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Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Watch Eddie Vedder Sing ‘Maybe It’s Time’ From A Star Is Born

Watch Eddie Vedder Sing ‘Maybe It’s Time’ From A Star Is Born

A Star is Born was a massive theatrical hit but the part of the movie that is clearly going to have the longest legs is going to be the music. Lady Gaga's "Shallow" won an Oscar as well as several other awards, but that's not the only hit song that has come from the movie. Recently, Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder performed the song "Maybe It's Time" as a solo acoustic number and it's pretty close to perfect. Check it out.


While "Shallow" is the song that gets all the attention, I think there are a couple of pieces in A Star is Born that are actually better songs and "Maybe It's Time," written by Jason Isbell, is one of them. Eddie Vedder's performance at the Innings Music Festival in Tempe, Arizona is simple but the song lends itself to that sort of interpretation. While Bradley Cooper's character in A Star is Born is certainly capable of loud raucous songs, this isn't one of them.


It's fitting that Eddie Vedder would perform "Maybe It's Time." Vedder and Bradley Cooper are personal friends and Cooper has said that he spent a lot of time with the singer in order to learn what he needed to know in order to play the part of Jackson Maine. While Cooper says that Vedder mainly helped him with little details about the inner workings of the music industry, it's hard to claim that Vedder didn't have some influence on the character himself, however unintentional that may have been.





The song is essentially the theme song for the character of Jackson Maine. He's looking back on his life and career and trying to figure what his way forward is. While Vedder has never seemingly had a problem figuring out how to navigate his future, he's been making music professionally for over 30 years and probably has a lot of thoughts about where his career has taken him in that time.


When A Star is Born first came out many expected it to be the film to beat come awards season. While the movie didn't do badly for itself, it wasn't the powerhouse many expected it to be. Lady Gaga was frequently defeated in the Best Actress category by Glenn Close. The movie was frequently nominated for Best Picture but it wasn't able to pull out the wins.


One can expect that Lady Gaga will make a song like "Shallow" and others from A Star is Born part of her regular repertoire. It will be interesting to see if other singers follow Eddie Vedder's lead and help other songs from the film live on by performing them. It will be interesting to see if the ultimate legacy of the movie comes from the music.




The Russo Brothers Confirm Loki’s Fate In Avengers: Endgame

The Russo Brothers Confirm Loki’s Fate In Avengers: Endgame
Loki with the Tesseract

Massive spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame


It's been nearly three weeks since Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters, and there are still a ton of questions floating above the fandom. The Russo Brothers did the impossible with their massive blockbuster, meeting every expectation that fans had, and providing countless plot twists. One of which involved the God of Mischief himself, Loki.


Tom Hiddleston's Loki was killed by Thanos in the opening sequence in Avengers: Infinity War, seemingly ending the character's story forever. But Hiddleston is attached to a Loki series for Disney+, and the macguffin for that possibility was provided during Endgame's time heist. The sequence saw 2012 Loki escape with the Space Stone, an outcome that should have a massive impact on that universe. Now The Russo Brothers have confirmed this created a new timeline, with Joe Russo recently saying:





Loki, when he teleports away with the Time Stone, would create his own timeline. It gets very complicated, but it would be impossible for [Cap] to rectify the timeline unless he found Loki. The minute that Loki does something as dramatic as take the Space Stone, he creates a branched reality.



Cue the Loki Disney + series. Loki's fate was one of the unclear aspects of Endgame's conclusion, although now that the Russo Brothers have lifted the spoiler ban, they can be more chatty an expansive about the film's contents.


Avengers: Endgame's time heist was super ambitious, and brought the surviving heroes back to various points across the MCU's long history. The biggest group traveled to the Battle of New York from The Avengers, and split up to acquire three Infinity Stones. Everything was going according to plan, until Hulk smashed into an incognito Tony Stark, sending the Space Stone flying.




Related: Marvel Updated Loki's Official Bio And Now We Have To Rethink Everything


True to character, Loki seized this opportunity, and vanished. It's unclear where he might have traveled to, and Tim Hiddleston's character wasn't mentioned at any point during the film's third act. But now The Russo Brothers have confirmed that he's got a new timeline in the works. In the same conversation with Business Insider, Anthony Russo echoed his brother's statement, saying:



We’re dealing with this idea of multiverses and branched realities. So there are many realities.





