5 Dinosaur Movies That Are Better Than The Movie Dinosaur (And 5 That Are Worse)

5 Dinosaur Movies That Are Better Than The Movie Dinosaur (And 5 That Are Worse)

There are few things in life that you don’t grow out of; things that retain the same level of unassailable awesomeness no matter how old you are. Dinosaurs are one of those things, and over the years Hollywood has tried to capitalize on the universal appeal of our prehistoric predecessors with all kinds of movies. The results have varied wildly in quality from iconic pieces of film to movies so bad that they make B-movies look like cinematic masterpieces.

A good barometer with which to evaluate the quality of a dinosaur movie is how it relates to the movie that is actually called Dinosaur. Disney’s 2000 animated feature film is an admirable and ambitious entry in the storied studio’s canon, conveying a sense of grandeur and boasting stunning visuals that were ahead of their time while having darker elements than you sometimes see in a Disney movie. However, Dinosaur’s plot and characters are extremely thin and beyond just being pretty to look at, the film can become tedious and very boring. There’s a reason that Dinosaur is something of a forgotten Disney movie.

So Dinosaur is basically fine. Not amazing, but a long way off from terrible. If a dinosaur movie is better than Dinosaur you’ll probably be solidly entertained by it, and if it’s worse (and trust me, there are a lot of bad dinosaur movies), then it could range from somewhat enjoyable to something that demands an asteroid wipe it from existence. With that in mind, here are 5 movies that are better than the movie Dinosaur and 5 that are worse. Let's kick off with the group that shines.

Better-Jurassic Park

Duh and/or hello. Steven Spielberg’s 1993 masterpiece is the best dinosaur movie ever made and probably will remain so when humans join dinosaurs in the dirt. While Dinosaur is populated by one-dimensional characters, Jurassic Park is full of incredible characters, ground-breaking special effects and John Williams’ iconic score. Adapted from Michael Crichton’s novel, Jurassic Park is the tale of a theme park where dinosaurs have been brought back from extinction and the deadly results of scientific and technological advancement in the absence of ethical introspection. This film remains unsurpassed and just as full of wonder and terror a quarter-century after its release.

Better-The Land Before Time

Jurassic Park may be the most successful dinosaur movie franchise, but The Land Before Time is the most prolific, with 14 films to date, the most recent entry coming in 2016. It all started with 1988’s The Land Before Time from executive producer Steven Spielberg and legendary animation director Don Bluth. The story of of young dino friends Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Spike and Petrie and their quest to find the Great Valley and reunite with their families has Bluth’s stunning animation, cute and fun characters and deeper, complex themes of loss and separation and prejudice. The nostalgia for this movie is well justified.

Better-The Good Dinosaur

Here’s the thing about Pixar: even one of its less lauded films still manages to be better than a lot of other movies, and The Good Dinosaur is definitely better than Dinosaur. Boasting jaw-dropping animation, The Good Dinosaur tells the story of a world where dinosaurs did not go extinct and they live side by side with early humans. In this case, an Apatosaurus named Arlo who forms an unlikely friendship with a young boy he names Spot. Like Dinosaur, The Good Dinosaur is more style and visual pizazz than narrative substance, but the entertainment value is stronger in the Pixar film, giving it the edge.

Better-Jurassic World

Jurassic World is no Jurassic Park, not by a long shot, but it is a highly entertaining, patently absurd popcorn spectacle. If the sole metric a dinosaur movie was judged on was how awesome its dinosaurs look, Jurassic World would win hands down (despite the film’s dinosaur depictions being more fantasy than paleontology). Jurassic World showed what happened when John Hammond’s dream was finally realized and how a desire for profit and disrespect of nature would cause history to repeat itself. Packed with raptor-training, high-heeled dino escapes and genetic hybrids, Jurassic World is a wild ride befitting the theme park itself.

Better-Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

When it comes to prehistoric franchises, few have been more successful than Ice Age, and in the third film in the franchise, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the furry mammals are joined by their bigger and more scaly predecessors. This film is borderline in relation to Dinosaur given the stale story, but what separates it and what gave the franchise such success are its humor and its characters. Unlike the forgettable lemurs in Dinosaur who weren’t particularly funny, Manny, Sid, Diego, Crash, Scrat and Ellie are all a delight and the dinosaurs are a great addition to the story.

Now that we've gone over the good dinosaur movies, let's look at the ones that fail to make a decent impression.

Worse-Prehysteria!

Dinosaurs were extremely hot in 1993, and perhaps the most '90s example of this is the family adventure film Prehysteria! This film tells the story of a museum curator named Rico who steals five dinosaur eggs and then loses those them in a mix up with a farmer named Frank. The farmer’s two kids Monica and Jerry discover the eggs, which naturally hatch. They name the five miniature dinosaurs Elvis, Paula, Jagger, Hammer and Madonna after music stars and have to keep them from the nasty Rico. While it no doubt has some nostalgic and B-movie appeal, the craft and quality is nowhere near Dinosaur.

Worse-Walking With Dinosaurs

You know how Dinosaur’s stunning visuals make up for a lackluster script? Well Walking with Dinosaurs’ technological artistry cannot overcome a genuinely bad script with cringe-worthy dialogue and juvenile jokes. Based on the BBC series, Walking with Dinosaurs follows an underdog Pachyrhinosaurus who rises up to become a hero. The film may boast some of the most accurate dinosaur depictions ever put to film and it is a technical achievement that is over a decade beyond what was done in Dinosaur, but what you’re hearing negatively impacts the experience of the amazing images you’re seeing.

Worse-We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story

Produced by Steven Spielberg and starring the voice talents of John Goodman, Jay Leno, Walter Cronkite, Julia Child and Martin Short, We’re Back! Is about Captain New Eyes, who travels back in time to feed dinosaurs cereal that makes them smarter and then convinces them to come to our time to entertain children. But in the future, the dinos and the kids must contend with the Captain’s crazy brother, Professor Screw Eyes. We’re Back! definitely carries some nostalgic sentiment for some, but the animation isn’t as impressive as The Land Before Time or Dinosaur and the story isn’t as strong.

Worse-Carnosaur

The B-movie king, independent film pioneer and Pope of Pop Cinema Roger Corman produced this 1993 attempt to cash in on proximity to Jurassic Park. Carnosaur tells the story of a mad scientist who is using infected chicken eggs to unleash an airborne virus that impregnates women with dinosaur embryos in order to eliminate humanity and allow dinosaurs to repopulate the Earth. Only a security guard and an environmentalist can stop her. With Corman’s trademark B-movie charm, you may find something to like here if that’s your thing, but I mean come on, it’s obviously worse than Dinosaur.

Worse-Tammy and the T-Rex

Long before she was a Bond girl and he was drinking Corona with Vin Diesel, Denise Richards and Paul Walker starred in this 1994 sci-fi comedy, the existence of which beggars belief. Tammy and the T-Rex finds Tammy and her boyfriend Michael in a happy relationship until Tammy’s ex-boyfriend attacks Michael and he winds up in a comatose state. He is declared dead and his brain is used to control a robotic T-Rex. T-Rex Michael seeks vengeance against his attackers and to rekindle his relationship with Tammy, all the while having to escape the evil doctor. Horrible acting, terrible production value, nonsense story: not better than Dinosaur.

As you can undoubtedly see, movies that are better than Dinosaur fit into the upper echelon of dino movies and they are few and far between. There have been countless bad dinosaur movies, many of which have been forgotten to history, just waiting for brave movie fans to dig them up and see how truly strange they were. Dinosaurs always felt like an underutilized movie concept to me outside of the Jurassic franchise, maybe the future will see more big movies get creative with bringing the fascinating creatures back to life on the big screen.

Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all this year's biggest movies and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

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How Captain Marvel's Critic And Fan Scores Compare To Previous MCU Movies

How Captain Marvel's Critic And Fan Scores Compare To Previous MCU Movies

Captain Marvel just opened on March 8 and reactions are flying across the web. You can check social media and article and video comments, but also places that specifically tally review scores. Rotten Tomatoes gets a lot of attention (not all of it great) for its fresh/rotten Tomatometer and Audience Score from fans. But there's also the average Metascore from Metacritic, the opening night moviegoers polled by CinemaScore, and thousands of users who rate movies at IMDb.

It's simplistic to just check an outlet's grade or score on its own and think you're getting the full picture. But if you compare those scores to other movies -- and pair the scores with real reactions from people who have actually seen the movie -- you can get a general idea of what viewers thought.

So let's do that for Captain Marvel. It's Saturday, the day after the movie opened, so the numbers will probably go up and down from here (but not the CinemaScore, that stays put). But we can compare the current numbers to the scores for previous movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Captain Marvel (2019)

(All percentages as of Saturday morning, 3/9, ET)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 79% (from 329 reviews)

RT Audience Score: 52% (from 28,742 user ratings)

IMDb rating: 6.8 (from 62,054 ratings)

Metascore: 65 (from 52 critics)

There have been 21 MCU movies as of Captain Marvel. All but one has gotten an A, A-, or A+ from the opening night moviegoers polled by CinemaScore. Captain Marvel joins the team with an average grade of A. (Thor, even with a not-too-shabby B+, you were robbed!) Captain Marvel's Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score, by contrast, is lower than anyone else's and that does seem connected at least in part to the negative campaign against Brie Larson's movie.

Here's how Captain Marvel compares to the 20 previous MCU movies, listed in order of appearance in theaters. Since Iron Man, for example, has been out for more than 10 years, it obviously has more user ratings by this point than Carol Danvers' film.

Iron Man (2008)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (274 reviews)

RT Audience Score: 91% (1,080,703 user ratings)

IMDb rating: 7.9 (836,705 ratings)

Metascore: 79 (38 critics)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

CinemaScore: A-

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

RT Audience Score: 70%

IMDb rating: 6.8

Metascore: 61

Iron Man 2 (2010)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 73%

RT Audience Score: 71%

IMDb rating: 7.0

Metascore: 57

Thor (2011)

CinemaScore: B+

Rotten Tomatoes: 77%

RT Audience Score: 76%

IMDb rating: 7.0

Metascore: 57

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

CinemaScore: A-

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%

RT Audience Score: 74%

IMDb rating: 6.9

Metascore: 66

Marvel's The Avengers (2012)

CinemaScore: A+

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

RT Audience Score: 91%

IMDb rating: 8.1

Metascore: 69

Iron Man 3 (2013)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%

RT Audience Score: 78%

IMDb rating: 7.2

Metascore: 62

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

CinemaScore: A-

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

RT Audience Score: 76%

IMDb rating: 7.0

Metascore: 54

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

RT Audience Score: 92%

IMDb rating: 7.8

Metascore: 70

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

RT Audience Score: 92%

IMDb rating: 8.1

Metascore: 76

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 75%

RT Audience Score: 83%

IMDb rating: 7.4

Metascore: 66

Ant-Man (2015)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

RT Audience Score: 86%

IMDb rating: 7.3

Metascore: 64

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

RT Audience Score: 89%

IMDb rating: 7.8

Metascore: 75

Doctor Strange (2016)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

RT Audience Score: 86%

IMDb rating: 7.5

Metascore: 72

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

RT Audience Score: 87%

IMDb rating: 7.7

Metascore: 67

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

RT Audience Score: 88%

IMDb rating: 7.5

Metascore: 73

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

RT Audience Score: 87%

IMDb rating: 7.9

Metascore: 74

Black Panther (2018)

CinemaScore: A+

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

RT Audience Score: 79%

IMDb rating: 7.3

Metascore: 88

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

CinemaScore: A

Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

RT Audience Score: 91%

IMDb rating: 8.5

Metascore: 68

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

CinemaScore: A-

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

RT Audience Score: 77%

IMDb rating: 7.1

Metascore: 70

Those MCU percentages will probably change over time as well, in little increments, but not the CinemaScore, which is fixed from opening night moviegoers. From here, the MCU sees the opening of Avengers: Endgame in just over a month on April 26. Then the third MCU movie of 2019 opens with the Marvel/Sony movie Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5.

Keep up with everything heading to theaters this year with our 2019 movie release date schedule. Avengers: Endgame is meant to shake up the MCU, so keep up with all of the changes from here with our handy Marvel Cinematic Universe guide.

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Marvel's 2020 Movie Schedule Will Be A Little Different Than What We're Used To

Marvel's 2020 Movie Schedule Will Be A Little Different Than What We're Used To

While some in the industry have regularly warned about "superhero fatigue," Marvel Studios has spent the last few years proving that it's basically just a myth. After all, since 2017 they have been releasing three movies per year, and in that time they have produced four billion dollar hits. It's basically become the standard release plan for the company, but according to a new release schedule from Walt Disney Studios that will be changing a bit in 2020.

Per an official release from Disney, next year will mark the first time since 2016 that Marvel Studios will only be releasing two movies instead of the standard three. While it was initially said that we would get new blockbusters in May, July, and November, the middle title in that schedule has now been erased. We're still not actually entirely sure what either title is going to be, but it's an interesting shake-up nonetheless.

Furthermore, it would appear that it's not exactly the permanent plan going forward. In addition to revealing their plans for 2020, Disney has also laid out their slates for 2021 and 2022, and both still include three different Marvel Studios releases (which we previously knew about). So rather than being the new normal, next year will be a bit of an anomaly for what is arguably the most powerful subsidiary currently operating in Hollywood.

So why the change? Disney hasn't officially given a reason, but it's pretty easy to deduce what has caused this shift. There were plans for months to have Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 come out at some point in 2020, but then things got a bit messed up last summer when writer/director James Gunn was fired by the studio. Production, which was supposed to start earlier this year, was put on hold, and while the gears are now turning again thanks to Gunn's reinstatement, the larger plans for the release schedule surely had to change as a result. Hence we are getting two features next year instead of the standard three.

Related: Marvel's Kevin Feige Confirms Shang-Chi Is Coming In Phase Four

Unfortunately we still don't know exactly what the two titles are going to be, as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has said that Phase Four projects for the Marvel Cinematic Universe won't be announced until after the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home later this year. At the same time, there are definitely films that are clearly further along in the development process than others - including Cate Shortland's Black Widow, and Chloe Zhao's The Eternals. Neither project has announced a start of production just yet, but as of right now those two features are the safest bets for release in 2020.

This is obviously a development that we are keeping a very close eye on, so be sure to stay tuned on CinemaBlend for all of the latest updates. And to get the full rundown on what's happening in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, be sure to check out our Upcoming Marvel guide.

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Julianne Moore Has Blunt Thoughts On Movie Sex Scenes

Julianne Moore Has Blunt Thoughts On Movie Sex Scenes

Sex sells, as they say, and that means that sex in movies and on television (where allowed) is as popular now as it has ever been. However, Julianne Moore, who has filmed her share of those scenes over the years, has a problem with movie sex scenes. She doesn't think they shouldn't exist, but she says it would be nice if they resembled real life sex a bit more. Moore would apparently have a real problem if an actual sexual encounter played out the way it frequently does on the big screen. According to the actress...

People never have sex the way they do in the movies. You see that in these old sexy movies where somebody rips somebody’s blouse off. I’d be so upset if someone tore the buttons off my shirt. [laughing] I’d be ‘What are you doing?'

It has to be said, I'd love to see a scene in a movie where two people begin to have sex, only to have the encounter stopped cold when he rips her shirt and she screams "dude, what the hell? That was a perfectly good shirt." I feel like in real life that would totally kill the mood. More than one actual sexual encounter has probably ended because somebody tried to recreate what they'd seen in the movies only to discover it doesn't really work like that.

