Links: Anjelica Huston's Life, Magic Mike's Postponement, Madonna's Holograms

The Week's Must Read
Anjelica Huston interview in Vulture -Many great quotes. So much IDGAF mixing with caring about her career in interesting ways. And her tongue is so sharp and she's so candid I am forced to order her autobiography "Watch Me"

More links after the jump involving Mean Girls, casting news, Avengers Endgame, new series in development, and the Billboard Music Awards...

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"Endgame" breaks all the records. Is counterprogramming dead?

What did you see over the weekend? Or perhaps we should ask "Were you part of the record 1.2 billion global haul of Avengers Endgame?" Yes, we're living in the capitalist end times when one corporation (Disney) will soon control the entire world. Or 50% of showbusiness soon. With that in mind let's look at everything in wide release (that's only 13 films and just barely that with Endgame on 4661 screens) and their limited/platform counterparts... 

Weekend Box Office (Actuals) April 26th-28th  🔺 = new or expanded theater counts
W I D E	PLATFORM / LIMITED
1 🔺 Avengers Endgame $357.1 on 4662 screens *NEW*	1 🔺 Amazing Grace $519k on 245 screens (cum. $2.1)

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Beauty vs Beast: Pre Endgame

Jason Adams from MNPP here with this week's "Beauty vs Beast" -- a little movie called Avengers: Endgame will be hitting a couple of screens this weekend (we count Thursday nights are "the weekend" now in blockbuster world) with the blunt force of a megaton bomb; this time next week it'll be nothing but breathless box office masticating and eulogies for the fallen. So today, in the ever so brief calm before that oblivion, let's look back at last year's Infinity War appetizer and face down the great big goof heard round the galaxy -- that time Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) let his emotions get the best of him and let Thanos (Josh Brolin) live to snap another day... 

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PREVIOUSLY While every week is a good week to be Emma Thompson Week last week we made it official in honor of her 60th birthday, and the Merchant Ivory character to top them all turned out to be, with 68% of your vote, Margaret from Howard's End. Said Marsha Mason:

"Remains of the Day is the better film imo, but her performance in Howards End sticks with me a little more."

The Once and Future Link

• /Film Tom Hanks to play Elvis Presley's shady manager Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming Elvis biopic. Thankfully Baz is looking for a complete unknown for Elvis himself
• Towleroad this is awesome. Gay rights hero Harvey Milk is now on the tail fits of Norwegian Airlines. And to think he can't even get a national holiday in the US. We are so behind sometimes!
• Shadowplay some fun thoughts on John Boorman's Excalibur as "The Ridiculous"
• MNPP "do dump or marry" Matrix anniversary edition

More after the jump including the awesomeness of Eva Green, the fate of X-Men movies, an Alien high school production, and filmmaker interviews...

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Interview: The Emotionally Resonant Visual Effects Work in "Avengers: Infinity War"

It's our final Oscar nominee interview of the season! 

On a break from their post-production madness for Avengers: Endgame (opening in 66 days!) we spoke with co-directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo and the visual effects team of MCU's colossal two-parter. Part one, better known as Avengers: Infinity War, is culmination of ten years of serial storytelling within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is Oscar-nominated for Best Visual Effects. Given how strangely difficult it's proven for superhero films to win the Best Visual Effects Oscar --- only one has managed that competitively: Spider-Man 2 (2004) with Superman (1978) also getting a special achievement Oscar -- the odds are probably against Avengers: Infinity War, But, consider this: If Infinity War does win this Oscar no one will gripe that this team didn't deserve it. 

Hell, the 'snapture' alone warrants it! Now excuse the dust as this team tries to top themselves once more in Endgame. Since our interview was with multiple people we're presenting it in a series of quotes rather than a conversation. Hope you enjoy...

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