The multiverse is a complicated concept to bring into the MCU, but the massive franchise has earned it at this point. And it's going to factor heavily into Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is the final installment in Phase Three. The newest trailer revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio was from another dimension, with the snap causing a tear in the multiverse. So it'll be fascinating to see how this type of storytelling moves the property forward, and if those tears become a recurring event in Phase Four.


It's currently unclear when Loki's Disney+ series will become available, as the future of the MCU is largely a mystery. But you can watch the God of Mischief's latest appearance on the big screen with Avengers: Endgame-- in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Explaining John Wick, The Continental, And The Rules The Assassins Follow

Explaining John Wick, The Continental, And The Rules The Assassins Follow
John Wick points gun John Wick Chapter 3

Last weekend, action fans flooded movie theaters to check out John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the latest adventure of Keanu Reeve's increasingly iconic, deadpan, dog-loving assassin. The John Wick films are known for incredibly slick choreography and memorable action sequences, but one thing that never gets much attention is the surprisingly complex mythology. John Wick may go around tallying up head shots left and right, but even he has a strict set of rules that he needs to follow.


Obviously the main draw for a John Wick movie is action over the story, but the films place such emphasis on the hitman's world that it's tough to ignore. There's a unique mythology at play here, as John Wick's word is populated by secret clubs, assassin hotels and a whole network of goods and services purely for people of the underworld.


Each film expands the lore, but it doesn't give any real explanation. It lets the audience try to figure it out before moving right into the next action scene.




It can be kind of confusing, but that's where we come in! John Wick likes to throw a lot of seemingly random rules at you, but when you piece them all together, it starts to make some sense. Here are some of the most important aspects of John Wick's underworld and how it works.


The Baba Yaga


It makes sense to start right at the beginning with the man himself. John Wick's backstory is never really brought up in detail, though Parabellum tries to shed some light on the subject.


While the movie doesn't spend a lot of time explaining, it's implied that John Wick was raised by Angelica Houston's The Director, the leader of the Ruska Roma. In addition to teaching ballet, she apparently trains orphans to become assassins, and John Wick (whose real name is Jardani Jovonovich) eventually became her most successful student.




Basically, John was one of the greatest assassins who ever lived. He was so deadly that he earned the nickname Baba Yaga, which means The Boogeyman. John Wick spends an unknown amount of years racking up the kill count, building his reputation, and meeting a ton people.


The movies make it seem like basically every assassin knows who John Wick is. However, one day he falls in love with a woman named Helen and decides to get out of the life, something that is implied to be very hard to do and no one has ever done.


Apparently, you can't just leave the underworld, so John had to undergo an "impossible task" to earn his freedom. We don't know what he did, but it involved killing a lot of people. He succeeded and left his old life behind to start a new one with Helen. It didn't last long however, and that's where the first John Wick begins.




Assassins Have Unbreakable Vows


In John Wick: Chapter 2, we learn that John didn't complete his impossible task on his own. He needed help from an Italian crime lord named Santino D'Antonio. In order to secure this help, John offered his marker, which is the underworld's version of an unbreakable vow from Harry Potter.


The marker is essentially an amulet with a bloody fingerprint inside. If someone gives their amulet away for a favor, it means that they are making a blood oath to do any task the person asks of them in the future. If someone like John Wick gives away his marker, then that means you basically have the world's greatest assassin in your pocket for one favor.


If you give away your marker, then the debt must be honored. You have to do whatever it is that the person asks. The assassin world takes this very seriously, and it's one of the only two unbreakable rules. John Wick tried to break it and his house was burned to the ground as a result.




The Continental


One of the major locations of the John Wick films is the Continental, and it's more than just a fancy New York City hotel. The building caters exclusively to assassins and all its amenities are geared toward their specific purposes. For example, instead of recommending a nice restaurant, the concierge will point you to the secret backdoor of your target's safe house.


The Continental is a branch of worldwide hotels, and each one is run by a manager. Ian McShane's Winston runs the New York location, Halle Berry's Sophia is in charge of the Casablanca Continental and Julius looks after the Rome Continental. It's implied that each Continental offers the same services and follows the same guidelines, but the day-to-day stuff depends on the manager.


The most important thing about the Continental is that absolutely no business can be conducted on hotel grounds. In other words, no assassin is allowed to kill another assassin inside the hotel. It's the No. 1 rule of the underworld, and if broken, it's punishable by death or being labeled as "excommunicado."




