How Karen Gillan Elevated David Dastmalchian’s All Creatures Here Below

How Karen Gillan Elevated David Dastmalchian’s All Creatures Here Below

Although both Karen Gillan and David Dastmalchian are Marvel Cinematic Universe veterans, Nebula and Kurt’s paths haven’t crossed in this ever-expanding superhero franchise (just imagine what that would look like). Instead, the two actors finally got to work with each other through the new movie All Creatures Here Below, which Dastmalchian also wrote.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing David Dastmalchian about All Creatures Here Below and various other subjects, and right off the bat he offered effusive praise towards Karen Gillan’s performance in the movie, particularly with how she was able to fully immerse herself in her character, Ruby, who is living a troubled life with Dastmalchian’s Gensan. Dastmalchian explained:

I think [Karen] is our Daniel Day-Lewis. I really do. I feel like she’s got the ability and works very hard, but beyond just her work ethic, she’s one of the most chameleon-like talents I’ve ever witnessed firsthand, and it’s really mind-blowing what she can do with her face, her body, her voice. So the fact that she wanted to come be in our tiny, no-budget movie… the fact that she came and gave that performance, it’s so humbling. I’ll be grateful for that performance for the rest of my life that she brought that character to life so beautifully.

While she’s arguably best known for playing Nebula in the MCU, Amy Pond on Doctor Who and Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the actress is no stranger to more dramatic projects, and All Creatures Here Below provided her another opportunity to explore a truly dark role. Gillan had just finished work on Avengers: Endgame when she came to All Creatures Here Below, but as David Dastmalchain noted, she brought a positive attitude and great energy during her time on the much-smaller movie.

All Creatures Here Below follows Ruby and Gensan as they’re struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles and then are forced to flee to Kansas City after committing a crime. It’s hard to go into more detail about the plot without spoiling anything, but suffice it to say that if you’re familiar with Karen Gillan’s through her fantastical work, this thriller will show you a new side of her acting chops.

As for how Karen Gillan joined All Creatures Here Below, David Dastmalchian explained that while he had seen her in a number of things beforehand, he didn’t realize she was the same person in some of those projects. When he and his team started putting All Creatures Here Below, producers wanted to pitch the role of Ruby to a “name actor,” i.e. somebody with an established name in Hollywood.

David Dastmalchian assumed an actor of that caliber wouldn’t want to join the movie, but the All Creatures Here Below script eventually made its way to Karen Gillan’s agents, and because she’d been looking for something that was “independent and really challenging and gritty,” she was game to star in the movie. One meeting with Dastmalchian and director Colin Schiffli later, and she was in.

Suffice it to say that David Dastmalchian had a great time working with Karen Gillan, calling her a “kindred spirit” and good friend. He told me that he would like to “do as many roles” with her as possible, saying that she helped him become a better actor because of her work ethic. While both actors have gone their separate ways for now, perhaps his wish will eventually come true, especially if he writes a script with a character he can only imagine her playing.

You can watch All Creatures Here Below on VOD now, and if you’re curious about what movies are headed to the big screen later this year, look through our 2019 release schedule. As for Karen Gillan and David Dastmalchian, the former’s upcoming movies include Stuber, Jumanji 3 and Call of the Wild, while the latter will be seen in Dune, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and the Hulu series Reprisal.

IMAX Is Opening World's Biggest Screen In 2020, And It's Wider Than A Boeing 737

IMAX Is Opening World's Biggest Screen In 2020, And It's Wider Than A Boeing 737

In the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema was king and one of the major ways that people spent their entertainment dollar. While movies have always remained important, the theater has seen increased pressure from sources like television, video games, and streaming services. To combat the competition, theaters have tried everything from adding color, to 3D, to increasing the size of the screen. This last item has never stopped being a point of differentiation, as companies like IMAX use their massive size as a major way to compete not only with other forms of media, but with other theaters. Now, the company is getting ready to unveil its biggest screen ever, at a massive 38 meters wide and 22 meters tall.

