Steve Pond's Blog, page 2023
January 3, 2020
‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire,’ ‘Parasite’ Lead Dorian Award Nominations
The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association announced its annual television and film nominations for its Dorian Awards on Friday. Lesbian drama “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and Korean film “Parasite” led the film nominations with six apiece. “Portrait” was nominated as both Film of the Year and LGBT Film of the Year.
In all, the nominees in 26 categories represent GALECA’s choices for the finest in 2019’s film and television accessible in the U.S., across a variety of categories, from general to LGBT-centric.
Among the films GALECA nominated for Film of the Year are “Hustlers,” “Little Women,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Pain and Glory,” “Parasite,” and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.”
Also Read: LGBTQ Series-Regular Characters Hit Record High on Broadcast TV, GLAAD Report Says
“Chernobyl,” “Euphoria,” “Pose,” “Succession,” and “Unbelievable” rank among the group’ss best TV dramas.
All Dorian Award winners, including the recipient of the Society’s annual Timeless career-achievement award, will be revealed Wednesday, Jan.8.
Comprised of more than 260 professional American and foreign entertainment journalists, GALECA’s Dorian Awards are named in honor of Oscar Wilde and his novel, “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
See the full list of 2019 nominees below:
Film of the Year
Hustlers
Little Women
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Director of the Year
Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Sam Mendes, 1917
Celine Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Film Performance of the Year — Actress
Awkwafina, The Farewell
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
Renee Zellweger, Judy
Film Performance of the Year — Actor
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Taron Egerton, Rocketman
Supporting Film Performance of the Year — Actress
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell
Supporting Film Performance of the Year — Actor
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Song Kang-ho, Parasite
LGBTQ Film of the Year
Booksmart
End of the Century
Pain and Glory
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Rocketman
Foreign Language Film of the Year
Atlantics
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
The Farewell
Screenplay of the Year
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won, Parasite
Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Céline Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Rian Johnson, Knives Out
Documentary of the Year
(theatrical release, TV airing or DVD release)
American Factory
Apollo 11
For Sama
Honeyland
One Child Nation
LGBTQ Documentary of the Year
Circus of Books
Gay Chorus Deep South
The Gospel of Eureka
5B
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street
Visually Striking Film of the Year
(honoring a production of stunning beauty, from art direction to cinematography)
Midsommar
1917
The Lighthouse
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Unsung Film of the Year
Booksmart
Her Smell
Gloria Bell
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Waves
Campy Film of the Year
Cats
Greta
Knives Out
Ma
Serenity
TV Drama of the Year
Chernobyl
Euphoria
Pose
Succession
Unbelievable
TV Comedy of the Year
Fleabag
The Other Two
Pen15
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
TV Performance of the Year — Actress
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Mj Rodriguez, Pose
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Michelle Williams, Fosse Verdon
TV Performance of the Year — Actor
Bill Hader, Barry
Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
TV Current Affairs Show of the Year
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
The Rachel Maddow Show
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Leaving Neverland
TV Musical Performance of the Year
Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, “Shallow,” The 91st Academy Awards
Lizzo, “Truth Hurts,” VMAs 2019
Megan Mullally, “The Man That Got Way,” Will & Grace
Annie Murphy, “A Little Bit Alexis,” Schitt’s Creek
Michelle Williams, “Who’s Got the Pain?,” Fosse/Verdon
LGBTQ TV Show of the Year
Euphoria
The Other Two
Pose
Schitt’s Creek
Tales of the City
Unsung TV Show of the Year
Gentleman Jack
On Becoming a God in Central Florida
The Other Two
PEN15
Years and Years
Campy TV Show of the Year
American Horror Story 1984
Big Little Lies
RuPaul’s Drag Race
The Politician
Riverdale
We’re Wilde About You! Rising Star of the Year
Roman Griffin Davis
Kaitlyn Dever
Beanie Feldstein
Florence Pugh
Hunter Schafer
Wilde Wit of the Year
(Honoring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)
Dan Levy
Billy Porter
Randy Rainbow
Taika Waititi
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Wilde Artist of the Decade
(Special accolade)
Lady Gaga
Greta Gerwig
Ryan Murphy
Billy Porter
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Related stories from TheWrap:
Hallmark and Lifetime Have 70 New Holiday Movies – None With an LGBTQ Main Character
HBO Max Orders Docuseries About Forgotten LGBTQ Heroes From Greg Berlanti, Jim Parsons
‘John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch': Is Alex Really Marlon Jackson’s Son?
In John Mulaney’s latest comedy special, a children’s program called “John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch,” a young boy named Alex says he’s the son of Marlon Jackson of the Jackson 5. Could this be true? A long-lost Jackson child we didn’t know about, nephew to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson?
TheWrap decided to investigate.
In the special — which is intended to be watched by both children AND adults, mind you — Alex is asked to draw his grandparents, and he produces a startlingly realistic picture of Joe and Katherine Jackson.
