#succession featurette

[onetruetruth]

Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy | Behind the Scenes of Succession Season 1

[deforest]

SHE'S CRAZY WITH THE HEAT — 1946 ft. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm

In 1946, William D. Alexander began the production of a series of one-reel shorts, half-hour featurettes and feature films that would serve a dual purpose. These black cast subjects would be released to theaters that welcomed African American audiences; concurrently, the music segments would be excerpted from the films and released as Soundies. Ultimately, sixteen of Alexander’s musical shorts reached the Panoram screen, spotlighting the bands of Lucky Millinder, Billy Eckstine, Henri Woode and the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. (Alexander actually produced four films with the Sweethearts, three ten-minute short subjects and one feature, although some of the performances turns up in more than one film; only three performances saw release as a Soundie.) The International Sweethearts of Rhythm grew out of a band formed in the 1930s at the Piney Woods Country Life School, an institution – in part an orphanage – for poor African American children. A member of the music department had apparently taken note of the success of Ina Ray Hutton’s Melodears and decided that an all-woman band composed of school members might lead to something special. While they performed locally, the ISR did not begin to hit its stride until it left Piney Woods and became a professional touring outfit in 1941. The band was certainly “international” in nature, and its ranks included African American, Latina, Chinese, Indian, White and Puerto Rican musicians. In 1941, Anna Mae Winburn joined the orchestra as front woman and featured vocalist. During the war years Maurice King joined the band as both arranger and band manager. Born Clarence King in 1911, King played reeds and later became a fine swing arranger. While here we recognize his composition and arrangement for the Sweethearts – he called this tune “She’s Crazy with the Heat ” – King is best known for his longtime association with Barry Gordy and Motown Records for which he served as director of artist development. He worked closely with vocal groups, teaching the singers how to voice and phrase together. “Maurice brought sophistication and class to Motown,” said session musician Johnny Trudell. By 1946, the Sweethearts was recognized as one of the finest African-American bands in jazz. They recorded for Guild and RCA Records, broadcast regularly for the Armed Forces Radio Service, and toured Europe entertaining the GIs. While much of the success was due to Maurice King’s arrangements, the band’s musicians were all strong, and a special nod must go to Viola Burnside, one of the most neglected tenor soloists of the 1940s. I chatted with my friend Roz Cron, a member of the Sweetheart’s reed section, shortly before her passing. When I thanked her for her contribution, she paused and said, “Yeah, we were one of the best, one of the very, very best.” (via Jazz on Film)

[david-talks-sw]

So that whole interaction between Ahsoka and Huyang, where they talk about Sabine's choice to help the enemy find Thrawn (in hopes that she can then find Ezra) is clearly meant to be subtext for what happened with Anakin.

I mean change the pronoun from "she/her" to "he/him", tweak some of the names and...

... it's just blatant.

The parallels were already clear in the previous episode, as pointed out in this post here, and it still holds true:

Sabine's struggle with attachment mirrors Anakin's.

We know Filoni's whole stance on why Anakin fell to the Dark Side: he'll usually acknowledge that Anakin was ruled by his attachments, got possessive of Padmé, but then adds:

"HOWEVER is loving that way really that bad?"

"HOWEVER he never stood a chance because Qui-Gon wasn't there to teach him properly and be the father Anakin needed."

I've already gone into why both these statements don't track with Lucas' intended narrative here and here... but I wanna touch on this notion that "Anakin wasn't trained enough to make a better choice."

He was.

You know how we know? Because we saw him overcome his attachments before.

We saw him explain the theory of the non-attachment rule, before.

In fact, wee saw him pass down a lot of the Jedi lessons, in The Clone Wars, including being disciplined, following orders and not acting impulsively.

The issue is that - while Anakin knows the theory, even has a few minor successes applying it - he never builds the self-discipline needed to master it because... deep down... he doesn't want to.

This is partially because you got Palpatine telling him he doesn't need to, molding him into an arrogant, power-craving person... but the fact remains that Anakin made the choice himself.

Which Filoni acknowledges, sure... but not quite. The difference between his thesis and George Lucas' is that the latter picks a stance and defends it.

"He started out as a very loving and compassionate person. And as he progressed, it was his inability to control his temper, his inability to let go of things, and his quest for power that were his undoing." - George Lucas, E! Behind the Scenes - ROTS, 2005

Anakin fell because he was greedy, just like any one of us can be.

Cool. Filoni, on the other hand, doesn't seem to land anywhere.

He dances around the issue (as can be seen by the debate between Ahsoka and Huyang, with no clear winner) and merely questions whether it's as simple as that.

Clearly he wants to justify Anakin's actions to some degree... but y'know, the narrative considers those actions so reprehensible that Anakin gets friggin' burned alive for it.

