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Few would deny the influence of theHarry Potterfilms. The adaptations have become almost synonymous withWarner Brothersafter taking so longHowever, it can be easy to forget just how intense the competition for rights to the Wizarding World was for those involved. One unusual candidate was Nintendo,who nearly owned the rights to all forms of adaptationand would have most likely prevented the films from getting made. The attempt was no small effort, either, and the company not only had a unique pitch but also presented concept art, which led to fierce debate among the developers....

After directing two episodes ofThe Mandalorian, directorDeborah Chowhas returned to the galaxy far, far away but is now the director forall six episodes ofObi-Wan Kenobi. The series has already garnered both critical praise and adoration from fans as the show takes audiences back to the years before the original series. Set ten years after the fall of the Jedi temple and Order 66,Obi-Wan Kenobirevisits the titular character played byEwan McGregor. The series also brings backHayden Christensenfor the role of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader....

Starz’s revival of 2009 sitcomParty Downhas added four new characters to its lineup. Joining the cast as season regulars isJennifer Garner(Yes Day),Zoë Chao(Strangers), andTyrel Jackson Williams(Brockmire).James Marsden(Dead to Me) has been tapped for a recurring role in the show’s six-episode revival. Party Downran for two seasons on Starz between 2009 and 2010. The show focused on a Los Angeles Catering team made up of aspiring Hollywood actors, writers, and entertainers. Each episode saw the gang working a new event as they attempt to break into the industry and impress their affluent guests....

Three months after the theatrical release ofRyan Coogler’sSinners, the period vampire flick starringMichael B. Jordanis still one of the most acclaimed films of the year. With itnow streamingonHBO Max, it will be discovered and studied anew, and as that happens, people will be taking it even more seriously as an Oscar contender, even with five and a half more months of movies to be released. First and foremost,Sinnersis going to be vying for one of those ten Best Picture nominationswith very little else released over the past six months strong enough to keep it out of the running....

Is there a possibility thatTaylor Swiftchose to releaseher latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, to coincide with the upcoming premiere ofThe Fall Guy? We’re saying it’s a total possibility as one of the movie’s most iconic scenes doesn’t feature any action at all, but instead depicts an intense moment of emotion forRyan Gosling’s lead character, Colt Seavers, who isdownright sobbing behind the wheel of his carto Swift’s“All Too Well”.During an interview with Collider’sSteve Weintraub, Gosling shares that not all of his takes made it into the film as his ugly crying was a bit too much for directorDavid Leitchand the movie’s producers to handle....

Executive produced by showrunnerElizabeth Meriwether, the Hulu original seriesThe Dropouttells the story of Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried), Theranos, and the deception that pulled the curtain back on the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire to reveal the fraud of it all. It’s a tale of ambition and big dreams, but all the optimism in the world couldn’t help the tech startup founder out of the hole she dug for herself when her attempt to revolutionize the healthcare industry turned out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors....

Both a meta exploration of the genre and a horror classic itself,Screamburst (quite literally) onto the scene in 1996 with its tongue-in-cheek references to slasher films of the past, all while bringing audiences a new face to add to their iconic roster of killers: Ghostface. The film, as successful horror movies are wont to do, spawned multiple sequels featuring copycat killers donning the Ghostface mask, and now its fourth sequel, bearing a spiritually successive — if much louder — name,SCREAM, has arrived to bring the terror of Woodsboro, California to a whole new generation of teens....

The neverendingStar Warssaga is paradoxically often quite good at endings. Following great battles and heightened stakes, the movies typically provide endings that are somewhat quieter by comparison. AStar Warsending also needs to provide a moment that makes the audience feel something beforeJohn Williams’s ending fanfare crashes in to release whatever tension was just built to. Star Warsmovies have ended with notes from the celebratory to the sad, often working to both close one chapter and set up the next....

Peacock has announced another casting that will be getting behind the wheel in the streaming service’s upcoming action-comedy seriesTwisted Metal.Stephanie Beatriz(Encanto, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) has joined the project in a starring role for the live-action adaptation of the video game franchise. Beatriz will be playing the character known as “Quiet,” who is described as a “badass” car thief who relies on her instincts above all else. Driven by a need to find her place in this chaos-filled world, her vision becomes clouded by revenge, leading her to form an unlikely and antagonistic connection to John Doe, played by previously announced cast memberAnthony Mackie(The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)....

When I spoke to writer/directorTaylor Sheridanon the phone, he was having a very good day. You see, the day previously, Sheridan landed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay forHell or High Water. On top of that, his highly anticipated directorial effortWind Riverhad just premiered to positive response at the Sundance Film Festival (read Matt’s reviewhere). Having also written the phenomenalSicario, Sheridan has quickly become one of the most exciting talents working today, andWind Rivermarks the beginning of a promising directing career....

Steven Spielberg is without a doubt one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, as he has made films considered to be classics within almost every genre. Although Spielberg was a centralpart of the “New Hollywood” movementthat was initiated in the 1970s, he has continued to work ever since, and has developed new forms of technology in order to make his work accessible to a younger generation of cinephiles. Although he is often thought of as “the king of summer blockbusters,”Spielberg’s ability to get great performances out of his actors is unparalleled, as he has createdsome of the greatest heroesand villains in the history of the medium....

The BatmandirectorMatt Reevesspoke at length at DC FanDome about his grounded comic book movie, and when he was asked which non-Batmanmovies inspired his new film, he singled outChinatown,Taxi DriverandThe French Connection. “Chinatownwas a key one, because inChinatown, Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson), in investigating the series of crimes that were part of that story, he discovers the depth of corruption of Los Angeles. So in that way, [The Batman] is like a classic noir....

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissouwas released 15 years ago today, the fourth film from the now-iconic director of melancholic whimsyWes Anderson. His previous three movies -Bottle Rocket,Rushmore, andThe Royal Tenenbaums- were critical darlings, singling Anderson out as a young filmmaker to watch. Then he made a movie about sadBill Murrayscouring the ocean for a killer shark, and boy howdy did nobody care for it. And that’s a real shame, because not only isThe Life Aquaticeasily Anderson’s funniest film to date (in particular some truly excellent supporting performances fromWillem DafoeandJeff Goldblum), but it’s also one of his most ambitious and most emotionally raw....