A Timeline For The Conjuring Universe

A Timeline For The Conjuring Universe

We’ve seen many film franchises try to launch cinematic universes in the last decade, but few have been as immensely successful as what has been built with The Conjuring Universe. The ball started rolling in 2013 with the massively successful James Wan film that gave the brand its name, and while there weren’t really initial ambitions to create something bigger, everything changed when John Leonetti’s Annabelle turned into a $250 million global hit one year later. Since then the spooky world has grown and grown, and by the end of 2019 it will have seven titles in canon.

With all that growth can come a little confusion, however, as each new release is set in a different time period and has specific connections to previous stories. It’s in aim of eliminating that confusion that we’ve built this feature. In hopes of helping fans fully grasp the breadth of The Conjuring Universe, we’ve put together this timeline to both linearly illustrate the events we’ve seen so far, and show how the titles link to one another. So without further ado, let’s start at the start by taking a step back in time to the 1950s…

The Nun

Setting: 1952

While there are scenes in other Conjuring Universe titles that take place before it, Corin Hardy’s The Nun is featured first on the timeline because the primary events in the story take place before all of the other narratives in the franchise – specifically taking us back to the year 1952. It was at this time that Father Burke (Demian Bichir) and Sister Irene (Tessa Farmiga) were sent by the Vatican to Romania in hopes of uncovering the details behind the mysterious suicide of a nun. Unfortunately for them, it led to a direct confrontation with the demon known as Valek (Bonnie Aarons), and while they were ultimately able to escape with their lives, the events also saw the horrifically evil entity let loose on the world.

Being set so early on the timeline and taking place in Eastern Europe, The Nun isn’t as directly tied into the events of The Conjuring Universe as many of the other movies, but it does feature some key details. Not only does it show us the origins of the main villain from The Conjuring 2, but it also provides an interesting link to one of the Warrens’ most dangerous cases, as seen in The Conjuring.

Annabelle: Creation

Setting: 1955

As the name of the film implies, David F. Sandberg’s Annabelle: Creation is designed as an origin story for its titular character, literally showing how the seriously creepy porcelain toy came into existence. Technically it all kicks off in 1943, as that was when doll maker Samuel Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) first designed Annabelle for his daughter (Samara Lee), but the majority of the story takes place in 1955 – which is when Samuel and his wife Esther (Miranda Otto) agreed to take in the children from a shuttered orphanage, as well as their caretaker Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman). It was at this time that the doll not only started to get stronger, but also took its first victims.

This is obviously a table-setter for all of Annabelle’s adventures in The Conjuring Universe so far, showing how she first became possessed and the initial efforts that were taken to contain her power. And while those efforts were successful for a while, it took about 12 years for her special brand of chaos to be one again unleashed upon the world…

Annabelle

Setting: 1967

Despite Annabelle’s very small role in The Conjuring, audiences quickly fell in love with her, and Warner Bros. acted quickly to take advantage of that affection. But with the movie having already established how she ended up in the possession of Ed and Loraine Warren, the first Annabelle spin-off had to find a different story to tell, which is why it wound up being set in 1967. Inspired by the cult murders of the era – specifically the actions of the Manson family – it tells a rather self-contained tale about the terrors that the titular doll can induce, specifically torturing a couple of new parents (Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton) who wind up with her in their possession.

Despite being the first of its own series, John Leonetti’s Annabelle is arguably best seen as a middle chapter sandwiched between Annabelle: Creation and Annabelle Comes Home. Its connections to the rest of the Conjuring Universe are minimal, but it does fill a key gap in the timeline between Annabelle’s “birth” and her time in the hands of the Warrens.

Annabelle Comes Home

Setting: 1970

Although Gary Dauberman’s Annabelle Comes Home hasn’t actually been released or even screened just yet, we know a lot about the movie’s setting simply because the central premise is very much tied into where it takes place on The Conjuring Universe timeline. Specifically, the story is told on the night that Ed and Loraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) bring the titular doll back to their house so that it can be contained in their occult museum. With what we already know about the Warrens relationship with Annabelle, this pins it right before the main events of The Conjuring, hence its placement here in this feature.