The screen is being installed at the Traumpalast Leonberg multiplex located in Leonberg, Germany and is expected to open sometime in 2020. Needless to say this is a huge benefit to the independent theater in a city which has a population of less than 50,000 people. It's a bit surprising to see a world record screen going into a theater in a relatively small part of Germany, but IMAX is a fairly new addition to the nation as a whole, with only 10 theaters currently open or contracted to open, so putting IMAX's biggest screen ever in the country can only help those efforts.

In imperial measurements, the screen is just short of 125 feet long and just over 72 feet tall. A standard IMAX screen, for comparison, comes in at 72 feet wide and 53 feet tall. The previous record holder for IMAX was a screen in Sydney Australia which measures 117 feet long.

It should be pointed out that when Deadline and IMAX refer to it as the world's largest IMAX screen, that appears to be in length only. The screen in Australia is apparently significantly taller than the one being installed in Germany, at 97 feet, and therefore is also larger from a square footage perspective.

While a bigger screen is certainly attractive, I can't help but wonder if there's a point of diminishing returns here. With the screen being so large the seating location to be able to take it all in is going to be that much further back as compared to standard IMAX. If you end up too far back, you're going to lose the benefits of the massive screen. Maybe some people won't mind watching movies like they're watching a live tennis match, but I'm not one of those people.

Which is not to say that if I found myself in Leonberg, Germany, I wouldn't buy a ticket to whatever was showing on the world's largest IMAX screen. Whatever Marvel or Lucasfilm has planned for 2020 will probably look absolutely amazing on a screen that size.

AMC Adds Some Round The Clock Showings Of Avengers: Endgame

AMC Adds Some Round The Clock Showings Of Avengers: Endgame

As many of you dear readers would know, the blitz to get tickets for Avengers: Endgame was so great it stopped the box office world for a beat. Ticket apps crashed, which eventually lead to some fans being unable to get tickets as early as others. The initial wave of tickets were eventually sold out, which lead to a healthy resellers’ market of overinflated pricing.

It looked like if you wanted to see this movie this weekend, much as the Russo Brothers intended, you were out of luck. But now, it seems like hope is on the horizon, as AMC Theatres is adding even more showings of Avengers: Endgame to its calendar for opening weekend, with some locations staying open round the clock for the entire weekend.

Before you get too excited though, you’re going to want to check your local showtimes really carefully. We say this, because that “round the clock” business isn’t applicable at all AMC locations. As a matter of fact, it looks like most of the round the clock operations will be during the Thursday/Friday timeframe, with 29 AMC theaters being open through those two specific days.

Meanwhile, 18 locations will be open between Thursday and Saturday or Friday through Sunday, again with around the clock service for Avengers: Endgame fans. Finally, 17 AMC Theaters locations will be open from Thursday through Sunday, in full 24 hour shifts.

What’s even more interesting about this influx of tickets to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s grand finale to its Infinity Saga is the fact that this is only applicable to the AMC Theatres chain. Now this could mean that other chains, both major and independent, would be forced to compete in a similar manner, leading to other businesses adding showtimes to their locations much like AMC did in this recent report from THR. This massive push to keep movie fans happy promises to make this massive record-breaking weekend for Avengers: Endgame even more of an event, especially in the face of updated estimates for this weekend that have put the film within possible striking distance of a $300 million opening in the domestic marketplace alone.

So if you’re thinking of seeing Avengers: Endgame this weekend, and AMC isn’t an option due to locations and ticket availability, don’t lose hope just yet. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates, and again, be sure to check your local listings extra carefully. Good luck out there, True Believers, and may you see the Endgame in due time.

Avengers: Endgame starts its conquest of the box office market on Thursday night, and if you’re lucky, you might just get a ticket to see the movie that’ll be on everyone’s lips throughout the summer. But if you don’t find yourself with tickets, and want to see something anyway, head over to the 2019 release schedule to see some of the films already in theaters, ready for you to give them a shot.

Mark Hamill Thinks New Star Wars Movies Are Released Too Quickly

Mark Hamill Thinks New Star Wars Movies Are Released Too Quickly

The past few years have been very exciting for the generations of Star Wars fans out there. With Disney now in charge of the property, there's been a ton of new and exciting content hitting the galaxy far, far away. This includes a new trilogy of movies, in addition to standalone projects like Solo and Rogue One. But according to Mark Hamill, these releases were a bit too close together.

