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    Tom Cruise Caught Going on Tirade at 'Mission: Impossible 7' Crew for Breaking COVID Rules

    WENN

    The Ethan Hunt depicter is furious after reportedly seeing two of the crew standing too close to one another on the production set in London, threatening to fire any of them if he ever sees it again.

    Dec 16, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Tom Cruise went off on “Mission: Impossible VII” crew for violating COVID-19 guidelines on the London set. The 58-year-old actor was caught throwing an expletive-laden rant after allegedly seeing two crew members standing too close to one another in front of a computer screen.
    In an audio obtained by The Sun, the Ethan Hunt depicter, who also produces the movie, expressed his frustration at the crew. “We are the gold standard,” he yelled at them. “They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us! Because they believe in us and what we’re doing! I’m on the phone with every f**king studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf**kers.”
    He warned them, “I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever! And if you don’t do it, you’re fired, and I see you do it again you’re f**king gone. And if anyone in this crew does it… And you, don’t you ever f**king do it again. That’s it. No apologies.”
    “You can tell it to the people who are losing their f**king homes because our industry is shut down. It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education,” he explained why he’s so strict with the rules. “That’s what I sleep with every night – the future of this f**king industry!”
    Cruise continued, “So I’m sorry, I am beyond your apologies. I have told you, and now I want it, and if you don’t do it, you’re out. We are not shutting this f**king movie down! Is it understood? If I see it again, you’re f**king gone.”

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    Asking for their cooperation, Cruise asked the crew, “Am I clear? Do you understand what I want? Do you understand the responsibility that you have? Because I will deal with your reason. And if you can’t be reasonable and I can’t deal with your logic, you’re fired. … I trust you guys to be here.”
    Cruise has been strict about enforcing COVID-19 guidelines on the set of the film in Britain after 12 people on set in Italy were said to have tested positive. He even took a great length to ensure the safety of the crew by paying £500,000 to rent an old cruise ship for the cast and crew to isolate on.
    “Tom has taken it upon himself, along with the health and safety department, to try to force the safety precautions, with a view to keeping the film running,” a source tells the site. “He does daily rounds to make sure that everything is set up appropriately, that people are behaving and working as safely as they can. He is very proactive when it comes to safety.”
    Of what setting him off that day, the source says, “Everyone was wearing masks. It was purely that these people were standing under a metre away from each other. It isn’t known whether he saw those guys breaking the rules before or whether this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. People make mistakes and they slip up, but Tom is just on it.”
    “Mission: Impossible VII” is directed by Christopher McQuarrie and set for release on November 19, 2021.

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    Jon Hamm Set to Begin Filming 'Fletch' Remake in Spring 2021

    WENN

    The ‘Mad Men’ actor is expected to start the production on the new adaptation of the 1985 comedy thriller originally starring Chevy Chase in spring next year.

    Dec 16, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Jon Hamm has revealed the “Fletch” reboot will begin filming in Spring 2021.
    The 49-year-old actor will play the investigative reporter M. ‘Fletch’ Fletcher in a new adaptation of the 1985 comedy thriller that starred Chevy Chase in the lead role. And in an interview with Collider, he explained he hopes to begin filming in New York by early 2021.
    Jon told Collider, “We’re hoping to start shooting in the springtime, in New York City – you know, fingers crossed. We’ve got an excellent script, and an excellent director attached, and we’re going to start casting soon.”
    “It’s big shoes to fill, obviously. But as I’ve mentioned in previous conversations, it’s a reboot, it’s not a remake, so we’re going back to the novels and really breaking it down but hopefully bringing what people want to see. So, fingers crossed!”

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    The new movie is being directed by “Superbad” filmmaker Greg Mottola, with the plot based on the second novel in Gregory McDonald’s book series, “Confess, Fletch”.
    The story sees Fletch caught in the middle of multiple murders – one of which pins him as the main suspect. As he seeks to prove his innocence, Fletch has to find his fiancee’s stolen art collection, acquired after her father goes missing and is presumed dead.
    The script has been penned by Zev Borrow, who has worked on the “Lethal Weapon” television series. Hamm will serve as a producer on the flick – with manager Connie Tavel – which will be distributed by Miramax.
    Connie said, “Producing this film with Jon has been a longtime dream and with Zev and Greg on board to write and direct, I really believe that this will be an exciting and modern re-imagining of this beloved character.”
    The original flick was a box office hit which led to Chase reprising the role in a less successful sequel, “Fletch Lives”, in 1989.

