Brad Pitt And Edward Norton Talk Fight Club Getting Booed In Early Screenings

Brad Pitt And Edward Norton Talk Fight Club Getting Booed In Early Screenings

Today, David Fincher’s Fight Club is considered a true cult classic, one of the director’s best movies and one of the most enduring titles of the banner year that was 1999. But 20 years ago, when the movie was first coming out, that level of adoration and appreciation was much more difficult to find. The film was a box office flop and was critically lambasted in some corners, for being irresponsible and deplorable. It was even booed.

Fight Club premiered in September of 1999 at the Venice Film Festival and in an excerpt from Brian Raftery’s book Best. Movie. Year. Ever. on The Ringer, Brad Pitt recalls the reaction to that early screening:

It gets to one of Helena’s scandalous lines—‘I haven’t been fucked like that since grade school!’—and literally the guy running the festival got up and left. Edward and I were still the only ones laughing. You could hear two idiots up in the balcony cackling through the whole thing.

What an amusing image that is, a crowd of aghast and offended festivalgoers watching Fight Club for the first time while Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are cracking up like teenagers, enjoying every second of the film and finding it hilarious.

The audience at Fight Club’s premiere clearly did not see the satire in Fight Club or find any humor in it, especially when it comes to Helena Bonham Carter’s most notorious line as Marla Singer. The line was so offensive that the person running the festival decided he had seen enough and decided to leave.

What’s particularly ironic about that is that her scandalous line was actually the result of the original line being considered too offensive and alienating by one of the film’s producers, Laura Ziskin. The original line in the script is the same as in Chuck Palahniuk’s book; after sex Marla turns to Tyler and says ‘I want to have your abortion.’ As retold by The Wrap, Ziskin begged David Fincher to take the abortion line out and the grade school line is what replaced it.

That line may or may not be more offensive, but either way, it didn’t play well, nor did the film overall, as Edward Norton recalled:

It got booed. It wasn’t playing well at all. Brad turns and looks at me says, ‘That’s the best movie I’m ever gonna be in.’ He was so happy.

You occasionally hear stories about films getting booed at festivals, and it ascribes a scarlet letter of sorts to the movie, branding it as something terrible, indecent or both. That a more prudish audience might boo Fight Club is one thing, but a festival attended by adherents of the art from is something wild to consider. Still, no amount of boos were going to rain on Brad Pitt’s parade.

As Edward Norton recalled, Brad Pitt was positively cheery, thrilled with the film itself, regardless of how it was received. Whether it wound up really being the best movie he’s ever been in is up for debate, but it is definitely a career highlight.

For Edward Norton, the hostile response Fight Club received at those early screenings from critics and audiences was something of a defensive response to the messages in the film itself. He said:

I think the establishment, the critical culture, felt a little bit indicted by it. So they responded to it with a little bit more seriousness, and I think they missed the satirical edge of it.

The subversive, anti-establishment message espoused by Tyler Durden in Fight Club was viewed as a dangerous and irresponsible thing to be in a Hollywood film. And rather than take a nuanced look at the satirical nature of the story, the response was to condemn it. It should also be noted that Fight Club came out the same year as the Columbine Shooting happened, so like The Matrix, it also arrived at an inopportune time and was an easy scapegoat and example of the things that caused society’s ills.

The people involved knew that Fight Club was going to have an uphill battle in the public eye, so two days before its opening, Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairman at the time Bill Mechanic let David Fincher know what to expect. He said:

I said there would be two judgments in the movie. One would be on Friday—which I wasn’t so sure about. But there was also the judgment of history. And I thought this would be one of the great films of the decade. So I was fine to take the pummeling.

Bill Mechanic proved prescient in his thoughts. Fight Club was judged a failure when it opened, managing just $11 million in its opening weekend. Yet as predicted, history judged David Fincher’s film far kinder. Fight Club is now a classic and indeed one of the great films of the decade. Sometimes faith in a film is rewarded, but those rewards don’t always come when you expect them. From booed and walked out on to cult classic; Jack’s smirking revenge indeed.

Check out our 2019 Release Schedule for all the films coming to theaters this year.

Is Captain Marvel OK For Kids?

Is Captain Marvel OK For Kids?

The following contains minor spoilers for Captain Marvel**.**

Marvel's newest comic book superhero is here and you can be sure that some pretty big crowds will be checking it out this weekend. With the character being based on popular comic books, one can also be sure that fans of all ages will want to check out Captain Marvel, but does the new film really work for all ages? We'll break it down so you can make a knowledgeable decision.

