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Monday, November 18, 2019

Ian McDiarmid Reacts To Palpatine's Return: 'The Dark Side Is Stronger Than Ever'

Ian McDiarmid Reacts To Palpatine's Return: 'The Dark Side Is Stronger Than Ever'

Star Wars fans were in for a massive treat this week with Star Wars Celebration, a kind of convention exclusively for the Star Wars franchise. At Celebration, the cast and filmmakers of Episode IX took to the stage and finally dropped details about the movie. While there was a lot to chew on, maybe the biggest revelation was the reveal that the Emperor would be returning in the film. That's pretty huge -- and Ian McDiarmid, who played Palpatine in all the movies, had some fun teasing his return.


The first footage for Episode IX -- now forever known as The Rise of Skywalker -- was dropped during Star Wars Celebration. It's a seriously awesome trailer that showcases Rey, Finn, and Poe on a mission together (finally!), some new planets, Kylo Ren doing his thing, and the return of Lando. But Lando isn't the only original trilogy character making his comeback as the ominous laugh of Emperor Palpatine closed out the trailer.


As if that wasn't enough confirmation that old papa Palps is back, Ian McDiarmid took the stage and had the trailer play a second time. Somehow, Paplatine will once again torment the galaxy, and while fans are already cooking up their theories, McDiarmid took to Twitter to raise the hype even further.




McDiarmid has played Palpatine in all of his live-action appearances, perhaps featured the heaviest in the prequel trilogy. Now, the actor is back and he's teasing fans that the dark side is stronger than ever. Seeing as how Palpatine is THE Star Wars bad guy, that statement certainly rings true.


The reveal of Palpatine certainly must have caught plenty of fans by surprise, but when you think about it, there weren't many options available to The Rise of Skywalker for villains. After the death of Snoke, there's really no one left. Yes, there's Kylo Ren, but his story is so tied up in the will he/won't he be a good guy, that he doesn't really feel like a final boss. You can't introduce a new guy because what good would that do in the last film? So, you bring back the guy everyone knows and it becomes a lot stronger.


We're still far away from learning more details about Palpatine and the movie. Maybe he's back as a Force ghost or the First Order actually figured out a way to resurrect him. I'm sure there won't be any shortage of theories! But will those theories be any ... good?




It's still a long wait, but all the answers to our questions will be revealed when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters on December 20, 2019. To learn as much about the film as you can, be sue to check out what we know so far about the movie, which we'll continue to update as more news drops.

Thrilling John Wick: Chapter 3 Clip Has Assassins Fighting On Motorcycles

Thrilling John Wick: Chapter 3 Clip Has Assassins Fighting On Motorcycles

Motorcycles. Swords. Assassins. And John Wick (Keanu Reeves). Sounds like the most lethal of combinations, and it’s one that audiences will see play out when John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum opens around the globe. We know that John Wick will face off against an army of killers when his story continues in Chad Stahelski’s Chapter 3, and now, thanks to an exclusive clip shared by Lionsgate with CinemaBlend, we’re figuring out HOW Wick will fight back. Dig into this clip. We’ll see you on the other side.


This featurette, titled “The Art of Action,” shows some of the preparation that goes into the staging of the over-the-top fight sequences that have become the signature banner of the John Wick franchise. These movies are incredibly fluid, stylish and expertly choreographed, so it’s almost easy to forget how much work goes into the staging of the sequences.


Whether John (Keanu Reeves) is racing around in a car, fist-fighting with a crowd of killers, or riding horses through New York City – as reportedly happens in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – so much work has to go into the blocking and creating of the moments.




Now, how many of you are going to go out of your way to rent or stream Villainess, the Korean action film from 2017 that Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahleski say inspired the motorcycle chase scene that’s included in John Wick: Chapter 3? We went ahead and tracked down this clip, which was making the rounds after Villainess first screened, because the action choreography in this sequence is just so mind-blowing:


How the hell did they film that? I absolutely could see a genius director like Chad Stahleski seeing that footage and thinking, “Yeah, we have to try and top that.” But how?! That’s the challenge, and we will see soon enough how John Wick: Chapter 3 manages to trump it.