Also Read: John Mulaney Broke the News to Comedy Central Execs That Dave Chappelle Abandoned His Show
This gets Mulaney’s attention. “Was your dad like, a very popular singer when he was a kid and then an even bigger singer when he was an adult, or just the first part?” he asks.
“I’ll be candid,” Alex replies. “My dad is Marlon Jackson of the Jackson Five.”
Now, we know this is comedy special which, by nature, contains jokes. But we had to know for sure.
Our first clue is that Alex’s last name is not Jackson — it’s Bello. He’s a Broadway child-actor who recently appeared alongside Annette Bening in last spring’s revival of “All My Sons” as well as “The Rose Tattoo” with Marisa Tomei this fall — and he’s been cast in a Broadway revival of “Caroline, or Change” this spring.
Also Read: John Mulaney Cast as Henry David Thoreau in Apple TV+'s Dark Comedy 'Dickinson'
Our second clue was that Marlon Jackson’s three known children, Valencia, Brittany and Marlon Jr., were born between 1976 and 1981. So, at this point, it seemed very unlikely that Alex, who does not appear to be anywhere near his 40s, could be Marlon Jackson’s son — or his grandson for that matter.
But just in case we’re missing something here, Netflix indulged us with the answer: “Alex Bello is not related to Marlon Jackson, just a joke for the show,” a rep confirmed.
So there you have it, folks!
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Murder Mystery,' 'Stranger Things 3' Top Netflix's Most Popular 2019 Releases in U.S.
Hollywood Experts' Predictions for 2020: Netflix Gets Acquired, Apple TV+ Flops
Confused About 'The Witcher' on Netflix? Showrunner, Henry Cavill Explain How the Timeline Works
20 Unscary Horror Movies, Starting With Jennifer Aniston’s ‘Leprechaun’ (Photos)
Phantoms’ (1998): Starring Ben Affleck and Rose McGowan, the 1998 film adaption of Dean Kootz’s novel recounts the tale of small-town Snowfield, Colorado plagued by a subterranean entity known only as the Ancient Enemy. The visiting Lisa Pailey (McGowan) and local law enforcement officers team up to combat the mysterious force and to revert the town back to peace and well-being. Though “Phantoms,” directed by Joe Chappelle, makes for cheap thrills with some unexpected jump scares, its convoluted storyline and shoddy special effects job warrant more laughs than screams.
Mirrors’ (2008) Alexandre Aja’s “Mirrors” follows former NYPD officer Ben Carson (Kiefer Sutherland) turned abandoned department store night guard as he attempts to unravel the demonic background of his new workplace and protect his loved ones. While “Mirrors” presents an eerie narrative idea, it’s been panned for tripping on itself with an over-complicated plot, botchy dialogue and unnecessarily graphic imagery — making an overall unsatisfactory spook.
Secret Window’ (2004): More a psychological thriller than a horror film, David Koepp’s “Secret Window” centers around recently divorced writer Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) and his quest to define a perfect ending for his upcoming novel. When an unknown man by the name of John Shooter (John Turturro) accuses Rainey of plagiarism, Rainey begins to recall the violent reality of his actions. “Secret Window,” more confusing than haunting, not only paints a bad picture for those suffering with mental illness, but also leaves the audience with an unmoving, unclear ending.
Cursed’ (2005): A film fit for Halloween,”Cursed” stars Christina Ricci and Jessie Eisenberg and hails from prolific slasher film director Wes Craven. Victims of an initially unknown infection, siblings Ellie and Jimmy Meyers figure out their werewolf abilities while sleuthing to find the epidemic’s origins.”Cursed,” bringing supernatural STDs and werewolf cat fights, does provide unintentionally funny thrills but happens to come off as a hyper-aware horror parody.
House of Wax’ (2005): Even Paris Hilton couldn’t make “House of Wax” fabulous. In the 2005 flick, a group of college students on their way to the big game find themselves in the mercy of strangers and stranded miles away from the nearest town of Ambrose, where the main attraction is the abandoned Trudy’s House of Wax. While exploring the small town’s museum, the group discovers a disturbing truth behind the seemingly perfect wax figurines that forces them to find a way out. A lackluster and accidentally comedic remake of the 1953 original, “House of Wax” gives an okay addition to the slasher genre.
Urban Legend’ (1998): Starring Jared Leto and Alicia Witt, “Urban Legend” takes an amalgamation of age old superstitions and myths and presents it in an unoriginal slasher format. Pendleton Univeristy student Natalie Simon seeks to get to the bottom of a string of urban legend-inspired murders affecting her friends and loved ones, before she becomes the killer’s next victim. Debuting nearly two years after “Scream,” “Urban Legend” fails to bring anything original or particularly scary to liven up its lifeless and cliched plot.
