#elizabeth olsen winning best action actor of the year........................................

[eumenidaes]

Anyway several of the results of the people’s choice awards this year seems to indicate to me that the people are stupid

[tabloidtoc]

People, May 3

Cover: Prince William and Prince Harry: Brothers United in Grief

Page 3: Chatter -- Steven Yeun on being asked about the Oscars never having had an Asian American Best Actor nominee before, Jessica Biel on her and Justin Timberlake's kids Silas and Phineas bonding, Viola Davis on finding success later in life, Justin Bieber on growing from previous drug use and other mistakes, John Stamos on understanding why the Olsen twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen didn't return to Fuller House, Catherine Zeta-Jones on her and husband Michael Douglas discouraging their kids from pursuing acting

Page 4: 5 Things We're Talking About -- Courteney Cox puts her inner Monica on display, there's a bubble tea shortage, Downton Abbey returns, Indiana Jones chooses wisely, Serena Williams aces a TV deal

Page 6: Contents

Page 8: The Academy of Country Music Awards -- Carrie Underwood, CeCe Winans

Page 9: Mickey Guyton, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris and her husband Ryan Hurd, Elle King showed off her growing baby bump on the red carpet with pal Miranda Lambert

Page 10: Stars on Set -- Adam Driver sported a pair of statement glasses as he biked around Rome while filming the fashion biopic House of Gucci, Patrick Dempsey stayed in character while filming the thriller series Devils in Rome, Gabrielle Union flashed a peace sign as she left the L.A. set of the upcoming reimagined Cheaper by the Dozen

Page 11: Nicole Kidman embodied Lucille Ball while shooting the new Aaron Sorkin film Being the Ricardos, Reese Witherspoon brought her dog Minnie Pearl to work while filming the next season of The Morning Show in L.A., Anya Taylor-Joy wore a black jumpsuit to film a Tiffany & Co. commercial under NYC's Manhattan Bridge, Niall Horan and British pop star Anne Marie goofed off in a vintage convertible while shooting a music video in Essex, England

Page 12: StarTracks -- Pretty Little Liars star Brant Daugherty and actress wife Kim welcomed their first child together -- a son named Wilder David, Saweetie performed at the Triller Fight Club: Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren boxing match in Atlanta, Christian Bale showed off his newly shaved head during a run on the beach in Sydney where he's filming Thor: Love and Thunder, The X-Files stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny reunited in a selfie shared on Instagram with her dog Stella who photobombed the longtime friends

Page 14: Jennifer Lawrence and her husband Cooke Maroney made a rare public appearance together to grab an early dinner in NYC, Ricky Martin performed at the Latin American Music Awards in Sunrise, Florida, Julia Roberts as the new ambassadress for luxury brand Chopard

Page 17: Scoop -- Controversy after Colton Underwood comes out

Page 18: Pete Davidson's romance with Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor

Page 19: Heart Monitor -- Ashley Benson and G-Eazy back on?, Christian Siriano and Brad Walsh divorcing, Harry Connick Jr. and Jill Goodacre happy anniversary, Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian heating up

Page 23: Scarlett Johansson on life and love in lockdown

* Baby Boom -- J Balvin and Valentina Ferrer are expecting a baby together, Tan and Rob France on the way to being parents through a surrogate

Page 25: Ken Jeong fighting the pandemic and Asian hate

* Scott Foley on his big new moves

Page 26: Open House -- Jimmy Fallon's quirky and colorful NYC penthouse

Page 29: Wedding -- Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk -- after postponing their wedding three times, the Bachelor in Paradise couple tie the knot in an intimate ceremony

Page 30: Passages, a Harry Potter star dies at 52 -- acclaimed British actress Helen McCrory, who played Narcissa Malfoy, died of cancer at her home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family, said her husband Damian Lewis

Page 31: Anguish and renewed pleas for change after a fatal traffic stop -- yet another unarmed Black man, Daunte Wright, is killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, sparking more protests nationwide

* Why I Care -- as chairman of the Motion Picture Television Fund (MPTF), award-winning producer Jeffrey Katzenberg helps raise millions to support colleagues in the entertainment industry

Page 32: Stories to make you smile -- a baby girl and her puppy double up on cuteness, a 12-year-old raises money to buy laptops for kids in need

Page 35: People Picks -- Shadow and Bone

Page 36: Home Economics, One to Watch -- Kung Fu's Olivia Liang

Page 37: Things Heard & Seen, Life in Color with David Attenborough

Page 38: The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Couples Therapy

Page 39: A Black Lady Sketch Show, Eric Church -- Heart & Soul, Q&A with Chelsea Frei

Page 41: Books

Page 42: Cover Story -- Prince William and Prince Harry united in grief -- after a difficult year apart, the brothers come together to honor their grandfather Prince Philip

Page 50: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez -- why they couldn't make it work -- after four years together, the power couple are officially split. What went wrong, and what's next for the stars

Page 52: Vanished: Help Us Find These Kids -- the families of these missing children desperately hope to find them, and authorities could be just one clue away from bringing them home

Page 59: Tom Jones -- life is more precious every day -- the music legend opens up about healing after losing his wife of 59 years to cancer, and why he never wants to slow down

Page 62: Julianna Margulies -- what I know now -- from a tumultuous childhood to fame and fortune (and crushing on George Clooney along the way), the wife, mom and Emmy winner, now out with a memoir, reflects on her lucky life

Page 66: Cindy McCain -- love, loss and life after John -- three years after John McCain's death, his widow shares the ups and downs of life at his side, and how she's finally coming into her own

Page 70: Michael B. Jordan -- I'm in a great place -- halfway into his reign, the Sexiest Man Alive is living his action-movie dream, and he's in love