"I felt it was important that we actually see that happen so that we could see the consequences of these bad things that he did. […] He forces his friends to turn against him. Which is heartbreaking." - George Lucas, “The Chosen One” Featurette, 2005

Because Anakin's actions are not meant to be justified.

It's easy to see why Filoni likes Anakin. One of the earliest tasks he had when writing The Clone Wars was humanizing a character whose sole functional purpose was to carry out a narrative about how:

"Without self-discipline, greed [can] force a character off the path to freedom." - Micael Hearn, The Cinema of George Lucas, 2005

And Anakin is a very sympathetic character.

His flaws are flaws that we all carry.

Q: Is it fair to assess Anakin is kind of cursed by his own goodness/good qualities? "I wouldn't say that’s true. He’s cursed by the same flaws, and issues that he has to overcome, that all humans are cursed with. There's a lot going on there. [...] The whole point is—and the reason I started the story where I did—is that Anakin is a normal, good kid. And how does somebody who is normal and good turn bad? What are the qualities, what is it that we all have within us that will turn us bad?" - George Lucas, Star Wars Insider #52, 2000

But narratively, Anakin is selfish.

He doesn't want to save Padmé's life, he wants to save himself from the pain of losing Padmé.

And while you're supposed to sympathize with him, you're not meant to agree with him. He's Darth Vader, the space nazi. He messes up and consequentially "leaves the Force in darkness" for 20 years, instead of ushering it towards the light in the chancellor's office, when he has the chance.

So to shift the blame and say that...

HOWEVER, Anakin didn't have the proper support system or training to make a better choice.

... when the whole point of the narrative is about taking personal responsibility and being selfless instead of selfish... well, it is missing that point.

He did know better. He just didn't want to choose better, so he convinced himself he wasn't able to.

[brokehorrorfan]

The Woman and Offspring will be released together on 4K Ultra HD on August 27 via Arrow Video. Vanessa McKee designed the new cover art; the original poster is in the reverse side.

2011's The Woman is directed by Lucky McKee (May), who co-wrote the script with Jack Ketchum, based on their 2010 novel of the same name. Pollyanna McIntosh, Angela Bettis, Sean Bridgers, and Lauren Ashley Carter star.

Offspring is its 2009 precursor, directed by Andrew van den Houten and written by Ketchum, based on his 1991 novel of the same name. Pollyanna McIntosh, Art Hindle, Amy Hargreaves, and Ahna Tessler star.

Both films have been restored in 4K, supervised by their respective directors. The limited edition set also comes with a booklet. Special features are listed below.

Disc 1 - The Woman

Audio commentary with director Lucky McKee, editor Zach Passero, sound designer Andrew Smetek, and composer Sean Spillane

Audio commentary with actress Pollyanna McIntosh

Audio commentary with film critic Scott Weinberg

Audio commentary with director Lucky McKee

Dad on the Wall - Behind-the-scenes documentary filmed by director Lucky McKe’s father, Mike McKee

Interview with Lauren Ashley Carter

Malam Domesticam featurette

Meet The Makers featurette

Deleted scenes

2011 Frightfest panel with indie horror filmmakers Lucky McKee, Andrew van den Houten, Larry Fessenden, Adam Green, Joe Lynch, and Ti West

Mi Burro - 2011 animated short directed by The Woman editor Zach Passero

“Distracted” music video by Sean Spillane

Theatrical trailers

Image galleries

Disc 2 - Offspring:

Audio commentary by director Andrew van den Houten and digital colorist Matt McClain

Audio commentary by writer Jack Ketchum, director Andrew van den Houten, and cinematographer William M. Miller

Interview with director Andrew van den Houten and actress Pollyanna McIntosh

Fly on the Wall - Making-of featurette

Interview with writer Jack Ketchum

Progeny: The Birth of Offspring featurette

First Stolen’s Bailout featurette

Restoration comparison

Audition comparison

Webisodes, short featurettes used to promote the film online

Archive Easter Eggs

Theatrical trailer

Image gallery

Also included:

Booklet featuring writing by Michael Blyth, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Kevin Kovelant

The Woman (Pollyanna McIntosh) is the last surviving member of a deadly clan of feral cannibals that has roamed the American wilderness for decades. When successful country lawyer Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers) stumbles upon her whilst hunting in the woods, he decides to capture and civilize her with the help of his seemingly perfect all-American family, including his wife Belle (Angela Bettis,) and daughter Peggy (Lauren Ashley Carter). The Cleeks will soon learn, however, that hell hath no fury like The Woman scorned…

Pre-order The Woman / Offspring.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Long post incoming...

I guess I'll try to be more reasonable and put things into perspective.