Mark Hamill has been with the Star Wars franchise since A New Hope arrived back in 1977. He recently played a major role as Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, and is set to appear in J.J. Abrams' mysterious Episode IX. While Hamill is the biggest Star Wars cheerleader, he recently admitted that the rapid release schedule might have been a misstep for Disney. As he said:

In our day, it was three years apart. Now they’re two years apart, with a [spinoff] movie in between. I say to the executives at Disney, 'Really? Han Solo five months after our movie? Give it a rest!' They say, 'Well, we have to keep the schedule clear for Mary Poppins.'

Luke Skywalker has spoken. And he seems to think the Star Wars franchise could benefit from spacing out its releases. There has been a new installment in the space opera every year since The Force Awakens arrived, with Solo: A Star Wars Story arriving just months after Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi shocked the fandom. And that isn't something that Mark Hamill necessarily agrees with.

Mark Hamill's comments to Den Of Geek do make sense, and might be a factor into the poor box office performance of Solo. Ron Howard's Star Wars movie is the franchise's first box office failure, and the origin story failed to resonate with moviegoers as a whole. While the blockbuster's behind the scenes drama and the recasting of Han Solo may have factored into it, having another Star Wars release so soon after The Last Jedi likely helped sink Solo in theaters.

Solo's release date being so close to The Last Jedi is also significant because Rian Johnson's sequel was so subversive. Johnson went against all expectations and brought arguably the most divisive movie in the franchise to theaters. And as a result, the naysayers and haters might have been unwilling to take another chance with Solo: A Star Wars Story.

While not exactly 3 years, the gap between Solo and Episode IX should please Mark Hamill. Moviegoers have not had to wait over a year for a new installment since before The Force Awakens arrived in theaters, so hopefully time will amp up anticipation for the final installment in the Skywalker Saga.

Episode IX will arrive in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Ryan Reynolds Is Bloody In First Hitman's Bodyguard Sequel Image

Ryan Reynolds Is Bloody In First Hitman's Bodyguard Sequel Image

When you take a job as a bodyguard, you go in with the knowledge that things could get messy (just ask Richard Madden’s character in Bodyguard). The messiness of the job though hasn’t stopped Ryan Reynolds’ bodyguard Michael Bryce from returning for the sequel to 2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard, titled The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. Take a look below to see the first image from the set of the sequel film showing a bloody Ryan Reynolds.

Ryan Reynolds must be doing a solid job protecting Samuel L. Jackson’s and Salma Hayek’s Darius and Sonia Kincaid, if he is the only one with blood on him and they’re both pristine and smiling. Watching Deadpool and Nick Fury play off each other in the first film was one of its strengths, and with Salma Hayek’s character set to play a bigger role in the sequel, the three actors look to be having a great time together.

In his Instagram post, Ryan Reynolds says “Two guys, a girl and,” which is a reference to his television series Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place which ran on ABC for four seasons from 1998-2001. Although the gender makeup of the trio echoes that sitcom and there will definitely be some laughs, I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be blood, not pizza sauce.

The end of The Hitman’s Bodyguard saw Michael Bryce rekindle his relationship with his ex-girlfriend and restore his reputation after thwarting Gary Oldman’s dictator. Sonia Kincaid was released from prison and hitman Darius escaped prison to be with her. The sequel film will reunite this unlikely trio for a new adventure set on the Amalfi coast where they will have to be the good guys in order to save Europe from a dangerous zealot.

Joining Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is a star-studded group of faces both new and returning. Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant reprises his role as Seifert and he stars alongside Frank Grillo, Antonio Banderas and Morgan Freeman. That last name is especially exciting because despite the literally hundreds of credits between them, this comedy action-thriller will be the first time that Samuel L. Jackson and Morgan Freeman have starred in a feature film together.

Patrick Hughes returns to the director’s chair for the Lionsgate and Millennium Media title. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is now filming and has yet to set an official release date. The Hitman’s Bodyguard debuted in August of 2017 and enjoyed three weekends atop the domestic box office, finishing its run with $176.6 million worldwide on a budget of $30 million.