Page 75: Why I'm Grateful for the Vaccine -- a double dose of destiny -- their 1955 polio vaccinations made the local news. Now they're married, and celebrating their COVID-19 vaccines

Page 77: Mother's Day Gift Guide -- celebrity moms choose perfect presents to give (and get) -- Kate Hudson

Page 78: Ayesha Curry

Page 80: Amanda Kloots

Page 83: Spring's Big Jewelry Trend -- beaded pieces are everywhere right now

Page 88: One Last Thing -- Elizabeth Perkins

[rose-lighters]

Time to rank every MCU film

Yes I am doing that oh so original thing of ranking every marvel film from worst to best. Criticisms and debates are welcome. (Disclaimer: I like all these films unless stated otherwise)

X. Incredible Hulk - I haven’t seen it. Sorry.

21. Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - I can honestly say I hated this film. The only likeable part of the whole film was the soundtrack and the first few minutes with Groot dancing. Beyond that it was dull, cringy and oh so predictable. The second that Ego (???) appeared and said he was Quill’s dad I was just like “Oh so this guy’s the villain then” and noped out of there. I never saw past that point and don’t intend to.

20. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - People praise this film till kingdom come and I for one do not get it at all. Many say that it is unique in moving away from the typical superhero film and towards the spy genre. Maybe I just don’t like spy films but it is in no means a great Marvel film. I liked it enough but it’s so forgettable I had to google the plot for this review. I liked the characters and all but it just never stuck with me as anything special.

19. Guardians Of the Galaxy -  Maybe I just don’t like the guardians??? I don’t know but this was another film that just didn’t stick with me. I like Rocket and Groot but beyond that the Guardians themselves hold no interest with me. I don’t care for the humor particularly and whilst the music is great that really shouldn’t be the best part of a film unless it’s a musical.

18. Avengers: Age of Ultron - People hate this film, I however do not. It’s an okay Marvel film, I don’t care for it enough to hate it. I like that scene where they’re all trying to lift mjolnir and I think I liked the ending (I watched it like two years ago so I don’t remember that well) but I have to agree with a lot of the criticism of white washing the Maximoffs (despite how much I love Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor Johnson, it was still shady). I didn’t hate the ‘giving Hawkeye a family’ like a lot of people did because the already made it clear he wasn’t like comic Clint.

17. Thor: The Dark World - Now we’re moving into films I do like (I love Marvel films more than I dislike them, it's literally just GOTG2 that I don’t like). This was a good film from what I can remember (as I said it's been a while since I’ve seen a lot of these films). I liked the story arcs, I liked that it was set in places other than America and space (ok, so I’m from England, sue me), I loved Tom Hiddleston in this film and I like Darcy. All in all it was an enjoyable viewing, a little dull at times but generally harmless.

16. Doctor Strange - This would be further up if it wasn’t for how dull the first half hour or so is. I had to go back and watch this months after I had first tried just because the start was so boring. Once I moved past it however it was a great origin film. I liked the humour in it and I have always had a soft spot for magic so it was a brilliant film. The effects were absolutely stunning and on aesthetics alone it would place as the second or third best marvel film. I loved the good guys and was genuinely rooting for them despite Strange being a bit of a snarky arsehole.

15. Iron Man - Is this a very important film? Yes. Is it a great film? Also yes. Do I remember it? Not at all. Okay, so I remember some stuff and what I do remember was great but to say its a film that sticks out would be a lie. It’s THE origin story in as much as it’s a formulaic one: flawed character is traumatised and realises their flaws in the process, is influenced by important person, becomes a hero and is betrayed. It works though. That’s the thing, it works so damn well that its almost not in the formula. It's a great watch and honestly RDJ looks great in it (so not the point but I digress). That bit with Stane ripping out the arc reactor made me feel betrayed and I kinda knew it was coming. ( https://tonynatashas.tumblr.com/post/184375713429/that-scene-in-iron-man-where-obadiah-stane-is this post explains why this scene is so great important)

14. Captain America: The First Avenger - Another (enjoyable) origin story. If Sebastian Stan wasn’t in it it would probably be three places down but hey I have a type. No but seriously this was a great film because not only did it show off the brilliance of Roger’s transformation and gave us an idea of who he was and what motivates him but it also then gives us details of his waking in the 21st century and begins to expose his issues with this time travel (for want of a better phrase). This film shows you what you’re gonna get whilst still having pretty good effects, a good, solid storyline and a pretty badass comic book villain. The serum guy creeps me out though and there are so many ethical issues of that level of human experimentation on a person whose only friend went off to war, had Steve died they chose someone no one would really miss which is so concerning.

13. Captain Marvel - A lot of people may have a criticism of this film being so far down but for me it needs to be. I like superhero films where the main character overcomes a flaw and amnesia is not a character flaw. This is a good origin story but it is not a great marvel film. I like Carol but I don’t love her. I love the fact that we have a superhero film with a female main character and i liked that scene where she talks with biker guy but it felt like Samuel L Jackson was a more interesting character at times. I often rate characters on humor so there’s that. It was a good film but I’m mostly looking forward to what will be done with the character as she has so much potential. 

12. Spiderman: Homecoming - This is a weird one for me. It’s the only marvel film I own on DVD and it’s the only one I like where I skip scenes. I can not deal with cringy humour so I skip 80% of the jokes and awkward moments in this film however it’s a really good film. It’s funny and the music is great, I love Zendaya and Jacob Batalon probably more than Tom Holland, their roles are great and the film’s emphasis on friendship is one of the elements from the Iron Man and Captain America films that I love just further amplified. The references to Ferris Bueller and the fact that it is, at its core, a teen flick makes it a brilliant film. The vulture twist was also amazing. 