Maximum Overdrive’ (1986): A horror film turned dark comedy starring Emilio Estevez, “Maximum Overdrive” exemplifies why Stephen King has not directed a horror movie since 1986. Taking place in a small North Carolina town, the film explores the chaos that ensues when daily household machines, from lawn-mowers to big-rig trucks, seek to exact murderous revenge on the human race. Though the juxtaposition between King’s horrific mind and his campy film direction may be the only shocking aspect to the flick, the effort one takes to enjoy “Maximum Overdrive” as a comedy rather than a horror film is well worth it in the end.
Leprechaun'(1993): An evil Leprechaun, played by Warwick Davis, stops at nothing to find every last bit of his gold in “Leprechaun.” The film’s stars, including a young Jennifer Anniston, performed to the best of their abilities considering what they were given to work with – a flat plot complimented with even blander writing. Whether it’s Davis’s Leprechaun mask or the ludicrous one-liners, “Leprechaun” possesses no terrifying bone in its existence.
Anaconda’ (1997): When a team of documentarians and a snake-hunter in the Amazon forest encounter a giant, man-eating snake, things get a little twisted. Featuring an all-star roster that includes Owen Wilson, Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube, the 1997 adventure horror picture relies too heavily on its absurd low-quality CGI villain to instill a sense of fear.
Wolf’ (1994): What do you get when you combine a work demotion, a love triangle and werewolves? An overall spook-less experience starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfieffer that takes itself too seriously to thrive as a horror film. Though “Wolf” displays impressive horror make-up, its subliminal dialogue about human nature encourages audiences to think rather than scream.
The Wolfman’ (2010): Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins star in a lousy, CGI-saturated remake of a 1941 horror classic. Following a Shakespearean actor’s somber homecoming turned gruesomely violent, “The Wolfman” allows Del Toro to deliver nuanced performances as both the monster and victim of a supernatural family curse. However, not even the actor’s skills could compensate for the shoddy CGI job.
The Wicker Man’ (2006): Policeman Edward Malus, played by Nicholas Cage, finds himself in an eerie, dystopian island when the search for his ex-fiancée’s daughter takes a wicked turn. The 2006 take on the 1973 film of the same title thrives with horror tropes like pentagrams, crows and disembodied laughs, but stumbles on itself with its utterly scattered, yet laughable ending.
The Nun’ (2018): Joining the latest flick in the “Conjuring” franchise, “American Horror Story” star Taissa Farmiga investigates a Romanian monastery gone unholy. Similar to the other films in the “Conjuring” universe, “The Nun” seems to build its slow narrative around its plethora of jump scares, bringing nothing new or unexpected to the table.
Truth or Dare’ (2018): College students, played by the likes of Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey, find themselves in the hands of a blood-thirsty demon after playing a game of truth or dare in an abandoned church in Tijuana. With a mostly predictable plot line and old fear gimmicks, the truth is this Blumhouse film didn’t dare to move beyond the typical techniques of cheap horror films.
Paranormal Activity 2’ (2010): Simultaneously a sequel and a prequel, “Paranormal Activity 2” stars Brian Boland and Katie Featherson in yet another found footage horror movie. This time documenting a family’s efforts to keep their baby boy safe from demonic forces, the second film in the franchise fails to move beyond its predecessor’s shadow, inciting the exact same feelings of anxiety and suspense as the first.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)’ (2009): A retired German surgeon, played by Dieter Laser, kidnaps tourists to fulfill his demented fantasy of conjoining multiple humans. The excessively grotesque picture, rife with visceral imagery of torn and ill-stitched flesh, flounders as a flick that keeps viewers up at night but succeeds at disturbing the human psyche.
Slender Man’ (2018): Starring Julia Goldani Telles and Joey King, the film adaptation of the video game urban legend is the lowest reviewed film on the list. Though one can appreciate writer David Birke’s effort to place a cohesive narrative behind the 2012 computer game, the overall product features unoriginal scare tactics and a boring storytelling format despite its star power.
The Sixth Sense'(1999): Bruce Willis as child psychologist Malcom Crowe attempts to do right by his client Cole Sear, played by Haley Joel Osment, who can see the deceased walk among the living. The 1999 film offers watchers an original narrative with the signature M. Night Shyamalan twist, but brings more emotional involvement and thought than necessary for a work that serves to chill and shock.
The Happening’ (2008): Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel attempt to escape the vengeful forces of nature eradicating the human race with air-born toxins. The thriller possesses a flat and unevenly paced storyline as it also unsuccessfully, yet comedically weaponizes trees and plants in what could have been a poignant eco-thriller.
Thir13en Ghosts’ (2001): Following the death of his ghost hunter uncle, widower Aruther Kriticos (played by Tony Shalhoub) inherits his uncle’s estate, a large glass house also inhabited by 12 captive ghosts. Whether it’s the goofy dialogue or the silly-looking ghosts, “Thir13en Ghosts” provides a nonsensical experience that no amount of star power, smog or flashing lights can save.