Taking things a step further, it’s even easier to specifically place Annabelle Comes Home because it’s apparently a story that doesn’t exactly stretch out for weeks/months on end. Instead, the action will be taking place over the course of one night, as young Judy Warren (Mckenna Grace), her babysitter (Madison Iseman), and her babysitter’s friend (Katie Sarife) try and survive the terror that Annabelle is able to unleash while being surrounded by the Warrens’ huge collection of terrifying objects.

The Conjuring

Setting: 1971

Finally we get to the film that started it all – and it’s a pretty easy one to explain timeline-wise. James Wan’s The Conjuring is a straight-forward horror flick when it comes to narrative, as while there are references to events in the past, as well as the aforementioned introduction of Annabelle, most of the movie takes place within a few weeks of the year 1971.

As for its relationship with the rest of The Conjuring Universe, there aren’t many connections to mention that haven’t already been established – though it is worth recognizing that Ed and Loraine Warren aren’t exactly amateurs at the start of this story. As a result, it’s entirely possible that future chapters of this franchise could be set both before and after the events in this movie – it all just depends on the stories that the filmmakers are interested in telling.

The Curse Of La Llorona

Setting: 1973

Because of the period storytelling that The Conjuring Universe employs, most of the titles have been very specific in establishing exactly when it is that each of the stories take place (hence why we’ve been able to tag specific years for each movie). Michael Chaves’ The Curse Of La Llorona is a bit different, though. While we know that it definitely takes place after the events of Annabelle, specifically because of the involvement of Father Perez (Tony Amendola), the upcoming movie recently revealed it's setting to be 1973, which puts it smack dab in the middle of the Conjuring franchise.

It almost makes sense that there would be a bit of vagueness surrounding The Curse Of La Llorona, as it’s also The Conjuring Universe movie with the fewest connections to the rest of the franchise. It’s not a spin-off from any specific title, and with the exception of the presence of Father Perez is doesn’t actually have any other Easter eggs. If you’re watching these films chronologically, you can really watch this one any time after Annabelle and not get confused by how it fits into the grand scheme of things.

The Conjuring 2

Setting: 1977

Because of the inspiration taken from the lives of Ed and Loraine Warren, it may be a minute before we get to see a contemporary movie set in The Conjuring Universe, so right now the last title on the franchise timeline is James Wan’s The Conjuring 2. The film opens in 1976, specifically with the paranormal investigating duo looking into the notorious events in Amityville, New York, but the majority of the narrative takes them to 1977 England where they look into the case of the Enfield Poltergeist.

Much like its direct predecessor, elements of The Conjuring 2 have been expanded through spin-offs, most notably The Nun, and it makes for an interesting viewing experience knowing the background material provided by the other titles. So if you’re planning on doing a chronological run through The Conjuring Universe the next time you decide to revisit the franchise, you may find that certain details come across a bit differently by the time you get to the end of the timeline.

This covers everything that we’ve seen from The Conjuring Universe so far, but there is still a bright future ahead for the demon-filled series, with announced projects like The Conjuring 3, The Nun 2, and The Crooked Man. You can be sure that we here on CinemaBlend will be following them all very closely, so be sure to stay tuned for all the latest details.

The 10 Most Thrilling Monster Movies Ever

The 10 Most Thrilling Monster Movies Ever

The monster movie: it's a genre that goes back to the beginning of Hollywood. Classic monsters like King Kong and Godzilla never really go away; they always come back. Plus, there is a whole slew of classic b-movies like Creature From The Black Lagoon and The Blob that helped define movies of their era.

Today, the monsters are bigger and scarier than ever, but many of those classics still remain among the best. There is a really an art to making a scary monster. They don’t have to just be larger than life, as sometimes the scariest thing about them is when you don’t even see them.

So here is our list of the best of the best, in no particular order, starting with one of the greatest movies of them all, and it's not just as a monster movie either.

