Hobbs And Shaw Trailer Has Dwayne Johnson Take On A Helicopter With His Bare Hands

Hobbs And Shaw Trailer Has Dwayne Johnson Take On A Helicopter With His Bare Hands

The Fast and Furious franchise found its groove when it let itself get a little nuts. It's now commonplace for the films to not let reality stand in the way of a moment that's going to look awesome on screen. I think Hobbs & Shaw, the franchise's first spinoff, is going for a "hold my beer" sort of moment, because the new trailer for the Dwayne Johnson/Jason Statham buddy pic might have one of the most insane, and yet completely awesome, moments yet. Check out the new trailer below, and make sure you don't miss the end.

The trailer opens up with the sort of entertaining, almost silly, action that made Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham so much fun in The Fate of the Furious. It was that chemistry that led to Hobbs & Shaw becoming a film in the first place. However, it's when the trailer comes to an end, and we see cars racing down the road and Dwayne Johnson attempt to pull down a helicopter on the end of a chain that things feel the most like a modern Fast & Furious movie.

Interestingly, we also learn that the full title of the movie is apparently Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Nobody wants to forget that this is still part of the Fast & Furious franchise. Those films, especially the most recent entries, have been huge money makers around the world and clearly the hope is that Hobbs & Shaw will follow the main franchise to big box office returns. By including the Fast & Furious name in the title, that will help attract an audience all over the world.

While this may not be a standard Fast and Furious movie, it clearly is still going to feel like one, because "family" is going to be a major part of the story. We get to meet more of Deckard Shaw's family, in the form of Vanessa Kirby. However, we also see the movie go to Hobbs' home, and get to meet his entire extended family, who are apparently going to fight the bad guys with traditional Polynesian weapons. Because of course they are.

We also get to meet Idris Elba's new character who will be the big bad of the movie. He's apparently been genetically engineered, so he's basically an evil Captain America, though he refers to himself as "Black Superman." I'm not quite sure why the villain had to be given superpowers in this movie, beyond of course, the fact that it just sounds cool.

Fans of the Fast and Furious franchise will clearly find plenty to get excited about in Hobbs & Shaw. Will this be the first of many spinoffs, or a new Fast & Furious franchise all its own? The box office will likely determine that. We'll find out when Hobbs & Shaw hits theaters August 2.

Rotten Tomatoes Rolls Out New Policy For Audience Score To Fight Trolling

Rotten Tomatoes Rolls Out New Policy For Audience Score To Fight Trolling

2019 saw a significant portion of Rotten Tomatoes, as well as the internet community in general, trying to troll the system by review bombing release like Marvel’s Captain Marvel, thanks to the previous system that allowed users to post ratings and reviews before and after a film had been released. In order to combat such abuses of the system, Rotten Tomatoes removed the pre-release audience rating, allowing audiences to only rate films past their opening date.

Now the company is taking another, more aggressive step in determining which reviews are legitimate and which ones are fake. And it starts with a new feature known as the Verified Audience section.

Effective as of today, when you purchase tickets to any film through Fandango, you can choose to have your account linked to Rotten Tomatoes. Through that link, you’ll be able to post “verified” reviews and ratings on RT, as your ticket purchase will be your verification that you’ve seen the film.

However, if you haven’t seen the film, or even if you don’t buy tickets through Fandango, you’ll be able to still post a review after films like Disney’s Aladdin have opened. But those reviews will go to the “All Audience” section of Rotten Tomatoes’ audience feedback, meaning it has not been confirmed that you’ve actually seen the film.

This sort of activity is bound to be reduced by the end of the year though. The Hollywood Reporter specified that cinema chains AMC Theaters, Regal Theaters and Cinemark Theaters will have their ticketing apps included in the Verified field as the year goes on.

