Soundtracking: "Her"

by Chris Feil

Say what you will about its hipster, ukulele verve, but “The Moon Song” from Her is one of the most deserving Best Original Song nominees of the past decade. Some of the reward may be carryover from songwriter Karen O missing out for Where The Wild Things Are’s equally deserving “All is Love”, but both prove essential to the emotional experience of their films. Seriously, Karen O, please make more music for films and not just those from Spike Jonze.

This song is a deceptively simple ditty, a longing love song that slips into the deep melancholy and faint whimsy of the near-future that Jonze creates in the film. It belongs to Her’s manic pixie dream AI Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), but also the romantic imagination of Joaquin Pheonix’s Theodore. Every couple needs a song, even if one of the parties is solely digital.

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Scarlett's Black Widow Dough and 2018's Highest Paid Actresses

I always find Forbes annual list of highest paid actresses suspect because when you dig into it you realize the huge sums aren't necessarily for acting but for being spokespersons for various products or fashion houses. Of course that requires the celebrity that comes from acting hence the fusion of commerce and art. With some mainstays of the list, like Jennifer Aniston who is on it every year, the money is largely for commercials with the films being commercials for her celebrity to keep the commercial endorsement business going. With others the money is largely the frequent hit films (Melissa McCarthy). Franchises definitely help: Cate Blanchett and Scarlett Johansson both made Marvel money this past year, Angelina Jolie's big number is her upfront pay for Maleficent 2, and Gal Gadot's is her sudden cash-in on her new celebrity from helping to make Wonder Woman such a massive global hit in 2017. 

The 2018 list goes like so...

1. Scarlett Johansson $40.5 million
2. Angelina Jolie $28 million
3. Jennifer Aniston $19.5 million
4. Jennifer Lawrence $18 million
5. Reese Witherspoon $16.5 million
6. Mila Kunis $16 million
7. Julia Roberts $13 million
8. Cate Blanchett $12.5 million
9. Melissa McCarthy $12 million
10. Gal Gadot $10 million (first time on the list)

On the list last year but didn't manage it this time: Emma Watson, Emma Stone, Amy Adams, and Charlize Theron.

If you controlled the world which 10 actresses would be showered with money for 2018?

YNMS: Rough Night

Chris here. With the vengeful bitches of The Beguiled, the raucousness of Girls Trip, and the asskickery of Atomic Blonde coming for our eyeballs, it's shaping up to be a delightfully less macho summer movie season! And now the Broad City team of writer/director Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs is bringing another female-led delight for the summer, Rough Night. Scarlett Johansson leads the exciting cast of Zoë Kravitz, Kate McKinnon, Ilana Glazer, and Jillian Bell for the debaucherous (and deadly) bachelorette party - brace yourselves for "Bridesmaids and The Hangover meet Weekend At Bernie's" comparisons as this one opens.

The first trailer brings the NSFW laughs and shows off the ensemble - so take a look and we'll break down the Yes No Maybe So after the jump...

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YNMS: "Ghost in the Shell"

by Chris Feil

Coming with a wave of whitewash casting controversy and mini teases over the past month, Ghost in the Shell finally has a teaser trailer. The Rupert Sanders directed manga adaptation opens in March, and you can expect to hear more and more takedowns on the casting of Scarlett Johansson as an asian character before then - especially Disney screws up with their coming Mulan revamp. But will the film offer anything to draw our attention beyond the controversy, as much as we do love Johansson?

Take a look at the spooky opulent teaser below and check out our Yes No Maybe So analysis after the jump...

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Scarlett Johannson is the grossest actress ever

...as in, the cumilative box office grossings of the films she's starred in!

Josh here to quickly talk earnings. Scarlett's cumulative box office grossings earn her the title of highest grossing actress ever in the USA according to Box Office Mojo. This title is a little misleading as it's not exactly just Scarlett drawing people to all those Marvel movies that she isn't even the lead of (shame!). Along with the Marvel cinematic universe, her massive tally includes her 5 seconds of voice work in The Jungle Book and actual star vehicle Lucy. This puts her ahead of Cameron Diaz, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts (who is the only lady on the list not propped up massively by a mega-franchise).

The top ten and more facts about the cashed up list after the jump

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