It also reminds me of this jaw-dropping fight from The Raid 2, which I’m sure has influence over the action that appears in the John Wick movies.




Basically, these types of movies all build on, borrow from, and pay homage to one another, so it’s no surprise that they have been so popular in their own right with action audiences. John Wick (Keanu Reeves) certainly has carved out his own niche with his distinct mythology. And we can’t wait to see where his story goes in the next chapter.


Chad Stahleski opens John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum on May 17. Are you planning on checking it out?

Bob Iger Explains Why Disney Ultimately Decided To Buy Fox

Bob Iger Explains Why Disney Ultimately Decided To Buy Fox
20th Century Fox Logo

The entertainment world was in awe when it was revealed that the Walt Disney Company had been in talks to purchase 21st Century Fox from Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corporation. The awe turned to shock when the deal was done and Disney spent $71 billion to purchase the film studio and cable channels from the media company. The deal has changed the media landscape forever, but Bob Iger admits it likely would not have happened if the media landscape were not already changing, as the decision to buy Fox was entirely because of Disney's plans to launch its own streaming service.


Last week the Walt Disney Company held a grand unveiling event to show the public Disney+, the new streaming service that is set to launch in November. Included in the service will be content from National Geographic as well as many other Fox properties like The Simpsons. All this content will certainly make Disney+ a more attractive service and Disney CEO Bob Iger admits that the content was the reason Disney bought Fox. According to Iger...



We would not have done that transaction had we not decided to go in this direction. Because — if we hadn’t, we would have been looking at that business and through a traditional lens: ‘Oh, we’re buying TV channels. We’re buying more movie-making capability, et cetera.’





While buying more TV channels and movie making capability certainly has its benefit, it's not like Disney is a company in need of such things. The company's movie making arm is basically making all the money these days thanks to Marvel and Star Wars and almost every other film the studio releases. Making more money from other avenues would certainly be important, but it would take a long time for those avenues to make back the $71 billion purchase price.


However, when you add in that all of that content from those cable channels and movies will also be appearing on the new Disney+ streaming service and potentially attracting new viewers, the price begins to be paid back that much faster with every new subscription to the service. Iger tells CNBC "the light bulb went off" when it came to realizing what the Fox library could mean to the service.


When Disney revealed new Disney+ details last week National Geographic was given as prominent a place as Pixar when it came to announcing what would be available for the service. In fact, one of the original shows being produced for the service by National Geographic will follow those that take care of animals at the Disney theme parks, marking one of the first direct collaborations between Disney and a former Fox property since the acquisition.




Content is king in the streaming game and so the more Disney+ has to offer, the more subscribers it will be able to entice. The $6.99 per month price point won't hurt either.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Will Feature Yoda, Other Surprising Returning Personalities

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Will Feature Yoda, Other Surprising Returning Personalities
Yoda and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge promises to open up a new corner of the Star Wars universe. It creates an outpost on a planet at the edge of wild space where guests will be able to interact with new characters, eat new food, and experience all new attractions. However, it wouldn't be Star Wars if the new land didn't also include those elements of the franchise that we're familiar with. At the recent Star Wars Celebration it was revealed that several classic characters will appear in the new land, including Jedi Master Yoda.


Of course, since the time period for the new Galaxy's Edge land is set in the era of the new trilogy, don't expect to actually see Yoda anyplace in the new land, except possibly as merchandise. Yoda has been long dead by the point in which this part of the story is taking place. However Chris Beatty, the Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering did reveal that Yoda would be heard someplace in the new land, and that Yoda's voice was being provided by Frank Oz, the voice of Yoda throughout all of the films.