11. Ant-man and the Wasp - I feel like it isn’t talked about enough but I really bloody love Scott Lang. He is one superhero that I can really get behind because above all else he is just the nicest guy. He is probably one of the most human seeming characters in the MCU and it always makes for such an enjoyable viewing. This could probably draw with ant-man in terms of great films. I loved Ava Starr so much and my heart really went out to her and that FBI guy was a total joy to watch. The Ant man films are so funny and light hearted that they don’t have that sort of weariness that other MCU films have. If only Luis told more stories in the MCU.

10. Ant-man - Honestly just look above. Also I love Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne so much. The villain was kind of eh but I loved the heist aspect.

9. Black Panther - I watched this film for Shuri and to an extent because I felt obligated to so I had low expectations. People were talking about it for the significance of fighting for equality (which I am all for, don’t worry) so I was expecting it to not live up to the hype and it didn’t. That being said it was a bloody great movie. The movie was beautiful, the use of colour and the CGI tech was so damn pretty. The plot was brilliant and for a while I wanted Erik Killmonger to win, he put forward a good argument and I like a ‘baddy’ so to speak. The fights were great and I was so here for their version of going under cover finally not being a hoodie and cap. Was it over hyped? Hell yeah. Was it still a great film? 100%

8. Iron Man 3 - This gets a hell of a load more crap than it deserves, mostly from comic book fans who can’t stand that their precious mandarin was a hoax but honestly I respect the fuck out of marvel for that. Rather than having a stereotypically asian terrorist they turned that stereotype on its head and made the white guy the actual terrorist. Ben Kingsley is one of my favourite actors and he was amazing. I, obviously, also loved the representation of PTSD as a serious issue and how it was displayed in all of its real ugliness. For once it didn’t just show a damaged person who was fixed with romance. So yeah, this film was a masterpiece.

7. Captain America: Civil War - Zemo may just be my favourite MCU villain to date, why? Because he fucking won. This was a film about a man who knew his victims and rather than stupidly trying to attack the big scary strong guys he exposed them and made the best of circumstance. He got under Captain America’s skin and played him like a puppet. This was more than just a villain, this was finally a smart villain. Not to mention that this film had some of the best action sequences and heart breaking moments whilst still having time for a laugh. It’s also the first film (in my opinion) that called out Steve’s morals and his obsession with the past. Bucky was hot used against him and it showed that above all else, even the little people, Steve’s loyalties are with his past.

6. Thor - Most people would disagree and rate this film far lower however for me this was the start. I didn’t grow up watching superhero films because I didn’t like watching TV as a kid so it wasn’t till I was 13 that I saw a superhero film and this was it. I honestly watched it because my friend had it on DVD and I thought Tom Hiddleston looked hot but from what I can remember this was one of the best films I ever saw. I wasn’t too bothered by Jane Foster but I absolutely loved Darcy, Loki and Thor. Whilst I’m not adopted I do know what it is like to be the younger and smarter sibling with an older thuggish brother who is still the favourite so I loved Loki with a passion and was so upset when he fell.

5. Iron Man 2 - This was the film that made me realise that I liked girls, Scarlet Johansson in a black cat suit and red ringlets was an amazing thing to little 13 year old me. Beyond that it was just a solid film, it had spies and daddy issues and sass and Samuel L Jackson. What more can you want?

4. Thor: Ragnarok - This is the peak of Thor, I’m calling it now. Never had a director before been able to capture the absolute chaos of Loki and the sweetheart-ness of Thor so brilliantly. As far as representations of characters this, Captain Marvel and Iron Man 3 may just be the best of all the MCU. This is the full completion of Thor’s arc, this is the film that the first Thor set up. Finally Thor is ready to be King. This film had so much humour but still set it all up so perfectly that it was more than just a comedy. Jeff Goldblum was amazing and honestly Taika Waititi should direct the whole of the MCU. He knows the characters better than anybody.

3. Avengers: Endgame - I cried three times. That scene with the portals was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed and whilst many criticize much of the plot I don’t have too much I’d change, though in fairness I did like the cursed child so maybe I just have a soft spot for all things time travel. Dynamic timelines are not used in cinema enough and the three alternate timelines create have all sorts of implications for future films in the MCU. If Thor is not fat in the next film this may go down to 20th though.

2. Avengers Assemble - This is the film that I believe best represents what the MCU has to offer. It’s a light hearted superhero film with all the characters that were needed at this point in time. For its time it was ambitious and honestly it shows. I loved the dynamics between the characters, the plot was engaging and not overly complex and even if you haven’t seen any other MCU films it makes perfect sense. In some respects it probably is the best the MCU has to offer.

1. Avengers: Infinity War - Oh boy do I love this film. This isn’t just a film, this is the film. Did it have the same emotional impact as Endgame? Fuck no but it didn’t need to. It was serious. It was funny. It had just the right amount of just the right characters and may I just say that is the best that Captain America has ever looked in the MCU. I (controversially) really loved Gamora dying and most of the Guardians being dusted. The memes were great.This was the most ambitious cross over event since Wizards of deck with Hannah Montana. One thing that I can’t get out of my head though is Bruce’s comment of “broke up like the beatles?”. Does that make Bucky Yoko Ono?

[poormansspoiler]

We have your full rundown of everything Marvel revealed at Comic Con this year, including some details you may have missed!

The biggest event of this year’s San Diego Comic Con was the Marvel Studios Panel which took place last Saturday. Hosted by Jessica Chobot and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the panel revealed dates and titles for 11 upcoming films and TV shows. The panel began with Feige introducing some of the production team for Marvel, who were all brought on stage and celebrated for their hard work. Feige then announced that within the next few days Avengers: Endgame will surpass Avatar as the highest grossing film worldwide. After that it was time to announce the upcoming projects.