Sex is almost always perfect and passionate in the movies. Of course, while the characters and stories and films are meant to be relatable, they're also meant to be somewhat larger than life. Everything is always perfect in the movies, including the sex.

Julianne Moore tells People she wanted her new film, Gloria Bell, to portray sex a bit more realistically. In this case, that meant making the sex look a bit more awkward than we're used to seeing on screen. Her character begins a new relationship in the film, so the sex isn't full of Hollywood magic, because that's rarely if ever what sex looks like, especially the first time.

I do think that sex is challenging especially with someone brand new. It’s easy to have sex with someone you’ve known for a really long time. What we wanted to depict in Gloria Bell was the reality of that. We wanted it to be real and not fake.

Not every movie needs to have perfectly realistic sex scenes. Those scenes, like all the others, should fit together in a way that makes sense. Gloria Bell is very much a movie about reality. It focuses on Julianne Moore as the title character, an older woman trying to navigate her life. It's a very grounded movie and making the sex scenes feel anything less than real would have been a disservice to the rest of the film.

Gloria Bell is in theaters now.

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The Lion King Fans Aren't Sold On The New Scar After First Look

The Lion King Fans Aren't Sold On The New Scar After First Look

This morning brought Disney fans something they’ve been waiting for: the first full trailer for the upcoming Lion King. While a first look at the movie, featuring a shot-for-shot reenactment of the iconic “Circle of Life” opening scene and James Earl Jones return to the role of Mufasa, came out late last year, it left many wanting to see and hear more from the new additions to the Disney classic. The latest footage introduced fans to a couple notes of Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen's Timon and Pumbaa, a few frames of Nala, and most importantly, Chiwetel Ejiofor taking command of the movie’s notorious villain, Scar.

However, many fans may have struggled to recognize The Lion King baddie due to his new look. Once it’s made clear who Scar is when he stands in front of his hyena minions and tells young Simba to never return to Pride Rock, some found themselves disappointed in this realistic take on Scar, Naturally took to Twitter to share their thoughts. Take a look:

When you look at the animated and “live-action” Scars side by side, you can definitely tell there were some creative liberties taken with the latter that separates him from the green-eyed, sassy villain. The new Scar looks looks like a realistic lion who would be the brother of Mufasa, as he has the same light-colored mane. Though he nonetheless retains a gritty look, shown through the cut in his left ear and the iconic, though less prominent scar down his eye.

One criticism many fans voiced is that Scar just simply doesn’t look like his animated character. While some noted that the villain’s look in the original film wouldn’t be found in the wild, this Twitter user proved otherwise. Check it:

There you have it! Disney could have easily made a little more effort to meet fans in the middle and give Scar a black mane as they remember him to have, even if the green and yellow eyes were off the table. That’s not all the qualms they have with his look though. @_Zeets felt like the studio straight up has done the character wrong. In his words:

As he hilariously comments, Scar wasn’t characterized through his look as a more menacing as this scrawny version of him portrays him as. The lion had a commanding presence that brought about fear in the eyes of much of our childhoods. I feel like Simba could totally take this Scar.

There is another matter at hand here with the differences between the animated and realistic Scars that is very much due to the medium being used to recreate the iconic baddie. Here’s what @alip1118 contributed to the discussion:

There’s just something magical about that hand-drawn animation that will always be close to the hearts of Disney fans, and the CGI technology the new Lion King movie is using may take some of that away with their realistic representations. Besides that, the voice work of Jeremy Iron from the '90s is close to a lot of hearts as well, per this comment:

There’s still a lot to be seen from The Lion King then has already been seen in this first look. Perhaps the movie is trying to set the character apart from the original to deter comparisons to the original, and he may have a different character arc then the one we know already. So far, this Lion King looks like it’s borrowing a lot from the animated version visually and with much of the dialogue we’ve seen but the remake may be more than a nostalgia fest.

The Lion King comes to theaters 100 days from now on July 19 (as director Jon Favreau noted today). The epic is sure to make tons of money for the studio, which has become known for reimagining its beloved animated classics into blockbusters.

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Captain Marvel's Nick Fury Almost Lost His Eye In A Fight With The Skrulls

Captain Marvel's Nick Fury Almost Lost His Eye In A Fight With The Skrulls

Warning: spoilers for Captain Marvel are in play. If you still haven’t seen the film, you may want to come back once you’re current.

Acting as the ‘90s throwback that it was set up to be, Captain Marvel set the table for a lot of different things that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has -- and will -- engage in during its thematic course of events. One such moment was, naturally, how Nick Fury lost vision in one of his eyes, something that had been alluded to previously but never explicitly shown onscreen before Captain Marvel.

While Captain Marvel gave us a definitive answer, we almost got an entirely different scenario altogether. One that would have seen Nick Fury losing an eye during a fight with some angry Skrulls.

During a recent interview for the home video release of Captain Marvel, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were on hand to provide some insight into their big ticket MCU hit. And when it came to how Fury’s accident originally happened, Fleck provided the following commentary on how it was originally supposed to happen:

There were definitely a lot of discussions and that was not the first idea on the table. You're probably going to ask me what some of the other ideas were and I don't know if I can tell you that, not because I'm hiding anything, but because there were just so many absurd ideas we had. There was a strong contender for a while that a fight with the Skrulls seemed like the most obvious choice, but then the more we thought about it, it just became too obvious.

The scenario that the Captain Marvel team eventually landed on was not only a surprising turn of events, but also the most Samuel L. Jackson moment the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever included. During the action of the film’s third act finale, Fury casually gets his eye scratched by Goose, the cat co-star of Captain Marvel that has stolen the hearts of the world. This leads to him shouting a very PG-13 friendly, “Mother-Flerkin!”

It’s certainly that elusive surprise that Ryan Fleck seemed to be looking for when talking out the thought process behind plotting Captain Marvel’s reveal of just how Nick Fury got his memorable look. He continued to discuss that point in greater detail during his interview alongside Anna Boden for CBM:

Since this is just as much Nick Fury's origin story as Captain Marvel's, we thought that it would be a fun piece of his backstory that moving forward, he was creative a new narrative for himself that he didn't really talk about but he was fine with people wanting to muse about a potentially more serious way he could have lost his eye.

No one can blame Nick Fury for not wanting to talk about losing his eye to an intergalactic creature that had taken the form of a cat. It’s not an easy story that you could tell to just anyone, as there are a lot of other details that’d need to be involved in the telling. But losing an eye to mysterious circumstances involving the last person you trusted? That’s a total super-spy story, and that would probably get you at least one round on the house when going out for drinks.

Keeping the Marvel Cinematic Universe fresh is something that definitely takes a lot of work, and outside-the-box thinking. Changing Nick Fury’s pivotal, eye-destroying moment was one of those instances where the process worked out in everyone’s favor.

As we move into the future of the MCU, it’s that type of thinking that should propel the series into its next story arc. So if you see a cute animal on screen at any point in the future, think twice before holding it too close to your face.

Captain Marvel may still be in your local theater. If it isn’t, you’ll be able to take the film home either on Digital HD as of May 28th, or 4K UHD/Blu-ray/DVD on June 11th.

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Marvel's The Eternals Is Adding Angelina Jolie

Marvel's The Eternals Is Adding Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie is no stranger to big action movie roles, with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Wanted being some of the most significant titles on her resume, and it looks like she is now ready to join her first superhero franchise - specifically the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to new reports, the actress is now in talks to join the cast of The Eternals, albeit in an unknown role.

This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter, which sadly doesn't have a ton of info about the film beyond the fact that Angelina Jolie is now signing up to be a part of it. The project is set up to be directed by Chloe Zhao (The Rider), and it is said that the story will be a centuries-spanning romance that centers on the titular near-immortal beings and their monstrous genetic relatives, the Deviants. The two lead characters will be the cosmic energy-powered Ikaris, and the powerful sorceress Sersi - though it's unclear if either of these roles will ultimately belong to Jolie.