I also happened to come out of FURIOSA earlier today, which to me felt like a nice antidote to what Hollywood tends to pump out when it comes to big franchises. A prequel that really expands the Wasteland world of MAD MAX without feeling like a Glup Shitto-fest. I was pretty much glued the whole time, astounded at what it was going for, the big swings it took and - in my eyes - greatly succeeded at. You can tell creator/director George Miller loves this world, and wanted to expand it meaningfully with both this and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, after 30 years of the series being a trilogy. And apparently without anyone getting in his way, at that. Rare for a big action film.

Did you know Miller, who also directed the likes of... THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, LORENZO'S OIL, BABE: PIG IN THE CITY (and pretty much was a huge part of the original BABE), the HAPPY FEET movies, and THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING... Did you know one of his favorite films is Walt Disney's PINOCCHIO? Which had a massive influence on him and his work?

Oh yeah, PINOCCHIO... The second-ever Disney animated feature film, a film designed to be like its European fairy tale-inspired predecessor - SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS - but double that, with its more sprawling story and larger budget. More multiplane shots, whole scenes in the ocean, all that hand-animated, meticulously hand-painted water...

And it was the exact opposite of SNOW WHITE when first released in February 1940. While reviews were generally positive, not really as glowing as SNOW WHITE's reception, it was largely impacted by World War II breaking out across the Atlantic. It couldn't play in the European countries where SNOW WHITE made tons of money, and the money it managed to make in the ally territories - the UK and France - wasn't going to cut it. Its American gross was solid, certainly in the shadows of the huge hit that was out at the time - GONE WITH THE WIND... But again, it couldn't cover the film's astronomical costs. Unthinkable for a film, whose opening song, is pretty much synonymous with Disney today... Once a big flop, now it's absolutely definitively Disney...

The Disney studio would continue to lose a lot of money during this period. FANTASIA did not appeal to audiences, and BAMBI also lost money. Only the relatively-cheaper DUMBO managed to make back its shoestring cost, in addition to appealing to audiences more than the experimental dialogue-free epic and the more lyrical, dramatic forest tale. Disney was deep in debt, and spent the rest of the decade making and releasing movies known as "The Package Features". Anthologies composed of short films/featurettes, with some sort of loose linking device for them. Disney wouldn't return to doing a singular type of story following one set of characters until CINDERELLA, released in February 1950 to critical acclaim and great box office.

Some animation fans and historians divide the Walt years into two halves, the Golden Age covering the streak that began with the runaway success of STEAMBOAT WILLIE and ended with World War II's impact on the studio's first five feature films. (Or six, if you count the hybrid THE RELUCTANT DRAGON.) The Silver Age, covering everything thereafter up until Walt's passing, typically marked at the posthumous 1967 release of THE JUNGLE BOOK. Again, in terms of features. I'd mark it at December 1968, when the 2nd Winnie the Pooh featurette - THE BLUSTERY DAY - was released. The wartime losses took so much out of the studio, that Walt and Roy O. Disney reached some compromises, which - to some - affect the features going forward.

Films like CINDERELLA and PETER PAN avoided the elaborate multiplane effects and minute details of PINOCCHIO and BAMBI, making up for it in their striking art direction and filmmaking choices. The storytelling is also something of a shift. Few of those films attempt to wear the frightening elements of SNOW WHITE and PINOCCHIO, the kinds of scenes that Walt often got angry letters from parents over. After BAMBI, not counting the package features, the death of a major "good" character was pretty much hands off as well. For example, during production of LADY AND THE TRAMP, singer/actress Peggy Lee begged the filmmakers not to kill off Trusty at the end of the picture, following his accident with the dogcatcher wagon. Walt and co. complied. By the time you get to the '60s, Walt's final years among the living, you're a country mile from the early films. THE SWORD IN THE STONE and THE JUNGLE BOOK are very lax "characters exist" kinds of movies, the latter having some danger in the form of the impending encounter with Shere Khan. Otherwise, they are much lighter in tone, much more fun-loving, like romps.

Over the years, I've come to really appreciate those later films for the things my 20-something year-old self tended to criticize them for. When really, it's just a matter of fact. Change happened, maybe had to happen, in order for the Disney studio to survive and keep making animated feature films. Few other studios during the Golden Age of Animation could afford such a luxury. The Fleischer brothers certainly gave it a shot, with GULLIVER'S TRAVELS in 1939 and MR. BUG GOES TO TOWN in 1941, but the falling out between Max and Dave coupled with distributor Paramount's neglect of MR. BUG put a stop to that. Feature-length films would be made in other countries using techniques other than traditional animation, though some studios in America would later get in on it once again - albeit with lower-costing methods.