For movies coming to theaters this year, check out our 2019 Release Schedule and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

Guy Ritchie Is Returning To His Crime Roots With The Gentlemen, And I Am Pumped

Guy Ritchie Is Returning To His Crime Roots With The Gentlemen, And I Am Pumped

In recent years, Guy Ritchie has become a go-to director when studios are developing new brand products. It started back in 2009 when Sherlock Holmes became a surprise success, and since then all of his features have been based on pre-existing properties – including Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and the upcoming Aladdin.

At the same time, though, there are still plenty out there who continue to admire him for his early work in the crime genre, as he wouldn’t be where he is today without the cult popularity of titles like Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch. And while he hasn’t made a movie in that vein in more than a decade, that streak is soon coming to an end, as he’s returning to his roots with his new movie for STX Films: The Gentlemen.

Obviously we’re still waiting for Aladdin to be released (it’s scheduled for late May this year), but earlier today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas – the annual convention for theater owners – we got our very first look at The Gentlemen, and it definitely has us keyed up. The project has had a few different names as it’s moved through development, including Toff Guys and Bush, but regardless of what it’s called, what makes it really stand out is it’s absolutely fantastic ensemble cast playing bad people who do bad things to other bad people.

Admittedly it was a bit challenging to get a full read on the full plot of the movie, as it appears that there is a whole lot going on, but the footage did get across the basic idea. Charlie Hunnam, who played Guy Ritchie’s lead for King Arthur, is our protagonist, and a criminal who is stuck in a steadily escalating conflict between an eccentric, marijuana-specializing kingpin (Matthew McConaughey) and forces that want to see him pushed out – led by a character played by Henry Golding. Those three names alone create some serious expectations, but they’re joined in the insanity by Colin Farrell, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Michele Dockery, and Hugh Grant (sporting an awesome cockney accent that is thousands of miles away from the posh inflections we typically hear from the actor).

This is the kind of filmmaking and storytelling that helped Guy Ritchie stand out when he was first making a name for himself in the late 1990s, and while one can’t really fault him for his more mainstream project choices recently, it’s exciting to see him pursue something like this. The fact that it’s totally original is obviously its own bonus, but what particularly stood out in the Gentlemen footage was the pitch-perfect dark comedy tone. Whether it was a dude doing a full sprint past his captors after being let out of a car trunk; or kids being chased for their cell phones after filming a man tripping and falling off a balcony, the preview gave the sense that Ritchie’s sharp, black-as-night sense of humor is just as strong now as it was nearly 20 years ago.

STX Entertainment acquired the film for distribution earlier this year, but sadly they have not yet announced a release date – which means that we are still in the dark as to when exactly it is coming out. That being said, production on The Gentlemen began last November and ended this past February, and it’s not exactly a movie that looks like it is stuffed to the gills with visual effects. If Guy Ritchie gets to put all of his attention towards it when he finishes promoting Aladdin, is it possible that we could see it come out some time before December? Right now we don’t know, but we will be keeping our fingers crossed, and we will keep you up to date with all of the latest information right here on CinemaBlend.

The Original Aladdin Has Flaws The New Movie Will Need To Deal With

The Original Aladdin Has Flaws The New Movie Will Need To Deal With

Disney’s upcoming line-up resembles quite a few titles that stood on my childhood shelf of movies and didn’t collect dust for long, namely 1992’s Aladdin. Between the catchy songs, Robin Williams’ iconic performance and the fun, animated, magical world, I know I’m not the only one who couldn’t stop watching the Disney classic over the years and even noticed a few scratches in the magic lamp upon repeated viewings.

Enter the new live-action Aladdin remake coming in May. Yes, I’ve already been burned before by the uninspired 2016 Beauty and the Beast release but here I am getting excited about what’s to come from the House of Mouse’s new take on the beloved animated film. While Will Smith’s Blue Genie scared me for a minute there with his first CGI reveal, the most recent full trailer sold me on just being a kid for a couple hours and giving it a good shot. But, there are some glaring issues from the original that the upcoming musical has a chance to fix. Let’s talk them through:

What Culture Is Aladdin Depicting?

So we know Aladdin lives in Agrabah, the “city of mystery” and it has some Middle Eastern flavor to it, but that’s about it. Since it’s a fairytale complete with magic carpet rides and a monkey who turns into a cute elephant who wears a vest and little hat, does it really matter where Aladdin takes place? You bet it does! Even if the movie runs with maintaining Agrabah as a completely fictional hodgepodge of Arabic and Indian cultures, as the original did, it needs to set this up in some way if it wants to dodge coming off as culturally insensitive.

