Trip a Little Link Fantastic

Links and news bits collected for you

• And the Runner Up Is... I guest starred on this podcast episode about the 1978 Oscars: Coming Home vs. The Deer Hunter
• Cinematic Corner Sati has been counting down the days... or drooling down the days for Jason Momoa as Aquaman so here's her spoiler-filled review
• Variety what's behind the uptick in the US box office this past year?
• The Advocate counts down the 15 best LGBT tv shows of the year: Pose, One Day at a Time, and Schitts Creek more
• Vanity Fair Why you should root for Aquaman's box office success
• Vanity Fair Kevin Spacey's bizarre holiday video reprising his House of Cards character
• Deadline why did Welcome to Marwen bomb at the box office?
• Gay Body Blog [NSFW] counts down the best naked scenes of the past year or so. 
• /Film interesting thought experiment. Would Green Lantern (2011) have been well received had it premiered in 2006 or 2016 due to the changing nature of the superhero genre.

Today's Video
Behind the scenes of "Trip a Little Light Fantastic"

Do y'all think Mary Poppins Returns will manage two best song nominations? I think they're only going to get one but if this one gets nominated we'll get Lin-Manuel Miranda performing at the Oscars which would be sweet. 

Finally...
Redbox released their list of most rented titles of 2018. Apparently El Paso Texas is the busiest city for redbox rentals (who knew?) and Dwayne Johnson is the biggest overall draw. Ready for it? 

1. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
2. Rampage
3. Daddy's Home 2
4. Game Night
5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

I mean where's A Fantastic Woman or We the Animals? I kid I kid. Americans just aren't adventurous in their movie tastes, whether they're going to the movies or watching them at home. In both scenarios they want big muscles, big explosions, big laughs, and big CGI beasties. That covers most of it.

Review: Aquaman

by Chris Feil

There’s an element to Aquaman’s chutzpah that feels lost to contemporary cynicism, as if its as much an artifact as the trident our titular hero chases. Here is a superhero epic that skews closer to something like Stephen Sommers Mummy trilogy, enveloped in sincerity and willingness to dazzle without winks or too-cool posturing.

But cut that with an over-caffeinated, sugar rush aesthetic packed to (forgive me) the gills with technicolor extremity, and you get a superhero film that’s delightfully batshit. It’s both beyond absurd and the guiltiest of pleasures, like Lisa Frank for dudes or gay underwater Indiana Jones. For some it might be an acquired taste, but it succeeds by pairing simplistic narrative ambitions with an authentically wild visual experience.

Click to read more ...

Showbiz History: Blade, The Bad Seed, and Basterds

10 random things that happened on this day in history as it relates to showbiz

1942 Disney's Bambi released in theaters, emotionally scarring unsuspecting children from that day forward. But what a gorgeous movie!

←1945 That Bad Seed herself, Oscar nominee Patty McCormack born on this day in Brooklyn. Get this, Rob Lowe has directed and is starring in a Lifetime remake and he cast Patty McCormack as a psychiatrist. Here's the trailer. 

1959 Hawaii officially becomes a state. The day isn't widely celebrated due to Hawaii's complicated political history. Several famous actors were born in Hawaii including total legends like Bette Midler and Nicole Kidman! The current star most associated with Hawaii is Aquaman himself Jason Momoa...

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Yes No Maybe So: "Aquaman"

by Ilich Mejía

After being announced four years ago, DC's Aquaman is finally showing some promising signs of life. Director James Wan was joined by the film's cast at Comic-Con this weekend where they presented members of the press and fans with the film's first official trailer. The film's stars Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Amber Heard (Mera) promised big action and a sci-fi fantasy, but more importantly Nicole Kidman was also there. 

Wonder Woman started turning some of us DC agnostics into intrigued believers. Will Aquaman uphold its predecessor's efforts? Before (or after) we get ahead of ourselves, let's pick its trailer apart after the cut...

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Thoughts I Had... "Aquaman"

Chris here. What hath Star Wars the need to fill the calendar with weekly franchises wrought: we are getting an Aquaman movie this Christmas. No matter because it marks Nicole Kidman's return to superhero fare, which means COSTUMES! Gowns, beautiful gowns.

Today we got our very first glimpse of Nicole as Aquaman's queen mother Atlanna on the Entertainment Weekly cover to the left. But with this exciting news comes the realization that the film... looks really promising? Perhaps DC can shed its Batman/Superman woes (if not match their Wonder Woman highs) thanks to director James Wan and his long proven ability to thrill. Wan has previously given us horror greats Insidious and The Conjuring, not to mention Furious 7, the most beloved of that particular franchise.

With this cover comes a slew of new images, and I have thoughts...

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