Given her stature in the movie industry both as an actor and as a director, rumors have been swirling around for years connecting Angelina Jolie to superhero film projects. One of the most prominent stories that stuck around for a while was the idea that she was on the short list to potentially helm Captain Marvel, but obviously that gig wound up going to Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. We'll just have to wait and see what it was about The Eternals that made Jolie want to be a part of the franchise.

What adds yet another layer of mystique to this development is the fact that Angelina Jolie doesn't really do a ton of live-action performing anymore. Later this year we will get to see her back up on the big screen in the sequel Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, but it will be the first time we've seen her in the medium since 2015's By The Sea. Her career has been much more focused on the directing side of things, so it makes one wonder about the particular allure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (assuming that it's more than money). She does have six children between the ages of 10 and 17, so it's entirely possible that The Eternals is a film she wants to make because her kids are fans of the brand.

Right now the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's future is a bit hazy, as Marvel Studios isn't announcing any official plans until this summer. That being said, it's been reported that The Eternals could be going into production some time later this year, meaning that it could wind up with one of the three 2020 release dates that the franchise currently has carved out. If that's the case, it's very likely that we will be hearing more casting reports soon, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all the latest updates.

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Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Cast Can't Stop Debating The Monster's Sex

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Cast Can't Stop Debating The Monster's Sex

For those with less free time on their hands, it may come as a surprise to hear that Godzilla’s sex is actually the source of much speculation and fierce debate. Is the monster that has been gracing cinema screens for 65 years male, female, or perhaps something else entirely? With Godzilla: King of the Monsters now in theaters, it is only natural that the cast of the latest film weighs in on this important topic and you’ll see that Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler had differing views.

Farmiga: Hands down it’s a male. I know the ‘A’ at the end of the name throws it. But he’s King. He’s not Queen of the Monsters. Mothra’s Queen.

Chandler: I’m saying those are semantics. I have a different view on it. I think it’s possible it’s a woman. I don’t know, I’m just not sure yet. Where did Baby Godzilla come from? This is something my wife and I had a full conversation on this morning. It’s a possibility, but it’s not a certainty.

Farmiga: But you know what? He’s sort of a hybrid himself. He’s amphibian and reptile.

I love that these two have such strong opinions on the topic of Godzilla’s sex and have actually given it some thought. Like Jason Lee’s Brodie Bruce discussing superhero sex organs in Mallrats, people want to know what parts this fictional monster has and how they work. Kyle Chandler and Vera Farmiga both make valid points too.

Vera Farmiga applies Occam’s Razor, opting for the simplest answer, which is that king is usually a title given to a male monarch or sovereign and because Godzilla is the King of the Monsters he is therefore male. If he was a female he would be Queen of the Monsters. But since that position is taken by Mothra, and there aren’t two queens, the logical assumption is that Godzilla is a dude-monster.

Kyle Chandler, however, views this argument as dealing only in semantics. And he isn’t allowing labels like ‘king’ and ‘queen’ to narrow his understanding of Godzilla’s sex. Instead he thinks there’s a solid chance that Godzilla is a girl, but he isn’t willing to deal in absolutes and is still puzzling out the question in his head.

The ever-relatable Kyle Chandler even told Yahoo Entertainment that he had a whole conversation with his wife about the subject. Which is quite hilarious to think about Emmy award-winning actor Kyle Chandler having a conversation with his wife over breakfast about the sex of a fictional giant lizard. Celebrities folks, they’re just like us.

He makes an interesting point about where baby Godzilla came from. Now if he’s talking about 1967’s Son of Godzilla, the creature Minilla was adopted by Godzilla and was not his actual progeny.

But the question can be viewed another way, as in where did the Godzilla in the film come from? If Godzilla had a mother it is possible that Godzilla too is female. These are titans and their evolution and biology are not fully understood, so it isn’t necessarily as simple as, to paraphrase Jurassic Park’s Dr. Ian Malcolm, just pulling up Godzilla’s skirt to check.

There’s also the possibility that Godzilla isn’t strictly male or female. Maybe he’s asexual like dragons in Game of Thrones are suspected to be, and he can be whatever he needs to be. Vera Farmiga raises this possibility by mentioning his amphibian traits.

So maybe Godzilla uses asexual reproduction like the parthenogenesis seen in some frogs and salamanders. Or maybe he can spontaneously change his sex like some frogs. There are also slugs with both sex organs, and some rare instances of birds and butterflies born half male and half female. Basically there are lots of possibilities if you want to apply real world biology to a fictional creature.

King of the Monsters actor Ken Watanabe refers to Godzilla as a ‘he’ and director Michael Dougherty also says that the monster is a boy-- so Vera Farmiga seems to be in the majority. For what it’s worth, the original Japanese films referred to him as an ‘it’ and the original actor who played him, Haruo Nakajima, said he had no idea of the creature’s sex.

Male or female, Godzilla makes the case for his kingship in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, now playing. Check out what ticket to buy and our 2019 Release Schedule for all of this year’s biggest movies. For the latest movie news and further deep dives into the sexuality of fictitious creatures, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

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The Batman’s First Two Villains Have Reportedly Been Revealed

The Batman’s First Two Villains Have Reportedly Been Revealed

Last night, the news broke that Robert Pattinson, at the bare minimum, is one of the top contenders to play Batman next on the big screen, if not close to signing a deal. We’ll have to wait and see if Pattinson does indeed end up leading The Batman or if the eponymous role will go to someone like Nicholas Hoult, but for now, some news about Batman’s rogues gallery in the upcoming DC Extended Universe movie has come out. Get ready for some Batman Returns déjà vu, because evidently Penguin and Catwoman will be among the film’s baddies.

To be up front, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Penguin, real name Oswald Cobblepot, will appear in The Batman. Last summer, it was reported that both the Caped Crusader’s next movie and Birds of Prey were considering using the beak-nosed umbrella enthusiast. Since then, it’s been revealed that Birds of Prey is using Roman Sionis, a.k.a. Black Mask, as its main antagonist, and he’ll be accompanied by Victor Zsasz. Then in January, word came in that Penguin would indeed show up in The Batman, although this hasn’t been officially confirmed.

However, THR did reveal today that “another purrfect character” will appear in The Batman. Granted, while Catwoman isn’t technically outright named, unless director/writer Matt Reeves is wanting to give the significantly lesser-known Batman baddie-turned-anti-hero Catman his time to shine, then we can reasonably assume this is Selina Kyle who’s being talked about.

Penguin and Catwoman have been part of The Batman mythos since almost the very beginning, although nowadays the latter is frequently depicted as an anti-hero who is still the Dark Knight’s most recurring love interest. The characters, played by Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer, respectively, famously teamed up in 1992’s Batman Returns, and while that movie remains Penguin’s last live action theatrical appearance thus far, Catwoman was played in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises by Anne Hathaway. Penguin and Catwoman were also recently main characters on the TV series Gotham, played by Robin Lord Taylor and Camren Bicondova, respectively.

It’s also worth noting that it doesn’t look like Penguin and Catwoman will be the only villains to appear in The Batman. Matt Reeves has previously said that the movie will feature a “rogues gallery,” and THR has heard from a source that as many as six bad guys could show up, with Collider hearing rumors that Riddler could be part of this group.

Aside from the 1966 Batman movie, which saw Joker, Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman teaming up, the live action Batman movies have never exceeded having three villains per story (not including organized crime figures), so to potentially see half a dozen colorful baddies show up is intriguing. Hopefully this doesn’t result in the story being weighed down by so many people, but Spider-Man: Homecoming did prove you can have a collection of supporting and minor villains who don’t take away from the menace of the main threat.

