Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
‘End of the Tour’ Director James Ponsoldt to Helm Disney’s ‘Wild City’
Surprise! Disney is making a live-action and CGI hybrid movie that isn’t a remake of one of their established properties — it’s like Christmas in August, or maybe someone at the studio realized they have enough live-action remakes in development to get them through the next 30 years and into nuclear winter. In any case, Disney has hired End of the Tour and The Spectacular Now director James Ponsoldt to take on their latest live-action / CGI project, Wild City.
Jimmy Fallon to Host the 2017 Golden Globes
Following in the footsteps of his former SNL pals Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon will host the 2017 Golden Globes — which should also provide a respite from the antics of Ricky Gervais, for those of you who were growing a little weary of his schtick. The big question now is whether or not Fallon can make it through the awards ceremony without laughing.
What’s Leaving Netflix Instant: August 2016
There’s a lot of great new stuff coming to Netflix Instant next month, but just as we prepare to load up our queues with the latest additions, so must we prepare to say goodbye to a handful of expiring titles. Now would be a good time to stop procrastinating and stop watching before these movies and TV shows disappear — possibly for a long, long time. Read on for our complete guide to everything that’s expiring from Netflix Instant in August.
‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ Trailer Invades Comic-Con With Magical New Footage
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters in November, returning Harry Potter fans to J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world — or a different corner of it, anyway. Warner Bros. brought the first film in their magical spinoff trilogy to Comic-Con 2016, where they debuted a rather, uh, fantastic new trailer featuring plenty of beasts, indeed.
New HBO NOW Releases: August 2016
If you’re looking for something to fill the Game of Thrones-shaped void in your life, there are plenty of new viewing options coming to HBO NOW in August, including two Oscar-nominated dramas and the finale of The Night Of — which is as good a reminder as any to catch up on HBO’s latest acclaimed series. Next month also brings a solid lineup of great films, including The Aviator, Scarface and One Hour Photo, among others.
‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot Won’t Be Released in China, Maybe Because of Ghosts, Maybe Not
Last year, Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak was denied release in Chinese theaters thanks to an old provision in the country’s censorship code, which bans films that feature cults and superstitious elements. It looks like a similar fate has befallen Ghostbusters, as Paul Feig’s reboot will not be hitting theaters in the world’s second largest film market. But it might not entirely be about that whole ghost thing.
New ‘Ghostbusters’ Troll Their Haters With a ‘Folk Lady’ Version of the Classic Theme Song
The cast of Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters are set to appear on The Graham Norton Show on June 23, but a couple of clips from their delightful episode have popped up online, including one in which Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy — at Feig’s urging — perform their “folk lady” version of the classic theme song. As an added bonus, their sharply-dressed director gets slimed, straight-up Nickelodeon style.
That ‘Wicked’ Movie Finally Has a Release Date
If the time it’s taken for Universal to get their film adaptation of Wicked off the ground is any indication, then we could be waiting a very, very long time for a movie version of Hamilton (musical nerds, take heart: Lin-Manuel Miranda is filming his final performance). Today brings some long-awaited good news for fans of Wicked, however, as Universal has officially set a 2019 release date for the project. Grab your broomsticks, or whatever you need to rejoice properly.
Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter Join Female-Fronted ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Project
Gary Ross’ female-fronted Ocean’s Eleven sorta-sequel-spinoff-whatever has started picking up steam, and in addition to confirming Cate Blanchett’s casting, the latest update adds two more talented names to the ensemble: Mindy Kaling and Helena Bonham Carter. The trio join Sandra Bullock in the upcoming project, which is being produced by original Ocean’s trilogy director Steven Soderbergh.
‘Ghostbusters’ Director Paul Feig Says the Sexist Backlash Has Been ‘Chilling’
It’s hard to believe that the great pop culture wars are being waged over something like female Ghostbusters, but here we are. In the year 2016, we’ve seen backlash over casting Idris Elba as the Gunslinger in The Dark Tower, accusations that critics were paid by Marvel to diss Batman v Superman, and, perhaps worst of all, outrage at Paul Feig for making a new Ghostbusters movie with women in the lead roles. You don’t have to look very far to find heinous comments about the reboot on the internet, but as you might imagine, Feig has seen some of the worst of it.
Cate Blanchett May Join Sandra Bullock in That Female-Led ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Movie
We’re still not entirely sure what to call the new female-fronted Ocean’s Eleven movie, but whatever it is, it’s assembling some seriously great talent. In addition to Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lawrence has been reportedly considering joining the lineup, while the latest name eyeing the sorta-sequel / Ocean’s-adjacent project is none other than the great Cate Blanchett — a name that would take this project from a curiosity to a must-see.
SNL: Fred Armisen’s ‘Dead Poets Society’ Spoof Is Weirder Than You Could Possibly Imagine
SNL vet Fred Armisen returned to Studio 8H this weekend to host the Season 41 finale, and as you might expect, things got pretty weird. In between delivering the longest, most delightfully strange monologue in recent memory and reviving a couple of fan-favorite characters, Armisen starred in this pre-recorded spoof of Dead Poets Society. Riffing on a 27-year-old drama is certainly unexpected, but not nearly as unexpected as what happens at the end of this thing.