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    A New Breed of Animal Documentary

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyA New Breed of Animal Documentary“Gunda” and “My Octopus Teacher” present creatures as distinct beings with qualities that have nothing to do with humans.Victor Kossakovsky’s “Gunda,” one of a number of films that avoids presenting animals as objects of wonder or scientific curiosity.Credit…NeonDec. 15, 2020, 1:19 p.m. ETThere’s a moment in “Gunda,” an artful documentary about barnyard animals, that could take its place in a list of the year’s best scenes. The star, a sow with a bustling litter of piglets, has just experienced an unmistakable trauma. Pacing around the farm, she conveys a palpable agitation and emotion, before turning to look at the camera, pointedly.This isn’t the sort of thing we’re accustomed to seeing in nature films. It feels as if we’re getting a glimpse into Gunda’s inner life, and there’s no narrator telling us what the animal might be thinking. It’s emotionally engaging and feels distinctive to Gunda, instead of an illustration of the species or the planet as a whole.More frequently, a voice-over and a crystal-clear story guide our attention and define our understanding of what we’re seeing in a nature documentary. There’s no shortage of drama, to be sure, but usually it’s spectacular: tales of survival or mass migration. Even when we’re not looking at a panorama on the scale of “Planet Earth,” the greater context seems to overshadow the individual animal.But there are signs of new directions in how animals are portrayed in nature films. “Gunda,” which opened Friday via virtual cinema, feels like part of this movement, along with a different but also unusual film, “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix. Both present animals as beings apart from us, not just objects of wonder or scientific study, and with qualities that are all their own, not shadows of human emotions.“Let’s film animals the same way we film humans,” Victor Kossakovsky, the director of “Gunda,” said he told his cameraman. “If you feel like they need space, let them be. If you feel they are comfortable, you come closer.”You’ve probably already had “My Octopus Teacher” recommended to you by friends or family: Over the course of a year, a South African naturalist, Craig Foster, becomes fascinated by and (let’s just say it) emotionally involved with a small octopus. We observe the vicissitudes of her life and moments of contact with Foster, who explains his experience in interview segments that have the candor of a therapy session.What makes the film stand out is that this is most definitely not a god’s-eye account of an octopus’s life. Foster’s ardent curiosity reflects a different approach to animals than that of the traditionally authoritative conservationist or guide.“They’re more or less letting the animals live, and they’re trusting the viewers more to make their own conclusions,” said Dennis Aig, a film professor at Montana State University, where he runs a program on nature filmmaking. “Even in larger blue-chip movies, this kind of sensitivity is starting to emerge.”Craig Foster and the cephalopod he’s drawn to in “My Octopus Teacher.”Credit…Netflix, via Associated PressBlue-chip documentaries like the dazzling “Planet Earth” series loom large in the minds of many viewers. But nature films have had an evolving lineage. Early 20th-century accounts of safaris and exploration gave way to Disney’s anthropomorphic appreciations of the animal kingdom. Eventually, a conservationist ethos and sense of scientific discovery took hold, with a perceived desire for spectacular shots (no doubt given a boost by the arrival of HD television and ever larger screens in the 2000s).Popular interest in these films has only grown — especially against the urgent backdrop of climate change — with viewership increasing and more nature shows than ever before. But a particular strand of filmmaking has persisted among the explorations and explications of nature’s mysteries, and its likely origins arose decades ago.“I think Jane Goodall started this work with her first early work on chimps,” Pippa Ehrlich, one of the two directors of “My Octopus Teacher,” said. “I think it’s been a slow change over time.”The nature programs that followed Goodall’s immersive research shared her perceptive evaluation of the chimpanzees’ personalities, emotional states and interpersonal relationships. It’s scientific in approach, but her open-minded point of view and profound insights into emotional intelligence inform the filmmaking. That paved the way for forms of engagement that do not mean solely to elicit sympathy but rather open up a new kind of space for the animals and their individuality, as in “My Octopus Teacher” and “Gunda.”“Hopefully the lesson is that, actually, everywhere you turn there are complex personalities in nature that just haven’t been documented yet,” James Reed, Ehrlich’s co-director, said.Films like “Gunda” and “My Octopus Teacher” join predecessors like “My Life as a Turkey,” a 2011 TV documentary in which a man raises a group of turkeys and susses out their traits and habits. “Kedi” (2017) might also be a recent influence, partly for its popularity, but also for its detailed accounts of Istanbul’s street cats. On the more conventional side “The Elephant Queen” (2019) seeks out an emotional intimacy that feels fresh and similar in spirit.In “Gunda,” we can learn about the particular cautious intelligence of a chicken picking its way into the grass, or spot personality traits among piglets in Gunda’s brood. “My Octopus Teacher” surprises many with the strangeness of its subject: a mollusk with barely distinguishable eyes, that demonstrates a kind of light-footed moxie and reserves of iron will.The filmmakers avoided giving the octopus a name (though they do refer to the animal as a female), specifically to sidestep the impulse to humanize her behavior — long a point of tension in nature documentary.“There’s no question that drawing comparisons with people has been a great convenience and sometimes very educational storytelling strategy,” Aig said. “But it is limited in many ways, because as our knowledge of science increases, we also realize that there are differences in why certain species do what they do.”The tendency toward portraying animals with nuanced, individual depth is driven by this growing knowledge and interest in animal intelligence, often across disciplines. New understandings of the planet recognize the coexistence of all animals, and, Aig said, younger audiences seem driven by an urge to relate to nature rather than exert a kind of mastery through knowledge.The moment opens up the possibility of seeking out and identifying thought processes particular to animals. Reed emphasized the importance of the feature-length focus on a single animal (or two, counting Foster) in “My Octopus Teacher,” and the camerawork that allowed them to show “how she felt the world, how she perceived it.”It’s a close encounter of a sort that’s becoming more apparent in nature documentaries — both physical and emotional.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    ‘The Last Blockbuster’ Review: All the Nostalgia, With No Late Fees

