The Film Experience™ was created by Nathaniel R. All material herein is written by our team. (This site is not for profit but for an expression of love for cinema & adjacent artforms.)
Universal's attempted monster movie franchise launch didn't go so well. The Mummy met scathing reviews and a disappointing opening weekend. Now, a $32 million launch would be major news for many films but not for a $125 million budgeted feature starring Tom Cruise that is intending to launch a whole "universe". Not everything can be Marvel's Cinematic Universe, Hollywood!
In the absence of a strong competitor and on terrific word of mouth (no small thing), Wonder Woman continued her reign at the box office. Given a relatively small second week drop (43% while DC's usual superhero sophomore frame drop is 67%) the Amazon princess is looking to join the $300 million club stateside which will put her right up there with Supes and Batman. DC's "Big Three" indeed.
Must See EW has new images from Mary Poppins Returns. Oh please let this be good. Please let it be good.
Linkage Decider the 50 most important LGBT characters in tv history - they'll be doing essays on the top 10. Two of our contributors were included in their polling. The Guardian thinks Tom Cruise should ditch the heroics and play an unsavory character again. We heartily agree. He seemed to lose all his artistic ambition (if not his general ambition) right around the time of the Kidman divorce. It's been almost a two decade stretch of franchise heroes only now with rare exceptions like Rock of Ages and Collateral. Deadline Donald Glover talks Atlanta and taking on the famous role of Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise Guardian Remember Blue is the Warmest Color? Director Abdellatif Kechiche is auctioning off his Palme d'Or and other memorabilia to pay for his next movie Variety on the common thread that unites the shows that Netflix has recently cancelled. Guys, I'm so sad about Sense8. It wasn't perfect in any way but it was so earnest and original and sexually inclusive (sigh)
Coming Soon Ryan Coogler and Michael B Jordan are fast becoming a fiercely committed director/muse duo. They're going to make a school cheating drama Wrong Answer after Black Panther. It will already be their fourth movie together and they only made their first one, Fruitvale Station, four years ago. MNPP Jason uncovers a mystery about the naked hustler in Six Degrees of Separation (1993) Interview Matthew McConaughey interviews his screen son from Interstellar Timothée Chalamet, reportedly about to breakthrough to the big leagues with Call Me By Your Name
She's a Wonder... Wonder Woman VarietyWonder Woman banned or delayed in a few countries The New Yorker an intriguing review of Wonder Woman focusing on its restraint and the style of "no style" as well as the claim that it's not just a superhero movie but "an entry in the genre of wisdom literature" THR Patty Jenkins not yet signed on for Wonder Woman 2. The internet at large seems convinced WB/DC will throw money at her. Was the internet not paying attention when other female directors were dumped after launching big grossing franchises (think 50 Shades of Grey and The Twilight Saga)? I'm not saying this will happen again. There's more pressure and scrutiny now on this topic. I'm just saying it's more of a possibility than people are admitting given Hollywood's history of treating female directors much differently than their male counterparts.
Theater Season Time Out NY Tony Award predictions including potential surprises Playbill Molly Pope is starring in a new one person musical Second to Nun -readers near Virginia Beach should definitely seek this out. She is an amazing talent Variety looks at how an Oregon theater in a small town has become a major player in prestigious American theater
Exit Video Rachel Bloom won't be campaigning for an Emmy *wink wink*
Get it? Oh reader, I LOL'ed and LOL'ed. Cannes fun follows after the jump but first some non-Cannes thoughts and amusements featuring Twin Peaks, Rooney Mara, Reservoir Dogs and more...
Chris here. Now that filming has commenced on Mission: Impossible 6, we can start anticipating what stunt queen master Tom Cruise is prepping for our amazement. How can he top hanging from a giant skyscraper or strapping himself to a flying plane this time? Time will tell but we have already been told that Cruise has been prepping for a year on the showstopper. Maybe new costar Henry Cavill can get in on the fun?
Cruise was recently filming a more low-key feat on the Paris streets, crashing a motorcycle and somersaulting over a car on a wire. By comparison of several hundred feet, this stunt is positively quaint. But what's Tom got on his mind as he breezes through the air? Tell us in the comments!
On this morning's today in showbiz post we forgot one important anniversary. Or rather we just saved it for later as it deserved everyone at full attention. On this day in 1935, eighty-two years ago, the first pair of men's briefs were sold in Chicago and they flew off the shelves. That's right. The tighty whitey did not even exist before 1935. They were later retroactively named "jockeys" and have gone by many names since.
Surely this deserves its own cinematic beauty break? Ready set go...
Monday, June 12, 2017 at 10:35AM 
Universal's attempted monster movie franchise launch didn't go so well. The Mummy met scathing reviews and a disappointing opening weekend. Now, a $32 million launch would be major news for many films but not for a $125 million budgeted feature starring Tom Cruise that is intending to launch a whole "universe". Not everything can be Marvel's Cinematic Universe, Hollywood!