That means that the assassin loses all access and privileges to the Continental's underworld resources. That's a major setback for any professional hitman, but it becomes a real headache if they have an open contract on their head. John Wick dealt with that exact scenario after he killed Santino in the Continental, as the High Table doubled the contract that was already out on him.


The Goods And Services


The life of a professional killer is dangerous and there are a number of resources scattered around the world to help assassins. For instance, a seemingly ordinary doctor's office can be a late night emergency room for a quick patch up if a mission goes wrong. Or you can visit a historian and get old blueprints or maps to find secret pathways to a seemingly impenetrable fortress. Even taxi drivers are in on it.


Assassins can also find the best guns and ammunition to fit their specific needs. There are also tailors who will custom make bullet proof suits to help protect the killers who still want to look damn good. All of these services are pretty much hidden right in the open, but a well-connected assassin knows the best spots.




All of these services don't come free. The underworld has its own special form of currency in the form of gold coins. If an assassin kills their mark, they get rewarded with coins, which can then be spent at the Continental or any other underworld establishment. A skilled assassin like John Wick will tally up enough coins to save for emergencies and keep secret stashes in convenient places.


The High Table


All these rules had to come from somewhere, and in the underworld, the High Table is the highest authority. Not much is known about the group, but they are a council of crime lords who oversee all the wheeling and dealings. They set the rules and if anyone breaks them, then they decide the punishment through an agent called The Adjudicator.


Basically everyone in the underworld works for the High Table in some form or they are at least expected to serve when called. For example, the Continentals all answer to the Table.




The only person that we know of who is ahead of the High Table is the Elder, who lives out in the middle of dessert and does... something. His job is pretty unclear, but he's the only one who can reverse a decision made by the Table. Only a few people know who he is or how to find him.


We don't know the identity of anyone currently on the High Table, how many members there are or what their origins are. However, they seem to be fairly disliked by the people who have to answer to them, and John Wick is especially not a fan by this point. The High Table essentially marked him for death, and he's been a frequent source of trouble.


It's not every day that an action franchise comes along that tries to build its own unique world. The star of John Wick is unquestionably the action, but part of the reason that these movies are so popular is that it's a cool world. Nothing is every really explained and literally everyone seems to know who John Wick is, but that does help to make the world feel lived in.




At the end of the day, you don't want your action movie to spend five minutes explaining the bureaucracy of the hitman's job when you could be watching a sword fight on motorcycles. However, it's still fun to piece it all together once the gunfire dies down.


The John Wick franchise will continue with the release of Chapter 4 on May 21, 2021.

Why George R.R. Martin Liked Avengers: Endgame So Much

Why George R.R. Martin Liked Avengers: Endgame So Much
Cap assembling The Avengers

After a long year of waiting, Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters a few weeks ago, delivering an extremely ambitious blockbuster that was built on the previous 21 MCU releases. Endgame did the impossible, exceeding expectations and providing all the emotional payoffs fans were hoping for. The movie has been met with wild box office numbers and critical acclaim, and now even Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin has weighed in.


The combination of Endgame's release and Game of Thrones' Battle of Winterfell episode kept the fandom on edge for a full week, but George R.R. Martin hasn't spoken much about the show's final season. He did, however, recently revealed that he loved Avengers: Endgame-- and for one specific reason: it wasn't just a mindless action flick. As Martin tells it,



There’s plenty of action here, but this is not just A Big Dumb Action movie, of which there are far too many these days. Stan Lee would have been proud. Could he ever have dreamed that all those characters he and Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and the rest of the Marvel team created in the early '60s would one day come to dominate global culture? There’s an amazing story for you.





George R.R. Martin knows about balancing action and story, as his A Song of Ice and Fire novels contain both. What's more, Game of Thrones has found a way to properly include both aspects of the fantasy series on the small screen.


George R.R. Martin's Endgame comments come from a recent post on his blog, which he regularly updates to keep in touch with Game of Thrones fans. But rather than discussing the contents of the show's final season on HBO, Martin instead shared his impression of Avengers: Endgame. And it was a glowing review, one that echoed the feelings of the moviegoing public.


Related: The 25 Most Emotional Moments In Avengers: Endgame




Avengers: Endgame had a ton of action scenes, spread out among both the second and third acts of the film. But those sequences weren't gratuitous or mindless, they helped move the overall narrative forward. It's this fact that seems to have impressed George R.R. Martin most, as The Russo Brothers crafted a story that was very much character-driven. Especially for the OG members of the team.