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story‘The Last Blockbuster’ Review: All the Nostalgia, With No Late FeesThrough celebrity interviews, this documentary looks back at the history of the home video retail industry.The Blockbuster Video store in Bend, Ore. featured in the documentary “The Last Blockbuster.”Credit…1091 PicturesDec. 15, 2020, 11:16 a.m. ETThe Last BlockbusterDirected by Taylor MordenDocumentaryNot Rated1h 24mFind TicketsWhen you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.You ever hear the one about the guy who asked for “Of Human Bondage” at the video store and was told to look in the “adult” section? I saw it happen. In the ’80s. A fair amount of “The Last Blockbuster,” a documentary on video stores — and on one store in particular, as the title implies — spends time with Gen X folks kicking around not dissimilar reminiscences.Directed by Taylor Morden and narrated with engaging energy by the actor Lauren Lapkus (“Orange Is the New Black,” “The Big Bang Theory”), the nostalgia appeal of the movie extends a bit beyond its subject. Its talking heads — including the director Kevin Smith; the actors Jamie Kennedy and Ione Skye; the comedians Brian Posehn and Doug Benson; and members of the music groups Savage Garden and Smashmouth — make the documentary feel like a supersized episode of the old VH1 show “Best Week Ever.” Coincidentally, VH1 and Blockbuster Video once had the same corporate parent, Viacom.[embedded content]The movie does a good job of explaining the fundamentals of the video store as a business, and how corporate machinations relative to debt and capital led to the Blockbuster chain’s doom. Was it, as conventional wisdom holds, Netflix that killed Blockbuster? The answer is both “no” and “sort of.”As this pleasant but ultimately inconsequential movie’s narrative thins out, it emphasizes again and again that there is, as of now, only one operating Blockbuster store in the world. Luckily its proprietor is the warm and ingratiating Sandi Harding, who reckons that by now she has given a job to almost every teenager in the town of Bend, Ore., where the store operates. She refers to herself as a “Blockbuster Mom.”The Last BlockbusterNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. Rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    John le Carré Film and Television Adaptations Available to Stream