But when Walt was around, it was really only him producing feature-length animated films on a regular basis. And to keep going with that, and not just making more money off of only the re-issues of SNOW WHITE and such, he and his crew ultimately changed course and... Well... I'll say it, I feel they still put in the hard work on a bad day. Even the films of the '50s and '60s that I don't like as much as some others, there's still... Say, a Milt Kahl head swaggle or something great from Frank & Ollie in there. Or a great score, or a good sense of pace, the late great Robert and Richard Sherman absolutely going off with a banger song somewhere, very inspired background art, etc. No slouching! Something like THE JUNGLE BOOK is very much as important to me as PINOCCHIO.

I've come to love all of it, really, even with perceived flaws or the results of the studio changing gears. The work of the animators, artists, musicians, etc.... They pulled the weight and then some, and even the more "middling" films of decades past hold some sort of special place...

Maybe this situation applies to the apparent mandates that Disney executives are compromising Pixar with.

Pixar went for many, many years without a box office loss. THE GOOD DINOSAUR, which was made during John Lasseter's 11-year reign, was the first film to lose money for them. It was released *20 years* after TOY STORY came out, and it's their 16th overall film. I remember the media trying to chalk it up to the film's troubled production, which is a silly sentiment, because TOY STORY 2 and RATATOUILLE were similarly-rough, rocky roads. That one just... Didn't appeal, no matter what work and effort went into it, and I also think STAR WARS 7 opening mere weeks later kinda cut into it as well. It was kinda tossed off by Disney's marketing department after INSIDE OUT debuted earlier that year.

But, it was viewed as a minor dent in the armor. CARS 3 didn't really break even when released in the summer of 2017, but that was a CARS movie, so a lot of people kinda just shrugged at that. John Lasseter was then slowly ousted from the Disney company as a whole months later... Not because of that film, or GOOD DINOSAUR, but because he was exposed by the Me Too movement that erupted in fall 2017. Lasseter abdicated his leadership roles at Pixar, Disney Animation, Disneytoon, and Imagineering, right before the release of COCO that autumn. With Pete Docter taking over as CCO of Pixar in June 2018, perhaps all eyes were on him. Unlike Lasseter, Docter was only running Pixar. Not WDAS, not Disneytoon (which was swiftly shut down upon Lasseter's exit), and no major presence in the parks apparently... How would he take on such a task?

Docter, I feel, had something going there. Lasseter's Pixar became what Ken called Sunnyside Daycare in TOY STORY 3, he turned the place into a pyramid and he put himself on top. So many directors and animators exodused out of Pixar in the early 2010s, notably Brenda Chapman, who had words upon being taken off of her film BRAVE. All of Lasseter's goodwill completely vanished after it was learned that he made many women at the studio - and at WDAS - very uncomfortable, and when it was very clear that he only favored his TOY STORY colleagues and wasn't keen on letting women nor PoC direct films at his studio. Docter sought to reverse that, and to let the filmmakers tell stories that meant a lot to them. Much in the same way he, Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, and Brad Bird did when Pixar was relatively new to making features. It truly was like old times, and I myself was very excited about that.

And it seemed like the sky was the limit... What could go wrong? ONWARD was cut right off, in its second weekend, by the pandemic. SOUL, LUCA, and TURNING RED went straight to Disney+ in the U.S. and most other territories, and their subsequent limited theatrical debuts - expectedly - didn't do great. I see that situation as similar to World War II cutting right into Disney's animated features in the 1940s, impacting the studio/distributor's ability to give them a wide release (at the time, Disney was not big enough to be their own distributor, it was RKO Radio Pictures who were handling the releases of the movies)... and the way the world is now, how expensive it is to take a trip to the movies, what a gamble it is... Animated movies aren't guaranteed smash hits anymore, unless you're something like Mario or Minions, or some entry in a beloved franchise. Remember how PUSS IN BOOTS 2 literally had to claw its way up to such a winning gross and record multiplier? If that had cost the same amount of money as ELEMENTAL had cost to make? It'd be considered a big failure.

LIGHTYEAR was Pixar's big return to theaters, a summer bow in 2022 that was part of the studio's beloved TOY STORY franchise. It opened great, too. $50m! Quite above what other animated movies had been opening with from 2021 to now... But the legs were terrible, word of mouth was sour, audiences just didn't seem to like it. A rare swing and a miss. Pete Docter pulled a "Walt Disney responding to ALICE IN WONDERLAND's disastrous release circa 1951", taking the blame for the film's box office woes. ELEMENTAL opened blah, but had incredible word of mouth. Even Disney boss Bob Iger seemed happy with its slow-burn ride to $500m at the worldwide box office, until he wasn't... Now that's a failure, along with SOUL, LUCA, and TURNING RED... Which all didn't get to enjoy full theatrical releases due to a worldwide crisis that's actually still going on...