No specific story details for The Batman have been revealed yet other than Matt Reeves saying it will be a noir-driven tale that highlights Bruce Wayne’s detective skills. And while the actor who plays Batman next, whether it’s Robert Pattinson or someone else, will be younger than Ben Affleck’s iteration, this movie will not be an origin story.

The Batman is scheduled to begin production within a year and will hit theaters on June 25, 2021. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage, and if you’re wondering what else is coming down the DCEU pipeline, look through our comprehensive guide.

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Those '90s Songs In Captain Marvel Are Suddenly Really Popular Again

Those '90s Songs In Captain Marvel Are Suddenly Really Popular Again

When it comes to music in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy is the one that has the reputation for the most rockin' soundtrack. The cosmic franchise's Awesome Mix of '70s and '80s hits has been massively popular, but it's Captain Marvel that has all the '90s love. The new Marvel film features a soundtrack of '90s tunes and it's clearly leaving a big impact on audiences because all of these songs combined jumped 464% in downloads.

Captain Marvel is the newest MCU film and follows Brie Larson's Carol Danvers as she tries to discover her past while stuck in the middle of a war between two alien races. The film is set in the '90s and contains several memorable throwbacks to the decade, such as Blockbuster and dial-up internet.

To help keep everyone in the spirit of the '90s, the film's soundtrack includes hits from bands like Nirvana, No Doubt, and Elastica. It's a nostalgic throwback that has the millions of people who have seen the superhero movie in the '90s mood, because these songs have skyrocketed in downloads and streams since the the movie premiered on March 8.

Captain Marvel features 13 rock, pop, and rap songs on its soundtrack. Combined, they collected a 464% gain in sales in the U.S. in the four days after Captain Marvel released in theaters, according to Nielsen Reports (via Billboard). That means that combined, the songs were downloaded 9,000 times -- compared to 2,000 just four days before March 6.

Apparently, The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman," which Nick Fury sings for all of five seconds, is included in this measurement.

For those curious which song was the highest-seller from the soundtrack, that title goes to "Celebrity Skin" by Hole. The song jumped 2,222% in sales to nearly 2,000 downloads during the tracking span. Other songs that saw over 1,000 downloads include Garbage’s “Only Happy When It Rains” (up 1,351%), No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” (up 720%), and Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” (up 371%).

Of course, we can't forget to look at streaming, and the 13 songs saw some notable gains in that area. Collectively, the soundtrack saw a 43% gain, which equates to 4.09 million streams on March 7-10. Comparatively, the collected songs had 2.85 million from March 3-6.

Never underestimate the power of a good throwback! The soundtrack is clearly playing well with people and now it makes me curious if the inevitable Captain Marvel 2 will continue the trend and feature more '90s songs. If the sequel takes place in space or the present day, it probably wouldn't make too much sense.

You can listen to this rippin' soundtrack in Captain Marvel, which is in theaters everywhere. For everything else hitting theaters this year, check out our 2019 movie release guide.

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Looks Like Netflix Won't Be At Cannes Again This Year

Looks Like Netflix Won't Be At Cannes Again This Year

The friction between Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival came to a head last year when the streaming service skipped out on the festival entirely because Netflix movies are ineligible to compete for the Palme d’Or. That meant that acclaimed films from big name filmmakers like Roma and The Other Side of the Wind did not premiere at the illustrious festival where so many beloved films got their start. Now, a year later, it again looks like Netflix will be skipping Cannes.

According to Variety, Netflix will be absent from the French festival for the second year in a row, with no new movie premieres either in or out of competition. This is a result of the existing issues between the two parties, which have yet to be sorted out. And, even if Netflix and Cannes had come up with an agreeable solution, the movies that Netflix would theoretically premiere at Cannes simply aren’t ready yet.

At one point, it was expected that Netflix’s most prestigious original 2019 movie, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman would be ready for, and an ideal participant in, the May festival, but the arduous task of digitally de-aging the cast for half of the film will require more time. So The Irishman wouldn’t be ready for Cannes, regardless, and will likely premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September instead.

Another possible candidate for Cannes was The Laundromat, Steven Soderbergh’s new film about the Panama Papers starring Meryl Streep and Gary Oldman. David Michôd’s The King starring Timothée Chalamet would have also been an obvious choice for Netflix to enter in the festival. Alas, the issues aren’t sorted and these movies aren’t quite ready, either.

The issues between Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival first came to the fore in 2017 when Netflix movies Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories were accepted into the festival in the competition lineup. This resulted in backlash from French theater owners, because in France there is a 36-month minimum window between a film’s theatrical release and when it can show up on a streaming platform.

Cannes gave in and required that movies could not compete unless they would eventually be released in French theaters. So Netflix pulled out of the festival last year. In the time since, Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival have been quietly negotiating in friendly talks to try to work out their differences and find a way for the streaming service’s films to come back to the festival, but as of yet those issues are still unresolved.

Although Netflix will not be premiering any of its big 2019 movies at Cannes, it does still plan to send an acquisition team to France, so the streaming service may be opening its wallet even if it isn’t bringing anything to show itself.

Even without Netflix bringing its heavy-hitters to Cannes, there are still plenty of reasons to pay attention to May’s festival. Among them are James Gray’s Ad Astra and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which are both expected to be in competition.

We’ll keep you updated on all the latest as the industry’s various elements continue to try and adapt to the elephant in the room known as Netflix. For all of this year’s biggest theatrical releases, check out our 2019 premiere guide.

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Jurassic World 3: What We Know So Far

Jurassic World 3: What We Know So Far

It's only been a week since Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom captivated the imaginations of the entire planet, with big box office numbers and an ending that got everybody talking. And yet before any of his landed on fan's mental doorsteps, there was another sequel waiting in the wings, ready to take the stage once those closing moments played out. So naturally, now is the perfect time to start talking about the future installment in the series, Jurassic World 3. While not everything is known at this moment, there's a good amount of information we do know, which we'll share here. But be warned, there will be some speculation based on the ending to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and as soon as we have updated information, this guide will be refreshed to reflect it. For now though, let's dive into the future of Jurassic World 3.

When Will Jurassic World 3 Be Released?

Before Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was even released into the wild, a date was set for Jurassic World 3 to take its place on the world stage. The film will be released theatrically on June 11, 2021, competing against an untitled Disney live-action film opening the week before it on May 28th, and an untitled Pixar film opening on June 18th. That's a pretty special date too, considering it's also the exact day that Jurassic Park opened in 1993, making this film the perfect 28th anniversary present for dinosaur fans.

What Will Jurassic World 3 Be Rated?

It's most likely that Jurassic World 3 will be rated PG-13, as the whole series has followed that pattern. The precedent goes all the way back to Steven Spielberg's original film, which balanced the heart of a family friendly blockbuster with the fierce nature of Michael Crichton's harsher, more terrifying source material. Both films in the series, Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, were rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril." So unless the peril and violence become either scaled back, or more intense, expect more of the same.

Who Is Writing Jurassic World 3?

With such a quick release window approaching, Jurassic World 3 obviously needs a story written before cameras can start shooting in the near future. As luck would have it, the film's script will be written by two writers. The first is Emily Carmichael, whose recent credits saw her name listed in connection to this year's Pacific Rim: Uprising, as well as a past re-write on Disney's remake of The Black Hole. The second is not a surprise, considering he's been working on the franchise since day one: Colin Trevorrow. After his indie success with Safety Not Guaranteed, Trevorrow was hired to direct and co-write Jurassic World with writing partner Derek Connolly. The two reteamed for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but now the team is broken in the name of progress. But Emily Carmichael will also be involved, adding another perspective.

Who Is Directing Jurassic World 3?

