Power Rangers Reboot Delayed to January 2017
When the Power Rangers film reboot was originally announced last May, I was overjoyed with the franchise's potential. Lionsgate has done extremely well with their films over the years, especially in regards to The Hunger Games. A few months after the film's announcement, Lionsgate revealed X-Men: First Class screenplay writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz were handling the script. Come fall, executive producer Roberto Orci, who had been attached as an executive producer after departing from the then-active Amazing Spider-Man franchise, left the project due to scheduling conflicts with his directorial debut on Star Trek 3. Then just last month, Lionsgate delayed the film from a coveted July 2015 release date to a less-than-savory January 13, 2017 date.
Needless to say, the reboot has faced a few hurdles since its inception. The move from a primetime summer release to a mid-winter release typically isn't a show of confidence for film studios, with May through August typically represented by the year's biggest films and October through December reserved for prestigious films making a run for Oscars consideration. However, the studio is still confident that the Power Rangers film will be successful, choosing a date where they can capitalize on an otherwise slow weekend. As it stands right now, only two other films are slated for the date: Boss Baby, a comedy starring Alec Baldwin and Kevin Spacey, and The Magnificent Seven, a Western reuniting director Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer) and Denzel Washington. The Power Rangers film would certainly be able to capture a wider audience than the two films, which is a positive for the project.
Of course, the project found some unintentional competition when the amazing POWER/RANGERS fan film was released this past March., leading SCG Power Rangers, LLC (the company that owns the Power Rangers IP) to take action against the film. The fan film's release could have posed a major problem to the official project, given the incredibly warm reception producer Adi Shankar received for the dark and gritty reimagining. With a director in place (Project Almanac's Dean Israelite) and full support by Lionsgate, the reboot should find success despite (or perhaps due to) the January release date. For all we know, this could be the perfect opportunity for both the studio and the franchise to establish itself in a less-crowded release window. Who knows? Maybe the Power Rangers reboot could jumpstart mid-winter as a prime time for larger studio releases.
[via /Film]
[Red Band Trailer] DOPE (NSFW)
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Following yesterday's trailer release for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl comes the trailer for another breakout Sundance 2015 hit, DOPE. The film, which received multiple offers following its Sundance premiere, stars newcomer Shameik Moore as Malcolm, a geek living in Inglewood who doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. In fact, he and his friends Jib (The Grand Budapest Hotel's Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Transparent's Kiersey Clemons) are constantly picked on and bullied for their interests, such as punk rock, old school hip hop, BMX, and their desires to get into good colleges. When local drug dealer Dom (A$AP Rocky) gets Malcolm to convince hottie Nakia (Zoe Kravitz) to come to his party, the crew find themselves at the cusp of becoming "dope." However, circumstances surrounding the party result in Malcolm getting entangled in a drug deal that could jeopardize their futures.
DOPE had mainstream appeal from the get-go with a star-studded cast that also includes Workaholics' Blake Anderson, Tyga, and Forest Whitaker as the narrator (who also served as one of the film's producers), with Puff Daddy and Pharrell executive producing, and a soundtrack that features four exclusive new tracks from the latter. Beyond the star appeal, the critical response to the film was actually positive thanks to writer/director Rick Famuyiwa's depictions of racial and character diversity in a natural, entertaining way.
DOPE is coming to theaters on June 19th.
[Trailer] Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, the stand-out film of this year's Sundance Film Festival, is almost guaranteed to be everybody's next favorite indie film with its perfect mix of drama, comedy, great performances, and writing. Greg (Thomas Mann) is the titular "me," a high school loner who tries hard to blend in with all of the cliques without making meaningful attachments. In fact, he refers to his only friend Earl (Ronald Cyler III) as a "co-worker," who he's shot and filmed over 40 films with since grade school. However, this all changes when his Mom makes him hang out with the "dying girl," Rachel (Olivia Cooke). You can see where this is going...
Yet, the film subverts assumptions, which helps explain why Me and Earl and the Dying Girl won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance. I've been championing Mann's rise in Hollywood since Project X, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is the perfect film to help elevate his star to new heights.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl will have a limited theatrical release on June 12th.
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Fruitvale Station
By now, we all know Netflix Instant's mid-month updates are lacking, and this week is no different. However, the amazing (and unfortunately relevant) Fruitvale Station has finally been added to the service. Stop what you're doing and watch this powerful film. The rest of this week's updates are below.
Girlhood
La chambre bleue
In the Bedroom
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the...
First Period
12 Horas 2 Minutos
After
Bandidos Legendarios de México
Bienvenida Realidad
Canciones de la granja: Vol. 1
Canciones de la granja: Vol. 2
The Cardenas Era
Clean Spirit
Cyber-Seniors
Dawg Fight
Earthquake of Mexico
El Asesinato de Trotsky
El Carnaval de Barranquilla
El Dorado
El Escape de Hitler
Fists of Legend
Galinha Pintadinha
Gaturro, the Series
Give Me Shelter
Granite Flats
The Killer
La Batalla de Zacatecas
La Masacre de Tlatelolco
La Prepago
La Red Nazi en México
Lottie Dottie Chicken
Magnicidios
Magnicidios II
María la del Barrio
Mengele, the Angel of Death
Mundo Gaturro
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai
Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!
