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Thunderous motorbikes, Chris Hemsworth, and a post-apocalyptic desert setting starts the wildly chaotic “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” directed by George Miller.
Our heroine, Furiosa, is ruled by revenge; the story tells the saga of her troubled history. Newly minted star Ana Taylor Joy plays Furiosa as the full on raging badass: she is steely eyed with burning determination. Alyla Browne as the young Furiosa is luminous. Chris Hemsworth, moving on from Marvel’s “Thor,” is terrific as the perfectly named Dementus, the magnetic but cruel leader who chatters endlessly.
The visuals are extraordinary, non-stop and jaw dropping. At a recent press screening, the ‘fan boys’ aka grown men, lamented that it was too much CGI for them. Comparing it to the ‘masterpiece’ they explained that was Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road’” — a multiple Oscar winner that along with Miller had the respected Producer Chris DeFaria at the helm. With that said, they were still massive fans of this film.
The plot points do coalesce in a seamless way. Kudos to the cinematographer, Simon Duggan, for his otherworldly, extraordinary visuals. The composer Tom Holkenborg’s score is grand and powerful. George Miller’s vision and his unique style of filmmaking is what he does so well and so differently from anyone else. He has a specific voice which appeals to a worldwide audience. Action packed Miller’s dystopian take is precise, and sprawling.
The “Mad Max” franchise has made over 540 million, with “Fury Road” being by far the most successful. Will “Furiosa” beat that? Who knows? But this film, with its non-stop madness and mayhem, is mighty compelling. Epic, chaotic and over the top “Furiosa” is a mayhem filled, perfect popcorn escapist movie!
Kevin Costner debuted the first of his four “Horizon” movies tonight in Cannes. Despite a 7 minute standing ovation, not everyone was crazy about it.
Remember, “Horizon” was supposed to be a mini series. Costner left “Yellowstone” to make it. Then New Line/Warner Bros announced it as a movie series. Reviewers are saying that Chapter 1, unveiled tonight, is not a movie, but a mini series.
Apparently, Costner — the star of the film — doesn’t appear in it for the first hour!
David Rooney writes in the Hollywood Reporter:
“Kevin Costner has been in the saddle long enough to know the difference between a big-screen feature Western like Dances With Wolves, a miniseries like Hatfields & McCoys or a longform like Yellowstone. All those projects have done well by him and he’s done well by them. His connection to the quintessential Americana genre and the rugged lands it calls home is indubitable. So why is his sprawling new frontier tale, Horizon: An American Saga, such a clumsy slog? It plays like a limited series overhauled as a movie, but more like a hasty rough cut than a release ready for any format.”
Screen International:
Horizon: An American Saga is still suffering from an identity crisis. Beautifully shot, with a deft command of period detail and a starry ensemble cast, Costner’s Civil-war set epic offers an old-fashioned celebration of the pioneer spirit – and a clutch of storylines that never quite have time to engage before the film moves on.”
The Playlist:
“There is nothing wrong with a three-hour movie. There have been absolute masterworks longer than 180 minutes. It sorta helps, however, if the film is, well, a movie. After watching Kevin Costner’s 181-minute-long “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” we can’t argue its classification as a film, artist’s prerogative, but we’re still not sure it should be constituted as one by anyone else. And that’s for a multitude of reasons.”
Variety:
“A few of these characters are interesting; none of them are memorable. “Horizon” is no “Lonesome Dove,” though Costner tries, and mostly succeeds, at setting aside Western clichés about what towns really looked like, and how frontier life worked. The real problem is the script (by Costner and Jon Baird), which is shapeless. It doesn’t weave these stories together; it stacks them next to each other like a series of cabooses.”
John Krasinski’s “If” didn’t look so promising on Friday morning.
The family friendly, star packed comedy made just $1.75 million on Thursday in previews.
Friday’s receipts were ok, bringing the total up to $10.3 million.
It did seem like “If” was iffy, around $25 million for the weekend. Some box office prognosticators said it was supposed to do $50 million, which seemed grossly exaggerated.
In the end, $35 million is predicted, a lot better than anyone thought. Word of mouth must have been good since Saturday zoomed up to $14 million, and today is supposed to come in at $10 million.
Meanwhile, the Amy Winehouse movie “Back to Black” is dead, just $2.8 mil starting Thursday night. That film is going to “Rehab.”
Otherwise, it was Planet of the Apes at $26 million.
For some reason, Sony still has “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” in 819 theaters. It made $435,000 over three days. Total is $112 million. This series is over.
In a couple of weeks Sony is releasing the new “Bad Boys” movie with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. I’m hearing a lot of chatter about the publicity junket re Smith, and also Lawrence’s appearance. Stay tuned…
BREAKING
Sean Diddy Combs has posted a one minute, thirty second video apologizing for the video released by CNN two days ago.