In keeping with the latest trend to bring back your first director to close out a trilogy, Colin Trevorrow, the director of Jurassic World, and co-writer both that film and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, is back in the director's chair for Jurassic World 3. This is mostly because of his dismissal from the director's chair / writing room on Star Wars: Episode IX which, along with his work on The Book of Henry, prevented him from returning to the series. Trevorrow didn't remain a complete stranger to the franchise though, as he not only co-wrote the sequel to his first effort, he also helped approve the hiring of J.A. Bayona on they film as well.

What Will Jurassic World 3 Be About?

While there are a lot of questions that are left open at the end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, we're not sure which ones would be a priority when it comes to providing any answers in Jurassic Park 3's story. However, it can be assumed that this third, and possibly final, film in the Jurassic World franchise deals with rounding up the surviving dinosaurs scattered across the world. It's even a good bet to think that Claire and Owen will be trying to recover and relocate all of those creatures on the island that Eli Mills originally pitched as the supposed dinosaur sanctuary at the beginning of Fallen Kingdom. Most importantly, this should be the defining chapter of the story between Owen and Blue the Velociraptor, as her escape into the wild left the door wide open for a reunion in the future.

Though as far as Colin Trevorrow is concerned, the following angle will be important to Jurassic World 3, per an interview with EW:

I think we've built enough of a popcorn empire that for the third film we can really start addressing some themes and ideas and laying out some clear facts to make sure kids recognize that science is real and dinosaurs are real and we didn't make this stuff up.

Will There Be A New Hybrid Dinosaur In Jurassic World 3?

As both Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom have used hybrid dinosaurs as their showstopping creations / partial antagonists, a third go 'round must have some audience members asking, 'how the hell are they going to top the Indominous Rex and Indoraptor creations?' Thankfully, whether that question was asked with a serious or derisive tone, an answer has already been made apparent. There will be no hybrid dinosaur in Jurassic World 3, per Colin Trevorrow's wishes to get back to basics with the dinos of the series, which is probably the best decision. Not only does this mean that folks will not be given the chance to get tired of hybrid dinosaurs, it fits perfectly with the ending in which all of the "pure" dinosaurs were let into the wild. At this point, the series doesn't need more species, especially if this film is supposed to wrap things up.

Owen Grady

A Navy vet turned animal behaviorist, Owen Grady was a crucial part of Jurassic World's operations, as he trained Blue and her Raptor Squad siblings for the park's benefit. Losing all but one of those Raptors in the events of the previous film, Grady took to building himself a cabin and living a quiet life. Then the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom happened, and once again, Owen was thrown into a nightmarish clash of dinosaurs, as he helped track, and eventually save, the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar. By the end of the new film, Owen is presumably reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Claire Dearing, and on good terms once more. Even more surprising is the fact that the two of them now have a child to watch after: Maisie Lockwood, the genetic clone of Benjamin Lockwood's daughter.

Claire Dearing

Once a corporate figure in the pecking order at Jurassic World, Claire Dearing went from being a Masrani Global stooge obsessed with investors and attractions to a full blown dino supporter. Working with the Dinosaur Protection League in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Claire actually cares about the creatures she once profited off of, though in the end, she obviously knew that releasing dinosaurs into the wild was a bad idea. Unfortunately for her, Maisie Lockwood had other plans, as she hit the button to release the dinos into our world. With her new improvised family unit, comprising of she, Owen Grady, and Maisie, they will be venturing off into a world of dinosaur peril, and whatever else meets their path.

Maisie Lockwood

A mysterious child who roamed the estate of her supposed grandfather, Benjamin Lockwood, Maisie turned out to be someone completely different. She was revealed to be the cloned copy of Lockwood's daughter, created after her genetic sources' untimely death in a car crash. Coming to terms with who she is, it was she that decided to release the dinosaurs into the wild, as Maisie felt that they deserved to live as much as she did. While there may be more secrets hiding in the shadows, the present seems peaceful as she's with Owen and Claire at the end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and is presumed to be their responsibility still in Jurassic World 3.

Dr. Henry Wu

One of the connective threads between the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchises is expert geneticist Dr. Henry Wu. Initially hired to help John Hammond realize the park of his dreams, Dr. Wu eventually became part of InGen and then Masrani Global's efforts to create the second, more successful bid at a viable theme park. And through each instance of dinosaur laden mayhem he's orbited, he's survived the fallout without a problem. That tradition still stands post Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, as the character portrayed by B.D. Wong doesn't die in the finale, and Colin Trevorrow has even stated in interviews that he feels the character's story isn't finished. In fact, he could always turn back to the side of good again, after witnessing what happened when he threw his lot in with inGen during Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. What's more, after reading that Wong sees the character as a non-villainous presence, there's a chance for redemption, even after Dr. Wu's turncoat past.

Blue

Bred in captivity and part of the Raptor Squad that resided in Jurassic World, Blue the velociraptor retreated to the wilds of Isla Nublar when all was said and done with the Indominous Rex. Years later, through Owen Grady's assistance, the mercenaries hired by InGen eventually captured her for the purpose of using her DNA to refine the Indoraptor prototype, and give it a mother to raise it. After being set loose, and helping kill the Indoraptor prototype in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Blue ran off into the wild again, seemingly upset that she would wind up in a cage and taken somewhere unfamiliar yet again. We last saw her stumble on a housing development in the desert, so Jurassic World 3 undoubtedly will see our favorite velociraptor possibly running into new and exciting humans in the near future.

Potentially Returning Characters From The Jurassic Park Series

Besides Dr. Henry Wu, who returned in 2015's Jurassic World, no other original trilogy characters have returned besides Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm. However, with Jurassic World 3 opening the field of play in such a manner that anyone could possibly come back, we might see some more Jurassic Park characters making their on screen returns. One name that was explicitly mentioned was Laura Dern, who played Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III, and was alluded to as a possible returning cast member by Goldblum in press before Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Though you can't mention Ellie without mentioning her potentially ex-boyfriend Dr. Alan Grant, played by Sam Neill. While we don't know anything yet, it'd be foolish not to admit that getting the gang back together would be the perfect capper to the Jurassic World trilogy - something that even Colin Trevorrow seems to be on the same page with.

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No, Keanu Reeves Is Not In Hobbs And Shaw

No, Keanu Reeves Is Not In Hobbs And Shaw

The new Fast and Furious spinoff movie already had an immense amount of star power thanks to the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Idris Elba, but last month a new rumor implied that the movie was going to be even bigger thanks to the addition of Keanu Reeves to the cast of Hobbs & Shaw. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as the John Wick star has not put the rumor to bed. He's not in the movie.

The rumor landed about a month ago and it claimed that the new film would reveal that Idris Elba's character, who is presented as the film's villain in the trailers, is actually working for an even bigger bad guy, who would be played by Keanu Reeves. While the role was being described as a significant one, it was also suggested that Reeves might only appear in a post-credits sequence that would set up a Hobbs and Shaw sequel.

While Reeves admits to Variety that there were conversations with the Hobbs & Shaw team, he is very clear that nothing happened and he's not in the film. According to Reeves...

I don’t know how that happened. I really honestly do not know how that happened… I’ve been contacted, but yeah, I have no idea how that part of the story happened.

So, while it sounds like the original rumor had some basis in fact, as Keanu Reeves apparently could have had a role in the new Fast & Furious spinoff, it wasn't strictly true because no deal was ever reached. Keanu has nothing but good things to say about Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham and it sounds like he'd love to work with them if the opportunity ever came along.

The idea of Keanu Reeves appearing in a Fast & Furious movie wasn't entire crazy on its face. The movie is being directed by David Leitch, who was one of the co-directors on the first John Wick film alongside Chad Stahelski.

It does make one wonder if the description of the character Reeves was rumored to play might then turn out to be true. Perhaps another A-list actor will be appearing in the film in the role of the power behind the throne.

While there have been a handful of times that people behind a new movie have outright lied in an attempt to prevent a reveal, it doesn't feel like that's the case here. Instead it seems that conversations behind-the-scenes got misinterpreted as a done deal when things were far from that.