Image via Marvel Studios

The first project up was Eternals. Feige described it as something they hadn’t done before with the MCU, a group of immortals who have lived on earth for 35 thousand years. He stated the film would be full Jack Kirby before introducing director Chloé Zhao (The Rider). She said her draw beyond wanting to make a Marvel film was the idea of exploring what it means to be a human through the eyes of the Eternals. They then brought out the cast. Richard Madden (Rocketman) will portray Ikaris, Kumail Nanjani (Stuber) will portray Kingo, Lauren Ridloff (The Walking Dead) will portray Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) will portray Phastos, Salma Hayek (Frida) will portray Ajak, Lia McHugh (The Lodge) will portray Sprite, Don Lee (Paboos) will portray Gilgamesh, and finally Angelina Jolie (Maleficent) will portray Thena.

Richard Madden explained that the Eternals are a race of immortal aliens sent to earth by the celestials to protect humankind from the deviants. Lauren Ridloff stated she’s honored to play the first deaf hero in the MCU. Kumail Nanjani stated this was his first time getting into Hall H after eight comic cons, before commenting on the fact that Marvel films are a throwback to older films that had a bit of everything and weren’t just one genre. Brian Tyree Henry was asked how it felt to play a character who is known for his intelligence, that most of the geniuses in the MCU move from their hearts and he thinks Phastos does the same thing. Salma Hayek stated that she approaches leadership (as the Eternals leader) as a family thing. Since the Eternals aren’t supposed to have children, they are each others family. Angelina Jolie said she’s going to work ten times harder than she has on any other action film. Lia McHugh said the whole experience doesn’t feel real as she’s grown up watching these Marvel movies. Don Lee (aka Dong-seok Ma) stated he was excited to show the power of Gilgamesh and that he would win in a fight with the Hulk.

Image via Marvel Studios

The next project up was The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Feige stated that the series will premiere on Disney+ in the fall of 2020, and will show what Falcon and Winter Soldier are up to post Endgame. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan then came on stage, with Mackie carrying the Captain America shield. They joked about wanting to understand each others’ characters more, and Mackie stated that this is the best job in the world. Feige then led into a video that revealed that Daniel Brühl would be returning as Baron Zemo within the series.

Brühl released the above images of his character from the series earlier this week.

Image via Marvel Studios

Feige then introduced the first film of 2021, Shang-Chi and the Legend of The 10 Rings on February 12th 2021. He went on to detail how the Ten Rings have been around since Iron Man, having kidnapped Tony for Obediah Stane. A video played as he explained their continued influence through helping Whiplash in Iron Man 2, the Mandarin imposter in Iron Man 3, the Ten Rings member in Ant-Man, and finally the Ten Rings coming for the Mandarin imposter in the short film All Hail the King. He stated that the real Mandarin is in this film and Tony Leung (Europe Raiders) is portraying him. Feige revealed that Awkwafina (The Farewell) is in the film as well before introducing director Destin Cretton (Short Term 12).

Cretton came on stage and said that he grew up on such island with a population that was roughly the same size as the amount of people in Hall H, so this experience is a little crazy. He then explained that it’s really special to him that he gets to be part of making the MCU more diverse. Cretton also stated that it’s been amazing to see how much planning has gone into bringing the MCU to this point with the Ten Rings. He went on to say they went through an in depth search to find the right actor to portray Shang-Chi before bringing out Simu Liu. Liu said he screen tested on Sunday and was cast on Tuesday and this whole experience was the craziest dream. He explained that his parents immigrated to Canada from China 25 years ago with the hope of making a good life for their family, and he’s happy he’s not a doctor.

Image via Marvel Studios

Feige then announced that the Disney+ series WandaVision would debut in the spring of 2021 before bringing out Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany. Olsen explained that we will see what makes Wanda Maximoff the Scarlet Witch. Bettany joked that he had no idea how Vision is in the show, but said that as they keep doing Marvel projects the stories get richer, and this is the best yet. Feige then confirmed it take place after Endgame, and that some other MCU characters we know will be in the series before announcing that Teyonah Parris (Point Blank) will portray a grown up version of Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel. Parris came on stage and said that this is a dream come true, not only to be part of the MCU but to portray Monica.

Image via Marvel Studios

Next up Feige introduced the Disney+ series Loki, which will premiere in the spring of 2021. He explained that the series explores where Loki disappeared to after taking the Tesseract in Endgame. Tom Hiddleston then came on stage to the crowd cheering “Loki, Loki, Loki!” Hiddleston explained that this version of the character is the 2012 Loki who had just been “Hulk Smashed” and that there’s “a lot of psychological evolution” that has yet to happen. He stated that Feige has major plans that he’s incredibly excited to be part of.

Image via Marvel Studios

The next project reveal was Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, set for release on May 7th 2021. Feige introduced director Scott Derrickson. Derrickson stated that he loves that Doctor Strange fights villains from different planets and Universes and that we’ll see that in this film. He said he signed on for the sequel because they’re going into the gothic and horror elements, and that it will be the MCU’s first horror film. They then brought out Benedict Cumberbatch, the entire Hall sang happy birthday to him, as Friday was his birthday. He then stated that he was excited to play into the horror elements and that the story sees things trying to destroy the good Doctor. Feige then revealed that Scarlet Witch would be in the film and brought out Elizabeth Olsen once more. He then stated that WandaVision would lead into the Doctor Strange sequel. Olsen said that she’s excited to help bridge the world of the TV side and the Film side of the MCU.