First and foremost, Captain Marvel, like all other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is rated PG-13. That shouldn't be one's only determining factor in whether the movie is ok for kids, but as the guide it's meant to be, it certainly helps set up the scene. If we look at the different elements that usually add up to create a film's rating we can see how Captain Marvel handles each one.

In the realm of sex and nudity, parents need not worry about anything in any possible way. There's nothing that even hints at such things in Captain Marvel. There isn't so much as an overtly romantic relationship in the film. The relationship between the two main leads, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), is of the "buddy cop" variety only. There isn't even a platonic kiss on the cheek that I recall.

When it comes to language, there isn't a great deal to report there either. While the PG-13 rating allows for one, non-sexual, F-bomb, the film decides against using it. There is some language that probably isn't appropriate around the average family dinner table, but if your kids have been exposed to other PG-13 movies, it's nothing they haven't heard before.

When it comes to violence, as you likely could have guessed, things are a little different. There is a lot of action that largely means people getting punched in the face or shot at. Of course, since Captain Marvel is very focused on a couple different races of space alien, most of the action is of the sci-fi ray gun variety. Captain Marvel shoots photon blasts from her and space ships fire lasers at each other.

This certainly takes the action out of the realm of reality by quite bit. There is a minor amount of blood as a result of some of the violence, but not all of it is even red, making it that much more surreal and less likely to be scary to the more impressionable.

Captain Marvel is a bit more "comic book" than some of Marvel's more recent films, everything is a bit more over the top and while the added bit of cartoonishness might not work for every viewer, kids will probably love it.

If there's any reason Captain Marvel could be a problem for kids of any age it may be a couple other elements that cause that.

First off, the story of Captain Marvel is told in a nonlinear fashion. Our lead character deals with repressed memories and flashbacks that aren't explicitly explained as such. This means the youngest kids could potentially have trouble following the story, meaning somebody older might need to be there to whisper what's going on.

Secondly, and this is a very minor issue, the movie takes place during the 1990s. As such there's a lot of jokes and references made at the expense of the decade. Jokes will be lost on younger viewers and, assuming you understand, you might need to justify the 90s after the movie is over. Good luck with that.

All kids are different and each parent will have to decide what is acceptable for each kid. Having said that, nearly all kids will probably be fine with Captain Marvel. It opens Friday

6 Characters Hobbs And Shaw Needs To Bring Back

6 Characters Hobbs And Shaw Needs To Bring Back

Is it weird to say that it’s so damned easy to keep going back to watch the latest Hobbs and Shaw trailer over and over again? Revving up the motors for one of the potentially largest hits of 2019 certainly isn’t a hard prospect, especially when you have the right people for the job.

But mixed in the new footage we saw was an interesting development: Helen Mirren’s Magdalene, the matriarch of the Shaw clan, and in jail nonetheless. Which brings up one of the most fun pieces of the Fast and Furious franchise’s arsenal: surprise returning characters.

If Mother Shaw can cross over between franchises and return in Hobbs and Shaw, then the door is open for so many more possibilities. More specifically, there’s six characters that need to return in the Hobbs and Shaw side of the house, and they’ve all got some pretty good reasons to be brought back into the fold.

Cipher

At the end of The Fate of The Furious, Charlize Theron’s techno baddie Cipher escaped and made her way to Athens, probably planning some new plot to send the world into chaos. If that’s not the definition of a loose end, then the term needs to be revised for clarity.

However, with the Hobbs and Shaw team specializing in franchise extension, via saving the world from threats to security and intelligence, there’s a chance to tie off said hanging thread. With the titular pair ready to take on those who set out to destabilize the status quo, and Cipher being owed a proper villain rematch, the path is pretty clear to seeing these irresistible forces collide with more than a couple immovable objects.

Mr. Nobody

Returning audiences to the world of espionage in the Fast and Furious cinematic racetrack almost requires bringing other figures of the Diplomatic Security Service back into the fold. While we’ll probably be meeting some new personnel in this fairly new and shadowy organization in Hobbs and Shaw, it’d be nice to have a familiar face to help explain what’s going on.

It’d also be helpful to see professional smart ass/secret agent Mr. Nobody return in Hobbs and Shaw, because who doesn’t enjoy some good Kurt Russell snark? Of course, that snark is usually helpful whenever Nobody shows up, seeing as he’s the one with the intel for important missions ahead. When Mr. Nobody comes to town, you know the situation is serious, and we’d seriously like to see him back.

