While the saga of Marvel Studios’Ant-Manhad its many ups and downs, when the finished film came around there was at least one big delightful surprise to be found:Michael Peña. The actor was cast before writer/directorEdgar Wrightleft the project, and his character Luis ended up being the scene-stealer of the film with a charismatic goofiness in high quantity. So it should come as welcome news, then, that Peña has been confirmed to be returning for the sequel,Ant-Man and the Wasp....

Not even a pandemic can keep James Bond down. Universal has released anew lookatNo Time to Die, theDaniel Craig-led Bond feature much delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, gearing fans up for when it will finally arrive in theaters this October, after being postponed by nearly two years. In typical Bond style, everyone’s favorite secret agent seems to know exactly how to get himself into trouble wherever he goes, dressed to the nines all the while....

Once upon a time,Johnny Deppwas a promising young actor making a successful move from television to the big screen. Early films likeEdward Scissorhands,What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, andDonnie Brascoshowcased his chameleon-like ability to slip into a variety of different characters, while at the same time proving that the guy had some serious talent. He then, of course, hit the mainstream big time withPirates of the Caribbean, but as he continued to navigate the waters of blockbuster filmmaking and characters that stretched the limits of “colorful”, his recent string of films have failed to make much of a creative dent, prompting some to wonder where the talent he so vitally showed early on had gone....

The Toronto International Film Festival is known for having “those screenings” where a film just explodes, kicking it into the public discourse in a very big way. It happened withSilver Linings Playbook, it happened withSlumdog Millionaire, and it happened this week withSpotlight. Even though the film already had its world premiere at Telluride a few weeks back (where it was also warmly received), co-writer/directorTom McCarthy’s procedural drama about the Boston Globe reporters who investigated and uncovered systemic sexual abuse in the Catholic Church broke out in a huge way with its screenings at TIFF (read Matt’s reviewhere), announcing the film as one of the very best of the year and a major contender in the coming Oscar race....

HBO has renewed itsPerry Masonremake for a season 2, ensuring a rumpled, stressMatthew Rhyswill remain in our lives for at least one more year. The news, announced today byFrancesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, comes five weeks afterPerry Masonscored HBO’s highest premiere ratings in almost two years. “It has been an exciting journey to work with the immensely talented team behindPerry Mason,” said Orsi in a statement. “Viewers have relished being transported back in time to 1930’s Los Angeles each week, and we are thrilled to welcome the show back for a second season....

From writer/directorDanny Strong, the biographical dramaRebel in the Ryeis a fascinating look at the life of legendary writer J.D. Salinger, one of the most renowned and enigmatic authors or our time. As a young Salinger (played brilliantly byNicholas Hoult) struggled to find his voice, a failed love affair and his experience fighting on the frontlines of World War II helped inform the creation of his masterpiece,The Catcher in the Rye, but that also came with overnight fame and notoriety that lead him to withdraw from the public eye for the rest of his life....

Last week we got thefirst posterforThe Revenantand while the tagline was a little weak (don’t go to the dictionary for rhetorical purposes), the image was stunning, which is what you expect when your cinematographer isEmmanuel Lubezki, who recently won Oscars forGravityandBirdman. However, while Lubezki might sell cinephiles on the movie, his name isn’t enough to get the average moviegoer. For that, you need stars, and so 20th Century Fox has released two more posters that highlight leadsLeonardo DiCaprioandTom Hardy....

Last week, thanks to IMAX, Disney and Marvel, I moderated an almost hourlong Q&A with directorsJoeandAnthony Russoin New York City following our IMAX screening ofCaptain America: Civil War. While we’ve shown a few movies as part of our year-long IMAX screening series, they’ve always been in Los Angeles, and this was our first screening away from IMAX headquarters. While I figured a number of our readers would want to attend the event, I’ll admit to being blown away by the demand, as we had over 6,000 people request tickets and unfortunately the theater only held 341 people....

If you’re looking for the most entertaining popcorn-munchers during the hottest months, look somewhere else. These 30 films are the worst of the worst. Not even the coldest AC could save them. The Adventures of Pluto Nash At one point,Eddie Murphywas the biggest superstar in Hollywood. His wild successes in stand up and onSaturday Night Livetranslated to films likeBeverly Hills CopandThe Nutty Professoreffortlessly. But in 2002, Murphy flew too close to the sun....

Less than two months ago,Lady Birdscored the distinct honorof becoming Rotten Tomatoes’ best-reviewed movie of all-time, racking up 164 positive reviews for a 100% Fresh rating. Then some idiot who doesn’t understand how film criticism works came along and said that it was “Rotten” with a B- review, earning him the attention he sought.Lady Bird’s accomplishment of holding onto 100% at 164 was notable because no film sinceToy Story 2had managed it....

Warner Bros. and MGM have released the first trailer for the highly anticipated upcoming YA adaptationThe Sun Is Also a Star. Based on the book of the same name byNicola Yoon, the film starsYara Shahidi(Black-ish) as a Jamaica-born woman named Natasha who meets and falls in love with a college-bound romantic named Daniel (Charles Melton) in the course of a single day. However, as her family faces deportation and with hours left on her last day in the U....

Vin Dieselmay be adding another franchise to his docket. PerThe Wrap, theFast & FuriousandGuardians of the Galaxyactor is in talks to star in Sony Pictures’Bloodshotmovie, based on the Valiant comic. Sony announced in 2015 that itwas striking a deal with Valiantto adapt a series of comics for the big screen, andBloodshotandHarbingeremerged as top priorities in what is planned as a five-film shared universe. The story ofBloodshotcenters on a mob killer named Angelo Mortalli who enters a witness protection program....

The popular 1994 sitcom,Friends, will be getting a new collection ofFunkoPops showcasing iconic outfits from across the ten seasons of the series to life. Available to purchase throughAmazon, the new collection will be released on October 17, with pre-orders for the figures being available right now at $11.99 for each collectible. Each member of the Central Perk gang got a new figure based on some of their most iconic moments. The series is quickly approaching the twentieth anniversary of its finale next year....