So now, the corporate logic is... Those movies all failed because they're too "autobiographical", the filmmakers' respective catharses being told through 90min animated movies apparently doesn't appeal to audiences... and that in order to be financially successful again, Pixar needs to make films with more "general" appeal. Pete Docter is not John Lasseter, and I feel the press takes advantage of that. Docter apologizes for films not appealing, whereas Lasseter - when his CARS 2 got panned by most critics - defended critical missteps with his chest. It's as if he still ruled at the end of the day and no one could touch him - given his four leadership roles within the company, while the quieter Docter... Not so much. I get the sense that Disney execs can push him around and the press can easily label him a weak leader, while John seemed invincible. Iger, for example, was aware of his erratic, gross behavior at awards ceremonies well before Me Too caught up with the Hawaiian shirt man... And he was very concerned, but... Lasseter kept his job for another decade, almost unscathed.

I get that studios often have these sorts of "Well, we've had trouble, what should we be making then?" moments. I feel that singling out the three films that went straight to streaming during a pandemic, and another that was high budget and was operating in a much different theatrical landscape than before, is not it, though. SOUL, LUCA, TURNING RED, and ELEMENTAL were liked by most audiences. They got good to great reviews. They were all nominated for Oscar.

This isn't like how FANTASIA and BAMBI were perceived by critics and audiences in the early 1940s. The mixed-to-negative reactions to those films back then must've played a part in Walt and Roy focusing on relatively safer films in the future. For example, CINDERELLA leaned into what audiences loved about SNOW WHITE, 12 1/2 years prior, and was one of Disney's huge hits of that decade that also did exemplary in re-issues. There's a reason the two big flops of the '50s, for Disney Animation, were the more experimental films - ALICE IN WONDERLAND and SLEEPING BEAUTY. Nowadays, both of those movies are beloved and like PINOCCHIO, FANTASIA, and BAMBI... Are synonymous with Disney, often ranked among the best, cream of the crop. The time isn't always right for certain movies...

But things are often unfair in these big entertainment conglomerates, who are run by money hoarders who only think in the moment... and if Pixar's gonna try to do this "general appeal" thing, they would still have to let filmmakers have all the fun that they can feasibly have with the stories. The current iteration of Disney Animation is buckled under so much executive interference, and test screenings where 7-year-olds dictate what goes in and what doesn't, and... Well... Look at their resulting output. How they still try to do the job passionately and not merely just pass the grade. It's like I'm watching them struggle to get their creativity out on films like RAYA, STRANGE WORLD, and WISH. It's, to me, much like where things were for them circa 1980-82.

And after nearly 30 years of making features, maybe Pixar might enter such a phase themselves, as executives place the blame squarely on the filmmakers for their own failures and uncontrollable outside circumstances... Like I said, we'll have to see how they navigate this particular set of rules. Does it work out for them? Does it create movies that audiences mostly don't care for? Who knows... Maybe I myself will like the movies still, maybe I won't even notice a difference... Maybe this is will all be moot, every sentence of it... But we'll see...

[frankensteinical]

Forty Days of Frankenstein, Day Thirty-nine: One of the big Frankenstein moments of 2012 was the feature-length film of Frankenweenie, a property that began life (unlife?) as a live-action featurette that originally got Tim Burton fired from Disney back in 1984 because they thought the film was "too scary." Its later success on home-video brought about a reassessment that led to this stop-motion love letter to the old black-and-white monster movies of Universal Studios. Representing the Frankenstein Monster and his bride are undead Good Boy Sparky and his girlfriend Persephone. If you haven't seen the movie, see it, it's a delight:

[disneytva]

‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ Season 2 Release Date Announced

Celebrate 100 Years Of Wonder with some Prouds!

Disney announced the second season of the Emmy Award-winning Original series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” will premiere on Wednesday, February 1.From Disney Television Animation, the series is the critically acclaimed revival of Disney’s groundbreaking “The Proud Family.”

A season two guest cast featurette spotlighting guest stars Gabrielle Union, Chance the Rapper, Leslie Odom, Jr., Holly Robinson Peete, Normani and more, is now available. The series recently won “Outstanding Casting for An Animated Program” at the inaugural Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.

Building off the standout success of the series’ debut, season two of “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” continues to tell entertaining and laugh out-loud stories, while highlighting culturally specific experiences of the Black community and addressing universal topics. Various storylines this season include self-worth, interracial dating and Juneteenth.

Season one of “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” is available on Disney+, and beginning in January 2023, episodes will air weekly on Disney Channel.

All seasons of “The Proud Family,” which debuted on Disney Channel in 2001, are also currently available on Disney+.

[doamarierose-honoka]

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will soon make a splash on home video as the final DC Extended Universe flick looks set to become available on home video in time for the spring.