While The Rock versus Keanu Reeves is certainly a big screen battle I'd love to see, it appears I'll have to wait for another time and another place. Although, now that Reeves is on board for a fourth John Wick movie, he may be too busy himself to fit into the Rock's equally busy schedule.

Hobbs & Shaw hits theaters August 2. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is in theaters now

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Paul Rudd Talks Getting Starstruck Around Captain America

Paul Rudd Talks Getting Starstruck Around Captain America

Over the weekend the cast of Avengers: Endgame started a press tour mystified by all the secrecy the cast are sworn to until a movie is released. There is a certain bittersweetness to the cast assembling ahead of the release of Avengers: Endgame, because the blockbuster is said to be the culmination of a 22-film journey in the MCU that started with Iron Man.

Over at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd was asked about something he could actually answer: a moment that has stood out to him during his time with the MCU thus far and it included quite a bit of love for Captain America. Here’s what he said:

The very first time I filmed with these guys on Civil War it was pretty spectacular because we’d already filmed Ant-Man, but that was a little in a bubble. All of a sudden, I was seeing everybody in their suits and it was very exciting.

After the Ant-Man’s origin was introduced in 2015, the size-shifting superhero was recruited for Team Cap in Captain America: Civil War in a scene that had the Avengers at odds with one another for some exciting match-ups. Looks like Paul Rudd’s first scene among the extended universe when he freaks out over meeting Cap and Scarlet Witch was a lot less acting than one might expect. Rudd continued the memory with these words:

In fact, one time, I was standing opposite Chris Evans and he had to run to use the bathroom or something. He asked the prop guy to hold his shield and walked off. I just said [to the prop guy], ‘Can I try it?’ And I took the shield and it was very exciting. It was not dissimilar to what my character was feeling in the scene.

Once Team Cap, always Team Cap! We can easily imagine the Ant-Man actor doing exactly what he described because his character sounded just as starstruck toward Chris Evans’ iconic role when he stumbled out of a van, shook his hand a bit too long, and felt his broad shoulders. Is there any other acceptable reaction? If you have the chance to hold on to Cap’s shield for a short moment, why not?

Paul Rudd joined original Avengers cast members Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth over at Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night. Check out the longer interview below:

Besides his coming appearance with them in Avengers: Endgame, Ant-Man has only appeared with the Avengers in Civil War in that fun airport battle scene. He sat out during Infinity War (much to some FOMO on his side) and as revealed to Ant-Man and the Wasp, became stuck in the Quantum Realm during the time of the snap.

As the Endgame trailers have teased, Scott Lang somehow makes it out of the Quantum Realm and approaches the Avengers as they try to figure out how to defeat Thanos and reverse his act of genocide. Ant-Man looks to have a more significant role in this upcoming film, whether the Avengers decide to use his Quantum tech to save the world or if one viral theory involving Ant-Man crawling into Thanos’ butt ring true. Answers to these questions aren’t far off, Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26.

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Regina Hall Really Loved Playing A Bad Boss In Little

Regina Hall Really Loved Playing A Bad Boss In Little

Many of us know Regina Hall as Brenda from the hilarious Scary Movie franchise, but if her newest character ran our workplaces, we’d be using that title in a brand new context. In Little, the comedy actress plays a rich tech entrepreneur who leaves her staff shaking in their seats with her crazy demands and deep-cutting insults – so much so that she must relive her middle school days to change her ways.

Regina Hall had such a blast playing the nightmarish bad boss to Issa Rae’s April, it actually surprised her how much so. Here’s what she said in my recent interview with her:

She’s so rotten. It was really a fun character to play. I have to say, I enjoyed being a little monster. No one would behave that insane in real life so I thought I would have a great time, I didn’t think it would come so instinctively, but yeah it was fun to do.

The actress certainly had the chance to go over-the-top for the comedy and say some vile things to her staff in the film. This included tearing them down during a pitch meeting and even getting on the bad side of a young girl, who ends up magically transforming her into a 13-year-old, played by Black-ish’s Marsai Martin.

Regina Hall served as an executive producer on Little along with her younger counterpart, Marsai Martin, who has now made history as the youngest in Hollywood history to earn the prestigious behind-the-scenes role. Martin pitched the film inspired by the Tom Hanks-led Big to Will Packer Productions when she was just 10 years old and had a hand in picking Regina Hall and Issa Rae as her costars.

While Regina Hall only stars in the beginning and end of the film, she gets some scene-stealing moments as a bad boss similar to Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada. The actress also apparently made sure to make it onto set for Luke James’ steamy dancing scene (according to director/writer Tina Gordon, she flew in just for it!)

Little opened last weekend with a handful of other newcomers such as Hellboy, After and Missing Link, and bested all of them at the box office with a $15 million weekend. Little was just behind Shazam!, which took home the No. 1 spot at $25 million during its second weekend. It’s a modest entrance for the studio that made the Ride Along films, Think Like a Man and Girls Trip, but altogether it wasn’t a solid run for movie theaters as a whole.

As more films hit theaters this weekend such as Breakthrough, Penguins and The Curse of La Llorona, we’ll have to see how Little (or Big) of an impression the ensemble comedy makes on audiences. Either way, it looks like Regina Hall and the cast had tons of fun making it, especially when it came to exploring her bad boss side.

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Shazam! Made More Money Than Aquaman In Preview Screenings

Shazam! Made More Money Than Aquaman In Preview Screenings

My man Aquaman has the highest-grossing DC film of all time. Shazam! is not expected to top it, or even come close, to be honest. But Zachary Levi's film is already defying expectations, with a preview screening pulling in bigger bucks than the DCEU's reigning king -- among other movies.

Shazam! played in 1,200 Fandango preview screenings Saturday night, making $3.3 million. That topped Aquaman's Atom/Amazon preview take of $2.9 million, and also the previews for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($2.6 million), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ($1.8 million), and Hotel Transylvania ($1.3 million).

Those figures are per Deadline, which noted that Shazam!'s preview box office take was spread pretty evenly throughout North America. Of course, that doesn't mean the movie will have a huge opening weekend at the domestic North American box office, or charm the international box office in the way that really boosted Aquaman over the top. But it's a promising start for a movie that's easy to root for.

Zachary Levi -- aka the kid-in-an-adult-superhero's body himself -- was on hand for one of Shazam!'s advance screenings. He thanked the fans, who were surely surprised and thrilled to see him:

The review embargo for Shazam! lifted last night, with critics flooding the internet with lengthy opinions. Most of the reviews have been very positive, and Shazam! currently has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 93% from 46 reviews.

Shazam! is apparently tracking for an opening weekend somewhere around $40-$50 million. But lately every top film has overperformed -- from Captain Marvel making more than expected in her opening weekend, to Jordan Peele's Us nearly doubling the predictions for his film.

Aquaman actually had a relatively slow start at the domestic box office, with the lowest opening of the DCEU. But it definitely made up for it over time, especially with help from the foreign box office, and the movie currently has a worldwide gross of $1,146,648,294. That's the best of the current DCEU, and also the best for any DC Comics movie.

So right now many lucky critics and fans have already seen Shazam! but the rest of us will have to wait another couple of weeks. The movie officially opens in theaters on Friday, April 5. Shazam! will show up right after Dumbo, about a month after Captain Marvel, and only a few weeks before Marvel's Avengers: Endgame. We are officially in the busy season, and it should continue through the summer. Keep up with everything headed to the big screen in 2019 with our handy movie schedule.

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The 8 Best Nicolas Cage Movies, And The 4 Worst

The 8 Best Nicolas Cage Movies, And The 4 Worst

Nicolas Cage is often maligned by movie fans for some of the more… interesting choices he has made in roles, as well as his incredibly meme-able facial expressions when he’s getting really nuts. Nevertheless, he has had a remarkable career.