Little Nobody

The man we know as Little Nobody is a given for who should be brought into the Hobbs and Shaw world. Just as Mr. Nobody is the guy with the information and the plans needed to get the job done, Little is equally helpful, though a bit wet behind the ears.

As such, he still has something to learn when it comes to saving the world, and his lessons would be best conducted in the field, with bullets flying past his head. Scott Eastwood’s young spy in the making was a fun addition to The Fate of The Furious, and even if the character eventually stays in the more driven part of the canon, a Hobbs and Shaw mission wouldn’t hurt in the character development of Little Nobody.

Owen Shaw

Family is who you fight alongside, no matter the challenge. We’ve seen that Magdalene Shaw is coming back in Hobbs and Shaw, and with Vanessa Kirby being added to the family tree, it feels like another reunion is in order. Which means Owen Shaw needs to return yet again.

Undoubtedly Magdalene is going to need some help leaving her current place of incarceration. Knowing the Shaw family, reunions are always at the most inopportune times, so the quest to break mother out of the slammer will require all three of her currently known children. Not to mention, much like Deckard himself, Owen is owed a redemption, with Hobbs and Shaw feeling like the best place to get it.

Sean Boswell

While we saw Fast And Furious: Tokyo Drift’s Sean Boswell return for a cameo in Furious 7, we didn’t see him at all during The Fate of The Furious. This is in spite of the fact that we were told actor Lucas Black would be back for two more installments in the series, which has us thinking that a new plan may be in order.

Sean could easily become a cadet in the Diplomatic Security Service, as he’s dealt with underground criminal operations in international settings. Also, with his connection to the Toretto gang not being as strong as some of the other members, it wouldn’t be hard to win him over onto the side of the law. Of course, it’d be nice for him to have a partner to navigate this new world with, which leads to the most important character return for the Fast and Furious extended universe.

Han Lue

No one is going to let go of the fact that Deckard Shaw killed Han Lue in Fast and Furious 6, and some how became accepted as a good guy later on in this particular universe. But, as we’ve learned in the past, just because they say you’re dead doesn’t mean you died. Just as Letty came back from the dead, it’s time for Han to come back to the world of the living.

In fact, there’d be no better way to do that then to reveal that, surprise, he was drafted into the Diplomatic Security Service and has been working as a deep cover agent. Right there, you not only bring back a fan favorite, you also squash a serious beef in the Fast and Furious canon. Also, reuniting Sean and Han for some excitement is too good of an opportunity to pass up, and since he’ll definitely be coming back in some way for the Fast and Furious sequels, you’re basically killing two birds with one stone.

The Hobbs and Shaw franchise is just starting up with this first film, so the possibilities are still up in the air. But there’s plenty of good characters to pursue once things get going, provided that they don’t already show up in this initial entry.

We’ve still got some time to see where things go, as Hobbs and Shaw doesn’t hit theaters until August 2; but if anyone wants to get out there and film some nifty post credits scenes with any of the characters above, we’re willing to accept an Executive Producer credit as a thank you.

Yes, The Hulk's Snap In Avengers: Endgame Had A 'Smart' Bonus

Yes, The Hulk's Snap In Avengers: Endgame Had A 'Smart' Bonus

Spoilers, obviously, for Avengers: Endgame.

He may not have America's ass, but The Hulk has Bruce Banner's brain in Avengers: Endgame, and he knows how to use it. The Avengers: Endgame Powers That Be have talked about being fascinated by all the ways Thanos' Decimation would affect the planet on a day-to-day level. Just the logistics of it. They almost gave Black Widow a sad storyline directly connected to the missing 50%. It turns out, they also gave thought to the opposite -- what would happen when those 50% came back with The Hulk's Snap.

Avengers: Endgame gave The Hulk the first of two major Snaps. His Infinity Gauntlet save brought back the 50% Thanos vaporized in Avengers: Infinity War. But he didn't just bring them back to the exact circumstances they were in.

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige addressed a Reddit user's question on the practicalities of the people brought back from The Hulk's snap. Here's the question and Feige's answer:

Reddit user dwallace3099: People have expressed views that, in Endgame, those brought back by the snap could have died in accidents (like someone being brought back 100 ft in the air where a plane used to be). Is it possible that Hulk, when doing the snap, not only brought everyone back, but also brought them back in a safe place?