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story9 Great John le Carré Adaptations to StreamFrom the beginning, his novels of Cold War espionage and moral ambiguity attracted leading actors and filmmakers. Here are nine that can be streamed.Alexander Skarsgard and Florence Pugh in “The Little Drummer Girl,” an AMC series based on the John le Carré thriller.Credit…Jonathan Olley/AMCPublished More

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    Robert Downey Jr. Admits His 'Iron Man' Role 'Creatively Satisfying'

    Marvel Studios

    While being ‘eternally grateful’ for his 10-year stint as the superhero, the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ actor claims he still has ‘tons more ambition to do things’ he has not done before.

    Dec 15, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Robert Downey Jr. found it “hard” portraying Iron Man, but he is “eternally grateful” for his 10-year stint as the superhero.
    The actor admitted in September (20) that he was “done” with the Marvel Cinematic Universe after his character Tony Stark/Iron Man was killed off in “Avengers: Endgame”, and the star has now told how he did “all (he) could” with his alter-ego, and found the part “creatively satisfying.”
    “Each project is different. Playing Tony/Iron Man was hard and I dug deep. I had an incredible 10-year run that was creatively satisfying,” he told the Hindustan Times newspaper. “I’ve done all I could with that character and can do other things now.”

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    “Now, being middle-aged, you start looking at the back nine and realize this is all part of the journey and things end. I am fortunate and eternally grateful to have wound up where I have.”
    Downey Jr. still has big ambitions, but admitted he thinks about how much time he would have to spend away from his family whenever he gets a script nowadays.
    “I now have tons more ambition to do things I haven’t done before,” he continued. “Evolving is key – the worst thing you can do is get in your own way. Just in the matter of me wanting to be a fit father, husband and citizen, it’d be irresponsible of me to not keep my eye ahead so I can prepare my mind for what’s to come and the transition.”
    “As an actor, every time I get a script now, I think about the commitment and time I’d be away from my missus and kiddos.”

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    Viola Davis Gets Real About How She Views Her 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Character

    Netflix

    In the Denzel Washington-produced drama movie, the actress tackles the role of a fiery black musician who is engaged in a battle of wills over control of her music in 1920s Chicago.

    Dec 15, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Viola Davis doesn’t view her character in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” as either a hero or villain.
    The 55-year-old actress stars in the titular role of the drama movie as a fiery black musician who is engaged in a battle of wills over control of her music in 1920s Chicago but she believes it is down to the audience to judge if she is a protagonist or antagonist.
    Viola said: “I don’t view her as a protagonist or antagonist, because I can’t. An actor doesn’t do that.”
    “It’s like, you’ve got to portray the character exactly who they are. Whether they’re a protagonist or an antagonist, that’s for the audience, that’s a judgement.”

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    The Oscar-winning star explained how she played the character in the Netflix movie as a woman who wasn’t valued in the film’s setting but as understanding her worth as a musician known as the Mother of the Blues.
    Viola told CinemaBlend.com: “I portrayed her as a woman who literally is born in the world that doesn’t value her at all – that doesn’t even recognise her as a human being, but she is a person who understands her worth.”
    “So, therefore, she’s a woman who absolutely has busted a hole through 1927. She is a liberated woman.”
    The “Widows” star continued: “So I just saw her as a woman who knew her worth and wasn’t going to concede. It wasn’t up for discussion.”
    “I know that (as Ma) I’m great at what I do, I know it’s making you money, I should be called the Mother of the Blues. I’m influencing all these other singers, so you treat me like I deserve to be treated. And that’s it. That’s how I saw her.”

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    Robert Downey Jr. Admits His ‘Iron Man’ Role ‘Creatively Satisfying’

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    ‘Tenet’ | Anatomy of a Scene

    Film directors walk viewers through one scene of their movies, showing the magic, motives and the mistakes from behind the camera.Film directors walk viewers through one scene of their movies, showing the magic, motives and the mistakes from behind the camera. More