Image via Marvel Studios

Feige then revealed the first Animated project for the MCU, set for summer of 2021, the Disney+ series What If? Feige confirmed that the majority of the MCU cast members are reprising their roles in the series, before revealing that Jeffrey Wright will voice The Watcher. Wright was then brought on stage where he said he’s excited to be part of the MCU, and joked that his son will now respond to his texts. He compared the MCU to modern myth making, and explained that the Watcher is a being that watches over the entire multiverse and occasionally intervenes. He commented on the fact that the Watcher appeared first in Fantastic Four on the moon, and that they could take this character anywhere.

Image via Marvel Studios

Feige stated that they hadn’t talked about any of the original Avengers before bringing up Jeremy Renner from the audience. They revealed a small video introducing the Disney+ Hawkeye series which is set for release in the fall of 2021, which included images of Kate Bishop who Renner stated was “the best version of Hawkeye.” Renner then explained that he gets to shepherd in an amazing character and teach Kate Bishop how to be a “superhero without superpowers.” As Renner left the stage Feige confirmed that the show will explore more of Clint Barton’s time as Ronin, presumably diving into the five year gap that happens during Endgame.

Image via Marvel Studios

Next up Feige revealed the third film of 2021, set for release on November 5th 2021 would be Thor: Love and Thunder. Feige then brought out director Taika Waititi and stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Waititi said that “there’s nothing more powerful in the world than love,” to which Hemsworth continued “and Thunder.” Hemsworth confirmed that they haven’t read the script yet. Thompson then stated that the first thing Valkyrie needed to do as King of Asgard is to find her Queen. Then to find refuge for anyone who needs it. Waititi then said that he read the Mighty Thor storyline while filming Ragnarok, and he fell in love with it. He then brought out Natalie Portman, who will be returning to portray Jane Foster as the female Thor. Waititi then handed Portman Mojlnir, who said it felt good to wield the Hammer.

Image via Marvel Studios

Kevin Feige then revealed the next film set for release, May 1st 2020, Black Widow. He then introduced Director Cate Shortland and cast members David Harbour (Stranger Things) who will portray Alexi, Florence Pugh who will portray Yolena Belova, O-T Fagbenle is portraying Mason, Rachel Weisz is portraying Malena, and finally Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow.

Shortland said she was drawn to the fact that Natasha has so many secrets, and this story sees her put the pieces of her self together to come out as a whole person. Johansson stated she couldn’t have played this version of Natasha 10 years ago, and she loves getting to play her as a fully realized person. She also is looking forward to showing the flawed side of her, and “wiping out the red from her ledger.” Harbour was asked if he was excited to expand his fanbase in the MCU, and joked that it’s the worst question ever because of course he was excited. Harbour was wearing a Captain America shirt and when asked about Cap he said in a Russian accent that he “[had] complicated feelings about this man.” Pugh said that her character is a sister figure to Natasha. Fagbenle’s character is a contact from Natasha’s past, he’s a fixer but there’s a bit of a romantic undercurrent. Weisz stated that she was excited to join the mythology of the MCU and loves being part of a story with a female character at the forefront. Scarlett stated they had only been shooting for 30 days before leading into footage for the film.

After the Black Widow footage, they brought everyone back out onto the stage and took a photo of the entire group. Feige then confirmed that they’re making Black Panther 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Captain Marvel 2, and Fantastic Four before teasing that they didn’t even have time to talk about Mutants. He then said that all of that had been rumored but one thing hadn’t been rumored, and introduced Mahershala Ali to the stage. Feige commented that Ali brought his own hat with him, and he placed it on his head to reveal a Blade logo, officially confirming that he would be playing the character in a film for the MCU.

With that the panel concluded. There’s a lot to take in and plenty more news in store concerning each of these projects. Be sure to keep following Poor Man’s Spoiler for updates on every Marvel film and TV series, and our continuing SDCC 2019 coverage.

Image via Marvel Studios

Written by Alex Lancaster (Alex is a life long film fan, and has dedicated his life to watching, making and obsessing over films. His favorite film is Big Fish, and he despises Avatar. He has a 5 year old son. And a bad habit of saying more than he needs to. Follow @alex5348 on Twitter)

Marvel revealed a lot more than just Film titles at this year's SDCC. Check out everything they dropped, including some details that didn't make the headlines. We have your full rundown of everything Marvel revealed at Comic Con this year, including some details you may have missed!

[creepykingdom]

Chicago's Cinepocalypse Film Fest Announces Explosive 2019 Line-Up

Chicago’s premiere festival for electrifying and provocative genre cinema, returns to the Music Box Theatre June 13th for eight days of features, shorts, events and surprises, including eight fantastic break-out world premieres!

We’re proud to announce our new presenting sponsor for the third edition of the festival: ALTER, a horror brand from Gunpowder & Sky that curates, develops and distributes award-winning short films, series, and feature films.

Verotika

DIRECTORIAL DEBUT FROM PUNK/METAL LEGEND GLENN DANZIG OPENS FEST WITH HEAVY HORROR ANTHOLOGY VEROTIKA

CFF 2019 couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to VEROTIKA, the directorial debut from Misfits founder and punk/metal legend Glenn Danzig. Glenn’s passion for film, the occult, and all things ghouls ‘n ghosts has long influenced his music, and now he’s taking these elements to the big screen. Featuring a plot shrouded in secrecy, a soundtrack of new Danzig music, and based on the output of his comic book publishing company Verotik—a compound of “violence” and “erotic”—this feature film anthology is a realization of his lifelong love of comics and the dark arts. We’ll melt your face off with the world premiere of VEROTIKA on opening night, with Glenn in attendance.

ICONIC GENRE ACTOR MICHAEL IRONSIDE HONORED WITH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, IN ATTENDANCE FOR 70MM SCREENING OF TOTAL RECALL

The festival will present its annual achievement award to none other than the esteemed Canadian actor Michael Ironside, who’s been a staple in the world of genre cinema for the past three decades. Ironside will accept his award following a special 70mm screening of the sci-fi action film TOTAL RECALL.