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2000: After the widespread popularity of “The Blair Witch Project” a group of graduate students, played by Jeffrey Donovan and Erica Leerhsen, visit the eerie town of Burkittsville, Maryland in the hopes of experiencing the Blair Witch for themselves. Falling in the shadows of its incomparable predecessor, “Book of Shadows” lacks originality in format and narrative but tries to compensate by predictably borrowing elements from the first in the franchise.
Psycho’ (1998): Some may say that imitation is the best form of flattery, but this horror flick feels more like a low-quality copy and paste of the 1960 original. Vince Vaughn starring as Norman Bates, struggles to display the unnerving delivery former demonstrated by Anthony Perkins, further tainting the mediocre remake.
17 Top-Grossing Broadway Musicals of All Time, From ‘Hamilton’ to ‘The Lion King’ (Photos)
17 Top-Grossing Broadway Shows of All Time From ‘Hairspray’ to ‘The Lion King’ with grosses through June 2019.
Palm Springs: Renée Zellweger, Laura Dern and More on Increased Diversity and What Still Needs to Be Done (Video)
Speaking to TheWrap at the Film Gala Thursday marking the start of the 2020 Palm Springs Film Festival, several festival honorees gave their thoughts on the success of efforts to increase diversity in the entertainment industry.
Some celebrated what they saw as significant progress over the last few years, including Antonio Banderas, who said he thinks the ground has been laid for a much more inclusive future.
“The movements that are happening now in the last three, four years, I think they are helping to create a consciousness,” Banderas told TheWrap. “And I think the new generations are going to step into those positions in a much more natural way.”
Also Read: New York Gov Andrew Cuomo Signs Landmark TV Diversity Bill
Banderas was one of several honorees and presenters at Thursday’s Film Gala at the 31st annual Palm Springs Film Festival who spoke to TheWrap. “Judy” star Renée Zellweger said Hollywood needs to continue efforts to increase diversity, which she said “seems to be working” to put Hollywood on the right track.
“It seems to be writing itself in the right direction. More outlets, more opportunities to see stories that are relevant to them,” Zellweger said. “Thank goodness, because for such a long time, everyone was making films and content for the people who did go to the movies, not for the people who would go. So, if you build it, they will come. I think that was proven time and time again in the last couple of years.”
“Little Women” star Laura Dern talked about how, as a girl she was only ever given books to read written by male authors. “Young girls and boys deserve to live through characters that deepen them,” Dern said. “I think it’s an exciting time for the next generation to be given narratives that they can breathe through and they can learn from that’s not the girl movie and the boy movie.”
Also Read: Jennifer Lopez Is a 'Survivor' This Awards Season and 4 Other Things We Learned at Palm Springs 2020
“Bombshell” director Jay Roach said while there’s been significant progress, things could be moving much faster.
I’m involved in multiple film schools who are all working really, really hard to achieve a diversity, representation that matches anything like what happens the world. I think It’s just going to have to be an ongoing questioning, and I think the conversations are happening, but it doesn’t feel like it’s going fast enough,” Roach said.
TheWrap also spoke with civil rights lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson, who presented Jamie Foxx with an award at the gala on behalf of the movie about Stevenson’s life, “Just Mercy.”
“I don’t think there’s any question there’s still a lot of work to be done in the entertainment industry to recognize the contributions of women and people of color,” Stevenson said. “We’re really in the early days of repairing a lot of damage that has been done when we’re focusing so exclusively on the role of white men.”
Also Read: Women Directed Fewer Top-500 Grossing Films in 2019 Than the Previous 2 Years, Study Finds
Watch TheWrap’s full video report above, and check out our recap of the gala here.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Little Women' Among Film Nominees for Casting Society's Artios Awards
Women Directed Record 12% of Top 100-Grossing Films in 2019, Study Finds
How Florence Pugh Defies Typecasting, From WWE Star Paige to Amy in 'Little Women'
The 23 Worst Parts of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’
(This article is 100 percent just a list of major spoilers for “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.”)
It’s been decades since the “Star Wars” discourse has been relatively calm, and honestly that was probably only because social media didn’t exist in the 1970s and ’80s. These days we don’t have that benefit, so it’s been non-stop arguing since Disney bought Lucasfilm back in 2012. It’s just what we do. And nothing about that has changed now that we’ve all seen “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
Since it’s going to be a few years before we have another “Star Wars” movie to fight about, you better get as much arguing about “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” as you can. And to help you with that, we’ve got here a list of things we didn’t like about the conclusion to the so-called Skywalker Saga that you can bring up when you wanna start a fight.
So here you go. Below we’ve got 22 big gripes about “The Rise of Skywalker.” It’s not an exhaustive list, but we can only think about this movie for so long before we go crazy, so this will have to do for now.
