5 Things I Like About Being An AMC Stubs A-List Member

5 Things I Like About Being An AMC Stubs A-List Member

After resisting the urge to sign up for AMC Theaters' Stubs A-List program, I finally bit the bullet and converted my Premiere tier membership. I had my reservations, but eventually I put them aside with the intent that if I didn't like the service's offerings, I could always just cancel after a month--a pro to trying out something new. It's a good thing I finally got over myself and jumped into the world of the A-List, as I really can't see myself dropping the pass in the foreseeable future.

While I've tried and even studied up on the various competitors offering similar services in the past, I've enjoyed the Stubs A-List treatment the most. In particular, there are five particular aspects of the overall program that I really think make the moviegoing experience all the easier to enjoy. A word of warning though, these reasons may be seen as objective. So if you're really curious about if AMC Stubs A-List is right for you, it's recommended that you personally research the service through the official website. But for the moment, here are my five reasons why I like being on the A-List!

It Really Helps Me Budget My Movie Spending

The biggest criticism people have when going to the movies, besides the usual concerns with etiquette, is that it's too expensive to experience often. No matter what market you're in, the price of one movie ticket can be quite high, especially for first-run movies and on weekends. But with AMC Stubs A-List, all you need to do is pay one flat rate for three movies a week. And honestly, even if I wasn't in the world of entertainment journalism, I'd sign up for this program because I'm a huge movie fan, and it's a hell of a bargain. While it ensures I get to see the most prolific titles any given month, it also gives me a lot more options to choose from, which leads me to reason #2.

I'm Open To Seeing More Unusual Movies

Taking away the threshold of affordability, AMC Stubs A-List leaves me, and any other viewer, with one key question to answer: What do I see next? This past weekend, I knocked out Us and Captain Marvel in one fell swoop, and those are just two of the month's biggest releases. If I were still worried about buying individual tickets, I might be more conservative and save my budgeted ticket costs for those films individually. With an A-List membership, I'm thinking about throwing in a showing of Gaspar Noe's Climax, and thanks to AMC's Independent initiative, it's actually showing at a theater near me. Murderous LSD dance party, here I come.

Any Format Is Available For Enjoyment, No Strings Attached

I firmly believe that one of the biggest reasons to still go to the movies in our modern era is the fact there are just some formats that aren't available at home. Sure, TVs are getting bigger, surround sound rigs are evolving, and 3D is still viable for certain movies, but those experiences may not be enough to invest most people. Which is why the fact that AMC Stubs A-List lets you pick any format available without an upcharge is another credit to its existence. Watching Us in Dolby Cinema and Captain Marvel in IMAX were experiences that really transformed how I saw each of those films, and I probably wouldn't have bought into either if I didn't have my A-List membership.

It Pays For Itself Really Quickly

One of my biggest hangups when it came to signing up for AMC Stubs A-List was that I'd be paying roughly $25, but might not be seeing as many movies as I'd like to make the cost of signing up worth the while. But looking into the ticket prices in my market, and comparing them to that figure quoted above, I found that the threshold wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In truth, all I have to do is see two movies in one month, and I'm square with the house. Anything past that is, in concept, pure profit on my end. With the summer movie season not being too far off, that will probably make up for the months I'm not as huge on going to the movies. Again, I'm a pretty cinematically inclined person; so seeing two movies in one month isn't hard. So the fact that it's that easy to recoup my investment into AMC Theaters' continued existence is enough for me to keep enrolled in this program for quite some time.

Planning Future Movie Trips Is Absurdly Easy

Perhaps the coolest feature of the AMC Stubs A-List program is the fact that as soon as tickets for a movie go on sale, you can use future reservations for said film. Avengers: Endgame just revealed its running time, and folks are thinking this could be an indication that tickets will finally go on sale for opening weekend. Now the theater I trust the most with quality 3D in my area happens to also be an AMC owned establishment. It is also notoriously small, and if I don't reserve as soon as possible, I'll end up frozen out on the early showings I'll need to attend in order to get in before spoilers run rampant. So if Kevin Feige himself does a livestream event right this moment, or any other moment after reading this sentence, announcing that tickets to the MCU's biggest event film were going on sale today, I'd be able to snag some prime seats, worry-free.

I'm sure there are other reasons to enjoy the AMC Stubs A-List other than those I've listed above. But those are the most important to my personal experience, and I think they're pretty appealing to subscribers at large, especially if you are big movie fan. However, it should be restated that if you're looking for some specific answers to questions and aspects not addressed here, you can go to the program's official website in order to potentially find the answers that you seek.