This new policy feels like a happy medium for fans who like to use their Rotten Tomatoes accounts to log personal reviews. Those who really want to be verified can do so with a simple purchase through Fandango, whereas those who aren’t too concerned with such things can still put their feelings down in digital ink. However, that difference in verification will definitely tinge how people read the reviews in the Verified and All Audience fields.

Rotten Tomatoes has been making quite a few alterations to the way it records reactions from both fans and critics alike, as even its RT Verified guidelines for critics have shifted in recent times. It’s clear to see that the review aggregator is looking to shape up its image, as well as draw more attention to itself through events like official freshness score unveilings.

How exactly this will shake out for the company’s fortunes is yet to be seen, and really it can’t be properly be judged until at least the big three movie theater chains sign up to be a part of Rotten Tomatoes’ Verified review program. For now, it’ll be interesting to see how the public reacts to these early days, as well as how the quality and quantity of reviews on both sides shows this program’s efficiency.

If you’re interested in testing out your status as a Verified reviewer, then check out the 2019 release schedule to see which new films you’d be interested in seeing for yourself. Also, don’t forget that only tickets purchase through Fandango will allow you to achieve such status.

Daniel Radcliffe Talks Avoiding Blockbusters After Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe Talks Avoiding Blockbusters After Harry Potter

When actors who are involved with major franchises –think the likes of Twilight films or Harry Potter or even The Hunger Games franchise – there is usually a period after the series ends where they are a hot commodity, able to sign on for whatever types of projects they wish. Some of these actors end up trying to do bigger budget movies whereas others tend to head to TV or appear in smaller, often more under-the-radar films.

Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter for eight movies after the turn of the century, ended up taking the latter path. Instead of trying to take bigger and bigger movies as he grew up and grew away from playing the kid with glasses and a lightning bolt scar, he instead gravitated toward projects that were odder and tested the limits of his acting. However, if you ask Radcliffe, it wasn’t a conscious decision to avoid the blockbuster circuit. He said in a recent interview:

It’s not a deliberate decision (to stay away from blockbuster films). I go where the scripts are. It’s hard to get anyone to spend money on (scripts that are) too big of a risk. A lot of the big studios, I find the scripts are not as challenging or weird or interesting as the stuff they make in the indie world or even in the TV world. So the things that I gravitate to, so far they just happen to be in the indie world.

Ahead of the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Daniel Radcliffe was already testing the limits with weird projects. He made headlines when he appeared in the long-running play Equus and was tasked with getting nude for the role.

As the Harry Potter movies were wrapping, Daniel Radcliffe took different types of indie roles. He played Allen Ginsburg in Kill Your Darlings. He played a corpse in Swiss Army Man. He played a pilot delivering illegal cargo in Beast of Burden.

The closest thing Daniel Radcliffe came to a blockbuster was taking a part in Now You See Me 2, and that movie wasn't exactly a critical success. (He also has a small role in Amy Schumer's more successful vehicle Trainwreck.)

In the interview with StarLifestyle, Daniel Radcliffe did reveal that he would be happy to be involved in another large movie one day, but for him, it’s really about finding the right role and going for it.

But if there’s something happening in the studios and I love the script, I would love to be a part of some crazy big movie. It’s just about waiting for the right script.

Sometimes it’s difficult to believe it has been eight years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 graced the big screen. But in that time, the young cast especially has had to forge new paths. Daniel Radcliffe’s doing the indie thing, with roles on both TV and in movies. Rupert Grint has taken on a lot of TV, although he has occasional movie gigs. Evanna Lynch even just did Dancing with the Stars. Emma Watson probably has the biggest acting career of the kids in the cast, and she often chooses to forego acting for other humanitarian work; she is set for the Little Women remake.

These days, Daniel Radcliffe is a grown adult and kids have stopped recognizing him as Harry Potter. However, until he takes on another gigantic role as an adult, his time playing the young wizard will likely stick out as his most notable role for many. For now, you can catch the actor in the TV series Miracle Workers on TBS, also starring Steve Buscemi.