Nicolas Cage’s career has now spanned almost four decades and the diversity of his roles is amazing. He has been in classic cult films, huge box office blockbusters, deeply personal indie films and everything else in between. He can play the hero or the villain, and his talents have won him multiple awards and earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

On the flip side, he’s also been nominated for multiple Golden Raspberries and has been the butt of endless jokes on the internet for his less-than-stellar performances. It makes everyone wonder what his decision-making process is, sometimes. Nicolas Cage has come a long way from his bit part in Fast Times At Ridgemont High. With all this in mind, let's over over the eight best Nicolas Cage movies and four of his worst.

The 8 Best Nicolas Cage Movies

Raising Arizona (1987)

Raising Arizona, the hilarious and quirky second film from the Coen Brothers, brings together a whole lot of talent at the very beginnings of their careers: Holly Hunter, Frances McDomand, John Goodman and, of course, Nicolas Cage. In a way, it set the template for all the Coen Brothers comedies, as it’s filled with wacky characters and a loose plot that is almost irrelevant.

Nicolas Cage’s deadpan performance as the petty criminal turned kidnapper turned “father,” “Hi” is perfect. Hi’s tired and life-weary demeanor is the perfect foil for his intense and upbeat wife, Ed, played by Holly Hunter. Raising Arizona has become a classic and was a big reason Nicolas Cage’s career took off.

Moonstruck (1987)

Released the same year as Raising Arizona, Moonstruck was another breakout performance for Nicolas Cage and it immediately showed his rage as an actor. Nicolas Cage’s performance as the down on his luck baker in Brooklyn is a completely different kind of character than Hi in Raising Arizona.

Moonstruck was also a huge critical and commercial success, and while Nicolas Cage’s excellent performance wasn’t recognized with any award nominations, two of his co-stars won Oscars, Cher and Olympia Dukakis.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Leaving Las Vegas is by far the biggest critical success of Nicolas Cage’s career. His Oscar-winning performance as a down-and-out alcoholic who moves to Las Vegas to drink himself to death is unbelievably sad and difficult to watch because Cage’s performance is so believable and well done.

His co-star, Elizabeth Shue, also puts in an incredible performance as a prostitute who forms a relationship with the sad drunk. Together they make the perfect, tragic couple with a devastating ending that in a way is kind of beautiful that they found in each other even under the unspeakably horrible situations both were in.

Honeymoon In Vegas (1992)

Honeymoon In Vegas somehow slips under the radar a lot when people talk about Nicolas Cage movies, and that is too bad, but it’s a great movie and Cage’s performance is hilarious. Cage plays a detective with commitment issues who reluctantly decides to marry his girlfriend, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, in a quickie Vegas marriage.

Cage’s character gets in debt to a wise guy/professional gambler, played brilliantly by James Caan, and promises Caan's character he can spend the weekend with his fiancée before they get married. The rest of the movie is filled with hilarious hijinks, as Cage chases Caan and Parker from Vegas to Hawaii and back to Vegas before culminating in a sky dive above The Strip with a bunch of Elvis impersonators. Brilliant!

Kick-Ass (2010)

The last decade hasn’t been the strongest of Nicolas Cage’s career but it started strong with Kick-Ass, the really well done spoof of superhero movies feature Cage as “Big Daddy” the "real-life" Batman-like superhero raising his daughter and seeking revenge on his rival, a mob boss that set him up to take the fall as a drug dealer and serve a nickel in prison.

Kick-Ass is an incredibly fun movie where the good guys win in the end and the violence is completely over the top. It’s like a perfect combination of a Marvel movie, Kingsman and a John Wick movie.

Gone In 60 Seconds (2000)

Gone in 60 Seconds is another one of those awesome Nicolas Cage action movies filled with amazing car chases and a first-rate cast. The dialogue, like the others, is trite and frankly meaningless, but that doesn’t matter. Because if you like awesome cars and awesome car chases, it really doesn’t get any better.

Cage plays a retired car thief pulled out of retirement for one last, huge heist: an attempt to steal 50 cars in just 24 hours with his crew. The crew includes Robert Duvall, Vinnie Jones, Giovanni Ribisi and Angelina Jolie, but the biggest star of the film is “Eleanor,” a pristine 1967 Ford Shelby GT500, maybe the coolest car ever built. Seriously, Gone In Sixty Seconds is worth watching for the car alone.

Con Air (1997)

Who doesn’t love Con Air? The plot is asinine and the script is trite and silly, but the action sequences are amazing and the acting performances, including Nicolas Cage’s, are awesome! It’s big budget, summer blockbuster Hollywood at its very best.

There is no way to come across it on a rainy Saturday afternoon on TV and NOT watch the whole thing. The all-star cast, led by Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Bescemi and Danny Trejo, all put in amazing performance. That alone make it the best kind of watchable movie.

The Rock (1996)

The first movie starring Nicolas Cage after his Oscar-winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas was something, uh, completely different. The Rock is cheesy, awesome Nic Cage at his best. The lines are so silly – “Cut the chitchat, A-HOLE!” – but he delivers them with such pizazz that it makes them eminently quotable. By the way, that is the actual quote from the movie, not the censored TV version.

Like Con Air, this movie takes the art of the summer blockbuster to its highest level. It has a ridiculous plot, a great car chase, big explosions, a script full of “did he really say that” quotes and huge stars, like Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris and a supporting cast of legendary characters. It is so wonderfully whacky and awesome.

The 4 Worst Nicolas Cage Movies

Ghost Rider (2007)

With enough plot holes to drive a motorcycle through, Ghost Rider is the kind of movie you really want to like, even in a cynical, campy way, but just can’t. Nicolas Cage’s performance isn’t terrible; it’s actually good, but the movie is just so… stupid and disappointing. For a guy like Nic Cage, who always wants to play superheroes, it must smart that the film doesn't work.

Maybe expectations were too high for the big screen adaptation of a very cool comic, because the story shouldn’t be this bad, it has very solid source material, yet, it sadly is.

Amos & Andrew (1993)

A stupid premise and a trite attempt to be relevant with a critical commentary on race in America, the Nicolas Cage/Samuel L. Jackson flick is a disaster. It’s easy to see where the minds behind the movie were trying to go with it, but it fails in most ways. The action is lacking and the attempted comedy just isn’t funny, despite decent performances by the lead actors.

In the long list of forgettable Nicolas Cage movies, this might be the most forgettable. There is just nothing about this movie that should make anyone want to watch it. It was a bomb with the critics and it tanked at the box office. It’s not hilariously bad, like some other Nic Cage performances, and that makes Amos & Andrew worse than some those to watch.

Left Behind (2014)

Left Behind is just bad in every way. It’s not that’s it’s a Christian movie that wouldn’t appeal to more secular audience – though it is – it’s because it’s just plain bad. There is no other way around it. It’s one of the movies in this decade that Nicolas Cage has starred in that really makes you scratch your head and wonder why.

The plot is loosely based on the gazillion-selling Christian novel about the people left behind to face God’s judgement after His believers disappear and join him in heaven. Right up until the completely ridiculous and simple-minded ending, it’s bad. In fact, it’s hard to find anything positive to say about it, even Cage’s performance feels phoned in.

Wicker Man (2006)

Wicker Man should have been great. A remake of a great low budget horro movie of the same name, with a lot of talent involved, including the great playwright Neil LaBute, who wrote and directed it and starring Academy Award winners like Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn, the movie just fails.

It’s not suspenseful and worst of all, the torture scene at the end, which should be terrifying, is actually hilarious. Like a bad B-movie in the worst kind of way. On the plus side, it is responsible for some of the best memes of all time and that is really the best thing that can be said about it.

There are a lot of other movies that could appear on this list, underrated movies like Family Man, forgotten great movies like Peggy Sue Got Married, or blockbusters like Face/Off. With almost 100 credits to his name, Nicolas Cage is prolific and inconsistent but almost never boring.

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