Avengers: Endgame Originally Gave Black Widow A Heartbreaking New Job

Avengers: Endgame Originally Gave Black Widow A Heartbreaking New Job

SPOILERS ahead for Avengers: Endgame.

Oof. Avengers: Endgame almost got even darker and deeper into the mythology of what happens when you snap out 50% of all life.

The Decimation hit all of the Avengers hard, and they each handled it differently. Black Widow didn't run away or start a family. She got to work. We saw her running point for the surviving Avengers at the compound. She also kept up training. She was quick to speak up and say they needed to try whatever they could to reverse Thanos' Snap, for the people who weren't there with them. She said she never had a family until she was part of the Avengers.

Speaking of family, that's where directors Joe and Anthony Russo almost got extra bleak. Anthony Russo said they did spend a lot of time thinking about the realities and logistics of what would happen if 50% of all living creatures simply vanished. Black Widow almost got a new job in the time jump trying to care for the kids who were left behind:

One thing that we talked about a lot -- and I thought was really profound, but it was almost too large of an idea for us to wrangle, but we did try for a while -- is just the idea that one-quarter of all children have no parents. Assuming you started with two parents. So that’s a lot of global orphans. Just the staggering number of that. I believe at one point really early in development, Black Widow was actually leading the organization in D.C. that was in charge of orphans, basically. That was what she was heading up five years later. But yes, it’s fascinating when you start running it down.

Wow. Yeah, I think it was the right call to skip that storyline. Endgame was dark enough without bringing the reality of millions of orphans into it. That's a completely different movie. Actually, maybe it's HBO's The Leftovers.

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Natasha revealed to Bruce that she couldn't have her own children, since she was sterilized as part of her spy initiation. The scene caused some controversy, but it would've been an interesting tie-in to see Natasha caring for so many children years later. In a way, it could've been like she'd adopted the Thanos orphans.

It is fascinating when you start running it all down, as Anthony Russo told Slate. Avengers: Endgame did show the day-to-day changes that happened after The Decimation -- like Steve Rogers' support group, and the trashed and abandoned streets poor confused Scott Lang walked. But they didn't go too deep into how the rest of the world was affected because it was already a three-hour movie and they had to get busy reversing Thanos' call.

The Russo Brothers may have changed Black Widow's post-Snap job, but they kept her sacrifice intact. They recently explained why they had her sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone.

Despite that sacrifice, we are still getting her first Black Widow movie. Cate Shortland is directing Scarlett Johansson, with the supporting cast including Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz. Production may already be in motion to start filming soon for its Phase Four release.

New Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Rumor Claims Billie Lourd Is Carrie Fisher's Stand-In

New Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Rumor Claims Billie Lourd Is Carrie Fisher's Stand-In

Following her tragic death, there was a question of what Carrie Fisher’s passing meant for her character Leia Organa in the next Star Wars film. Lucasfilm eventually made it clear that the role would not be recast, nor would Leia be a CGI creation, as she was in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Instead Leia’s story would be concluded using unused footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

But that may not be the only way Leia returns in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That’s because a new rumor claims that Carrie Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd, who also plays Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix in the sequel trilogy, may be a stand-in for the late actress in December’s concluding chapter of the Skywalker Saga.

However, this rumor goes beyond just Billie Lourd playing her mom’s stand-in in the film. This is firmly in the realm of rumor and speculation at the moment but, if true, it could constitute a spoiler, so proceed with caution.

According to MakingStarWars.net, sources have claimed that although Carrie Fisher’s General Leia was never recast for Star Wars: Episode IX, Princess Leia was, and Billie Lourd will be the stand-in for Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia in scenes that will be brought to life with the help of CGI.

The General/Princess Leia thing might seem like an odd distinction, but it tracks with other rumblings that would support the need for a Princess Leia stand-in. MakingStarWars.net’s Jason Ward has heard that there is a flashback sequence in The Rise of Skywalker involving Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia post-Return of the Jedi.

In this sequence, Anakin Skywalker’s progeny are having a pivotal conversation that could supposedly change our perspective on the characters and events in the trilogy. The speculation is that this conversation pertains to some sort of premonition and that it influences Leia’s choice not to pursue becoming a Jedi.

The existence of such a scene would necessitate Leia be brought to life in a different way, assuming Carrie Fisher didn’t film footage for a young Princess Leia prior to her death. So in this instance, Billie Lourd could either be actually playing Princess Leia in a flashback or acting as a stand-in for a scene that will be created using CGI.

There would be precedent for this too. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, actress Ingvild Deila played young Princess Leia and was made to look like Carrie Fisher thanks to CGI. So a similar approach could be taken here, only Carrie Fisher’s daughter would be the one rocking the hair buns.

If this rumor proves true, it would also mean that someone would have to play a young Luke Skywalker. Perhaps they could just use the increasingly more impressive de-aging technology on Mark Hamill or, if they’re recasting Princess Leia with Billie Lourd, why not call in Sebastian Stan to play young Luke.

The story implications of such a flashback are quite compelling but, just on a surface level, this rumor about Billie Lourd acting as a stand-in in some fashion for Carrie Fisher is cool. While using a CGI General Leia or recasting would be perilous, this would be a way to add more to Leia’s story beyond what the unused footage contains to help close out her arc, while also honoring the actress by allowing her daughter to act as her stand-in.

There were previous rumors that Billie Lourd was going to play a young Leia in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, so this may again prove false, but seeing Princess Leia again would be a nice way to close out this saga. And while she didn’t spill any details, Billie Lourd certainly sounds excited about Episode IX.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker blasts into theaters on December 20. You can see Billie Lourd onscreen before then when Booksmart opens on May 24. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

The Cool Wonder Woman Comic Memory That Inspired Brie Larson Growing Up

The Cool Wonder Woman Comic Memory That Inspired Brie Larson Growing Up

On paper, comic book (and comic-book movie) fans have established a rivalry between Marvel and DC. Sure, they compete in the same space, but the “rivalry” is largely overstated, with both companies often finding inspiration in each other – and admitting that healthy competition often brings out the best in each other. Even Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige admits frequently on the record that he wants all comic book movies to succeed, because it benefits the industry.

Brie Larson is taking a page from that shared-inspiration playbook. When we spoke with Larson at the Captain Marvel press junket, we asked about comics that inspired her interpretation of Captain Marvel, expecting her to discuss a love for Stan Lee, Jim Starlin or Kelly Sue DeConnick (an inspiration for the screenplay of the new movie). However, Larson took a left turn and mentioned a love of Wonder Woman growing up that led to her finding the right balance for Carol Danvers. Larson told CinemaBlend:

There was a series where she was fighting in Mount Olympus and then would get that work done in time to go back to Earth and do a book signing. And there was something about that dynamic that really stuck with me my whole life. Like, ‘I want that!’ I want to be up in the clouds, and I also want to be down on Earth. I feel like that’s still who I am.

Ah, the concept of a dual identity. World-saving hero in one moment, ground human being the next. That does seem to be a signature of some of our favorite comic book personas, be it mild-mannered Clark Kent, or the bookish newspaper photographer Peter Parker. They often are able to escape from their “heroism” by disappearing into mundane existences. Many wouldn’t mistake them for superheroes, and yet, they are the ones putting their lives on the line when duty calls.

We haven’t yet seen Captain Marvel, so we don’t know how normal Carol Danvers will appear when she isn’t battling alongside the Kree. We know that part of her mission her on Earth will be sniffing out shape-shifting Skrulls, but how much down time does an adventure like that provide?

While you wait to see Captain Marvel, here’s Brie Larson talking about how one of DC’s biggest heroes helped her shape Marvel’s latest on-screen leader:

Captain Marvel is the next big MCU movie, and the last one to drop before Joe and Anthony Russo conclude Thanos’ storyline in Avengers: Endgame. It continues the cosmic storylines of the MCU, and potentially opens the doors to new worlds where movies can explore. It starts screening in theaters on Thursday, March 7. Are you going?

Why Going To Galaxy's Edge On Opening Day May Be The Best Idea After All

Why Going To Galaxy's Edge On Opening Day May Be The Best Idea After All

From nearly the first day that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was announced, it was clear that the demand for the new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World was massive. Millions of Star Wars fans could not wait to see what the new attraction had to offer. We knew that the crowds trying to get into the land were going to be unlike anything the parks had ever seen, meaning that a lot of people were planning to hold off their trip to Disney until the crowds died down. But based on the new information we have about Galaxy’s Edge’s opening, going sooner rather than later might actually be the better option. Because the crowds may not be quite as crazy on opening day as we thought.

Last week during Disney’s annual shareholder meeting, Bob Iger officially announced that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open at Disneyland May 31, and at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World August 29. There will be one major caveat, as Rise of the Resistance, one of the major E-ticket attractions, won’t be up and running on opening day, but don’t expect that to keep people away.

What will, however, is the tiny detail that came out in a Disneyland press release alongside Iger’s announcement. At Disneyland, getting into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will require a special reservation between May 31 and June 23. Without this reservation, you won’t get access to the land.

Based on the language used, it sounds like guests staying in one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels will automatically receive a reservation, one per guest staying in the hotel. Beyond that, things get hazy. It says reservations are "subject to availability." Does that mean that not everybody making a hotel reservation will get a Galaxy's Edge reservation? It sounds more like there might potentially be some reservations for non-hotel guests, but it's all less than clear right now.

What is clear is that while the reservation for Galaxy's Edge might not cost anything, if you want to be sure you'll get in opening day, you'll want to spring for a Disneyland Resort hotel.

According to Disney, there are 2,402 hotel rooms available between the Disneyland Hotel, the Paradise Pier hotel and the Grand Californian. If we assume there are four people per room (some may only be couples, but others, like the larger suites, could hold a lot more), we're looking at 9,608 people staying in the hotels at any given time. Most will be staying for more than one day and would likely only get a Galaxy's Edge reservation for one day of their stay, but there are likely more than enough people to fill the new land from the hotel guests alone if they sell out.

As of this writing, they haven't. You can make a reservation for opening weekend at any of the three Disneyland Resort hotels. However, many different room types have sold out, so people are certainly making their plans right now.

Without the specifics, there’s a lot we don’t know. Will these reservations give you access for the entire day? Will you be able to enter and leave and your leisure? It's hard to say.

While the details are important, the broader point is clear, there’s no reason for the mass of humanity that was expected to show up on opening day of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to bother, because they simply won’t be able to get in.

Even if Disney offers as many reservations at the same time as it possibly can. Even if it fills Batuu to maximum capacity, getting into the land itself will seemingly be a lot easier because only people with reservations will be trying.

What’s more likely, however, is that Disney will give out fewer reservations than it technically can, especially during the first few days of Galaxy's Edge. This will allow the first group of guests to test everything in the land. It’s going to be the theme park equivalent of a video game closed beta test. Let a few people try it first before we open things up to the public just in case somebody finds a way to break something in a way that wasn’t expected.

Keeping with the video game analogy, after the closed beta, you open things up and allow more people in. You try to intentionally put as many people in the game at once as possible to make sure the servers, or in this case, cast members, can handle it. That point will come when the reservation period ends and anybody can get in.

I’m not saying there will be so few people there that it will feel like the park is empty. I would still expect to wait a few hours for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run since it will be the only active attraction after all, but there's every reason to believe that the earlier you go, the smaller the crowds will actually be.

Early estimates were putting the opening day crowds at 150,000-200,000 people, which is far more than the park can actually hold, but most of those people will now be staying home on opening day because, without a reservation, they’re not getting in.

Instead, the day to look out for is June 24, the first day that reservations will not be required. That could end up being the day it everybody who could not get a reservation shows up. Everybody with an AP who couldn’t get in earlier, every local that wasn’t going to drop money on a hotel room just to get a reservation, they'll be swarming in. From that day, and for likely a long time to come, Galaxy’s Edge is going to be packed, likely far more than it will be during the earlier period.

The good news, or bad news depending on your perspective, is that all of this will only be true at Disneyland. There will be no reservation period at Walt Disney World's version of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. If you'll be seeing that version of the new land first, you're on your own, and showing up opening day may not the best idea.

One wonders if Disney will be more confident in that park on opening day because it's happening so much later, or if putting together a reservations system would have simply been too complicated because there are so many more Walt Disney World hotels, so comparatively few people would get access.

Once reservations are no longer required, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will be a free-for-all. However, for three weeks before that, it looks like the new land will be under much tighter control, so if you want to avoid crowds as much as possible, going sooner, not later, may be the answer.

Brie Larson Got So In Shape For Captain Marvel She Forced Jude Law To Up His Game

Brie Larson Got So In Shape For Captain Marvel She Forced Jude Law To Up His Game

It’s not a secret that if an actor or actress signs on to play a superhero that actor or actress also signs on to get ripped. For Captain Marvel, Brie Larson trained for nine months before she ultimately began sparring with Jude Law on the set of the Marvel flick. Apparently, it got to the point where Jude Law mentioned to director Anna Boden that he had to up his “game.” According to co-director Boden:

She kept Jude on his toes, oh, my God. I remember the first day that Jude got to set and went to stunt training with her to learn that scene, and him being like, 'Oh, I better up my game.’

For a long period where Brie Larson was getting into shape for Captain Marvel, she shared images and videos of herself training online. She threw weight balls and did crazy lunges. She worked with exercise bands and kickboxed. She literally got to the point where she could push a jeep by herself. She got fit, yo.

It all plays off in the early moments of Captain Marvel where Brie Larson’s character Vers spars with Yon-Rogg, her mentor, played by Jude Law in the film. Per Anna Boden, the two were on set when the older actor confided in the director, per USA Today, that he definitely needed to get moving for his three action scenes with.

It’s not as if Jude Law didn’t prepare for the gig as Yon-Rogg. He’s been open about doing boxing and martial arts for a long time, but he hadn’t really worked out in the Kree gear Captain Marvel demanded, previously revealing they “hide quite a bit of movement.”

Still, Jude Law’s training for Captain Marvel seems to be small potatoes compared to the nine months that Brie Larson went through. She recently told Harper’s Bazaar she got good enough that the movie shot the intense action sequence on the train during her first few days on set. She noted:

I jumped in head-first. The first three days of shooting were all the stuff on the moving train, so it was mostly physical. I had been in pretty heavy training for nine months. [These scenes] bought me some time to get a feel for the suit before we actually got into dialogue… I think everyone on set was like, ‘This is insane. I can't believe she's doing a fight sequence on a moving train and it's day two.’

Whether or not Jude Law felt as if he needed to keep up with Brie Larson, the end result of the training scene is pretty impressive and you can catch it in more detail below.

Marvel's first female-led superhero movie is still currently doing big numbers in theaters. If you haven't given it a watch yet, you can check it our, or see what else Marvel has coming up with our full guide. Next up, you can catch Brie Larson in the Netflix flick Unicorn Store, also opposite her co-star Samuel L. Jackson. Jude Law can be seen in The New Pope.

Chris Hemsworth Is Definitely Interested In Making Thor An Asgardian Of The Galaxy

Chris Hemsworth Is Definitely Interested In Making Thor An Asgardian Of The Galaxy

While Joe and Anthony Russo’s Avengers: Endgame provided fantastic endings for characters like Iron Man and Captain America, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor was left in a much different position by the end of the film – specifically with a new beginning. His entire life had previously been dedicated to the protection of his homeworld, Asgard, and his people, the Asgardians, but the latest Marvel blockbuster offered him the opportunity to leave that life behind and start a new one.

This was allowed to happen particularly because of his new friendship with the Guardians of the Galaxy, who offered him a ride off the planet after the God of Thunder named Valkyrie as the new King of Asgard, but it also left fans with a major pressing question: will Thor be joining the roughneck team on their further adventures around the cosmos? The definitive answer is still uncertain, but what can be confirmed is that it’s a big screen future in which Chris Hemsworth is interested.

Earlier today I had the wonderful pleasure of sitting down with the Australian actor during the London press day for the upcoming Men In Black International, and at the end of the interview I took the opportunity to ask him about his potential future with Marvel Studios. Specifically, I inquired if he’s had the opportunity to sit down and talk with writer/director James Gunn, who is back at the helm of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and while Hemsworth noted that he hasn’t had any conversations with the filmmaker, it’s a project to which he’d love to contribute:

I'd play that character again. I love it so much - especially if there's something unique to do again with it. I felt like the last three films were very, very different each time. It really felt like a totally different character. And I don't even know when or if they're shooting [Guardians of the Galaxy 3]. After the Avengers press tour I kind of went and buried my head in the sand.

I followed up with my own personal feelings on the matter, noting that the idea of “Asgardians Of The Galaxy” is a fantastic setup for a another chapter in Thor’s story, and Chris Hemsworth definitely agreed, saying:

I'll work with any of those guys. Asgardians Of The Galaxy. That's actually great. You might've just got me my next job. Thank you, man.

It's worth noting that the concept of Asgardians of the Galaxy does have precedent in the world of Marvel, even on beyond the line delivered by Chris Hemsworth's Thor at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Marvel Comics launched an ongoing series with that title back in the fall of 2018 - though its lineup was very different than what the movie version would be. While the big screen team would presumably include Thor, Star-Lord, Drax, Rocket, Nebula, Mantis, and Groot, the series created by Cullen Bunn and Matteo Lolli had a roster including Valkyrie, Executioner, Throg, Angela, Thunderstrike, and The Destroyer - controlled by Kid Loki.

Of course, this would be far from the first time that Marvel has taken a concept from the page and totally changed it for the movies – with James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy being a perfect example.

With James Gunn currently working in the DC Extended Universe, namely preparing Suicide Squad 2/The Suicide Squad for release in 2021, it may be a minute before we start hearing firm details about Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but Chris Hemsworth’s excitement about his potential involvement only increases our own anticipation for the film. Stay tuned for more updates about the movie, and more from my interview with the actor in the run-up to the release of Men In Black International – which hits theaters on June 14th!