1. One thousand Death Stars
Late in the movie it’s revealed that this massive fleet of Star Destroyers that Emperor Palpatine pulled out of the ice on Exegol at the beginning of the movie was equipped with Death Star lasers. The reveal is made when one of them blows up a planet for no particular reason. The Resistance folks then briefly huddle up and decide that probably all those ships can do that. That seems like an illogical conclusion to draw, because that would mean the bad guys have an entire fleet of Death Stars, which would be easily the most ludicrous thing that has ever happened in a “Star Wars” movie. But since the issue is never mentioned again we aren’t sure what other conclusion we could come to.
Also Read: 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Actually Makes 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Force Awakens' Worse
2. The Rebel fleet from nowhere
To challenge all those Death Stars, the Resistance launches an attack on Exegol with only a Corellian Corvette and like one single fighter squadron and one carrier ship full of troops. Fortunately for them, Lando spent a couple hours flying around the galaxy and casually assembling the biggest fleet we’ve ever seen in any of these movies. That’s absolutely crazy. Lando was not even gone that long.
3. The Emperor returns before the movie starts
There’s a lot of creative decisions on this movie I can’t even begin to understand, and the most confusing of those is the decision to have Emperor Palpatine make his big return to the galactic stage between movies. How do you bring back a dead character and not even let us see characters reacting to that revelation as it happens? This one actually makes me mad. If you’re gonna cram a whole trilogy of stories in one movie, you still have to start at the beginning.
4. Rey is the Emperor’s granddaughter
The climax of the “Skywalker Saga” was about two Palpatine family members fighting each other. Incredible.
Also Read: Nothing About Emperor Palpatine's Return in 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Makes Sense
5. Luke and Leia knew about Rey’s lineage the whole time
This is just a confusing bit. When did they learn this important fact? Why had they never done anything with that tidbit of key info? There’s a lot of weird ramifications to their possession of this knowledge, and “The Rise of Skywalker” has no interest in exploring any of them.
6. Leia died for no reason
They decided to kill off Leia in the strangest and low-key way: by calling out through the Force. It took Luke physically projecting himself across the galaxy and doing a lightsaber fight before the effort killed him. How weak are we supposed to think Leia is?
7. The Knights of Ren
Late in the film, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren is forced to fight his former bros the Knights of Ren in order to earn his redemption. It’s a powerful scene, the culmination of a character arc stretching back three films… is what we’d say if the Knights had like, any role before “The Rise of Skywalker.” They’re in this trilogy for less than 5 minutes, none of them speaks or has any personality, and they don’t even use lightsabers. They basically existed only so we’d know the origin of Kylo Ren’s dorky last name, and when we finally saw them up close, it turns out they dress like the corniest nu metal band of 1996. PASS.
8. The Resurrection
So Rey kills Palpatine, and then dies. Kylo Ren climbs out of the hole he fell into, and somehow uses the Force to revive her corpse. They can just resurrect people now! OK!
9. The Kiss
So Rey is alive again, and the first thing she does is make out with Kylo Ren. They haven’t had an ounce of romantic chemistry in these movies, but some “Star Wars” nerds shipped them so I guess they had to do it.
Also Read: Whose Voices Were Those at the End of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'?
10. The Death
Immediately after this kiss, Ben rolls over and dies, apparently having given all of his life force to Rey to bring her back to life in what was supposed to be the film’s most dramatic and emotionally poignant scene. At that precise moment in our screening, the entire theater burst into hysterical laughter. Whoops.
11. The Force can do literally anything
All wounds are trivial now because Force users can easily heal them. If they’re too late and the person died, they can just bring them back from the dead. Need to ship a package? Just use the Force to teleport it! Wanna have a lightsaber duel with somebody a hundred miles away? The Force has online multiplayer. Rey is just a God now, the most powerful being who ever lived. But Leia died from yelling.
12. Chewie died but actually he didn’t
This whole sequence is strange. Chewie gets captured by the First Order when he’s like 30 yards from the rest of our heroes. Then Rey accidentally blows up the ship they were taking him away on. Except actually Chewie was on a different but identical ship because “The Rise of Skywalker” wanted to pull a stupidly manipulative misdirect.
Also Read: 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' - We Need to Talk About This Rose Tico Situation
13. C-3PO got his memory wiped but then got it back
So our heroes need to read something in the Sith language, which it turns out 3PO can read. Unfortunately, his programming forbids him from translating it. (Who did this? Doesn’t matter. It just is.) This forces them to reboot 3PO to override that programming, which will erase his memory and effectively kill him as he’s been known. It sounds sad, and 3PO even gets an emotional farewell out of it. Then the film pulls a movie length JK because not only is it played for laughs from there out, at the end 3PO gets his memories restored thanks to a backup on R2D2’s hard drive.
14. Poe has Han Solo’s backstory now
One of the 57 new planets we visit in “The Rise of Skywalker” is Kijimi, where we meet Poe’s ex-girlfriend, who reveals that Poe was a spice runner before becoming a Resistance fighter. Because for some reason they needed a new Han I guess.