Per ComicBook.com, T he Lost Kingdom will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and 4K UHD on Mar. 12. An exclusive clip from the home release was included in the report, showing Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) and Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson) attempting an unlikely escape. The news comes after it was confirmed the Aquaman sequel would make its digital debut earlier than anticipated as the DCEU blockbuster becomes available for streaming on Jan. 23, just over a month after it opened in theaters.

The home video edition of The Lost Kingdom boasts several bonus features, including Atlantean Blood Is Thicker Than Water, exploring the dynamic between Arthur and Orm. Along with the digital release, the home video version also includes a behind-the-scenes documentary with director James Wan exploring how The Lost Kingdom came together, a featurette chronicling the Black Manta (Yahya Abdul Mateen II) and other tidbits about key locations and sequences in the sequel.

The DCEU Ends With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The Lost Kingdom marked an up-and-down end to the ill-fated DCEU, following up from the commercially successful Aquaman, which grossed over $1.15 billion worldwide. The Lost Kingdom has earned over $378 million in global ticket sales against a budget of up to $215 million, with the film reportedly needing to make more than $400 million at the box office to break even. Thanks to its overseas appeal, The Lost Kingdom easily surpassed all other DCEU films released in 2023, including Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash and Blue Beetle. The sequel is closing in on Black Adam, which is next on the DCEU box-office charts at $393 million.

Also featuring Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren and Nicole Kidman, The Lost Kingdom was panned by critics, receiving a 34% critical rating, though 81% of audience members liked the movie. The likelihood of Aquaman 3 seems low considering fan demand to see the film series has diminished. Wan insisted fan demand had to be high to ensure a potential threequel came to fruition.

The Aquaman franchise is also in jeopardy given the potential of Jason Momoa switching characters in the new DCU. Momoa has long been linked to playing a live-action Lobo in the DCU and has long been a fan of the comic book character, admitting he wants to portray the chainsmoking mercenary.

Bonus Features Revealed

The home video release will contain the following bonus features:

Finding the Lost Kingdom: Go behind the scenes as director James Wan reveals how he and the cast and crew pulled off their biggest endeavor yet, an epic sequel to the largest grossing film in the history of DC.

Aquaman: Worlds Above and Below: When the filmmakers set out to create a sequel that eclipsed the original in scale and scope, they knew they would have to send Arthur and the rest of the cast to all kinds of new wild and wonderful worlds both above and below the sea.

It's a Manta World: Black Manta is more powerful than ever now that he has discovered the Lost Kingdom of Necrus and taken possession of the Black Trident. From inspiration to execution, filmmakers reveal how they leveled Black Manta up to the realm of supervillains.

Necrus, The Lost Black City: Ages ago the great battle for the earth took place here, in this legendary lost Atlantean city. Discover how the filmmakers created the Black City from its "surface city" concept and its inhabitants: Undead Necrusians (Zombies), to its execution.

Escape from the Deserter World: From idea to execution, explore how the filmmakers created this barren desert landscape and the Deserter Prison, how its creatures and inhabitants were brought to life, and how they planned and executed the daring Orm "breakout" sequence.

Brawling at Kingfish's Lair: The Citadel is the last frontier of the ocean, a deep trench filled with sunken old ships, stacked high like a rusty city. From concept to completion, discover Kingfish's Lair, a bar within, where the worst of the worst hang out.

Oh TOPO!: The Tactical Observation and Pursuit Operative Octopus is a living legend and all-time fan favorite. Director James Wan and the filmmakers discuss the decision behind bringing TOPO back to the sequel and its promotion to Arthur's on-screen sidekick.

The Lost Kingdom hits digital on Jan. 23 and will be available via home video on Mar. 12.

Source: ComicBook.com

[jgroffdaily]

After being released on PVOD some weeks ago, director M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, Knock at the Cabin, is all set for a physical home video release. The apocalyptic thriller, which had a moderately successful run at the box office, will be released 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD on May 9 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The home video release will be accompanied by over 40 minutes of bonus features, including deleted scenes and featurettes.

The film will also be available on Universal’s in-house streaming service Peacock from March 24.

Here are more details about the bonus features for the physical media release:

Deleted Scenes

They Need Some Time

Going to Church

Enjoying the Sun

Leonard Explains

Chowblaster Infomercial - Enjoy an extended cut of the TV infomercial from the film that features an appearance by M. Night Shyamalan himself.

Choosing Wisely: Behind the Scenes of Knock at the Cabin - Examine what drew M. Night Shyamalan to adapt this terrifying story, and how the relationships between characters were unlike any this ensemble cast had ever played before.

Tools of the Apocalypse - Explore the creation of some of the film’s most terrifying props and learn why they play such an important role in the story.

