect suggestions for what he should do next.
Watch Tom Hanks Recreate All of His Movies in 8 Minutes on the ‘Late Late Show’
The Late Late Show With James Corden made its grand debut last night, with seemingly every celebrity in existence popping up to say hello. But for his first official guest, Corden snagged everyone’s favorite actor: the one and only Tom Hanks. More importantly, he got Tom Hanks to get really silly and there are few things better than Hanks throwing caution to the wind and embracing his inner comedian. In this case, he got the two-time Oscar winner to re-enact all of his movies in less than eight minutes.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Cinderella’ Reigns Supreme as Liam Neeson Turns Into a Pumpkin
Suddenly, Disney’s upcoming live action version of Beauty and the Beast is looking like a very wise move. After all, their new take on Cinderella shook the box office out of the doldrums, launching with numbers that feel more at home with the summer than March. Yes, it even took down that might spring movie season titan Liam Neeson.
‘Tomorrowland’ Reveals New Poster, Trailer Will Premiere Next Week
Tomorrowland is only a few months away and we still know very little about director Brad Bird’s new science fiction adventure. Although that may change in just a few days! Disney has revealed a new poster for the film and along with it, a date for the new trailer.
Disney’s Live-Action ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Casts Luke Evans as Gaston
It’s an undisputed scientific fact that Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston is the greatest villain in the Disney animated canon. After all, we’re talking about a guy whose theme song is all about how many eggs he eats and how every last inch of him is covered in hair. Sorry Maleficent, you have nothing on this guy. So, the news that Luke Evans has been cast as Gaston in Disney’s upcoming live action take on Beauty and the Beast has us feeling awfully judgmental. Sure, Evans is a good actor, but is he Gaston good?