Culture Shock

CINEPOCALYPSE SPOTLIGHTS THE BADASS WOMEN OF HORROR WITH GIGI SAUL GUERRERO’S CULTURE SHOCK; CHELSEA STARDUST’S HOTLY ANTICIPATED SATANIC PANIC; THE WORLD PREMIERE OF CARYN WAECHTER’S SOCIAL MEDIA NIGHTMARE DEADCON; VERONIKA FRANZ’S PSYCHOLOGICAL SLOW-BURN THE LODGE AND POLLYANNA MCINTOSH’S DELIRIOUS DEBUT DARLIN’

Cinepocalypse is rolling out the blood-red carpet for some of the most exciting voices in horror filmmaking of this age. We’re thrilled to host a special screening of CULTURE SHOCK, directed by Gigi Saul Guerrer, one of Variety’s 10 Latinxs to Watch. Her contribution to Hulu and Blumhouse’s popular Into The Dark series follows a young Mexican woman as her pursuit for the American Dream turns into the American Nightmare.

Minimum wage jobs are bad enough but a pizza delivery goes devilishly wrong in Chelsea Stardust hotly anticipated AFTER HOURS-esque dark comedy SATANIC PANIC. Produced by the production wing of Fangoria, who will also be releasing a special mini-edition of the magazine for CFF.

Satanic Panic

Caryn Waecther tackles isolation in the age of social media with her haunting sophomore feature DEADCON, following real-life YouTubers Lauren Elizabeth and Claudia Sulewski up against vengeful ghosts even more horrifying than their devoted fans.

Dark pasts come calling back in Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala’s Sundance hit THE LODGE as the fate of a young woman and her new, grudging step-children unravel in this star-studded psychological slowburn featuring Riley Keough, Jaeden Lieberher, Alicia Silverstone, Richard Armitage and Lia McHugh.

Pollyanna McIntosh, best known for her role on AMC’s The Walking Dead, moves into the director seat for DARLIN’, a follow-up to Lucky McKee’s 2011 film THE WOMAN, while also reprising her starring role in the debut that charged SXSW’s Midnight Madness earlier this year.

DELICIOUSLY DELINQUENT SPOTLIGHT ON GWAR WITH SPECIAL RETROSPECTIVE AND LIVE BUTCHERING OF CULT CLASSIC ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE

Cinepocalypse salutes the patron saints of debauchery with a two-tier punch of totally original and unparalleled cinematic chaos, with GWAR members in attendance. First with a special retrospective screening event showcasing a number of their most extravagant short films, including the Grammy-nominated PHALLUS IN WONDERLAND (for the first time on the big screen!). BälSäc and Sleazy P. take the stage to verbally skewer John Fasano’s 1987 Canadian cult classic ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE, starring (and written by) fellow rock god Thor!

Tammy And The T-Rex

LONG LOST FILMS ARE UNEARTHED WITH THE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN, GORE-CUT OF TAMMY AND THE T-REX, STARRING DENISE RICHARDS, AND EXTENDED VERSION OF OUTRAGEOUS HOT DOG… THE MOVIE

Don’t let anyone tell you that lost treasure doesn’t exist, because CFF is beyond thrilled to present two world premieres more precious than the Holy Grail. A love story like no other (from the director of MAC AND ME, no less!), TAMMY AND THE T-REX is a ’90s Disney Channel movie on bath salts, starring Denise Richards as the titular T-Rex love interest. Thanks to the Academy Film Archive we’re able to screen the never-before-seen, never-known-to-exist, R-rated ‘Gore-cut’ 35mm print for the first time ever!

Get ready to return to the sexy slopes of HOT DOG… THE MOVIE for the 35th Anniversary Producer’s Cut 4K Restoration of the David Naughton- (AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON) and Shannon Tweed- (post-Playmate of the Year and pre-Gene Simmons) starring winter wonderland, PORKY’S-esque youth comedy, now with never-before-seen restored footage. The special screening will be hosted by Synapse Films Don May Jr., the A.V. Club’s Katie Rife and Mike “McBeardo” McPadden, author of Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible of Coming-of-Age Films From Animal House to Zapped!

CFF 2019 TEAMS UP WITH ORION TO PRESENT ‘RATED R’CHILD’S PLAY-INSPIRED SPEAKEASY DESIGNED BY GENRE-JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES GRAHAM SKIPPER, PARTNERS WITH CREEP RECORDS FOR VINYL RELEASE OF THE RANGER SOUNDTRACK!

CFF is pleased to announce two new dynamic offerings during our third edition that’ll take you beyond the screen. Visit Rated R, our CHILD’S PLAY-themed speakeasy at the Music Box, sponsored by Orion Pictures and designed by director/actor/performer Graham Skipper and live-entertainment creators Meyer2Meyer Entertainment. Rated R will feature themed drinks, spooky arcade games, horror movies, DJs, monsters lurking in the shadows, and more!

Bring the festival home with a copy of the limited edition vinyl soundtrack for Jenn Wexler’s punk-rock horror THE RANGER, part of our 2018 slate and available soon on Shudder. Released by Cinepocalypse and Creep Records, the album includes tracks from artists such as FANG, The Avengers, The Grim, and Dayglo Abortions.

ILLUSTRIOUS FILMMAKER JOEL SCHUMACHER HOSTS RETRO SCREENINGS OF CULT-CANNON FALLING DOWN ON 35MM AND FLATLINERS ON 70MM

Joel Schumacher, revered director of THE LOST BOYS, BATMAN FOREVER and ST. ELMO’S FIRE (to name a few!) joins the festival as Jury President and to present and take part in Q&As for special screenings of FALLING DOWN on 35mm and a rare 70mm print of FLATLINERS, originally filmed in Chicago.