Endgame was so emotionally charged because it was deeply connected to the previous movies, and allowed its super powered characters to be vulnerable and utterly flawed. The survivors were left truly shaken by the affects of Thanos' snap, and their grief lasted years. And with actors like Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. reaching the end of their contracts, major Avengers were given their endings in the MCU.


As for Game of Thrones, it should be interesting to see what George R.R. Martin is feeling about the divisive final season. The HBO series must wrap up a story that began with Martin released his first novel back in 1996. And the show's narrative choices might not be the same that Martin had in mind for Westeros.




Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Those '90s Songs In Captain Marvel Are Suddenly Really Popular Again

Those '90s Songs In Captain Marvel Are Suddenly Really Popular Again

When it comes to music in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy is the one that has the reputation for the most rockin' soundtrack. The cosmic franchise's Awesome Mix of '70s and '80s hits has been massively popular, but it's Captain Marvel that has all the '90s love. The new Marvel film features a soundtrack of '90s tunes and it's clearly leaving a big impact on audiences because all of these songs combined jumped 464% in downloads.


Captain Marvel is the newest MCU film and follows Brie Larson's Carol Danvers as she tries to discover her past while stuck in the middle of a war between two alien races. The film is set in the '90s and contains several memorable throwbacks to the decade, such as Blockbuster and dial-up internet.


To help keep everyone in the spirit of the '90s, the film's soundtrack includes hits from bands like Nirvana, No Doubt, and Elastica. It's a nostalgic throwback that has the millions of people who have seen the superhero movie in the '90s mood, because these songs have skyrocketed in downloads and streams since the the movie premiered on March 8.





Captain Marvel features 13 rock, pop, and rap songs on its soundtrack. Combined, they collected a 464% gain in sales in the U.S. in the four days after Captain Marvel released in theaters, according to Nielsen Reports (via Billboard). That means that combined, the songs were downloaded 9,000 times -- compared to 2,000 just four days before March 6.


Apparently, The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman," which Nick Fury sings for all of five seconds, is included in this measurement.


For those curious which song was the highest-seller from the soundtrack, that title goes to "Celebrity Skin" by Hole. The song jumped 2,222% in sales to nearly 2,000 downloads during the tracking span. Other songs that saw over 1,000 downloads include Garbage’s “Only Happy When It Rains” (up 1,351%), No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” (up 720%), and Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” (up 371%).





Of course, we can't forget to look at streaming, and the 13 songs saw some notable gains in that area. Collectively, the soundtrack saw a 43% gain, which equates to 4.09 million streams on March 7-10. Comparatively, the collected songs had 2.85 million from March 3-6.


Never underestimate the power of a good throwback! The soundtrack is clearly playing well with people and now it makes me curious if the inevitable Captain Marvel 2 will continue the trend and feature more '90s songs. If the sequel takes place in space or the present day, it probably wouldn't make too much sense.


You can listen to this rippin' soundtrack in Captain Marvel, which is in theaters everywhere. For everything else hitting theaters this year, check out our 2019 movie release guide.




Monday, September 7, 2020

How Michael Dougherty Came Up With Those Godzilla: King Of The Monsters End Credit Scenes

How Michael Dougherty Came Up With Those Godzilla: King Of The Monsters End Credit Scenes
King Ghidorah roaring on volcano

Spoiler Warning: We dish on the ending of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Come back after you've seen the movie!


Fans of monster movies were treated to Godzilla: King of the Monsters this weekend. Like many blockbusters these days, King of the Monsters has two end-credits scenes for fans to enjoy. The first one plays out over the credits, in which a montage of news headlines hit the screen, teasing the aftermath of Godzilla's battle with King Ghidorah. It's an interesting way to convey information, and director Michael Dougherty told CinemaBlend that it was an idea that came up to show audiences that everything was still okay after the movie.


In King of the Monsters, Godzilla goes head-to-head against King Ghidorah, a rival apex predator seeking to control all the other Titans in the world. This shouldn't be a shocker, but Godzilla takes back his throne. To make sure that audiences knew that Godzilla wasn't going to just wreck shop with all his Titan pals now, Michael Dougherty used "headlines of the day" to tease how the world is reacting to the aftermath.