Exactly how the voice would be heard wasn't revealed. It could be part of one of the E-ticket attractions inside the new land, though neither of them strikes me as particularly Jedi enough to make Yoda make sense there. Perhaps Yoda will help guide you as you build your own custom lightsaber, which will be something you'll be able to schedule for yourself in one of the Black Spire Outpost shops.




However, Yoda isn't the only classic voice who will be returning for Galaxy's Edge. Fans of the original Star Tours will remember the pilot, named R3x, who was voiced by Paul Reubens. While the current version of the attraction doesn't have R3x flying, Galaxy's Edge will have the character back, as a DJ at Oga's Cantina.  Margaret Kerrison, Story Editor at Walt Disney Imagineering says the new R3x is going to be a lot of fun...



We worked with so many incredible voice-over actors. One of the ones that we definitely wanted to bring back was Paul Reubens. We were super excited to bring him back and nobody was more excited than Paul. He was really great to work with. He really, really was. He brought in a lot of inspiration and new lines for us. Let’s just say you will be thoroughly entertained in Oga’s Cantina.



Reubens apparently recorded a lot of new dialogue for his new role, where he'll be playing a lot of brand new music written specifically for the land. Some of that music is being attributed to the band Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, which is the group more widely known as the "Cantina Band" from Star Wars: A New Hope. Take a listen to some of it below.




One more classic Star Wars character who will be seen at Black Spire Outpost is the alien Nien Nunb. First seen as Lando Calrissian's co-pilot during the attack on the second Death Star in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Nien Nunb was seen as an X-Wing pilot in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and he's also a background character in Star Wars: The Last Jedi who survives until the evacuation on Crait.


Nien Nunb will also appear in Galaxy's Edge in some capacity, and he will be voiced by the same man who gave him a voice back in Return of the Jedi, even though, according to Galaxy's Edge project lead Scott Trowbridge, making that happen was a little bit tougher this time around...



I love this story because Nien Nunb, when he was voiced in his original appearance, was voiced by a young man who was a student in the bay area at the time. Actually, was from Kenya. He spoke a unique dialect and had a unique sounding voice. But then, time passed and the gentleman, whose name is Kipsang, went back to Africa. We kind of lost track of him. But when we decided we were going to bring Nien Nunb back for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, we actually went to Kenya, tracked him down, to record the original voice actor for Nien Nunb to play in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge because that’s the kind of thing you want us to do.





All of these characters get added to the list of Star Wars characters we already knew would be appearing. All of the main heroes and villains of the current trilogy will also appear on Batuu. We'll see Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and even Kylo Ren as part of the Rise of the Resistance attraction. Fans of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series will meet an incredibly life like animatronic of Hondo Ohnaka


Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will also see new music written for it created by John Williams, the man who has written nearly every note of music for the galaxy far, far away. It won't simply be ambient music throughout the land, as that would potentially break the illusion that you actually standing on an alien world. I'm sure, however, that Disneyland and Walt Disney World have found plenty of other ways to include the music.


Whatever your level of love for Star Wars, there's going to be so much going on in Galaxy's Edge that you're going to find something that strikes a chord. Disney never gives the entire game away and with all this announced only slightly over a month before the new land opens, there's almost certainly more to see and hear that we don't know about yet.




We'll find out when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland on May 31 and at Walt Disney World August 29. If you want to guarantee yourself access to the new land, you'll need to book a Disneyland Resort hotel stay during the land's first three weeks, as that will get you a no-cost reservation to enter Black Spire Outpost.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Colin Trevorrow Jokes About His Thwarted Star Wars: Episode IX Plans

Colin Trevorrow Jokes About His Thwarted Star Wars: Episode IX Plans

The hype for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is real. The first details and footage for the blockbuster debuted at Star Wars Celebration earlier this month, and it sent fans racing to board the Star Wars train. However, things didn't used to look so positive for Episode IX. Colin Trevorrow was originally supposed to direct the film, but was fired. It seems that time heals all wounds and Trevorrow is now joking online about The Rise of Skywalker.