Why Don’t You Just Die

AN AMBUSH OF ELECTRIC, EXCITING WORLD PREMIERES!

Continuing to set the bar for exciting new genre cinema, CFF brings even more world premieres to the Music Box. We’re not joking around when we say you’ve never seen anything like Eric Power’s ATTACK OF THE DEMONS. Three friends fight off a horde of demons in the apocalyptic film that more than delivers in carnage, gore, and cut-paper animation. Holly’s perfect-on-paper life is threatened by strange dreams she can’t explain in Dean Kapsalis’ THE SWERVE. Both a stellar portrait of depression and a horrific drama, Dean’s feature-debut easily marks him as an emerging talent to watch.

Indie horror vet Lucky McKee (MAY, THE WOMAN) returns with KINDRED SPIRITS, a twisted tale of two sisters, and the one who won’t let anything, or anyone, get between them. Eric Liberacki’s Chicago-set slasher THE LURKER pits theatre students against savage killer in a film that gives new meaning to “The show must go on!”

The festival will also play host to a number of exciting North American and Midwest premieres. Talal Selhami’s Morrocan monster horror ACHOURA, where old friends confront both their past and a beast of legends. Emilio Portes’ demonic border-set BELZEBUTH follows the investigation of missing children that takes a decidedly demonic turn. YouTubers try to crack a ghostly urban legend in Fabrício Bittar’s horror-comedy GHOST KILLERS VS. BLOODY MARY with equal amounts gags and gore. The Polish pagan epic THE MUTE, from award-winning Polish director Bartosz Konopka, explores a clash of beliefs in a thrilling, atmospheric heavy weight. Daniel de la Vega offers up a throwback to the days of black-and-white Noir films with the bewildering crime thriller PUNTA MUERTO.

Celebrated horror director Joe Begos brings us BLISS his latest pounding feature, that’ll drag you to the deprived underbelly of L.A. with the spiraling artist Dezzy Donahue, whose struggle for inspiration becomes complicated by her mounting bloodlust. Based on a tragic, true story Lucas Heyne’s MOPE follows two best friends, and low-end porn actors, who sought fame but gained infamy in connection to a gruesome, on-set murder. The tables are turned on two wannabe criminals in VILLAINS, from directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and starring Bill Skarsgård, when thievery runs a foul and the prowlers soon become the prey. Kirill Sokolov delivers a taste of bombastic revenge in WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE, a delicious serving of Russian dark humour as each character tries to murderously wreak revenge on the next, presented by our friends from across the globe, Paris’ L'Étrange Festival.

Cinepocalypse is thrilled to be supported by the following sponsors: ALTER, Orion, Bloody-Disgusting.com, Shudder, Fangoria, & Vinegar Syndrome.

This year’s poster was designed by visionary heavy metal artist Paul Romano, whose work can be found on hundreds of album covers and frequently collaborates with famed force of musical destruction Mastodon.

Festival badges are available now, and individual tickets go on sale Friday at noon CT at cinepocalypsegenrefest.com

[hottytoddynews]

These Dog-Days of summer are a good time to hit the cineplexes. Milk Duds, Goobers, a tub of “buttery” popcorn, and a bottomless iced cold drink, a chaise lounge experience in posh [anti-bedbug] leather seats, and A/C. What more can you ask for? And, unlike most summer Augusts, there’s much to shout about at cineplexes.

The days are long, and some of the best films are short. The studios aren’t waiting for late October roll-out of prestige films. They’re putting them out weekend after weekend – often with three/four openings on a Friday. Some making a big impact at box offices are indies. There’s comedy, drama, romance, murder, Superhero thrills, war-zone chaos, one determined dude on a snowmobile, and a new action goddess. Oscar-nominee Taylor Sheridan (Deputy Chief David Hale, TVs Sons of Anarchy; Danny Boyd, Veronica Mars) of Hell or High Water fame has sneaked in with the season’s sleeper, crime thriller Wind River, which he wrote. Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner is letter perfect as rough and tumble game tracker of mountain lions and coyotes who prey on livestock on a remote Utah Native American reservation. He’s also no slouch on snowmobiles! Already in the stark winter of their discontent, the poor natives are devastated by a second murder of a young woman, found viciously beaten and raped multiple times. This is not savory going — especially when Renner is called upon to assist urban (Las Vegas via Ft. Lauderdale) FBI Agent Elizabeth Olsen (Captain America: Civil War’s Scarlett Witch). We’ve seen directors handle flashbacks many ways, but Sheridan, no slack when it comes to inventiveness, introduces a new and seamless approach. The estimable Oscar nominee Graham Greene is featured as the girl’s father. In a brief but memorable seduction scene, HOHW’s Gil Birmingham – showing different sides of himself, will have a lot of audience members swooning.

In the U.S., a child goes missing every 40 seconds. You never think it’ll happen to you. Until it does. In Kidnap (Aviron/Di Bonaventura Pictures), when mom, Oscar winner Halle Berry, returning to the big screen after three years, catches a glimpse of the abductors speeding away, she begins a high-speed pursuit across Louisiana highways, byways, and bayous, overcoming obstacle after obstacle. The nappers messed with the wrong mom! TV veteran, 10-year-old Sage Correa delivers a masterful performance during the marathon chase that had to be shot with great care. Pay no attention to the red herons, as they don’t deliver pay dirt. The only delivering is done by indefatigable Halle Berry. The ending is powerful, but, on second thought, it would’ve been interesting to have another motive behind the kidnap other than the crackers out for ransom, that include long-time character actress Chris McGinn – move over (Misery’s) Kathy Bates!