In the video, Combs is seen viciously attacking his girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel. The video is so frightening that the LA DA’s office had to comment on it, saying it was too old — from 2016– for them to do anything.
Now Combs says in the posting that he’s truly sorry, was “A different man,” went to therapy.
He says, “I was fucked up. I hit rock bottom My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for the actions on that video. I went to therapy, I went to rehab. I’m so sorry. I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
Ventura obviously didn’t believe him. Last year she sued him for years of torture and he settled quickly.
Diddy is in a financial free fall because of accusations and lawsuit from many others. His empire has fallen apart. The CNN video is the last straw, so this apology — which is lame by any standards — could be his final undoing. The rapper turned entrepreneur has a history of violence including a famous shootout in a NYC nightclub that involved singer Jennifer Lopez. He was acquitted at a trial but one of his underlings took the rap and went to jail.
This is what woke me up at the Marriott Marquis last week: to the amazing all-women Brazilian Samba Reggae drum line Fogo Azul. They were noisy but rhythmic. (See below)
The event was the annual New York Women’s Foundation Breakfast practicing “Radical Generosity” in Times Square. The organization, dedicated to creating a just and equitable future for women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals and their families, honored a diverse lineup: artist Andrea Arroyo among them. Her message: “Let’s be fierce and tender together. Art can change the world.” The recently deceased artist Faith Ringgold was acknowledged.
This Year’s the New York Women’s Foundation Celebrating Women Breakfast awards honored leading change-making organizations and individuals at a celebration in New York City. Since 1987, The Foundation has invested $125 million in 500+ organizations, creating a vibrant community of grantees, philanthropists, advocates, innovators, and change-makers.
Cynthia Nixon, one-time candidate for governor running against Andrew Cuomo, spoke about her wedding to Christine Marinoni at which famed roots singer Toshi Reagon officiated. Best known for her roles in “The Gilded Age,” and as Miranda on “Sex & the City” and its spinoff, “And Just Like That,” Nixon was a child actor on Broadway and grew up in this city.
Nixon — whose political stands are controversial, to say the least — wanted everyone to know her son, a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, begged her to use her platform to stop war now. On the subject of protests at colleges: “We are brutally making young people pay for speaking up. Listen to young people. They are the best of us.”
And this year’s breakfast was memorable too for other speakers, women who were enabled to turn bleak and battered lives around with the help of this vital foundation that grants many other organizations to provide work, careers, counseling, inspiration. The powerhouse voice of the aforementioned Toshi Reagon ended the program singing “Freedom.”
The 2024Celebrating Women BreakfastrecognizedFondation CHANELwith theVision Awardfor the organization’s courageous efforts in creating a world where women and girls are free to shape their own destiny. The following changemakers were awarded withCelebrating Women Awards:Andrea Arroyo, an award-winning visual artist,New York Liberty, an original WNBA team who embraces its role to elevate and embrace women while building community,Cynthia Nixon, Emmy and Tony award winning actress, activist, and theater director, Toshi Reagon, a singer song-writer who knows the power of song to unite and mobilize people for justice, and S. Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director of Equality Now.
The awards were presented byJacqueline Woodson, MacArthur Fellow and National Book Award-winner for her children’s and adult books,Ana Maria Archilla, immigrant rights, worker justice, LGBTQ rights, and women’s rights advocate, andFoundation Board MembersAnne Delaney, Helene Banks, Lola C. WestandKaren Choi.
The celebration closed with a special performance byNew York Liberty’s Timeless Torches, a 40-and-over dance team, and their mascotEllie the Elephant, ending the program on the perfect high note, capturing the inspiration and motivation of the event.
Guests of note included Andrea Arroyo, S. Mona Sinha, Jacqueline Woodson, Ana Maria Archilla, Anne Delaney, Helene Banks, Lola C. West, Karen Choi, Ana L. Olivieri, and Jean Shafiroff.
The series finale hour of “Young Sheldon” on Thursday night went out with a Big Bang.
The beloved comedy had its fourth highest night since the end of season 3, scoring an average of 9.2 million viewers. The first half hour was all about the funeral of Sheldon’s father, George.
The second half hour — with 9.3 million viewers — featured Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik of “The Big Bang Theory.” We learned that the couple named their son Leonard (which is weird — if it’s in tribute to their friend, is he dead?). Also they let Penny babysit him once.
Much has been made of the final episode explaining the whole series and cleaning up all the differences between the two shows. It turns out Sheldon was reading his memoir the whole time and now he’s finished it up. It was very clever, and tearful.
Today CBS says members of the “Young Sheldon” cast will make occasional visits to the spin off show, “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage.” Unfortunately, Sheldon himself won’t since — in their story — the two brothers don’t speak again for 10 years. But Sheldon’s mother and grandmother will. I guess Annie Potts’s laments about the series ending were heard.