Jaws (1975)

This is the movie that made Steven Spielberg famous. Jaws remains just as terrifying and incredible as it was almost 45 years ago when it was first released. It scared people out of the water then, and it’s still doing it today. No one goes swimming in the ocean without thinking about what could be lurking in the dark under them, and that’s all thanks to the shark in Jaws.

One of the scariest things about Jaws is how you actually very rarely see the shark in the film. The very THOUGHT of a killer Great White like the one in Jaws is enough to scare the wits out of most people. By the time Roy Schieder, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw do finally track down the shark, audiences are so on edge about it, the payoff of finally getting a good look at the shark is incredible, even if the special effects and the robot shark seem a little dated. It’s still one of the scariest monsters in movie history.

Pacific Rim (2013)

Pacific Rim, directed by the always brilliant Guillermo del Toro, is a modern riff on the classic Godzilla flick. A rift in the ocean floor has opened up and with it, monsters from the middle of the Earth are emerging and destroying cities on the Pacific.

With an all-star cast led by Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, and Ron Pearlman, the beautifully shot movie, as you'd expect from del Toro, is a pure joy to watch. It has everything anyone would want in a Godzilla-like movie. Even the names of the monsters, “Kaijus,” are a tribute to the classic Japanese giant monster movies from the '50s and '60s. As to be expected, Pacific Rim has a sequel, though it didn't live up to the original.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Jurassic Park came in the middle of an incredible run by director Steven Spielberg and it immediately ranked among his best work when it was released in 1993. The original that spawned an enormous franchise and still has us holding on to our butts a quarter of a century later remains one of the best.

Jurassic Park changed the game when it came to special effects in monster movies. Even today, when you watch the movie, it’s amazing how life-like and realistic the dinosaurs look. The days of cheesy looking giant lizards and gorillas were definitely over. Just like when the original Star Wars rewrote the book on special effects in science fiction, so too did Jurassic Park in monster movies.

Predator (1987)

In the 1980s, a decade packed with larger-than-life action stars, one name rose way above the rest: Arnold Schwarzenegger. With a run of hits like the Conan movies, Terminator, Commando, The Running Man, and, of course, his classic monster movie, Predator, Ah-nold was king of the box office musclemen.

Predator is everything anyone would ever want in a monster movie, filled with action, bad acting, accidentally hilarious dialogue and one awesome monster, that, like the dinos in Jurassic Park, would launch an enduring franchise that audiences still love today. That monster, The Predator, is as scary as they come. An alien from an unknown planet that can make itself almost completely invisible, but don’t worry, if it bleeds, they can kill it.

Aliens (1986)

Yet another classic monster movie franchise, one that eventually cross-pollinated with the Predator series, really got its start with 1986’s Aliens. Of course, it’s not the first in the series (that would be Ridley Scott’s Alien), but it is the one that turned the franchise into a box office smashing behemoth. While James Cameron takes a hard time from series film buffs these days, there is no question that he was on top his game in this one.

Set 57 years after the first Alien movie, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is discovered floating in her ship in stasis by a mining crew. After a series of events force Ripley to accompany a crew of tough marines to a colony in space, all hell breaks loose as the alien and its offspring reek havoc down on everything, killing almost everything, except Ripley, of course, in its way. Aliens is scary and filled with silly (but still awesome) dialogue just like a good monster movie should be.

Cloverfield (2008)

Cloverfield is a very 21st century kind of monster movie. Using the “found footage” approach to show the attacks and, more often, the reaction to the attacks, Cloverfield does one thing really well, it keeps the monster hidden, with just enough teases to having us begging to finally see it. Shaky, blurring footage is all any really sees for much of the movie. It’s also a classic Kaiju-type monster that destroys everything in its path, including the Brooklyn Bridge and much of Lower Manhattan.

Like a lot of other movies on this list, this one also launched a successful franchise. It may not be on the level of some of the others, but it has spawned two sequels, though it may be a while before there is another one, as the most recent Cloverfield film, The Cloverfield Paradox, wasn’t well received. But don’t worry about that, the original is still epic.