The first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker ends with the laugh of Emperor Palpatine as the screen fades to black. One fan posted online an alternate take of this moment in which Jurassic Park villain Dennis Nedry replaces Palpatine. For those who may no remember, Nedry (played by Wayne Knight) was the disgruntled computer programmer who sabotaged the park in order to steal dinosaur DNA.


It might seem pretty random to substitute Nedry and his catchphrase into Star Wars, but not with Trevorrow tagged in the post. Colin Trevorrow is connected to both Jurassic Park and Star Wars. He's something of the overseer of the new Jurassic World movies, and he was the original director of Episode IX before he was fired in 2017.




Colin Trevorrow was let go from Star Wars after Lucasfilm was reportedly dissatisfied with the drafts of the script he was turning in. So he was replaced with J.J. Abrams, who started from scratch.


At the time, it was just the latest behind-the-scenes drama to plague Star Wars, but it seems like Trevorrow is over it all. The director replied to the Nedry post on Twitter joking that those had been his original plans for the movie -- or maybe joking that he had that twist planned for Jurassic World 3.


It's not the only Star Wars-related joke Colin Trevorrow has made online recently. He responded to a tweet of a photoshopped Star Wars poster that had Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu as every character. The title of the movie? Star Wars: The Last Motherfucker.




It's good to see that Colin Trevorrow is in good spirits in a post-Star Wars life. He hit a rough patch after the release of his film The Book of Henry, which was absolutely savaged by critics. He lost his Star Wars job soon after, but it wasn't like he didn't have another major franchise to fall back on. He'll be directing the upcoming Jurassic World 3, which is targeting a 2021 release date.


Colin Trevorrow may not have anything to do with it, but there's a lot going on in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and plenty more to be excited about. To find out more about the highly-anticipated film, here's what we know so far. The final film of the Skywalker Saga will debut in theaters on December 20, 2019.

The 5 Best Jennifer Aniston Movies, And The 5 Worst

The 5 Best Jennifer Aniston Movies, And The 5 Worst
Jennifer Aniston - Office Christmas Party

Though some folks might know her best as Rachel Green during her long-standing stint on NBC's Friends, Jennifer Aniston has been on the big screen more than a few times, in a variety of different movies — including the upcoming Netflix picture Murder Mystery with Adam Sandler. For more than twenty years, she has split her time on screens both big and small, although a few of her cinematic performances remain her best to date. Some of these films are well-known. Other titles are often forgotten — or, in some cases, best forgotten.


There are several good Jennifer Aniston movies, and there are several other Jennifer Aniston movies that make you wish she chose a different project altogether. Or maybe fired her agent. Opinions may vary. Jennifer Aniston has, of course, been in some great comedies. But of course  she has, unfortunately, been involved with a few stinkers in her career. Not every film can be a winner. Let's take a look at the best and the brightest, and some of the worst.


It should be noted there are a few popular titles that didn't make the list, for several different reasons. For instance, I still consider The Iron Giant to be the best movie that Jennifer Aniston has ever been in. But while she did lend her voice to a prominent role, it's not necessarily a "Jennifer Aniston movie." At least, not in the way most people would categorize that distinction. Additionally, Horrible Bosses 1 & 2, for better or for worse, fall under a similar umbrella. They're movies that star Jennifer Aniston, but they're not quite "Jennifer Aniston movies" in my view. I hope that makes sense.




The Best Jennifer Aniston Movies


The Good Girl


Simultaneously one of Jennifer Aniston's best and most underrated movies, Miguel Arteta's The Good Girl was well-regarded by critics, particularly during its film festival runs. However, it never earned a wide audience — despite Jennifer Aniston's enormous celebrity and fame from Friends. That's really a shame, because it's a fantastic character study, built quietly and impeccably by Aniston's graceful, compelling performance.