Jordan Peele’s Terrifying Us Kicks Off SXSW With A Bold And Bloody Thrill Ride

Jordan Peele’s Terrifying Us Kicks Off SXSW With A Bold And Bloody Thrill Ride

Jordan Peele is about to embark on a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. He’s going to relaunch The Twilight Zone as a network television series, opening up new worlds of mystery and suspense. Well, his latest movie Us proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he’s the ideal storyteller to carry that baton for a new generation, spinning yarns that stimulate and devastate, while also making you think and talk about difficult subjects after the fact.

The eyes of the film community were on Austin, Texas last night as Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated follow up to Get Out opened the 2019 South By Southwest Film Festival. And it’s ironic that Us debuts at a festival named after a seminal Alfred Hitchcock work, because Peele is slowly making a claim as this generation’s Hitchcock. His command of the genre and his material is that strong, after only two films.

There’s a lot about Us I can’t reveal, for fear of deflating some of the movie’s best reveals. But if you watched the trailers and the commercials, you likely know this much. A family on vacation encounters shadow versions of themselves in the dead of night. But even that surface logline strips away a lot of the nuance of why this innocent family is being targeted. And how they put themselves in that situation in the first place.

The answers to those queries are the meat of Jordan Peele’s mystery, and that won’t be explored here. What we can discuss is the tone and approach to Us, which is far deeper into the straight-up horror genre than Get Out was. Peele’s previous Oscar winner (for Screenplay) had more, social commentary than scares, while Us coats its relevant talking points (and there are plenty) with splatters of blood.

The cast assembled by Peele revel in playing mirror images of themselves, with the normal Wilson family haunted by demented versions of themselves. And while every cast member finds ways to differentiate between the seemingly normal Wilson member and their deranged counterpart, it’s Lupita Nyong’o who steals the spotlight for her fascinating performance on both sides of the reflections of her character, Adelaide Wilson.

Though the South By Southwest Film Festival is just now getting off to its first starts, I can tell you that Us has been a movie virtually everyone has been talking about, questioning things that they saw on screen – what IS the deal with those rabbits?! – and figuring out answers that aren’t readily available until a repeat screening. I can tell you, with 100% certainty, that Us will be a different movie the second time that you watch it. And you will watch it, again and again.

Us opens in theaters on March 22. Keep following CinemaBlend as our coverage of SXSW 2019 rolls along.

Why Avengers: Endgame Is Marvel's Best Captain America Movie

Why Avengers: Endgame Is Marvel's Best Captain America Movie

SPOILER WARNING : So you’re scouring the internet for Avengers: Endgame content…. Here’s a friendly reminder that reading spoilers without witnessing the movie in all its glory will just ruin it for yourself. Only read on if you have contributed to the record-breaking box office haul for the Infinity Saga conclusion.

While Avengers: Endgame pulled off a lot of unexpected moments throughout its three-hour epic runtime, if there is one aspect of the film most of us went into it anticipating, it was Chris Evans’ Captain America getting a sendoff. Wow, this film made that happen in a big way!

Thankfully, Cap was in the best hands possible. The Russo Brothers started their partnership with Marvel with 2014’s Captain America: Winter Soldier (a highly-regarded fan favorite), they kept it going with Civil War in 2016 before moving on to closing out the Infinity Saga with Infinity War and Endgame.

The Russos’ had a lot of ground to cover with Endgame besides the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan, but the movie still managed to conclude the character’s arc in an incredibly satisfying way. Chris Evans was given the space to offer up his best and most well-rounded performance as the hero to date that shows off his position as one of the most deliberate superhero stories ever told on screen.

While his standalone trilogy was certainly impressive, Endgame elevates Captain America higher and caps (no pun intended) off his narrative in a way we won’t soon forget. Here’s why:

His “Giddy“ Optimism Pays Off

The downfall of a character like Captain America (and his DC brethren, Superman) is his sky high idealism and belief in the greater good. It’s a characteristic of comic book publishers’ earliest iterations and for a reason: to bring hope and escapism to readers in hard times.