Drawing a Picture - See how M. Night Shyamalan envisions his shots in advance of ever turning on the camera, through his extensive use of storyboards.

Kristen Cui Shines a Light - Take a closer look at actress Kristen Cui’s dynamic performance as Wen in her film debut.

[kylejsugarman]

last night i dug up the mini-documentary that was on the special features of the 2007 alvin and the chipmunks dvd and not only realized that every detail of that featurette is stamped into my memory, but just. marveled at how ross jr and janice have managed to keep the franchise alive for so many decades. thats not to say what they're making is great (the cgi movies are successful but were painful, naked attempts to stay hip and relevant, and the nick series is average at best) but their ability to keep ross sr's characters alive without handing the chipmunks over to a mega-corporation is admirable. not to say that id be surprised if they eventually sold the chipmunks off to a big media company, but its crazy how they've at least somewhat kept up with the times and kept the business in the family.

[onetruetruth]

Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy | Behind the Scenes of Succession Season 2

[denimbex1986]

No one, besides maybe Quentin Tarantino, has done more to promote shooting on film in our current moment than Christopher Nolan. With "Oppenheimer," the filmmaker outdid himself, shooting his epic three-hour biopic on IMAX 70mm and creating a reel of film that measured 11 miles in length.

As well as promoting film as a viable format in a time where digital dominates movie-making, "Oppenheimer" had its IMAX run extended, seemingly proving that Nolan's efforts were worthwhile. The director even had an entirely new black and white IMAX film invented specifically for his adaptation of Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin's J. Robert Oppenheimer biography, "American Prometheus." Whereas previously, Nolan had used IMAX for specific scenes in his films, the entirety of "Oppenheimer" was shot on large-format film (on IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large-format film), which not only proved useful in showcasing such triumphs as recreating a nuclear explosion without the use of any CGI but provided the director with a unique opportunity to immerse audiences in more intimate moments.

In a behind-the-scenes featurette, Nolan talked about using the "highest quality imaging format that's ever been devised" as a way of taking audiences "into [Oppenheimer's] experience" and achieving a "level of immersion that you can't get from other formats." Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who's worked with Nolan since 2014's "Interstellar," added:

"IMAX is a format of spectacle and it's made for vistas and for the grandeur of it but I got very curious to discover this as an intimate format. The face is like a landscape there's a huge complexity and a huge depth to it. How can we get this camera closer to people? How can we get this medium to work also as a very intimate medium?"

Which is all well and good. But there was one particular problem the crew didn't necessarily foresee.

The one major issue with using IMAX cameras

"Oppenheimer" has already proven a box office success, soaring past $400 million after just its second weekend in theaters. For a film that features a hell of a lot of men talking sternly in offices, that's pretty impressive. What makes those seemingly drab scenes interesting, however, is not just the gravity of the conversations being had, but the way in which Christopher Nolan and Hoyte van Hoytema treat them as cinematic moments as worthy of large-scale presentation as the Trinity Test itself.

Unfortunately, IMAX cameras aren't the most practical things. In order to shoot on 70mm film, the cameras have giant mags attached, which makes it quite difficult to maneuver them in the often cramped environs of Nolan's "Oppenheimer." The security clearance hearings, for example, which were shot in a real office rather than on a soundstage, required star Cillian Murphy, the various arbitrators, and multiple witnesses to cram into a small room along with the IMAX cameras — something which Murphy claimed to found "very emotional and heavy, but in a brilliant way."

What you might not think of in these instances, however, is how difficult it was for the sound tech to do his job. As it turns out, those giant IMAX cameras aren't the quietest. As Vulture reports, Benny Safdie, who plays Hungarian physicist Edward Teller, "thought something had gone wrong" the first time he heard one of the cameras being fired up. As Hoytema explained to the outlet, "It's a machine that can pull 24 medium-format photography frames per second through a big gauge. And if you have a camera that sounds like a little diesel engine, it's very hard to create some sort of very tender, sensitive, quiet, intimate moment."

It's a Nolan thing

There's something quite funny about Christopher Nolan planning to excavate the most intimate moments in J. Robert Oppenheimer's life, then arriving on set and firing up a giant piece of tech that sounds like some sort of farming equipment. You can hear the cameras in action in various YouTube clips, and they do indeed sound like a "diesel engine," to use Hoyt van Hoytema's phrase.

But while their unusual loudness might have been distracting, the cameras also provided benefits beyond being able to capture the clearest image possible. Robert Downey Jr., who plays chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Lewis Strauss, recalled shooting a scene in the back of a car, which required him to share the small space with an IMAX camera, and found the practicality of the whole thing a revelatory experience. He said:

"I was sitting in the back of a '47 Packard with an IMAX mag on my lap trying to get this driving shot. And I just felt like I went back to some origins of great cinema school, because these lenses are coming at you and they're this close and it wakes you up."