Pancho Villa, Aquí y Allí
A Pope For Everyone
Porque el amor manda
The Quest
Revolucion Mexicana
Rondas y Clasicos Infantiles
Scintilla
The Quest: Season 1
When Calls the Heart: Season 1
Lottie Dottie Chicken: Season 1
Metastasis: Season 1
Young & Hungry: Season 1
Granite Flats: Season 1
Porque el amor manda: Season 1
Galinha Pintadinha: Season 1
La Prepago: Season 1
Granite Flats: Season 2
Granite Flats: Season 3
Grand Hotel: Season 3
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: Season 4
The Soccer Nanny
Temporada de Zopilotes
Toobys
When Calls the Heart
Young & Hungry
Zapata, Lives
Corky Romano
The Enforcer
Fist of Legend
[REC] 4: Apocalipsis
The Universe: Season 4
Fruitvale Station
[Trailer] Amy
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By now, we're all mostly familiar with the tragic story of Amy Winehouse. It's hard to believe that almost four years have passed since her untimely death, yet the story about the talented songstress is still being shaped to this day. Amy, directed by Senna director Asif Kapadia, utilizes unseen footage to serve as the definitive story of Winehouse's short life.
However, the documentary has received minor backlash from those close to Winehouse, with many who initially supported the documentary now distancing themselves following the doc's premiere at Cannes earlier this year. A statement released by a spokesperson for Winehouse's family reads:
They feel that the film is a missed opportunity to celebrate her life and talent and that it is both misleading and contains some basic untruths....There are specific allegations made against family and management that are unfounded and unbalanced.
Nevertheless, Amy promises an intimate look at Winehouse's life with nearly one-hundred interviews conducted to dictate the documentary's objective look at the Grammy award-winning singer's rise. Amy follows the release of another notable music documentary in Montage of Heck, which examines the life of departed Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain through private home videos and support from Cobain's widow, Courtney Love.
Amy will be in theaters on July 10th.
[Weekly Netflix Fix] The Sixth Sense
It's a light week for this week's Weekly Netflix Fix. The Sixth Sense makes its return to Netflix Instant... but is also the only highlight. You can find the full list of new Netflix additions below.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Little Hope Was Arson
The Longest Week
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Demon...
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Demon Capital: Season 1
Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne: Season 1
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Season 1
Heaven's Lost Property: Season 1
Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne: Season 2
Heaven's Lost Property: Season 2
The Sixth Sense
Grace and Frankie: Season 1
American Dad!: Season 7
Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas
Dirty Girl
Jinn
The Liberator
Rabbit Hole
Slugterra: Slug Fu Showdown
White Haired Witch
Bratz: Pampered Petz
Late Phases
Russell Madness
Extraterrestrial
Icetastrophe
Magical Universe
Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation
The Sleepwalker
Tip Top
Spike Lee's Chicago Film Will Be a Musical Comedy
Spike Lee's upcoming film, which has grown to Voldemort-esque levels of "Film-That-Will-Not-Be-Named" around these parts, will be a musical comedy based on the Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes. The play takes place during the Peloponnesian War (431 - 404 BC) and finds the titular character banding other Greek women up to devise a plan to find peace by withholding sex from their husbands and partners to stop the war. The comedy, however, comes in the ironic fact that Lysistrata and her group grow just as sexually-frustrated as the men, creating a dichotomy of mixed feelings. The setup does fall in line with Lee's recent works, and would fit the narrative of a young woman holding out from doing sex until those around her stop the violence in Englewood.
However, looking at Lee's last film, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, is still alarming, as the film was a spiritual remake of Ganja and Hess, but didn't do anything to separate itself from its source. The film's title, too, does fit in with the proposed narrative, yet it's still insulting to constantly be attached to and defined by war, especially if the film insulates itself completely within Englewood and not throughout the entire city.
Furthermore, the film will be a musical comedy, which I think is being done to further subvert the film's title, yet sugarcoating the real problem just makes matters more problematic. I'm assuming the musical elements of the film will be due to the soundtrack playing more of a role within the film rather than a more traditional musical, but that's just conjecture. On that same note, it's reported that Kanye West, who was courted for the film, won't be appearing, but may still be providing something for the soundtrack.
[via /Film]
[Trailer] Jem and the Holograms
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Art is cyclical, especially in Hollywood, so it was only a matter of time before film studios began to reach into the depths of popular (and semi-popular) '80s properties to find the next big thing. While the majority of '80s rehashes have focused on male-driven franchises (G.I. Joe and Transformers to name a couple), not many female-centric franchises have been tapped for the modern adaptation treatment... until now.
Behold, the first official trailer for Jem and the Holograms. Starring Aubrey Peeples (Nashville, Sharknado), the film is about a teenage girl band staying true to themselves in the face of sudden fame. Sounds very fitting for a contemporary music film, doesn't it? The film is being directed by Jon M. Chu whose notable works include Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and the two Justin Bieber films Never Say Never and Believe. Also starring are Stefanie Scott (Wreck-It Ralph), Hayley Kiyoko (CSI: Cyber), and Aurora Perrineau, with Juliette Lewis and '80s icon Molly Ringwald.
Jem and the Holograms has a dedicated fanbase that seems pretty positive over the film. Universal Pictures is definitely pushing the film alongside Pitch Perfect 2 with attention towards Chu's connection with Bieber, helping the film establish itself amongst the tween girl demographic. Hopefully, the film will also appeal to older generations that grew up with Jem and the Holograms. We'll find out just how well the campaign goes when the film hits theaters on October 23rd.