Kevin Feige: We refer to the version of Hulk in Endgame as Smart Hulk. So, yes.

Smart Hulk! He already takes selfies with kids, maybe next he'll do Smart Range ads for Whirlpool or something. Maximize that brand.

Whether you call him Smart Hulk or the Professor Hulk of Marvel Comics, we almost saw him in Avengers: Infinity War, since that was the original plan. It's good that he was around in Endgame with enough strength to wield the Infinity Gauntlet and survive, and also enough brains to give some serious thought to his Snap. It almost sounds like the specific wish you have to make to the genie in the lamp -- cover every base or someone will literally be left hanging.

Speaking of that, can you imagine the thrill of being brought back to Earth five years after the Decimation, only to realize you are now in the air -- probably more than 100 feet -- where your airplane was five years ago? Classic.

The time travel elements of Avengers: Endgame are still being dissected, and there's also the time jump angle. The stars of Spider-Man: Far From Home seem stumped by why they are all still in high school if they were gone for five years, but the Endgame writers did try to explain that.

On a more serious note, Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have already said that The Hulk is permanently damaged after the events of Endgame -- physically and also emotionally. At least he got to walk away, which is more than can be said for Iron Man after his Snap.

Avengers: Endgame may be topped by John Wick 3 at this weekend's box office but Endgame is about to top Avatar at the domestic box office and I'm pretty sure it'll top the foreign box office -- and hence be the overall highest-grossing movie of all time -- by the end of May.

Booksmart’s Female-Driven Story Isn’t Just For Women, According To Director Olivia Wilde

Booksmart’s Female-Driven Story Isn’t Just For Women, According To Director Olivia Wilde

High school movies come in all shapes and sizes. There’s the decidedly male-oriented, like Superbad, and there’s the equally female-oriented, like Pretty in Pink. Tron: Legacy actress Olivia Wilde is about to dive into the genre by making her directorial debut on the film Booksmart, and while the film will focus on a friendship between two young women, Wilde opened up to CinemaBlend and other outlets during a visit to the Booksmart set earlier this year to make sure we all knew that it wouldn’t be an exclusively female story. Wilde said:

It's certainly not a specifically female story. It's a story that's relatable in all ways, to people of all ages. Which has been great. All the guys on our crew love this story and feel connected to it, as well as the women. I wanted to tell an authentic story about female friendship and create a buddy comedy about young women that I don't think I've seen before.

So yes, there is a story about female friendship at the core of Booksmart. That said, the friendship element is a bit more important than the female element, with a universal message about the pains of growing up anchoring the whole thing. There’s a female focus, but there’s plenty in there to get male audiences onboard with the Booksmart story as well.

Of course, a big reason why Booksmart aims to have such universal appeal is the sheer number of classic high school properties that it has drawn from in the development of its story. The presence of Beanie Feldstein on the movie’s cast will likely draw comparisons to Lady Bird, but during our visit to the set of the film earlier this year, we learned a lot about the other high school movies that have provided DNA to this one. In particular, it should be noted that Booksmart is drawing heavily from Superbad, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Freaks and Geeks – in addition to a number of John Hughes movies. Put all of these elements together, and you’re left with a film that definitely doesn’t feel like it’s specifically designed for any gender or type of audience.

As previously mentioned, Booksmart centers on the story of two young women on their last day of high school. Realizing that they have focused solely on education and not enough on fun, they embark on one wild night to live it up before finding themselves forced to say goodbye to the high school life forever

Make sure to keep it here for more updates related to Booksmart as further details about the movie are made available to us. Until we have more information about Olivia Wilde’s upcoming directorial debut, you can also head over to our movie premiere guide to read up on all of the films that are set to premiere on the big screen on May 24.

Dave Bautista Is ‘Still Processing’ Avengers: Endgame

Dave Bautista Is ‘Still Processing’ Avengers: Endgame

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen it yet, check out one of our other stories!

It's been nearly a week since Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters, and moviegoers are still recovering from the movie's unpredictable events. The Russo Brothers crafted a complicated story that was truly the cumulation of the last 21 movies, rewarding the hardcore fandom for consistently running to theaters and shelling out cash for each new release.

The Russo Brothers threw everything and the kitchen sink into Avengers: Endgame, so there's plenty to unpack from the action-packed blockbuster. While moviegoers' heads are understandably still spinning, that's a feeling that extends to even the cast and crew. Guardians of the Galaxy standout Dave Bautista took to social media following Endgame's release, check it out:

Same, Dave. Same.