Using these intrusive yet immersive cameras was really just the culmination of Nolan's previous efforts to preserve practical filmmaking efforts in his work. "Oppenheimer" was the first time he'd used IMAX cameras for an entire film, which alongside his insistence on not using CGI for the Trinity Test and the numerous other practical effects he used, is just another reason "Oppenheimer" is the most Christopher Nolan film ever made.'

[gideongriddle]

feeling pure relief that the old man is fucking finally in the ground, weeping abt the mundanity and inescapability of death and how painful it is to watch a family used to fracturing and self-imposed isolation try to reach for each other in complicated grief, humorlessly pissed at ppl who have i guess never read a book being weirdos abt jeremy string’s use of the very normal, performing arts industry-specific word “dramaturgically” in the post-ep featurette. This Is The Succession S4E03 Experience

[brokehorrorfan]

The Menu will be released on Digital on January 3 followed by Blu-ray and DVD on January 17 via Searchlight Pictures. The 2022 dark comedy horror-thriller is directed by Mark Mylod (Ali G Indahouse, Succession).

Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Fiennes, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, and John Leguizamo star. Seth Reiss (Late Night with Seth Meyers) and Will Tracy (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) wrote the script.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Open Kitchen: A Look Inside The Menu – 3-part making-of featurette with director Mark Mylod, cast, and crew

3 deleted scenes

A young couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

Pre-order The Menu.

[ystk-archive]

Any reactions to Metro Pulse debuting at the 14th spot of the Oricon Dailies?

The short version: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

They've had declining sales and popularity since they peaked in 2008. I don't think capsule was ever meant to be a mainstream, popular kind of thing -- they have an odd dynamic that confuses and puts off audiences, they're both pretty introverted, a large amount of material related to them is missing (most importantly the bulk of their music videography isn't available on their YouTube channel), and they (primarily Nakata) have forfeited and/or lost the cultural purchase they did have. Meaning magazines like MARQUEE et al no longer feature them, Nakata hasn't been in Sound & Recording since his featurette with that YOASOBI guy (I suppose that was meant to be a baton pass type of cross-talk...idk about that), and they're no longer regularly doing club gigs while their contemporaries have mostly returned (the way the Japanese chat members in the release stream were begging them to do shows again lmaooo). The Rock in Japan and Summer Sonic festivals dropped them; they may still be at Countdown this year but who knows. If they hadn't been able to debut on a major label (with the kind of privileges and support that gives an artist), I think they would've ended a long time ago like much of their friends and contemporaries from their neo-Shibuya era did.

Something else I want to touch on is the fact that Perfume is his principal success, and as Perfume has waned, so too have his other projects and his stature in the pop music industry. Every other artist he was/is involved with benefited from the runoff of their success -- and it's no coincidence that he was suddenly doing public appearances with them (after largely shirking them their whole careers) while he was trying to get Digital Native off the ground. capsule gained traction within the Tokyo fashion and club communities on their own merit between 2005-2007, and Nakata realized a huge opportunity in the Liar Game TV drama soundtrack in early '07, but it was Perfume blowing up that bought him and capsule more time.

I could keep yapping, namely about how he once said he felt his music wasn't meant to sell and that it sold "too well" and why I personally believe his work doesn't have much inherent appeal to the average Japanese consumer and he should've not pursued a career in pop and leaned heavier into his techno/house roots, but that's getting way too complicated when most peoples' thoughts and feelings about this man are "pop prince, kamisama of music," etc.

[lowkeynando]

Walt Disney's Treasury of Classic Tales is an American Disney comic strip, which ran on Sundays in newspapers from July 13, 1952, until February 15, 1987.[1] It was distributed by King.

Features Syndicate. Each story adapted a different Disney film, such as Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Peter Pan, or Davy Crockett. It was run in relatively few papers, with 58 in 1957 [2] and 55 in 1966, [3] and was principally a vehicle for promoting new and re-released

Disney films. [4] From March 8 to June 18, 1950, Disney distributed a limited-time Sunday strip adaptations of their new animated feature Cinderella, written by Frank Reilly, with art by Manuel Gonzales and Dick Moores. [5] The same team followed the next year with Alice in Wonderland, which ran from September 2 to December 16, 1951.[6] Judged a success, the experiment was turned into an ongoing feature in 1952, beginning with The Story of Robin Hood.

The strip featured a wide variety of Disney stories. The animated features adapted for the strip include Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1958), The Sword in the Stone (1963) and The Jungle Book

(1968). Classic Tales also featured animated shorts, including Lambert the Sheepish Lion

(1956) and Ben and Me (1953), and featurettes like Peter & The Wolf (1954) and Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966s). AND