Gremlins (1986)

Gremlins is a different kind of monster movie, as this list goes, because it’s not one giant monster like so many on here, but instead it’s a whole mess of nightmarish lizard-like evil little jerks that run rampant all over town terrorizing the citizens of Kingston Falls. It’s also a black comedy set at Christmas, which could put it on a couple other “best of” lists as well.

The monsters start as cute furry mogwais, of course, but once they multiply after getting wet and turning into the malicious Gremlins upon eating after midnight, the destruction is on! Plus, the movie is filled with creative cameos and a cast made up of some actors that go back to the some of the classic '60s monster movies, like Jackie Joseph and Dick Miller, who starred in the original Little Shop Of Horrors plus lots more, and Belinda Balaski, who was in The Howling and the cult classic Piranha.

The Fly (1986)

Director David Cronenberg is mostly known for doing weird, small and quirky movies like Naked Lunch and Scanners. 1986’s The Fly ended being his biggest commercial success to date and it spawned a sequel, a comic book and even an opera, though Cronenberg wasn’t involved in the sequel or the comic book.

Based on a short story by George Langelaan, which also inspired a version of the story on film in 1958, The Fly stars Jeff Goldblum as a scientist that accidently genetically merges with a fly. The movie is more of a psychological thriller than pure monster movie, as Goldblum tries to figure how to reverse his DNA curse, but only continues to make things worse for himself until there is almost nothing left of the man and he is almost all fly.

Tremors (1990)

The original Tremors, starring Kevin Bacon and Reba McEntire, was a bit of a bomb at the box office when it was released in 1990, but over the years, the movie cultivated a huge cult following because of its humor and it’s over the top, ridiculous action. Because of its enormous success on video, a straight-to-video franchise was born.

In the original, the members of a small desert town in Nevada are terrorized by an underground monsters, called Graboids, that, like the best monsters movies, are unseen for most of the movie. It’s almost like a Jaws set in the desert with the terrifying monster lurking below the rock and dirt instead of the water. It causes the same helpless feeling that shark did, like, you’re in ITS territory now, so watch out for cracks in the desert and large tongues emerging from them.

King Kong (1933)

We end the list where the genre arguably began, with the king of them all, King Kong. There is no more iconic scene than the one in King Kong when the giant ape is climbing up the Empire State Building searching for safe place for Ann, played by the one and only Fay Wray, the human he has fallen for.

While that scene is the most remember, the rest of the movie is also filled with monsters. Kong is discovered on “Skull Island” where he rules over the few human inhabitants and a number of huge dinosaurs that confront the search party looking for Kong, to bring back to New York as a circus attraction.

King Kong has since taken a spot among the greatest movies of all time and not only created a franchise that has lasted almost a century, but was also at the nexus of the whole monster movie genre and for that it, and Kong, will forever be on lists like this.

You can be sure that until there will be many more monster movies in the future and for that we are grateful, because the genre is one of the true classics, with a shapeshifting ability to fit into any generation.

You Can Still Be Part Of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Opening at Disneyland, But You Better Hurry

You Can Still Be Part Of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Opening at Disneyland, But You Better Hurry

We're just over two months away from the most anticipated addition to Disneyland since the park was built in 1955. Start Wars; Galaxy's Edge is almost ready for the public. When the attraction opens on May 31, you can be sure a lot of Star Wars fans are going to be ready to check out everything the new land has to offer. If you want to be among the first to see the new land, you still have a chance. but it looks like time may be running out

Last week, Polygon reported that all three of the Disneyland Resort hotels, the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel, and Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, were sold out for the night before the opening of Galaxy's Edge, the night of May 30. However, as of this writing, there are actually some rooms available at both the Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian for that night. It's possible that some cancellations have taken place, or that rooms that were not expected to be available, due to refurbishments or whatever, have now opened up. Either way, if they were sold out before, you can be sure there aren't many rooms left right now.