15. General Hux
Speaking of criminally underdeveloped characters, Hux is revealed to be a mole within the First Order, feeding information to the Resistance, uh Rebellion two movies after his Reichstag speech on Starkiller base, because he hates Kylo Ren more than he loves the First Order. And then, literally the next scene after we learn this, he’s unceremoniously killed by his commanding officer who announces “we found the mole.” Hux joins Boba Fett and Captain Phasma in the pantheon of Star Wars bad guys whose deaths are as pointless as, it turns out, the characters themselves were. At least he got more lines than Rose Tico.
16. The Force told those stormtroopers to rebel
Finn meets a woman name Jannah, who was also a former First Order stormtrooper who had been stolen from her parents when she was a kid and then rebelled as an adult. And they have this fun moment where they talk about how they decided to rebel because they had this weird feeling that they should. And they decide that feeling was the Force. Not, you know, their conscience. Or guilt about helping out a fascist government. They’d have happily done state-sponsored murder had the Force not pinged them, I guess.
17. Ghost Luke
So Luke died, and is a ghost. But he can still pick up physical objects with his non-physical hand. And he can use the Force to lift his X-Wing out of the ocean. Sounds like being dead is all upside.
18. Pretending Rose wasn’t a main character
Congratulations racist, sexist harassers: Your complaints were heard.
19. Maz Kanata
They got the amazing Lupita Nyong’o to play maybe the most pointless character in this whole trilogy. The only thing of note she does in this movie is give Chewbacca a medal in an egregiously annoying bit of fan service.
20. Chewbacca gets a medal
I’m not sure how Maz giving Chewie a medal for no reason whatsoever is supposed to make up for his snub in the original “Star Wars” film. This bit feels so shameless.
21. The Resistance did not actually win the war
So in the final battle of “The Rise of Skywalker,” the Resistance manages to take out Emperor Palpatine’s fleet, and one First Order Star Destroyer. So, uh, that means the rest of the First Order military is still out there. And the First Order military is apparently large enough that it conquered the entire galaxy in just a couple days. Which means that with the fleet of randoms that they assembled in this movie still, the Resistance still has a long road ahead it if it wants to liberate the galaxy. So, what I’m saying is that basically the entire war takes place during the epilogue of “The Rise of Skywalker,” when we see random Star Destroyers getting blown up. Yikes.
22. Finn wants to confess something to Rey but never actually does.
In the first half of “The Rise of Skywalker” there’s a recurring thing about how Finn, thinking he and his friends were about to die, wanted to tell Rey some big secret he’s been holding in. And then we never find out what that secret was because I guess Finn just forgot about it.
23. Still no space battles
While “The Last Jedi” had lots of space action, the two movies in this trilogy that JJ Abrams were responsible for are strangely lacking any at all. We couldn’t begin to guess why “The Force Awakens” and “The Rise of Skywalker” would have every starship battle take place in a planetary atmosphere, but we do know it’s weird. “The Rise of Skywalker” in particular has a battle involving the two biggest fleets we’ve seen in any of these movies, but that fight happens in Exegol’s atmosphere rather than space. And there’s a sequence at the beginning of the movie where Poe repeated does hyperspace jumps directly from one planet’s atmosphere to another. Why would a “Star Wars” movie try so hard to avoid outer space?
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Does ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Have a Post-Credits Scene?
It’s crazy to think about how, with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” coming in just under the wire, in the past decade we got almost twice as many new “Star Wars” movies as had been produced in the previous 30+ years of the franchise. That’s not something any of us would have expected as 2010 began — Disney didn’t buy Lucasfilm until 2012.
So far “The Rise of Skywalker” has earned the second-worst Rotten Tomatoes percentage, at 55 percent as of this writing, of the franchise, with only “The Phantom Menace” getting a slightly worse mark. Even “Attack of the Clones” managed to get a 65-percent positive rating. Not that a Tomatometer score is necessarily a good gauge of how a film will be remembered, but it certainly works as a gauge for the how the discourse is going right now.
With the “Star Wars” films going on break for the next three years after “The Rise of Skywalker,” and given that “The Mandalorian” hasn’t really driven much in the way of fun “Star Wars” discourse outside of all those Baby Yoda memes, maybe it’s a good thing that we got a film that’s causing so much consternation. We don’t get enough chances as it is to fight with everyone we know about something that actually doesn’t really matter. So we have to make it count when the opportunity arises.
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Given the impending hiatus for the films, it’s valid to wonder if “The Rise of Skywalker” might want to get into the post-credits scene game. Not all post-credits scenes are teases for future movies — there are plenty that simply serve as an extended epilogue. So is now the time when “Star Wars” joins this popular trend, by throwing in a bonus mid- or post-credits scene?
Unfortunately for fans hoping for any extra content during or after the credits, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” has no post-credits or mid-credits scenes. Once the credits begin, the movie has no more content for you beyond just the credits themselves. We’ve still never had a post-credits scene on any “Star Wars” movie.