Dave Bautista's Tweet makes a great deal of sense, especially considering he was probably kept in the dark regarding quite a bit of Avengers: Endgame's contents. Drax was largely absent from the blockbuster, after he and most of the Guardians faded to dust as a result of Thanos' finger snap of death. So while he was privy for the final battle and the Guardians' ultimate fate, Bautista was likely just as delighted and surprised over Endgame's contents as the rest of us.

The Guardians of the Galaxy were hit hard by Thanos' assault in Infinity War, with only Rocket and Nebula managing to survive the snap. Luckily, the dusted Guardians popped back up in Endgame's final battle with Thanos. After Hulk managed to snap everyone back into existence, all of the galaxy's forces untied against Thanos and his army. Drax and Mantis were one of the first Guardians to appear, and they were a sight for sore eyes.

The Russo Brothers crammed so much into Avengers: Endgame, that the blockbuster is basically begging or a rewatch. This might be exactly what Dave Bautista needs, as he's processing the events of the movie as well. And in the end, Endgame did seem to tease the future of his team of intergalactic heroes.

Related: Why Thor Changed So Much In Avengers: Endgame, According To The Writers

Once reassembled, the Guardians of the Galaxy ended up heading back to space in Endgame, with Thor in toe. Star-Lord is shown searching for the 2014 version of Gamora, who joined the final battle against Thanos before vanishing. The search for Gamora will likely be a major plot point for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it should be interesting to see if Thor ends up actually joining the team. It's a character pairing that worked great in Infinity War, but Chris Hemsworth has also come to the end of his Marvel Studios contract.

Avengers: Endgame is currently in theaters now, and Guardians 3 is rumored to begin filming in 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

New Avengers: Endgame Trailer Goes In On Spoilery Content

New Avengers: Endgame Trailer Goes In On Spoilery Content

Massive spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen the movie yet, look away!

Avengers: Endgame is going into its third weekend in theaters, and just continues to make insane box office numbers. The blockbuster has surpassed the gross of Titanic, and is currently the second highest earning movie in history. Endgame is showing no signs of slowing down, as the dense narrative warrants multiple viewings, especially from the hardcore fandom.

Co-directors The Russo Brothers officially lifted the Avengers: Endgame spoiler ban this week, after the film had two full weekends of showings. As such, the cast and crew have gotten a bit more chatty about their experience on set. And a new TV spot for Endgame is going ham on spoiler content, revealing tons of clips from the epic final battle. Check it out.

Holy HD footage. To this point, the only way you could watch Endgame's insane final battle against Thanos at the theaters. But this new TV spot will likely get tons of views, as it offers brief glimpses at the biggest battle in Marvel history.

The new Avengers: Endgame TV spot boast the film's wild success and killer reviews. As praise for The Russo Brothers' (final?) Marvel movie is shown in big letters, the audience is treated to exclusive footage from the lat conflict with Thanos. It's a scene that brought every character imaginable, and some of the epic new team-ups appear in the new TV spot.

This latest Endgame commercial starts with familiar footage: we see the Avengers in their Quantum Suits, and assembled around a table at the Compound. But then the new clips start arriving, and they seriously deliver. To start, we see a clip from the moment where Marvel's most badass female characters teamed up on the field. It's a mind-blowing moment in the film, one that has erupted more than a few theaters into thunderous applause.

There's also some brief shots from Avengers: Endgame's time heist. The survivors' quest to assemble the Infinity Stones by stealing them throughout the MCU's timeline was super ambitious, and one of the most fun and cameo-laden moments in the movie. Specifically, the new Endgame trailer shows some footage of the team who traveled back to the Battle of New York. We see Hulk's confrontation with Tilda Swinton's The Ancient One, as well as the two Captain Americas facing off. Luckily, they both have America's ass.

Related: The Story Behind Captain America’s Butt In Avengers: Endgame

The latest Avengers: Endgame TV spot also includes some of the most epic shots of the entire film. After the dusted heroes are revived and joined the Avengers on the field, there's an insane few moments of Earth's forces running toward Thanos' army. That shot and the battle itself are a big selling point in this new trailer, encouraging moviegoers to see it on the big screen one more time.

You can catch Avengers: Endgame in theaters now, and help it gain even more box office success. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movie.