These rooms are important because if you have a reservation at a Disneyland Resort hotel between May 31 and June 23, you'll also get a reservation to get into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. While the exact way the reservation process will work has not been revealed, it would seem that the only way to ensure getting into the new land is to book a hotel room.

Of course, since we don't know how the reservation system works, it's not entirely clear if having a room booked the night before the new land opens will get you a reservation. If you're checking out on the first day, does that still work? Still, for some it may not even be a question of getting into Galaxy's Edge. Many fans will just want to be at Disneyland when the new land opens. It's sure to be a historic day in the park and one that will never be repeated.

Initial estimates were that Disneyland could see crowds of 150,000-200,000 people on opening day of Galaxy's Edge. It's hard to tell at this point if that's still the case. The fact that reservations will be required to get into Galaxy's Edge for the first three weeks means that many who don't have those reservations might stay away, waiting for the reservation period to end. Initially, it seemed that those looking to avoid the insane crowds might not show up on opening day, but thanks to the reservation requirement, opening day looks perhaps a bit more inviting.

The other thing that could limit some crowds is that not all of Galaxy's Edge will be up and running on day one. The new land boasts two E-ticket attractions, but only one of them will be running on May 31.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run will be available to guests, but the Rise of the Resistance attraction will not be. No official opening date has been announced for that ride, but it will arrive later this year.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will be opening at Walt Disney World at the end of August, with the same missing attraction but without the reservation requirement. Both lands are actually opening earlier than anticipated, which may be the reason one attraction won't be available.  Of course, for the serious Disneyland or Star Wars fan, it's not like going back to Batuu more than once was ever really a question.

Plot Twist, Detective Pikachu Could Have Starred Danny Devito

Plot Twist, Detective Pikachu Could Have Starred Danny Devito

The upcoming film Detective Pikachu is based on an unusual video game in the Pokemon franchise. When the game was first announced, a grassroots campaign sprung up around the idea of having Danny DeVito voice the little yellow fuzzball for the English language version of the game. When fans learned a movie based on the game was also being made, the demand for DeVito only increased. While the role ended up going to Ryan Reynolds, it turns out that the idea of casting DeVito was at least briefly considered by the filmmakers. According to producer Cale Boyter...

We definitely thought about it and how it might inform the spirit of it. Danny is incredible by the way. I am a huge fan of Danny DeVito.

Danny DeVito's gruff voice is probably the last one that you'd expect to come from the cute little Pokemon, but, of course, that's the joke. He has the perfect voice for a gravely noir detective character, and Detective Pikachu is certainly meant to be having fun with that concept. A Pikachu that sounded like DeVito would certainly come across as something out of a Raymond Chandler novel. Also, hearing Danny DeVito say "pika, pika" would be pure comedy.

How close Danny DeVito actually came to being cast is far from clear, but we do know that this wasn't simply a brief consideration that was discarded quickly. VFX Producer Greg Baxter told GameInformer that his team actually went as far as to add dialogue from several different potential voice actors to an early version of Pikachu in order to get an idea what it would look like. It turns out DeVito was one of the voices used. According to Baxter...

It was really very funny, so I couldn’t speak to all the reasons why it wasn’t Danny DeVito cast. I love Danny and some point maybe after the movie comes about, we can share those early tests. It’s absolutely hilarious.

It would be great to get those tests as part of the special features on a future Detective Pikachu Blu-ray. There were probably several other great actors used as tests that would sound hilarious coming from Pikachu. Until then, we can get an idea what DeVito might have sounded like thanks to fans who added the actor's voice to the character back when the Detective Pikachu video game was coming out. Check it out.

Why Danny DeVito ultimately wasn't chosen for the role we don't really know, though the producer says that the "spirit of Danny DeVito" is still part of the character, whatever that means. I suppose we'll find out when Detective Pikachu hits theaters in May.