While we certainly like a good dose of escapism today, it’s more difficult for us to believe in a hero like Cap, and Tony Stark’s relationship with him throughout the franchise is the perfect example of this. He’s always questioning his decisions and words of confidence.

In Endgame, Tony hits Steve with this head on in the beginning of the film, cursing his optimism since they have now lost. But there ends up being something insightful in Cap’s good intentions to “keep on keepin’ on” that shine brightly in this movie most of all. He is the rock of the squad who believes in Ant-Man’s idea, then recruits Tony and the rest of the team, yes with Black Widow at his side, but without him everyone (even her) was starting to give up.

Cap even starts to give up a bit himself, but he never lets this stop him. Where some of the other Cap films have wavered on the “why,” Endgame shows that the character’s belief in it all turning out okay really can be a strength, making it the ultimate film for the hero.

He’s Got America’s Ass

Okay so if you were looking for analysis of Cap’s booty, this isn’t it, but it is regarding the whole-ass scene that starts with this now iconic line. There’s nothing we love more seeing some clever character development, and Endgame juggles this with many of the core Avengers.

For Cap though, the parallel between who he was and who he has become between 2012’s Avengers and his last hurrah is shown much more literally. When he travels back to the New York battle to retrieve the Tesseract, he runs into himself and straight up takes him down in the best way possible. When younger Cap says “I can do this all day,” the older Cap scoffs at the line hilariously.

Not to mention that the moment in the elevator with some of those Hydra double agents serves as a fun callback to the iconic elevator fight scene in Winter Soldier. When the hero mutters “Hail, Hydra” to deceive them instead of using his energy to battle them all, it shows Cap is capable of being quippy and a really fun character at the end of the day.

While Chris Evans has a lot of seriousness to pull during the franchise, Endgame really brings together the hero’s charm. The fact that all these references pack a huge punch in just a few short minutes shows the character was never the butt of the MCU, but is a real MVP.

He Assembles The Full Team… And The Mjolnir

Then comes the moment when Captain America must face Thanos again, as the past version of the Mad Titan has found out the location of the gauntlet and seeks to become “inevitable.” It was already an exciting showdown between Thanos, Cap, Iron Man and Thor, but then Cap says these words: “Avengers Assemble.”

It’s a scene that looks to be the end of Cap as he stands alone in front of Thanos, but Rogers isn’t a “I can do this alone” kind of guy. He knows a battle is best won together, and when all the unsnapped Avengers enter the battle it’s a glorious moment unlike any other.

In a geekfest full of incredible moments such as that “girl power” shot, one of Cap's certainly steals the show as well. Right before all the unsnapped heroes show up, he gets Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. The whole theater absolutely skips a heartbeat when this happens, and when he wields it and switches off the weapon with Thor, its big screen GOLD.

There was a bit of foreshadowing of this in Age of Ultron when he moves Mjolnir a bit, but Endgame hails Captain America as just about the most powerful original Avenger as he becomes worthy of the weapon of a god. The scene is payoff for the character in the best way because he’s always been trying to do the right thing and be a “worthy” hero… now he absolutely is.

He Makes That Date

Captain America’s story starts on an emotional high note when he must force down a plane in the ‘40s and leave behind Peggy Carter before their budding romance can really start to blossom. It’s the ultimate sacrifice for the hero that he grapples with throughout his MCU journey. He is constantly going back to the life he left behind and he has dealt with it in all of his films.

While we speculated Peggy may play a role in Endgame, her involvement in the MCU ends up giving audiences a happy ending that gives all of those emotional moments meaning and depth. After saving the world and helping bring together the Avengers, Cap goes back in time and lives the life he’s always dreamed of.