There’s another Man in Black and, alas, he’s not Johnny Cash. The mind of Stephen King has no limits when it comes pulp fiction, but his works have proved to be a mixed bag when brought to the screen. Nikolaj Arcel’s brave attempt to adapt his seven novels and a short story published over 30 years [with homages to Robert Browning, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Sergio Leone] in Dark Tower (Columbia Pictures) falls into that category. It’s a box office champ, but no critics’ darling. However, who needs critics? Idris Elba is the last gunfighter in an alternate land out to keep the world from colliding; and Matthew McConaughey is evil incarnate as the Man in Black, with whom he’s locked in eternal battle.

Oscar winning director/and co-producer Kathryn Bigelow proved her mettle with Best Picture The Hurt Locker, and followed with a Best Picture nomination for Zero Dark Thirty. She and ZDT collaborator Mark Boal know a thing or two about war zones. This one is stateside, 1967 Detroit (Annapurna Pictures/M-G-M), where a police raid and a number of murders set off a literal African-American rebellion that set off a night of turbulence that segued into one of the nation’s largest race riots. The film is docudrama realistic, raw, disturbing, engrossing, brutal. A writer aptly summed it up: “The degree of terror and carnage is so strong that ‘based on a true story’ is too tame to do the film justice.” Not for the faint of heart, and in these Dog-Days of summer, certainly not a date movie. There are lessons that should have been learned and weren’t. John Boyega, John Krasinski, Jacob Latimore, Anthony Mackie, Will Poulter, and Algee Smith headline a huge cast.

Director Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk (Warner Bros.), a sweeping 70-mm IMAX epic [with the help of CGI] restaging of the 1940 evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied troops [French, British, Belgian, Dutch] in fast retreat from the Western Front at Dunkerque, France. Penned in by the Germans, they’re stranded due to a lack of transport. Fionn Whitehead, in a near silent role, delivers a shattering performance. There’s also Sir Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, and, in his acting debut, Harry Styles. Except for Branagh, you may find it hard to spot the others. Olivier, BAFTA, Oscar, and Tony winner Mark Rylance gives a solid performance helming his boat, which joins the civilian watercraft armada aiding the rescue. Though you never see blood, the gore as Germans strafe and use their U-boats in unconscionable torpedo attacks is harrowing– but something’s missing. At 1:45, they’re no humanizing back stories to motivate audiences to care instead of just being blown away. The Dunkirk headlines were instrumental in getting FDR to aid the U.K. to avoid a conditional surrender to Germany.

How does a sweet gal with the name Lorraine become a bad-ass spy? In Atomic Blonde (Focus Features), adapted by Kurt Johnstad from Anthony Johnston’s graphic novel series The Coldest City, illustrated by Sam Hart, Charlize Theron is an agent sent to walled Berlin to retrieve a list of spies destined to fall into the hands of Russia for Britain’s MI6 military intelligence group. It seems like a set-up because she’s a marked woman upon arrival; but like Berry in Kidnap, Lorraine isn’t to be messed with. With almost 90% of the 115 minutes so bloated with mortal combat, karate chops, all manner of guns, and objects for body blows, it begins to get monotonous, sometimes ridiculous, and lacks a core.  The story gets muddled with the intro of a lesbian [it appears] French spy, played by Sofia Boutella – but it also gets rather steamy. Numerous flashbacks don’t help the film’s coherence. That said, Theron is, indeed atomic as a spy who doesn’t know when to come in from the cold. Kudos to director and veteran stunt coordinator David Leitch (John Wick), fight coordinator Jon Valera, and crew. Without their precision choreography, bloodied, bruised Theron and cast mates wouldn’t have come out of this alive. James McAvoy co-stars. John Goodman and Toby Jones are featured.

 There’s nothing sanitized about the raucous, crass R-rated comedy about female friends bonding, nonetheless is non-stop hilarious [and probably would be just as hilarious with less F-bomb raunch and sexual innuendos and more creative expletives], Girls Trip (Universal), made for $20-mill, rolled in out of the blue and has swept up $86-mill. In addition to stellar performances by Regina Hall and tiny dynamo Jada Pinkett Smith, brilliant comic Tiffany “Shake it ‘til it brakes” Haddish, better known to TV audiences, has had the big-screen break-out role of the year; and the gals have found a new crush in former Off Broadway actor and now hunk Mike “The Arm” Colter (who’s been gym-pumping since his Good Wife Lemond Bishop days).

It’s been a good summer for superheroes. In Spider-Man: Homecoming (Columbia Pictures/Marvel Studios), director Jon Watts does a high dive, forgets the past, and begins anew. Tom Holland (Lost City of Z) soars to new heights in the third reboot of the webby franchise by not taking himself seriously and being adept at slapstick. He’s superbly abetted by Oscar winner Michael Keaton’s intense menace– some of the film’s best moments are when Fresh-faced kid v Grizzled villain, and guest star Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Peter Parker wasn’t alone waking up to the full potential of power. In Wonder Woman [Warner Bros.] Gal Gadot (a prime asset of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) spectacularly segues with gusto from princess of the Amazons to discover her true destiny as guardian of the world. With global grosses in the multimillions, it’s no wonder sequels are in the pipeline.

Ellis Nassour is an Ole Miss alum and noted arts journalist and author who recently donated an ever-growing exhibition of performing arts history to the University of Mississippi. He is the author of the best-selling Patsy Cline biography, Honky Tonk Angel, as well as the hit musical revue, Always, Patsy Cline. He can be reached at ENassour@aol.com. 

The post Hot Movies for Summer’s Dog-Days appeared first on HottyToddy.com.