Here's what director Michael Dougherty told CinemaBlend Senior Video Producer Jeff McCobb in an exclusive video interview:



No, I think that idea came during post-production. The idea that it would be nice to just give us a slight glimpse into what the aftermath of that ending was. And also just to calm any fears that it means we're entering some kind of post-apocalyptic monster-dominated world. That's not the case. You know, with Godzilla returning to his place on the throne, I really like the idea that he would sort of keep things at a proper balance.



The headlines in question reveal that Godzilla is a benevolent king. While some of these headlines are blink-and-you-miss-them, the general sense is that the world is recovering in the aftermath of Godzilla's showdown with Ghidorah. In fact, some parts of the world are thriving, but I won't reveal any specifics as to why. You'll just have to see the movie!




Also, here's a friendly reminder to stick around until the end of the credits. There's a post-credits scene that you probably don't want to miss.


If you'd like to hear these words from Michael Dougherty himself, check out our exclusive interview with the director and actor Ken Watanabe in the video below.


Critics have been ragging pretty hard on Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but if you like giant monsters and really rad fights, then you don't want to miss this movie. The film is currently in theaters, so check it out when you can! For all of the other big movies that will be hitting theaters in the near future, be sure to take a look at our 2019 movie release guide.



How Shazam!'s CinemaScore Compares To Other DCEU Movies

How Shazam!'s CinemaScore Compares To Other DCEU Movies
Zachary Levi as Shazam! DCEU DC Warner Bros.

Happy Shazam! weekend, everybody. Zachary Levi's superhero movie can stand on its own, but technically it is the seventh movie in the DC Extended Universe. When you're in a "universe," you get compared to your predecessors and successors. That's true for box office -- and we'll get those opening weekend numbers tomorrow (Sunday 4/7) -- but also for critical and fan reactions. One metric I'm always curious to see is the CinemaScore, since it polls moviegoers on opening night.


If you see a movie opening night, you're usually pretty eager for it, which can lend itself to a more positive-than-usual reaction -- unless you're disappointed, and then the fall from high expectations can be rough. The new April 5th movies now have fresh CinemaScores out -- and while Pet Sematary is sitting with a disappointing C+, Shazam! is enjoying an A.


That A for Shazam! sits next to its 92% Rotten Tomatoes score from 257 reviews from critics, and a 90% audience score from 2,429 user ratings.




Sticking with CinemaScores, let's see how Shazam! compares to the other DCEU movies, listed in order of release:



Man of Steel (2013) - CinemaScore: A-

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) - Cinemascore: B

Suicide Squad (2016) - CinemaScore: B+

Wonder Woman (2017) - CinemaScore: A

Justice League (2017) - CinemaScore: B+

Aquaman (2018) - CinemaScore: A-

Shazam! (2019) - CinemaScore: A



Are you surprised that Shazam! and Wonder Woman both got the top A grades? Not surprised at all? Aquaman and Man of Steel tied, any surprises there? That one does kind of surprise me. The box office certainly preferred Aquaman, but opening night moviegoers were just as fond of Henry Cavill's debut as Superman.




Batman v Superman got the lowest score with a B, which isn't that low, except it is pretty low for opening night superheroes. That was probably an expectation fall -- people walking in with high hopes and then not quite getting what they wanted. Again, though, this is just a selection of polled fans who saw the movies opening night. They may not be DC superfans, they could've just been excited for that weekend's new blockbuster. Justice League got a B+, despite the continued debate over Zack Snyder's vision as director before Joss Whedon showed up for reshoots.


Feel free to look up any other movies you want to use for comparison -- if you want to stay in the DC Comics world, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy movies all got As. In the Marvel Comics world, Captain Marvel has an A, Avengers: Infinity War also got an A. Marvel's The Avengers actually got an A+ back in 2012. That might've been another expectation reaction -- not expecting that much and being completely wowed. (I bet the shawarma scene nailed it.)


Shazam! is in a unique position in that it does feel like its own thing, with just a few connections to the larger DC world. However, it seems like just the latest win following the billion dollar success of Aquaman. It may not make that kind of money, but it's already beating expectations at the box office.




Next up we have Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984 in 2020, followed by The Batman and The Suicide Squad in 2021, and then ... maybe The Flash movie? ... and then probably Aquaman 2, plus the million other movies in development that will have to fight their way to the top.


Shazam! is now in theaters. What would you grade it? Vote below...

 

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