Then he remembers another one, the exact moment when Hulk, Bucky and Falcon beamed him back in time to tell them that it worked. He returned the Infinity Stones to their rightful place and took a permanent trip down memory lane to retire.

Cap then has one last thing to do: pass off the legacy of his shield to someone: either Bucky or Sam Wilson. While his love for Bucky throughout the franchise could have swayed him that way, Falcon is the clear successor and is the perfect way to end his story, even if Anthony Mackie never actually suits up as Captain America (we'll have to wait and see).

Without Avengers: Endgame, Captain America’s story just wouldn’t just be as impactful emotionally and cinematically as this movie made it. Not only is it the perfect send off for the character but his best movie to date.

Shazam! Producer Promises DC Movies Can Still Be Dark

Shazam! Producer Promises DC Movies Can Still Be Dark

The DC live-action universe has had a rocky life in theaters, full of very high highs and disastrous lows. Luckily for Warner Bros., things seem to be on the upswing after the poor critical and box office performance of Justice League. DC is still surfing on the high of Aquaman's success, and anticipation is at a fever pitch for David F. Sandberg's upcoming blockbuster Shazam!

Shazam! will hit theaters in a matter of days, bringing the dual-personal title character into live-action for the first time. The movie's tone is in stark juxtaposition to Zack Snyder's bleak dramas that started the universe. But according to Shazam! producer Peter Safran, that doesn't mean that the DCEU won't have dark and gritty installments. As he tells it:

I think that DC has the same idea we do now, which is every movie that they make should have the right tone for that particular character. Shazam is such a fun character. He is all about wish fulfillment. He is fun and funny, and that is the tone that you should have for the film. Aquaman has got a tone, fantastical element. Shazam! is fun and funny. Wonder Woman’s got her thing. I think they realize each tone has to be specific for each movie.

Rather than trying to make one uniform movie, it looks like the DC universe will continue giving more power to the directors. As such, a dark movie will happen as soon as the story and characters call for it.

Peter Safran's comments IGN are sure to be a relief to DC fans who enjoy all the darkness its stories have to offer. While Shazam! is light hearted, there's been tragic stories for many of the characters on the page. Especially Batman, whose origin in based in trauma and childhood loss. The Dark Knight and others simply need to be dark, and have a ton unlike the two most recent releases.

In the same interview from Shazam!'s red carpet, Peter Safrin directly addressed Batman and Todd Phillips' Joker, which is expected to be a dark drama focused on a mentally ill villain. Safrin expanded his thoughts, saying:

Listen, there are certain characters like Batman, like the Joker, that dark tone is perfect for them. It’s what you really want to see.

So while Billy Batson and Freddy may have their childhood games in Shazam!, we shouldn't expect the entire DC Universe to go family friendly. There are projects coming down the pipeline which should have their share of dark material, so the studio is going to have to flip between vastly different projects. In addition to Joker and The Batman, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) should utilize a mixture of drama and comedy. There's also Wonder Woman 1984 to look forward to, although that Patty Jenkins has up her sleeve for the sequel is anyone's guess.

Shazam! will bring something unique to not only the DC universe, but the superhero genre as a whole. Still functioning as an origin story, the blockbuster will follow 14 year-old Billy Batson as he's given amazing powers from a magical wizard. By saying the word "Shazam", Billy transforms into an adult sized superhero, capable of flight, super strength, and electricity manipulation. But since Billy doesn't know much about superheroes, his foster brother Freddy will step in to guide him toward his destiny.

This marks the first time that a modern superhero focus on the perspective of kids. In cinematic universes, there are tons of us regular folks who are living in a superheroic world. Children have a specific experience; for instance, Billy's friend Freddy is a superfan. Freddy has been following the events of movies like Batman v Superman and Justice League, so he'll be able to help Billy become Shazam.