Given how many people put in a lot of work to bring the film to life, it’s not the worst idea in the world to stick around in appreciation for their effort. But if you gotta go, you gotta go — and you can rest assured you aren’t missing something crucial if you head out when the credits start.
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Golden Globes 2020: Can the Awards Show Buck Ratings Trends Again?
Last year’s Golden Globes, co-hosted by Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh, were no hostless Oscars, but along with the 91st Academy Awards, they were the only of the major awards shows to post gains year-over-year in the key adults 18-49 demographic. You’re up (again) on Sunday, Ricky Gervais — beat that.
The Globes grew 6% in ratings last year, less than half of the percentage bump (+13%) the Oscars earned. Everything else, which amounts to seven other major awards shows, was in the red.
That’s the bad color.
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So how did the Globes buck the trend? Well, having an NFL Playoff game as your direct lead-in is not only a good start, it’s literally the best start you can get. The 2019 version of the special aired after NBC’s NFC Wild Card game, when the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles visited the Chicago Bears. The game kicked off at 4:40 p.m. ET, the Globes started at 8/7c.
There’s no better way to stop the bleeding (there’s that red color again), which is the current trend of TV ratings. The prior year, the Golden Globe Awards audience had dropped 11%.
Really, last year’s Globes should have performed even better. It was not a good show, and that’s actually good news for Gervais on Sunday.
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This weekend, NBC is repeating its scheduling move and will air the Globes following its late-afternoon Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles NFL Playoff game. Last year, the Eagles squeaked by their opponent 16-15: best of luck this time around, when Russell Wilson and the rest of the other birds visit. 2019 and 2020 are the only two years in Nielsen’s people meter history that the Golden Globes directly followed the NFL Playoffs. What took you so long, NBC?
But will the 77th Golden Globes match the upward trajectory of last year’s version? With Gervais and his must-see brand of hosting on full display, it should — though he might skew older and influence total viewers more than the main demo.
The nominees themselves aren’t going to do the first awards show of the new decade any favors. Like last year, TV once again doesn’t have “Game of Thrones” in the running, with its only nomination being a Best Actor nod for Kit Harington, and the films are a downgrade, consumer-wise. 2019 boasted “Black Panther,” “A Star Is Born” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” to name a few box office hits. This year has more modest big-screen nominees like “Joker” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
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Below are the key demo ratings and total-viewer tallies for each of 2019’s major awards shows. We’ve included their respective percentage changes from the prior year, and ranked the trophy-handout specials in terms of their demo retention.
Oscars: 7.7 rating (+13%), 29.641 million viewers (+11%)
Golden Globes: 5.3 rating (+6%), 18.648 million viewers (-2%)
Grammys: 5.6 rating (-5%), 19.880 million viewers (+0.4%)
Country Music Awards: 2.0 rating (-5%), 11.270 million viewers (+12%)
American Music Awards: 1.7 rating (-6%), 6.682 million viewers (+1%)
Billboard Music Awards: 2.1 rating (-12%), 8.007 million viewers (+2%)
Tony Awards: 0.8 rating (-20%), 5.404 million viewers (-14%)
ACM Awards: 1.6 rating (-24%), 9.922 million viewers (-18%)
Emmys: 1.7 rating (-29%), 6.978 million viewers (-32%)
The Oscars benefitted from intrigue over being forced into a hostless format following an Academy standoff with Kevin Hart over old tweets. And again, it also had those much stronger films.
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Some scheduling particulars worth noting about that crop: The Oscars shifted one week earlier last year, while the Grammys aired two weeks later than its 2018 show.
The BBMAs scheduled themselves on a Monday earlier in May. In 2018, the Billboard awards aired on a Sunday night in mid-late May.
The Emmys shifted from a Monday to a Sunday this year to accommodate Fox’s hit fall shows, but they ran into a buzzsaw in NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” Didn’t work.
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Additionally, the AMAs moved later in the fall, from a random Tuesday in October to the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The ACM Awards moved one week up this year.
The others all aired on the same day year to year.
The 77th Golden Globes air Sunday at 8/7c on NBC.
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January 2, 2020
Collider Cancels ‘Star Wars’-Themed ‘Jedi Council’ and Other Original Shows as Part of Video ‘Refocus’
Entertainment news site Collider announced Thursday that as part of what it describes as a “refocusing” effort, it has canceled four of its original video programs.
On the chopping block are the shows “Movie Talk,” “Collider Live,” “Jedi Council” and “Heroes.” As of Jan. 2, production has ceased on all four shows; “We cannot begin to express the depth of our gratitude to our loyal fans and to those who worked tirelessly on these productions,” Marc Fernandez, CEO of Collider said in a statement Thursday.
Collider said in a statement announcing the move that the site “continues expanding its commitment to high-quality, scripted, unscripted, and celebrity-driven content across all media and platforms.” Collider’s video division will now “refocus” on “premium content that goes beyond film and television commentary, and “on popular series like Comic Book Shopping and The Deepfake Saga.”