Playing Justine Last, a discount store clerk stuck in a dead-end town in a passionless marriage, our titular good girl starts to make some morally-grey decisions (at best) when she fancies an affair with a stock boy, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Bolstered by lovely cinematography and another fantastically resounding screenplay by Mike White (School of Rock), The Good Girl is a stunner, and it deserves to be acclaimed and celebrated more than it is. In my view, Jennifer Aniston gives a career-best performance in here. She's not just good; she's great.




Office Space


A true cult classic, Mike Judge's often-quoted dark comedy Office Space initially didn't find its audience when it first rolled into theaters back in 1999. Yet, once it made its way onto home video, there were folks everywhere who found themselves relating to the exhausted struggles of its lead characters, as well as their desire to rebel against their brain-dead managers. In the midst of these office struggles, however, is Peter's (Ron Livingston) fostering a relationship with a waitress named Joanna, played by Jennifer Aniston.


A similarly disgruntled employee who also doesn't appreciate her management, to put it mildly, Joanna seems like the right match for Peter. Sure enough, she and Peter begin to form a relationship through their distain for their jobs. And it provided Jennifer Aniston with one of her most relatable, down-to-earth performances. That's particularly noteworthy since the movie was filmed in between seasons of Friends, which was easily becoming one of the most popular sitcoms in TV history. Foxy, funny and strong-willed, Jennifer Aniston's performance in Office Space is a stand-out. There's no denying that Office Space holds a special place in people's hearts for many reasons, and Jennifer Aniston's involvement is certainly one reason why. Work might suck, but Office Space most certainly does not.


The Break-Up


In Peyton Reed's charming, endearing anti-rom-com, The Break-Up, Jennifer Aniston acts alongside Vince Vaughn as one-half of a disgruntled couple who decide to call it quits, only to continue living together in their luxurious Chicago condo. Not too far-fetched as far as comedy premises go, truth be told. And that is part of what makes this movie work. Acting alongside one another, Aniston and Vaughn have an enjoyably prickly chemistry — which sounds like an oxymoron, but it actually fits the film's surprisingly effective tonal mix of loose comedy and serious drama.




There are no meet cutes here; only un-cute, well-established disgruntlements. That doesn't roll off the tongue quite so well. While this premise could've easily been a major turn off if it had been done wrong, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn (who actually became a couple after filming The Break-Up), strike the right off-kilter balance and sell the hardships of their uncoupling in amusing, yet believable, ways. And Aniston fully commits to this premise. Whether it's creating authentic, convincing arguments with her on-screen partner or prancing around the apartment naked in order to spite her ex-lover, Aniston is dedicated to this break-up comedy. The movie is all the better for it.


Bruce Almighty


Admittedly, Bruce Almighty might be more of a Jim Carrey picture than a Jennifer Aniston film. Much like the main character, I'm bending the rules a little bit here. Still, this original, inspired early '00s comedy, which imagines what would happen if an average man were given the powers of God, finds Aniston playing a good romantic and comedic companion to the typically-hysterical Jim Carrey in one of his most liberating cinematic performances.


No doubt, it's hard to go toe-to-toe with Jim Carrey — most particularly at the height of his cinematic fame. Yet, Jennifer Aniston was far from a nobody at this point in her career. She confidently brings the comedy and heart, helping to craft the romantic centerpiece that's at the root of this farce. As a result, as funny as Bruce Almighty can be, it wouldn't be quite as memorable or winning if it weren't for Jennifer Aniston's performance. It's divine.




Dumplin'


A winsome and warm-hearted adaptation of Julie Murphy's novel of the same name, Dumplin' is the tale of Willowdean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald), also known as "Dumplin," an overweight teenager who decides to spite her beauty queen mom, played by Jennifer Aniston, by participating in the local beauty pageant. The result is an inviting, good-natured and emotionally rewarding coming-of-age story that would've made quite a splash in theaters as an underdog hit if it had been made 10 years earlier. Alas, in 2018, however, it was put on Netflix with only moderate fanfare. That's a shame, truly, because Macdonald and Aniston each give one of their best performances to date.