Shazam! look it's going to be a super fun big screen adventure, and it's early reception has been positive. But moviegoers are still going to want dark and gritty installments later in the DC universe. Aquaman might have focused on family drama and a Game of Thrones-esque struggle for underwater power, but James Wan's blockbuster wasn't especially dark.

Darker subject material and tone will no doubt accompany Todd Phillips' Joker, which isn't going to be connected to the rest of the DC universe. Phillips will give the iconic Batman villain an origin story, and explain how a clown became Gotham's biggest threat. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, the project is expected to be decidedly darker than the most recent installments in the shared universe.

On the same page, Matt Reeves' The Batman should have some darkness to it. Gotham's Protector is usually surrounded by loss and murder, and the developing blockbuster will reportedly include a few members of Batman's rogue gallery. The project will follow a younger version of Bruce Wayne, and focus on Batman's top notch detective skills. This is a new approach to the character onscreen, so let's also hope there's the proper amount of darkness in the movie.

Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) should be an interesting movie, as it'll walk the line between serious mob drama and quirky action romp. Cathy Yan's upcoming blockbuster will once again focus on the denizens of Gotham City, including the villainous Black Mask and Bat-family member Huntress. The movie is also a spinoff for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, who debuted in Suicide Squad. Harley's inclusion obviously means there will be plenty of comedic beats in Birds of Prey, but the characters that make up the ensemble have tragic and violent pasts. Plus, Black Mask is known as a ruthless mob boss in Gotham.

There will be plenty of room for darkness in the future of the DC live-action universe in the future. For now, fans can celebrate that the studio seems to have finally found its footing, and is producing a variety of exciting projects. And with Shazam! flying into theaters in just days, we may have another DC success story on our hands. And that's in no small part due to its unique tone.

Shazam! will arrive in theaters on April 5th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

When Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Might Open

When Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Might Open

In an absolutely shocking move, Disney yesterday rehired James Gunn as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn was fired from his position last year after poor-taste decade-old social media posts resurfaced. Fans, filmmakers, and actors voiced their displeasure over the decision at the time. Now, Gunn is back in the director's chair, but this does raise some questions about when Vol. 3 will hit theaters.

By our calculations, it's possible that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 won't arrive in theaters until 2023, due to James Gunn's new commitment to DC and The Suicide Squad.

After James Gunn was let go by Disney, it wasn't that long until Warner Bros. scooped him up to write and direct the Suicide Squad reboot. It was a big story at the time that one of Marvel's most prominent directors made the jump to DC. Even though Gunn is back with Marvel, his Suicide Squad movie is reportedly still on, and Marvel is willing to wait for Gunn to wrap that project to finally move forward with Vol. 3.

The Suicide Squad is currently expected to begin filming this fall with a release date set for August 2021. That means Gunn probably won't be able to start production for Vol. 3 until either late 2021 or early 2022. Marvel's normal production schedule usually takes about one year, so that puts Vol. 3 in theaters by 2023 -- six years after the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Thankfully, there may already be some shortcuts Vol. 3 can take. James Gunn had already finished the script before he was fired. There are no doubt some rewrites and tweaks still left to be done, but at least there's a complete draft of the screenplay.

Of course, this is all assuming that The Suicide Squad keeps its release date and shooting schedule. Whether or not that gets pushed backward or forward really impacts what Vol. 3 will do and how much focus James Gunn can devote to it.

As of now, Marvel doesn't have any films slated to release in 2023. It has three films slated for 2022, but it's unclear which of its in-development projects will be attached to the dates. The other films that Marvel has in the pipeline are Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang-Chi, Black Panther 2, Doctor Strange 2, and the inevitable but still unannounced Captain Marvel 2. A movie like Guardians 3 will likely need that prime May real estate, so we will have to wait and see how Marvel's schedule shakes out.

There used to be a big question mark on Guardians 3, but now it's just a little bit smaller as fans can relax knowing the franchise is back in James Gunn's hands. We'll be paying close attention to how this all shakes out so stick with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated.