Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the filmmaker’s ninth directorial effort, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and while it’ll be another two months before the general public gets to see it on the big screen, they can at least start getting a sense of how his latest offering was received over in Europe. Social media reactions to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood are pouring in, and evidently it was quite the hit at Cannes, earning a six to seven minute-long standing ovation from those in attendance.

Starting off, Deadline’s Joe Utichi praised Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as one of Quentin Tarantino’s best movies yet, saying:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is so gloriously, wickedly indulgent, compelling and hilarious. The film QT was born to make. The world is a more colourful place in Quentin Tarantino’s twilight zone. Round two, please.

Quentin Tarantino might not have the largest directorial resume in Hollywood, but all of his solo directing work over 25+ years has been met with mostly positive reception. So to say that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the film he was born to make is high praise indeed.

That Shelf managing editor Jason Gorber was also pleased by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, although he admitted that not everyone will feel the same way:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Historically dubious, thematically brilliant, QT finds his form in film that could win Palme d'Or or be picketed by audiences, or maybe both. Thrilling, provocative, blackly comical, intensely unsettling masterwork.

Sometimes you can summarize your feelings for a movie in just a few words, and that’s just what Thrillist’s Emma Stefansky did with her praise for the latest Quentin Tarantino movie:

I reeeeally liked Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

But not everyone was willing to declare that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was a success across the board. The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan was more measured with his reaction:

There will be many, many hot takes to come on the new Tarantino but I don’t mind letting mine cool off on the counter a little longer. I know it’s more relaxed than I was expecting, and that DiCaprio is terrific, funny and poignant. The rest, I’m gonna mull over.

Indiewire’s Erick Kohn also felt into more mixed territory with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, though he did appreciate the Easter eggs and lead performances:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a meandering Tarantino hangout movie, plays w/history, celebrates the art of the TV western & the creative thrill of performance. DiCaprio & Pitt are better than ever. Lots of nostalgic Easter eggs. It’s fun! But manage expectations.

FirstShowing’s Alex Billington noted how as has been made clear in the marketing, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood delves deeply into the culture that Quentin Tarantino grew up with:

As expected, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Tarantino referencing other films and TV and old Hollywood and good times in the 60s. Digging into his past and showing us, through perfectly crafted cinema, his feelings about moviemaking and artists and the Manson murders and more.

Torontoist contributor Jesse Hawken said that fans of some of Quentin Tarantino’s most famous movies will appreciate what he delivers in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: fans of Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill know what to expect from Quentin Tarantino and once again he delivers! A hip, cool joyride that injects a shot of classic Hollywood cool to the multiplex. Leave the kids at home for this one, folks!

Finally, Anne Thompson, also of Indiewire, complimented Once Upon a Time in Hollywood not just for its premise, but also for what the lead actors brought to the table:

Tarantino’s gorgeous Once Upon a Time in Hollywood lovingly recreates a showbiz period that is long past, of cowboys, manly men and crazy hippies. DiCaprio and Pitt are funny and brilliant, as is Margot Robbie as sweet Sharon Tate. It’s an elegy.

So while it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, as is frequently the case with Quentin Tarantino’s filmography, it sounds like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is another winner for the director. Considering that its only opening weekend competition in July is the animated Wish Dragon (another Sony release), that, along with these positive reviews, ideally bodes well for its box office performance, although there will still be The Lion King to contend with, as it opens the weekend before.

It’s also worth mentioning that there was a bit of a ruckus surrounding Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s Cannes screwing. Deadline reports that hundreds of ticket holders were turned away from the premiere. These tickets cost as much as $1000+ each, and even though they were scanned, the holders were held at the edge of the red carpet until being told there was no more room left in the theater, despite the fact that some people had arrived early. This is evidently one of several disorganization issues that have popped up during the festival.

Set in 1969 Los Angeles, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows a television actor and his stuntman trying to navigate the changing Hollywood landscape, all as The Manson Family is up to its illicit activities. The sprawling ensemble cast also includes Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, Luke Perry, Lena Dunham, Damian Lewis, Bruce Dern and many, many more. It is Quentin Tarantino’s first movie not to be associated with Harvey Weinstein, with Sony Pictures winning the distribution rights.

You can judge Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for yourself when it’s released in theaters on July 26. For now, you can look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are opening later this year. As for Quentin Tarantino, he hasn’t officially announced what movies he’ll work on next, although he did say that his Star Trek movie is still a “very big possibility.”

Yes, Kyle Chandler's Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Character Really Hates The Titans

Yes, Kyle Chandler's Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Character Really Hates The Titans

In the trailers and clips we have seen from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the human reactions to the existence and prevalence of the Titans has ranged from shock and awe to fear and reverence. But for Kyle Chandler’s character, Dr. Mark Russell, his overriding emotion towards the Titans is one of hatred. Addressing why Mark Russell hates the Titans so much, Kyle Chandler said:

Because they're mean, ugly, dangerous, and they caused havoc with my family. You learn, as the character goes along, his relationship to Godzilla and the other creatures and his wife and his past with this situation over the past many years and the loss that he's encountered.

At first, Kyle Chandler leveled some superficial criticisms of the Titans, saying that Mark Russell hates them because they are obviously dangerous and far from cute and cuddly creatures. But those are reasons that anyone could hate the Titans, and when he says a little more, we learn that Mark Russell’s hatred for the Titans isn’t just that they are dangerous creatures wreaking havoc throughout the world. His hatred is more specific and personal.

Kyle Chandler told Comicbook.com that the Titans have caused havoc with his family and he has suffered loss in the past that has fueled this hatred. If I had to speculate based on what we’ve seen in the trailers so far, I would guess that Mark Russell lost a child to the Titans, either directly or indirectly. The Russell family is at the center of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, with Mark Russell, Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russell and Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell.

However, while those three are featured in the trailers, in the first King of the Monsters trailer, we see Madison looking at a family photo on the lock screen of her iPad that shows her, Mark, Emma and a boy, presumably her brother. So something must have happened to her brother. Perhaps he was killed as a result of the events of Godzilla, and the loss of his son is why Kyle Chandler’s character hates all of the Titans.

That initial hatred may become more nuanced though as Kyle Chandler elaborated:

And so that's his dichotomy, what he feels through the storyline. And you get to learn what his emotional drive is through the story. So there's a learning curve through the story, it's not just a hatred toward monsters.

It sounds like Dr. Mark Russell will go hating the Titans unilaterally, but perhaps his relationship to Godzilla will change. From what we’ve seen, his wife seems to be advocating using the Titans or working with the ones that are trying to protect humanity against the ones who aren’t.

If Godzilla was responsible for his son’s death, this will be a tough pill to swallow that would obviously cause strife between Mark and his wife. That may be his internal emotional struggle, hatred and desire for vengeance for a personal loss versus the current needs to survive against an existential threat.

Godzilla may be on the side of humanity, but he’s preserving the species, not individual lives. Like Superman versus Zod in Man of Steel, his fights in Godzilla undoubtedly cost many people their lives, so it is hard for their family members to see his work for the greater good through their own personal pain.

It will be interesting to see how Mark Russell learns and works through this over the course of the film. Maybe by the end, he puts on his Coach Taylor hat and starts calling plays for Godzilla and Mothra to get that championship against Ghidorah and Co.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters opens in theaters on May 31. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

Chris Evans Reveals His Favorite Captain America Scene

Chris Evans Reveals His Favorite Captain America Scene

Chris Evans is no stranger to superhero roles, as he played the Human Torch prior to his iconic tenure as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Evans' time as Cap is coming to an end with Avengers: Endgame, after appearing in seven movies (in addition to a few cameos). As such, Evans has been reflecting on his time as Steve Rogers, especially as the press tour to Endgame goes into full swing.

Chris Evans has been leading the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, and fans have seen the title character have a massive narrative arc. He's also been in countless action sequences, both small and epic in scale. But there's one that stands out to the 37 year-old actor, as he recently revealed:

I'm partial to that fight scene in the elevator. That was the first scene in the second Captain America movie. It was my first time working with the Russos. It was the first time where it felt like Cap was on his own. The first cap movie, you really feel like everyone was holding my hand. The first Avengers movie I just did my best not to get in the way. The second Cap movie is the one where I really felt, I suppose pressure, and that first elevator fight scene came out really great in my opinion.

It looks like Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes the cake for Chris Evans, specifically the epic elevator fight sequence during the film's second act. You can't blame him, as it's a thrilling sequence in the beloved sequel.

Chris Evans' comments to THR highlights what a significant moment The Winter Soldier was for both his characterization, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. The movie brought new colors to iconic characters like Cap, Black Widow, and Nick Fury, while also welcoming Bucky back to the shared universe. But aside from how those heroes were progressing, The Winter Soldier also marks The Russo Brothers' Marvel debut. And we all saw how that turned out.

The Russo Brothers did excellent work with Captain America's sequel, and the duo of directors ended up having a significant role in the MCU as a whole. They did the impossible with large ensemble movies like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, and will end the shared universe as we know it with next month's Endgame.

As a reminder, you can check out the elevator scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier below.

All of the action in Winter Soldier is great, but this sequence is something else. The stakes felt high, as it soon became clear that Captain America wasn't safe anywhere. And seeing him dispatch a group of enemies in such a small space (and with magnetic cuffs) is pulse pounding action.

Captain America's story will come to a close when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th. The fandom generally believes Steve Rogers will perish during the upcoming battle with Thanos, but we'll see what The Russo Brothers have in store shortly. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Idris Elba Will Replace Will Smith As Deadshot In Suicide Squad 2

Idris Elba Will Replace Will Smith As Deadshot In Suicide Squad 2

When it was reported last week that Will Smith was not going to be available for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad due to scheduling issues, it didn't seem like that big of a deal. After all, previous word about the project suggested that the new movie was going in a different direction than the first, and there was an assumption that the blockbuster could simply use another character instead of Deadshot and save Will Smith's second DC Extended Universe appearance for an alternate project. It turns out, however, that isn't going to be the plan going forward, as the latest news says that Idris Elba will be taking on the role of Floyd Lawton in the 2021 feature.

According to THR, Idris Elba has entered talks to take over as the DCEU’s new Deadshot. Elba reportedly met with James Gunn last Friday and that encounter went so “swimmingly” that conversations with Warner Bros began “in earnest.” While a deal hasn’t been finalized just yet, the studio is apparently quite keen on having Elba come aboard The Suicide Squad, with him being “the first and only choice.” So unless there’s a massive shakeup in the eleventh hour, the odds are looking good that Elba will fill the assassin’s shoes.

Of course, this won’t be Idris Elba’s first time lending his talents to the comic book genre. Along with appearing as Moreau in 2011’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, he played Heimdall, the all-seeing sentry of Asgard, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Heimdall was killed at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, and unlike the character’s who were turned to dust by Thanos at the end of that movie, there hasn’t been an expectation that the Asgardian warrior will be resurrected during Avengers: Endgame. So with his work in the MCU apparently done, Elba is free to move to the DCEU and take over as Deadshot, one of the Suicide Squad’s most frequent members in the comics.

Initially best known for his TV work like The Wire and Luther, Idris Elba has become a movie star in the last decade with projects like Pacific Rim, The Jungle Book and Star Trek Beyond, to name a few. Later this year, he’ll be pitted against Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in Hobbs and Shaw. and he’s also attached to play Macavity in Cats.

Along with Deadshot, Harley Quinn is expected to return for The Suicide Squad, with Margot Robbie reprising the role. There are conflicting reports about whether or not Rick Flagg, the government operative assigned by Amanda Waller to keep Task Force X under control in the field who was played by Joel Kinnaman in Suicide Squad, will be back as well. For the most part, though, since The Suicide Squad is being envisioned more as a relaunch than a direct sequel, most of the cast will be comprised of brand-new faces.

The Suicide Squad is set for release on August 6, 2021, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. Don’t forget to look through our DC movies guide to learn what else is in development for the DCEU.

Yesterday Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying

Yesterday Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has been praised over the years for his films, including Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and Trainspotting. What happens when he teams up with legendary writer of Love Actually, Notting Hill and About Time, Richard Curtis, for a fantasy musical comedy about a struggling musician who wakes up one morning as the only man in the world who remembers the Beatles?

Yesterday premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in New York City over the weekend, which means critics have how seen it ahead of its summer release. Do they recommend a ticket to ride this release? Their reactions are mixed among them, as they waver between glowing and dissatisfying. Let’s take a look at some of their thoughts starting with CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes, who absolutely loved it. In his review, he awarded the movie with a near-perfect score of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Here’s a bit of what he had to say:

Yesterday is an uplifting triumph of heartfelt comedy, believable drama, and just the right amount of quirk to remove this film from any sort of mundane reality. In its own way, it even ponders how successful The Beatles's material would be, and the challenges it would face, if it were coming up in the modern music industry; which only adds to the film's sly thoughtfulness.

The film is framed around Jack Malik, played by Himesh Patel, who gets into a bus accident during a global blackout and finds he alone who knows the words to “All You Need is Love” among the Fab Four’s iconic discography. Reyes felt the bizarre premise worked - all while charming him with an exciting story with a mix of romance, lightness and drama. He also enjoyed how Yesterday uniquely presented the Beatles music in a refreshing way.

Empire’s Helen O’Hara also raved about this aspect of Yesterday in her 4 out of 5 star review. There’s been an uptick of musical films lately, and she felt this movie did it right where others have left something to be desired. Here’s what she said:

There’s something profoundly disturbing about the idea of a world without The Beatles, whether you’re a die-hard fan or someone known to drunkenly chant the “la la” bit of ‘Hey Jude’, and that’s true even if the world’s loss is our hero’s gain. So while Danny Boyle’s new film is still a largely warm and frequently surprising affair, its unusual premise gives it an edge that other jukebox hits – Bohemian Rhapsody, for example – have lacked.

O’Hara thinks just about everyone can enjoy this flick, even those unfamiliar with the band’s significance. This is a noteworthy positive for David Crow of Den of Geek who said the following about Yesterday:

His film is a crash course in remembering the importance of the Beatles’ legacy. That might sound trite, but the movie finds a much more creative and earnest way to honor a pop star act than the myriad of empty-headed musical biopics we’ve been inundated with for decades.

Yesterday will follow the success of Bohemian Rhapsody and upcoming release of Rocketman, and thankfully it has something else going for it, since it will follow a modern-day premise of Jack using his knowledge of Beatles’ songs to create a successful career for himself today. However, not all critics were impressed with it. The Verge’s Adi Robertson had these comments for example:

Boyle and Curtis are making an alternate history film that’s not primarily about alternate history, which is a completely valid choice. But the film’s central romance is badly underwritten, and its slapdash, joke-driven worldbuilding pokes holes in a plot that was fantastical to start with. Yesterday is a story about the pure and timeless nature of music — but it often comes off as more rote than heartfelt.

It’s understandable that while some would be able to swim in the fantasy of Yesterday’s quirky premise, others will be put off by it and Robertson wasn’t alone in the problems she found through her review. Take a look at a bit of Owen Gleiberman’s review for Variety:

In “Yesterday,” the greatness of the Beatles is like a trump card that Jack, and the filmmakers, keep playing. Yet the greatness of the Beatles is never something the film invites us to discover. The songs, to be fair, are iconic — but that said, some Beatles songs are more iconic than others. And “Yesterday” features nothing but the Beatles tracks that you would put on a “12 All-Time Greatest Songs of the Beatles!” collection.

The movie doesn’t look to convince everyone that the Beatles’ music would be as popular today, in the way that Yesterday showcases anyway. Dan Callahan with The Wrap similarly bashed the movie for its delivery of its plot with these words:

If you’re going to make a film with a plot like “Yesterday,” the least you can do is probe it somewhat and push it as far as it will go. But Curtis and Boyle offer up pretty much what you would expect given this premise, which basically amounts to Patel doing passable karaoke versions of these famous songs and very little else.

Finally, let’s go to Digital Spy’s Ian Sandwell who gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and brings to attention what element in the movie sold him despite some oddity in the film’s idea. Check it out:

A large part of this is down to the engaging performances of Himesh Patel (in his first big-screen role) and Lily James, who share great chemistry. You're fully behind their friendship and feel all the heartbreak. Neither of them are the cool kids, and their endearing characters help sell the outrageous concept.

The story between the two core characters was enough for him to fall in love with Yesterday. Despite some mixed reviews from critics, the movie looks to charm music fans, especially of the Beatles if you can push aside some of the particulars of the concept.

Will you be checking out Yesterday on June 28? Let us know in the comments.

An Update On Daniel Craig's Bond 25 Injury

An Update On Daniel Craig's Bond 25 Injury

It's been a long and difficult road getting Bond 25 to the big screen, and earlier this month, it was dealt another blow when it was reported that Daniel Craig suffered an injury during filming in Jamaica. Apparently the actor slipped while running, resulting in an ankle injury that caused the production to be temporarily suspended. Now there is an official update on the status of Daniel Craig and Bond 25. Check it out:

Daniel Craig’s ankle injury will unfortunately require surgery to repair, but the fact that it is minor surgery at least indicates that the injury is perhaps not as bad as it initially appeared or could have been. It sounds like he will be back on his feet pretty quickly too, with only two weeks of physical rehabilitation after he undergoes the surgery.

Following the initial report of Daniel Craig’s injury, we heard that production on Bond 25 would be only be briefly suspended, and that seems to be the case. According to the official James Bond Twitter account, production on Bond 25 will continue while Daniel Craig is rehabilitating. That might not have been possible had Daniel Craig’s injury been more severe and required a longer recovery time.

Fortunately, similar to what happened with Tom Cruise’s injury on Mission: Impossible - Fallout, work will still be done on Bond 25 while Daniel Craig recovers. So despite the previous delays and the potentially catastrophic consequences of a Daniel Craig injury, Bond 25 is still on track to meet its April 2020 release date.

Supposedly Daniel Craig was filming a scene where he was running when he slipped and fell in an awkward way that resulted in an extremely painful injury. This isn’t the first injury Daniel Craig has suffered as a part of his time as 007, as his tenure as the spy has been plagued with injuries from the start.

From losing teeth on Casino Royale to losing the tip of his finger and tearing a muscle on Quantum of Solace to injuring his knee on Spectre to his latest ankle injury on Bond 25, it is no wonder that Daniel Craig has on occasion been quite hyperbolic in describing his reticence to return to the franchise. Are you sure you want the role, Richard Madden?

Daniel Craig’s injury isn’t the only problem Bond 25 has faced, as the sequel to 2015’s Spectre has been beset by all manner of problems. Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle left the film over the oft-cited creative differences, and he was replaced by True Detective Season 1 and Beasts of No Nation director Cary Joji Fukunaga.

The script for the film has also went through different writers with a lingering question of if it is even ready now. Oh, for the days when just getting Daniel Craig to return to the role seemed like the biggest impediment to Bond 25.

Despite the slings and arrows it has faced, this latest news is encouraging that Daniel Craig will be okay and that Bond 25 will proceed as scheduled and meet its release date.

The as-yet-unnamed Bond 25 is set to open on April 8, 2020. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all of this year’s biggest movies.

Reese Witherspoon Actually Helped Write Cruel Intentions

Reese Witherspoon Actually Helped Write Cruel Intentions

Teen movies are a very unique genre, and can vary greatly in quality from movie to movie. While some are over the top comedies and rom-coms, others take on decidedly more adult content. Just take 1999's Cruel Intentions, which saw its young cast manipulating and seducing each other. That movie became an instant classic, with dialogue still quotable today, fantastic cast, and a killer soundtrack to boot.

The Cruel Intentions cast and crew are currently celebrating the whopping 20th anniversary of the beloved cult classic. As such, some new information is coming out about the teen drama, and the behind-the-scenes scoops that moviegoers haven't been privy to. Just take the role of Annette Hargrove, played masterfully by Reese Witherspoon. As it turns out, she helped to craft the character, and even re-write the dialogue. As director/writer Roger Kumble recently revealed:

It’s true, she came and sat with me for a week, and we worked on the dialogue together. Annette was the character most removed from me. There’s no way the movie would have its success if it weren’t for [Reese’s] talent as a writer.

Well, this is impressive. Reese Witherspoon may have only been 22 years old at the time of filming, but that didn't stop the young actress from contributing greatly to the Cruel Intentions. This includes adjusting Annette's dialogue to ensure both the audience and Witherspoon herself identified with the character.

Roger Kumble's comment to EW show what a talent Reese Witherspoon has always been, and seems to tease her eventual role as a producer. The Oscar winner knows storytelling, and her point of view has been brought to the forefront with the various project she's produced-- in addition to her work on camera. She was a producer on movies like Gone Girl and Hot Pursuit, although her influence is perhaps best seen through the highly successful HBO series Big Little Lies.

Playing the movie's ingenue isn't always easy. It's easy for an innocent and virtuous character to fade into the background, or be overshadowed by the bigger characters. Reese Witherspoon combatted this by working on the script, and giving Annette Hargrove her own agency in Cruel Intentions. Annette is sharp, funny, and empathetic. And she wasn't going to take any of Sebastian's typical crap.

Ultimately Annette changes arguably as much as Sebastian throughout the course of the movie. Her naivety is destroyed by Sebastian's sudden death, and she honors her late lover's memory by exposing Sarah Michelle Gellar's Kathryn for who she really was. Cue "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve. Also cue my tears as a teenager watching Cruel Intentions for the first time.

Cruel Intentions is celebrating its 20th anniversary. You can join the festivities yourself, and stream Cruel Intentions when it arrives on Netflix April 1st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.