Empowered by good morals and the wonderful guiding music of Dolly Parton -- who also produced a pair of original tunes for the film -- Dumplin' gives Jennifer Aniston a role that benefits her comedic and dramatic talents, while not always taking the center stage. Nevertheless, in the movie's best moments, Aniston provides a commendable, heartfelt performance that showcases what she can do with her talents as an actress. Notably in a way that other recent movies like Cake tried and didn't succeed in doing (at least in this writer's humble opinion). Netflix's Dumplin' is most certainly a winner.


The Worst Jennifer Aniston Movies




The Bounty Hunter


Much like relationships, romantic comedies don't always work out. You can try your best to squish two bankable stars together, but if the sparks don't fly, there's nothing worth celebrating. Sure enough, 2010's grating, unlikable rom-com The Bounty Hunter is a poorly-calculated, constantly overblown flop that tries to sell the the idea of Gerard Butler having a cold-then-hot on-screen relationship with Jennifer Aniston. It simply doesn't work. At all.


The story wants us to fall in love with a bounty hunter who discovers that his next target is his ex-wife, only to finds themselves on the run with their lives on the line. You can definitely see why these two ex-lovers wouldn't want anything to do with each other, and never get the understanding of why they might want to fall in love again. The result is a painful, unrewarding studio comedy that isn't worth the finder's fee. Try to find a better movie.


Leprechaun


Before she became Rachel Green, Jennifer Aniston was a young up-and-coming actress trying to make a name for yourself. You can't be too picky at that stage in your career. And when you're given your first leading role, you take it — even if the movie might not win you any Oscars. Sure enough, Jennifer Aniston made her movie debut (if you're not counting her brief, random appearance in Mac & Me) in 1993's schlocky horror flick, Leprechaun.




As Tory Reding, Jennifer Aniston did the best she could with the material. Leprechaun was the first in the series, before the franchise fully embraced its comedic side, and Aniston is given no favors as she tries her best to sell the idea that a leprechaun is running around town and killing people. Not even Meryl Streep could sell this convincingly. While the film would spawn an oddball series, it wouldn't be until her days on NBC when Jennifer Aniston found fame and popularity for her acting work. She certainly didn't find a lot of luck with her pre-fame role in Leprechaun, however. Oh well. At least it gave us this memorable scene from Wayne's World 2.


Mother's Day


The movie that has the unfortunate distinction of being director Gary Marshall's final picture, Mother's Day is yet another loosely-assembled ensemble piece based around a commercially-popular holiday. In this case, it's not Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve, but rather — as the title would suggest — Mother's Day. In the film, Jennifer Aniston plays Sandy, a recently-divorced mother of two whose husband has recently remarried a younger woman.


While generally harmless in its cutesy execution, this deeply bland family dramedy plays like a bad sitcom with an overqualified cast playing broadly-drawn characters that are beneath their established talents. It's a waste of a great cast, and that's certainly true for Jennifer Aniston. It's also lazy and woefully generic, much like a tacky Mother's Day card that you would pick up at the supermarket for 99 cents. In that case, with many sincere apologizes to the late, great Gary Marshall, Mother's Day is far from a holiday.




Rumor Has It ...


With The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally..., director Rob Reiner proved himself to be one of the best romantic comedy-makers of the 20th century. Unfortunately, when it came time to transition into the 2000s, something got lost in the last millennium. That was made evident with Rumor Has It..., a deeply mediocre, poorly realized rom-com with a fun premise: What if you found out your mother AND grandmother inspired The Graduate?


A film with a troubled production, with screenwriter Ted Griffin fired from the director's chair 12 days after filming began and Reiner coming on at the last minute to retool it, the result is a middling, meandering, dull and deeply forgettable comedy that never makes good use of Jennifer Aniston's on-screen talents. She does the best she can, but there was no sense trying to save this sinking picture. Perhaps some rumors are better left unsaid.