Having An Actress Playing La Llorona On Set Made A World Of Difference To The Cast

Having An Actress Playing La Llorona On Set Made A World Of Difference To The Cast

With the advancement of CG technology in recent years, actors playing off tennis balls and green screens has become common place on movie sets. As one can imagine, acting terrified at the sight of ominous neon green figures asks a lot of one’s imagination. Thankfully for the cast of The Curse of La Llorona had Mexican folklore’s “Weeping Woman” to star into the eyes of during the making of the horror film.

CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell sat down with some of the cast during SXSW, where The Curse of La Llorona had its world premiere during the film festival’s closing weekend. During the interview, the film’s star Linda Cardellini gushed about the physical presence of the evil spirit on set with these words:

I was so grateful because there is so much we have to do with her and [Marisol Ramirez] is such a wonderful person, she’s hilarious, she’s fun to be around and a really good sport because that’s a lot of makeup and time in makeup and the makeup artist did such an incredible job too. But it was so much fun not to have to act against something that was later going to be in green screened, which I’ve done before but it’s difficult because you have nothing to work with and she was always there for you, always on her game. I thought it was a real gift that we had a practical 'spirit' to work against.

The titular La Llorona (played by Marisol Ramirez) is an apparition caught between Heaven and Hell, who drowned her own children in rage and now preys to replace them with the kids of Cardellini’s character. The actress shared the difference it made for her to have Ramirez playing the evil presence, especially with the terrifying makeup La Llorona dons in the film.

In the interview, Cardellini also commented on the actress' accessibility off camera, due to her charming personality on set. This especially came in handy when it came time for the kids on set to play opposite La Llorona. Although her appearance was one of an evil spirit, because she was so great with the kids on set, they were able to do their job without actually getting scared out of their wits of the actress.

The Curse of La Llorona director Michael Chaves pitched in, explaining how no amount of CG can replicate the kind of performance Marisol Ramirez gave as the apparition. Here’s what he said:

She was such a partner in this – her performance is just so harrowing, crazy and wild. She got the role because well she’s a gorgeous woman, it’s not because she looks like a monster, it’s because she is such a great actress. She has this real ferocity to her and I think that’s what we were looking for. It was a scary performance… and she was incredible. I think when you have a partner like that and everyone can react to it, it just raises the game. I feel bad for the movies that have to do it in CG because I think there is really something missing in the experience.

While it looks like having the actress on set was an overall positive experience for cast and crew of The Curse of La Llorona, actress Patricia Velasquez admitted having a co-worker with her creepy makeup makes for some off putting breaks. In her words:

It was hard to look at her when it was lunch or dinner time because her makeup was so good.

Can’t blame her, La Llorona looks terrifying! Check out the cast interview below:

The new horror release belongs between the two Conjuring movies in the universe’s timeline though it’s the first spin-off to not be based on the findings of demonologist couple Ed and Lorraine Warren. Will you be braving The Curse of La Llorona this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

Boyz N The Hood Director John Singleton Is Dead At 51

Boyz N The Hood Director John Singleton Is Dead At 51

After suffering a stroke while in the hospital, writer and director John Singleton was put on life support and had been in the ICU. Now, after he was taken off life support, it is being reported that John Singleton has died at the age of 51.

In the middle of April, news broke that John Singleton had suffered a major stroke, and his family said that he was receiving great medical care. Although the full seriousness of his condition was not immediately apparent, the filmmaker had been in the ICU at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles ever since.

On Monday, in a statement to Deadline, a spokesperson for John Singleton’s family announced the difficult decision to take him off of life support. The statement read in part:

It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of life support today. This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors.

The writer and director had long struggled with hypertension (high blood pressure), and in the statement, his family also urged everyone to watch for and recognize the symptoms of this condition by consulting Heart.org. The family also thanked everyone who showed their love and offered their prayers for John Singleton during this time.

Born on January 6, 1968 in South Central Los Angeles, John Singleton had a love for film from an early age. A graduate of USC’s storied School of Cinematic Arts, John Singleton broke out in Hollywood in 1991 with his first feature film, Boyz N the Hood. That urban drama, which was shot in South Central Los Angeles where Singleton grew up, netted the writer and director major acclaim, launching his career.