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Collider did not indicate if any members of its video division will be laid off. The company did say it will continue “in-depth reporting on the entertainment industry with breaking news, original features, and extensive interviews,” and “working alongside both Collider Video and Collider Games.”
The most recent episodes of “Jedi Council” were reviews of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” The most recent “Movie Talk” episode was published on Jan. 1, “Heroes” last posted on New Year’s Eve.”
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Frank Ocean, Travis Scott and Rage Against the Machine to Headline Coachella 2020
Frank Ocean, Rage Against the Machine and Travis Scott will all headline this year’s Coachella, Goldenvoice announced on Thursday night.
Rage Against the Machine has been inactive since a July 2011 show at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The band announced that it would be reuniting and performing at the event last year in an Instagram post that also announced several other shows in the Southwest. The band previously reunited to play Coachella in 2007 and played the inaugural event in 1999.
Ocean performed at the festival in 2012 in one of the smaller tents and Scott performed on the Outdoor Theatre stage in 2017.
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Calvin Harris, a headliner in 2016, will perform on Friday night.
Other artists on the bill are Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, Lana Del Rey, Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, Flume and Run the Jewels. Chart-topping “Old Town Road” rapper Lil Nas X will be on hand as will composer Danny Elfman, Rex Orange County, Big Sean among many, many more.
The 21st edition of Coachella will take place on the weekends of April 10-12 and April 17-19, 2020, respectively, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Also Read: Coachella 2020 Festival Dates Announced
Check out the full lineup below:
Weekend 1 is sold out ???? Register for Weekend 2 presale at https://t.co/x8PRTb12Eh. Presale starts Monday 1/6 at 12pm PT pic.twitter.com/QPRYnJVe9P
— Coachella (@coachella) January 3, 2020
And in alphabetical order:
(Sandy) Alex G
100 gecs
21 Savage
88rising’s Double Happiness
Adam Port
Alec Benjamin
Ali Gatie
Altın Gün
Amber Mark
Amyl and the Sniffers
Anitta
ANNA
Anna Calvi
Ari Lennox
Aya Nakamura
BADBADNOTGOOD
Banda MS
beabadoobee
Beach Bunny
Beach Goons
Bedouin
Big Sean
Big Wild
BIGBANG
Bishop Briggs
black midi
Black Pumas
Black Coffee
BROCKHAMPTON
Calvin Harris
Caribou
Cariño
Carly Rae Jepsen
Cashmere Cat
Channel Tres
Charli XCX
Chelsea Cutler
Chicano Batman
Chris Liebing
City Girls
Code Orange
Conan Gray
Crumb
Cuco
DaBaby
Damian Lazarus
Daniel Caesar
Danny Elfman
Daphni
Dave
Denzel Curry
Detlef
Disclosure
Dixon
DJ Koze
DJ Lord
Doja Cat
Dom Dolla
Duck Sauce
Duke Dumont
Ed Maverick
ela minus
Ellen Allien
Emo Nite
Emotional Oranges
Epik High
Erick Morillo
Ezra Collective
Fatboy Slim
FKA twigs
Floating Points
Flume
Fontaines D.C.
Frank Ocean
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
Friendly Fires
GG Magree
girl in red
Giselle Woo & The Night Owls
GRiZ
Guy Laliberté
Hatsune Miku
Hayden James
Hot Chip
IDLES
Inner Wave
J.I.D
Jai Wolf
Jayda G
Jessie Reyez
Joji
Kim Petras
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Koffee
Kruder & Dorfmeister
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Kyle Watson
Kynda Black
L’Impératrice
Lana Del Rey
Lane 8
Lauren Daigle
Ленинград (Leningrad)
Lewis Capaldi
Lil Nas X
Lil Uzi Vert
Lost Kings
Louis The Child
Luttrell
Madeon
Malaa
Mannequin Pussy
Mariah the Scientist
Marina
Masego
Matoma
Megan Thee Stallion
Melé
MIKA
Monolink
Mura Masa
NIKI
Nilüfer Yanya
Noname
Olivia O’Brien
Omar Apollo
ONYVAA
Orville Peck
Pabllo Vittar
Paco Osuna
Peggy Gou
Pink Sweat$
Princess Nokia
PUP
Rage Against the Machine
Raveena
Rex Orange County
Rich Brian
Roddy Ricch
Run The Jewels
Sahar Z
Sama’
Sampa The Great
Sara Landry
Sasha Sloan
Satori
SebastiAn
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Skegss
SLANDER
Sleaford Mods
slowthai
Snail Mail
Steve Lacy
Summer Walker
Swae Lee
Tchami
Testpilot
The Chats
The Comet Is Coming
The HU
The Martinez Brothers
The Murder Capital
The Regrettes
Thom Yorke | Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes
Tiga
TNGHT
TOKiMONSTA
Travis Scott
Viagra Boys
VNSSA
Weyes Blood
Whipped Cream
Yaeji
YBN Cordae
YUNGBLUD
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