Think about how Black Panther’s Wakanda worked: it’s a completely fictional depiction of a country in Africa, but it’s been celebrated especially for how it empowered African cultures and uniquely represented them. The live-action version of this fun Disney musical would be a great opportunity to do this for Middle Eastern cultures, which are also significantly underrepresented in Hollywood.

Aladdin derives a lot of themes from the 18th century Middle Eastern famed book of folk tales, The Arabian Nights. Paying a bit of homage and putting a bit more effort into portraying the culture the story is based on would be a great step forward for the next iteration of the movie and add some more depth to the story Disney started. The studio has vastly improved its portrayal of a variety of cultures, even from the ‘90s to today, and I hope they show this off a bit in addition to being as accessible to audiences as the animated movie was.

The Blue Genie Is The Whole Show

Let’s face it, without Robin Williams’ incredibly energetic and lovable performance as the Blue Genie in Aladdin, it just wouldn’t be as highly regarded by audiences as it still is today. The Genie is an absolute scene stealer who is the heart, comedic relief and sidekick of the movie all at once. Williams absolutely carried that movie, and even improved many of his scenes by improvising comedic bits for the character. Don’t get me wrong, in the context of the animated classic this certainly worked in favor of Disney and is where the movie’s most memorable strengths lie (besides a few outdated references).

With Robin Williams out of the picture, though, how does the Disney story hold up? I have some concerns about the couple we’re rooting for (which I’ll get to in a moment) and Jafar is quite the typical power hungry villain. The Genie show and flashy musical numbers are a really effective way for the movie to cover up some of the weaknesses of Disney’s take on Aladdin. I hope the remake will opt for striking a balance between giving the Genie the floor and showing that the movie's other characters have more to give.

For instance, what about Aladdin’s backstory? I’m sure he does a little more than steal bread and lie to his crushes. And, there’s got to be a lot more to Princess Jasmine than meets the eye. What would happen if The Little Mermaid was all about Sebastian because Ariel wasn’t interesting enough to the writers or Olaf became the heart of Frozen because the writers didn’t know how to depict an interesting sister relationship? Here’s hoping the new Aladdin filmmakers saw this potential problem and didn’t give Will Smith all of the load.

Aladdin and Jasmine’s Relationship Is Problematic

Okay, so Disney doesn’t have a great track record of creating believable romances...they are fairytales, after all! But, their love stories, which we once idealized, can look more ridiculous the older we get. So, isn’t part of the point of a remake (besides the loads of cash these movie attract) for Disney to attempt to work on this a bit? The studio has done this with their recent animated movies, so I wouldn’t expect anything less from live action.

I thought the live-action Cinderella did a wonderful job of this, as it focused more on Prince Charming’s story and the pair seemed to form a genuine bond aside from the wonder of the ball. On the other hand, the live-action Beauty and the Beast didn’t do much else not to convince me that Belle has a bit of Stockholm Syndrome. Unless Disney decides to take a hard look at the romance created in Aladdin and change around a few things, the movie isn’t going to land with audiences.

In the animated movie, the romance doubles as a message about being true to yourself instead of pretending to be someone else in a relationship, and that’s a great topic for the movie to touch on! However, when Jasmine finds out he’s the “street rat” she loved already, the movie just glosses over it. Not to mention that Aladdin’s about to sign up to marry her and rule all of Agrabah after not even feeling comfortable in his own skin a few minutes ago. Wait… what? Disney has a wonderful opportunity to make the intended message of Aladdin (cue Genie saying “beeee yourself” as a bee) stronger by giving actual Aladdin and Jasmine character arcs instead of everything wrapping up with a pretty bow after they get rid of Jafar.

I say all of this out of love for the original Aladdin because it still is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. Since I’m going to go see it again in live-action form, I’m sure I speak for a lot of fans when I say I’d love to see Disney elevate the movie higher than the animated classic was by not sweeping these few flaws under the rug. Do you think the live-action Aladdin will address these issues? Sing your song in the comments below.