For his debut film, John Singleton was nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, making him the first African-American nominated for the award and the youngest nominee ever at just 24 years of age. Boyz N the Hood also earned John Singleton an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

John Singleton continued to make a name for himself with dramas like Poetic Justice, which starred the late Tupac Shakur, as well as Higher Learning and Rosewood. He also put his stamp on one of cinema’s biggest franchises with 2 Fast 2 Furious, teaming up again with Tyrese Gibson following their time together on Baby Boy.

Other notable titles in John Singleton’s filmography are 2000’s Shaft, starring Samuel L. Jackson, and the crime drama Four Brothers. In recent years, John Singleton has directed several one-off episodes of popular TV shows like Empire, American Crime Story and Billions. In addition to those directorial efforts, John Singleton co-created and executive produced the FX drama series Snowfall, which is expected to premiere its third season later this year.

John Singleton was a trailblazer who helped kick open doors for African-American filmmakers that were long closed (Spike Lee was snubbed for a Best Director nom for Do the Right Thing two year prior to Singleton’s nomination). He brought the kinds of stories that many audiences were unfamiliar with to life in a way that was raw and entertaining and that cemented his place in cinematic history.

John Singleton loved film, sailing and his family. He is survived by his mother and father and his seven children.

CinemaBlend sends our thoughts and condolences to John Singleton’s family and friends in their time of mourning.

This Kris Jenner Captain Marvel Mash-Up Ad Is One Of The Weirdest Things We've Seen

This Kris Jenner Captain Marvel Mash-Up Ad Is One Of The Weirdest Things We've Seen

Bet you didn’t know Keeping Up with The Kardashians matriarch Kris Jenner was part of the MCU – back in the ‘90s anyway. Ahead of the release of Captain Marvel this Friday, Jenner has joined in on the promotion of the film with an unexpected and totally nostalgic advertisement that includes a run-in with Carol Danvers. Check it out:

Talk about random! Kris Jenner posted the video on her Instagram on Monday with the caption “as a momager, I know talent when I see it” before encouraging her 25.3 million followers to check out the movie in theaters this weekend. Who knew the social media influencer would be a last minute supporter to help the film go "higher, further, faster, baby" in its upcoming opening weekend?

The 40-second video sees Kris Jenner and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Lisa Rinna rolling up to Blockbuster video store in a swanky white convertible circa the 1990s. Jenner asks Rinna one question quite specific to the era – did she rewind those VHS tapes? Rinna did not, stating she has better things to do – “think this hair does itself?”

But suddenly, Carol Danvers falls out of the sky and through the ceiling of the Blockbuster, as teased in the trailers for Captain Marvel. This leads Lisa Rinna to drop her VHS rentals and Kris Jenner to show some concern for her friend. Rinna sees Carol in the store, as Jenner calls out for her to help her. At that point, Rinna pulls another hilarious one-liner: “I’m an actress, not a doctor!”

Kris Jenner steps out of the car to see the new MCU lead and says “I don’t think she needs any help, what she needs is her own movie!” as she pulls out a large ‘90s flip phone before cuts from the movie pop up to close out the advertisement.

Since Captain Marvel lands in Los Angeles, California in 1995, the mash-up with the reality television stars is a weird and cheesy – though funny approach for the film’s ongoing publicity. During the movie's time period of 1995, Jenner was expanding her family – her now 23-year-old supermodel daughter Kendall Jenner was born. Rinna was a soap opera star who had starred in Days of Our Lives and would soon find another role on Melrose Place.

Although Captain Marvel was recently plagued with trolls on Rotten Tomatoes prior to release, reviews (a.k.a. people who have actually seen the movie) have recently been published and the consensus is largely positive.

Captain Marvel follows Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, a former Air Force pilot who has become an intergalactic warrior with Starforce. Amidst a war between the Kree and Skrulls, she lands in ‘90s Earth (yes, in a Blockbuster) before meeting and teaming up with a young Nick Fury. You can apparently follow Kris Jenner and see the movie this Friday, March 8.