Along Came Polly


I used to have a running gag with a couple of my friends where I start to describe the trailer for an exceptionally generic romantic comedy with two miscast actors. And it always (intentionally and unintentionally) turned into the plot synopsis for 2004's Along Came Polly. The film, which finds a neurotic Ben Stiller learning to let loose and have fun when he falls in love with free-spirited Jennifer Aniston, hits almost all of the expected corny beats of a predictable, run-of-the-mill early 2000s romantic comedy, and it never strives to do anything better or worse than its other contemporary romantic comedies.




Instead, Along Came Polly is the type of movie that once used to fill the shelves of Blockbusters and became an easy pick for couples to select on date night, only to turn it off or not pay attention. It's not necessarily the worst rom-com out there, but it has nothing to make it particularly noteworthy or distinctive — beyond the absurdly weird choice to have the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays second fiddle to Ben Stiller's nervous antics. You can move along. There's nothing to see here.


Also, we didn't find the time to write about a few other Jennifer Aniston movies, including We're the Millers, Cake, Marley & Me, Wanderlust, Picture Perfect, Rock Star, Just Go With It... or Friends with Money, though each of those movies have their fans and critics. Even though they're not included, they were not forgotten. Do you think these are Jennifer Aniston's best and worst movies? Let us know what you think below if you agree or disagree with our Jennifer Aniston movie selections and tell us your personal favorites/least favorites.

New Angry Birds 2 Trailer Has Birds And Pigs Teaming Up

New Angry Birds 2 Trailer Has Birds And Pigs Teaming Up

When it comes to Angry Birds, most people are familiar with the general premise: birds don't like pigs because they steal eggs, and so they aim to take the oinkers down by launching themselves with a slingshot. The bird vs. pig conflict is at the center of the whole thing, which is why it's a bit surprising to see them fighting on the same side in this new trailer for The Angry Birds Movie 2.


Written by Peter Ackerman (The Americans), and the feature directorial debut of Adventure Time and Camp Lazlo! writer Thurop Van Orman, The Angry Birds 2 seems to start with the famous aforementioned animosity still in place, but things start to change when the birds and pigs are united against a common enemy. It's not really made clear in this trailer, but it seems that this common enemy is a different race of birds who are tired of living on their frozen wasteland of an island.


Many of the actors from the original are coming back, including Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, and Peter Dinklage, but there are also a ton of newcomers joining the fray, including Rachel Bloom, Leslie Jones, Sterling K. Brown, Awkwafina, and Eugenio Derbez.




The first Angry Birds Movie, released in 2016, didn't exactly get the warmest reception from critics, but a sequel was definitely inevitable. Young audiences ate it up, having already been hooked on the brand courtesy of the popular mobile game, and the result was major box office success. Made with a $73 million budget, the film crossed the century mark in America with a $107.5 million gross - but that total balloons to $352.3 million when you also include all of the cash flowing in from foreign territories.


The Angry Birds Movie 2 won't exactly be following in the path of its predecessor, which got a May release when it hit theaters, but there may be significant chance for the sequel to hit even bigger when it comes out this summer. It's one of the few major movies coming out in the latter half of August this year, and that could lead to a lot of tickets being sold as parents try and figure out what the hell they should do with their kids in the weeks leading up to the start of the new school year.


This trailer has some funny moments, and the cast is certainly spectacular, so we'll just have to wait and see if The Angry Birds Movie 2 can outpace its predecessor in multiple areas. Sony Pictures Animation definitely hasn't been shy about promoting it, as this is our second full trailer, and there are still four months to go before the thing hits theaters. Perhaps they are just riding high on confidence following their big Oscar win for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse last year.




The Angry Birds Movie 2 will be arriving in theaters on August 16th, and to see what else is coming up on the big screen in the months ahead, please check out our 2019 Movie Release Calendar.

 

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