Chuck Lorre had a great run with “Young Sheldon.” His final card at the end of the credits just read “grateful.”
It’s still unclear how Paramount’s “If” will do over all, but Friday night wasn’t bad. Receipts came to $8.5 million for a total including Thursday previews of $10.3 million.
The weekend total should come in around $25 million although that’s uncertain, too. Reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes were split at 50%, not exactly an overwhelming endorsement. The audience rating is 85%, or a B plus.
So there’s some interest in “If,” and if not, everyone — like John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds — will return to their regular successes.
At the very least, “If” will not be the disaster story of the weekend. That distinction goes to Focus Features’ Amy Winehouse biopic, “Back to Black.” Total for Thurs-Fri is just $1.25 million. Reviews are terrible and there’s little interest in this film here anyway. It’s already made $23 million abroad, most of that from the UK.
Amy Winehouse died too soon. She had enormous potential to be as big as Adele, but she never got the chance. She had one hit in the US, “Rehab.” Her other sales are cult only. So if “Back to Black” makes $5 million here, Focus will be lucky. Put it on Peacock and call it a day.
More tomorrow…go to the movies, there’s plenty to see this weekend…
I am lucky to say I chatted with actor Dabney Coleman a few times back in the day, in Elaine’s. Elaine Kaufman loved him, too. He was dapper and erudite and a lot of fun. Coleman died today at age 92.
Dabney Coleman is probably best known as the terrible boss from the movie, “9 to 5.” He had about 15 years of journeyman service on TV, on every single show, until he finally hit it big on “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” in 1976. He played Merle Jeter, the con man husband of Wanda Jeter (the also great Marion Mercer). He was mean but very acerbic. Eventually Merle became mayor of Fernwood until a TV set fell in his bath and electrocuted him. The nation mourned.
Coleman’s turn in “9 to 5” was so good that Jane Fonda had him cast in her next movie, “On Golden Pond.” Coleman was on a roll. He was in Garry Marshall’s comedy “Young Doctors in Love,” as well as “Tootsie” — he was the maniacal star of the fictitious soap — and “War Games.” When he was in the groove, Coleman was able to play greedy and self-motivated with sly humor. He was the kind of actor who, when he appeared on screen, you wanted to clap. And he was always a character, never playing himself.
He had not one but two cult TV shows in the 80s: “Buffalo Bill” and “Slap Maxwell.” They may have been too much for regular audiences, but they were memorable series. If HBO or Netflix had been around then, those series would have run for years.
As late as 2019, Coleman played Kevin Costner’s father in “Yellowstone.” He had five Emmy nomminations and 1 win. According to the imdb, he had two divorces, with four children from the first marriage.
Still, with dozens and dozens of credits, Dabney Coleman will always be clueless, egotistical, male chauvinist pig, and philanderer Franklin J. Hart in “9 to 5,” a movie more relevant today, 40 years later, than ever.
Don’t click on the link below unless you’re ready.
CNN has obtained exclusive 2016 video of Sean Puffy Combs, aka Diddy, physically assaulting girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
They’re in a hotel. Cassie has escaped Combs’s room and has headed to the elevator bank on their floor. There, the hotel security footage captures Combs emerging in a towel, knocking Cassie out, kicking her, and getting her back to the room.
Last year, Ventura sued Combs and won a sizeable settlement. It may have been his last money. Since the lawsuit, and other accusations, plus an FBI raid, Combs has lost all his businesses and sponsorships.
It’s been an extraordinary fall from success for Combs, but not entirely unexpected. His life has been marked by flashes of anger. He was famously involved in a shoot out and escape with Jennifer Lopez in a New York nightclub. One of his employees took the fall and went to jail.
Combs also attacked record exec Steve Stoute, beating him with a Champagne bottle in his office. Combs is known for flying into rages, always showing flashes of anger that are shocking. This video will be worse for him than anything else so far.
The Apocalypse is here, now, for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.”
The more critics file reviews from Cannes to Rotten Tomatoes, the worse it gets. The film currently sits a rotten 48%. But even that number is inflated by critics who hated the movie but don’t want to label it “rotten” out of respect for Coppola.
A couple of examples:
Financial Times: Perhaps the kindest thing one can say about Megalopolis is that it will probably remain largely unwatched and be quickly forgotten.
The Daily Beast: Perhaps the kindest thing one can say about Megalopolis is that it will probably remain largely unwatched and be quickly forgotten.
“Megalopolis” has quickly reached the status of past disasters like “Heaven’s Gate” and “Ishtar” as one of the worst films ever made by a respected director. Priced at $120 million, the film would have to make a minimum of $240 million to break even in theaters. Considering the box office in 2024, that goal would seem impossible by miles.
Who will buy it? Anyone? There’s a lot of speculation that A24 could take it. They made gold out of another totally incomprehensible movie, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” That title might be applied to this movie, from the reviews.
